"Zihou, there is no need to be so reserved. This jar of imperial tribute wine is opened for you to drink. Come, drink this cup..."
Zhang Jing found that Zhu Ping'an stopped drinking after five cups, and thought that Zhu Ping'an was restrained or that he was saving the imperial wine for him. He immediately smiled and shook his head, and said, "Can't I, Zhang Jing, afford to give you a meal of wine?" Then he personally picked up the wine jug and filled Zhu Ping'an with another glass of wine, and said with a welcoming look on his face.
"Ahem, sir, it's not that I'm reserved, but my alcohol tolerance is really hard to describe... If you drink any more, I can only replace wine with tea." Zhu Ping'an raised his head, his face flushed by the smell of alcohol, and said to Zhang Jing with a wry smile.
Zhu Ping'an looked obviously tipsy and drunk, and he couldn't fake it.
"Well, Zihou, your alcohol tolerance is really hard to describe..." Zhang Jing saw this and shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Wine is for fun, but drinking too much is useless. I can only say that you don't have a good appetite."
"Drink less and eat more vegetables. I will not treat myself badly." Zhu Ping'an joked with a smile.
Zhu Ping'an is currently just slightly tipsy, not drunk. He is still very clear-headed and it doesn't affect what he says or does. He even feels refreshed at the moment. Perhaps being slightly tipsy is the best state for drinking.
However, family members know their own business, and Zhu Ping'an knows his alcohol tolerance. If he drinks more, he will really get drunk.
"Haha, don't worry, there will be enough wine and food." Zhang Jing couldn't help laughing when he heard that.
After eating and drinking and chatting, Zhu Ping'an left Zhang Jing's house and found that many officials had gathered outside Zhang Jing's house, wanting to visit Zhang Jing, but without exception, they were blocked outside the door by the gray-haired doorman of Zhang Jing's house.
Zhu Ping'an walked out slowly from Zhang's house. The smell of alcohol on his body was the best proof that he was treated well by Zhang Jing.
This naturally made the officials outside Zhang's mansion who were turned away extremely envious, and their eyes turned red.
After leaving Zhang's house, Zhu Ping'an returned to the office of the Supreme Court.
"The deputy envoy is back."
When Zhu Ping'an arrived at the office of the Supreme Court, the gatekeepers all greeted him respectfully.
"Yeah, I'm back." Zhu Ping'an responded with a smile and a nod.
Zhu Ping'an officially took office as the acting deputy envoy of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Judicial Inspection Office yesterday. Yesterday, Zhang Neitai ordered the kitchen of the yamen to add a few more dishes, and during the lunch time, he gathered everyone to have a simple celebration for Zhu Ping'an.
Everyone in the government office also gave Zhu Pingan a small red envelope with different amounts of silver and money, congratulating him on his promotion to the deputy envoy of the Criminal Investigation and Inspection Department. This was a common exchange of favors at the time, and Zhu Pingan did not refuse, but later gave them a return gift one by one, the value of which was equivalent to their gifts.
After Zhu Ping'an returned to the yamen, he went to the backyard first, prepared to wash, change clothes, drink sobering soup, and then go to the yamen to work.
Zhu Ping'an, reeking of alcohol, had just stepped into the backyard of the yamen when, as expected, he heard the sarcastic voice of the evil woman Ruonan.
I have to say that the enchantress Ruonan is worthy of being a martial artist, with a keen sense of perception. Every time I go home, she knows it earlier than Huaer, and she can always appear and disappear mysteriously around me. Zhu Ping'an has become accustomed to it.
The demon woman Ruonan did the same this time. She appeared silently from nowhere and appeared beside Zhu Ping'an. She smelled the alcohol on Zhu Ping'an and said with contempt, "Tsk tsk, you smell like alcohol. Whoosh, the aroma of alcohol on you is really mouth-watering. I'm afraid this is one of the few good bars in the world. It's very expensive. The people's money is being ruined by you officials."
"Miss Ruonan has a good nose, which is even better than a dog's nose." Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and replied softly.
"You are the one with the dog nose!" The demon woman Ruonan was ridiculed as a dog nose, of course she was not convinced, she glared at Zhu Ping'an, and suddenly she started to giggle, "Haha, you know, the common people call you officials who eat the people's fat and blood as dog officials, so to be honest, you are the ones with the real dog noses..."
"Not all officials are corrupt officials who feed on the people's blood and sweat. At least I am not one of them." Zhu Ping'an glanced at the enchanting woman Ruonan and said lightly.
The evil woman Ruonan has been hating the rich, officials, and scholars for a long time, and Zhu Ping'an is speechless about this.
"Tsk tsk, I smell the smell of alcohol on you, but the aroma of alcohol on your clothes is so mouth-watering. It must be one of the best wines in the world, and its value must be more expensive than gold. And you still say that you don't eat the people's money?" The seductive woman Ruonan rolled her eyes, stretched out her slender jade hand to fan Zhu Ping'an's clothes, sniffed the aroma of alcohol on Zhu Ping'an, couldn't help licking her tongue, and said with contempt on her face.
The evil woman Ruonan is a person who cannot live without meat and alcohol, especially alcohol, which she can hardly live without for a day.
After drinking a lot, the seductress Ruonan unknowingly developed an appreciation for wine. The aroma of wine emanating from Zhu Ping'an was a mellow wine aroma that she had never heard of in her life. Just by smelling it, she knew that the wine must be of great value.
"Let me correct you. This is not one of the best wines in the world. This is the best wine in the world. Bar none."
Zhu Pingan shrugged and said lightly.
"You still have the nerve to show off?" The demon woman Ruonan glared at Zhu Ping'an, then said curiously and unconvincedly, "It is said that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. The same is true for fine wine. How can you easily tell the first from the second? What kind of wine are you drinking that dares to call it 'the best wine in the world'? There is no other."
"I'm drinking the tribute wine bestowed by the emperor. Tell me, is it the best wine in the world? Barely one of them."
Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly, looked at the enchantress Ruonan and spoke slowly.
"Well... ... "
The enchanting woman Ruonan really couldn't say anything to refute. In this world, what kind of wine could be compared with the tribute wine bestowed by the emperor? It was bestowed by the Son of Heaven. These four words alone were enough to make it the best in the world.
"What's wrong with the imperial tribute wine? All you do every day is eat and drink, and it's still the people's money." The seductive woman Ruonan brought up the old saying again, mocking officials like Zhu Ping'an who only know how to eat the people's money.
"Today, the former Minister of War, Lord Zhang Jing, was promoted to Governor-General of Jiangnan. Lord Zhang invited me to his mansion for a drink. It was all normal socializing. Apart from the imperial tribute wine, the rest of the dishes at the table were home-cooked dishes." Zhu Ping'an explained speechlessly.
"Hehe... Lord Zhang has been promoted to the Minister of the Governor-General of Jiangnan, and he actually invited you to his mansion for a drink?! How shameless are you?! As expected, men's mouths are lies, especially for scholars like you. The more books you read, the better you lie. Lying is as easy and natural as drinking water and breathing. You don't blush or breathe heavily."
The demon woman Ruonan didn't believe it and giggled as she made up a story.
"People nowadays take the truth as a joke, the joke as a lie, and the lie as the truth. It's really unreasonable..." Zhu Ping'an shrugged, walked into the courtyard, and no longer paid attention to the evil woman Ruonan.
"You are not worthy..." The evil woman Ruonan was helpless and furious. (To be continued)