Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 82 Diamond, a headache?

In the sweltering heat of July, after the sun set, the wind gradually carried a hint of coolness.

Longzhengfang, Zanguo Gongfu.

Dou Fengjie performed a round of boxing, then picked up a jujube wood stick and used it as a gun, causing the donkey outside the arena to rear up wildly and let out loud groans.

"Come!"

Dou Fengjie beckoned, and A-Lu happily entered, crouching down to let Dou Fengjie mount the donkey.

Even without a saddle or stirrups, the man and the donkey were as one.

With a rapid hoofbeat, Dou Fengjie stabbed the wooden dummy with the tip of his stick, and with the remaining force of the stick, sent another straw dummy flying.

Without stopping, Dou Fengjie took the bow and arrow from the victory hook, drew the bow and nocked the arrow while galloping, and the raw arrow shot towards the target like a shooting star.

Dou Fengjie flipped off the donkey's back, the wooden stick flew out of his hand and hit a large cypress tree next to him. The fallen leaves fell to the ground and formed a thin layer.

Well, Dou happy's mother kept saying she wanted to burn cypress leaves to ward off evil spirits at night, so there's no need to go and pick them.

The excited donkey brayed, kicked up its hoof, and knocked down a wooden stake, letting out a wild cry of "Ah-uh!" with a hint of laughter.

"My lord, you've hit the deer's neck!"

Dou happy led Zhao Rou to the target and loudly announced the target's location.

While riding, I drew my bow, but my aim was a bit off; I didn't hit the bullseye. Just managing to stay on target was already quite an achievement.

Ultimately, it was a bit rushed, not as brilliant as the shot that killed the wild boar at Kunming Pool.

That arrow was an exceptional performance; Dou Fengjie could never find that same form.

"Young master, your archery skills have already reached a high level. With another year or two of practice, you'll be ready to show your prowess on the battlefield."

"It's this spear technique that's too forceful and lacks proper technique, and it hasn't encountered a master sculptor like Duke Su."

"If you're not used to the flexibility of the skewer, you'll suffer a great loss the first time you encounter it."

The steward, Dou Shang, spoke frankly.

Dou Shang never spoke much, but every word he uttered pointed directly to Dou's weaknesses.

Dou Fengjie was helpless.

The gun barrel is easy to deal with; you can practice with a wooden pole instead.

But you can't get a gun through normal channels.

Even if you have money, you can't necessarily find a famous plastic maker, since fewer and fewer people are using this stuff anymore.

The materials are hard to come by and the production process is time-consuming. Who would bother to put in so much effort if it weren't for their own children?

The scumbag donkey squeezed between the two female donkeys, smugly sticking to the left and right, making Dou Fengjie want to kick it.

Tang Shanzhan walked over from the gatehouse: "Young master, the Frankish Madeleine and his son Dubois, the chief clerk of the Imperial Garden, have come to pay their respects with a small box. This is their calling card."

Dou Fengjie wiped away his sweat, changed into casual clothes, and asked Dou happy to invite the guests in.

Inside the stove, the animal-shaped charcoal burned, and a few drops of dragon-head-shaped raw water were added. Dou Fengjie added compressed tea and seasonings, and bamboo stirred it in.

Add salt at the first boil, skim off the foam at the second boil, and then Dou Fengjie begins to simmer the tea.

Du Bois gently placed the box on the table, revealing a crystal-clear, multifaceted crystal.

"These are diamonds that my family of Orleans brought from distant India. Besides being beautiful, they are also extremely hard, and ordinary tools cannot damage them in the slightest. Please take a look, sir."

Du Bois smiled.

Besides bribery, he was also showing off his family's power.

Dubois got off to a good start as the chief clerk of the Jingyuan, but he wanted more.

As neighbors, the Orleans family had easier access to Dou Fengjie, and it was reasonable for them to give him gifts.

"What a coincidence! I have something here that I can compare with."

A diamond, several sizes larger and more lustrous and well-formed than Du Bois's diamond, was taken out of Dou Fengjie's sleeve and placed on the table. There were three diamonds of the same size, each one carat, and there was no difference between them.

This is the synthetic diamond from Central China provided by the Weihuo system. It is purer than natural diamonds and reflects light more brilliantly.

The key point is that it's also very cheap.

Magnificent, Central Plains Synthetic Diamond!

This is a sign of the system's conscience; they didn't try to pass off moissanite, which costs tens to hundreds of yuan per carat, as genuine.

As for the even less valuable cut zircon, there's no need to embarrass yourself with it.

Did the Tang Dynasty actually produce diamonds?

The erudite Madeleine was momentarily stunned.

Dou Fengjie took a sip of tea with restraint: "There have been occasional discoveries in the Yuan River basin of Langzhou, Jiangnan Circuit."

This is a perfunctory excuse. There are credible reports of diamonds being discovered in the Yuan River as early as the Ming Dynasty.

However, this did not prevent Dou Fengjie from bringing up the matter during the Tang Dynasty.

Madeleine's blue eyes shone brightly: "Shangguan, give these diamonds to old Madeleine. I'm going back to Frankish territory to bring more species and wealth to the Tang Dynasty!"

Regardless of whether Dou Fengjie's words were true or false, Madeleine only knew that if she brought the dazzling synthetic diamonds back to Europe, those greedy Germans and Slavs, like dragons, would definitely scramble to buy them!

Isn't that a coincidence?

Dou Fengjie also wanted to use Madeleine to promote these synthetic diamonds.

Dou Fengjie took a leisurely sip of tea, then nodded and shook his head: "But even if Valhalla allows you to only conquer Europe, what about Persia and the Arab world?"

This is a really tough question.

Dou Fengjie didn't know any reliable Arab or Persian merchants, but he couldn't just sit by and watch money slip by!

After all, according to the pricing system of the diamond trading system, a large diamond only costs between one hundred and one thousand copper coins. In an era when diamond production was not high, releasing a batch would be extremely profitable.

"I know a merchant named Ibn who bought a large house in Huai De Fang, not far from the Duke of Su's mansion. He can use the house as collateral."

"In Persia, Kavad bought a house in Yiningfang, which can also be mortgaged to Duke Zan."

Madeleine thought for a moment and then gave a serious recommendation.

In times when business was difficult, reputation was worthless; at least a house in the city of Chang'an was worth something.

"They're all residences within the county, which saves a lot of trouble."

Dou Fengjie chuckled.

Judging from the attitude of Chang'an Weishan Julu on the day of the housewarming, it would be much easier to get things done by him; at least he wouldn't be difficult to get in, have an unpleasant face, or make things difficult to get done.

As for Madeleine himself, he didn't mention mortgaging it, but the residence in Longzhengfang and Du Bois, who served as an official under Dou Fengjie, were both his intangible collateral.

Unfortunately, the VIE system rated Madeleine too low, only worth one hundred synthetic diamonds.

"To Frank, I can only give you a hundred large diamonds; any more than that might be too much for you to handle."

"But I must find a way to get my hands on the big white pig, white asparagus, and chicory I want."

"With the remaining money, bring all sorts of artisans over, allowing them to bring their families."

As for doctors, forget about them. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, European medicine was so terrifying that it was full of murderous doctors, and bloodletting and exorcism became standard practice.

Does your foot hurt? Chop it off and it'll be fine.

Does your tooth hurt? It won't hurt anymore once it's all extracted.

Headache? Just cut it off and it'll be a one-time solution.

European-style dry humor is just that hardcore.

As for the rest, Madeleine wouldn't object to Dou Fengjie bringing along, as long as he didn't bring the "civilization" that Fang Hongjian mentioned.