Chapter 29 Something's not right. Congratulations, you've triggered another...
What are your thoughts?
Xiao Ba was truly amazed by Fu Yun's active brain cells.
"I want to open gyms in this country, with separate gyms for men and women, and preferably a chain."
You're a born businessman; you can always find a way to make money no matter what you do.
Fu Jun thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible. The men here were generally in poor physical condition. If their physical strength was increased, their abilities would naturally improve as well. This would not only increase the military strength of the matriarchal country, but also help women bear half of the burden of life.
No one is made of iron. Whether man or woman, no matter how strong they are, they will feel tired at times. They will accept help from others to share the burden.
"Of course, the original plans remain unchanged. This is a new project. What do you think?"
[Yes, I think this idea is feasible.]
While her mind was active, Fu Yun also tried doing push-ups next to the horizontal bar.
He was acutely aware that his arm strength was very poor and he couldn't hold up for more than a few breaths.
Fortunately, it's not completely useless; it can still be salvaged to some extent.
The first time he did push-ups, he only managed to do thirty, intermittently.
He placed a wooden board under his feet and then tried doing a plank for another minute.
After exercising, I was exhausted, but it felt great.
Exercise makes people feel happy; this is not just a casual remark, but a genuine feeling.
Fu Yun had sweated a lot after exercising, and by the time she washed herself off, it was past noon. However, Lu Zhisheng and Su Mang had not yet returned.
After considering it for a while, Fu Yun decided to go to the market to see if the three of them had encountered any problems.
He locked the door and walked out of Lu Zhisheng's courtyard.
Halfway through the journey, he sensed something was wrong, having a persistent feeling that someone was watching him.
"Little Ba, is someone following me?"
Within fifty meters, I did not sense any magnetic field from strangers.
"Fifty meters away?"
Too far away to distinguish.
"Alright!" Fu Yun carefully looked around. Apart from a piece of clothing swaying and disappearing at a corner, there was nothing unusual about the passersby.
Fu Yun shook her head, stopped worrying about it, and continued on her way.
As he walked, he kept thinking back, and he still felt that something was off about the red hem of the dress. When he tried to recall it carefully, he remembered seeing a woman in red with a veil covering her face and looking a bit strange when he and Lu Zhisheng were setting up their stall yesterday.
Could that glimpse of her clothing be the same woman in red from yesterday? What is she trying to do? Is she stalking me?
After meeting with Su Mang, I should ask her about the progress of asking her to find someone to help keep an eye on the situation near Lu Zhisheng's house. Is there any connection between the two?
Thinking of this, Fu Yun quickened her pace. When she arrived at the usual spot where she set up her stall, she didn't see any of the three people.
What's going on?
Did they change their stall location today?
Fu Yun walked along the street, covering the entire bustling street, but still couldn't see the three of them.
Just as he was about to search every tavern and inn, a gentle voice called out from behind: "Young Master Su."
Fu Yun turned around and saw that it was General Qian, who was smiling and walking towards her.
Behind General Qian were four women dressed in black, their eyes fixed on Fu Yun, looking her up and down. Then they looked at General Qian with expressions of amusement, their eyes filled with obvious mockery.
Seeing that there were outsiders present, Fu Yun raised his arm and nodded, saying, "General Qian."
The four women looked at each other, smiles playing in their eyes.
One of the women spoke meaningfully: "When did the general acquire such a beautiful friend?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "friends," as if she meant something specific.
"Go!" General Qian said lightly, "Leave this place to me, you go and inspect other areas."
"Understood. General, you have a date with your beloved. We certainly won't ruin your plans. Let's go now."
"Let's go! General, you'd better give it your all!"
After the four finished speaking, they left laughing and joking.
General Qian touched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed: "They've been with me for a long time, and they like to fool around. I'm sorry you had to see this."
Fu Jun shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind, and then asked, "Are there patrols during the day now?"
General Qian nodded, her expression becoming more serious. She carefully scanned her surroundings and, seeing no passersby nearby, lowered her voice to explain, "The imperial court received a secret report that recently, many suspicious foreigners have disguised themselves and entered Lingzhou City. We have searched carefully several times but have not found any trace of them. We suspect that someone in the city is helping them."
After a moment's thought, Fu Yun asked again, "Do you know what they're going to do in Lingzhou City?"
General Qian shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly: "We don't know what their purpose is yet, but we're certain they have something in mind."
Fu Yun nodded, not asking any further questions. He was still just a small-time merchant, and state affairs were not something he could interfere with or concern himself with.
He shifted his focus and tried asking, "Did General Qian see my friend Lu Zhisheng when he was patrolling the streets?"
General Qian nodded: "I saw Young Master Lu around noon. He was selling tea at the crossroads ahead, and I greeted him."
Fu Yun raised her hand and pointed to the crossroads they had come from: "Is it there?"
General Qian followed Fu Yun's gaze and said with certainty, "Yes, it's the intersection at the end of this street."
Fu Jun's heart tightened, and she had a bad feeling: "But I searched the whole street and couldn't find him."
He paced back and forth a couple of times, then asked, "When you saw him, were there two women with him?"
General Qian shook his head, his expression turning serious: "You suspect that someone has kidnapped Young Master Lu."
Fu Jun nodded, then fell into deep thought.
General Qian quickly reassured him, "Young Master Su, don't worry, I'll send someone to find him right away."
After she finished speaking, she looked around and made a gesture to a woman in black who was patrolling not far away.
After the woman in black arrived, she instructed, "Find a few people to investigate who that young master Lu, who was selling tea at the intersection at noon, came into contact with, and whether anyone took him away."
The woman in black raised her hand to acknowledge the order: "Yes! I will arrange for people to investigate immediately."
General Qian instructed, "Report this to me at the General's Mansion later."
"Yes! I understand."
Watching the woman in black leave, General Qian looked at Fu Yun and tentatively said, "Young Master Su, that person is very likely after you. It's not safe for you to stay here alone and wait for someone. Why don't you come with me to my residence to wait for news?"
Before Fu Yun could respond, she quickly added, "Don't worry, my people are absolutely reliable. I'll get back to you in an hour, and then you can do whatever you want."
Fu Yun did not refuse and nodded in agreement.
It's better to leave professional matters to professionals. He's just wasting his time wandering around like a headless fly looking for someone.
That woman in red seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at her. She had probably followed me more than once or twice. Was she being instructed by someone to come and spy on me? What on me was there that she could be spying on?
[Mr. Fu, congratulations, you've triggered another hidden storyline.]
Fu Yun snorted coldly, responding inwardly, "I don't think there's anything to congratulate about this."
[Hidden story content that can increase your reputation in this country.]
Fu Jun wasn't interested in what Xiao Ba was saying. Reputation is something that crumbles easily when you're broke; a few words can easily sway public opinion.
Therefore, he felt that the most important thing right now was to work hard to make money and expand the business.
The two walked to the general's mansion, which took half an hour.
The entire "General's Mansion" is made of dark gray bricks and tiles, with an antique feel. Two white marble lions, each over a meter tall, stand at the main entrance, which are very imposing.
Entering the General's Mansion, the ornate courtyard house has two floors and is very large. There are no fewer than forty wing rooms on each side of the courtyard. There are also many buildings inside the mansion. Behind the wing rooms on the south side, there is another row of wing rooms, which is one floor higher and offers a view of the entire front hall of the General's Mansion.
Shortly after we were seated in the main hall, servants brought us tea and pastries.
After dismissing the servants, General Qian remained silent for a moment before asking, "I heard you left the Su family. Would you mind telling me why?"
Fu Yun guessed that her invitation to his residence was not simply to wait for someone, but rather to ask him something.
Fu Yun pondered for a moment, then replied somewhat helplessly, "The head of the Su family has never really liked me. I felt very restricted and inconvenient there, so I simply left."
Upon hearing this, General Qian recalled the scene she had witnessed on the street earlier, and felt a pang of heartache. However, she knew that emotions were not important at this moment; business was the most important thing.
"How much do you know about the businessmen that the head of the Su family associated with during her business career?"
Fu Yun shook her head and answered truthfully, "She has never let me get close to her business circle, so I don't know who she associates with in the business world."
General Qian was somewhat disappointed and sighed inwardly, intending to let the matter drop.
Fu Yun took in General Qian's expression and, remembering their hard work patrolling day and night, added, "Although I don't know who she associates with, I heard from the servants at the Su residence that the head of the Su family has been frequently entertaining close friends recently. You can try to start with those servants."
General Qian's eyes lit up, and he made up his mind: "Thank you for telling me the truth, young man. I will verify this matter."
Fu Yun gently shook her head and expressed her concerns: "If anything is found out, I hope you will let those servants go."
He was actually a little puzzled. Logically speaking, shouldn't such investigative cases be handled by the marble or the government? Why was General Qian, who was a general, in charge of it?
Of course, he couldn't ask about such things; he could only try his best to cooperate.
General Qian paused for a moment, then solemnly said, "We will not indiscriminately kill the innocent, but we will never let any criminal who harms the country go unpunished."
She smiled and changed the subject: "You said earlier that you needed my help with something and wanted me to work with you. Could you give me a sneak peek at what it would entail?"
"This!" Since the topic had come up, he didn't intend to keep him in suspense: "I need a group of strong and capable workers to help me clear mountains and carve roads. There will be a generous reward after the job is done. Of course, it would be best if they weren't government soldiers. Can you help me find some?"
General Qian asked in surprise, "Is that all?"
Fu Yun: "That's how it is for now. There will be other plans later, and we'll talk about that later. My only requirement for the workers is that they must keep their mouths shut, which means they have to sign confidentiality agreements."
General Qian pondered for a moment and replied, "It may be a bit difficult, but I will try my best to recruit people according to your requirements."
Fu Jun let out a breath: "Then I'll leave it to you. If this works out, I'll give you the same reward."
"Report!" came a voice from the doorway.
Fu Yun's expression shifted; was there some news?
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