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

What he needs right now is a master like this to suppress those lawless scoundrels in the martial arts world.

However, Cao Shaoqing's explanation indicated that getting Ding Peng to pledge allegiance to the imperial court was not an easy matter.

"Moreover, the Demonic Cult recently has plans to re-emerge. These members of the Demonic Cult are lawless and even more troublesome than the righteous path."

"A comeback?"

Even Zhu Shou knew that these restless madmen, who were grinding their feet, had come for revenge.

If the Demonic Sect were to resurface, the recently stabilized situation could very well be thrown into chaos again by this unexpected intrusion.

"Could we use the power of the Sun Moon Cult to destroy the resurgent demonic cult?"

Those in the same trade are enemies; even those from the same evil sect are rivals!

Therefore, Zhu Shou came up with this strategy of using one tiger to devour another, so that once it succeeded, the court could reap the benefits.

Moreover, the Sun Moon Cult is far more powerful than the Demonic Cult.

It can both suppress the resurgence of the Demonic Cult and allow the Sun Moon Cult to remain quiet for a period of time.

As for destroying the Sun Moon Cult?

Without absolute certainty, Zhu Shou dared not make a move against a Grandmaster.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go and try it right away."

Chapter 492 Wan Sanqian's Return: The Zhang Family Saves the Beauty

"Your humble servant, numbering thirteen thousand, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

This was not a mission or an official envoy, so Zhu Shou summoned Wan Sanqian to the Southern Study for a private audience.

Moreover, the secret of this Nine Dragon Jade Disc should not be known to too many people.

Upon seeing the sandalwood box presented as tribute by Wan Sanqian, Cao Shaoqing hurriedly went down to receive it, carefully took out the jade disc inside, and handed it to Zhu Shou.

Nine Dragons Jade Disc!

The carving is barely considered top-notch, but the design is stunning and the materials are of the highest quality, which is why even Zhu Shou couldn't put it down.

After all, this is mutton fat jade. Even a small jade pendant, if carved with superb craftsmanship, is worth a fortune. Not to mention this jade disc, which is at least fifteen centimeters in diameter.

"Was this jade disc personally carved by Young Master Zhang?"

The Zhang family can't find a good jade craftsman? Even a master-level jade craftsman is just a matter of a word from the Zhang family.

"Your Majesty has discerning eyes; this is indeed the jade disc personally carved by the young master."

The interior contains numerous ingenious designs; what appears to be an 'ordinary' jade disc actually hides a secret that cannot be discerned from its exterior.

"profound!"

Zhu Shou played with it for a while, but couldn't find the mechanism, so he looked at Wan Sanqian.

Wan Sanqian was, after all, a great merchant, and his observational skills were certainly no less than Zhu Shou's.

"Your Majesty, please close the surrounding doors and windows to block the sunlight, and also prepare a candlestick!"

"Cao Shaoqing, go and prepare!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Wan Sanqian took the sandalwood box that had been used to display the items, which was also one of the props.

When Zhang Xiaoshan personally demonstrated, he used the internal energy of a Grandmaster, while Wan Sanqian's demonstration required the use of a sandalwood box as a prop.

What appeared to be an ordinary piece of sandalwood was transformed, under Wan Sanqian's manipulation, into a tiny projection hole within the wooden box's lock. As the Nine Dragon Jade Disc, the tiny hole, the candlestick, the screen, and other elements were neatly arranged, a dragon shadow was projected onto the screen. This was a miniature projector designed by Zhang Xiaoshan using the principle of pinhole imaging!

The jade disc slowly rotated, and the nine dragons, each with a different shape, changed into various postures.

Gradually, the dragon's image seemed to come alive, strangely and unusually.

Such an exquisite design even impressed Zhu Shou and Cao Shaoqing, who stared intently at the screen with expressions of amazement.

Even if placed under a lamplight, one might not be able to find the hidden sword technique unless the method to break it is known.

Because this sword technique is 'alive,' not 'dead.'

A masterpiece of craftsmanship!

"These are the first eight moves of the Dragon Slaying Saber Technique. The ninth move requires profound internal energy to rotate the jade disc at a constant speed. When the speed of the dragon shadow reaches an extreme, and the nine dragons merge into one, the ninth move of the saber technique will appear."

The young master stated that the ninth form requires extremely profound internal energy to master; even the King of Hell on Ghost Street is not qualified to learn it!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou glanced at Cao Shaoqing.

Cao Shaoqing naturally understood Wan Sanqian's actions just now. The first eight sword techniques were hidden in the dragon shadow, which was ingenious.

The ninth move requires the nine dragons to unite as one, which can be considered a method of blindfolding.

Unfortunately, despite Cao Shaoqing's high level of internal strength, his attempts all ended in failure.

If forced to activate it without considering other factors, the jade disc will only break.

In this situation, Wan Sanqian could only stammer and stammer.

Seeing through things but not saying it, Wan Sanqian would never say that Cao Shaoqing's internal strength was insufficient, and even Zhu Shou did not force him.

He needed a long time to comprehend the first eight forms, but even the Ghost King Yama was not qualified to learn the ninth form of the sword technique, which shows that the power of the ninth form is so strong that it must be a qualitative change.

We can just find an expert to decipher it then.

"On my behalf, I thank Young Master Zhang for his generous gift!"

Although the Nine Dragon Jade Disc was not the Imperial Seal of the State, it was still a national treasure for Zhu Shou.

Moreover, the ingenuity of the design is truly ingenious.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I still dare to speak:"

Recently, many outlaws from the martial arts world have gathered in the capital, presumably eyeing this treasure. Your Majesty, I urge you to strengthen your defenses!

"The imperial palace is heavily guarded; are we afraid of petty thieves?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Sanqian quickly nodded in agreement.

He had already given a warning; whether Zhu Shou listened or not was no longer the Zhang family's business.

When Zhu Wushi left, he received Zhu Shou's promise that the Zhang family could fully take over the business previously handled by the Wan family.

Even when Cao Shaoqing saw Wan Sanqian off, they were chatting and laughing.

After all, with the powerful alliance between the Wan and Zhang families, money would flow into his pockets like water.

Moreover, with the support of the Wan family, Zhu Wushi established the Dragon Guard Manor.

Cao Shaoqing also has huge ambitions and needs huge financial support, so Wan Sanqian is the best candidate.

"Lord Cao, please don't see me off. I have already arrived here. Your Majesty's safety is the priority."

"Master Wan is very thoughtful. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come to us. We can still make decisions in this small corner of the capital!"

"Thank you for your help, Supervisor!"

After leaving the palace, Xiongwu went to Wan Sanqian's side. Looking at the empty room of Wan Sanqian, he showed a hint of reluctance.

After all, this unparalleled sword technique has entered the imperial palace, which is like a pearl being tarnished.

The power of the Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique is far beyond what a group of royal children, who are not even top-tier masters, can learn.

"Let's go. What isn't ours can't be kept forever!"

"Pity."

Wan Sanqian left the palace empty-handed and began to reorganize the Wan family's previous businesses, marking them with the Zhang family's mark.

At this moment, the waiting crowd realized that the Nine Dragon Jade Disc was real.

If it weren't true, why would Zhu Shou have let go so easily?

In an instant, the winds of war gathered around the capital, threatening to crush the city!

The next day, Wan Sanqian brought generous gifts, including glass, soap, and snow salt, and visited all the wealthy families in the capital.

Faced with the return of 13,000 men, the nobles dared not be negligent.

In the past, Wan Sanqian was already a person of high status, let alone now that the Zhang family is backing him up.

Although it has lost its former glory, it now has a stronger backer and is more feared.

At the same time, Wan Sanqian also recommended some talented people from the Eastern Depot's prison.

Influenced by Zhu Wushi's rebellion, more than half of the officials and nobles in the capital had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated. In addition, Zhu Shou's exclusion of dissidents made it a massive purge.

Most of these people were innocently implicated.

Beyond the three clans, within the five degrees of mourning.

It was Zhang Xiaoshan's idea to select people from the Zhaoyu prison, as the literacy rate in ancient times was extremely low, less than one-tenth.

The people inside the Zhao prison were mostly members of large families, but they had benefited from their families' influence and were literate; otherwise, how could they have been implicated?

Having received the benefits, Cao Shaoqing naturally paid no attention to these insignificant figures.

Whether to kill or release is just a matter of a single sentence.

The Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) was just average.

Unlike the Jiangnan region, there are hundreds of beautiful and delicate young girls there.

These are young ladies from prominent families who have only been inducted into the ranks of the singing girls for less than a month. They are currently undergoing special training.

When Cao Shaoqing, who had come with Wan Sanqian, arrived, the people from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) didn't even ask him any questions before letting Wan Sanqian lead him away.

The Zhang family still wielded the power of Cao Shaoqing, and no one dared to interfere.

Moreover, the Zhang family paid the full ransom of one thousand taels per son, so the brothel did not lose money.

The responsibility rests entirely with Cao Shaoqing and the Zhang family.

In addition, Wan Sanqian selected over a thousand young women between the ages of twenty and thirty, paying each of them one hundred taels of silver as ransom.

These were all concubines from wealthy families, each with a beautiful face.

After all, none of the concubines in wealthy families were unattractive.

Even Cao Shaoqing originally wanted to stop the Zhang family's extravagant plan, since these women were all going to be used as prostitutes.

Unlike the courtesans of the past, government-affiliated prostitutes were the lowest-ranking and most tragic group of women.

Especially now that they have just experienced a major battle, many soldiers need to vent their frustrations.

But a single message from Wan Sanqian allowed Cao Shaoqing to make a decisive move and decide the fate of the matter.

These women were taken out of the brothel, and Wan Sanqian, following Zhang Xiaoshan's instructions, led them to the confluence of the Longhe River and the Grand Canal, where they boarded a boat.

These women were criminals in the Ming Empire and could be arrested and taken back at any time.

Zhang Xiaoshan went to such great lengths to save these people, not to benefit others, but to bring these women to the Wu Tang Empire to fill the positions of the maids at Yingbin Tower.

After all, these women were all beautiful, of high quality, and cultured.

These days, what cultured and beautiful woman would want to work as a waitress in a restaurant?

Therefore, on the ship, Zhang Xiaoshan assigned positions according to their level of education, appearance, and physique, and explained their future arrangements.

With her body worn out and faded, it's impossible for her to continue clinging to powerful figures.

They had no choice but to work while trying to find a bodyguard in the Zhang family to marry.

The Zhang family has many single guards and servants, and most of these women are beautiful. The Zhang family has done this kind of arranged marriage more than once or twice.

If they hit it off, the Zhang family will not only not object, but will also send congratulatory gifts.

The agreement signed by the women was also a labor contract, with half of their wages used as collateral for their release from prostitution, and the other half paid normally.

Upon hearing this, the women immediately kowtowed in gratitude.

After all, compared to becoming "official prostitutes," Zhang Xiaoshan's arrangement was a rescue from their dire situation.

In addition, Huang Rong also began to look for women suitable for practicing martial arts.

These women have a 'clean' background, and if they are of good quality, they can serve as female guards in the villa.

Of the thousands of women, at least three hundred were suitable for cultivation, and more than ten of them had exceptional talent.