Protect Our Patriarch

……

"These are Changning Wang Clan's seeds!"

Zuoqiu Guanyu, being a Celestial Realm cultivator, had a memory and reaction speed far superior to ordinary people. After a brief moment of surprise, he recalled the "Wang's No. 19" rice seeds and "Wang's No. 23" wheat seeds.

Although these wheat seeds didn't bear the "Wang's" prefix, judging by the naming convention, they were most likely from the Changning Wang Clan.

Of course, there was also the possibility that someone was impersonating the Wang Clan's seeds. But given the current situation, the likelihood of the latter was extremely low.

"Good, good! Changning Wang Clan, how audacious!" Zuoqiu Guanyu's anger flared up instantly. "How dare they challenge my Zuoqiu Clan with their seeds, attempting to undermine our foundation!"

He really wanted to immediately ask the Ancestor to come out and wipe out the Wang Clan.

But this thought was quickly dismissed. The fierce commercial war between Qingfeng Trading Company and Shouda Trading Company had attracted countless onlookers. If the Zuoqiu Clan resorted to force against the Wang Clan, it would likely cause huge trouble.

"What's the price of Wang's wheat seeds?" Zuoqiu Guanyu's face was as dark as water.

"What?" Zuoqiu Guanyu laughed in extreme anger, "No wonder our wheat seeds aren't selling... Are they planning to start a price war with us on seeds? Good move! Fine, pass the order, we will also cut prices, sell our seeds at half price, including the Five-Spice Rice seeds."

Such a price cut would make the profit margin of [Jade Finger Wheat] extremely low. But now, with Jade Finger Wheat not selling, a large amount of Five-Spice Rice would have no place to store.

It should be known that the storage of seeds requires high standards for ventilation, temperature control, and dryness, thus needing specialized warehouses. If not stored properly, the quality of the seeds would significantly decrease, even failing to germinate, leading to even greater losses.

The Zuoqiu Clan, worthy of being a fourth-grade clan, had a wealth of talent and manpower within the family, and their execution was very strong. They quickly implemented Zuoqiu Guanyu's order.

The fifty percent price cut indeed had a significant effect.

As soon as the news came out, many families who were still observing immediately bought a batch. Even many families who had already bought Wang's seeds were tempted to buy some.

After all, the price was too favorable, and it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

But soon, Wang's counterattack followed. They launched a promotion where old customers brought new customers, old customers could get rebates, and new customers could get even greater discounts.

With this promotion, Jade Finger Wheat seeds and rice seeds once again became unsellable. Even at half price, they couldn't sell.

Zuoqiu Guanyu realized that the Wang Clan was determined to undermine the foundation of the Zuoqiu Clan.

If it were just a year's loss, the Zuoqiu Clan could certainly withstand it, but year after year, even the deepest family foundation would be gradually exhausted.

More terrifyingly, once the foundation of a family was shaken, without other changes, the family would inevitably decline rapidly.

The Zuoqiu Clan had six Purple Mansion Ancestors, over a hundred Celestial Realm elders, and countless Lingtai Realm main forces.

When the Zuoqiu Clan had a stable economic source, it was an extremely terrifying and formidable force. But once the foundation was gone, it would become an enormous burden, with annual consumption being an astronomical figure.

This matter was beyond Zuoqiu Guanyu's ability to solve, and he had to visit the Ancestor to seek a solution.

A month later, the weather turned colder.

All the winter wheat had been planted. The Zuoqiu Clan's Jade Finger Wheat seeds were completely unsellable. In the end, they had no choice but to move the seeds out of the warehouse to make room for the rice seeds.

As for those seeds moved out of the warehouse, they could no longer be sold as seeds and could only be sold as ordinary wheat or ground into flour. Because it was old grain, the price was even lower than the current season.

In this round of confrontation, the Zuoqiu Clan was almost completely defeated, with losses difficult to estimate.

……

In the garden of the Commandery Governor's mansion in Longzuo Commandery.

At this time, the autumn chrysanthemums in the garden were in full bloom, vibrant and colorful, not inferior to the blooming flowers of spring and summer.

In the pavilion, Taishi Ankang and Wang Shouzhe were drinking together, with Qian Xuehan, the head of the Qian Clan, accompanying them.

Compared to the last time, Taishi Ankang and Qian Xuehan were now relaxed and cheerful, clearly in a very good mood.

"Shouzhe's move of cutting off the supply was both ruthless and precise, hitting the Zuoqiu Clan's weak spot," Taishi Ankang said while drinking tea. "It won't be long before they come to us."

"It's just a small trick," Wang Shouzhe said calmly, not thinking much of his own actions. "As the saying goes, to forge iron, one must be strong oneself. The development of a family must be based on self-improvement. These small tricks are just auxiliary."

He knew very well that in this world, strength was ultimately respected.

This time, the Wang Clan was able to shake the foundation of the Zuoqiu Clan with seeds partly because he had planned ahead, and the Wang Clan's seeds were indeed better than the Zuoqiu Clan's, catching them off guard.

On the other hand, it was also because he had tied the Qian Clan and Taishi Ankang to the same boat. Additionally, the Wang Clan had a great prodigy in the academy, making the Zuoqiu Clan hesitant to use force directly, resorting only to commercial competition.

Otherwise, no matter how clever he was, the Zuoqiu Clan only needed to send two Purple Mansion Realm experts to secretly kill him, and the Wang Clan would be finished.

Of course, this was also because the Zuoqiu Clan hadn't been pushed to the brink. If they were truly desperate, who knew if they would still care about these things.

"Well said, Shouzhe truly deserves to be a disciple of the Changchun Immortal," Taishi Ankang laughed heartily. "But even small tricks, when played to this extent, are enough to be impressive."

Qian Xuehan poured tea for the two and couldn't help but sigh, "In any case, it's thanks to Master Wang Shouzhe that we were able to turn the tide this time. His ability to anticipate the enemy and strategize is truly admirable."

Wang Shouzhe smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more.

In fact, what anticipation and strategizing? It was just caution, caution, and more caution.

The Wang Clan's development to this point was not easy. Many of the clan members had grown up under his watchful eye, from babbling toddlers to capable adults.

What he carried on his shoulders were the expectations and future of countless clan members.

He couldn't afford to lose, nor did he dare to.

"By the way, I heard that the investigator for the Cao Clan has returned to the capital?" Wang Shouzhe took a sip of tea and suddenly remembered something, looking at Taishi Ankang.

"Yes," Taishi Ankang nodded. "The Cao Clan pushed a few Celestial Realm elders out, putting all the blame on them to exonerate themselves. The investigator has taken those Celestial Realm elders back to the capital. Once the verdict is out, they will likely be sent to the outer regions to fight."

Due to the lack of direct evidence, the Cao Clan's collusion with pirates couldn't be proven to involve the main lineage. The Cao Clan decisively sacrificed some pieces to protect the core, and the investigator had to accept this result.

This was also a common practice among the clans.

However, this move had indeed hurt the Cao Clan. After all, the Cao Clan had only about a dozen Celestial Realm experts, and losing a quarter of them significantly weakened their strength.

Taishi Ankang added, "Also, Cao Bangyan has been ransomed back by the Cao Clan."

"?"

Wang Shouzhe looked up at him.

"I didn't intend to release him, but they offered six million as ransom to compensate for the losses caused by pirates in Longzuo Commandery over the years. The amount was too much to refuse," Taishi Ankang said with a knowing smile.

The Great Qian was a country jointly governed by the royal family and the clans, with its own set of rules.

One of the unwritten rules was that if a main lineage member of a clan committed a crime, as long as it wasn't treason or rebellion, the clan could ransom them.

Of course, it was very expensive.

It was somewhat similar to bail or ransom. If he committed another major crime, there would be no second chance for ransom. Therefore, Wang Shouzhe wasn't worried about releasing a tiger back to the mountain. This person would likely not dare to leave home for decades.

Six million top gold was a huge sum even for the Commandery Governor's mansion. Since the Cao Clan was willing to spend a fortune to ransom him, Taishi Ankang naturally went along with it.

"Tsk, they really went all out," Qian Xuehan marveled. "If it were me, I wouldn't spend such a fortune on someone like Cao Bangyan."

"Don't say that, Cao Bangyan is still a prodigy," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "And from the information I've gathered, the remaining lifespan of the Cao Clan's Purple Mansion Ancestor is less than two hundred years."

"Ah? I see," Qian Xuehan suddenly understood.

If it was for the succession of the Purple Mansion, then the Cao Clan's heavy ransom made sense.

A prodigy was rare, but for a Purple Mansion Clan like the Cao Clan, it wasn't irreplaceable.

The problem was that for a prodigy to grow into a Purple Mansion Realm expert, it would take at least two hundred years, and at most, it could take three hundred or four hundred years.

It seemed that the Cao Clan had previously placed all their hopes on Cao Bangyan. Now, starting over to cultivate a Purple Mansion successor was clearly too late. Cao Youqing, as a Saintly Land prodigy, couldn't stay in the family to maintain the clan's status.

No matter how reluctant they were, the Cao Clan had no choice but to spend a fortune to ransom Cao Bangyan.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the Cao Clan really suffered a huge loss this time," Qian Xuehan, as the head of a clan, was very sensitive to the flow of family funds. After thinking it over, he couldn't help but gloat. "They had to bribe the investigator from the Supervisory Office and spend a fortune to ransom him. I guess the Cao Clan's foundation is almost exhausted. It benefits the Commandery Governor, who earned six million for nothing."

He glanced at Taishi Ankang as he spoke.

This six million didn't belong to tax revenue and could be disposed of by the Commandery Governor's mansion.

Taishi Ankang chuckled.

Knowing Wang Shouzhe's character, he didn't wait for Wang Shouzhe to speak and said proactively, "Don't worry, since Cao Bangyan was captured by Shouzhe, this six million won't be kept by the Commandery Governor's mansion alone. I've already reported to the higher-ups. Three million will be kept by the Commandery Governor's mansion as reserve funds, and the other three million will be used as subsidies for developing Qingluo Sea."

"Recently, Wei Wenxun has been very effective in clearing out pirates. In a few years, the pirates will be almost eradicated. Shouzhe can then proceed with the plan to develop Qingluo Sea, and you can use this money as needed. Just make sure the accounts look good."

Developing Qingluo Sea indeed required a large amount of funds. Wang Shouzhe, while appreciating Taishi Ankang's understanding, stood up and saluted, "In that case, thank you, Commandery Governor."

"Not at all, it's the Commandery Governor's mansion that owes Shouzhe."

Taishi Ankang waved his hand with a smile.

He had merely facilitated the process. He hadn't even captured the person, so the money was almost earned for nothing.

In Wang Shouzhe's words, this was a "win without effort." So now, he looked at Wang Shouzhe with great favor.

As they were chatting happily.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man dressed as an official from the Commandery Governor's mansion walked in from outside the garden and respectfully reported, "Commandery Governor, Ancestor Zhenghua of the Zuoqiu Clan, Clan Head Guanyu, and Commandery Governor Wu Dinghai of Qing'an Commandery are here to see you."

Oh~

Qian Xuehan's eyes lit up, "The Commandery Governor is truly prescient. The Zuoqiu Clan has indeed come to us."

"Hahaha~ They came even faster than I expected. It seems the Zuoqiu Clan is really anxious this time," Taishi Ankang couldn't help but laugh.

The official, unsure of Taishi Ankang's attitude, hesitated and asked, "So... Commandery Governor, will you see them?"

"No," Taishi Ankang waved his hand, "Tell them I'm entertaining guests and let them wait."

He still remembered the "humiliation" he suffered in Qing'an Commandery.

Now that he finally had a chance to retaliate, how could he not make them wait?

As a result, they waited for most of the day.

……

Commandery Governor Wu Dinghai of Qing'an Commandery, Purple Mansion Ancestor Zuoqiu Zhenghua, and Zuoqiu Clan Head Zuoqiu Guanyu waited in the reception hall of the Commandery Governor's mansion for more than three hours without seeing anyone.

By the afternoon, Wu Dinghai and Zuoqiu Zhenghua's faces were already dark. Even Zuoqiu Guanyu, as a junior, had an extremely unpleasant expression.

"That Taishi Ankang is definitely taking revenge!" Wu Dinghai was so angry that he almost smashed the teacup. "It's just a temporary win. It's not even his own skill. What's he so proud of?"

"Ancestor..." Zuoqiu Guanyu looked at the expression of Ancestor Zhenghua and cautiously said, "If today's matter gets out, our Zuoqiu Clan will become a laughingstock."

Zuoqiu Zhenghua thought for a while and also felt that this couldn't continue.

He slammed the table and stood up, "Let's go back!"

He didn't believe that the Zuoqiu Clan, a dignified fourth-grade clan, couldn't handle a seventh-grade Wang Clan!

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left the Commandery Governor's mansion.

Soon, the three of them left in a flying carriage.

Taishi Ankang, upon hearing the news, just smiled and didn't take it to heart. He continued drinking tea and chatting with Wang Shouzhe and Qian Xuehan, discussing the development of Qingluo Sea.

On the other side, after returning to Qing'an Commandery, Zuoqiu Zhenghua and the other two immediately took action.

As a dominant fourth-grade clan, the Zuoqiu Clan had extensive connections and influence within Qing'an Commandery. The number of Celestial Realm and Lingtai Realm experts in the clan was astonishing. When they were determined to accomplish something, the energy they could unleash was incredible.

It didn't take long for additional checkpoints to be set up at various entry points into Qing'an Commandery, strictly guarding against any items that might be Wang's seeds.

Although the winter wheat had been planted, in less than half a year, it would be time to sow rice seedlings. As long as the Zuoqiu Clan guarded strictly, preventing Wang's seeds from entering Qing'an Commandery, the families there would have no choice but to buy Zuoqiu Clan's Five-Spice Rice seeds.

To ensure that Wang's seeds were completely blocked, the Zuoqiu Clan's inspectors went to great lengths, intercepting even those seeds that were disguised and trying to slip through.

As a result, Wang's rice seeds indeed couldn't reach Qing'an Commandery through normal channels.

When Wang Shouzhe heard the news, he wasn't worried at all. He simply had someone spread the news.

At the same time, he asked Qian Xuehan to write a letter to the head of the Qian Clan's transportation team, asking them to rent warehouses near Qing'an Commandery and stockpile the rice seeds there.

Sure enough, once the news spread, many families in Qing'an Commandery couldn't sit still.

Many of them had already ordered rice seeds from the Wang Clan. Now that the seeds couldn't enter Qing'an Commandery, not only was their money wasted, but what would they plant this year?

Having experienced the benefits of high-yield seeds with Wang's high-yield wheat, they were well aware of the tangible family benefits.

Now, going back to planting Zuoqiu Clan's seeds, which were inferior in every way, was unacceptable.

Problems always had solutions.

In this world, as long as there was enough profit, no matter how difficult, there was always a way.

Soon after the news spread, many rogue cultivators smelled a business opportunity. They tried various methods, even crossing mountains and rivers, to bypass Zuoqiu Clan's checkpoints and bring the seeds into Qing'an Commandery.

With the high demand for Wang's seeds in Qing'an Commandery, the seeds were quickly snapped up, allowing these rogue cultivators to make a substantial profit.

However, the amount of seeds rogue cultivators could smuggle in was limited. Most families still couldn't buy the seeds.

Many families, desperate, secretly rented transportation teams to buy seeds from the Qian Clan's warehouses and bring them back, only to be intercepted by Zuoqiu Clan's checkpoints.

After several failed attempts, these families were furious.

It should be noted that the Zuoqiu Clan had long been the dominant force in Qing'an Commandery. Over the years, there wasn't even a fifth-grade Purple Mansion Clan besides the Zuoqiu Clan.

It wasn't that the sixth-grade families were unlucky and couldn't produce a prodigy, but even if they did, they couldn't afford to cultivate them.

A prodigy required an enormous amount of resources to grow into a Purple Mansion Realm expert.

Most of Qing'an Commandery's resources were occupied by the Zuoqiu Clan, which supported six Purple Mansion experts. The remaining resources for the sixth-grade families were extremely limited, making it impossible to cultivate a Purple Mansion expert.

Over the years, many sixth-grade families, out of desperation, had to send their prodigious offspring to the academy. Although a few Purple Mansion experts had emerged from the academy, the family status remained unchanged.

In short, the sixth-grade families in Qing'an Commandery had long been dissatisfied with the Zuoqiu Clan.

Previously, they didn't dare to confront the Zuoqiu Clan directly. Now, seeing the Zuoqiu Clan angering everyone, how could they miss the opportunity?

Immediately, some sixth-grade families began to stir up emotions, inciting many families to unite against the Zuoqiu Clan. With the Wang Clan and Qian Clan secretly fanning the flames, the dissatisfaction in Qing'an Commandery quickly reached a peak This situation quickly caught the attention of the academy.

The two academy immortals from the sixth-grade families in Qing'an Commandery saw the opportunity and decided to go all out, directly reporting the matter to the capital, Guilong City.

This escalated the situation dramatically.

If not for the Zuoqiu Clan's connections in Guilong City, who spoke up for them during a small court session, buying some time for Qing'an Commandery, the Zuoqiu Clan and Wu Dinghai might have already faced direct accountability from the capital.

Even so, Commandery Governor Wu Dinghai and several Zuoqiu Ancestors were now extremely anxious.

The atmosphere in Qing'an Commandery was already very tense. If the situation continued to escalate without a resolution, Wu Dinghai's tenure as Commandery Governor would end, and the Zuoqiu Clan would face censure from the court.

The Great Qian was a country jointly governed by the royal family and the local clans, meaning the local clans had to bear some responsibility for maintaining order and stability.

Just as the Wang Clan and other clans had helped gather refugees during the floods in Longzuo, this was part of the clans' duties. Otherwise, why would the court allocate a portion of the taxes to the local clans?

If a large-scale incident occurred within the Zuoqiu Clan's sphere of influence, it would be a major dereliction of duty, leading to official reprimands or even the stripping of the Zuoqiu Clan's rights.

At this point, the Zuoqiu Clan's attempt to block Wang's seeds had completely failed.

This was another resounding slap in the face for the Zuoqiu Clan, casting a shadow over the clan.

They had been in their high position for so long that they had grown accustomed to looking down on others.

They had forgotten that they were not the rulers of Qing'an Commandery but just one part of it. The other families, large and small, were not their livestock to be exploited at will.

When they violated the principles of humanity and harmed everyone's interests, they were bound to face backlash.

With no other options, the Zuoqiu Clan had to involve Wu Dinghai again and leverage their connections in the capital to contact Taishi Ankang, the Commandery Governor of Longzuo, hoping he would mediate.

By this time, Taishi Ankang had made his point, and the Zuoqiu Clan's connections were strong enough. Therefore, under the arrangements of Taishi Ankang and Wu Dinghai, the heads of the Zuoqiu, Wang, and Qian Clans sat down to negotiate, limited to the clan heads without involving any ancestors.

This was Taishi Ankang's way of protecting Wang Shouzhe, as the Changning Wang Clan was only a seventh-grade clan without a Purple Mansion Ancestor.

The meeting was held in the Purple Mansion Palace of the Longzuo Wang Clan.

When the meeting began, Zuoqiu Guanyu, Wang Shouzhe, and Qian Xuehan met for the first time.

At their level, they were all major figures. Their previous confrontations had been conducted from behind the scenes, without direct clashes.

"I am Zuoqiu Guanyu. Greetings to Clan Head Xuehan and Clan Head Shouzhe. Both of you are indeed outstanding young talents of the Great Qian, true dragons among men," Zuoqiu Guanyu, the head of the Zuoqiu Clan, greeted them with elegance.

As expected of the head of a fourth-grade clan, his demeanor was impeccable, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Wang Shouzhe and Qian Xuehan naturally responded with equal grace, exchanging polite compliments with Zuoqiu Guanyu as if there had never been any conflict.

At this level, private disputes were normal, but publicly breaking decorum was meaningless unless there was a strategic reason. Therefore, maintaining appearances and showcasing the clan's elegance was necessary.

After some polite exchanges, they sat down for tea.

Zuoqiu Guanyu then turned to Wang Shouzhe, cupping his hands with a bitter smile, "Clan Head Shouzhe, I didn't expect you to be an external disciple of the Changchun Immortal from Longzuo Academy. No wonder you are so skilled in seed cultivation. Your clan's wheat and rice seeds are truly impressive. Remarkable!"

With the Zuoqiu Clan's network, investigating Wang Shouzhe's background was easy.

"Not at all," Wang Shouzhe replied modestly, "My skills are far inferior to my master's. The seeds were developed with his guidance and some luck."

Guidance? Luck?

Zuoqiu Guanyu didn't believe it for a second.

He had gathered some secret information that the Changchun Immortal had explored a Shenwu Royal Dynasty relic over a hundred years ago.

What he found there was never disclosed, but after that, he adopted a baby girl, who became his great prodigy disciple, Lu Wei.

Randomly adopting a baby girl who turned out to be a great prodigy?

This raised suspicions that the Changchun Immortal had made significant discoveries in that relic, possibly including the ability to cultivate superior seeds.

And the seeds in Wang Shouzhe's possession were likely related to the Changchun Immortal's secrets.

Fortunately, Wang Shouzhe didn't know what Zuoqiu Guanyu was thinking; otherwise, he might have spat out his tea.

The Zuoqiu Clan's imagination was truly wild, attributing the seed origins to such a far-fetched story, far from the truth.

Zuoqiu Guanyu's expression then turned serious, his gaze sharp, "However, Clan Head Shouzhe, selling your seeds in our Qing'an Commandery is quite disrespectful to our Zuoqiu Clan, don't you think?"

"Given the current situation, your Zuoqiu Clan is on the brink of collapse, and you still think you can intimidate us? Is it because you're used to being high and mighty, or is your brain not working?" Wang Shouzhe's expression also turned serious, his eyes cold, "If you want to talk, let's talk. If not, then leave."

"Pfft!"

Qian Xuehan almost spat out his tea, looking at Wang Shouzhe with admiration.

Facing a fourth-grade clan, he could turn hostile just like that. Impressive!

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