It was already late when Fu Xiaoguan left the palace.
The strategy for disaster relief had been basically approved, but the essay on why to fight a war was strongly opposed by Yan Shidao, the Privy Councilor, and Fei Bang, the Minister of War.
The reason is actually very simple. The main form of war in this era was cold weapons, and the cold weapon warfare model required a large number of people and horses, a large number of weapons and armor, and huge logistical support.
As for Fu Xiaoguan's statement that cold weapons should be eliminated and the country should focus on the research of firearms, even His Majesty does not agree with this.
We already have firearms now, but these things are really useless. They have a short range, low accuracy, high cost, and are extremely delicate!
The war environment is ever-changing. This thing cannot be used on rainy days or even in humid seasons... If two armies were fighting each other, and all your firearms misfired, wouldn't you be left to the enemy to ravage you?
In short, Fu Xiaoguan still elaborated on the future combat mode in detail, such as establishing a special mountain combat regiment, a professional scout unit, a heavy armored cavalry regiment, and so on.
It cannot be said that what he said was completely useless. At least Yan Shidao and Fei Bang would always think deeply about it and then deny it for various reasons.
Fu Xiaoguan did not feel any regret. The impact of this incident was far greater than the disaster relief strategy. Even His Majesty did not have the confidence to change it.
It doesn't matter. The purpose of this trip to the capital has almost been achieved. It all depends on how Your Majesty arranges him next.
When Fu Xiaoguan returned to the inn, Yu Wenyun was already waiting for him there.
"How is it?" Yu Wenyun asked expectantly.
"Of course there is no problem." Fu Xiaoguan felt relaxed at this moment, and Su Mochunxiu finally felt relieved.
"Haven't you eaten yet?"
"Your father is so stingy. I helped him solve such a big problem, but he didn't even invite me to have a meal."
Yu Wenjun rolled his eyes at him and said, "You're dreaming, but we haven't eaten yet. How about... going to Hongxiuzhao?"
Fu Xiaoguan was a little surprised and asked, "Isn't Hongxiuzhao a brothel?"
"Hongxiu is looking for talent, isn't it? The Huqin Hu family doesn't allow their daughters to receive guests. They are all courtesans who just want to listen to music and drink. This is the only family in Shili Qinhuai. You must remember this."
Fu Xiaoguan remembered that his father had said before leaving that when he arrived in Shangjing, if he had time, he would go to visit the Hu family in Hongxiuzhao. He had not forgotten, but before that he either had no time or was accompanying Shulan. Now that he had some free time, he decided to go and see them.
As the group was about to go out, they ran into Dong Xiu De and Dong Shu Lan, brother and sister. Fu Xiaoguan was of course even happier. When Yu Wenjun went up to ask, he found out that Dong Shangshu had returned home and released Dong Shu Lan for some reason.
So Dong Shulan asked, "Did His Highness greet my father?"
Yu Wenjun shook his head blankly, "No, besides, how could I have such great ability?"
Dong Shulan thought for a moment and said, "That should be Her Royal Highness the Princess."
In any case, Dong Shulan regained her freedom, which was something worth celebrating, so Yu Wenjun suggested going to Hongxiuzhao together, but he did not expect Dong Shulan to reject the proposal.
"Let's go to Xuanwu Lake. He bought that house a long time ago and he still doesn't know where it is. I finally got out, so I'll take you guys to see it. What if I get locked up again?"
Yu Wenjun thought that this matter was more important than going to Hongxiuzhao, so the group changed their minds and headed for Xuanwu Lake.
Of course Fu Xiaoguan didn't care, but Dong Xiu De was very upset.
"I heard there's a new girl named Liu Yan'er in Hongxiuzhao. She's even prettier than Xue Feifei, especially her sword dance, which is considered one of the best in the capital. What a pity, what a pity!"
Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Xiude were riding in the same carriage. Dong Xiude kept harping on about this matter, and Fu Xiaoguan became curious. "Have you seen Liu Yan'er?"
"I was planning to go tonight, but my sister insisted that I bring her to see you. I thought you guys would go to Hongxiuzhao, but now you want to go see your house. I mean, this house won't run away, can't we go see it tomorrow?"
Fu Xiaoguan was amused and said, "Wouldn't Liu Yan'er run away? What's the harm in going there tomorrow night?"
Dong Xiu De beat his chest and stamped his feet. "How could you know? Liu Yan'er has already been at Hong Xiu Zhao for three days. For something like this, the sooner you go to show your support, the better. It's like sending timely assistance. Waiting until she becomes famous in the capital before you go will only be icing on the cake. What do you think is more important to Liu Yan'er, sending timely assistance or adding icing on the cake?"
Fu Xiaoguan once again looked at his second uncle with admiration. This guy could always grasp the key points of a problem and his brain was really good.
The two of them chatted about this famous courtesan in Shangjing, and Dong Xiu De talked about it with great enthusiasm and incessantly.
Fu Xiaoguan was not interested in this and just listened casually to pass the time. He didn't even have much impression of those names.
In this way, the group arrived at the door of a mansion on the shore of Xuanwu Lake.
Dong Shulan took the key and opened the heavy door.
Chunxiu and Su Mo went to buy a few lanterns, each holding one, and walked into the mansion.
Except for Dong Shulan who had come to take a detailed look at the place, everyone else was here for the first time. Even Yu Wenyun was amazed at the grandeur of this former prince's mansion. It was just that no one had lived here for too long. Under the light, weeds were overgrown in the courtyards, and the paint on the buildings and pavilions was mottled. In short, this courtyard was excellent, dozens of times larger than the Fu Mansion in Linjiang!
But what comes with it is the need to take care of this large mansion, which will probably cost a lot of money.
Fu Xiaoguan was very satisfied with this place. The house faced the street and behind it was Xuanwu Lake. The back garden even extended into the lake. If you had a fishing rod, you could just reach out and fish.
"What do you think?" Dong Shulan asked.
"Very good!" Fu Xiaoguan answered affirmatively.
Dong Shulan laughed. Thirty thousand taels of silver! If Fu Xiaoguan was not happy with it, she would not lose money if she sold the place again, but her good intentions would be in vain.
"What are your plans next?"
"I will stay in Shangjing for a while, but I still have to go back to Xishan for a while. There are still many things waiting for me to deal with there. It doesn't matter. I will clean up this place first. It is much better than staying in that inn."
Yu Wenjun thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask Mother about this tomorrow. This is the former prince's palace, and it's not easy to repair these buildings. Let's find some craftsmen from the palace's woodworking department to repair them. We don't want them to be ruined by those outside craftsmen."
Dong Shulan agreed with this. The layout of this house is grand yet refined, which requires professional craftsmen to restore, but it will take a long time.
Fu Xiaoguan spread his hands and said, "You two can make the decision on this matter. I'll be responsible for paying you."
"I have saved another 25,000 taels for the book Dream of the Red Chamber. I'll ask you for it when it's short."
Dong Xiu De was stunned. He had known that his sister was rich, but he had never expected that she was so rich!
Dong Shulan then muttered, "It seems the price of this book will have to go up. With such a large place, the future expenses will be quite high."
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