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

"Demonic sect techniques? I don't understand what you mean, young master?"

Zhang Xiaoshan did not respond, because he knew that what Princess Taiping had just used was the ultimate technique of the Demonic Sect—the Great Method of Planting Demons in the Heart of the Dao.

After receiving the Dragon Ball, Zhang Xiaoshan continued to show Princess Taiping around his study.

When Princess Taiping saw a scroll that seemed to combine elements of both three-dimensional and traditional scrolling, a glint of light flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Dragon Scale Heavenly Book!

"Young master, where did you get this Dragon Scale Heavenly Book?"

"It was a long time ago, ten years ago, at the first auction on Ghost Street, one of the treasures that Mr. Zhang won in the bidding."

Zhang also studied this Dragon Scale Book for a long time. It should be a secret scroll from the Great Zhou Dynasty recording 'royal secrets'. Judging from the combination of calligraphy and painting, it is very likely a record of the location of the imperial tombs.

"It is said that Young Master Zhang is a man of extraordinary learning, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

"One Six Seven," Princess Taiping looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, who had revealed his true intentions, and her meaning was clear:

I know the value of this thing; Princess, don't try to fool me with the value of an ordinary Dragon Scale Heavenly Book.

The mystery of the Dragon Scale Heavenly Book is also one of the many secrets of the antique world.

Like the oracle bone script inscribed on the shell of a tortoise, some tomb raiders might understand it, but learned scholars might not.

"This scroll of Dragon Scale Heavenly Book actually contains a map, which was left by an emperor during the Great Zhou Dynasty."

However, the location on this map is in the Kunlun Mountains, which is related to a queen of a vassal state in the Western Regions at that time?

"Queen Jingjue?"

"It is not the Queen of Jingjue, but the legendary Queen Mother of the West."

Just as in the myths of unofficial histories of the Nine Provinces, the Queen Mother of the West had a connection with King Mu of Zhou, but the emperor did not return as promised after his return.

"The Queen Mother of the West?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Princess Taiping with a strange expression, never expecting that this Dragon Scale Heavenly Book would hide such a secret.

but···

"Since this Dragon Scale Heavenly Book records such secrets, why does the princess still want to tell you?"

"The Queen Mother of the West was the overlord of the Western Regions during the Zhou Dynasty. Legend has it that she had the ability to communicate with ghosts and gods and suppressed the Western Regions for decades."

After his death, he was buried in the Kunlun Heavenly Palace, a mysterious and dangerous place. Even with Taiping's abilities, though he could decipher the secrets of the Dragon Scale Book, he was still unable to obtain the treasures inside.

Especially since the Dragon Scale Heavenly Book is still in the young master's hands, Taiping's cooperation with the young master is the will of Heaven.

"interesting."

Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Princess Taiping with newfound respect.

At this moment, Princess Taiping was also looking at Zhang Xiaoshan, and her reasons were based on her own thoughts.

Zhang Xiaoshan's strength, his profound knowledge and experience, coupled with the Dragon Scale Heavenly Book, make him her best partner.

"Happy cooperation!"

Zhang Xiaoshan instinctively reached out to shake hands, while Princess Taiping paused, staring at the large hand before her.

Just as Zhang Xiaoshan realized what was happening and tried to pull his hand back, Princess Taiping's soft, boneless hand grasped his.

She knew this was Western etiquette!

Zhang Xiaoshan showed no reluctance, shaking hands briefly before parting, which aroused a hint of curiosity in Princess Taiping.

It is said that this young master Zhang is extremely philandering, and she is also extremely confident in her beauty.

The title of "the most beautiful woman in the capital" is no simple matter.

····

"Princess, please!"

There was no lavish meal, but rather sashimi prepared personally by Zhang Xiaoshan.

After all, while it's not exactly a secret that deep-sea fish sashimi is delicious, the texture of the meat is usually altered by the time it's transported here.

Zhang Xiaoshan's Xuanming True Qi was absolutely frozen, and after being unsealed, it remained as fresh as ever.

"This was caught by Zhang in the East China Sea on the way here, and then frozen with the extremely cold Nine Yin True Qi."

In this way, once the frozen seal of the true qi is broken, the fish meat inside will be as fresh as ever. This was the secret behind the Red Mansion's sea fish sashimi in the past.

Watching Zhang Xiaoshan cut the bright red fish meat into small pieces and place them in front of her, Princess Taiping also looked on with curiosity.

She had naturally eaten sashimi before.

She had also heard of the sashimi that Zhang Xiaoshan mentioned; it was a top-quality seafood that only Zhang Xiaoshan was said to be able to handle.

The main problem lies in the processing. When fishermen catch fish, it is generally difficult to stun them, remove the blood, and freeze them immediately, which causes the meat to change and become extremely bitter.

Princess Taiping's eyes lit up as she took a bite of the fish.

The fish meat not only has no fishy smell at all, but also has a faint sweetness and fragrance.

The fish meat was so tender and smooth that it seemed to melt in your mouth; this was also due to the effect of the Xuanming True Qi.

The remaining extremely cold Qi melts at the body's temperature, much like meat melting, making it even more tender and juicy.

"Young Master Zhang, how do you remove the fishy smell from this fish?"

"No special treatment is needed. As long as the blood is drained and the fish is frozen when it is caught, there will be little fishy smell."

"Is it?"

One piece, two pieces...

However, due to her royal composure, Princess Taiping only ate the ten pieces in front of her and then stopped eating.

Even on Zhang Xiaoshan's ornate marble counter, there was still a piece of fish weighing at least twenty or thirty pounds!

"Thank you for your hospitality, young master. I never expected that the legendary delicacies of the Red Mansion would truly be as extraordinary as the rumors suggest."

"If the princess likes it, then I will divide it into equal parts, enough for the princess's residence to use for a while."

And this piece of fish, weighing a hundred pounds, please have the princess present it to His Majesty Emperor Wu. It is a small token of the Zhang family's appreciation!

"The Empress will definitely like it!"

Princess Taiping knew that this kind of fish was considered a delicacy.

Moreover, the rarity and preciousness of this type of sea fish further highlight one's noble status.

Undoubtedly, the Empress would not refuse, and this would be the first step in the Zhang family's rise to power.

Princess Taiping originally intended to invite Zhang Xiaoshan, but unexpectedly, they ended up visiting the large Fujian ship instead.

The main ship is divided into two parts: upper and lower.

The upper floor is for living, and the soundproofing is excellent; all the materials used are of high quality.

After all, the cost of building these days is quite high, so solid wood is more cost-effective.

Below is the storage room, which contains not only various specialties brought by the Zhang family from Southeast Asia, but also goods prepared by Zhang Xiaoshan—glassware, soap, spices, etc.

Therefore, Princess Taiping, accompanied by Zhang Xiaoshan, spent the entire afternoon touring the area.

Even Princess Taiping was extremely shocked when she saw the Zhang family's goods.

As an imperial princess, what hadn't she seen?

But only after seeing the Zhang family's warehouse did I understand the meaning of "Xi Baqing, Bei Wanjia, Nan Zhangjia".

These goods are so enormous that they probably add up to a million taels of gold.

And this is just a large ship.

It should be noted that the Zhang family has four main ships, which means that the amount of cargo they carry is staggering.

This is not grain; ten grain ships might not even amount to 100,000 taels of gold.

These are all Zhang family specialty products, and their value goes without saying. These goods are worth at least five million gold coins, and they are all rare items.

Having entered a treasure mountain, one naturally cannot leave empty-handed.

Princess Taiping summoned a carriage, selected her favorite items, and filled more than ten carriages before leaving.

Although the Zhang family suffered considerable losses, the connection with Princess Taiping undoubtedly opened up access to the upper echelons of the Wu Tang Empire.

"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

"Please take care, Young Master Zhang!"

Princess Taiping looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, her beautiful eyes still showing some reluctance.

If the timing hadn't been inappropriate, she would have loved to have a long talk with Zhang Xiaoshan by candlelight.

What he saw today further confirmed his determination to win over the Zhang family.

Meanwhile, news that Zhang Jiafang had made connections with Princess Taiping spread throughout Luoyi in no time.

However, those who are truly clear-headed know that Princess Taiping is trying to win over the Zhang family, but they don't know if the Zhang family intends to side with Princess Taiping.

After all, the Zhang family's strength and prestige mean they don't need to rely on anyone.

Besides, she was just a woman.

That night, only Zhang Yuan and the guards of the Zhang family came to the courtyard that Zhang Xiaoshan had previously purchased to rest.

As for the others, they couldn't disembark from the ship in less than a month or two.

After all, there are two or three thousand people, and the Zhang family simply cannot arrange them all at once; they can only wait.

It wasn't that the Zhang family didn't want to rent a place to live, but rather that the place was too chaotic. Therefore, for everyone's safety, Zhang Xiaoshan had no choice but to let them stay on the boat.

Moreover, the goods on it also need to be arranged, so a large warehouse needs to be built.

Therefore, the entire capital city was shaken by the Zhang family during this month.

First, there was the choice of shops. The Zhang family acquired thirteen shops in one go, all in prime locations in the capital, and they were all sold or given away at half price.

The next day, Princess Taiping delivered three land deeds for gold shops.

After a month of renovations, these shops have begun to operate in a more formal and orderly manner.

Secondly, regarding the resettlement of personnel, Zhang Xiaoshan directly took over a section of the wharf area, constructing warehouses, residential areas, and Zhangjia Wharf.

In one month, tens of thousands of craftsmen, countless materials...

The Zhang family spent 300,000 gold coins to build a Zhang family 'port' that resembled a new city.

A new type of warehouse with a floor area of ​​hundreds of square feet and a concrete foundation;

The complex of buildings, each over five stories high, stretched out like a school from a later era, housing the Zhang family's long-time employees; nearby were amusement parks, private schools, pedestrian streets... everything was there!

Moreover, the Zhang family oversaw the construction of the concrete wharf themselves. Although the two wharves were adjacent to each other, they presented completely different views.

One is simple, like the countryside, while the other looks high-end and luxurious.

Moreover, the giant crane with its massive arms, the simple trailer... even the major families couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity of these mechanisms when they saw them.

The principle seems simple, but only the Zhang family used it.

Thirdly, Zhang Xiaoshan built a new mansion for himself, also not far from the dock, by the water.

The extravagance of the place is truly appalling.

Chapter 381 Juezhi's Exposure of Emperor Wu's Ambition

"Amitabha Buddha, the Zhang residence is not a forbidden place. Since you benefactors have come to visit, why do you need to sneak around?"

Not long after Zhang Xiaoshan moved out of the Zhang residence, one aristocratic family after another began to covet his position.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan was a Grandmaster, and according to legend, he was protected by a Grandmaster-level bronze-armored warrior, making him someone that ordinary people could not possibly spy on.

Only after Zhang Xiaoshan left the Zhang residence did they dare to spy on what was happening inside.

Even so, they still underestimated the Zhang family.

As soon as they entered the Zhang family compound, Juezhi, who was serving as a guard, looked at the group of people who were 'undisguised' and his eyes immediately lit up.

He was a peerless master, not a half-baked expert like Duan Yu or Tu Xuehua. He possessed eleven levels of martial arts, including the Golden Bell Cover, Prajna Palm, and Arhat Subduing Demon Staff. His skills were no less than those of the Underworld Emperor.

Moreover, after they advanced to become peerless masters, Zhang Xiaoshan also taught them a palm technique that was "unrivaled in the world".