When the commander of the Zhongxing gunboat regretfully withdrew the order, "Turn the rudder to the left and prepare to ignite", Coward Xin had already made a special strange cry.
As a cook, he was assigned to three boats to get the seafood needed for the sauerkraut and seafood pot. When he was rummaging in one of the boats and muttering which seafood was the best, the guard above the tower heard an inhuman sound and found that he, who was no longer timid when facing five boats alone, began to tremble all over.
Something was wrong. The guard vigilantly looked at the ten people around him and took out a short gun from his waist. He pulled the trigger with his right thumb and took off the cover in front of it with his left hand.
This was not an automatic pistol and could only shoot once. The inside was a scatter bullet. When the trigger was pulled, the trigger would be installed on a small piece of flint and the short powder would be twisted to ignite the powder. The reaction time was not too long and the accuracy was low. In short range, the killing radius was large and the shooting range was short.
"What do you have on your boats?" The guard slightly steadied himself with the gun in hand and asked bluntly. It seemed that he would attack as long as there was something wrong.
The ten people did not know what this thing was, but when they saw it in the guard's hand, they could guess that it would cause a lot of damage to their bodies.
"No, nothing. Maybe, maybe …" One of the ten people seemed to think of something. While speaking, he looked at the person who was still holding the package tightly in his arms.
The person holding the package also thought of something, and his face suddenly turned ugly. There was regret, helplessness, and a trace of relief in his expression.
The guard was also nervous. He aimed the gun at the ten people. Every time he aimed at a person, that person would make a dodging gesture like Weiwei.
"Did you kill the people of Tang and rob his money?" The guard finally fixed his eyes on the person holding the package.
"Haha! Brother Feng, come and have a look. There is a big shell here. Judging from the traces, there should be pearls dug down. There are two, one big and one small. Ask them if they are in the hands of the ten people. We are going to be rich. "
Just when the ten people were being interrogated by the guard, Coward Xin dragged a big shell from the boat to the shore and shouted to the guard while dragging.
"Call me Brother Tian, not Brother Feng. Just bring something up. Well, it's good that you didn't kill anyone. I see. No wonder someone is chasing you."
The guard above the tower now understood everything. He carefully put the gun back, looked at the person guarding the package and went to the corner and sat down.
His actions made the ten people stunned. Money and silk moved people's hearts. They did not expect that when he heard that there was a big pearl, he was not in a hurry to get it. He even put away the weapon that should be very powerful.
"You, you're not going to rob it and make a fortune? A big pearl, a big pearl that can scare people to death." The most prestigious person among the ten swallowed his saliva and asked nervously.
"I want to make a fortune, but I know that if I rob it, I won't be alive to spend it. Let me see how big it is." The guard tried to calm his excitement. He saw the big shell, and he knew that the pearl was not small.
If he was not a native of Lu Zhou and did not know the ability of the Zhang family, he would not be able to control himself and rob it. Then, he would hide in the mountain and wait for a few years when no one could find him. Then, he would find a way to run far away and sell the pearls.
As a hunter, he was not worried about starving to death in the mountain. However, he did not dare to do that because he knew the good official too well. If it were someone else, they might not be able to defeat him in Lu Zhou's mountain. However, once the good official sent out the fifty-six people Zero Team, how could he hide? He was good at saving people, so he must be good at killing people.
Hearing his words, the guard carefully opened the package in his arms, revealing two pearls, one big and one small.
"So big? Is it fake? You, what are you doing with it? Are you afraid that you won't die fast enough? " The guard jumped when he saw the two pearls. He stared at the pearls with his eyes wide open and kept swallowing his saliva.
Since he was young, he had never seen or heard of such a big pearl. The small pearl was actually the size of an egg, and the big one was the size of a goose egg. Seventy percent was a pearl, and eighty percent was a treasure. Such a pearl should not appear in the world.
When he looked at the reflection of the pearls, he saw the reflection moving like light. Anyone with a little knowledge would know how much the two pearls were worth. Basically, it was priceless. It was not worth 10,000 strings of coins, but it was not worth a million strings of coins. It depended on how much the rich were willing to pay. Ordinary people would not even think about it.
"Scourge, what are you going to do with these two pearls? Where are you going to sell them? No one is willing to use them as medicine. An innocent man will get into trouble because of his wealth. Put them away. I don't want to look at them. The more I look at them, the more scared I am. "
The guard shook his head and sighed for the ten people. What could they do if they could not protect it?
The ten people also showed a difficult expression. If the pearls in the big shell could be smaller and more, then it would be good. But there were two big pearls. Could it be that they did not want them when they encountered them? If the pearls were so big that ordinary people did not dare to be greedy, then they were not treasures. They were life-threatening things.
If the color was a little dimmer and a little flatter, then it would be good.
"How about grinding them into powder and selling them?" The person holding the pearls asked in a low voice.
"What's the difference between them and ordinary pearls? How much do you want to sell them for? I'll ask a good official for you. Perhaps only he has the ability to buy these things and protect them. You don't have to count on anyone else. Or you can directly send them to the capital and give them to the Emperor. "
The guard had already lost interest in the two big pearls. When he first saw them, he still wanted to have them. But after thinking about it carefully, that idea could not be born again.
The most prestigious of the ten people heard his words and shook his head, saying, "Is the Emperor someone you can see just because you want to? If you ask someone else for help, I guess the ten of us and you will all die. "
"Don't drag me into this. If you want to die, just die. I won't die. As long as I am still the lighthouse of the Lu Zhou Chamber of Commerce, no one will dare to do anything to me. When the patrol ship comes back, I'll ask them to bring a letter back and see if the good official is willing to buy them. You can name a price."
The guard of the tower was not worried about his personal safety. The whole Lu Zhou was an iron bucket, and outsiders could not interfere at all. Even the new officials were very honest.
"Won't the patrol ship be greedy?"
"No, they are more timid than me because they know the good official better." The guard of the tower was not worried that the patrol ship had designs on the pearls because there were still people from the Zhang Family and the Wang Family on the ship.
Before the patrol ship came back, the timid Xin ran up in a hurry. When he saw the two big pearls, he swallowed the words he was about to say. Just now, he had found traces on the shell and knew there were big pearls, but that speculation and seeing it with his own eyes were two different things.
"Brother, Brother Feng, it … it's so big. Ah! Wait, I'm going to strangle the crossbow. It's killing people. "After a while, the timid Xin said in a trembling voice and turned to leave.
"Stop, the patrol ship will be back soon. Don't strangle the crossbow. Go and cook. Sauerkraut, seafood pot, and cook ribs. Since you saw such big pearls, let's celebrate. Remember, call me Brother Tian in the future."
The guard of the tower stopped him and gave him an order.
"Okay, Brother Feng, I'll go and let them taste the dishes." The timid Xin left happily to cook, leaving the eleven people waiting in silence.
Before the meal was ready, the patrol boats escorted the people on the five boats back. Without the need for the people on the tower to explain, they already knew what was going on. The people on the five boats were not from other countries. They were from Jiao Province. They were carrying goods and were about to come here to trade. However, on the way, they saw a big shell being fished up by people on three small boats.
They came closer to have a chat. Everyone knew that there would be big pearls in the shell. When they saw the big pearls, the people on the five ships were tempted. The people on the three ships also realized that something was wrong. They immediately found a reason to leave and stopped talking to the people on the five ships.
In the beginning, the people on the five ships were still in a daze, waiting for the three small boats to leave. Finally, they could not resist the impulse in their hearts and chased after them. Because there were many goods on the ships, they could not speed up for a while. They had no choice but to throw the goods into the sea and gradually shorten the distance.
It was the first time they came here, and they did not expect there to be a lighthouse here. The people on the lighthouse were so responsible and equipped with powerful weapons. After they tried to kill people to get ashore, they were thinking of a way when they were caught by the patrol ship.
Originally, the two ships were not on the same level. With the eight water columns, the only choice was to surrender.
The patrol ship could not directly approach the shore. They could only stop on the sea and send a small boat to the lighthouse to ask about the matter. A total of three people came down. Two of them were from the inner courtyard left by the Zhang family. They were in charge of the new weapon experiment.
When the three of them saw the two big pearls, the people who were not from the inner courtyard opened their mouths wide in shock. They muttered that they had not lived in vain and had learned something new.
Although the people from the inner courtyard of the Zhang family were also surprised, they recovered very quickly. The two of them looked at each other and said at the same time, "This time, the little ancestors have something fun to play with."
They really did not care about such big pearls. They were usually in contact with immortals, so it was not a big deal to look at a pearl. If these two pearls were given to the four little ancestors to play with, they would definitely be very happy. The pearls were beautiful.
"How much? Name a price," one of the inner courtyard people asked directly.
The ten owners of the pearls did not expect the other party to be so straightforward. For a moment, they were stunned and did not say anything.
When they did not say anything, the other inner courtyard person said, "How about this? You all go with Lu Zhou first. When the pearls are delivered to the main family, we'll tell you the price or use other benefits to exchange with you. Don't worry, the main family won't scheme against you for these two pearls. If you want to snatch them, you can do it now."
After the two of them finished speaking, they returned to the ship and waited. They let the ten people choose for themselves. The two of them had more important things to do, which was to collect data and study the use of cannons in naval battles.
The ten of them ate an unknown meal and drank some wine. In their daze, they finally decided to trust the Zhang family. Apart from the Zhang family, it seemed like no one else would treat them this way.
*****
When the spring plowing in Shuzhou began in advance, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finally received the two big pearls and a document about cannons sent by Lu Zhou on a fast horse.
The two of them sent the small pearl to Old Man Pi and the other three for them to see. They threw the big pearl to their younger siblings' room and let the little ones play with it.
The big pearls were good. The magnetism in such a big pearl was greater. It was said that it was good for the body and had a calming effect. Seeing the little ones holding the big pearls in their arms and drooling so much on them, one could tell how much the little ones liked them.
"It would be even better if they were ground into powder and eaten. You can also use it on your face. What should we do with the ten of them?" Wang Juan touched her tender face and asked Zhang Xiaobao.
"First, give them a few hundred strings of coins to settle down and bring them to Shuzhou. Ask them what they want. Two pearls. One for your family to eat, and the other one for Xiaobei and the others to play with. It's translucent and pretty."
Zhang Xiaobao really did not care. The big pearls now were like the diamonds in his past life. A diamond that was too big was not as valuable as divided into smaller pieces. Its social value was not based on its size. If it was not cut, there was no difference between a two-ton diamond and a one-ton diamond.
It was the same for pearls. Moreover, pearls could not be cut and polished like diamonds for decoration. One was for collection, and the other was to be made into medicinal materials. Giving ten people a long-term way to make money was better than giving them a large sum of money directly.
Wang Juan was satisfied with Zhang Xiaobao's arrangement. In this way, she would have good pearl powder cosmetics. Even if she did not use it now, she could wipe her hands and feel it. Thinking about it was one thing, but things could not be done like this.
"Xiao Bao, you want to keep all the pearls. Don't you plan to give one to Li Longji? If he knows there are such pearls, he will definitely get sick. It happens that the kind of illness that needs pearls to treat. The effect of looking for big pearls when he is sick is not the same as giving it to him now. "
"Yes, it's understandable. Who would expect such a big pearl to be uneasy? If you want to use it to suppress the shock, then give the small one to him. We can't snatch Xiaobei and the others' toys. Later, we will ask Grandpa Bi and the others if it's okay. Let's go and see how Xiaobei and the others are playing."
Zhang Xiaobao sighed with emotion about the benefits of being an emperor. As he spoke, he walked with Wang Juan to the courtyard of his younger brother and sister. On the way, he said, "Artificial pearl cultivation is to pick up the shells, choose the ones that can grow big in the future, and then put sand in them, right? Let their secretions be wrapped layer by layer. "
"It should also depend on which one secretes more. Do you want to cultivate pearls?" Wang Juan was not sure. She only knew that the pearls at that time would not be very good. They would be very cheap. They were not round and small. You could buy a pile of them with ten yuan.
"How could I? I'm just letting others try. In case they succeed, there is Lake Tai here." Zhang Xiaobao thought of using pearls as medicine. Pearls were too expensive now. They could not afford to eat medicine. If they could be cultivated, then it would not be as difficult as it was now.
As the two of them talked, they arrived outside the courtyard of the little guys. Before they entered, they saw four old men standing there with helpless expressions.
"Grandpa Bi, what's wrong with you guys? You don't look good. Get someone to take a look. "Zhang Xiaobao asked with concern.
"It's nothing. It's just that seeing the little guys having fun there made me happy." Old Man Pi said with a pained expression.
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