Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 466, Section 465: The Bridge to Stealing the Country and the Bridge to Benefiting the Country

Upon learning of Jin the Dumb's plan, Shunzi was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night.

Even Fang Youliu didn't say anything to undermine him this time. He just complained, "There are so many injustices in the world. You want to manage everything, but can you manage it all?"

Shunzi replied, "I can't control places I can't see or hear, but I'm determined to control things right under my nose."

Fang Youliu rolled over and lay on his side, saying nothing more.

Feng Xiuhu was also very excited—because the mute Jin said he knew where Abbott's safe was. He didn't have the ability to open it, but Feng Xiuhu and his group had extraordinary methods, so it shouldn't be difficult to unlock it. After it was done, Feng Xiuhu could take it as he pleased.

Ultimately, it was because Dumb Jin couldn't fully trust Feng Xiuhu and the other two, but he was helpless against them. So he could only resort to bribery, not asking for their help, but just hoping they wouldn't interfere.

Feng Xiuhu hadn't expected to find such a pleasant surprise while watching the play. In his excitement, he patted the mute Jin on the shoulder and said, "Just go ahead and do it. For the sake of righteousness, I'll back you up."

Whether it was for the sake of righteousness or for the sake of money, Dumb Jin had his own judgment, but after receiving Feng Xiuhu's reply, he felt much more at ease and led everyone away.

Lying in bed, after the excitement had subsided considerably, Feng Xiuhu suddenly asked out of the blue, "Six, why do you think the foreigners built the bridge?"

Fang Youliu opened his eyes, stared at the wall and thought for a while: "Putting aside the entanglement between faith and country, the foreigners who travel across the ocean to come to Xuan Kingdom are simply after making money."

“Building bridges can open up new trade routes and reduce transportation costs, which ultimately provides benefits and convenience for making money—so it’s only natural for foreigners to build bridges. What’s wrong with that?”

Feng Xiuhu then asked, "So tell me, is building the bridge more beneficial to the Duke of Daguo or to the President?"

Fang Youliu was taken aback; he suddenly understood why Feng Xiuhu had asked that question.

Just now, before the mute Jin left, they talked about this place. He learned from Abbot that it wasn't just Tianpu River that was going to have a bridge built; Xuan Kingdom's other two major rivers, Heishui River and Anlong River, were also planning to build bridges across them.

Fang Youliu said, "To be fair, this is a win-win situation, beneficial to both sides."

With the bridge completed, the Duke of Daguo's plan to control the economic pulse gained more confidence, and the President, by using foreigners to do things that benefit the country and its people, reaped a great advantage.

But the Duke of Daguo didn't really need to do that.

Given his aim of gradually encroaching on territory from south to north, slowing down the bridge construction would be a better option. Starting with the Tianpu River, and waiting for his influence to expand further, would allow him to discuss the construction of the Heishui River and Anlong River bridges, maximizing his benefits rather than completing the project all at once, which would ultimately benefit the President more.

This is also what Feng Xiuhu couldn't figure out.

Fang Youliu paused briefly before continuing, "The only one who can command foreigners is naturally the Duke of Daguo, so it's certain that the Duke of Daguo was the first to propose building the bridge. While the President can't get foreigners to build the bridge for him voluntarily, he has ways to prevent them from doing so. So I guess this is the result of the two of them compromising after discussing it."

Feng Xiuhu nodded silently, which was considered as acknowledging Fang Youliu's statement.

As he slowly closed his eyes, Feng Xiuhu's thoughts drifted away.

He realized that the Grand President's situation was actually quite difficult—he was suppressed by the major temples above, coveted by the countries of the Western Continent, plotted against by the Duke of Da, and his own younger sister was unable to see the situation clearly, using the banner of saving the country to sabotage him. The only one with the power to forcibly reverse the situation was Xi Jun, who was a man who did not care about anything, clearly distinguished between humans and gods, believed that the change of dynasties was destined by history, and therefore never interfered.

These are only the things Feng Xiuhu knows so far, and there are probably many more unpleasant things he doesn't know about.

It seems being president isn't so easy.

Lost in thought, Feng Xiuhu drifted off to sleep.

The next day, the three of them weren't in a hurry to leave—the revenge drama of Dumb Jin hadn't even begun yet, and they had to see it all before thinking about leaving.

As they went downstairs, the shopkeeper whispered, "The three of you, the docks have been crowded these past few days, with vendors gathering. If you're looking for a lively place, you can go and have a look."

Feng Xiuhu nodded knowingly and led Shunzi and Fang Youliu to the dock.

It was not yet noon, but the dock was already packed with people. Outside the crowd were vendors selling almost every kind of snack.

There may indeed be devout believers among them, but most are here for tax breaks.

Feng Xiuhu and his group were too lazy to squeeze inside, so they just stood outside and watched the excitement.

Suddenly something flew by and hit Shunzi on the forehead. He looked down and saw that it was a peanut.

Shunzi turned his head and saw Zhao Wazi waving at them from the second-floor terrace of the roadside teahouse.

Upon arriving at the teahouse, the three sat down around the table and, without any ceremony, began to eat the tea and snacks on the table as their breakfast.

Feng Xiuhu asked Zhao Wazi, "There's a commotion inside, why don't you go and lend a hand?"

Zhao Wazi shook her head: "I'm not an exception."

He pointed to the injury on his face and said, "Besides, if I really went, the police would just ask me what happened, and I'd be wasting my breath."

"Police?"

Feng Xiuhu turned his head and looked down, and sure enough, he saw police officers patrolling in the crowd.

Zhao Wazi explained, "It's fine if it's just a commotion, but the police are worried that if someone incites the crowd and they get out of control, they might start smashing and looting, which would escalate the situation. So they send people to guard the area every day."

As his gaze moved forward, Feng Xiuhu saw Chen Ajiang leading the crowd at the very back, with a patrol captain standing guard beside him.

Just as Chen Ajiang led his men in chanting slogans, the patrol captain quickly handed him a cup of hot tea and asked, "Brother Jiang, why are you here today? Where did Master Wa go?"

Chen Ajiang glared at him fiercely: "I can't come? What, just because we're both tax officials, does Zhao Wazi think he's superior to me?"

The patrol captain quickly smiled apologetically: "No, that's not true. I just think Brother Jiang's shouts are more powerful than Uncle Wa's. We all live by the river. If it weren't for my duty, I would have liked to help Brother Jiang shout a couple of times!"

Chen Ajiang snorted twice: "Don't try to play dumb with me. Don't think that I'll stop making trouble just because you say a few nice words. Let me tell you, what we're doing today isn't for ourselves, but for the face of Jiangliu Temple. If Jiangliu Temple loses its face, it's like pulling out Jiangliu Gong's beard. At that time, let alone repairing the bridge, if we anger Jiangliu Gong, the entire Jindi City will be flooded!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

The patrol captain nodded in agreement: "So, Brother Jiang, feel free to make a fuss. As long as you don't lay a hand on us, our patrol department will just put on a show. Nobody will bother anyone else."

(End of this chapter)