Wang Hao Xian

  Wang Haoxian sat proudly on the mat, looking at the two jailers in front of him with a slanted gaze, and a sense of pleasure rose up in his heart.

  If that scoundrel could see this scene, that little beast, he would never have thought that the hidden power of the Fragrance Sect was so great!

  He thought that if he broke his own kneecaps, he would have no way to escape?

  Thinking of this, Wang Haoxian's heart was filled with resentment and hatred towards Yu Guozhen. His kneecap was shattered, and even if he managed to get out, from now on, he would only be able to hobble around on crutches, and might never be able to stand up straight again.

  It's all because of that little beast, since he is so ruthless, then don't blame me for taking revenge.

  "Heh heh heh......" Thinking of this, he burst into a sinister laugh.

  "Old immortal, what interesting things have you got to say? Share them with us two and let us broaden our horizons." A prison guard came forward to join in the fun and poured him a cup of wine.

  "Haha, just thought of something..."

  "I've heard that the old immortal has a bit of the art of turning dirt into gold. Old immortal, can you show us your skills as a favor for our diligent service and broaden our horizons?" Another person asked more directly.

  "Turning dirt into gold? That's nothing, have you heard of the Turtle Treasure?" Wang Haoxian's eyes flashed with a cold, venomous light.

  Those two jailers' spirits lifted, and they came over, fully attentive, waiting for him to speak. Wang Haoxian, however, closed his mouth and didn't say a word, casting them a sidelong glance: "You want to know too?"

  "That's right, we've long heard rumors about Gui Bao." The two jailers' eyes sparkled.

  "This turtle treasure has already appeared in the world..." King Hao Xian's voice was lowered, but the resentment and coldness in his eyes were even more intense.

  He said, thinking to himself: Does that little beast think he can only be moved by mobilizing the hidden forces of the Hengxiang Sect? Well, let him taste what it means to be a humble man who is innocent but bears the guilt!

  If that little beast knew his own mind, he would regret not killing himself at that time.

  Yu Guozhen certainly knew that he couldn't kill him on the spot, because if he killed him, it would be difficult to prove that he was the famous Xiangxiangjiao master just by his head. If he couldn't confirm that he was Wang Haoxian, Yu Guozhen's report would only be about killing an ordinary bandit leader, and there wouldn't be any merit in that!

  As long as Yu Guozhen captures the leader of the Fragrant Incense Sect, Wang Haoxian will have a chance to counterattack!

  He believed that through these two jailers' mouths, Yu Guozhen's possession of the jade pendant would soon be spread.

  At that time, Yu Guozhen knew what kind of moral character this imperial court he maintained had!

  Yu Guozhen certainly knew what kind of court this was, and he even understood more clearly than anyone else in this era what fate this court would face if it continued to develop in this way.

  The Zhu family's imperial dynasty may have been destroyed, but Yu Guozhen didn't feel any heartache. However, the death of an imperial dynasty shouldn't require dragging down the entire nation to be buried with it. Such a tragedy, Yu Guozhen would never allow it to happen!

  Therefore, he urgently needed a large amount of silver, and Wang Hao Xian's affair was his excuse for persuading Er Bo Wu Shu.

  "Really?"

  Yu Yiqin stared at Yu Guozhen with a stunned expression, his words just now making her heart feel cold and numb.

  Yu Guozhen smiled slightly: "Second Uncle, are you a bit reluctant?"

  Yu Yiqin could no longer hold back, the blue veins on his neck bulged out: "How can you be so muddled, Guo Zhen! That is a golden mountain, the technique of cultivating pearls, only my Yu family has mastered it. As long as my Yu family doesn't reveal it, this will be an inexhaustible golden mountain for generations to enjoy!"

  Yu Yiqin was already somewhat exasperated, in his eyes, this pearl technique was not just Yu Guozhen's invention, but the wealth of the entire Yu family!

  So he even used the scolding tone that had been rarely used in this year: "Guo Zhen, although the manpower and financial resources at home are all called by you, but today's matter... I disagree!"

  "Second Uncle is too impatient, and still doesn't know why I'm doing things this way." Yu Guozhen didn't get angry. Yu Yiqin's ability was just that big, and being able to let go of the family's power to him was already his limit. The way he looked at problems, it was fundamentally impossible for him to think so far ahead.

  "You... you said, what reason do you have to say that!" Yu Yi Qin originally wanted to continue scolding, but seeing her fifth brother Yu Yi Xuan stroking his beard and narrowing his eyes without saying a word, she felt a slight movement in her heart and restrained her anger.

  "Xiang Jiao knew that there were still people who had the skill of Zhong Zhu, and as long as they spread this news, an innocent person would be spared, but one with a treasure would be guilty." Yu Guo Zhen said calmly.

  Yu Yiqin's old face suddenly turned bright red.

  It's not anger, but shame. When Yu Guozhen went to Wujiang Shengze earlier, he had hinted to him that Lao Liu Yu Yijin should be "properly disposed of". However, he was momentarily soft-hearted and only drove him out of the family. As a result, this guy was kidnapped by the Huanxiang Sect and directly sold out the secrets of the Yu family, including the fact that the Yu family had the Pearl Technique!

  So, the reason why Wen Xiang Jiao got entangled with Yu's family is still due to his improper handling of things in the first place.

  "It's... it's like this..." After a while, he muttered: "Maybe it won't be that bad?"

  "I'm not afraid of ten thousand, but I'm afraid of one in ten thousand. In today's world, we can't have a lucky mindset." Yu Guozhen continued: "Besides, the ability that our Yu family relies on to get rich is not just about cultivating pearls, is it?"

  Yu Yiqin's eyes widened: "What does Gu Zhen mean by this?"

  "Please come with me, Second Uncle."

  Through the courtyard, they came to the house that served as a workshop for Jiang Quan, where two looms were set up.

  "This is..."

  "The new loom and spinning machine." Yu Guozhen smiled: "Jiang Quan spent more than half a year, finally developed it."

  When it comes to this, Yu Guozhen is actually not satisfied in his heart. Jiang Quan is a skilled craftsman, but he is just a craftsman. The structure of the loom and spinning machine, although guided by him, took so long to study.

  "Weaving machines... Guo Zhen, do you think we can compete with the big silk merchants of Jiangsu and Zhejiang? They all have powerful backers in the imperial court!" Yu Yiqin sighed sorrowfully: "If they covet our pearl cultivation techniques, will they let these weaving machines go?"

  Yu Guozhen laughed: "This loom is weaving not silk, but cotton cloth!"

  Yu Yike was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Songjiang cloth clothes the world, and you can't compete with Songjiang Prefecture!"

  Since the Yuan Dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture has been the center of the cotton textile industry. After the early Ming Dynasty, cotton cultivation was promoted from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River to Shandong and North Zhili, especially in Shandong, which became a major cotton-producing area. The development of the cotton textile industry was extremely rapid, thus also suppressing the silk industry. At this time, except for the Jiahu area, the silk industry on both sides of the Yangtze River was shrinking, while Songjiang Prefecture and Hangzhou Prefecture became world-renowned centers of cotton textiles.

  In other words, the competition in cotton textiles has surpassed that of the silk industry!

  "Our spinning machines are much stronger, and our looms have also been improved."

  Yu Guozhen liked history and had a deep understanding of China's modern industrialization, so he knew why Zhang Zhidong's establishment of the Hubei Weaving Bureau failed in later generations. One reason was that he didn't understand the principle that spinning couldn't keep up with weaving. Therefore, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution machine innovation started from the Jenny spinning machine.

  Yu Guozhen, of course, would not simply imitate the Jenny spinning machine. His spinning machine started directly from the water-powered spinning machine, with a working efficiency far surpassing that of the Jenny spinning machine.

  In Xiang'an, water power is abundant, adjacent to the Yangtze River, and there is also a western river flowing through it, with relatively gentle water flow, which can provide relatively gentle power.

  "Can this... really replace the Pearl of Wisdom technique?" Yu Yiqin still had some doubts.

  "That's natural, doesn't Second Uncle still believe me?"

  Yu Yi-qin was speechless. How could he not believe in Yu Guo-zhen? Whatever Yu Guo-zhen planned, rarely did it not come to fruition!

  "There is one more thing that needs your attention, Second Uncle, which is the purchase of cotton. The cotton-picking season has already passed, and now we can only go to the wholesalers to buy it."

  The package merchants were those who specialized in collecting cotton and then reselling it, making the most profit by exploiting the middlemen. This kind of merchant, who made a fortune through speculation, had always been looked down upon by Yu Guozhen, but now he could only deal with them.

  "If Guo Zhen says so, then I'll go to Songjiang..."

  "Mistake." Just then, Yu Yixuan, who had not spoken until now, smiled and waved his hand: "Guo Zhen, you are a wise man with a thousand thoughts, but there must be one mistake."

  Yu Guozhen was stunned for a moment, then gently patted his own head: "Indeed, indeed, there's no need for Second Uncle to make another trip to Songjiang."

  Yu Yiqin was somewhat puzzled, and Yu Yixuan laughed: "Just now, Guo Zhen didn't say that we should sell our family's Zhongzhu technique, did he? We are close to Huizhou, if we want to sell it, of course, we will sell it to the Huishang merchants. The Huishang merchants are all over the world, and asking them to purchase some cotton is nothing big."

  "Right, right, haha, Old Five has his own way, but you can still help out, I..."

  "Second Uncle, don't be modest. Even if Fifth Uncle and I have many plans, we still need you to run errands." Yu Guozhen smiled and teased him with a sentence.

  At least for now, the Yu family is still united, so they can't afford to have internal conflicts due to differences in opinion. In fact, the troubles caused by the Fourth House are already enough; if they were to stir up more trouble, it would be very detrimental to Yu Guozhen's plans. No matter how great a person's abilities are, they cannot accomplish everything on their own and often need to rely on the strength of their family.

  "In that case, I'll spread the word. Our Yu family is preparing to auction off the technique of cultivating pearls!" Yu Yiqin stood up: "I know a few people who have connections with Huizhou merchants. Send someone to deliver messages to them, and we'll definitely get a response in two or three days."

  "Alright, let's set the date for February 20th, and have them bring cash."

  Yu Yi-qin left, Yu Yi-xuan looked at Yu Guo-zhen and smiled slightly: "Guo-zhen, if Wang Hao-xian knew about your plan, I don't know whether he would cry. He was caught because of his greed for this pearl technique, and now you are selling it lightly."

  "Haha, the expression on his face must be very colorful." Yu Guozhen stood up and cupped his hands: "Congratulations to Fifth Uncle, although this time the credit for capturing Wang Haoxian was given to someone else, but since you've given away a peach, Donglin... shouldn't you also give Fifth Uncle a new hat in return?"

  Yu Yixuan is now nominally the inspector of Xiang'an Circuit, which was originally a non-entering official position. Yu Yixuan didn't take it seriously, but thanks to the merit of capturing Wang Houxian by the Xiang'an Circuit, he may indeed be able to exchange for an entering official position.

  Thank you

  Thank you to Jianghu Not Old Guest, Wooden Head, Liu Zhongyan, Step Long Song and Changfeng01 for the rewards. I'm going to drop out of the rankings, it's really a pity! From the start of uploading, it took 19 days to reach the top 12 in the new book rankings, and stayed there for 11 days, finally dropping out at number 5. This is one of my best results since I started writing. I wanted to savor it for another two days, but time has run out. As the saying goes, "The years are passing like a river flowing away!"