It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Fang Shisan showed a gentle smile and said softly:

"Well, actually, having him support the internal affairs is a great help to me. And I have already prepared myself mentally before coming here, so it's okay. You should go after her first, and don't let the conflict escalate further."

I put my hands together and made a gesture of gratitude to Fang Shisan. This was the first time I saw He Yue so angry. In the past, she basically resolved all kinds of conflicts in a cheerful and cheerful manner, giving people the impression that she was a very smooth person in dealing with people. I was also used to her reassuring side.

I hurriedly chased after her. He Yue was walking very fast and it was obvious that she was angry. I didn't get angry and just followed her. After we had "paraded" around the City Lord's Mansion for five or six times, He Yue turned around. Her charming face had softened a lot, and it was obvious that most of her anger had disappeared, but she still had a tense face and asked unhappily:

"Why are you following me? Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think, nor am I a petty person. Just leave me alone for a while."

Although she said so, how could I dare to just leave like that? I hurriedly took a few steps forward and held his arm. He Yue didn't struggle or leave, but just blinked and looked at me.

I said seriously:

"Come on, He Yue, let me treat you to a meal. Consider it my apology to you."

He Yue said straightforwardly:

"You're so poor, and you still have the heart to eat? Where are you going?"

"Zhenweilou! If you lose money, you can earn it again. If you spend all your money, you can get it back. I still have some private money. Just consider it a favor."

He Yue snorted and said:

"Your private money? Let's go, I have to make my money back today."

Eat! Return!

I was frightened, but then I thought about it and I guessed that He Yue must have used up all the spare money in Yuxi City this time, so it was basically impossible for her to make a profit from my meal. The consumption level of Zhenweilou was generally low, so I took He Yue's hand and walked towards Zhenweilou with confidence.

He Yue followed me without saying a word.

2. Ask for her letter of allegiance

Zhenweilou is one of the few restaurants in Yuxi City. It is said that even the poorest places are not short of local tyrants. In the past, Zhenweilou was a place for nobles to eat, drink and have fun. However, when these early local tyrants moved their families, they were intercepted by bandits and lost their lives. I took back their property with tears in my eyes, and bought various farm tools and necessities to distribute to the people.

Although these local tycoons are gone, the people are gradually getting richer. Especially this year, the harvest is good, and most people have spare money. Zhenweilou changed its mindset and stopped making luxurious dishes that only nobles can afford. Instead, it regarded ordinary people as potential customers and launched a menu with affordable prices, which was widely praised. Although it is not as easy to make money as before, it is more popular than before.

It is impossible that Yuxi City will never have no new nobles. In fact, even if the money in the world is divided equally, the gap between the rich and the poor will gradually widen again. Yuxi City has already produced a group of new nobles due to the development of the demon breeding industry, early industry, and continuous trade with the Yunhai Territory. However, these people are more obedient and know how to follow the footsteps of me and He Yue, which is less worrying. New nobles will occasionally come to Zhenweilou to have a feast, so many precious dishes still have a market.

I brought He Yue to Zhenweilou. The waiter at the door probably didn't recognize me. He was still telling me something like "We are fully booked today" when the boss who came hurriedly behind him slapped him aside.

The owner of Zhenweilou is called Shayan. Unlike the usual impression of potbellied bosses, he is a lean and sturdy man. He is the one who built Zhenweilou. Even now, he personally receives many distinguished guests. He is not a fat person, and he works hard every day, so he naturally maintains a good figure.

When he saw me, he smiled, rubbed his hands, and said:

"The people down there are ignorant, so don't bother with them. The seats outside are almost all booked, but there are still two private rooms left. I'll arrange one for you right away, please follow me."

Because I often sneaked over to eat when Alaiya was making stewed radish and cabbage, so I got to know the boss quite well, and I smiled and replied:

"Row."

He Yue and I stepped into Zhenwei Restaurant. The restaurant, which was originally bustling and lively, gradually became quiet. When we walked to the wooden staircase and started to go upstairs, it was basically silent. In front of others, He Yue was very respectful to me. She followed me with a smile. When we entered the private room, she took the menu, glanced at it, and asked me:

"How much private money do you have left?"

I swallowed and replied:

"It's enough for a meal."

He Yue nodded, turned to the boss, and said seriously:

"Excuse me, I'll give you one plate of each of the ten most expensive items on your menu."

I spat out a mouthful of tea on the ground.

Sha Yan gave me a strange look, but still nodded and said:

"No problem, please wait."

After saying that, he walked out. I said to He Yue helplessly:

"How can you order food like that? Don't you even consider whether you like it or not?"

He Yue said seriously:

"Eating is all about having fun. This time I'm going to eat something expensive. The more expensive it is, the happier I am."

I really couldn't argue with him, so I could only sigh:

"You're still angry."

After hearing this, He Yue suddenly widened her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and said angrily:

"Do you know that I have even written the plans for these three cities during this period? Such a thick stack! I look forward to more population and land every day, and I patrol the three cities every day like counting money. For so many days, I have regarded every brick and stone as something in the wallet of Yuxi City, as our own treasure. But one day, you suddenly told me that these things are gone, gone! I know the importance of Fang Shisan. If you asked us to exchange three cities for her at the beginning, I would definitely be willing to do this deal. This is a strategic need and an important step to complete the puzzle. But what about this time? Her brother was also in our hands at that time, and she obviously had a tendency to lean towards Yuxi City. Why should we return these three cities?"

He Yue said this, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and said in a depressed tone:

"I always feel that you take too much care of Fang Shisan. I told you before that I don't care how many women you have around you, but you can't favor one person over another. It will affect your basic judgment."

I scratched my head:

"No, I just think it's cooler to do this. It's so bold to give it as soon as you say it."

He Yue glared at me.

I shut my mouth.

He Yue looked out the window. The pedestrians coming and going were still whispering to each other. The voices of the guests in the restaurant hall gradually became louder. She could vaguely hear that many people were talking about this matter.

As for the comments, naturally most of them are dissatisfied with me.

He Yue looked at me and asked:

"Did you hear that? Everyone thinks you're a fool."

I started laughing.

He Yue leaned over, pinched my cheeks with both hands, and said dissatisfiedly:

"dare you laugh?!"

I replied:

"Let them laugh if they want. I am Lide, the mayor of Yuxi City. Do I need them to teach me how to do things? Besides, even if I make a mistake, you are still there to cover for me. Just think of yourself as following a prodigal son, and someone forced you to increase the difficulty of the game. Don't you feel it is full of challenges all of a sudden?"

He Yue grabbed my cheek and pulled it down, causing me to grimace in pain. He Yue let go, sat back in his original position, and finally smiled:

"Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. Last night, I was so angry that I burned the development plans of the three cities and buried them in a pit. I told myself that I was born to be a hard worker. I was born to be your slave. I finally got a little advantage, but you just squandered it."

He Yue sighed and said self-deprecatingly:

"Whatever. Anyway, it's not a loss since it's in Fang Yuan's hands in the end. He took these three cities, which is equivalent to taking over the formation that Fang Shisan had originally laid out, and can attack or defend. Originally, we attacked Tianxing City and kidnapped Fang Shisan and Fang Lita, which would inevitably lead to revenge from Lord Zhaochen. Now it's not bad. Fang Yuan is helping us to hold on in the north, and with Fang Shisan's family background, he can't lose so quickly even if he loses. I'll just consider it as buying peace with money, alas."

What He Yue said is what I thought of before.

Fang Shisan's formation is self-contained, and the ten cities together form a complete entity. If three cities belong to me, the remaining seven cities will lose the center of the formation and become a mess.

The dishes are here.

The heat separated He Yue and me, and in the mist, He Yue suddenly asked:

"Fang Li Tower, wasn't Fang Yuan sent back? What are you going to do with it?"

I took a bite of the food and answered vaguely:

"Just find a place to keep him first. You can't just kill Fang Shisan's brother with a knife. If she wants to kill him, Fang Shisan has to do it. Will she be willing to do that?"

After a moment of silence, He Yue said:

"You don't have to kill him. But I want Fang Shisan's pledge of allegiance. She must prove that Yuxicheng is more important to her than her brother. Only then can I safely hand over the military power to her."

I swallowed the food in my mouth and said with a smile:

"Wait a moment...it will happen."

3. After all the favors are repaid, only family affection remains

When it was time to pay the bill, I took out my purse with a painful look on my face, counted out a few silver coins and handed them to the owner of Shayan. He refused for a while but then smiled and accepted them. In fact, he didn't make much money from this meal. He basically sold it at the original price. I knew it in my heart and I wouldn't let him lose money. He is an honest businessman, so there is no point in taking advantage of him.

He Yue glanced at my purse and said with a smile:

"Sure, Lid, the speed at which you save your own money is beyond my expectation. Would you like to share your experience in getting rich with me?"

I replied:

"You walk down the street, see who is richer, hit him with a stick, drag him to a corner, and his money will be yours."

After saying that, I saw He Yue picked up a stick and walked towards me. I took two steps back and said loudly:

"What are you doing? It's broad daylight, what do you want to do?"

He Yue stretched out a hand to me. I reluctantly took out a gold coin from my pocket and put it in my arms, then threw the whole purse into his hands. Who can blame him for being short of money, and the reason for the shortfall is because of me? He Yue took the money from me, and he felt relieved. He stretched and said quite comfortably:

"This Zhenweilou restaurant tastes pretty good. I'll treat you next time."

The true face of the nouveau riche is fully exposed.

I returned to the City Lord's Mansion, thinking that now that I had given He Yue an explanation, I should go check on Fang Shisan next.

When I got to Fang Shisan's room, she seemed to have just finished her meal and was sitting at the table sketching a battle formation. Because I couldn't see, many parts of the sketch were still flying, and I could only understand it but not describe it. I walked over quietly, sat next to her, and looked at her for a long time before saying:

"Are you sure you can defeat Lineng's fiefdom?"

The sudden voice startled Fang Shisan, and his wheelchair even shook.

After realizing it was me, Fang Shisan patted his chest lightly and said:

"Don't scare me suddenly."

She stroked the picture on the paper and said softly:

"Even if you're not sure, you should try it. I don't want to embarrass you."

I sat on the bed and said:

"Is it difficult or not? I mainly came to ask you a question. Fang Yuan sent Fang Lita back, why don't you go to meet him?"

Fang Shisan asked back:

"Will you embarrass him?"

I replied:

"will not."

Fang Shisan chuckled, still with her eyes closed, and said gently:

"I have fought for him everything I could. We were both prisoners at the time, and I traded myself for three cities. So I don't owe him anything. The favor has been repaid, and what's left is just family affection. You held an umbrella for me in the rain that day, and took me in when I was homeless. Now, I owe you a favor."

I rely on.

I really didn't expect Fang Shisan to say that. If I had known, I should have given that fat guy a hint and told him to deal with it as he pleased and not send Fang Lita back. But on second thought, Fang Shisan said that even though the favor was gone, the family affection was still left, which meant that she still recognized this brother, so I might as well keep him.

Even weird relatives are better than having no relatives. If you are alone, you will always feel lonely, and that loneliness is hard to imagine and cannot be relieved until it actually comes.

Fang Shisan clenched his pen tightly and said:

"I heard from Tira. You knelt down in the mourning hall that day to comfort the families of the fallen soldiers."

I frowned and asked:

"How did she know?"

Fang Shisan shook his head:

"I asked her to find out. I was afraid that if the three cities were returned, there would be unrest among the people and the army, so I wanted to stabilize the families of the fallen soldiers first. But I didn't expect you to have done so."

She smiled softly and said to me:

"Thank you."

Suddenly, I finally found something that made me feel uncomfortable about Fang Shisan today. It was her earrings. She took off the pair of earrings that she usually wore, which were said to be a gift from Fang Lita when she was a child. Her small and delicate ears were clean and tidy, without any decoration.

Although I saw it, I didn't say anything; I didn't say anything and she didn't mention it either.

I just felt a lot more comfortable.

Fang Shisan said softly:

"I will go to the army tomorrow. Tira will take care of me. I want to tell you, don't worry. Many of the troops in Yuxi City are soldiers I led from Tianxing City. They and I have a high degree of tacit understanding. I also have ways to make the troops that were originally loyal to Yuxi City gradually trust me. I have studied Lineng's army. As long as there are no unexpected situations, there will be no problem eating them."

I really wanted to ask her why she didn't stay in Yuxi City for a while before leaving, but on second thought, He Yue's words made sense. Compared to Felita and He Yue, who originally did not belong to any faction, it was more difficult for Fang Shisan, who once stood on our hostile side, to integrate into Yuxi City. Even Bai Huang was only slowly accepted by Yuxi City bit by bit after he took on the role of an inspector in Yuxi City.

I sighed, stood up, walked over and ruffled Fang Shisan's hair, and said: