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

The Zhang family's fleet expanded from twelve to thirty large Fujian ships, and they even supervised the construction of an even larger super Fujian ship on the Ryukyu Islands.

In a short period of time, the Zhang family's influence overseas has skyrocketed.

With the samurai from Penglai Island escorting them, there was no need to worry about surprise attacks from Japanese pirates or ronin.

···

"Young master, these are the counterfeit copper coins that have appeared on the market."

Butler Yang respectfully handed several counterfeit copper coins from the market to Zhang Xiaoshan.

These counterfeit copper coins have been around for a while now, and even the Zhang family has suffered considerable losses. However, the Zhang family's main expense is luxury consumption; even their pastries cost at least one qian of silver. These counterfeit copper coins, worth only one wen, are merely a minor inconvenience.

But for small businesses, the emergence of counterfeit money is a catastrophic blow.

"This is counterfeit money?"

Zhang Xiaoshan frowned as he looked at the incredibly realistic copper coin in front of him.

At first, Zhang Xiaoshan didn't realize anything, but after hearing more and more people's desperate cries in the past few days, he understood the harm of counterfeit money. It destabilized the very foundation of the imperial court, and the people at the bottom of society suffered the most.

Those who can't think straight might commit suicide after a while.

And it wasn't just one or two; they were lining up to commit suicide by jumping into the river.

"Uncle Yang, withdraw 100,000 taels of gold from the accounting office. We'll take as much counterfeit money as we can from the market."

If that's not enough, then apply to me for more.

"Master!"

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's tough approach, even Uncle Yang's expression changed drastically.

If counterfeit money continues to exist, the Zhang family will be facing a bottomless pit, and in the end, only the villains will succeed.

“Go ahead, Uncle Yang.”

Aside from the flaws in its material, this copper coin is no different from any other copper coin, and it must have come from a copper mold under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. It won't last long.

Besides, the imperial court is helpless, and I cannot allow this counterfeit copper coin situation to continue indefinitely. If it drags on any longer, someone will inevitably be driven to suicide by jumping into the river.

"Young master, please have mercy!"

Uncle Yang knew that Zhang Xiaoshan was right, so he quickly went to make preparations.

One hundred thousand taels of gold is not even a major blow to the Zhang family's current strength; the gold they earn from Japan each year alone is far more than that.

Moreover, there are two other powerful tools for accumulating wealth: the South Sea Fleet and the Red Army.

In just two years, the Zhang family's business grew bigger and bigger, and their influence expanded.

At this time, Zhang Xiaoshan's subordinates, besides the two great ghost corpse guards and the four Jonin led by Liu Sheng Piaoxu, also included four top masters—Elephant, Lion, Tiger, and Leopard—the Twelve Music Ensemble, and one hundred and eight Blood Droplets...

Elephant, lion, tiger, and leopard are the four top experts Zhang Xiaoshan has recruited over the past two years:

The elephant is Zhao Longxiang, an outer disciple of Shaolin, who is proficient in the Golden Bell Cover and the Vajra Fist.

Lion is the Mad Lion Iron Warrior, one of the Ten Great Villains. His martial arts are the Mad Warrior 108 Strikes. Once he starts fighting, he is like a madman, not knowing the strength of his own body.

Jin Bu'er, nicknamed "Smiling Tiger," was originally a master of the underworld with exceptional leg skills.

Leopard is a golden leopard, a gambling master whose martial arts skill, the "Finger Flicking Divine Skill," uses dice as hidden weapons, and is truly exceptional.

The Twelve Girls Band is a hidden 'henchmen' organization within the Red Mansion. It consists of women who are proficient in musical skills, ranging from third-rate masters to top-tier masters, but in reality, there are far more than twelve members; twelve is just a number.

The Flying Guillotine is an assassin trained by Zhang Xiaoshan, specifically used to 'eliminate dissidents'.

After all, the Zhang family's business is extensive, and it's impossible for them to be involved in everything.

Sometimes, it is necessary to use swift and decisive measures to intimidate all sides, and these flying guillotines are his executioner's blade.

The Blood Droplets were composed of assassins recruited by Zhang Xiaoshan. Their weapons were designed based on the legendary Blood Droplets from the Yongzheng Emperor's era, and were not only exquisitely crafted but also extremely vicious.

The moment the flying guillotine was fired, the head was immediately severed from the body.

Although the Flying Guillotine has not yet drawn blood, Zhang Xiaoshan was already proficient in its use when he went to investigate last time.

It might be useless against a master, but against an ordinary person, it will be absolutely bloody.

It can be said that the Zhang family now possesses absolutely formidable trump cards, and their strength is in no way inferior to those major martial arts sects.

However, the Zhang family is a merchant family, so these experts are not well-known in the martial arts world.

Even though Tie Zhan and Jin Bu'er are both renowned masters in the martial arts world, the Zhang family is not a martial arts family, so no one has noticed their existence in the past two years.

Even if they noticed, they were reduced to mere watchdogs and looked down upon by those in the underworld.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Sea Fishing to Relax and Distract the Enemy?

"The Zhang family is using silver to buy counterfeit copper coins? Wife, wife, our copper coins, quick!"

"Brother Zhang, if we combine our two counterfeit copper coins, the Zhang family will demand at least one tael of silver to exchange them, and I don't have enough here!"

"That's good. Let's all chip in together, and then divide it up after we get the silver."

···

The market, which was originally filled with anxiety, was suddenly filled with excitement again when the Zhang family announced that they could exchange counterfeit copper coins for silver.

Gold and silver are true hard currencies. Compared to copper coins, which can be counterfeited, holding gold and silver in your hand gives you a lot of confidence.

For a time, people's lives were filled with despair, yet also with the glimmer of hope.

However, the Zhang family only exchanged one or two coins of silver; they generally wouldn't exchange anything exceeding three coins.

In times of emergency rescue, the Zhang family is not one to be taken advantage of.

The Zhang family rescued small merchants who had nowhere else to turn, not the big shopkeepers who could be considered 'wealthy'.

Moreover, the exchange location must be frequented by a constable or village head familiar with the area, who will specifically request the exchange.

With the help of the head constable, the village head, or some familiar neighbors acting as guarantors, those who specialize in spreading rumors about prices were prevented from coming to exchange for silver, thus reducing the Zhang family's losses.

In this way, even if the Zhang family traveled all over the streets and alleys, their loss would only be ten thousand taels of silver.

At this point, most of the counterfeit copper coins in the hands of vendors and ordinary people throughout Lin'an Prefecture had ended up in the hands of the Zhang family, and the rest were basically insignificant.

At least it didn't reach the point of despair.

"What a fine Zhang family!"

The Zhang family's actions were seen by many as those of a benevolent and righteous army.

Ten thousand taels of silver may not seem like much, but this is a long-term exchange business. If counterfeit money is not eliminated, the Zhang family will be facing a bottomless pit.

"It seems we don't need to take action."

Zhuge Zhengwo felt the market recover and smiled slightly.

Originally, Zhuge Zhengwo wanted to exchange the copper coins for the counterfeit copper coins, but before he could take action, the Zhang family had already exchanged most of the copper coins on the market.

It played a crucial role in stabilizing the market.

"The Zhang family has suffered considerable losses, and we must act quickly. The people will not have peace of mind until the counterfeit currency is eradicated!"

Not only Zhuge Zhengwo, but also the entire Six Doors (a government agency) mobilized at this time.

After all, the more rampant the counterfeit money becomes, the more incompetent the Six Doors appear. Under criticism, they cannot escape responsibility and may lose their positions at any time.

····

"Piaoxu, deliver this invitation to the An family and tell them that I'm inviting Master An to go sea fishing tomorrow!"

Sea fishing?

Hongxiao and the others were puzzled by Zhang Xiaoshan's absurd invitation.

But Zhang Xiaoshan's actions were always unpredictable. Liu Sheng Piaoxu took the invitation and went to the Zhang family. Zhang Xiaoshan looked outside and couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

An Jia is not short of money; his business has doubled in the past two years. Why would he do such a wicked thing?

As for a change of dynasty?

It's not their turn to settle down.

Back in his study, Zhang Xiaoshan took out the silkworm fishing line he had prepared beforehand.

The fishing line, when coiled up, barely needed to wrap around his large hand once; the pulled-out end was extremely thin, ten times thinner than ordinary cotton thread.

But this kind of fishing line can lift a thousand pounds out of thin air.

Early the next morning, Zhang Xiaoshan, along with Huang Rong, Liu Sheng Piaoxu, Hongxiao, and Jiangxue, arrived at the dock where the fishing boats were moored.

Zhang Xiaoshan went sea fishing, so he didn't bring the two great ghost corpses with him.

Even so, Huang Rong and Liu Sheng Piaoxu were both innate masters, and their strength was definitely among the best in the martial arts world.

Due to limitations in aptitude and resources, Hongxiao and Jiangxue have only barely reached the top level.

Moreover, they have very little practical experience.

"This is truly unexpected! Mr. Zhang actually invited me to go sea fishing at An's place?"

As Zhang Xiaoshan arrived at the dock, An Shigeng also slowly approached with two pretty maids, each carrying a fishing rod with a fishing line that faintly reflected a golden light, undoubtedly made of golden silkworm silk.

At the same time, An Shigeng glanced at Huang Rong and Liu Sheng Piaoxu beside Zhang Xiaoshan, his amazed expression flashing by in an instant.

A daughter is growing up in our new home!

At this moment, both Huang Rong and Liu Sheng Piaoxu possessed unparalleled beauty that could topple kingdoms.

Even though Hongxiao and Jiangxue were both incredibly beautiful and charming because of their cultivation of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang (a martial arts manual), they were still stunningly beautiful.

"This period may be turbulent, so let's invite Uncle An to go sea fishing to relax."

"Is it?"

An Shigeng looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, knowing that the other party might know something.

This is a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

After boarding, in addition to a dozen or so sailors, three famous courtesans from Lin'an Prefecture accompanied them on board.

The journey was boring, and the group couldn't stay fishing all the time; music and dance were also hobbies for scholars and gentlemen.

As for the chef?

With Huang Rong as his cook, Zhang Xiaoshan naturally didn't need to hire any of the top chefs.

"set sail!"

The massive ship, a full ten feet long, slowly set sail, and Zhang Xiaoshan and An Shigeng exchanged smiles.

Being away from Lin'an Prefecture is a rare opportunity for relaxation.

For the past two years, Zhang Xiaoshan has basically never left Lin'an; Zhang Yuan has been the one managing the business outside.

However, being stationed in Lin'an Prefecture is no easy task.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan has not stopped cultivating in the past two years. In particular, the jar of snake gall brought by Zhang Sanfeng, along with three ginseng treasures, He Shou Wu and Blood Lingzhi that are over five thousand years old, have pushed Zhang Xiaoshan's Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt to the peak of the seventh level.

It could be said that Zhang Xiaoshan, in the eyes of outsiders, was always fighting hawks and walking dogs, but his hidden strength was already close to that of the number one person in the martial arts world.

"Chirp chirp..."

Suddenly, the snow fox in Huang Rong's arms leaped off the boat.

A white shadow flashed and disappeared, leaving everyone puzzled, but Zhang Xiaoshan remained calm.

Soon, the snow fox caught up again, with a luminous pearl in its mouth.

The bead looked ordinary, but after Zhang Xiaoshan took it, he rewarded the snow fox by feeding it a piece of spiced beef jerky.

Over the years, under Zhang Xiaoshan's tutelage, the snow foxes have not only been enhanced in all aspects, but have also developed a keener sense of smell.

This flowing pearl is made from special spices and medicinal herbs. Once it appears within a hundred feet of a snow fox, the snow fox will definitely be able to smell it and bring it back.

Crush the teardrop; inside is a letter.

Even An Shigeng suddenly realized that this was information from Zhang Xiaoshan's intelligence network.

The message on the letter was sent by Lei Laowu.

After two years of preparation, the time was ripe to excavate the Great Golden Dragon Vein. Lei Laowu sent word that they were ready to take action.

In order to excavate the Great Golden Dragon Vein, Lei Laowu has found many helpers over the past two years.