Zhang Shou actually thought that there would be no good results if the colored cotton seeds were planted
When leaving Qin Garden, Zhang Wu, who had just finished listening to Zhang Chen's long explanation, felt completely confused and even nearly took the wrong road several times. Not only him, Zhang Lu was not much better, he was distracted along the way, and if the guards hadn't followed to remind him, he would have almost run into a ditch several times. Seeing that the capital was approaching, the two brothers unexpectedly stopped their horses one after another.
"Xiao Wu, do you believe what Zhang Chen said?"
Zhang Wu was stunned when he heard Zhang Lu's straightforward question. Then he thought about it carefully and nodded, "Believe it. There is no reason for the young master to lie to us, and there is even less reason for Brother Chen to lie to us. You know, without them, we wouldn't be where we are today."
Zhang Lu was slightly stunned, then he laughed and said, "I knew you would give such an answer. You have been a grateful person since you were a child. Even your stepmother is so high and mighty that you would be grateful immediately if she treated you a little well. What's more, Zhang Chen and... Mr. Xiao? But it's true. One of them will definitely inherit the title of Duke of Qin in the future, and the other is the son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao. Naturally, they won't be blinded by money."
He intentionally emphasized the tone of the words "grateful for money", but he only saw Zhang Wu nodding in agreement, as if he didn't hear his hidden meaning at all. He suddenly felt discouraged, and it took him a long time to gather himself.
"Xiao Wu, although Mr. Xiao was born in the countryside and knows a little about agricultural science, he doesn't know much about growing cotton, otherwise he wouldn't have asked people to try growing that overseas variety, don't you think?"
Seeing Zhang Wu hesitate for a moment and then nod gently, Zhang Lu said seriously, "We personally went to the fields to see the brown cotton, and then watched people harvest it. We also gave the farmer a sum of money and personally led people to collect the seeds, and then brought them all to the capital. How could there be any problem with the seeds?"
Zhang Wu opened his mouth, wanting to refute Zhang Lu's statement, but he was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family, not the poor son of a farmer. Even though he had personally worked in the fields in Xingtai this time, he still didn't know much about farming.
Therefore, he hesitated for a long time, and finally said uncertainly: "Maybe it's just like what Zhang Chen told us before, about purification, degeneration and rejuvenation. There are many details in planting cotton, so it's not okay to simply collect the seeds and then plant them?"
"Haha." Zhang Lu laughed twice again, but he was unwilling to say anything more. If he said anything more, even if he and Zhang Wu had been close since childhood, it might arouse the other party's suspicion. He shook the reins lightly, and then shrugged: "Anyway, it's useless to say these things now. Whether the seeds were stolen or burned, not a single seed was left."
"Yes, Brother Chen also said that he had planned to find a way to sell it at a higher price, or to make some money in other ways, but someone took advantage of the situation and used this trick to wipe out the family." Zhang Wu shook his head helplessly, but soon cheered up again, "But Brother Chen gave us the blueprint of the new loom and instructed us to talk to Mr. Hua Si of Suzhou, so it can be considered as a balance."
Zhang Lu was too lazy to mock Zhang Wu for being content with his small fortune. The new loom already had many users in Cangzhou and Xingtai, so how could it be hidden? Moreover, the loom drawings were presented to the emperor by Zhang Shou. How could we know that Zhang Shou would not extort money from Fourth Master Hua and then present it to the court, just like he had done with the eldest prince