Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 387 386 The Way of the Great Duke
Fang Youliu noticed that Feng Xiuhu was no longer wearing the same clothes as during the day, so he changed the subject to him: "Where did you guys go today?"

Feng Xiuhu chuckled and said, "I just had a casual meal."

Shunzi turned his head away and didn't respond.

Fang Youliu did not suspect anything and nodded, saying, "By the way, when you're out and about, try not to mention that you're from Fancheng."

Shunzi was somewhat dissatisfied upon hearing this and turned around: "Why? Our roots are in Fancheng. What's there to hide? If we're talking about prosperity, I think Qianyu City can't even compare to Fancheng."

Fang Youliu waved his hand: "That's not how it works. You don't know this—I spent a long time flipping through the newspapers today and gathered a lot of information."

"For example, the previous mayor of Qianyu City died of illness after returning from a trip to Fancheng. There are many rumors that the former mayor had a bad relationship with the Duke of Daguo beforehand, so people say that the Duke of Daguo plotted to kill him."

"The former mayor had a good reputation during his tenure, so many residents of Qianyu City have never been very friendly to visitors from Fancheng."

Feng Xiuhu then thought of the black and white photograph hanging in the fifth-floor room of Shiwuyu.

He asked Fang Youliu, "So, did Da Guogong kill the former mayor?"

Fang Youliu thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "I think it's highly likely."

"This is what I want to remind you again—don't provoke trouble unnecessarily."

"Don't be fooled by the peaceful and prosperous appearance of Qianyu City. In reality, the situation here is even more complicated than that of Fan City."

He pointed to the ground: "Qianyu City is situated on the Flying Fin River, which is an important tributary of the Tianpu River, one of the three great rivers of Daxuan. The Grand Duke has always wanted to expand his influence here in his own way..."

Shunzi yawned as he listened—he had absolutely no interest in this topic.

He then waved to the two of them, saying, "I'm tired, I'll go back to my room to rest first."

After Shunzi left, Feng Xiuhu raised his chin at Fang Youliu and said, "Go on, I'd love to hear it. What's the specific method?"

"Control water conservancy."

Fang Youliu continued, "Qianyu City is the most important water conservancy hub on the Tianpu River. The Duke of Daguo introduced advanced industrial concepts from the Western Continent and intends to build a shipyard in Qianyu City to manufacture iron boats for trade on a large scale. If this is achieved, it will be easy to control the economic lifeline of the area south of the Tianpu River in just a few days."

"If it's just shipbuilding and trade, it doesn't sound like such a serious matter."

Fang Youliu raised a finger: "But don't forget that, from the perspective of the geographical division of the parish, Qianyu City is the southernmost city in the division of the Misty Church. The appearance of the iron boats will inevitably gradually replace the previous merchant ships. As their living space is squeezed to the limit, these people will have to rely on the Duke of Daguo if they want to continue to make a living on the Great River."

"In other words, it also relies on the Church of the Mist."

Feng Xiuhu understood: "In the end, it's still a struggle over beliefs."

Fang Youliu nodded and said, "Moreover, those affected by this are not just the people who make a living on the river. They also have families and trading partners. The merchant fleets do not represent just this one industry. They are connected with all walks of life. The Duke of Daguo is using the trade route of the Tianpu River as a lever to try to leverage the economic network south of the Tianpu River."

Feng Xiuhu looked at Fang Youliu in amazement: "You learned all this from the newspapers?"

Fang Youliu smiled slightly, appearing confident: "The newspaper may not tell me the answer directly, but I know how to think—knowledge brings not only wisdom, but also foresight."

Feng Xiuhu thought he was being pretentious and said irritably, "These things are too far removed from us, and probably have nothing to do with whether I get into trouble or not."

"When have you ever caused any small trouble?"

There are six rhetorical questions.

Feng Xiuhu sneered, "Hey, can't you even speak properly—"

Fang Youliu quickly tried to appease him: "Second Master, I'm advising you not to act rashly and use the identity of the proxy to swindle people. The relationship between the Misty Temple and the Thousand Isles City government is quite complicated right now, and the attitudes of the various temples are also unclear. You mustn't accidentally get involved." "Why don't you just say so?"

Feng Xiuhu glared at him: "I'll put away the Agent Badge later and make sure I don't take it out."

……

The next morning, Feng Xiuhu was awakened by the shouts and cries of vendors from the opposite bank of the river.

He opened his sleepy eyes and turned his head to look—only to realize that he had forgotten to close the balcony door last night.

With his hair all messy, Feng Xiuhu got up and went out onto the balcony, yelling at the shops across the street, "What's all the noise about! Can't a person get any sleep?!"

He had a loud voice, which silenced the other side for a moment, but the noise resumed the next second.

The teahouse owner on the opposite bank cupped his hands in greeting to Feng Xiuhu from afar: "Good morning, Second Master!"

Seeing him reminded Feng Xiuhu of the pastries Shunzi had packed up yesterday that he hadn't finished eating, which would be perfect for breakfast.

Stepping outside to check, Feng Xiuhu saw that Shunzi had woken up and was sitting in the lobby on the first floor, looking through the newspaper that Fang Youliu had brought back yesterday.

What's so interesting about old newspapers?

Feng Xiuhu's voice drew Shunzi's attention.

He saw Feng Xiuhu coming down the stairs and explained with a smile, "I was just taking a quick look to see if anyone mentioned weapons shops."

Feng Xiuhu almost forgot about this again. He picked up a piece of pastry, stuffed it into his mouth, and asked, "Back in Fancheng, where did the brothers get their equipment from?"

Shunzi replied, "Most of them were collected by myself. I would pick up ready-made iron sheets and wooden sticks in the bottom city, polish them a little, and string them together with hemp rope to make a handy weapon."

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment and then asked, "That was before. If we want to buy ready-made ones, where should we go?"

Shunzi replied, “Of course it’s a blacksmith shop. As long as you’re willing to pay, any style of blacksmith can make it. But you can’t buy things like weapons openly. Blacksmiths usually take the buyer to the back room to discuss the details. They’ll only make it for you secretly once they’ve agreed on a price. Otherwise, if the government finds out, you’ll be in trouble.”

Ordinary blacksmiths only forge ordinary weapons, and Feng Xiuhu no longer values ​​them much.

He pondered for a moment and thought of Xiong Guiyuan.

To be precise, I was reminded of Xiong Guiyuan's bidding process.

With that in mind, Feng Xiuhu no longer hesitated. He grabbed a piece of pastry and waved to Shunzi: "Come on, let's continue drinking tea."

The two returned to the teahouse on the other side of the river.

The teahouse owner greeted them with a smile.

Feng Xiuhu handed over a silver plate and said with a smile, "The same as yesterday."

The shopkeeper discreetly slipped the silver plate into his sleeve and began a casual conversation: "Did Second Master go to Shi Wu Yu yesterday?"

Feng Xiuhu nodded: "Even if we go, it won't be any different."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper asked curiously, "I heard that there was a disturbance at Shiwuyu last night. It is said that someone caused trouble and even injured someone. Did you witness it, Second Master?"

Feng Xiuhu quickly shook his head: "I don't know, I'm not sure, I didn't see it."

(End of this chapter)