Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 485 484 Fu Rongshui's Reminder
Cheng's anxious gaze made Feng Xiuhu feel a little strange.

He suddenly had a premonition, abruptly lifted the tablecloth, and bent down to look under the table.

Cheng Zhuiyi was startled. She clenched her right fist tightly and pressed it against the hem of her skirt, exclaiming, "Mr. Ma! What are you doing?"

Feng Xiuhu sat up straight again, squinting at her: "Tell me first, what are you doing hiding that hand down there?"

Cheng Zhuiyi bit her lip lightly: "What's wrong with putting it down below? I don't know what you're talking about."

Zhou Xiuqing stood up angrily, her eyebrows furrowed: "I never expected that the famous Ma Erye San would be such a timid and reckless person. We misjudged him!"

Shunzi asked in surprise, "I didn't do anything, why did you bring me along?"

Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.

Before they arrived, their voices preceded them: "Turning the tables on us, how laughable! I wonder if it's you who misjudged us or Second Master?"

The four people inside turned their heads at the same time and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a white and blue long robe push the door open and enter.

Upon seeing who it was, Cheng Zhuiyi's expression changed drastically. He quickly pulled Zhou Xiuqing aside and whispered, "Let's go first."

After saying this, she hastily bowed to the middle-aged man, then turned to leave.

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "They're leaving already?"

Zhou Xiuqing's face turned ugly as she turned around and asked, "What else do you want to do?"

Feng Xiuhu said matter-of-factly, "Pay for the meal!"

"Can't forget!"

Zhou Xiuqing replied and hurriedly left with Cheng Zhuiyi.

The private room finally became quiet.

Feng Xiuhu turned to look at this "uninvited guest": "And who are you?"

The middle-aged man straightened his clothes and bowed respectfully to Feng Xiuhu: "I am Fu Rongshui. Greetings, Your Excellency. May the storm pass peacefully."

Feng Xiuhu scrutinized Fu Rongshui's long robe and asked, "A high-ranking priest of the temple in Zhenqiu City?"

Fu Rongshui nodded: "Your Excellency has a discerning eye; that is indeed true."

Feng Xiuhu nodded and invited him, "Sit down and eat with us, we can talk while we eat."

Fu Rongshui cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "I would be most honored to accept your offer."

The four-person table has been transformed into a three-person meal.

Feng Xiuhu pointed to the door with his chopsticks: "What just happened?"

Fu Rongshui quickly put down his chopsticks: "Your Excellency is wise. Those two women were no ordinary people."

"Zhou Xiuqing is the daughter of the Director of Education of Duoyun City, the prefectural capital of Yu'ai Prefecture."

"And the Cheng Zhuiyi beside her is not even a student; her true identity is the Master of the Marriage Temple."

Feng Xiuhu was stunned, and Shunzi was stunned too.

The two exchanged a glance, clearly having the same idea.

Judging by this setup, it seems to be another women's federation.

Feng Xiuhu also realized why he had felt something was wrong earlier—Cheng Zhuiyi had hidden her hands underneath to form a hand seal; she wanted to cast a spell on Feng Xiuhu.

Fu Rongshui, unaware of the thoughts of the two people opposite him, continued to explain, "Currently, there are undercurrents in Yu'ai Prefecture, so when I learned that you had settled in Zhenqiu City, I immediately came to warn you, to prevent you from getting unnecessarily involved in trouble—but it turned out I was right, you almost fell into their trap." Feng Xiuhu asked, "You mean, the Marriage Temple wanted to harm me?"

Fu Rongshui waved his hand: "That's not it."

"It is true that the students went on strike and marched to put pressure on the foreigners and the government; it is also true that they wanted to recruit adults to join them and make them their help."

"But upon closer examination, their motives are not so simple."

Fu Rongshui explained the cause and effect in detail: "The student strike was fueled by the marriage temple. Ordinary people would not know this, but it is no secret to our temples."

Feng Xiuhu picked up a piece of food, looked up and said, "Since you know that the Marriage Temple is so powerful, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Fu Rongshui chuckled dryly, “Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep. Besides, we all know very well that among the temples that are most resistant to foreigners, the marriage temple is one of them. Although it has overstepped its bounds, it has not gone too far, so everyone has expressed their understanding and pretended not to see it.”

Feng Xiuhu nodded silently: "Continue."

Fu Rongshui took a sip of tea: "The Yinyuan Temple fueled the flames and incited students to strike, with the aim of preventing foreigners from building factories and mining in Yu'ai Prefecture. Actually, I don't quite understand the significance of the Yinyuan Temple's actions. If it involves the interests of the temple, the Yinyuan Temple should be targeting the church."

Feng Xiuhu glanced at Fu Rongshui almost imperceptibly.

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiuhu roughly understood—Fu Rongshui was clearly unaware of the Women's Association, otherwise he would have realized that the dominant force in this matter was not the Marriage Temple, but the Women's Association.

For the Women's Association, no matter what the foreigners wanted to do, they just had to fight against them.

Fu Rongshui continued, "Zhou Xiuqing and the other two came to us because they wanted to lure you into their scheme and use your status to deal with the foreigners."

He carefully considered his words: “Sir, you are a man of great virtue and your previous deeds have caused quite a stir. You have already broken ties with the foreigners. If we put you in the spotlight, it will surely arouse the foreigners’ suspicion. At that time, the foreigners’ guns will all be pointed at you, and the Marriage Temple can safely remain behind the scenes.”

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized that not only did they want him to work for free and become a scapegoat, but they also wanted him to take the blame for inciting the students.

"It's incredibly sinister."

Feng Xiuhu stroked his stubble: "I thought they really couldn't find anyone else, so they came to me for help."

Fu Rongshui interjected, "Sir, are you referring to the treasure of the Southern Yu Kingdom's restoration?"

Feng Xiuhu looked up at him: "What, Fengyu Temple also wants to try its luck?"

"hehe."

Fu Rongshui waved his hand with a smile: "That's nonsense, just rubbish. Besides, don't you see that all the major temples have remained indifferent?"

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback: "How did it become nonsense again?"

Shi Mingming said that the treasure map was most likely real.

Fu Rongshui glanced outside the door and said in a low voice, "Although it has not been confirmed, all the temples have their own speculations—the treasure map is most likely a smokescreen put up by the marriage temple, with the aim of preventing foreigners from building factories."

"Ever since the treasure map appeared, Yu'ai Prefecture has been in turmoil. Everyone wants to run into the mountains, even the workers under the foreigners' command—the foreigners can't mine the mountains anymore, and many of their workers have deserted. How can they continue?"

"Once greed took hold, some foreigners also believed the rumors of the treasure, abandoned their plans to build factories, and turned to preparing for the treasure hunt."

"That's why I said that there are undercurrents in Yu'ai Prefecture right now. All the details are shrouded in mystery. My lord, you must keep your eyes open and not be blinded by your true intentions."

Feng Xiuhu was stunned: "What original intention?"

Fu Rongshui replied matter-of-factly, “Your Excellency is a deity on the path of patrolling the world, a heavy responsibility and a long way to go. You should remain untainted by worldly dust and stagnation, cleanse your mind and rectify your heart, so as not to be unworthy of your status.”

So this is how the monks at the Wind and Rain Temple saw themselves as such a noble and majestic figure.
This was the first time Feng Xiuhu had heard of this, no wonder everyone treated him so kindly.

(End of this chapter)