"The wine in the palace is gone, so let's buy some from outside. It would feel like something is missing if we don't drink chrysanthemum wine on Double Ninth Festival." Ning Chen said.
Ye Jun shook his head. "The taste of this imperial chrysanthemum wine is different from the wine outside. Wine lovers will know the difference after tasting it. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to the royal family and make the officials think that the palace doesn't even have the chrysanthemum wine that it has every year? Besides, it would cost a lot to buy good wine from outside."
Her worries were not without reason, and Ning Chen fell silent for a moment.
At this moment, Mo Yu came in and said, "The tea seems to be cold. I will go and make a new pot."
Brew a fresh pot.
These words suddenly made Ye Jun's eyes light up.
He turned around and said, "Your Majesty, how about we brew our own wine?"
"Tomorrow is Double Ninth Festival. Although we can make wine today, the taste will be different if it is not stored for a year." Ning Chen said.
"No, the wine I'm talking about is brewed by the noble ministers and the emperor on the Double Ninth Festival, and stored until the next year for drinking. This is also a fun thing for the emperor and his ministers to enjoy together."
Ye Jun raised his eyes slightly, met Ning Chen's eyes, and expressed his thoughts seriously.
"There are also five jars of chrysanthemum wine that have been saved. I remember that there are also royal osmanthus wine, pine wine, and lotus wine in the wine cellar. Why not just have a wine party and add these other wines to it, and there will be enough to drink. The emperor's reward can also be exchanged from chrysanthemum wine for other palace wines, which are more valuable than chrysanthemum wine."
This idea is novel and unique.
It's interesting to think about it, as we have always only drunk together but never brewed wine together.
Ning Chen couldn't help but show some admiration in his eyes, "The brewing of chrysanthemum wine is not complicated. The process mainly focuses on the koji, ingredients, and storage. You just need to prepare the ingredients in advance."
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Leave this matter to me." Ye Jun bowed.
Ning Chen patted her hands, "You don't have to blame yourself or panic, it's just the wine, it's not a big deal, I will take care of everything."
"Well, with the emperor here, I am naturally not afraid of anything." Ye Jun curled her lips and smiled.
When their eyes met, everything was left unsaid.
After coming out of Jiuchen Palace, Ye Jun went to the Brewing Department.
We will brew chrysanthemum wine for the Double Ninth Festival. All the necessary materials have been prepared and will be steamed tomorrow.
Ye Jun stayed here for a full half day, and asked people around him to run to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Hospital several times. By dinner time, he had finally arranged everything for the next day.
In order to ensure that there would be no mistakes, Kong Qing was left here to watch over it.
The chrysanthemum wine is gone, and everyone in the harem is waiting to see Ye Jun make a fool of himself.
Although the emperor had punished Concubine Jingxian, he still could not solve the problem of no wine.
If someone starts talking about it and makes the emperor lose face, I don’t believe that the emperor can still dote on the imperial concubine like this.
The next day, the Double Ninth Festival Banquet was held in the Qionghua Palace as usual.
The Queen Mother did not come this time.
She was really sick, having caught a cold, and couldn't go out. This morning Ning Chen even went to the Cining Palace to serve her medicine.
But it’s better that he doesn’t come. Now Ning Chen is about to close in on the Duke of Ying. When the Queen Mother finds out, she won’t be able to bear it.
It's not that the Duke of England has done any serious evil, except that he embezzled too much and was too greedy. In the past, he openly wanted to influence Ning Chen through the Queen Mother, and now he wants to achieve his goal through his daughter.
Keeping such a person around will always bring trouble.
But at this time at the banquet, Ning Chen still seemed very close to the Duke of England Chen family.
"I see that my uncle looks very healthy and doesn't look old at all. I am so lucky to have my uncle's help and guidance for a few more years."
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. It is only natural for me to devote my life to your Majesty. I will only obey your majesty's orders." The Duke of England bowed.
Ning Chen smiled and said, "My uncle has served me in the court, and Qian Shunrong has served me in the harem for many years with all her heart and soul. It is truly my blessing. Today, on the Double Ninth Festival, I will promote Qian Shunrong to Shunyuan."
When these words were spoken, everyone looked at them sideways.
Today, Qian Shunyuan's promotion speed is too fast. She has such a high position before she has even given birth to a child. If she gives birth to a prince in the future, she will be promoted even higher.
Even though Concubine Ming was so favored, she was only promoted to the rank of the Ninth Concubine after she became pregnant.
Qian Shunyuan stood up to thank him, with a slightly shy look on her face.
She was disheartened at first, but over the past year or so, Ning Chen's acting was so dedicated that it really warmed her heart.
But all of this was a bad fate from the beginning, and there will be no good result in the end.
But that's all later. At this moment, Ye Jun cooperated with Ning Chen's actions at the right time and put on a somewhat jealous expression.
He spoke with a smile, seeming a little anxious to take credit.
"Your Majesty has only rewarded Qian Shunyuan now, and I will ask for a reward later. This year, I have specially thought of a new thing that will make Your Majesty and the other gentlemen happy together."
"Oh? I wonder what other brilliant ideas my beloved concubine has. Please don't keep me in suspense." Ning Chen raised his eyebrows.
Ye Jun curled his lips slightly and clapped his hands softly towards the door.
Afterwards, two rows of palace maids carrying large mahogany trays came in one after another and stood politely beside the guests in the hall.
There was a small stove on the tray, a few things in a bamboo basket, and other tools.
"What does the imperial concubine mean? Do you want to make tea?" Qi Xiurong asked while holding her stomach.
She has always loved these elegant things and was very interested.
Ye Jun smiled softly, "It's not tea, it's chrysanthemum wine. I have already ordered people to prepare the other ingredients. You just need to do a little work. This year we will brew it ourselves and seal it up. Next year, we can drink the wine we brewed ourselves."
"Your Majesty, what a clever idea this is. I usually only drink wine but never brew wine. I don't know what the wine brewed by myself tastes like." King Ping's eyes lit up.
Originally, he was a person who loved to live a carefree life. After the death of Concubine Yao, he began to relax after observing mourning.
Ning Chen took the opportunity to say, "Your Highness is always smart, so let me brew this chrysanthemum wine with you all, and we will drink it together next year!"
After he finished speaking, he waved to Ye Jun again, "My lord, let's brew a pot of wine together, and I will taste it together next year."
Ye Jun smiled charmingly, bowed slightly, then walked over and sat beside Ning Chen.
With this example in mind, many people on the scene immediately brought their wives to brew wine together, which actually had a special meaning of love wine.
The yeast and other ingredients have already been prepared, so now it’s just a simple task.
He selected some chrysanthemum, angelica and rehmannia root from a basket of materials, boiled them in a small stove, and during the waiting time, they chatted and laughed as usual.
Then filter out the boiled juice, mix it with the steamed glutinous rice that has been prepared in advance, add wine yeast, put it into a clay jar, and seal it.
Led by Ning Chen, everyone wrote a short poem on red paper, titled it, and pasted it on the wine jar. On the Double Ninth Festival next year, everyone tasted the wine.