Tianliangyuan

Chapter 84 Imperial Plaque

Emperor Yong'an was delighted to see him humiliated.

"That's all you brought?"

"Your Majesty, Zhao Zhao said she was afraid that you, being of noble birth, would not be accustomed to such coarse wine, so she asked me to bring a small amount for you and Her Majesty the Empress to try."

"Hmph, I can tell you're making this up right away! Get out of here."

"Yes, Wei Chen is resigning."

As a result, Emperor Yong'an only managed to drink two cups of the wine; the rest was coveted by the Empress and other concubines.

What else could the emperor do?

You can't be so stingy with your own woman that you can't even afford to give her a drink.

So, the next day, Xu Zhaozhao had just gotten up when she was summoned to the front to receive the imperial decree.

Good heavens, Emperor Yong'an has sent out his most capable chief steward, and judging from the few carriages behind them, he's clearly determined to get the wine and not give up until he gets it!

Xu Zhaozhao had no choice. She could refuse to give it to others, but she couldn't refuse to give it to the emperor!

Xu Zhaozhao not only had to give, but she also had to choose the best ones to give.

The head steward personally went to the wine cellar, and good heavens, he immediately spotted the Peach Blossom Wine.

Well, now, no matter how reluctant Xu Zhaozhao was, she could only have someone load two jars onto his car.

The Grand Steward returned to the palace with a bountiful harvest: twelve jars of Yan Nian wine, sixteen jars of Jin Hua wine, plus two jars of Peach Blossom Wine, much to Emperor Yong'an's delight.

"That little girl didn't say anything?"

"Your Majesty, Miss Xu didn't say anything, but I overheard her muttering to herself later, as if she was calculating how much money she had lost."

Emperor Yong'an laughed: "This little girl! Do you think I would refuse her wine money? I heard that her Hundred Fruit Garden is doing quite well. It not only has fruit trees, but also grows a lot of coarse grains and miscellaneous grains. Moreover, she is now reclaiming barren mountains, which can be considered as relieving my worries. In that case, I will personally write the three characters 'Hundred Fruit Garden'. You can have the Ministry of Works make it and send it to her later."

"Yes, Your Majesty is very generous! I wonder how many drinkers your plaque will attract to her."

The chief steward stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also saw some wine, but Miss Xu said it's not ready yet."

"Really? This girl is quite good. Remember her and make sure to bring me some more wine later."

"Yes, this old servant will remember."

The plaque personally inscribed by the emperor hasn't arrived yet, but the emperor has already sent the Grand Steward to the Hundred Fruit Garden to transport wine, and this news has spread throughout the entire capital.

Baiguoyuan's wines were already expensive and hard to find, and now their value has increased even further. Nobles and high-ranking officials in Beijing all consider it an honor to drink Yannian Wine and Jinhua Wine.

When the Empress learned of this, she felt that although the Emperor had bestowed upon her writing materials, she, as the Empress, could not remain silent.

The Empress simply ordered someone to bestow some Shu brocade, as well as various exquisite tea and wine sets, and finally ordered someone to send over six silver ingots. Only then did the Empress feel more at ease; otherwise, she would always feel like she was bullying a child.

The profit margin on these drinks is indeed high; Xu Zhaozhao has been so busy counting money these past few days that she's been overwhelmed.

"Miss, congratulations!"

Xu Zhaozhao looked up, her face blank: "What's so great about this?"

"The Emperor has sent a royal plaque; let's see who dares to act recklessly on our estate now!"

Just a few days ago, several young men and women from royal families came here and caused trouble. Even after being told that there was no alcohol available, they still tried to force their way in.

Now that we have this sign, let's see if those people dare to cause trouble again!

Xu Zhaozhao smiled faintly, not expecting Emperor Yong'an to be so generous.

Imperial calligraphy is not something that is easily bestowed upon others.

After Xu Zhaozhao expressed her gratitude, she naturally ordered people to prepare firecrackers, incense, and other items before hanging up the plaque in a grand manner.

After this incident, the wine produced by Baiguoyuan became very difficult to circulate in the market. Whenever a new wine came out, Xu Zhaozhao would taste it herself and then send some to Emperor Yong'an. After that, she would not need to say much, as countless nobles would come to her door to ask for it.

Xu Zhaozhao counted the days. It was only October, and the strong liquor she really wanted to brew had only just begun to be brewed, yet she had already made a fortune. When the liquor was released in the future, the price would probably rise even further.

After all, although the wine was good, it was mostly consumed by women.

Men can have a few drinks occasionally, but they won't drink too much; they still prefer strong liquor.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't stay here to oversee the brewing process. With so many people under her, she would be exhausted if she had to do everything herself!

The first thing Xu Zhaozhao did after returning to the Marquis's residence was to send someone to inquire about the current situation of the Prince Zhong's residence.

"The Zhao family, considering their kinship with Prince Zhong, did not make a big fuss about it. However, news of Princess Zhong's poisoning still reached the palace. Prince Zhong ordered the punishment of a group of people. Now Princess Zhong is much better. Before you were away from the Marquis's residence, Prince Zhong's residence even sent people to inquire about her health."

"Where is the Jiang family?"

More than the Prince Zhong's residence, Xu Zhaozhao wanted to know if Jiang Ning was losing his mind in desperation.

Now that the Princess Consort of Zhong has recovered, will Jiang Taifu's granddaughter choose another man?

“Miss Jiang Er still maintains private contact with Prince Zhong. I have already found out where they often meet, and I have also arranged for someone to place several potted plants in the house as you suggested.”

"Alright, let's go to that restaurant tomorrow and try it out. Let's see what kind of food it is that makes them keep coming back."

Dingxiang chuckled to herself. "Miss's words are really ruthless. She knows perfectly well what Prince Zhong and Jiang Ning are after, yet she still insists on saying such things."

Xu Zhaozhao entered the best private room in the restaurant, and it was indeed noticeably more luxurious.

The various utensils and ornaments displayed in the room are all extraordinary, and even these flowers have been carefully selected.

Xu Zhaozhao raised her hand to touch a leaf, and a series of images flashed through her mind, making her expression increasingly serious.

After a while, she finally ordered the dishes to be served.

"I was careless! I shouldn't have underestimated Jiang Ning. Sure enough, people who have been reborn are still somewhat useful."

Although Xu Zhaozhao doesn't remember many of the details, Jiang Ning does!

Before dinner that evening, Xu Zhaozhao took a picture to find Xu Han.

"This is real?"

“Father, this matter cannot be faked. This barren mountain was already within your training area. It is perfectly reasonable that an iron ore was discovered by accident. You are a military general. If someone else discovers this place and keeps it for themselves, you will be implicated in the future, and some people may even suspect that you were also involved!”

Even if this iron ore mine was reported to the court by others and not mined privately, how come you didn't discover it while leading troops here every day? Are you incompetent, or did you discover it long ago but hesitated to report it? As a military general, what are your intentions?

These words made Xu Han break out in a cold sweat.

"Zhaozhao, this is a matter of great importance. Are you just going to tell me to take the blueprints and report it like this?"

"Of course not. The city gates are not closed yet. You should send your trusted men out of the city to dig as soon as possible. As long as you dig up even a small piece, you can bring the contents to the Emperor tomorrow morning. You will have accomplished a great feat!"