Tianliangyuan

Chapter 83 The Timid Yet Rebellious Lord Xu

"Is this the steward from the Sun family?"

"Yes, they say they work under my great-aunt and are currently in charge of some of her businesses."

"Ignore them. If anyone comes looking for us again, just say that we specially hired a winemaker. Besides the high salary, the most important thing is that there are royal relatives and nobles involved. We dare not make decisions on our own."

"Yes, I understand."

Having tasted the previous Peach Blossom Wine and Hundred Flowers Fragrance, almost all the noble ladies in the capital now know that Xu Zhaozhao's estate can brew fine wine, and that it is even better than the Ten Thousand Wine.

Therefore, once October arrived, many people began to keep an eye on Xu Zhaozhao.

Xu Zhaozhao lived up to everyone's expectations and moved to the estate on the second day of the tenth month.

Now the back mountain of the village is also her territory, so she simply settled some veterans and wounded soldiers there and had them patrol and guard the area every day, which can be considered to make the best use of their talents.

The people Xu Zhaozhao settled were all former employees of Xu Han. Some were missing limbs, some had been injured and could no longer do heavy work, and others might need to take medication for many years.

In short, don't underestimate these few dozen people; they helped Xu Han solve a big problem.

After all, very few of these people can support themselves, let alone their families.

So even if Xu Han gives them a generous reward, there's still a long way to go, how can they spend all this money for a lifetime?

Now that Xu Zhaozhao has arranged this, it can help them settle down and make a living. Although the pay isn't much, at least they can eat. She can also find work for their families, so they can be considered to have enough to eat and wear.

Xu Zhaozhao went up the mountain alone that night.

There were many wild grasses and trees on the mountain. Xu Zhaozhao picked and chose. The completely useless weeds naturally became the nourishment for her supernatural abilities, while the chestnut trees, wild fruit trees, and so on that grew well became the objects of Xu Zhaozhao's supernatural abilities.

By controlling and releasing one's supernatural abilities, one can gradually increase one's strength, but this requires time and constant practice.

Xu Zhaozhao couldn't possibly run too far in one night, so she returned early to rest and slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

"Miss, the batch of longevity wine you brewed after improving the recipe is ready. Shall we open it today?"

"Okay, bring it here."

Longevity wine is actually chrysanthemum wine, a traditional wine made from chrysanthemums, glutinous rice, and yeast. It was called longevity wine in ancient times and has a refreshing and sweet taste.

Ancient people believed that it had the effects of nourishing the liver, improving eyesight, strengthening the brain, and delaying aging, so it was also called longevity wine. Moreover, they would start collecting and brewing wine every time chrysanthemums bloomed.

Xu Zhaozhao instructed her subordinates to brew three kinds of wine: wolfberry chrysanthemum wine, flower cake chrysanthemum wine, and white chrysanthemum wine.

On the Double Ninth Festival, there is a traditional custom in Daxing of drinking chrysanthemum wine.

Chrysanthemum wine is considered an auspicious drink in Daxing, essential for the Double Ninth Festival, believed to ward off disasters and bring good fortune.

The Marquis of Anxin's mansion was no exception. However, after tasting the chrysanthemum wine, Xu Zhaozhao felt that it was too bland and the flavor was too thin. Moreover, she felt that the effect might not be that good. So she simply improved the recipe and created these three kinds of longevity wine.

"They're all good. This wolfberry and chrysanthemum wine should be renamed Longevity Wine. You should invite some of the most famous wine merchants in the capital to taste it and tell them that this wine will be much more expensive than the Ten Thousand Wine in the market, and the quantity will be limited."

"Yes, ma'am."

"It is the same to rename this white chrysanthemum wine as Jinhua wine. Today, we will arrange carriages to send two jars each to the Marquis's Mansion, the Prince's Mansion, Princess Leyang, Princess Anhe, and the Duke of Huguo's Mansion."

"Yes, several people from the princess's residence also came to inquire earlier. What do you think?"

"No rush. If anyone asks, just say that this is only the first batch of wine that has just been brewed. There will be a second and a third batch later, and the taste may be even better than this."

"Yes, I understand."

After Xu Zhaozhao had everything arranged, she was just waiting to raise the price on the spot.

The wine has a truly unique taste, and she is confident that she is the only one in the entire capital who can brew chrysanthemum wine with such a flavor. Others, even if they know what ingredients they use, cannot brew the same taste.

She has that kind of confidence.

Sure enough, countless managers and shopkeepers came running after hearing the news.

They all came with boxes of copper coins, hoping to buy a few jars of brewed longevity wine and Jinhua wine.

The profit margin on alcoholic beverages is incomparable to that of fried chicken.

This small jar is worth ten thousand coins!

Even so, countless people still couldn't buy it even with their money.

This is true strength, and it's the kind of luxury item that everyone in Beijing wants to buy but can't get.

In just a few days, the Yan Nian Wine and Jin Hua Wine became famous throughout the capital. The wine was simply too good. It was not only fragrant, but also had a rich taste. As several wine connoisseurs said, it was quite layered!

Marquis Anxin was also bothered by people every day because of the fame of these two wines.

"My lord, Miss has sent over several jars of longevity wine and Jinhua wine, along with a letter."

Xu Han snorted heavily: "That naughty girl, she made such a famous wine, but I still haven't been able to taste a single drop!"

The servant chuckled, "My lord, Miss returned the wine immediately, but Madam withheld it, so you can't blame Miss for that."

Xu Han's face remained dark: "If not her fault, then who? If she had brought back more wine, would Madam have had to fight me for it?"

Xu Han was amused after reading the letter.

"Alright, take two jars of this wine to my carriage and order someone to go to the palace immediately."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

This wine is too expensive; he couldn't bear to send it all to the Emperor, so he could only send two jars to each person as a token.

Besides, outside drinks can't just be sent into the palace. Can the emperor just eat and drink things from outside?

It's just a clever trick!

In recent days, Emperor Yong'an had frequently heard people mention the Longevity Wine and Jinhua Wine, and thus learned about the Peach Blossom Wine and Hundred Flowers Fragrance that had been sought after for months.

Emperor Yong'an didn't think the wine was that good. "Peach Blossom Drunk" and "Hundred Flowers Fragrance" were obviously wines for women. How good could they be?

Men, especially those from the North, mostly like to drink strong liquor; the stronger the liquor, the more potent it is!

Emperor Yong'an looked at the four jars of wine in front of him and scratched his brow in slight displeasure: "I don't believe Xu Zhaozhao only sent back these wines! Tell me, did you, you old rascal, embezzle the wine she sent me?"

Xu Han's heart skipped a beat; the Emperor had eyes that could see right through him!

But we can't back down.

"Your Majesty, you must be reasonable! Zhao Zhao did send some wine back, but it wasn't just for you; it was also for me! I am her father, after all, and I haven't had a single sip of wine yet. You have no idea how aggrieved I am!"

Emperor Yong'an chuckled: "Your wife detained him, didn't she?"

Xu Han immediately looked utterly dejected. The Emperor's eyes were too sharp; he guessed it right every time!