The wine installed by Shao Yun is a relatively ordinary 38-degree sauce-flavored liquor. In this era, there was no baijiu, and rice wine had a low alcohol content. Shao Yun'an's own rice wine was considered to have a high alcohol content. 38% alcohol is definitely considered strong alcohol for people of this era. He also didn't dare to take good wines like Moutai and Wuliangye, and only took very ordinary baijiu, so that if he had to brew it in the future, at least he wouldn't mess it up. He could still handle ordinary baijiu brewing, but it was just his hobby. It is wine, so there are most wine-making tools and equipment in the space, and there is only one set for liquor.
There are only two small jars of liquor. Eunuch An took out an altar and put it on the table, and opened it carefully. As soon as the seal was opened, Eunuch An and Eunuch Zhuo who helped him sniffed involuntarily. Eunuch Zhuo turned around and said, "Your Majesty, thousand years old, this wine is really fragrant!"
The emperor and the queen got up and walked over at the same time, and Jiang Kangchen boldly walked over curiously. Before he got to the table, Emperor Yongming's nose was moving. He quickened his pace and came to the table, sniffed it, and immediately shouted: "Pour me a cup!"
Mr. An scooped some out with a spoon and poured it into two wine cups. Emperor Yongming took a cup, smelled it again, his eyes were shocked, he took a sip, and then he stared at the cup with wide eyes. When the Queen saw this, she immediately took a sip, and then her eyes widened: "This wine!"
Everyone else was curious, what happened to the wine? It smells delicious! The Queen took another sip and said, "You all have a taste too."
Eunuch An immediately poured another three cups. After he, Eunuch Zhuo and Jiang Kangchen tasted it, they were all shocked, the wine was so fragrant!
"This baijiu tastes slightly spicy, but then it has a strong aroma that is different from goat's milk wine. Oh, I don't know how to describe it. It's delicious, delicious!"
Eunuch An couldn't wait to take another sip, his surprise was beyond words.
Jiang Kangchen smacked his lips and said, "This 'baijiu' will definitely keep the merchants from the Shanren Tribe and Xianlu Kingdom."
Emperor Yongming's expression changed when he heard this: "What? Isn't this liquor for me?!" He completely forgot that Shao Yunan's letter was to use this liquor to keep wealthy businessmen from those two countries.
Eunuch An paused, Jiang Kangchen paused, and Eunuch Zhuo also paused. The queen coughed twice, took Emperor Yongming's hand, and said kindly: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Several merchants from the Shanren Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom came to buy new tea and goat's milk wine at high prices. But our hands It's gone, and the Hengyuanhou's Mansion is watching. In order to stabilize those businessmen, Anze wrote to Shao Yun'an, asking him to find a way. This white wine is one of the ways."
"no!"
Of course Emperor Yongming remembered, but he doesn't remember now!
"I haven't even drunk this wine yet, so how can I give it to people from other countries? No way! I need Shao Yun'an to think of another way! I want this wine." The wayward Emperor Yongming looked at the dumbfounded Eunuch An, " How much of this 'white wine' does Shao Yun'an have?"
Eunuch An blinked, and looked at the Queen hurriedly for help. Hello, my emperor, can you stop making trouble
But the Queen also asked: "Anze, is there any more wine in Shao Yun'an?"
Eunuch An quickly shook his head: "No, no more. He said in the letter that there are only these two jars. This wine needs to be brewed with millet (sorghum). My court strictly prohibits the use of grain to brew wine, so he dare not make more. This The two altars were originally just a random move by him, and he never thought that he could brew this drinkable liquor."
Emperor Yongming was furious, he was the emperor, of course he couldn't openly violate the law, but compared to goat's milk wine, he fell in love with the taste of this white wine.
The empress who knew Emperor Yongming best said: "It is true that the law prohibits the use of millet to make wine, but it is not bad if it is just a few jars to drink by yourself. They want to set up an auction house to sell some rare items. This 'baijiu' is brewed and drunk by Shao Yun'an himself. The quantity will not be too large, so it is most suitable to be auctioned. Because the quantity is not large, and they use their own surplus food The brewing is not considered a violation of the law, what does the emperor think?"
Emperor Yongming really wanted to kiss his queen hard. He nodded again and again: "What the queen said is very true."
The queen said again: "It is indeed a waste of these two jars of white wine to keep people. Your Majesty, do you think this is good? The merchants of the Shanren tribe and the Xianlu country must not be snatched away by others. The emperor would rather be in the palace." Host a banquet in the palace, find a bright eye, and invite them into the palace. First, remind them who they should do business with; Even if there are, they are obtained by some low-level means. The businessmen are all smart, and they will definitely understand what you mean, and they will definitely not want to be enemies with you. In this way, the emperor will not have to waste these two jars of white wine. And you can keep those businessmen, killing two birds with one stone."
"well!"
Emperor Yongming hugged the Queen's waist without hesitation, feeling in a good mood. Eunuch An smiled, he was also extremely happy to leave these two altars of good wine to the emperor. Sure enough, Chitose is the most powerful!
"Your Majesty, there is also this kimchi, do you want to try it too?"
"good."
Emperor Yongming was really in a good mood. This Shao Yun'an is really his lucky general. He wants to see how that old man Wei Chunlin competes with him for business!
During the reign of the late Emperor Kang Sheng, although the national power of the Yan Kingdom had declined a lot, it was still considered a big country compared to the surrounding countries. As a result, Emperor Kang Sheng became more and more confused as he got older. Not to mention self-willed, he was also addicted to wine and sex. The Huhar Kingdom, which had always been eyeing the Yan Kingdom, took the opportunity to attack the Yan Kingdom.
The old and foolish Emperor Kang Sheng listened to his favorite concubine's ears, and sent Yongming Emperor, who was still a prince, to the border to defend against the enemy, not worried about any accidents to the crown prince. Emperor Yongming left the capital, while his brothers sent people to assassinate him, while taking advantage of his absence to cause chaos in the capital, they wanted him to never return to the capital.
With the invasion of foreign enemies, the battle for the throne, and the embarrassment of the emperor, many people thought that the power of the Yan Kingdom was coming to an end. Not to mention that the whole country is in a mess, the Huhar Kingdom's attack is also menacing. Also from that time on, businessmen from the Shanren tribe and Xianlu country rarely came to Yan country to do business.
The war lasted for more than half a year, and Emperor Kang Sheng suddenly fell ill after a night of messing around with his concubine. The queen's son Lin Wang Murongxian falsely preached an imperial decree to abolish the crown prince and make him the heir apparent. At that time, half of the aristocratic families in the capital supported King Lin's ascension. The situation was extremely critical. But what they didn't expect was that the prince Mu Gukun, who was supposed to be trapped at the border, suddenly returned to the capital with a team. The prince's party headed by the Dai family cooperated with the prince and broke into the palace, killing King Lin and imprisoning the queen. .
For ten days, the capital was filled with shouts of killing. Emperor Kang Sheng, who had been in a coma for a long time, did not see what happened outside the palace. Two months later, Emperor Kang Sheng died of illness, Lin Wang Murong Xian committed suicide in the prison, the queen committed suicide by taking poison, and Murong Kun ordered all the families of the queen's natal family to be executed. In order not to make the situation more unmanageable, Murong Kun followed the advice of Mr. Weng and General Dai and others, and only executed the queen's natal family. He did not take action against other forces that supported King Lin. If you don't do it, it doesn't mean that Emperor Yongming will forget. Dai Qiyou was poisoned during this period, and later lost his child.
In the cruelest "battle" for the crown prince, the Hengyuan Hou Mansion did not support King Lin, but it did not support Emperor Yongming either. The Hengyuan Houfu is a cunning fox, they will only choose what is most beneficial to them. Under the circumstances at that time, it was very risky for the Hengyuan Hou Mansion to support anyone, so they simply did not support anyone, and put themselves out of the matter with a neutral attitude. However, after Emperor Yongming ascended the throne, he rejected the women from the aristocratic family from entering the palace, which annoyed the Hengyuanhou Mansion. They would not oppose Emperor Yongming, but they would definitely not support Emperor Yongming's political views. Watching Emperor Yongming's difficulties in the country's economic recovery with a cold eye. Therefore, after Wei Chunlin, the current Marquis of Hengyuan, received the verbal order asking him to enter the palace for a banquet the next day, he couldn't help but speculate about the emperor's intention behind this move.
"Hongru, Hongzheng, what do you think the emperor means?" Wei Chunlin asked his two eldest sons in his study. The eldest son Wei Hongru and the eldest son Wei Hongzheng.
After Wei Hongwen left Xiushui Village, he returned to the capital directly. What Shao Yunan said can be said to have pointed him to the most suitable path for him. Wei Hongwen is not stupid, he naturally knows how to choose what is best for him and his brother. Wei Hongwen, who returned to the capital, can be said to have "returned without success", and even "broke up" with Shao Yun'an. Heng Yuanhou was quite dissatisfied with this. It's nothing to have a "collapse" with Shao Yun'an, but the people behind Shao Yun'an are the Queen and the Emperor! Heng Yuanhou scolded his son for being incompetent and not good at doing things. Although he didn't take the emperor and queen seriously, he wouldn't be so stupid as to directly confront them. Wei Hongwen was scolded as a "wild fire", and he just said "I quit", slapped his ass and left.
It is only right for me to scold my son, but you, a son, dare to throw face at me, you are courting death. You don't do it, some people do it! Marquis Hengyuan was not a vegetarian either, so he immediately deprived Wei Hongwen of all his powers, and temporarily entrusted his eldest son, Wei Hongwen's brother-in-law Wei Hongzheng to act as his agent. Wei Hongwen is also a hard-tempered person. He worked hard and worked hard for the Hengyuan Hou Mansion, and earned a lot of money. If you want to deprive it, you can deprive it. In a fit of rage, Wei Hongwen packed up his things and left the Hengyuan Hou Mansion without knowing where he was going.
Outsiders said that Wei Hongwen was stupid, just to endure his anger for a while, why bother to have such an unpleasant fight with his own father. Not to mention all the credit has been taken away, and there is no real power at all. The man at the helm of the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion's business, who is considered the richest man in the country, has so much power and wealth, Wei Hongwen actually said no, so he didn't want it. Forget it if he doesn't want it, he still ran away from home, his father is the Marquis of Hengyuan, does he still expect his father to invite him back home? The most important thing that Marquis Hengyuan lacked was a son, so what if Wei Hongwen was the second son, don't forget, Marquis Hengyuan also had a wife, who also had a real son.
After Wei Hongwen left the Marquis Mansion, Wei Hongru also lowered his profile a lot. The attitude of the people in the mansion towards him, the eldest son, also changed. Therefore, Wei Hongru behaved very calmly, calmly facing the undercurrents against him in the mansion.
Before Wei Hongru could speak, Wei Hongzheng preemptively said: "Father, from my child's point of view, the emperor is showing his favor to my Hengyuan Houfu. The emperor and the emperor made a lot of money from the new tea and wine a few years ago, but don't say The quantity is limited, and in terms of outlets, they can only be sold in the capital. The business channel still depends on our Hengyuan Hou Mansion, the emperor may want to ask you to open up sales for new tea and new wine."
Wei Hongru sneered in his heart, and said calmly on his face: "I thought the emperor did this to remind father."
"Remind me (father) of what?" Heng Yuanhou and Wei Hongzheng asked at the same time.
Wei Hongru glanced at Wei Hongzheng and said, "Father, Wei Hongzheng bought the new tea and new wine sold by the Queen at a high price, and sold them to the merchants from the Shanren Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom. Although doing so can earn a lot of money , but it will definitely annoy the queen. With the emperor's love for the queen, it is impossible for the emperor to ignore it."
Wei Chunlin knew about this. When Wei Hongwen left the capital on the third day of the lunar new year to go to Shao Yun'an, Wei Hongzheng took advantage of Wei Hongwen's absence and persuaded his father, Heng Yuanhou, to let him buy new tea and wine at a high price. Naturally, Wei Chunlin knew that this move would annoy the emperor and the queen, but with his wife whispering to him and the temptation of Wei Hongzheng's high profits, he acquiesced. Now that Wei Hongru said this in front of him, Wei Chunlin naturally couldn't say that he allowed it.
Wei Chunlin frowned, and Wei Hongzheng immediately stood up and said, "Father, I'm talking about business. Even if the child doesn't accept it, someone else will. The merchants from Shanren Tribe and Xianlu Kingdom offered ten times higher prices. More than a hundred times, how can this be regarded as grabbing business with the queen? The queen can also send someone to take it back."
Wei Chunlin immediately made a hesitant expression that his words were justified.
Seeing this, Wei Hongru simply shut up. In his heart, Wei Chunlin despises Yongming who loves men so much that he doesn't even have children. In a family like theirs, the main wife still has to choose a woman, and only a woman can guarantee the reproduction of offspring. As the emperor, Emperor Yongming just made a man his queen, and he only doted on that man, and he didn't worry about his heirs at all. Wei Chunlin also knew that the emperor did not trust the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion. In contrast, the generation behind the empress was the emperor's confidant. If the emperor is not good, his Hengyuan Houfu may be fine; if the emperor is good, his Hengyuanhoufu will definitely not be good. So in his heart, Wei Chunlin supported Wei Hongzheng's move.
Wei Chunlin said to Wei Hongzheng: "It's right to talk about business in business, but after all, it's the emperor and the queen. As subjects, we still have to give the face we should give. If you want to accept it, you can, but you can't compete with the queen for business." If you really can't get the goods over there, you can negotiate with the merchants of the Shanren Tribe and Xianlu Kingdom."
"Yes!" Wei Hongzheng looked proudly at Wei Hongru who was silent. Wei Hongru wasn't angry either, but he laughed at his father and Wei Hongzheng's short-sightedness in his heart.
Then, Wei Hongzheng said: "Father, my son heard that Yang Yan, the magistrate of Chinan Prefecture, ordered that the tea in the entire Chinan Prefecture is not allowed to be picked privately before Grain Rain and Qingming. Yang Yan is Jiang Kangning's senior brother, this new tea is afraid Shouldn’t they be harvested during the Qingming Grain Rain? If that’s the case, there won’t be many days left.”
Wei Chunlin pondered, and Wei Hongzheng tried his best to persuade him: "If Hai'er can make this deal with the merchants from the Shanren Tribe and Xianlu Kingdom, when the new tea comes out, Hai'er will be sure to make a bigger deal. Jun No matter how much tea you have in your hands, you can only buy and sell it in the capital. The merchants outside the capital are all in the hands of our Hengyuanhoufu."
Wei Hongru sternly said, "Are you eager to think that the queen is dissatisfied with our Hengyuanhoufu and father?"
Wei Hongzheng snorted coldly: "The emperor and the empress shouldn't be involved in business transactions. In this way, the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty should all go to business instead of dealing with state affairs? What the emperor and empress should worry about is the family and the country The world, not blocking people's way of making money."
"Hongzheng!"
Wei Hongzheng shut his mouth, but still showed disdain for Wei Hongru. However, Wei Chunlin didn't teach Wei Hongzheng about his disrespect to the emperor and queen, he just said: "You should be more cautious." Then he said: "Hongru, you will enter the palace with me tomorrow."
"yes."
His father couldn't listen to what he said, so Wei Hongru simply stopped talking. Seeing Wei Hongzheng's flamboyant appearance, Wei Hongru sneered in his heart.
There was nothing important to do, so Wei Chunlin asked his two sons to leave. Wei Hongzheng did not leave, but after Wei Hongru closed the door and went out, he said in a low voice, "Father, my son wants to send someone to Xiushui Village again. We will send you the new tea." The Hengyuanhou Mansion must occupy some shares this year."
Wei Chunlin hesitated, Wei Hongwen's incompetent failed to accomplish anything, the emperor and queen must have heard about it, and he didn't want to confront the emperor.
Wei Hongzheng said: "Father, my son will be careful. It's just a mud-legged brat, I just need to give you some more money. Presumably the queen will not give that person much money."
When Wei Chunlin heard this, he said, "Don't make too much publicity about this matter. After all, that person belongs to the queen, so don't do anything out of line. It's best if you can get new tea. If that person refuses, then it's fine."
Wei Hongzheng said with confidence: "Father, don't worry, the boy will definitely bring back tea to the Hengyuan Hou Mansion!"
Wei Chunlin smiled in satisfaction, and Wei Hongzheng swore even more when he saw this, no matter what method he used, he would make that muddy boy hand over the new tea!