My capital is quite large.

After receiving three "good"s from Yanjing and leaving, Li Feng did not take the high-speed train back to the Jinling headquarters as scheduled. Instead, he changed course midway and flew to Hong Kong.

Under the cover of night, the Banshan Aoxuan Pavilion is brightly lit.

Inside the luxurious restaurant on the twelfth floor, the tables were laden with delicacies.

Li Feng's parents and his eldest son Li Maozhen, who is almost five years old, all sat around the table.

However, this family dinner, which should have been a joyful occasion, turned into a tense and almost suffocating atmosphere.

Although Li Feng, who was sitting in the main seat, was eating his meal with a calm expression, the lingering seriousness between his brows made everyone present notice something unusual about him.

However, no one dared to ask.

Even his biological father, Li Jianjin, who gave him life and raised him, looked at his son, who exuded authority in every gesture, and the concern he was about to express ultimately turned into a silent sigh.

In this secular world, the huge inequality in social status and power can subtly erode even the bonds of blood ties.

After dinner, Li Feng wiped his mouth and put down his chopsticks.

He glanced at his eldest son, who sat obediently in the chair, and gave the order in a tone that revealed neither joy nor anger:

"Maozhen, after you finish eating, come to the study with me."

"Yes, Father." Xiao Maozhen stood up sensibly and followed closely behind Li Feng.

......

Inside the study, two entire walls of mahogany bookshelves were filled with ancient books.

Li Feng sat in a rosewood chair, looking at his eldest son standing with his hands at his sides, and, using the pretext of the school exam, posed a question:

"Maozhen, I heard from your mother that she's been teaching you to read the Records of the Grand Historian recently?"

"Tell your father about the life and stories of Lü Buwei, the great merchant from the late Warring States period."

Hearing his father's test, Li Maozhen remained calm. A determined glint flashed in his eyes, which resembled Liu Yifei's, as he answered with classical allusions:

"Father, Lü Buwei was originally a wealthy merchant from the State of Wei. He traveled all over the country and became the richest man in the world."

"He met Yiren, a down-on-his-luck hostage from Qin, in Handan, Zhao. He saw the potential in Yiren and gambled everything he had, eventually helping Yiren ascend the throne as King Zhuangxiang. He himself was appointed Prime Minister of Qin, enfeoffed as Marquis Wenxin, had three thousand retainers, and presided over the compilation of the 'Lüshi Chunqiu'."

The little guy paused, then lowered his voice:

"But later, when the First Emperor took personal control of the government, Lü Buwei was dismissed from his post as prime minister and sent back to Shu because of his excessive power and involvement in the Lao Ai Rebellion."

"Ultimately, under a death sentence ordered by the First Emperor, he committed suicide by drinking poison, failing to die a peaceful death."

Li Feng nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied with his eldest son's extensive knowledge and excellent memory, but then immediately followed up with another question:

"And what about Fan Li, the minister of the Yue state during the Spring and Autumn period?"

Although Li Maozhen was still young, he answered questions fluently when faced with this relatively obscure historical figure:

"Fan Li assisted King Goujian of Yue in enduring hardship and humiliation for more than 20 years, and finally destroyed Wu and became the hegemon."

"But on the day of great success, he saw that King Goujian of Yue had a long neck and a bird's beak, and that he could share hardship but not happiness. So he resolutely resigned from his post and went into seclusion, sailing on the Five Lakes and changing his name to Tao Zhugong."

"He squandered his fortune in business three times, and in the end, he not only became the richest man in the world, but also lived to a ripe old age."

After hearing his son's answer, Li Feng slowly leaned back in his chair.

He seemed to be asking his son, but more like he was asking himself, and said quietly:

"Then... Maozhen, tell your father."

"Both are incredibly wealthy and possess extraordinary business acumen."

Why did Lü Buwei ultimately meet a tragic end, while Fan Li was able to enjoy a long and peaceful life?

Faced with this slightly challenging question, Li Maozhen, who was not yet five years old, answered without hesitation for almost half a second:

That's because, when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away.

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked!"

A brief silence fell over the study.

Li Feng's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at his eldest son, who was still quite young but had inadvertently revealed the bloody nature of imperial power.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his lips moving slightly as he repeatedly chewed over those six somewhat heavy words:

"When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away..."

After a moment, Li Feng collected his thoughts, his face regaining its usual indifference, and waved to his son:

Go find your mother. Get some rest tonight.

"Yes, Father." Li Maozhen bowed respectfully, then quietly withdrew and closed the door behind him.

......

In the empty study, only Li Feng remained.

Li Feng, who never smokes, unconsciously pulled out a Cohiba from the cigar box on the table, a cigar he usually treated as a mere decoration.

"Click".

Flames ignited, and blue smoke swirled and rose in the dimly lit study.

Li Feng let the pungent smell of tobacco churn in his lungs, but a hint of lingering fear, rarely shown in public, appeared on his face.

The wrath of Heaven is unpredictable.

Only when you kneel down close to the sun can you truly feel the terrifying power hidden behind its dazzling brilliance.

Li Feng could clearly sense that the vast business empire he had painstakingly built up over the years, and even the life and death of his entire family, seemed to depend on the other party's single thought.

This feeling of powerlessness—having one's life and fortune entirely dependent on the whims of others—made Li Feng, who was used to being in control of everything, feel a deep sense of rejection.

But that's reality.

The social classes in this world can never be eliminated by wealth alone.

Li Feng may be standing above the vast majority of ordinary people on this planet, but there are still many who can crush him to dust with a flick of their wrist.

"When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away..."

Li Feng's eyes flashed with a slightly dangerous, cold light behind the smoke.

At that moment, he seemed to understand why Li Chengliang, the Liaodong general at the end of the Ming Dynasty, deliberately condoned and even secretly supported Nurhaci's rise when he held a large army, ultimately raising a tiger to cause trouble.

Under the shadow of autocratic power, "nurturing bandits to enhance one's own importance" has always been the only way for frontline commanders and meritorious merchants to protect themselves.

If he ultimately succeeds in solving all the bottlenecks in the semiconductor industry...

Once the blockade by external enemies no longer poses a threat, what will be the final fate of this "good bow" who holds immense wealth and controls social and public opinion?

He had to prepare a foolproof escape route for himself in advance.

A way out... even if the artifact changes hands, it can still protect one's own retreat in the midst of changing times!

"Mr. Li."

Just as Li Feng was deep in thought, a familiar voice broke the silence in the room.

Zhang Yuxi, who had entered unnoticed, was holding a document. She looked at her boss, who was puffing on a cigarette, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. Then, somewhat cautiously, she asked in a low voice:

"Mr. Li, Director Zhao Zhe would like to report to you in person on the agency plan regarding Seoul."

"Look at the time..."

Upon hearing the word "Seoul," Li Feng, whose eyes had been somewhat dazed, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Yes.

Seoul!

Although South Korea is a small country, its unique geopolitical situation, caught in the crossfire of great power rivalry, holds considerable potential.

He thought of someone.

A rising star in Seoul's current political arena, but in the not-too-distant future...

The iron-willed prosecutor who has the potential to become the new sun of South Korea!