When he spoke the last sentence, Zuoqiu Guanyu’s tone hardened. After all, a Fourth-Grade Noble Family still possessed its dignity and pride.

Wang Shouzhe also realized that buying the rights to cultivate and sell the grain seeds in Qeng’an County was already Zuoqiu Family’s final bottom line.

Otherwise, if the Wang Family simply withdrew from the Qeng’an County market, leaving aside whether the other noble families in Qeng’an, who had tasted the sweetness, would agree, who knows if the Wang Family, once strong again, might make a comeback?

However, securing the cultivation and sales rights was the bottom line, but the price was not.

Wang Shouzhe had long since estimated this and had also investigated the financial strength of the Zuoqiu Family.

"The rights to cultivate and sell in Qeng’an County, our Wang Family can sell them to you, Zuoqiu Family." Wang Shouzhe sipped tea, and before Zuoqiu Guanyu could show any joy, he continued, "However, Zuoqiu Family needs to make a one-time payment of fifty million Qian Gold as a monopoly fee for Qeng’an County, followed by an annual payment of two million Qian Gold as a licensing fee."

To say Zuoqiu Family didn’t want to fight to the end, did the Wang Family?

The Wang Family was currently in a phase of rapid success, with unlimited future prospects. Wang Shouzhe was unwilling to confront any Purple Mansion Family unless necessary.

After all, giving away some low-sequence grain seeds could secure a large amount of funds, solve the current cash shortage issue of Lady Wang, and resolve the crisis of Shouda Trading Company, while also repelling the Zuoqiu Family. Why wouldn’t he do it?

After all, what the Wang Family needed most now was time and money.

As long as the Wang Family was given enough development time and space, in a hundred or two hundred years, they might not have to fear facing the Zuoqiu Family head-on.

As for money...

The numbers of Qian Gold consumed annually by the Wang Family’s Celestial Prides, prideful ones, little Celestial Prides, young and old members are enormous. This figure continues to grow with the birth of new clan members.

If not, why did Wang Shouzhe, after developing Outer Domain Xin’an Town, set his sights on the "Qingluo Guard"?

The future establishment and development of Qingluo Guard will be an even more insatiable gold-devouring beast.

Wang Shouzhe’s quoted price immediately shocked Zuoqiu Guanyu, who angrily roared, "Patriarch Shouzhe, even extortion should have limits. Do you see us, Zuoqiu Family, as pigs or sheep to be slaughtered? Ten million! Just ten million, not a single coin more. If it’s more, our Zuoqiu Family..."

"Patriarch Guanyu, no need to be so agitated. We can still negotiate the price~ How about this, forty-five million..."

For the benefit of their respective families, the two noble family heads began to haggle over the price like vendors at a marketplace.

The process continued for a full half-month.

Finally, after Zuoqiu Guanyu stormed off the table several times to consult with his family’s Ancestor, both sides finally agreed on the terms for this negotiation.

Besides Zuoqiu Family’s complete withdrawal from the Flying Chariot market and unconditional opening of Anqing County’s Flying Chariot market, Zuoqiu Family paid twenty million Qian Gold in cash for the cultivation rights to the grain seeds and committed to paying Wang Family ten percent of the total sales price of the grain seeds annually as a patent usage fee.

This contract would last one hundred years.

And during the term of the contract, Wang Family would not actively sell grain seeds within Qeng’an County.

Thus, this great storm raised because of grain seeds came to an end, and the conclusion was regarded as "all happy".

...

A period passed.

In Qeng’an County, the famous gourmet estate known as Qiengya Residence.

After seeing off Zuoqiu Guanyu, Xiaoyue returned to Cyan Bamboo Courtyard, her brow unconsciously furrowed.

Although Zuoqiu Guanyu spoke tactfully, the meaning was clear: this time, the Zuoqiu Family suffered too great a loss, and they would not participate in any subsequent plans against the Qiaan Family and Wang Family. Zuoqiu Family requested that Young Master Ce seek out someone else. As for the favor of using a Flying Chariot, Zuoqiu Family would find a way to repay it. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

With Zuoqiu Guanyu’s words reaching this point, Xiaoyue naturally couldn’t force anything and had to politely send him off.

To be honest, even she never imagined the situation would develop to this point.

Since ancient times, the competition among noble families has always been about financial power and strength.

A Fourth-Grade Noble Family with a history of two thousand years, boasting countless strong members, should be several times stronger both financially and in terms of strength compared to the Longzuo Qian Family and the Changning Wang Family combined, by common logic should never have been defeated.

Yet, the Longzuo Qian Family and Changning Wang Family managed to reverse the situation, almost like a "miracle", something that could be included in the "Longzuo County Chronicles" as a representative incident.

Despite the fact that the Qian and Wang Families took advantage of a clever tactic and were prepared beforehand, this outcome is still "incredible".

Moreover, according to the news from Luo Yuqing’s [Dawn], it wasn’t the Longzuo Qian Family that took the lead in the confrontation with Zuoqiu Family and Cao Family, but rather the Changning Wang Family.

More precisely, it was the head of the Changning Wang Family — Wang Shouzhe.

From start to finish, the Longzuo Qian Family acted according to Wang Shouzhe’s plan, as if absolutely certain he would be able to win one back for Qian Family.

Unconsciously, Xiaoyue recalled Luo Yuqing’s evaluation of Wang Shouzhe, describing him as having "chaos in his chest, adept at strategic decisions, cautious and thorough".

At the time, she felt the evaluation was slightly high.

Now it seems, it underestimated him. Perhaps, this evaluation should also include the phrase "cannot be measured by common sense".