industrial lord

Chapter 813 A Gamble That Leads to Death
It was mid-January 1040. The winter chill still lingered over the land. Frederick's special train, puffing out white steam, slowly pulled up to the platform of the Wesenberg train station.

Two rows of guards were already standing at attention on the platform, the cold wind whipping up the hems of their dark gray overcoats, but no one moved an inch.

Frederick lifted the curtain of the carriage, his breath condensing into a white mist on the glass. Outside the window was the familiar skyline of Wessenburg, the pointed buildings appearing solemn and clear in the winter morning light.

"We're here," Maria said softly beside him, her hand naturally covering the back of his hand, her fingertips feeling the warmth of his touch.

Across from them, Susan and Lilu were wrapped in thick bearskin cloaks, their faces still showing signs of travel fatigue.

"Time to go back to work." Frederick looked very reluctant, leaning back lazily in his chair. "Ugh, winter is no season for work, it's too cold."

"A law should be enacted stipulating that holidays should be automatically granted when the temperature drops below zero."

Lilu couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes curving into crescents: "You can move the Grand Duke's mansion to the Southern Continent, where it's hot all year round, and nobody even knows what snowflakes look like."

Frederick just smiled, but a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, as if he were really considering the feasibility of the proposal.

The carriage door suddenly opened, and a rush of biting cold air invigorated everyone.

The attendants on the platform had already begun busily carrying luggage. Frederick and the others stepped out of the carriage, and the guards saluted in unison.

The next day, everyone got busy with their own work.

Lilu will visit the Weisen-Bockner shipyard, Hamma shipyard and Lukang shipyard to inspect the completion of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce's merchant ship orders. This year, the Chamber will expand maritime trade with the south and transport a large number of inland river vessels there.

Susan, however, was worried about her job in the pediatrics department of the Wesenberg Public Hospital. She had to return the shifts to her colleagues during this vacation, and the upcoming schedule would probably be packed with work.

Maria needed to go back to her parents' home first. Her mother sent a telegram saying that she had something important to discuss.

Frederick convened a meeting of the highest ministers that afternoon to discuss and resolve the accumulated problems.

Over the next few days, he traveled tirelessly to various places, delivering speeches. From shopping malls to rural areas, from factories to docks, his footprints were left all over the Duchy of Wessen in the winter of the new year.

The morning after returning to Wessenburg from his inspection, Frederick ate breakfast alone in the restaurant.

Fine snow was falling outside the window, and the firewood in the fireplace was crackling.

After Tarot brought breakfast, she dismissed the other maids but stayed behind herself.

Frederick, slicing a white sausage, asked in a deep voice without looking up, "What's going on?"

Taro had been Frederick's personal maid for a long time and was one of his most trusted people. In the past two years, she had gradually been entrusted with some special tasks.

She stood three steps away from Frederick, her hands clasped in front of her, her posture respectful yet maintaining a distance.

"It concerns the lives of the master and his wives," Tarot reported calmly, but a hint of unease flickered in his eyes.

Frederick paused, his hand poised to pick up the milk glass. There had been no shortage of rumors about him, most of them baseless; anything that caught the attention of the relevant authorities must be quite serious.

Tarot continued his report: "Starting last December, someone set up a scheme to bet on whether the ladies would get pregnant this winter."

"The gambling initially circulated only in a small circle, but now it has expanded to include ordinary citizens."

Frederick frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Is it a big deal?"

His voice was clearly displeased.

This is no small matter; it concerns the succession to the Duchy of Wessen, and further relates to the diplomatic relations between the Duchy of Wessen and the Duchy of Mainz. It is a political event.

However, Frederick had spoken with them and said that these past few years were the starting point of their careers, so they weren't in a hurry to have children; they should wait two or three years. Tarot said, "Everyone has a lot of faith in the old man."

The words were phrased euphemistically, but Frederick immediately understood their meaning.

Frederick was speechless for a moment, shook his head, and continued eating.

Tarot's expression turned serious as he said, "However, there are some rumors circulating among the bookmakers that are trying to undermine the relationship between the master and the mistress."

She paused, then added, "There are rumors that you and Mrs. Maria actually have a strained relationship, and there are also rumors that you are unwell..."

After Tarot finished speaking, he looked at Frederick with some nervousness.

Over the years, she had watched Frederick and Maria grow up and get married, and she knew their relationship very well.

Frederick nodded slightly and continued eating his breakfast.

He didn't need to ask for details; he could already guess what the other person was doing.

The Duchy of Wessen's two most important allies, the Duchy of Mainz and the Duchy of Bain, were linked by marriage alliances.

According to the thinking of traditional feudal society, if there were a major change in the relationship between Frederick and Mary, it would really shake the relationship between the three duchies.

The restaurant fell silent, with only the crackling of the fireplace and the faint whistling of the wind outside the window.

Frederick slowly put down the milk cup, the bottom of which touched the wooden table with a loud "thud," a clear and jarring sound in the silence, like the fall of a gavel.

“Two things,” he said expressionlessly, his voice as cold as the snow outside the window. “Arrest all the Zhuang family members and send them to the coal mine on Gray Raven Island in the Ice Sea. Don’t interrogate them yet; let them talk on their own because they can’t take it anymore.”

"Secondly, if the gambling money is still there, it will all be confiscated."

Tarot replied, "Yes, sir."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Sir, another question: what if the people who placed the bets cause a disturbance?"

"It does involve a wide range of issues."

Frederick pondered for a moment, cutting a fried egg with his knife. After finishing the egg, he said, "Handle that money discreetly. Just say that only a small portion was found, and the vast majority is missing."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He snorted and continued, "There are too many candidates for the mastermind. We can't find them in a short time. Let's set up a double-cross and see who goes to Gray Raven Island to find them."

Tarot replied once again, "Yes, sir."

She bowed and turned to leave, her skirt swaying gently.

Frederick ate his breakfast quietly, his face calm but his gaze deep.

He has never liked gambling, although he makes an exception for gambling on horseback for money, but he still has to stick to his bottom line.

Moreover, judging from his family situation, no matter where he is, he would complain that his extended family is too numerous.

This shows that the mastermind behind the scenes had no respect for Frederick and may even have been testing his limits.

Such provocations must be resolutely countered.

After breakfast, Frederick put on his heavy coat, walked out of his house, and headed to the government office building a few hundred meters away for work. He left a clear trail of footprints in the snow, which were quickly covered by newly falling snowflakes.

(End of this chapter)