In the face of such a huge profit, the Ning family of Qin Province made a move.
They could not think of any negative consequences for renting out the land. They found Cao Herui and the other two who had just finished their hard work. They were the ones in charge of this matter.
Zhang Zhong gave the matter of renting out the land as a joint production project. With this, it became a gimmick to encourage the local people to vigorously develop farming.
Cao Herui and the other two thought that Zhang Zhong believed them. This was the result of their hard work in farming twice.
They signed the documents with the surrounding provinces. When the Ning family came looking for them, the three of them did not think too much and immediately used their authority to rent 150,000 mu of land in Qin Province.
They still owed the Ning family money. Although they knew that the land was not good, it did not matter. The Zhang family had already said that they could rent any land they wanted.
The money for the road construction was also given out. They did not care how much the Ning family could embezzle from it.
None of the 150,000 mu of land was good. They were either the worst inferior land or the saline-alkali soil.
Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce acted swiftly. As soon as the land was rented, they would send people to plant cotton. Good land had a lot of cotton, but inferior land could still produce cotton. Even the saline-alkali soil could be used to plant cotton. It was just a matter of how much cotton could be produced.
The Ning family was waiting for an opportunity like this.
The agreement they signed with Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce stated that they were inferior land. However, in the account book of the province, they were planning for an intermediate land.
When they saw the people from the Chamber of Commerce going to plant cotton, they could not help but take action. They had not received any news that their property in He Yin County was being attacked.
They wrote a report of impeachment against Zhang Zhong and sent it to the Chamber of Commerce via an official courier.
The reason was simple. No matter how good the cotton-padded clothes made by Bai Diezi were, or how practical the yarn was, they still occupied the land used to grow food.
The Ning family had specially arranged a banquet for this matter.
Without the help of the pigeons, they had no idea that their family's businesses in Great Tang were being attacked.
Zhang Xiaobao wanted to let the people who wanted to deal with the Zhang family know that they should directly deal with whoever they wanted to deal with and not use the Zhang family's village as an opening. This time, he was determined to make a loss. Even if it was several times the loss, he was determined to completely destroy the Ning family.
Ten days after the Ning family's letter was sent out, the cotton growers had already asked the local people to plant cotton around the rented fields.
The biggest advantage here was that there was no need to consider too many seasonal factors. As long as they were planting, there was basically no problem at all. Although the yield might be affected, it would definitely not be a complete loss.
If it was Hainan Island, it would be even better. If they had the ability to shorten the maturity time of the crops, it would not be a problem for them to grow ten crops in a year.
After planting the cotton as the wall, the people of the Chamber of Commerce no longer continued to plant cotton. Instead, they planted soybeans in the middle of the wall.
Although the rented land was not good, it was still land after all, even if there was a lot of saline-alkali soil.
Zhang Xiaobao did not expect to have a big harvest in the first few years, let alone make money. In fact, in the first two or three years, he had been constantly filling in money.
Old Man Chang and Old Man Pi, who had been worried about the Zhang family, were finally relieved when they found out that soybeans were planted in the wall.
"So that's how it is. They're actually planting soybeans. No wonder they dared to rent the alkali soil. As long as it's not too serious, the soybeans won't die. It seems that all of this is a preparation to deal with the Ning family. The Ning family has probably already written an impeachment report. When the higher-ups send someone to investigate, the Ning family will be in trouble."
Old Man Chang was very clear about the role of soybeans. Many people cultivated their own land. When the land was not good, they would casually plant some soybeans. It was better than wheat or rice, and they did not have to worry about it.
"That's right. The Ning family has no right to casually impeach others. Now, everyone knows that the Ning family has always disliked Zhang Zhong. I guess Zhang Zhong can no longer be the Provincial Governor. The people sent by the imperial court to investigate will arrive in the second half of the year when the taxes are paid.
How much can Lu Zhou pay this year? How much can he pay? How much can he pay in Qinzhou? Comparing the two cases, not to mention that Zhang Zhong did not do anything wrong, even if he did, the imperial court would pretend that they did not see it. If he did not do anything wrong, he would need at least three years to be a County Magistrate. Zhang Zhong has only been here for a little more than a year, not even two years.
Lu Zhou is not like before. He has started to make a lot of money. Many people are racking their brains to get to Lu Zhou. Six magistrates, one Provincial Governor, one Military Registrar. No matter who wants to get them, they have to wait until Zhang Zhong leaves. In order to make Zhang Zhong give up his position, how many people do you think are willing to help Zhang Zhong deal with Ning Zhongze? "
Old Man Pi knew about politics. The Zhang family knew that it was impossible for them to stay for three years no matter what. That was why they kept investing to strengthen their position in the Chamber of Commerce. Before they left, they just happened to get rid of the Ning family.
A family without an official position could only rely on business to wait for a chance to make a comeback. Unfortunately, their business was also affected by the Zhang family.
If it was just the Zhang family's business Between the Clouds and the Water and the Sea and Clouds here, the Zhang family might not be able to win against the Ning family. However, the Zhang family had joined forces with many other big businessmen to attack one person. In addition, the Zhang family had divided the benefits from the sandbox game, and the imperial court valued the Zhang family.
The Zhang family had all the advantages, including the right time, the right place, and the right people. Not to mention the Ning family, even the aristocratic families in the capital could not compete with them alone.
When he thought about this, Old Man Pi sighed with emotion. "The Ning family has been in Lingnan for a long time. Do they really think that no one can deal with them? Compared to their stability, the Zhang family has been growing up in the midst of other people's schemes since Zhuangzi. One is safe, one is dangerous. It is easy to see who is better. "
"That's right. The most praiseworthy thing is that when the Zhang family is dealing with other people, they have never stopped trying to improve the lives of the local people. While doing practical things, they have also schemed against others. They have never written memorials to complain about how they were wronged, and they have never urged the imperial court to send out military equipment or food for disaster relief.
They take care of everything themselves, and they can even bring a lot of benefits to the imperial court. No matter who it is, they will feel comfortable using this kind of person. However, I don't understand why the Zhang family is renting land in another province for fifty years. They are also growing beans and they are losing money every year. Are they doing this just to deal with the Ning family? "
When Old Man Chang agreed with Old Man Pi, he had an even bigger doubt in his heart.
Old Man Pi also couldn't understand what the Zhang family was planning. If it were anyone else, he would also think that they were losing money every year. However, it seemed impossible for the Zhang family. This wasn't the first time that he had experienced the Zhang family's ability to make money. In the past, he had seen the Zhang family's plans. Every time they made a deal, they would make a lot of money. Just when people thought that they were going to lose money, they would make a lot of money in the end.
While Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang were racking their brains to figure out how to make money, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were busy designing rooms for their younger brothers and sisters.
The room that the younger brothers and sisters were living in was a bit big and too empty. They had to send more maidservants to accompany them. Especially at night, they couldn't put out the candles. Otherwise, when the babies woke up and started crying, they would have to spend a lot of time coaxing them.
The crib was leaning against the corner of the room, and there was a circle of cloth dolls around it.
Wang Juan deliberately used other people's children as an experiment. She connected the two rooms and placed a crib in the middle of the room. She didn't light the candles at night. As a result, when the baby woke up in the middle of the night, he cried for a full hour until his mother held him in her arms and fed him milk. Only then did he fall asleep peacefully.
After changing the babies several times, the results were the same. Wang Juan finally believed Zhang Xiaobao's words. What children were most afraid of was darkness and loneliness.
Of course, her younger brothers and sisters couldn't be treated like that. When they were placed in a corner, the room was always lit. There were also maidservants guarding them. When they woke up, they only cried a little.
Sometimes, they didn't even cry. They would open their eyes wide and look curiously. They would even giggle. They would be wrapped in cotton blankets. When they slept, they would appear to be very peaceful.
"It's really amazing," Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao when she thought of the experiment when she was drawing on the paper.
"What's so amazing about it? It's human nature. Not to mention children, even if it were an adult, if they were placed on a bed in an empty room, they wouldn't be able to bear it if they didn't have a strong enough mental fortitude. The slope of your room is a little bigger."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan each had their own division of labor.
The place Wang Juan designed for her younger brothers and sisters to exercise was not like the one she and Zhang Xiaobao had when they were more than ten months old. It was a slope, and a woolen blanket was placed on top of it for her younger brothers and sisters to climb up or roll down from it. It was a very good exercise method.
Zhang Xiaobao, on the other hand, tried his best to create an infinitely large playground in the limited space. He built a low partition with wooden boards at a height of one meter. There were a total of three levels. Each level had at least four gentle slopes that could be used to go up and down, so that the younger brothers and sisters could climb up and down.
Each level had many interconnected forks, just like the passage in front of Zhuangzi that was made with piles of straw. However, this time, there was no passage. There were small spaces, and in each space, there were toys that wouldn't hurt the younger brothers and sisters.
When the time came, they would let them climb up and down to play. At each entrance, there would be bells that would ring when touched to cultivate the younger brothers and sisters' sense of direction.
In many places, there were also doors that could be opened, and glass would be used to block them. It would be transparent, and it would also be convenient for people to clean up the younger brothers and sisters.
If it weren't for their own younger brothers and sisters, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan wouldn't have bothered to do this. When the time came, such a house would be sent to the ship.
Although the place was small, the craftsmanship was very refined. Just this house for the younger brothers and sisters to play in cost no less than a thousand strings of coins. The carpets inside were all Western Region cashmere carpets, and they had to ensure that the humidity was high. The toys made of glass and cotton were not expensive, and there were also all kinds of things made of fish glue that could be used to tear things apart.
The world was so big that only Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's younger brothers and sisters could enjoy it. Even the children in the Imperial Palace couldn't expect to have such a good combination of play and exercise.
The four little guys didn't know that from the time they were born, they had already been doted on by thousands of people.
What Zhang Xiaobao was worried about now was how to create a space in the house that could be moved back and forth. It had to be able to move up and down, left and right, back and forth in small amounts. It was simple to move, but no matter how it moved, there would be a situation in the end, and that was that it would be separated from the place where it was connected by a certain distance.
If it was separated, it would be easy to pinch the younger brothers and sisters.
Wang Juan had designed the general framework, and also drew the place where the ocean ball was. She turned her head and saw that Zhang Xiaobao was holding his chin and worrying.
She went over and saw the place where the house was supposed to move. After thinking for a while, she said, "Just hang the place where the house is supposed to move, one inch above the ground, and use a cloth to block it. Block it loosely, and the cloth won't be damaged when it moves. Make the same slope for them, and use a loose cloth to connect it.
They can climb up along the cloth. Are you making this as a cradle? It's not bad. Add a few short pillows on top, and they can fall asleep when they are tired. "
"What cradle? I'm afraid that they will get seasick. While there is still some time, let's make it first and let them get used to the process of moving while playing. It's about time, let's quickly find someone to do it."
Zhang Xiaobao drew a trampoline at the side, and made the space on top bigger, using beast tendons to weave it.
Following Zhang Xiaobao's orders, the craftsmen used all their skills and used the best mahogany as the base. After four days, a house that was 12 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 4 feet long was built.
From the outside, except for the glass part, the rest of the house was relatively simple. However, if an adult could get in, they would know how gorgeous the interior was.
Every part of the house was protected, except for velvet and satin, and each part had its own function. If one of the parts was taken out to sell, it would be worth dozens of strings of coins.
Jang Wong Clan was stunned when she saw the house. Didn't Xiao Bao and Cuckoo say that they were going to make a smaller house called a space for their younger brothers and sisters?
How was it small? It was bigger than the houses that ordinary people lived in. It was just divided into several levels, and there was even a small swimming pool inside.
"Husband, is it too big?"
Jang Wong Clan pulled Zhang Zhong to look at the house together.
"It's not big after divided into several levels." Zhang Zhong gestured with his hand.
"Husband, this house cost more than 1,000 strings of coins just to buy the cashmere carpet, and that's not including our own glass, mirrors, and all kinds of gadgets. Aren't we spoiling them too much?"
Jang Wong Clan calculated the price of the glass, mirrors, and other things, and came up with a rough figure. They could buy it with 10,000 strings of coins. If they didn't include the design fee that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo said, 10,000 strings of coins would definitely not be considered expensive by the aristocratic families or the palace.
If they included the most difficult design fee, it was estimated that it would cost at least 15,000 strings of coins.
Before the four little guys were born, they specially made a delivery room, and after they were born, they made a house for them. They were only three months old, and the money spent on them was already more than 30,000 strings of coins. Even the emperor's son didn't spend so much money when he was three months old, right?
This didn't include the various precious medicines prepared for them, the full-time medical doctor who was on call 24 hours a day, the clothes made for them, the cows raised for them, and other auxiliary things.
According to the calculation method of the son and daughter-in-law, the amount of manpower used in a certain aspect was equal to the value that this manpower could create in the outside world. Then, how much was the eight five-star ranked maidservants worth? They surrounded the little guys all day long, and according to the value created, it was a lot more.
Zhang Zhong narrowed his eyes and nodded, saying, "I'm relieved. This means that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are good to their younger brothers and sisters. Today, they are willing to use tens of thousands of strings of coins to make things for their younger brothers and sisters. In the future, they won't care about giving hundreds of thousands of strings of coins to their younger brothers and sisters, so they won't fight for the family property."
"That's true, but I'm afraid that before the four kids are old enough to fight for the family property, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will have already spent hundreds of thousands of strings of coins on them. If the four kids are uncomfortable on the boat, I guess Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will specially make a big boat for them. There's nothing that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo can't do."
The Jang Wong Clan was really distressed about the money. She never thought that her son and daughter-in-law would build such a 'small space house' for their younger brothers and sisters. It turned out that the small space referred to the space inside, and not the overall space outside.
Zhang Zhong didn't care how much money was spent, as long as Xiao Bao and Cuckoo cared about their younger brothers and sisters. He comforted his wife, "The cost is not high. It's not like you don't know glass. You can easily make it by burning some stones. So what if they make a boat? Which eldest son or eldest daughter can treat their younger brothers and sisters like this? My family can.
Isn't it just money? When the rented land is better, we can earn more money. Who is as calculative as our Xiao Bao and Cuckoo? So what if it's saline-alkali soil? The serious areas should be washed twice with water, and the less serious areas should be planted with beans. When the time comes, the beans should be left to rot in the field.
After two or three years, the bad areas should be better. Then, with all kinds of fertilizers, the important role of the White Fold Beans will be known by the imperial court. No one will say anything about planting them in large quantities. Such a long-term plan, how can ordinary people think of it? "
When Zhang Zhong said these words, he was very proud. When others thought that the Chamber of Commerce was losing money, he also thought so at first. Later, he couldn't help but call his son and daughter-in-law to his side to ask. Only then did he know about their long-term plans. As for whether they had other plans in the future, if his son didn't say anything, he couldn't ask either.
When the two were talking, the craftsman brought something over. A wheel made of stainless steel was wrapped with a thick layer of fish glue mixed with hemp and tree bark called fiber. A half inch thick iron plate was fastened together.
Zhang Zhong and Jang Wong Clan knew that this was a shock absorber. It was very difficult to make, mainly because that kind of iron was hard to find. Just this little thing alone cost a few hundred strings of coins.
On top of the axle of the wheel, there was also a device for blowing wind Between the Clouds and the Water. The front part was left to be pulled by a horse.
Needless to say, they would be able to move around in this house in the future.
In addition to the small stainless steel wheel that could be pushed by people, there was also a big wheel with a carriage bar.
The craftsmen greeted Zhang Zhong and his wife and ran to the side of the house to get busy. When they were installing the wheel, they spread another kind of gum in the cracks of the house. Then, they put a pig's bubble on the top and wrapped it with a layer of leather.
Then, they nailed a fold to the four eaves of the house and fixed a steel bar with a small wheel on the fold to follow the pattern of the house.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Zhong couldn't think of the function of these things.
"In reply to Master, the young master and young lady are worried that if the house falls, it will hurt the young master and young lady inside, so they used the fold to fix the steel bar. As long as the house falls, the steel bar will open and hold the house.
The pig's bubble on the top is to prevent the house from falling into the water, so it is coated with gum to seal it. Even if the house falls in, there is no need to worry about leakage. The wheel is naturally easy to move, and with the shock absorber iron plate, the young master and young lady won't feel uncomfortable inside. "
The craftsman in the inner courtyard smiled and introduced the various functions. In fact, he was very envious of the young master and young lady. They were lucky to be born in a good family and have a house to play in.
Zhang Zhong nodded. He also felt that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo had done a good job. They had considered everything that could be considered. However, he thought of something and asked, "If the air inside is used up, won't the children suffocate to death?"
"Ah? Used up? Master, how long will it take for the air to be used up? If such a big house is used up, the young master and young lady will suffocate to death. The servants of the Zhang Family and Wang Family won't need to live anymore. The people of the Vigorous Protection Team will commit suicide. The four children won't suffocate to death even if they stay in there for ten days. If they can't be rescued, they will starve to death first. "
In fact, the craftsman's leader had thought of this before. He even asked the young master and young lady. However, the young master said, 'Is there no one to take care of my younger siblings? Will the house fall into the water by itself? Will the rescue take half a month? Then the people of the Zhang Family and Wang Family will die first. The guards will be the first to die. '
"That's right. With the capability of the Vigorous Protection Team Zero, if they can't save the children, then the existence of the Zhang Family and Wang Family is meaningless."
Zhang Zhong's face turned red. He felt that his question was too stupid. How could such a thing happen? Besides, this house was made of wood. There was nothing heavy in it and it was sealed well. If it fell into the water, it would float on the water. It could be used as a boat. How could there be an accident?
After the craftsman's leader answered this question, he asked someone to bring in a cross-shaped frame made of stainless steel. He measured it, as if he was going to put it inside.
This time, before Zhang Zhong asked, he directly said, "Master, this is to be put in the house. When the time comes, a strong string will be used to pull out the net. The walls inside will be thickened with cotton. There will be a separate net connected to the frame in each room. No matter which end of the frame hits the ground first, it won't break.
The young master and young lady said that the frame must be intact even if they fall from a height of twenty feet. When the time comes, no matter which room the young master and young lady play in, they won't fall to death.
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