industrial lord

Chapter 808 Anonymous Whistleblower Letter

A sudden heavy snowfall engulfed northern Bohemia, and the roads around Carlsbad were covered with thick snow, with only trains using snowplows to clear the way being able to communicate with the outside world.

Frederick and the local officials, who were on vacation, toured the town. There was plenty of food and firewood, so there was no need to worry; all they needed to do was take precautions against fire.

The initial panic in the town dissipated as soon as it appeared, and the people who came for the winter vacation continued to drink and dance as usual.

As time passed, when fish puffs appeared on the market, an anonymous letter of denunciation arrived in Frederick's hands along with an official document from the Duchy of Wessen.

In the study of the spa hotel, Frederick, dressed in a soft and comfortable bathrobe, sat lazily behind his desk, preparing to read the minutes of last month's Supreme Council meeting and intelligence briefings from various regions.

These routine briefings weren't marked as particularly urgent, so he picked up the anonymous whistleblower letter first to see what was going on that had managed to reach him.

The letter was written on white paper with red lines, a common type of letter paper in Wessenburg. The edges of the letter were decorated with an intricate and elaborate bellflower pattern drawn in red ink.

The brushstrokes of the pattern are delicate and lively, with flowers, leaves, and entwined vines forming a continuous lace border. Judging from the artist's skill, he has clearly received rigorous training.

However, the letter contained the traditional text of letters and words cut out from newspapers and pieced together, and it said that someone in Boiheim was plotting to smuggle aid food.

Frederick read it very carefully, and just as he finished, Mary walked in.

He smiled and said to Maria, "Come and see this."

Maria placed a steaming cup of milk on the corner of the desk and asked, "What is this?"

Her soft arms wrapped around Frederick's shoulders from behind, and she rested her chin gently on her husband's shoulder. Her long, charcoal-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, carrying a faint scent of roses.

“An anonymous tip-off.” Frederick moved the letter to a suitable place for her to read. “It concerns grain smuggling in Bohemia.”

"It's faster than we expected," Maria said softly, quickly reading through the contents, her delicate brows gradually furrowing.

“That’s interesting,” she said thoughtfully. “Did you notice that the grammar in the letter is very stiff, like that of a foreigner who has only recently started learning grammar?”

"There are also some grammatical habits that seem to be influenced by the languages ​​in this area, or rather, the native language is the language of this area."

Frederick nodded, pretending to understand.

Although he has a talent for learning languages, he can only manage to avoid making mistakes in grammar studies, let alone master the habits of language use.

Maria's gaze was quickly drawn to the pattern, and she soon noticed something was amiss.

“The bellflower pattern is exquisitely drawn,” she said softly, her fingertips tracing the letter. “But look here, the edges on both sides are cut off along a straight line.”

"Judging from the pen marks, it seems that a piece of paper or something similar was placed next to it. Removing the paper would produce this effect."

"Upon closer inspection, these patterns are irregular and difficult to forge."

Frederick's lips curled into a smile as he tilted his head and nuzzled Maria's snow-white face, saying, "You're really clever."

"If needed in the future, the letter and the paper underneath can be placed together, and the patterns on the two sheets can be perfectly matched. This will serve as proof of identity for writing this whistleblower letter."

“In that case, the whistleblower might contact us again,” Maria added. “That’s interesting.”

Frederick took a sip of the hot milk on the corner of the table, thought for a moment, and said, "I think the whistleblower is probably in some kind of dilemma."

"On the one hand, he wanted to expose the inside story of smuggling, but on the other hand, he dared not reveal his identity, so he could only use clippings and piecing together letters to conceal his handwriting." "This contradiction precisely shows that he had inside information, but was bound by interests or fear."

Maria's gaze remained fixed on the severed pattern as she whispered, "Perhaps his family was part of the smuggling network, but he himself still has a conscience."

“He did this against his will, and he may very well use it as evidence to exonerate himself after the crime and seek protection from us.”

"It's also possible that they want to use us to eliminate internal rivals and then take their place."

Frederick nodded and began to think.

He already considered Bohemia to be his for the taking, and in order to govern it more effectively, he had to get rid of some of the local nobles.

The grain smuggling case presented an excellent opportunity to investigate. The nobles involved might not necessarily oppose Frederick, but those who did not participate were definitely loyal to him.

Then there will be a reason for liquidation.

“We should let the whistleblower know that the letter has been received and let him know our attitude,” Frederick said thoughtfully. “But we can’t say it outright; we have to make it public so that others won’t notice anything amiss.”

"What can you do?"

This is a bit troublesome. They don't know who the whistleblower is, so they can only speak out through newspapers and other media.

However, this matter cannot be stated openly. Now, every word Frederick and Mary utters will be studied, and it would be bad if their intentions were exposed or if they were over-interpreted.

Maria thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea."

“Susan has a dress with a similar bellflower pattern.”

“Make her wear that dress and go out with you, then take a picture and publish it in the Wessen Daily.”

Frederick nodded thoughtfully and said, "This is a good idea. Those who are interested will understand, while those who are not will see it as an ordinary activity."

“But!” His expression turned serious. “How can we get Susan out of her warm room and into the elements in this weather?”

Maria paused for a moment, then her face fell.

Susan has always been sensitive to the cold, and now that the wind is howling outside and the snow is deep, she doesn't want to step out of her room at all. She spends her days eating, soaking in the hot springs, and brushing her teeth in the hotel, and the rest of the time she sleeps.

“Then let Lilu wear that dress and go out with you,” Maria thought of a solution.

Frederick nodded slightly. This method was feasible. Lilu's figure was similar to Susan's, so there was nothing wrong with her wearing that bellflower patterned dress.

“This matter cannot end here.” Frederick’s gaze sharpened. “We must add fuel to the fire.”

Maria asked curiously, "What are you planning to do?"

Frederick said, "This time, we want the people here to know how hard it is to get food aid, and to let them know that I went to great lengths to get this food."

"Once the public finds out about this, when I deal with those nobles involved, everyone will cheer!"

(End of this chapter)