…

 

That night.

 

Wang Shouzhe's carriage returned to the main residence and he wrote several letters to be delivered by various family members.

 

He reminded the families with closer relationships first to prevent them from harboring resentment towards the Wang clan if they suffered from the disaster. Even if they had already discovered signs of the insect disaster, it would not hinder the Wang clan's goodwill.

 

In addition, Wang Shouzhe only brought two family members and rode out on horseback overnight. After reaching the Dingpu Ferry, they secretly crossed the An River with the family's fishing boat and rushed to the Changning Commandery when the sky was just beginning to brighten.

 

The city walls of Changning shone magnificently in the sunlight.

 

The walls were more than ten zhang high, made entirely of solid black stone bricks, and stationed with soldiers in armor and bows and arrows. Every few dozen zhang, there was also a giant bed crossbow.

 

Although Changning Commandery was only a county-level city, it was more magnificent and imposing than famous cities on Earth.

 

There was a city wall in Ping'an Town, but it was far inferior to the commandery.

 

Wang Shouzhe and his two companions' horses slowly stopped in front of the city gate. They dismounted and joined the queue of early risers entering the city. However, most of the early risers were peasants, small merchants, and artisans.

 

When they saw Wang Shouzhe and his family members, who were leading tall and magnificent horses and dressed in luxurious clothing, they instinctively gave way to show their respect.

 

In the east gate.

 

Two soldiers in full armor greeted them, checked Wang Shouzhe's family token, and then respectfully invited him into the city.

 

After entering the city, he didn't delay and went straight to the Qian's Commercial House. The Qian's Commercial House had business throughout the Longzuo Commandery, and their strength was strong and their reputation was excellent. The insecticide powder refined by the Purple Mansion Academy was mainly managed by the Qian's Commercial House.

 

Just this one item alone made the Qian's Commercial House very wealthy, not to mention that their business was far more than just insecticide powder.

 

Wang Shouzhe took out the Wang Clan's family token, and his family member stayed outside to guard. He was led into a side hall of the commercial house by a servant and served with fruit and tea before they left.

 

Wang Shouzhe calmly drank tea and looked around. Even though it was just a branch of the commercial house, it was still decorated extravagantly with screens and furniture made of various precious woods and antique ornaments placed casually, each of which was valuable.

 

With Wang Shouzhe's relatively "shallow" knowledge, he could still sense the value of the decorations in the side hall. They were worth at least several hundred or even thousands of Top Gold, demonstrating the Qian's Commercial House's immense financial resources. They were truly one of the powerful families dominating Longzuo.

 

As a transmigrator, Wang Shouzhe naturally understood the Qian's Commercial House's psychological tactics.

 

After waiting for about ten minutes.

 

A middle-aged man with a fat body and a face full of amiability walked in and said, "The Lord of the Ping'an Wang clan has personally come to visit. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar, please forgive me."

 

Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes. The other party's casual courteous words conveyed some significant information.He had only been the clan leader for two or three days, and now that the Wang clan was in decline, even a change in leadership would not attract much attention. However, the Qian family business had not only paid attention, but within a moment, they had confirmed his identity.

 

It was no wonder that they were one of the commercial giants in Longzhou, with such strong information-gathering abilities. Moreover, the person surnamed Qian had an extraordinary temperament, most likely a member of the Qian clan.

 

"Oh no, no, I'm just a humble visitor. It's already an honor for me to be personally received by Qian Master." Wang Shouzhe naturally responded politely. This person surnamed Qian was certainly not a shopkeeper.

 

The Qian family business was huge, and even the manager of the Changning branch was a big shot who would not come to receive a Qi-refining stage clan leader from a declining family.

 

After a few pleasantries, they sat down but did not immediately discuss business. Qian Master and Wang Shouzhe talked about Ancestor Zhuxuan, then Ancestor Long Yan, and then Wang Shouzhe's achievement in passing the preliminary exam at the Purple Mansion Academy, revealing his excellent academic performance.

 

Wang Shouzhe had a great plan for this trip and naturally could not reveal his weakness. He chatted with Qian Master and showed off his logical and thinking abilities, which were stronger than the natives.

 

"It's a pity, it's a pity. With your knowledge, little brother, it's almost a sure thing to become a disciple of the academy if you take the retest at the Purple Mansion Academy." Qian Master unintentionally showed more appreciation for Wang Shouzhe and said with half praise and half sigh, "The Purple Mansion Academy not only values ​​talent in cultivation, but also values ​​the vision and pattern of its disciples. I think that the Wang clan will return to its peak in your hands, and even go further."

 

"Don't belittle me, Brother Qian." Wang Shouzhe shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Our peaceful Wang clan only seeks to survive safely, nothing more."

 

Under the polite conversation, the two had already begun to call each other brothers.

 

"Too modest, too modest. Speaking of which, Little Brother Shouzhe, did you come to my Qian family business overnight for some big business?" After chatting for a while, Qian Master finally couldn't help but steer the conversation back on track.

 

At these words, Wang Shouzhe gently placed his teacup down and looked calm. "It really requires Brother Qian's help. I need five thousand bags of insect repellent."

 

At this, Qian Master's hand trembled, looking at Wang Shouzhe in disbelief. After a long while, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and said, "Little Brother Shouzhe, are you kidding me?"

 

"Brother Qian, how could you say that?" Wang Shouzhe remained calm. "The Qian family business is so big, surely you have five thousand bags of insect repellent?"

 

"Little brother, do you know how much five thousand bags of insect repellent is? One bag of insect repellent is about a hundred catties, and after dilution, it is enough for a hundred acres of good farmland. Five thousand bags of insect repellent is the amount needed for fifty thousand acres of farmland." Qian Master frowned and said, "Our Changning guard and its various towns add up to only about one and a half million acres of good farmland."

 

"I know." Wang Shouzhe's face did not change at all, and his eyes were very serious.

 

Qian Master's expression gradually became more exciting. "Little brother is not joking?"

 

"Of course not joking." Wang Shouzhe said, "Although my peaceful Wang clan is only a ninth-grade mediocre family, we are not so ignorant.""Okay, okay, okay, little brother, you really surprised me with this deal. I'll take it," said Qian, with a pleased expression. "However, the Longning branch of the Qian Clan only has 2,000 bags in stock. The other 3,000 bags will have to be sourced from other branches, which will take at least ten days."

 

"Why is the stock so low?" Wang Shouzhe furrowed his brow slightly.

 

"This is already quite a lot. In previous years, the stock was almost completely cleared out," Qian said seriously. "Due to the planting and production of raw materials, the production volume of insecticide powder is planned every year. Last year, there was a 10% increase in the harvest of raw materials, and we wanted to sell it at a low price to various clans. However, only a few clans were willing to buy and stock up. As a result, we still have 2,000 bags left over from last winter in Longning Wei."

 

"Older brother, why didn't those clans take advantage of the low price and stock up?" Wang Shouzhe asked casually.

 

"Well… okay, it's not really a secret anymore. Many clans already know about it, and it doesn't violate any clan rules to tell you," Qian hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "The medicinal materials used in insecticide powder are grown in many aristocratic medicine fields. Because the profits are good, more and more aristocratic families are investing in medicine fields, and the production volume has been increasing in recent years. We are also buying raw materials at a lower price. This winter's batch of insecticide powder, the production volume is probably… you know, the bigger the clan, the more well-informed they are."

 

Hehe~ Wang Shouzhe understood. This was overcapacity, and the market was saturated. Although he wasn't an expert in economics, he had a broader perspective and awareness than the natives of this Xuanhuan world.

 

"Since that's the case," Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment and said, "I'll take the 2,000 bags of spot goods in the commercial inventory, as well as the 3,000 bags of futures."

 

"Uh, Shouzhe, what are futures?" Qian had no idea what this term meant, and his plump face was full of confusion.

 

…