Protect Our Patriarch

...

Taishi Ankang looked at Wang Shouzhe with a deep gaze.

However, Wang Shouzhe remained calm and composed, showing no signs of nervousness.

"Why has it come to this, why indeed~" Taishi Ankang said helplessly, "The Imperial Heir Struggle involves too many parties. Can't I just quietly wait to 'retire and return home'?"

"Difficult," Wang Shouzhe admitted frankly, "Daqian has only seven commanderies in total, and every Quasi-Imperial Heir wants to gain the support of each commandery's powers to strengthen their influence."

"For Commandery Prince Kang, Longzuo Commandery is now a 'fallen area,' a stronghold of support for His Highness Commandery Prince An. The Commandery Governor himself is quite close to the Wang and Qian Clans, often supporting them. It's not just that you want to raise a neutral flag; even if you claim to support Commandery Prince Kang, do you think he would believe you? Accept you?"

"If you wait for Commandery Prince Kang to ascend, given his petty nature with His Majesty, the Commandery Governor and your 'ordinary' military family will surely be the first to be suppressed and marginalized." Wang Shouzhe poured him some spiritual tea while analyzing, "On the contrary, His Highness Commandery Prince An is broad-minded and generous. Even if he ascends, he won't deliberately make things difficult for a neutral Commandery Governor. But you can't bully such an honest person like Commandery Prince An, can you?"

"Unless you retire now, handing over the lucrative power of a commandery leader, and from then on, not concern yourself with worldly affairs. Otherwise, in this era of great change, how many can escape the whirlpool of the Imperial Heir Struggle? At least my character and that of Commandery Prince An are somewhat guaranteed. If the Commandery Governor doesn't team up with me, does he really intend to side with Commandery Prince Kang?"

"Sigh~~" Taishi Ankang sighed deeply, "I admit, Shouzhe, you're right. Mediocre people like us can only go with the flow. What right do we have to escape the whirlpool of the world's struggles?"

Despite his words, he still looked at Wang Shouzhe with a deep gaze, his tone carrying a hint of resentment: "But couldn't you at least discuss it with me carefully, give me some time to mentally prepare? Pulling me onto this pirate... this ship so suddenly, life is truly too abrupt and stimulating."

"Sooner or later, you have to get on." Wang Shouzhe smiled, "To prevent the Commandery Governor from hesitating and suffering inner torment, I simply pulled you onto the ship. We will share blessings and hardships in the future."

"Shouzhe, I thank you." Taishi Ankang was both amused and helpless.

"No need to thank me." Wang Shouzhe responded with a kind smile.

Well, it seems I've already been tied to this pirate ship by Shouzhe.

Since I'm here, I might as well settle in.

Taishi Ankang quickly adjusted his mindset and lay back, saying, "Shouzhe, since we're now grasshoppers on the same rope, the matter of increasing the tax revenue by fifty percent within ten years, no, nine years, is up to you."

"If you do well, I, Taishi Ankang, will follow your lead in the future, at your beck and call. If you don't do well, there's no need for me to resign voluntarily; His Majesty will surely remove me. At that time, the new Commandery Governor... well, you know."

Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but side-eye him.

The Commandery Governor had just joined the team, yet he was already so adept at passing the buck. Could it be that in his youth, he was a cook in the military?

Alright, if I don't show you some of my skills, you won't know how many eyes Wang Shouzhe has.

Wang Shouzhe put down the teacup in his hand, and the base of the cup lightly tapped the table, making a crisp sound.

This sound seemed to activate some switch.

Wang Shouzhe crossed his hands, and his voice slowly began to speak: "As far as I know, the national tax revenue of Longzuo Commandery mainly comes from three sources. Three billion two hundred million mu of fertile land, with an average national tax of 100 Top Gold per ten thousand mu, totaling 3.2 million Top Gold in national tax. Ordinary grain fields of various clans cover about 20 million mu, with an average national tax of 250 Top Gold per ten thousand mu, totaling 500,000 Top Gold. The Wang Clan's high-quality grain fields cover about 6 million mu, with an average national tax of 500 Top Gold per ten thousand mu, totaling 300,000 Top Gold. Therefore, the national tax from ordinary farmland amounts to approximately 4 million Top Gold."

"This..." Taishi Ankang's eyes widened, "How did you, Shouzhe, calculate this? The difference is not much; last year, it should have been 3.8 million Top Gold."

"Hehe~ Just a bit of investigation and calculation." Wang Shouzhe continued calmly, "Additionally, there's the major tax revenue from spiritual farmland. Longzuo Commandery has about 1.8 million mu of lower-grade spiritual farmland, with a national tax of 1.8 million Top Gold, 120,000 mu of medium-grade spiritual farmland, with a national tax of 1.2 million Top Gold, 9,000 mu of upper-grade spiritual farmland, with a national tax of 900,000, and 800 mu of top-grade spiritual farmland, with a national tax of 800,000. Therefore, the national tax from spiritual farmland amounts to approximately 4.7 million Top Gold."

"Additionally, there's the ordinary goods transaction tax, with a national tax of 4 million Top Gold, of which 1.8 million is from the Wang Clan's marriage alliance and the Qian Clan's related industries, including Shouda Trading Company, Changning United Manufacturing Division, and so on."

"The aquaculture and fishing industry tax amounts to about 500,000 Top Gold, of which 270,000 is from the Wang Clan's fishery department."

"The Basalt product transaction circulation tax, due to the high price of Basalt products, is based on a national tax rate of 0.3%, with a commandery guard tax rate of 0.2%, totaling 2.7 million Top Gold in national tax, estimating the total circulation funds of Basalt products in Longzuo Commandery to be 900 million Top Gold!"

"Other small items total a national tax of about 1.2 million Top Gold."

Wang Shouzhe, without even taking out an account book, casually rattled off a series of numbers, then summarized: "Last year, Longzuo Commandery's total national tax should have been around 17 million Top Gold."

Taishi Ankang looked at Wang Shouzhe in shock.

This guy, although the numbers aren't entirely accurate, the total amount is surprisingly close! If he, Taishi Ankang, weren't the Commandery Governor, he probably wouldn't know this data.

"Commandery Governor, there's nearly three million in national tax contributed directly or indirectly by my Wang Clan's marriage alliance industries and Shouda Trading Company... Sir, with such tax revenue, you still want me to find a way to increase it by fifty percent?"

Taishi Ankang's old face turned red, and he glared at Wang Shouzhe: "This Commandery Governor has no other choice, you know? Longzuo Commandery is a newly established commandery, naturally lacking the foundation of those older commanderies. Otherwise, I wouldn't be eagerly waiting for you to come back and discuss this matter."

"Have you cried?" Wang Shouzhe asked.

"What?" Taishi Ankang looked bewildered.

Seeing his silly expression, Wang Shouzhe was a bit helpless: "I mean, have you gone to cry to His Majesty? At least, have you submitted a memorial crying?"

"No... As soon as this happened, I thought of coming to you. Who knew you'd be in the outer regions for so long?" Taishi Ankang complained, "Shouzhe, what did you do to His Majesty? He actually gave you such a difficult problem?"

"Then go cry." Wang Shouzhe said leisurely while drinking tea, "Go cry in Shangjing City, use all the connections you can, and plead with His Majesty to retract the order."

"Shouzhe, are you sure doing this will make His Majesty retract the order? Although it's embarrassing, if it really works..." Taishi Ankang hesitated.

"From what I know of His Majesty's character, he won't retract the order. The more you cry and make a fuss, the more pleased and smug he'll be." Wang Shouzhe said leisurely.

"Then why are you asking me to embarrass myself?" Taishi Ankang felt an urge to punch someone, "Shouzhe, I, Taishi Ankang, also have my pride."

"Commandery Governor, don't be hasty, listen to me carefully." Wang Shouzhe put down his teacup and explained in detail.

Taishi Ankang's eyes gradually brightened, and he suddenly slapped his thigh: "Why didn't I think of this?"

...

In the following days.

The Wang Clan continued to entertain the Yan Clan of Longzuo Commandery with great hospitality. The elders of the Wang Clan were responsible for hosting the elders of the Yan Clan, while the younger generation took care of the Yan Clan's young people. They took the Yan Clan's peers from Ping'an Town to Xin'an Town, and from Xin'an Town to the newly developed outer regions.

Each of these places showcased different aspects of the Wang Clan, leaving the young people both shocked and full of admiration.

Gradually, they finally understood why the Wang Clan, despite still being a sixth-grade family, had even the fifth-grade Yan Clan seeking them out.

The children had fewer worries and could fully enjoy and appreciate the Wang Clan's charm, but the pressure on Ancestor Yufei and Clan Head Feihong of the Yan Clan was immense.

As they increasingly felt the Wang Clan's strength and profound foundation, they tried several times to meet with Wang Shouzhe, only to be repeatedly rebuffed and refused.

In the luxurious suite of the inn used by the Wang Clan to entertain guests.

The floor-to-ceiling glass windows were bright and clean, offering a good view, allowing the entire scenery of Zhuhui Lake to be seen, which was extremely pleasing to the eye.

But at this moment, Ancestor Yufei and Clan Head Feihong were gathered together, without a trace of mood to appreciate the scenery.

"Ancestor," Yan Feihong said anxiously, clasping his hands, "The Master Wang Shouzhe has repeatedly refused to meet us. I'm afraid he has no intention of helping our Yan Clan. Perhaps we should consider other options... Let's not hang ourselves on one tree."

"Other options?" Ancestor Yufei sighed, the gloom between his brows seemingly deepening, "Now that the Wang and Qian Clans have formed a marriage alliance, supporting each other, they almost dominate Longzuo Commandery. Our Yan Clan cannot maintain the dignity of a Purple Mansion Clan in Longzuo Commandery without dealing with the Wang and Qian Clans."

"Moreover, Commandery Governor Taishi has secretly hinted that we shouldn't underestimate the Wang Clan just because they are currently a sixth-grade family. The Wang Clan now secretly harbors a seventh-grade Yuan Shui Azure Dragon and a hidden early Purple Mansion Realm combat puppet."

"If it comes to a critical moment, with the help of the Fire Fox Ancestor, the Wang Clan's Purple Mansion Realm combat power could reach three! Plus, with the great prodigies Miss Liyao and Zong'an, the overall family strength of the Wang Clan is no less than that of a typical fourth-grade family!"

"Purple Mansion Realm puppet?" Yan Feihong was momentarily dazed, incredulous, "Such an item is usually priceless, right? Even if available, it would cost fifty to sixty million Top Gold. This thing is more valuable than a Purple Mansion Realm ancestor..."

"Eighty million! It's said that Commandery Prince An and the Princess Consort of Commandery Prince An secretly arranged to spend eighty million to acquire one from the Gongye family."

Eighty million!

What a terrifying number, enough to cultivate two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators from scratch and still have some left over. This sum is astronomical for the Yan Clan of Longzuo Commandery.

They managed to buy a Wuji Baodan for Yan Shuangshuang through connections, only by pawning off many of the family's fixed assets, and additionally hired the Changchun Immortal and the Ancestor to assist with the Wuji Baodan's absorption using their profound energy.

All of this was to cultivate a prodigious direct daughter, to be sought after as an ally. Among them, the newly prominent Changning Wang Clan in Longzuo Commandery was the best candidate for a marriage alliance.

After all, the Wang Clan's "foundation is still shallow," still just a "sixth-grade family," relatively easier to deal with compared to those seasoned fifth or fourth-grade families.

Most importantly, the Wang Clan has two great prodigies with boundless potential. Aligning with the Wang Clan means the Yan Clan can not only maintain its fifth-grade status but might even gradually restore its former glory.

Unexpectedly, the Master Wang Shouzhe of the Wang Clan turned out to be so difficult to deal with. To this day, they still don't understand why he turned hostile that day.

"Ancestor, although the Wang Clan is indeed more outstanding than imagined," Yan Feihong said helplessly, "dragging this out is not a solution. Perhaps Master Wang Shouzhe looks down on us~ We might as well go with the backup plan and seek an alliance with the Zuoqiu Clan of Qing'an Commandery."

"Sigh~ Let's wait a bit longer. Firstly, the Zuoqiu Clan is too large, with a complex internal structure," Ancestor Yufei pondered, "Secondly, the Zuoqiu Clan has had conflicts and friction with the Wang and Qian Clans and was repelled. If we ally with the Zuoqiu Clan, we'll inevitably offend the powerful local families. The Wang Clan today is even stronger than I imagined."

"No wonder even the Qian Clan now subtly looks up to the Wang Clan."

Ancestor Yufei sighed, "Let's try to win them over again~ After all, the Wang Clan has a good reputation. Once they agree, they won't go back on their word, which is more reliable than other families."

This was a significant reason why he sought out the Wang Clan first.

The situation within families can be complex, with some families having severe internal strife. Marrying Shuangshuang into such a family would not only cause her suffering but might also fail to achieve the goal of continuing the Yan Clan, making it not worth the cost.

In comparison, the Wang Clan is much better. At least, the daughters-in-law married into the Wang Clan live well, which is well-known throughout Longzuo Commandery.

While the two elders of the Yan Clan were worrying themselves sick for the family, in the sky, two spirit bird flying carriages descended from the sky, landing directly at the flying carriage station next to the Wang Clan's guest hotel.

From the two carriages, a group of young people in the prime of their youth emerged, chatting and laughing as they headed towards the inn.

"Brother Shifeng, thank you for taking the time to show us around [Shouzhe Pass]. It was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring." Yan Shuangshuang's pretty face was slightly flushed, both excited and a little shy as she stole glances at Wang Shifeng, her eyes filled with a unique girlish sentiment.

Besides Yan Shuangshuang, the other two young ladies also developed some fondness for the young members of the Wang Clan.

They were all direct branch members and had no right to compete with Yan Shuangshuang, feeling they were not worthy of Wang Shifeng. Therefore, they turned their attention to the sixteenth and seventeenth sons of the "Shi" generation, Wang Shijing and Wang Shilian.

One was nineteen, the other sixteen, both grandsons of Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian, young talents among the Wang Clan's younger generation. Although slightly inferior to Wang Shifeng, they were still considered outstanding among the younger generation in the entire Longzuo Commandery.

In family marriages, unless there's an accident, it's usually the woman who marries up.

The three young direct male members of the Yan Clan, after witnessing the Wang Clan's charm, lost all confidence when facing Wang Yinglei, Wang Yinghuan, and Wang Yingmeng, the three direct daughters of the Wang Clan, lacking even the courage to pursue them.

The girls of the Wang Clan were different from those of other families. The family might suggest marrying into a certain family, but whether they fancy the other party and choose to marry is entirely up to them.

As for the treatment of the family's male members, it was entirely different. For the direct male members of marriageable age, Wang Shouzhe would use various means to urge them to marry.

For the direct male members, their fate was even more tragic, often facing pressure from the family head to marry, with some even having arranged marriages like Wang Shizhao.

Besides having a strong "fear of insufficient firepower," Wang Shouzhe also had a severe "fear of insufficient clan members."

In addition to leading by example, having five children himself, he employed numerous methods to urge and pressure the Wang Clan's male members to marry.

Once the male members married, those who had children quickly and in large numbers would receive a smiling face from Master Wang Shouzhe, with frequent red envelope rewards. However, those who dared to delay having children often faced pressure from the family head to have children, with no good face during meetings.

Therefore, the Wang Clan's male members were not opposed to interacting with the Yan Clan's women. After all, they were direct daughters and secondary daughters from a fifth-grade family, so they couldn't be too bad.

Ancestor Yufei and Yan Feihong, witnessing this scene through the glass window, exchanged glances, both alarmed at how quickly the family's girls were falling and dissatisfied with the timid direct male members who lacked the courage to even talk more with the Wang Clan's girls, angry at their lack of ambition.

At the same time, a strong sense of crisis struck the hearts of the two Yan Clan elders.

This matter could not be delayed any longer, or the Yan Clan would lose all initiative, potentially losing both the bride and the army.

...

Meanwhile.

In the heart of Zhuhui Lake, at Shuiyue Pavilion.

This place, bearing special memories for Wang Shouzhe over decades, had been temporarily sealed.

Firstly, he now possessed a high-grade treasure, a small portable cave mansion.

Secondly, Wang Shouzhe had once commissioned Tianhe Daoist to use his divine ability to extract a micro upper-grade water-type spiritual vein and transplant it beneath Shuiyue Pavilion, setting up a Gathering Spirit Array to concentrate the spiritual energy within a certain range.

This caused Shuiyue Pavilion to be shrouded in water mist and spiritual energy year-round, making it suitable for Liu Ruolan's daily cultivation. After all, Shuiyue Pavilion was originally built for Liu Ruolan's seclusion.

However, this micro upper-grade water-type spiritual vein, which had cost a lot to set up, ultimately didn't serve much purpose.

Liu Ruolan usually preferred to stay in the small courtyard, dabbling in "cuisine" and supervising the children's studies. Whenever she came to Shuiyue Pavilion, it was usually to be with Wang Shouzhe.

Hard work and diligent practice? What is that?

It was simply a waste of Wang Shouzhe's good intentions and money...

You know, hiring a Divine Ability Master to do something either incurs a favor or costs money, and the price is not cheap. The impoverished Tianhe Daoist might at most give a discount for Miss Liyao's sake, but free is impossible.

However, now this micro upper-grade water-type spiritual vein finally had a use.

At this moment, at the center of the small Gathering Spirit Array, a giant egg was floating in the water.

The Wang couple stood beside the egg, appearing especially petite and delicate in comparison.

At this moment, the egg was absorbing the water-element spiritual energy from the vein at a visible speed.

As the Yuan Shui spiritual energy gradually filled it, its shell began to light up bit by bit, with the originally silver-white mysterious patterns on the eggshell emitting streams of light, and the white eggshell lighting up with tiny bits of fluorescence until it was covered in a pale blue glow.

In a matter of days, a vibrant micro upper-grade spiritual vein had been drained by an egg, to the point where Liu Ruolan had to use her own Yuan Shui profound energy to replenish it.

Fortunately, Liu Ruolan's profound energy was abundant, and after drawing out more than half of her profound energy, it finally "ate its fill."

"Crack!"

With the sound of the eggshell breaking, waves of water surged in all directions.

The aura emanating from the eggshell was vast and majestic, carrying an ancient and desolate flavor, clearly extraordinary at first glance.

Immediately, a chubby "big-headed fish" emerged from the eggshell, shaking off the mucus on its face, and opened its large, adorable eyes.

It looked incredibly cute, and when it looked down at Wang Shouzhe and Liu Ruolan, its eyes seemed to sparkle with a unique brilliance.

Wang Zongkun had hatched!

Wang Shouzhe and Liu Ruolan looked up at the giant Kun baby, feeling a surge of excitement.

Even before hatching, they had already determined the gender of the young Kun inside the eggshell through research and some special methods, and had named him, worrying about whether such an ancient immortal beast would recognize them and be easy to raise.

Fortunately, this young Kun seemed to recognize and have affection for them.

Just as the couple was about to approach and bond with the young Kun, deepening their relationship.

It suddenly turned around, opened its big mouth, and sucked in, drawing the eggshell into its mouth with the water, "crunching" it like eating crispy rice, savoring it greedily.

Wang Shouzhe's face darkened slightly.

This fish was indeed a foodie; its first instinct upon opening its eyes was to eat!

The young Kun, Wang Zongkun, quickly devoured the eggshell, only then remembering the parents it had seen upon opening its eyes.

With a flick of its tail, it created a splash and swam leisurely towards them.

"Buzz~"

A deep, resonant sound echoed in the water, causing the blood of the Wang couple to stir faintly. The fish, shrimp, and crabs within several miles were all stunned, flipping belly-up.

Seeing this, Wang Zongkun became hungry again.

Just as it instinctively and excitedly moved to enjoy the feast, Wang Shouzhe quickly stopped it, first vibrating a sound in the water: "Kun'er, don't run, Dad brought you food."

With that, he shook the storage ring "Endless Abyss" given by his great-grandson, and over a thousand pounds of delicious spiritual fish were moved out.

This initial feeding was crucial, a prime opportunity to establish deep trust and affection.

"Buzz~"

Wang Zongkun didn't understand what "Kun'er" meant, but it instinctively knew it was delicious and beneficial to eat.

After an excited howl, it opened its mouth, swallowed, and sucked, and hundreds of pounds of spiritual fish were gone.

Another mouthful, and the rest were gone.

Such a ferocious eating style made Wang Shouzhe feel immense pressure as he continued to feed.

Kun'er ate so much, and he wasn't sure if the Wang Clan's current resources were enough. It seemed necessary to quickly develop the clan's industries.

Otherwise, Kun'er might not grow up before the Wang Clan went bankrupt.

...