Chapter 32

......

He stared at Wang Shouzhe for a long while before saying, "Young brother, are you just teasing me? Or are you setting another trap for me? I'm already in this state... how could there be any chance for me to atone for my sins?"

"The cause of the insect plague, the reason why the insect-killing powder is gradually becoming ineffective, and the inspiration for the research on the new insect-killing powder..." Wang Shouzhe said with a calm expression, "If these aren't enough to help Brother Qian turn things around, then I must have misjudged Brother Qian's capabilities."

"Is this true?" Qian Zhuzhi suddenly stood up, a powerful aura of the peak Qi Condensation realm bursting forth. His eyes sparkled as he said, "If this is indeed a great achievement, Brother Shouzhe, you will be my true brother."

What a powerful aura!

Even Wang Shouzhe was slightly surprised. This Qian Zhuzhi seemed unassuming, but his cultivation was so high. Truly, the Qian family of Longzuo was formidable. Even a minor steward in a branch office had such cultivation.

A glimpse of the whole picture, the Qian family of Longzuo was indeed powerful.

"Brother Qian, are you planning to use this great achievement to seek a chance to advance to the Spirit Platform realm?" Wang Shouzhe's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew that the other party wasn't just showing off his aura. He was telling Wang Shouzhe about his value and potential.

"You understand me, brother." After his "show of strength," Qian Xuean immediately returned to his harmless, Maitreya Buddha-like appearance. "To be frank, I am a collateral descendant of a direct lineage in the Qian family. You can imagine my status and treatment within the family. The path I've taken to get to where I am today has been very bitter. Without a special great achievement, the chance of getting the family's support to advance to the Spirit Platform realm is slim. If you help me, no matter the outcome, I, Qian Xuean, will be eternally grateful."

"Do you know why I don't contribute this achievement to the Purple Mansion Academy myself?" Wang Shouzhe smiled, as if testing Qian Xuean's wisdom.

"The insect-killing powder is a major issue, and your Anping Wang family is too weak." Qian Xuean also smiled. "Even if you contribute your research to the academy, given the high-and-mighty attitude of those in the academy, they might not be grateful to your Wang family. However, the Qian family of Longzuo is different. With this information, we can negotiate with the academy. Even if we get just one more percent of the profit from the new insect-killing powder, it would be a huge number! Therefore, by giving this great achievement to me, you are... maximizing your benefits, as you said before."

"Exactly, that's the term." Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea and replied.

"Right, that's the term." Qian Xuean said solemnly. "But there is a prerequisite for this, which is that I, Qian, must know how to repay kindness. We can sign a secret pact. If I, Qian, violate the pact, you can make it public, ruining my reputation. You know, the Qian family values credibility above all. Once an individual's reputation is destroyed, the consequences are dire."

This Qian Zhuzhi is indeed a clear-headed friend.

Wang Shouzhe felt more at ease. In this era, it's scary to throw your charm at a blind person, to support someone wholeheartedly only to find out they are an ungrateful wolf.

From his previous interactions with Qian Xuean, he found him to be meticulous and thoughtful. Otherwise, how could a collateral descendant of a direct lineage have achieved so much?

"Brother Qian, if we sign the secret pact, we will be in the same boat." Wang Shouzhe asked one last time, "Are you sure about this?"

Qian Xuean pondered for a moment and said, "If it were another ally, I would need to think about it more carefully." He paused, then looked at Wang Shouzhe seriously and said, "But forming a secret pact with Brother Shouzhe is exactly what I desire. You are meticulous and bold, and your ability to turn the tide is admirable. I firmly believe that standing on the same boat with you is the greatest fortune of my life."

Although his words were somewhat exaggerated, Wang Shouzhe could feel his sincerity and immediately decided to draft the secret pact.

Adhering to the principle of being the "bad guy" first, Wang Shouzhe drafted the pact with meticulous and clear terms, clearly defining the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.

When Qian Xuean finished reading the pact, he was stunned, not because the terms were too complex or harsh, but because they were too simple and fair. He thought his future could either be a dismal end or a meteoric rise, all in Wang Shouzhe's hands.

Even if the terms were a bit harsh, it would be normal, and he had already prepared himself mentally.

"Brother Shouzhe, this pact..." Qian Xuean frowned slightly, "Do we need to add more restrictive clauses for me?"

"Brother Qian, I'm looking for an ally, not a subordinate." Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea calmly. "As allies, we should uphold fairness, mutual respect, and mutual support. If one day you feel the pact is no longer meaningful, you can terminate it by compensating the ally with ten thousand gold."

Qian Xuean took a deep breath, signed and stamped the two copies of the pact, and bowed deeply. "Brother Shouzhe, your broad-mindedness is unparalleled. I swear, as long as you do not betray me, I will not betray you. Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and die."

"Brother, you are too serious. From now on, we are brothers, sharing both glory and adversity." Wang Shouzhe was very satisfied with the outcome. He put away the pact and handed the prepared documents to Qian Xuean. "How to proceed, I believe you know better than I do."

Qian Xuean focused on the documents, his expression becoming more and more vivid. "Unbelievable, unbelievable, yet it makes perfect sense. Brother Shouzhe, this information is extremely valuable. It can prevent the new insect-killing powder from becoming ineffective again."

Wang Shouzhe wrote the documents himself, using simple and clear language to explain how the honey insects developed resistance and how to adjust the ancient insect-killing powder to kill the resistant honey insects.

As for how to adjust and experiment, Wang Shouzhe did not provide suggestions, leaving it for the academy to figure out.

Moreover, Wang Shouzhe had no intention of developing a new insect-killing powder. The stakes were too high. It would be like taxing the entire Longzuo region for insect control, and the astronomical profits would crush the Wang family.

"Good, good, good, with this great achievement." Qian Xuean's eyes sparkled. "If I can't make good use of it, I will have wasted my 38 years."

He carefully put away the pact and smiled at Wang Shouzhe. "Brother Shouzhe, I must admit, without this great achievement, I would have hated you to death. Your move is truly brilliant. But now, well, I can only say, well done, brother."

"Just going with the flow." Wang Shouzhe smiled. "How much is your boss willing to pay to redeem the pact?"

"Originally, the boss's bottom line was double the price of the pact. Ideally, he hoped you would back off and take a thousand gold." Qian Xuean squinted his eyes. "But this insect plague is very severe. The noble families estimate that without effective measures, the harvest will decrease by 60-70%, equivalent to a loss of about ten large copper coins per mu. If we can use double the dose of insect-killing powder in time, the loss will be at most one or two large copper coins."

"According to your meaning, the noble families' bottom line for the cost of insect-killing powder per mu is about six large copper coins?" Wang Shouzhe had already calculated this and smiled. "So, if the Qian family's business buys back the pact at double the price, it won't lose money but will actually make a profit?"

"Wrong." Qian Xuean squinted his eyes and smiled. "The noble families' bottom line is at least twelve large copper coins, and it could be even more. They will beg us to sell them the insect-killing powder because the existing stock is far from enough to save all the noble families."

"Rather than lose more, they might as well not invest and let the crops suffer a reduced yield." Wang Shouzhe frowned, slightly confused.

"Brother, you should know that the Great Qian law prohibits using good and bad years to manipulate grain prices. On the surface, this is an excellent policy to stabilize the people." Qian Xuean sneered and shook his head. "But in reality, it is harmful during bad years. Merchants won't get up early without profit. If grain prices don't rise, how many merchants will be willing to transport grain to Longzuo from afar?"

"Therefore, a grain shortage in Longzuo is inevitable. Most noble families have stockpiled grain to cope with the disaster, but a significant portion of the common people will struggle to buy grain even if they have money. For example, in our Changning Wei region, the total population is over 500,000, but the total arable land is only 1.5 million mu."

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