Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 413, Section 412: Shunzi Goes to Prison
Feng Xiuhu snapped his fingers: "You're absolutely right. The Western Continent is now far more advanced than the Xuan Kingdom, that's an undeniable fact, and it's the reason why the Duke of Daguo dares to challenge the President."

He pointed to Fang Youliu's chest: "If you were the president now, facing this situation, what do you think would be the best outcome for you and for the Xuan Kingdom if this contest were to continue in the end?"

Fang Youliu's eyes lit up, as if he had found a clue: "Of course, we should sweep all the Duke of Daguo and the foreigners out of the house and then turn their things into our own."

"Yes."

Feng Xiuhu nodded and continued to guide the discussion: "But technology isn't like a silver plate in a purse; it's invisible and intangible. You can't get it out even if you pry open a foreigner's skull. How can you make it your own?"

"……study."

Fang Youliu already understood, and without Feng Xiuhu asking any further questions, he went straight to the point.

“But foreigners aren’t stupid. They won’t hand over their technology. So if the president wants to get the technology, he can only, and must, have the Duke of Daguo set up factories all over Xuanguo. Because without these factories, Xuanguo won’t even have the chance to get close to the technology, let alone learn it.”

Feng Xiuhu let out a breath: "So the President is not being gentle. It's not that he doesn't want to kill the Duke of Daguo with one blow, it's just that he wants more."

Fang Youliu nodded: "I understand what you mean. From the perspective of the President, the government should not have obstructed the establishment of the shipyard. If it is only to prevent the Duke of Daguo from gradually controlling the economic network south of Tianpu River, obstructing the establishment of the shipyard is not the only way. They can even set up new laws after the shipyard is built, such as prohibiting iron boats from sailing on inland rivers."

Feng Xiuhu met Shang Youliu's gaze and said, "But the problem now is that the government is indeed making things difficult for the shipyard—could it be that everyone in the government has a personal grudge against the Duke of Daguo?"

Fang Youliu shook his head: "I can't figure it out for now, but it does seem like there's a problem. We still don't have enough information. Tomorrow I'll try to investigate in the direction of the government office."

That concludes the discussion.

The two of them had a deep conversation tonight, and before they knew it, it was quite late.

Fang Youliu glanced at the clock on the wall and asked in surprise, "It's already this late, why hasn't Third Master returned yet?"

After his reminder, Feng Xiuhu also felt puzzled: "That shouldn't be the case—has their relationship progressed to the point where they can stay overnight?"

"Shouldn't this be the case?"

Fang Youliu chuckled dryly: "I don't think Madam Xu is that casual."

Feng Xiuhu was displeased upon hearing this, and glared at him, saying, "My Shunzi isn't that kind of person!"

Fang Youliu muttered under his breath, "I heard that Third Master can take on ten people at a time in the Immortal Bath..."

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "Ten of them couldn't keep him here. Do you think Xu Liansheng alone has the ability?"

What kind of logic is this?

Fang Youliu was too lazy to argue with him and turned to go back to his room—he had to go to work tomorrow.

Although Feng Xiuhu wasn't too worried about Shunzi's safety, he wanted to at least get firsthand information about Shunzi and Xu Liansheng's progress, so he sat in the living room and waited.

As a result, they waited until dawn.

The porcelain bowl on the coffee table was piled high with cigarette butts. Feng Xiuhu, with dark circles under his eyes, turned to look out the window and saw that it was already getting light, muttering to himself.

"Well, you're not coming home tonight."

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "I want to see if it's because you, Xu Liansheng, are good at martial arts and can fight Shunzi to a standstill, or if Shunzi is so bewitched that he can't even find his way home."

He dusted himself off and got up, ready to go straight to Shiwuyu to catch them off guard and stage a "caught in the act" scene.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Tap tap tap. The sound was somewhat hurried.

Feng Xiuhu's face darkened—if he didn't see a scene of catching their husbands in bed together, his entire night would have been wasted.

He walked over and opened the door, but to his surprise, it was neither Shunzi nor Xu Liansheng standing outside.

It was Zhao Mumu.

Zhao Mumu's expression was solemn and anxious. Upon seeing Feng Xiuhu, she immediately said, "Second Master, something has happened to Third Master."

Feng Xiuhu frowned slightly: "What, did you die of exhaustion in bed?"

Zhao Mumu was taken aback, but didn't think much of it and quickly explained, "He's been arrested and taken to the police station!"

……

Through Xu Liansheng's connections, Feng Xiuhu entered the police station's prison and saw Shunzi through the iron bars.

The police officer leading the way looked back in the direction they had come from, and after confirming that no one was around, he whispered to Feng Xiuhu, "The captain instructed us to say whatever we need to say as soon as possible. This case involves the church, and everyone above is under pressure. Letting you in to visit is already breaking the rules."

Feng Xiuhu nodded, thanked him, and then slipped a silver plate into the officer's hand.

The police officer weighed it lightly for a moment, then turned and left.

As soon as the police left, Shunzi in the cell immediately stood up, grabbed the iron bars, and quickly said to Feng Xiuhu, "Brother, I'll take responsibility for my actions. I killed the man, so please don't hold Sister Asheng responsible. This has nothing to do with her."

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but laugh and said, "I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already in such a hurry to defend me?"

Shunzi lowered his head; he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Feng Xiuhu reached out and knocked on the iron bars. Listening to the clanging echo, he laughed and said, "This thing isn't even enough for you to tear a couple of times. Why don't we break out of prison?"

Shunzi slumped down, shaking her head and saying, "If I run away, Sister Asheng will definitely be in trouble."

Feng Xiuhu also sat down, and the two brothers chatted across the railing: "Didn't you say it had nothing to do with her?"

Shunzi was speechless for a moment, and after a long while she said in a muffled voice, "...She is innocent."

Feng Xiuhu stroked his stubble and pondered, "Xu Liansheng is so domineering in Qianyu City, and even she couldn't handle this matter, which means the person you killed must have been someone important, right?"

Shunzi nodded silently: "Very big, not only foreigners, but also aristocrats among foreigners."

Feng Xiuhu pressed further: "Just a foreigner? I heard you also offended the church?"

Shunzi shook his head: "Bad luck. I happened to run into that priest when I was burying the body, so I just killed him too."

"Bumped into by chance?"

Feng Xiuhu narrowed his eyes slightly: "You keep calling her 'Sister Asheng,' but where is she right now? Why isn't she here to lend you a hand?"

Shunzi looked up and said seriously, "Big brother, you still blame her, don't you? But Sister Asheng is really innocent. She's not here because she's busy running around and making connections. Sister Asheng isn't the kind of woman who just cries and makes a fuss when something happens. She knows very well what to do and when to be most effective."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand helplessly: "I know what she did, I'll go see for myself. You should tell me what happened from the beginning."

(End of this chapter)