Beitangfeng sneered and said: "You'd better have a way to prove it. I don't understand what you said about the rise of clear air and the decline of dirty air."
Qi Ning calmly said: "You have limited knowledge, and I don't blame you. To solve your doubts, it's very simple. Just find two big trees, then chop them down, plan them to the same thickness, and have people mark them. Which one is the root and which one is the tip, and then put the wood in. If it is still the same, it should be able to prove that I am not being cryptic."
Linghu Xu finally said: "Second Prince, Jin Yihou's method is indeed brilliant. He should have already given the answer."
"Prime Minister, I think it would be better for me to verify this." Beitang Feng thought that if I lost, I would have to sing and dance in public, which would be extremely embarrassing, so naturally I didn't want to give in so easily.
Linghu Xu smiled slightly and gave an order. Someone immediately went to cut down the tree. Linghu Xu then asked everyone to sit down again. Cutting down the tree naturally cannot be done in a moment. Linghu Xu smiled and said: "Everyone, the emperor recently gave me this gift. It is said that it is extremely rare to have a jar of wine, and since foreign countries are paying tribute, it is rare for envoys from Chu and Han to come, so the prime minister wants to take out the wine given by the emperor and drink it with everyone."
Some people think that both Northern Han and Southern Chu have vast territories, rich resources, and many rare things. When it comes to fine wine, whether it is the Han State in the north or the Chu State in the south, the wine culture is not weak, and Linghu Xu can have it. Bring out some rare wine.
Soon, he saw a servant coming in with a big jar, and a maid came in to buy a new wine cup for everyone. Linghu Xu made a gesture, and the servant walked to Prince Yu. , first poured wine into Prince Yu's cup, and the second one was Qi Ning, who then poured wine into the cups of everyone present in turn.
Everyone took a closer look at the cup. Qining also took a look and saw that the wine in the cup was red in color. When he got closer and smelled it, he knew it was wine.
Qining is very familiar with wine, but at this moment, he suddenly thought that this was the first time he saw wine after coming to this world. Although the Jinyihou Mansion is not luxurious, it is after all one of the few nobles in the Chu Kingdom. In the family, even in the Jinyihou Mansion, Qining has never seen any trace of wine.
He glanced around and saw everyone present, and even Prince Yu had a look of surprise on his face. He immediately understood that wine had not spread in the Central Plains at this time, and everyone here was well-dressed and well-fed, but when he saw the wine But he looked surprised, obviously he had never seen it before.
The wine is an imported product, so it can be seen that Linghu Xu's claim that this wine is extremely rare is not an exaggeration. It has not been spread in the Central Plains. It is something that no one has seen before, and it is certainly a rarity in the Western Han Dynasty.
Linghu Xu raised his hand and said with a smile: "My lord, give it a try and see how it tastes?"
Prince Yu took a sip from the cup, thought about it, and said with a smile: "It's extremely sweet, and it seems to taste like honey. It's not like wine, but a drink."
Qi Ning thought to himself that he had never seen grapes among the fruits of the Marquis. According to this, even grapes were not introduced at this time. If this is the case, it is no wonder that Prince Yu could not taste the grapes. Become.
"Jin Yihou, what do you think?" Qi Ning was thinking to himself, and when he heard Linghu Xu ask, he casually replied: "This wine is considered to be top quality. It has been well preserved and has some age."
Everyone looked at a loss, and Linghu Xu was also surprised: "Jin Yihou knows about Grape?"
Qi Ning could only say: "I heard people talk about it, but I don't really understand it."
Linghu Xu praised: "It's not easy for Jin Yihou to be able to taste wine at once."
Someone on the side has already asked: "Master, what are these grapes? Where does this wine come from?"
Linghu Xu looked at Qi Ning and asked with a smile: "Does Jin Yihou know the source of the wine?"
Qi Ning thought for a moment and then said: "I'm just going to make some nonsense. If I'm wrong, please don't laugh at me." After a pause, he said: "If I'm not wrong, wine should have originated in Persia, because Due to commerce and war, the wine-making method spread outwards. It was first spread in Asia Minor, and then spread to Europe. The real development of wine was in Europe...!" Suddenly, he felt that everyone was staring at him, Realizing that everyone here knew that neither Persia nor Europe had any, he could only smile and said: "There are many varieties of grapes. Because of the differences in cultivation and brewing techniques, the styles of wine are also very different. Yes, grapes are A fruit.”
Prince Yu, however, was obviously very interested and asked: "Marquis Jinyi, what are the Asia Minor and Europe you mentioned?"
Qining said: "I just heard people say that the world is very big, and we are just a part of it. There are many other countries in the world, and their appearance and customs are very different from ours."
"Nonsense, ridiculous." Beitang Feng said immediately: "The Asia Minor and whatever... continent you mentioned are all fabricated and have never been mentioned in the book."
"It's not mentioned before, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Qining said lightly: "I dare to ask, do you know which is the highest mountain in the world? Which is the largest sea? We didn't go out, and we didn't see us Things that have not been seen but exist will naturally not appear in the book." He picked up the wine cup and said: "For example, you have never seen this wine before. If the Prime Minister does not take it today, Does coming out also mean that it doesn’t exist?”
Linghu Xu had already clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Wonderful, wonderful, Jin Yihou's words are really inspiring and insightful."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "The Prime Minister is overly praised. I have only heard people talk about it and I think it makes sense."
"It's just hearsay." Beitang Feng snorted coldly, but at this time, he also knew that his knowledge was probably not as good as Qi Ning's, so he did not dare to say more.
Linghu Xu had already asked with a smile: "Jin Yihou, have you ever tasted wine before?"
Qining thought to himself, not to mention wine, what kind of wine have I not tasted? But he smiled and said: "I tasted it by chance."
"Oh?" Linghu Xu raised his eyebrows slightly: "As you said, this wine is imported. Could it be that your country has had contact with foreign countries?"
Qi Ning said: "Mr. Prime Minister, if I am right, this bottle of wine should have come from overseas. In fact, since foreign countries can reach your country from the East China Sea, they naturally have a way to enter our country of Chu from the South China Sea. He took a sip of wine from the cup and chanted: "Glow-in-the-dark cup of fine grape wine. If you want to drink, play the pipa immediately. Lord Don't laugh, lying drunk on the battlefield. How many people have fought in ancient times?"
His tone was quite emotional. Everyone looked at each other, and many people looked surprised.
In this poem, wine is directly integrated into it. The Jinyi Hou seemed to compose the poem on the spot. This poem is profound and full of iron-blooded heroic spirit, which is amazing.
After a period of silence, Linghu Xu let out a long sigh and said: "I heard a while ago that at the Jinghua Book Club of the Kingdom of Chu, a man dressed in fine clothes shocked everyone. He was still suspicious of his true appearance, but now it seems that he is worthy of his name. It's a good saying that Jun Mo is lying drunk on the battlefield. Laugh, how many people have fought in ancient times, what a poem, what a spirit!"
Qi Ning waved his hand and said with a smile: "I made it casually and made everyone laugh. Prime Minister, the most suitable wine glass for drinking this kind of wine is a luminous cup. Put the wine into the luminous cup. The red wine is like blood, and the color of the wine is like blood. , drinking wine in your mouth is like drinking the blood of your enemy, isn’t it wonderful?”
As soon as he said this, many people changed their expressions slightly, thinking that the Chu State and the Northern Han Dynasty were mortal enemies. Wasn't this statement directly directed at the Northern Han Dynasty? However, these words were very domineering and domineering, and many people secretly admired him. They thought that Jin Yihou was not only talented in literature, but also sharp in thinking and courageous. He was really a young hero.
Linghu Xu said nothing, clapped his hands and said, "Come here, put on the luminous cup!"
Although luminous cups are expensive, they are not a rare thing for the dignified Prime Minister of Eastern Qi. A servant brought more than ten luminous cups and replaced everyone's wine glasses with luminous cups. Now it is When the night is dark, the lanterns are full of color, and the wine is poured into the luminous cup. The color is bright and the momentum is different.
At this moment, I heard a noise from outside, and then I saw two people coming in one after another, holding two pieces of wood across their arms. Linghu Xu smiled faintly and stood up. Everyone also stood up, Linghu Xu. Xu made a gesture, and the two pieces of wood were immediately thrown into the water tank. Everyone gathered around the water tank. As the two pieces of wood stabilized, they saw one end sinking slightly under the water. Linghu Xu asked : "Has it been marked?"
The servant immediately said: "Return to the Prime Minister, we have already marked it." He came closer, took a closer look, and said: "Prime Minister, gentlemen, what was submerged a little deeper in the water is a section of the root of a tree. That’s true of both.”
When everyone heard this, all the doubts they had before were immediately dissipated. They thought that the method of Little Marquis Jinyi was really very clever. Since three consecutive pieces of wood were like this, there was no need to doubt its authenticity. .
Linghu Xu waved his hand and signaled his servants to move the big vat down. He picked up the luminous cup without saying a word. At this moment, everyone present also said nothing, but their thoughts were all the same, secretly thinking about Qi Ning and Beitang Feng. As promised, now that Qi Ning's method has been verified to be correct, the outcome of the bet between Qi Ning and Beitang Feng has been revealed.
Qi Ning was also calm and composed, holding a cup and drinking. Prince Yu was calm as usual. Only Beitang Feng looked ugly. There was a dead silence in the flower hall. Of course he understood the reason. Everyone here was obviously waiting for him to fulfill his promise, but he was so dignified. The prince of the Northern Han Dynasty really wants to sing or dance for everyone in public
He couldn't help but look at Prince Yu, but Prince Yu acted as if nothing was wrong and didn't even look at him.
Qi Ning did not speak, but heard a voice say calmly: "A person cannot stand without faith. A true hero is a true hero if he makes a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold. Naturally, a shameless villain cannot keep his word."
Everyone was a little surprised when they heard the words. They followed the sound and saw that the speaker was actually the Qinghai Tibetan Lama Gongzashi.