In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

In Zhang Xiaoshan's eyes, there was no concept of loyalty to an emperor.

The incompetence of the Great Zhao Empire could not possibly be the wise ruler he envisioned.

If it weren't for the lack of information, Zhang Xiaoshan would have wanted to overthrow the imperial rule directly.

"Sir, it's done!"

"The two of you together?"

"No, since the matter has been taken care of, we won't bother you any longer, young master!"

"In that case, see you next time!"

Zhang Xiaoshan smiled calmly at the two of them; his intention to see them out was quite clear.

Neither of them are particularly hospitable!

"Young master, why didn't you invite our guests to stay earlier?"

Despite being partners, Zhang Xiaoshan was outwardly quite polite to the Persian Grand Master.

"If you're not hospitable, what's the point of keeping me here!"

The disdain at the corner of his mouth and the contempt in his eyes were genuine.

Even Zhu Wushi, who had been talking to him the whole time, could sense which attitude was making him extremely angry.

But there was nothing he could do; if he dared to attack the Zhang family, the Zhang family would dare to attack him in return.

Moreover, his Absorption Technique was precisely countered by Zhang Xiaoshan's Pure Yang Finger.

As for using the power of the empire?

This may have given Zhang Xiaoshan the opportunity to join forces with Cao Zhengchun.

The Zhang family are businessmen, and when it comes to interests, they will definitely choose the side that is most beneficial to them; and those eunuchs are even less likely to give up the Zhang family, their cash cow, especially since it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Even if they wanted to use the Wan family to attack the Zhang family, it would be impossible.

···

"Got home!"

I was away from home for almost a month, and it was already mid-December when I returned.

Another year has passed, and for Zhang Xiaoshan, the gains this year have undoubtedly been enormous.

Not only did the plan go smoothly, but Zhang Xiaoshan also had a premonition that the ocean-going team should be returning soon.

This was something Zhang Xiaoshan had always kept in mind.

After all, there are so many treasures on the other side of the ocean.

If Qin Shi Huang had launched a war of unification, and there had been enough food, the war would have been much less likely to result in innocent casualties; if there had not been enough food, the result would have been widespread starvation and people resorting to cannibalism.

War may not concern ordinary people, but it is inextricably linked to everything.

Once empires clash on the battlefield, conscription and the requisition of provisions are inevitable; in chaotic warfare, burning, killing, looting, and all manner of atrocities are committed.

But where will the army get its food if there isn't enough?

They will inevitably impose heavy taxes, and at that time, without any stored grain, the people will starve to death for thousands of miles, and nine out of ten houses will be empty.

Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos!

Food is an eternal theme.

This is also the great merit that Zhang Xiaoshan is looking for.

Having grown accustomed to several surges in value, Zhang Xiaoshan could no longer bear the thought of accumulating thousands or tens of thousands of merits a year.

"Pack up and move back to the old house for a while. We'll probably be busy from now on."

"Ok!"

They knew exactly what the Zhang family was busy with: checking accounts, shipping goods, promotions...

With such a large operation as the Zhang family, how could Zhang Xiaoshan, as the young master, not personally oversee it?

The next day, Zhang Xiaoshan, who had just returned, brought his female relatives back to the Zhang residence, which not only made Zhang Yuan extremely happy, but also attracted great attention throughout Lin'an Prefecture.

Last year, when Zhang Xiaoshan was in Southeast Asia, they thought the Zhang family had already separated.

However, considering that the Zhang family has only two members across two generations, with father and son passing the torch, it's impossible for them to separate.

"Young Master, this is the revenue for Glass and Soap this year..."

"Young Master, these are the account books and reports for Hongfu and the pastry shop this year..."

"Young Master, this is a newly opened jade jewelry shop. All expenses and income are recorded here..."

···

As Lunar New Year's Eve approached, Zhang Xiaoshan was overwhelmed by the mountain of account books.

Meanwhile, at least a dozen accountants were constantly typing away at these ledgers, calculating income and expenses, and finally the total profit.

Hongxiao and Jiangxue, who were standing to the side, would occasionally serve everyone hot tea, rice porridge, ginseng soup, and so on.

Chapter 307 Ghost Street Gold Dividing and Salt Business

"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. This is your reward for your efforts. I hope you won't find it too much!"

Three hundred taels of silver in three days, ten catties of rouge rice, and a top-quality ham...

Three days of busy work yielded at least a thousand taels of silver and New Year's goods. Even the dozen or so accountants couldn't help but smile, knowing their efforts hadn't been in vain.

These things, in particular, cannot be bought with money.

Rouge rice, top-quality ham, and premium silk are all in high demand.

"Thank you very much, young master!"

"It is only right that all of you uncles have been busy for the Zhang family."

After seeing off the accountants, the fruits of several days' hard work were finally compiled into a single volume, representing the Zhang family's total income for the year, not even including smuggled and exported goods.

The income amounted to more than seven million taels of silver, and after deducting expenses, expenditures, and dividends, the Zhang family ultimately received at least five million taels.

As for the profits from Dali, they came from the black market.

Why not take advantage of the money in Ghost Street?

"Uncle Yang, take the account books to Father."

"Yes, Master!"

····

Not only the Zhang family was settling accounts, but the same was happening in Ghost Street.

Basically, wealthy merchants in grand mansions spend the twelfth lunar month calculating their annual income and expenses, and summarizing their year's gains.

The Zhang family and Ghost Street were undoubtedly the busiest.

The Secret Chamber of Tianji Tower!

As the doors around the secret chamber opened, the group entered and saw a tall, imposing figure with his back to them, flanked by two aged figures.

At the round table, Ghost Yama and Lady Dongming sat quietly, looking at the account books in their hands.

At the end of the year, these gluttons and wolves lurking in the shadows will undoubtedly not miss out on the year-end bonuses.

Even Lei Laowu, the Heavenly Official of the Tomb Raiders who hadn't appeared for a long time, was playing with an ancient jade in his hand, which made Yingye Wang and Gongsun Da Niang look at him with great interest.

The four schools of tomb raiding have now achieved absolute success.

Lei Laowu, as the Heavenly Official of Tomb Raiders, was even more famous in the Central Plains, and could be called the top boss of the tomb raiding industry.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Please be seated, everyone!"

The top three: Golden-Faced Buddha, Ghost Yama, and Lady Dongming!

The three central gates: Faqiu Heavenly Palace, Eagle King, and Gongsun Da Niang!

The lowest of the low:镖头 (bodyguard), 蛇王 (snake king), 帮帮主 (gang leader), 老马马 (brothel madam), 书生 (scholar/young scholar)...

All nine gates gathered together, forming a grand hall.

"After the expansion of the Nine Gates, today's gathering is also a chance for us to get to know each other."

"Don't dare!"

Facing the golden-faced Buddha, no one showed the slightest arrogance.

Just from the elderly couple behind them, everyone already knew who they were.

The once-ruling assassin—Ghost Shadow, Wind and Thunder Palm Sun Tianfeng!

Each of them is at least a top-tier master, more than enough to suppress them, not to mention the Heavenly Official of the Tomb Raiders, who is also a member of the Golden-Faced Buddha's faction.

"Because everyone joined at different times, this profit sharing is also different, Ghost Yama!"

"Bring it up!"

Ghost Yama was in charge of the accounts. At his call, more than a dozen strongmen carried in boxes.

The box contained gold and silver jewelry, totaling over a million gold pieces.

Real money dividends!

"Aside from their own businesses, Ghost Street's total revenue this year exceeded one million gold coins, amounting to 1.28 million taels."

The top three families each receive 70%, with Buddha and Tianji Tower each receiving 30%, and Lady Dongming receiving 10%. The middle three families each receive 15%, including Fifth Master receiving 150,000 gold, Eagle King and Granny Gongsun each receiving 20,000 gold. The bottom nine families each receive 15%, with Snake King, the gang leader, and the madam each receiving 40,000 gold, and the others each receiving 10,000 gold.

Upon hearing their respective results, the initial excitement of the group quickly turned into an extremely unpleasant expression.

There were over a million taels of gold in total, but unexpectedly, the final dividend was only 10,000 taels.

"I don't agree!"

"Me too, why should we only get 10,000 gold?"

Seeing the crowd's resentment, Ghost Yama took out a ledger and slowly said:

"Each party's share of the profits is based on its own criteria; it's impossible for those who contribute more to receive the same share as those who contribute less."

Ghost Street isn't the place for you to seek fairness; this is the answer you've been looking for!

Ghost Yama threw the ledger over, and the few unwilling people gathered together to look at it.

Yin Yewang and Gongsun Da Niang were also curious, wondering what the distribution method would be.

But undoubtedly, it seems they only received the guaranteed minimum share.

Lei Laowu alone received 150,000 gold coins, while they only had 20,000 gold coins, which wasn't even enough to cover Lei Laowu's share.

Thinking about this, they realized they couldn't just drift through life anymore.

Such a huge gap clearly shows that Ghost Street has its own way of calculating. Even if a brothel madam has fallen to the lowest rung of society, she still earns 40,000 gold coins a day.

"Moreover, in the future profit sharing, Buddha will receive 30%, Tianji Tower 20%, Lady Dongming 10%, the Middle Three Gates 20%, and the Lower Nine Ranks 20%!"

Furthermore, there will be no guaranteed share of profits from now on. If you contribute nothing to Ghost Street, you won't receive a single penny, let alone 10,000 gold. That's true fairness!

"I have no opinion!"

Eagle King's arrogance was immediately echoed.

I didn't understand the rules before, or rather, I didn't pay attention to them, and I suffered a small loss.

But the principle of "more work, more pay" is a perfectly reasonable way to distribute rewards.

"Divide the gold!"

The strongmen distributed their gold to each other according to their allotted amounts.

The gleaming gold, despite previous resentment, brought immense joy in the face of real gold and silver.

"In addition, there will be a Ghost Street event at midnight on New Year's Eve."

According to the previous rules, everyone should bring out one treasure. However, there are far too many treasures this year. Those who wish to go on stage can go directly to Ruyan to register.

"understand!"