Chapter 439: Impersonating the Duke of Ying's Son (Daily Update, Begging for Rewards!)

He never could have imagined this!

That was exactly what was running through Fan Yongdou's mind at this moment.

First of all, he had never dreamed that the other party would turn out to be the young master of the Duke of Ying's household — truly someone who could not be provoked. It was no wonder the man carried himself with such arrogance; with a hereditary title that passed down in perpetuity and endured as long as the state itself, who could possibly compare?

The title had been passed down for over two hundred years, and its position was already deeply entrenched. Moreover, judging by the current situation, with the Staff Office flourishing and the Duke of Ying enjoying the Emperor's deep trust, his power in the capital was overwhelming. Someone like this, no matter how you looked at it, was not someone Fan Yongdou could afford to offend.

Never mind that Fan Yongdou had bought off quite a few soldiers at the border — those generals gave him face only because of the money.

If the Duke of Ying so much as spoke a word, these border troops might well sell Fan Yongdou out without a second thought. The reason was simple: before power, what the hell was money?

The military men could not possibly refuse to show the Duke of Ying respect; otherwise they would have no way to stand in the army, and promotion would be out of the question. They were under someone's thumb, and dealing with them was merely a matter of one word from the Duke of Ying.

The other thing Fan Yongdou had not expected was that this young master before him was truly reckless beyond measure — asking right off the bat whether that girl could be procured, without a shred of hesitation or concern.

That little girl called Bumbutai was only ten years old, wasn't she? She probably hadn't even had her first menstruation yet, and you're already setting your sights on her? Judging by this young master's frantic eagerness, was he planning to snatch her up and ravish her?

These scions of the powerful in the capital truly had no scruples and no humanity — no matter how you looked at it, she was just a ten-year-old little girl. This was simply going too far!

Only people like them could do such things!

"What, is there a problem?" Zhu Youxiao raised an eyebrow and looked at Fan Yongdou as he asked.

Hearing this, Fan Yongdou hurriedly said, "This matter might be somewhat difficult. Those people are wild and unruly — I'm afraid they won't obey. And that little girl is truly too young, just turned ten. This is a bit too..."

Zhu Youxiao shot Fan Yongdou a glance and said, "You think I'm going too far?"

Before Fan Yongdou could speak, Zhu Youxiao drained the tea from his cup and slammed it down hard on the table.

The cup struck the tabletop with a thud.

Zhu Youxiao said expressionlessly, "But what you've done is far more excessive than anything I've done."

"Smuggling with the Mongols — do you want me to spell out exactly what you've been smuggling?" Looking at Fan Yongdou, Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

Hearing this, Fan Yongdou's body trembled, and he quickly said, "Young Master, someone is framing me! They're slandering me — they're just jealous! You must not listen to other people's nonsense!"

"Whether I listen or not doesn't matter — who knows if someone else might." Zhu Youxiao said casually, "I can't be bothered to meddle in the affairs of you people below. I'm not an official, after all."

"But since I've come to Zhangjiakou this time, I don't want to have an unpleasant stay. If you show me face, I'll show you face. Otherwise, things might not go so smoothly."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao leaned back against the couch once more, with no intention of continuing the conversation.

Fan Yongdou cursed inwardly — sure enough, a proper wastrel scion, able to make demands like this without batting an eye!

The key question was: how did this wastrel know who the Fan family was?

Apart from them, did anyone else know?

If this continued, there would be trouble!

For the sake of a little girl, he was making all this fuss — utterly inhuman! How could anyone lay hands on such a young girl?

So Fan Yongdou said, "Rest assured on this matter, Young Master. I'll find a way as soon as I get back — I'll make sure this gets done for you, and deliver that little girl to you."

If he could drag this man into the mire, what was one insignificant little girl worth?

Zhu Youxiao looked at Fan Yongdou with amusement, sneering inwardly.

Bring Bumbutai here?

You don't have that kind of skill.

That one is the famous Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang — that's Da Yu'er, the one destined to marry Hong Taiji.

For you to make a move on her now is simply impossible. Even the Khorchin wouldn't dare agree to it.

But wasn't that exactly Zhu Youxiao's purpose?

Force Fan Yongdou to go make trouble with them — and there would be a show to watch.

Zhu Youxiao appeared very excited, sitting up straight and slapping the table as he said, "Good, very good!"

"If you can bring me that little girl, I'll make a deal with you. Our purpose in coming to Zhangjiakou this time is to do business. I have fine goods from the Hundred Crafts Institute."

Hearing this, Fan Yongdou was startled for a moment, then said in an agitated tone, "May I ask what sort of goods? Please enlighten me, Young Master."

The Hundred Crafts Institute had not been very famous in the past — everyone assumed the Emperor had set it up for amusement.

But after all this time, no one held that view anymore, especially in places like the border.

Over the past year or more, the Hundred Crafts Institute had provided the border troops with many fine items, such as brand-new blades and spears.

These new blades and spears were far superior to the old ones — whether in sharpness or durability, there was simply no comparison.

As for the things cast by the military, before the Hundred Crafts Institute's weapons they were nothing but scrap metal.

There were also steel hand crossbows — quite rare — but one could tell the craftsmanship was extremely fine, the power tremendous, and the rate of fire very fast. They could truly be called excellent weapons.

Beyond that, there were all sorts of cannons that dazzled the eye, and all of them had tremendous power — long range, rapid fire, and devastating explosive force.

In the Liaodong campaign this time, one type of cannon had displayed enormous power — the very cannon that killed Nurhaci with a single shot. Long range and immense power — a truly terrifying thing.

People had been trying to buy intelligence on this cannon, but to this day no one had managed to obtain even a scrap of information. If he could win over this young master before him, he might just be able to get his hands on some of that intelligence.

After all, the intelligence trade had always been the big money — it required a great deal of silver, involved no physical goods, left no evidence of transactions, and was the fastest way to make money.

If this young master could provide some intelligence about the cannon that had blown that wild boar skin to bits, that would be absolutely perfect.

When the time came, he could sell the intelligence and give this noble young master a cut. And in one stroke, he'd have dragged him into the mire. Where else could one find such a good deal?

Fan Yongdou was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

"Would you like the intelligence about the cannon that killed Nurhaci in Liaodong?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Fan Yongdou and said with a smile, "I believe there must be quite a few interested parties in this place right now, and they'd be offering a handsome price."

"If you can bring me that little girl in red, I'll give you this intelligence."

Hearing this, Fan Yongdou was instantly thrilled and quickly said, "Young Master, do you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it." Zhu Youxiao nodded, then looked at Fan Yongdou with a displeased expression and said, "Look at who I am — would I stoop to deceiving you over something like this?"

"Yes, yes, the Young Master is right." Fan Yongdou said hurriedly.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Zhu Youxiao stood up, looking very expectant as he said, "As long as you handle this matter well, it will prove your capability. Then the two of us will have a foundation for cooperation, and we can share fine goods in the future."

"I can't get my hands on the cannon that killed Nurhaci, but I can procure other things. When the time comes, you can tell me directly what you want — even blades, spears, muskets, and cannons are no problem. If you want the casting techniques, that will cost a hefty price."

Fan Yongdou stared at Zhu Youxiao, utterly stunned inside.

These people truly had audacity beyond measure—even greater than his own. They really would sell anything.

But wasn't this a good thing for him?

Fan Yongdou said, "Young Duke, rest assured, I will handle this matter properly."

In Fan Yongdou's view, this matter presented no difficulty whatsoever.

What conditions had this Young Duke offered? Were such conditions not enough to make Wukeshan agree?

It was only a sister, after all.

Besides, it was having his sister marry someone—not sending her to her death.

Fan Yongdou gnashed his teeth in envy—if this Young Duke had taken a liking to his own daughter, he would have offered her up with both hands.

Even if he had set his sights on Fan Yongdou's wife, he would not have hesitated in the slightest.

He estimated Wukeshan wouldn't hesitate either. Fan Yongdou slapped his chest and agreed readily.

Zhu Youxiao watched Fan Yongdou's retreating figure, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Things were never that simple, nor that easy.

As things stood, letting Fan Yongdou stir things up was just right. If he could create some trouble with the Khorchin side, it would open up a small crack. Then things would get interesting.

Chen Hong looked at Zhu Youxiao's expression and knew that his master was about to dig a pit for someone again.

After pondering briefly, Zhu Youxiao said, "Have our people spread the news."

"What news?" Chen Hong asked hesitantly.

It wasn't that he didn't know or hadn't understood—rather, he knew this news was far too significant. If it were truly released, it could bring considerable trouble. Not to mention other things—His Majesty posing as the Young Duke of the Duke of Ying's estate was already a problem in itself.

Looking at Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao said, "Do you think there are people of the Jianzhou barbarians here?"

There was no need to even ask—Zhangjiakou absolutely had people of the Jianzhou barbarians.

Zhangjiakou was a trading hub of the north. Besides legitimate goods, all sorts of smuggled items could be found here. Ironware, weapons, intelligence—all could be bought and sold in this place. The Jianzhou barbarians could not possibly have failed to station people in Zhangjiakou.

In fact, looking at the history of warfare, one could see that the Jianzhou barbarians were quite capable when it came to espionage. Across the entire Liaodong battlefield, the spies they had planted were numerous beyond count.

Before every Ming city fell, there would always be people inside stirring up trouble and attacking the defending soldiers—the shadows of Jianzhou spies were everywhere in such scenes.

With Zhangjiakou being such an important place, how could there be no one to spread the news?

Now that Nurhaci was dead, the Jianzhou barbarians needed a successor. Most likely, just as in history, it would still be Hong Taiji.

Da Yu'er and Hong Taiji were betrothed, and Zhu Youxiao now wanted to use Da Yu'er to exchange for intelligence—intelligence about the secret of Nurhaci's death. Would they make the trade or not?

Wukeshan certainly didn't want to trade, and neither did Hong Taiji.

Wukeshan would be betraying his sister; Hong Taiji would be betraying his woman.

But if you don't trade—don't you want to know the secret of your father's death? Don't you want to know what blew your father to pieces?

In the early days of Hong Taiji's succession, his position as Khan was far from stable. Who knew what kind of chaos might erupt.

As for how it would all develop, Zhu Youxiao didn't know. But he felt it would certainly be something very interesting.

As long as the news was released, the Jianzhou barbarians would receive it. Perhaps because of this matter, the Jianzhou barbarians and the Khorchin might even stir up some trouble between themselves.

Before transmigrating, Zhu Youxiao had heard a saying: it's not the lack of good fortune that's feared, but the presence of troublemakers.

If there's no good fortune, everyone can work together and perhaps weather the storm. But when there are troublemakers sowing discord, things become troublesome.

Zhu Youxiao was now that sower of discord, and with Fan Yongdou adding his efforts, this matter became even more interesting.

"To answer Your Majesty, there should be." Chen Hong said after thinking for a moment.

"Then tell me—when the people of the Khorchin tribe receive this news, what will they do? Come seize me, threaten me, or have Wukeshan hand over his sister? And that Wukeshan is unwilling. Things will get interesting."

"Release the news immediately." Zhu Youxiao said to Chen Hong, "Don't stop for even a moment."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong hurriedly agreed.

After Chen Hong left, a smile spread across Zhu Youxiao's face.

This trip to Zhangjiakou had truly yielded some gains. It seemed things would only get more interesting from here. What Fan Yongdou and his lot would stir up was genuinely something to look forward to.

At this very moment, Fan Yongdou had already arrived at the place where Wukeshan and his people were staying.

Upon seeing Fan Yongdou's arrival, Wukeshan didn't give him a pleasant expression at all.

After sitting down, Wukeshan said directly, "Master Fan, what business brings you here this time?"

Fan Yongdou wasn't angered—this matter all depended on Wukeshan, so he couldn't afford to fall out with him.

So Fan Yongdou looked at Wukeshan and said, "I've already investigated that man's identity."

Upon hearing this, Wukeshan sat up straight, staring intently at Fan Yongdou with piercing eyes, and asked with some urgency, "Who is he?"

"Have you heard of the Duke of Ying of the Great Ming?" Fan Yongdou looked at Wukeshan and asked.

Wukeshan nodded directly.

Having been enemies with the Great Ming for so many years, both sides had thoroughly probed each other's affairs. The situation on the grasslands changed constantly, but the Great Ming had always remained quite stable.

The Duke of Ying—the highest tier of nobility in the Great Ming, a title that had endured for over two hundred years. In the Ming court, he wielded tremendous power and influence, and his sway within the military was also very great.

Someone like that—Wukeshan could not possibly have not heard of him.

Seeing Wukeshan nod, Fan Yongdou continued, "The one who came this time is none other than the Duke of Ying's eldest son, the Young Duke of the Duke of Ying's estate—the most elite scion of the Great Ming!"