Secret Pact

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He stared at Wang Shouzhe for a long while before saying, "Brother, are you pacifying me? Or are you trying to trick me again? I'm already in this state… How can I still redeem myself?"

"The cause of the pest disaster, the principle behind why the insecticide powder is gradually losing its effectiveness, and the direction of the new insecticide powder research…" Wang Shouzhe said indifferently," If all these are not enough for Brother Qian to make a comeback, then I've misjudged Brother Qian's ability. "

"Is this true?" Steward Qian suddenly stood up. A powerful aura at the peak of the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm erupted, and his eyes lit up. "If it can really allow me to make such a great contribution, Brother Shouzhe, you will be a true brother to I, Qian Xue'an."

Such a powerful aura!

Even Wang Shouzhe was slightly surprised. Steward Qian had kept a low profile, but his cultivation level was actually very high. As expected of the noble Qian Clan of Longzuo, even a minor steward in a branch had such an impressive cultivation level.

One could tell the full picture from a glimpse. Just how powerful was the noble Qian Clan of the Longzuo?

"Is Steward Qian trying to use such a great merit to seek an opportunity to break through to the Spirit Tower Realm?" Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that the other party was not showing off his aura for no reason. Rather, he was telling Wang Shouzhe about his value and potential.

"You understand me well, Brother." After "showing off", Qian Xue'an immediately recovered his harmless appearance and said, "To tell you frankly, Brother. I'm a concubinal son to a direct descendant of the Qian Clan. You can imagine my status and treatment in the clan. Get to where I am today step by step had been a terribly difficult process. Without special merit, the chances of obtaining the clan's support to break through to the Spirit Tower Realm are too slim. If Brother can help me, no matter the outcome, I, Qian Xue'an, will be endlessly grateful."

"Brother Qian, do you know why I didn't give this merit to the Violet Palace Academy?" Wang Shouzhe smiled, as if he was testing Qian Xue'an's intelligence.

"The insecticide powder is a huge matter. The Wang Clan of Ping'an is too weak," Qian Xue'an said with a smile as well. "Even if you contribute the findings of your research to the Academy, with the lofty mentality of those people in the Academy, they might not be grateful to your Wang Clan. However, our Qian Clan of Longzuo is different. With this information, we are qualified to negotiate with the Academy. Even if we just get an additional 10% of the profits from the new insecticide powder in the future, that's still a very huge number! Therefore, you chose to give me this great merit. This is called… that term you previously said…"

"Maximization of benefits," Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea and supplied.

"That's right. That's the term," Qian Xue'an said seriously. "However, there's a prerequisite for this matter, and it is that I must repay Brother Shouzhe's kindness. Regarding this matter, we can sign a secret pact. If I, Qian, violate the pact, you can publicize the pact and ruin my reputation. You also know that our Qian Clan has always valued reputation the most. What will happen once someone's personal reputation is destroyed?"

Steward Qian was indeed a wise friend.

Wang Shouzhe was slightly relieved. In this day and age, the worst thing was flirting with the blind—trying your best to support someone, only to find that they were an ingrate.

Previously, based on his interactions with Qian Xue'an, he had realized that this was a considerate and meticulous person. How else could he have come so far as the concubinal son of a direct descendant?

"Brother Qian, if we sign the pact, we'll be on the same boat." Wang Shouzhe asked one last time, "Have you thought it through?"

Qian Xue'an pondered for a moment and said, "If it were any other ally, I would naturally need to consider it carefully." He paused for a moment, then looked solemnly at Wang Shouzhe and said seriously, "However, forming a secret pact with Brother Shouzhe is a good thing that I can only wish for. Brother, you are meticulous and boldness. I very much admire your ability to influence the situation to your will. I firmly believe that being in the same boat as you is the fortune of my life."

Although the words were somewhat exaggerated, Wang Shouzhe could sense his earnest feelings. He immediately made up his mind and began to draw up the secret pact.

In line with the idea of getting the difficult part over with first, the terms of the pact that Wang Shouzhe drafted were meticulous and without obvious loopholes. They clearly stated the responsibilities and obligations of each party in the pact.

When Qian Xue'an finished reading the pact, he was stunned on the spot. It was not because the terms were too complicated or harsh, but because they were too simple and equal. The way he saw it, whether his future would be bleak or he would rise to greatness overnight depended entirely on Wang Shouzhe.

It would be normal to make the conditions a little harsh. At least he had already mentally prepared himself for it.

"Brother Shouzhe, this pact…" Qian Xue'an frowned slightly and said," Do you need to add some restrictions for me? "

"Brother Qian, I'm looking for an ally, not an underling." Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea calmly and said, "Since we're allies, we should naturally abide by the principle of fairness, equity, respect for each other, and mutual aid. If one day, you feel that the pact between us is meaningless, you can refer to the last term. The pact will be annulled after a compensation of 10,000 gold to the ally."

Qian Xue'an took a deep breath, signed the two contracts, and pressed his thumbprint on them. Then, he bowed and said, "Shouzhe, the magnanimity I have witnessed from you is unmatched. I swear that as long as Shouzhe has not let me down, I will not let you down. Otherwise, may the heavens strike me down."

"Brother, there's no need for such solemnity. From now on, you and I are brothers. One's success and loss is shared by the other." Wang Shouzhe was very satisfied with this outcome. After putting away the contract, he handed the document and information he had prepared to Qian Xue'an. "I believe you know better than I how to operate from here on out."

Qian Xue'an focused on reading the document. The more he read, the more interesting his expression became. "Unbelievable, unbelievable, but reasonable. Brother Shouzhe, this document of yours is extremely precious. It can prevent the problem of the new insecticide powder failing again in the future."

This document was written by Wang Shouzhe himself. He tried his best to express how the resistance of the aphids came about in plain and simple language. If one wanted to kill the current drug-resistant aphids, they would have to make adjustments to the insecticide powder based on the ancient formula.

As for how to adjust and experiment, Wang Shouzhe did not give any suggestions. The Academy could figure it out on their own.

In addition, Wang Shouzhe had no intention of developing the new insecticide powder. The interests involved in this were too great. This was equivalent to drawing a pest extermination tax on all the fertile lands in the entire Longzuo County. The astronomical profits involved were enough to crush the Wang Clan.

"Good, good. With such a great merit," Qian Xue'an's eyes lit up, "if I still fail to make good use of it, I'd have lived my 38 years in vain."

He solemnly put away the contract and said to Wang Shouzhe with a smile, "Brother Shouzhe, I have to admit that if I didn't have this great merit, I would really hate you. This maneuver of yours is simply too good. But now, haha, I can only say that you did a good job, Brother."

"I'm just taking advantage of the situation." Wang Shouzhe smiled. "How much is your manager prepared to pay to redeem the contract?"

"Originally, the bottom line the manager had in mind is double the price of the contract. Of course, it'd be best if you back down in the face of difficulties, take a thousand large coppers and be done." Qian Xue'an narrowed his squinty eyes. "However, the pest disaster this time is very severe. The various noble clans estimate that if there are no effective measures, their production will be reduced by 60 to 70%. It's equivalent to losing about ten large coppers per acre. If we can use double doses of insecticide to relief the disaster in time, we will lose at most one or two large coppers."

"According to what you said, Brother, the bottom line that those noble clans are willing to invest is about six large coppers of insecticide powder for every acre?" Wang Shouzhe had planned for this as well. He chuckled and said, "If Qian's Trading Company buys back the contract at twice the price, not only will they not suffer a loss, they will still make a profit?"

"Wrong." Qian Xue'an squinted his eyes and smiled. "The bottom line of those clans is at least 12 large coppers of investment, or even more. They would have to beg our Qian Clan to sell it to them, because the stock of insecticide powder is far from enough to save all the clans."

"It's better to not invest than to incur more losses. They can just allow the food production to decrease." Wang Shouzhe frowned, slightly confused.

"Brother, you should know that Da Qian laws prohibit using disaster years or bountiful years to inflate the price of grain. On the surface, this seems to be an excellent strategy for the welfare of the people." Qian Xue'an sneered and shook his head. "But in reality, in disaster years, it actually causes a lot of harm. Businessmen don't do business unless there's profit. If the price of food doesn't increase, how many businessmen would be willing to ship food all the way to Longzuo?

"Therefore, an overall shortage of food in Longzuo is a forgone conclusion. Most noble clans still have stockpiles of grain to deal with disasters, but there will definitely be a considerable number of civilians who will find it difficult to buy food even if they have money. Take our entire Changning Wei region for example, the total population has reached more than 500 thousand, but the total number of fertile fields is only 1.5 million acres."

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