Protect Our Patriarch

He stared at Wang Shoujie for a good while before speaking: "Younger brother, are you trying to deceive me or set another trap for me to fall into? I've already reached this point... what other opportunities do I have to redeem myself?"

"The reason for the insect plague, the principle behind the gradual ineffectiveness of insecticide powder, and the direction of new insecticide powder research..." Wang Shoujie said calmly, "If these aren't enough to help Mr. Qian turn the tables, then I must have misjudged Mr. Qian's abilities."

"Is this true?" Master Qian suddenly stood up, releasing a powerful aura that was at least at the 9th level of the Qi Refining Realm, his eyes shining with a sharp light, "If this is indeed a great achievement, then you, Wang Shoujie, are truly my brother, Qian Xue'an."

What an overwhelming aura!

Even Wang Shoujie was slightly surprised, Master Qian's cultivation was unexpectedly high. No wonder he was from the Langzhou Qian Clan, even a small branch of the clan had such a high level of cultivation.

A glimpse of the whole situation, the Langzhou Qian Clan was incredibly powerful.

"Master Qian, are you trying to use this great achievement to seize the opportunity to break through to the Spirit Realm?" Wang Shoujie's eyes narrowed slightly, he knew that Master Qian's release of aura was not just for show, but to demonstrate his value and potential.

"You understand me, younger brother," Qian Xue'an said, immediately returning to his harmless Maitreya Buddha-like demeanor, "To be honest, I'm an illegitimate child of a direct lineage in the Qian Clan, and you can imagine my position and treatment within the family. Without a special great achievement, it's too difficult to get the family's support to break through to the Spirit Realm. If you help me, no matter the outcome, I, Qian Xue'an, will be eternally grateful."

"Do you know why I didn't contribute this achievement to the Purple Palace Academy myself?" Wang Shoujie smiled, as if testing Qian Xue'an's wisdom.

"This insecticide powder matter is too big, your Ping'an Wang Clan is too weak," Qian Xue'an smiled back, "Even if you contributed the research to the academy, with their high-and-mighty attitude, they might not appreciate the Wang Clan. But we, the Langzhou Qian Clan, are different. With this data, we have the qualifications to negotiate with the academy, and even if we get an extra 10% of the profits from the new insecticide powder in the future, that's a huge number So, younger brother, you're choosing to give this great achievement to me, which is... what you said earlier..."

"Maximizing benefits," Wang Shoujie said, sipping his tea.

"That's right, exactly that," Qian Xue'an said seriously, "But there's a precondition, that is, I, Qian, must be grateful and reciprocate. We can sign a secret pact, if I, Qian, betray the agreement. You can expose the pact to the public, and I'll be ruined. You know, our Qian Clan has always been faithful to our word, and once our personal reputation is ruined, it's a disastrous outcome."

This Master Qian was indeed a clear-headed friend.

Wang Shoujie's heart was slightly settled, this year, he was just afraid that you would throw a tantrum and then discover that you were a wolf in sheep's clothing.

From his previous interactions with Qian Xue'an, he had discovered that this was a meticulous and refined person, otherwise, with his direct lineage and illegitimate birth, how could he have reached this point today?

"Mr. Qian, if we sign a secret pact, we'll be on the same boat," Wang Shoujie asked finally, "Have you thought it through?"

Qian Xue'an paused for a moment, "If it were another ally, I would naturally need to consider it carefully." Then, he looked at Wang Shoujie seriously and said, "But forming a secret pact with you, Wang Shoujie, is exactly what I, Qian, have been seeking. You're meticulous and bold, your ability to turn the tables is impressive. I firmly believe that standing on the same boat with you is my lifelong good fortune."

Although Wang Shoujie's words were somewhat exaggerated, he could sense the genuine intentions behind them, and immediately decided to draft a secret pact.

Adhering to the idea of prioritizing the elimination of evil, Wang Shoujie carefully crafted the pact's terms, ensuring that the responsibilities and obligations of both parties were clearly stated, with no obvious loopholes.

After Qian Xue'an finished reading the pact, he was stunned, not because the terms were too complex or harsh, but because they were too simple and equal. In his opinion, his future prospects were now entirely in Wang Shoujie's hands.

Even if the conditions were made a bit harsher, it would be normal, at least he had already prepared himself mentally.

"Brother Wang, this pact..." Qian Xue'an furrowed his brow, "Don't we need to add some restrictions on Qian's side?"

"Mr. Qian, I'm looking for an ally, not a subordinate," Wang Shoujie said with a smile, sipping his tea. "As allies, we should naturally uphold the principles of fairness, mutual respect, and mutual aid. If one day you feel that our pact has lost its meaning, you can refer to the last clause, compensate me with 10,000 gold, and the pact will be nullified."

Qian Xue'an took a deep breath, signed the contract, and stamped his seal. "Brother Wang's broad-mindedness is unprecedented. I swear that as long as you don't betray me, I won't betray you, otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and die."

"Your words are too serious, from now on, we are brothers, sharing honor and shame together," Wang Shoujie said, satisfied with the outcome. He handed Qian Xue'an the prepared documents, "As for how to operate next, I believe you understand better than I do."

Qian Xue'an focused on reading the documents, his face growing more and more delighted. "Incredible, incredible, yet reasonable. Brother Wang, this document is extremely valuable, it can prevent future problems with insecticide resistance."

The document was written by Wang Shoujie himself, using simple language to explain how honeybees developed resistance to insecticides, and how to adjust ancient formulas to kill them.

As for how to adjust and experiment, Wang Shoujie didn't provide any suggestions, leaving it to the scholars to figure out.

Moreover, Wang Shoujie had never thought of developing new insecticides, as the benefits involved were too great. This was equivalent to imposing an insecticide tax on all fertile farmland in Longzu County, with astronomical profits that could crush the Wang Clan.

"Excellent, excellent, this is a great achievement," Qian Xue'an's eyes shone brightly. "If I, Qian, can't operate well, it would be a waste of my 38 years of life."

He carefully put away the contract, smiling at Wang Shoujie. "Brother Wang, I must admit, if not for this achievement, I would really hate you, your move is truly brilliant. But now, haha, I can only say you've done a great job."

"Just going with the flow," Wang Shoujie smiled. "How much money is your company prepared to pay to redeem the contract?"

"Originally, our psychological bottom line was double the contract price. Of course, it would be best if you knew it was difficult and settled for a thousand gold or so," Qian Xue'an said with a sly smile. "However, this insect plague is coming fiercely, and various families estimate that without effective measures, they will reduce production by 60-70%, equivalent to a loss of around 10 large copper per mu. If we can use double the dosage of insecticide to rescue the crops in time, the loss would be at most 1-2 large copper."

"According to your meaning, those families are willing to invest at least 6 large copper per mu on insecticides?" Wang Shoujie had already calculated this, smiling. "Then if Qian's Trading Company redeems the contract at double the price, won't we make a profit instead of losing?"

"Wrong," Qian Xue'an smiled with his eyes narrowed. "Those families' psychological bottom line is at least 12 large copper per mu, and may even be more. They will beg us to sell to them, because the stockpile of insecticides is far from enough to rescue all the families."

"Rather than losing more, it's better not to invest, and let the grain production decrease," Wang Shoujie frowned, slightly puzzled.

"You should know, Brother, that the Daqian Law prohibits exploiting grain prices during good and bad years, which seems like an excellent policy to stabilize the people," Qian Xue'an coldly laughed and shook his head. "But in reality, during bad years, it harms people instead. Merchants won't take action without profit, and if grain prices don't rise, how many merchants will be willing to transport grain to Longzuo from afar?"

"Therefore, the overall grain shortage in Longzuo has become a foregone conclusion. Most families still have stored grain to cope with the disaster, but a considerable number of common people will find it difficult to buy grain even with money. Take our entire Changning Guard region, for example, with a population of over 500,000, but only around 150,000 mu of fertile farmland."

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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