…

 

After staring at Wang Shouzhe for a long time, he said, "Little brother, are you trying to trick me or set me up? I'm already in this state… what other chance do I have to redeem myself?"

 

"The cause of the insect plague, why the insecticide is gradually losing its effectiveness, and the direction of research for the new insecticide…" Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "If these are not enough for Brother Qian to turn things around, then I have misjudged Brother Qian's abilities."

 

"Is this true?" Qian Xue'an suddenly stood up, a powerful aura that was at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining burst out of him. His eyes shone with light as he said, "If this is a great achievement, then you, Wang Shouzhe, will be my true brother."

 

What a powerful aura!

 

Even Wang Shouzhe was slightly surprised. Qian Xue'an didn't show off his strength, but his cultivation was unexpectedly high. He was truly worthy of being a member of the Qian Clan in Longzhou. Even a small branch manager like him had such a high level of cultivation.

 

Through a glimpse, one could see the whole picture. The Qian Clan in Longzhou was truly powerful.

 

"Brother Qian, do you want to use this great achievement to seek an opportunity to break through to the Spirit Platform Realm?" Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that Qian Xue'an wasn't just showing off his aura, but was telling Wang Shouzhe about his value and potential.

 

"You understand me, little brother." After "showing off," Qian Xue'an immediately returned to his harmless Maitreya Buddha appearance and said, "Let me tell you, I am a collateral descendant of a certain direct bloodline in the Qian Clan. You can imagine my status and treatment in the family. It's been a bitter journey for me to get to where I am today without any special achievements. If I don't have a special achievement, my chances of getting support from the family to break through to the Spirit Platform Realm are too slim. If you lend me a helping hand, no matter what the result is, I, Qian Xue'an, will be grateful."

 

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

 

"The matter of the insecticide is too big, and your Wang Clan is too weak." Qian Xue'an also smiled and said, "Even if you contribute your research to the academy, those people at the academy have a superior attitude and may not have a grateful attitude towards your Wang Clan. But our Qian Clan in Longzhou is different. With this information, we will have the qualifications to negotiate with the academy. Even if we get one more percent of the profits from the new insecticide in the future, it will be a huge number! Therefore, choosing to give this great achievement to me, as you said before, is to maximize our interests."

 

"Maximize our interests." Wang Shouzhe drank his tea and said."Yes, that's the word." Qian Xue'an said seriously, "But there is a prerequisite for this matter, which is that I, Qian, must repay Little Brother Wang Shouzhe's kindness. We can sign a secret alliance about this matter. If I violate the alliance, Little Brother can make it public and ruin my reputation. You know, our Qian Clan always values our reputation, and once our personal reputation is destroyed, it will lead to a bad end."

 

Qian Xue'an was indeed a clear-minded friend.

 

Wang Shouzhe felt a little uneasy. Nowadays, it's easy to be deceived by someone who seems sincere but turns out to be a hypocrite.

 

Based on his previous contact with Qian Xue'an, he found that he was a thoughtful and delicate person. Otherwise, how could he, as a direct descendant of the Qian Clan, have come this far?

 

"Qian brother, if we sign a secret agreement, we will be on the same boat." Wang Shouzhe asked finally, "Are you sure about this?"

 

Qian Xue'an pondered for a moment and said, "If it were other allies, I would need to think about it. But to sign a secret agreement with Little Brother Wang Shouzhe is exactly what I have been seeking. Little Brother, you are meticulous and bold, and your methods are admirable. I firmly believe that standing on the same boat with you is the luckiest thing in my life."

 

Although the words were a bit exaggerated, Wang Shouzhe could feel his sincerity and immediately began to draft the secret alliance.

 

Adhering to the idea of dealing with the bad guys first, Wang Shouzhe drafted the alliance clauses carefully and without any obvious loopholes, clearly defining each other's responsibilities and obligations.

 

When Qian Xue'an finished reading the alliance, he was stunned not because the clauses were too complicated or harsh, but because they were too simple and fair. In his opinion, his future was either bleak or soaring, and it all depended on Wang Shouzhe.

 

Even if the conditions were harsher, he had already prepared himself mentally.

 

"Little Brother Wang Shouzhe, do we need to add some restrictions on me in the alliance?" Qian Xue'an frowned slightly.

 

"Qian brother, I am looking for an ally, not a little brother." Wang Shouzhe calmly drank his tea and said, "If we are allies, we should adhere to the principles of fairness, justice, mutual respect, and mutual assistance. If one day you feel that the alliance is meaningless, you can refer to the last clause and compensate your ally with ten thousand gold coins, and the alliance will be invalidated."

 

Qian Xue'an took a deep breath and signed and stamped both copies of the contract. He bowed and said, "Wang Shouzhe, your generosity is unparalleled in my life. I swear that as long as you do not betray me, I will not betray you. Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and die.""Big brother, you're too kind. From now on, we're brothers, and we'll share the glory and the loss." Wang Shouzhe was very satisfied with this result. After putting away the contract, he gave the prepared document to Qian Xue'an and said, "I believe you know better than me how to operate from here."

 

Qian Xue'an focused on the document and became more and more excited as he read it. "Unbelievable, unbelievable, but it makes sense. Little brother Shouzhe, this information is extremely valuable. It can prevent the future failure of the new insecticide."

 

This information was written by Wang Shouzhe himself, using simple language to explain how the resistance of honeybees to insecticides came about. To kill the existing resistant honeybees, the ancient insecticide formula must be adjusted.

 

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

 

In addition, Wang Shouzhe had no intention of developing a new insecticide. The interests involved were too great. This was equivalent to levying an insecticide tax on all the good farmland in Longzuo Commandery, and the astronomical benefits were enough to crush Wang's Clan.

 

"Great, with this great achievement…" Qian Xue'an's eyes shone brightly. "If I still can't make it work, I'll have wasted 38 years of my life."

 

He solemnly put away the contract and smiled at Wang Shouzhe. "Little brother Shouzhe, I have to admit, if it weren't for this great achievement, I would really hate you. You played it too well. But now, hehe, I can only say that you did a great job."

 

"Just go with the flow." Wang Shouzhe smiled. "How much money is the store willing to pay to redeem the contract?"

 

"Originally, the store's bottom line was double the price of the contract. Of course, it would be best if you gave up and took a few thousand Top Gold." Qian Xue'an narrowed his fat eyes. "But this insect infestation is very severe this time. The various clans estimate that without effective measures, production will decrease by 60 to 70 percent, which is equivalent to a loss of ten big coppers per mu. If we can use a double dose of insecticide to save the crops in time, the loss will be at most one or two big coppers."

 

"According to the big brother's idea, the psychological bottom line of those clans for insecticide investment per mu is about six big coppers?" Wang Shouzhe had already calculated this and smiled. "If the Qian's business can buy back the contract at twice the price, they will not only not lose money, but also make a profit."

 

"Wrong." Qian Xue'an smiled and narrowed his eyes. "The psychological bottom line of those clans is at least twelve big coppers, or even more. They have to beg us, the Qian's, to sell to them, because the stock of insecticide is far from enough to save all the clans."

 

"It's better to not invest more and let the food production decrease." Wang Shouzhe frowned, slightly puzzled."Little brother should know that the Daqian law prohibits speculation on grain prices during years of plenty or famine. This may seem like an excellent policy to maintain peace among the people," Qian Xue'an sneered and shook his head. "But in reality, it harms people during times of famine. Merchants won't bother to transport grain all the way to Longzhou if there's no profit to be made from rising prices."

 

"Therefore, the shortage of grain in Longzhou is already a foregone conclusion. Most noble families have hoarded enough grain to deal with the disaster, but there will inevitably be a considerable number of commoners who, even if they have money, will find it difficult to buy food. Take our entire Changningwei region for example, with a total population of over 500,000, but only 1.5 million mu of arable land."

 

…