Although they couldn't taste the wine that was steamed yesterday, the smell alone surpassed any other wine they had drunk before.
Now the lady has sent someone to find someone who can drink well, and he must be here to test the wine. Such a good wine, even if you drink it to death, you have to taste it.
"Okay, okay, okay! You all can follow."
The steward also had a headache due to the noise, so he simply called in all these people.
In the front hall of the manor, Shen Xiyao, who was wearing an ice-blue dress, sat quietly. On a square table in front of her were several trays. Each tray contained a wine bottle and several small wine cups. There is also a plate with some snacks to go with the wine.
Zi Ling walked up to him and reported in a low voice.
"Miss, everyone is here."
"Well, let them come in."
Everyone walked into the hall and bowed.
Zi Ling stood next to Shen Xiyao and pointed to the things on the table.
"I called you here today to taste the wine steamed yesterday. These wines are all strong liquors, so be careful."
Although everyone nodded in agreement, looking at their expressions, it was clear that they didn't take it to heart at all.
Zi Ling looked a little unhappy when she saw the expressions of these people. She rolled her eyes and a smirk appeared on her face. Zi Ling walked to the table, picked up a wine flask, filled the wine cups one by one, stretched out her hand and made a gesture of invitation. Just step aside.
Shen Xiyao naturally knew which kind of wine was the most powerful. After seeing Zi Ling's actions, she turned her head and rolled her eyes. Zi Ling lowered her head with a guilty conscience and did not look at Shen Xiyao.
The people on the farm were a little cautious. They wiped their hands at a loss and gathered around the table to pick up the wine glasses on the tray.
Those who are sensible should pick it up first and smell it first.
Some were impatient, so they picked up the wine glass and poured it into their mouths without thinking. Immediately afterwards, their face turned red. They covered their mouths with their hands, their throats rolled, and they reluctantly swallowed.
There were also people who turned their heads and made a "poof" sound, spraying the people around them all over their heads and faces.
Zi Ling covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Shen Xiyao also raised the corners of her mouth, and quickly returned to her original state.
"You guys eat some food and take your time."
Seeing that the lady had spoken, Zi Ling coughed twice and returned to her serious look.
"Didn't I tell you that this is strong alcohol, so you should be careful."
While everyone was eating, Zi Ling picked up another wine bottle from another tray and filled the wine cups.
"Rinse your mouth and try this again."
This time everyone learned the lesson and carefully picked up the wine cup and took a sip. This time the wine was okay, not like swallowing charcoal just now.
Zi Ling filled the last tray with wine for the third time, made a gesture of invitation and stepped aside.
Everyone drank again.
"How are these wines?"
The steward smacked his lips and stood up to answer.
"Miss, I think this second wine is the best. It's sweet, fragrant, and has a long aftertaste. The last glass is a bit bland in comparison, but it's much stronger than the original wines."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and some others stood up and said: "Looking back now, the strongest wine has the most flavor."
Shen Xiyao nodded.
"Okay, I understand. I'll reward you with the remaining wine in the jug. Come on down."
There was still a lot of good wine left in the three wine jugs. Everyone happily agreed, bowed and retreated.
Shen Xiyao took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, checked what was written on it, and handed it to Zi Ling.
"Put this away and prepare a jar of each of the three types of wine."
Half a day later, Shen Xiyao rode back to the city with the three kinds of wine she had prepared. After entering the palace, she went straight to the imperial study.
Yang Ke was sitting behind the Long Bookcase, while Shen Xiyao was standing aside. There were three small wine jars on the Long Bookcase.
Not long after, the eldest prince Yang Lin, Prime Minister Chu Rupeng, Shangshu Ling Cheng Kangming, and Honglu Temple Minister Yang Minzhi walked into the study one after another.
Yang Ke raised his head and looked at all the important officials under his command.
"What Chang Shi Shen said before has been completed. I asked you to come and go over the details together. Let's get started."
Shen Xiyao bowed, then opened a small wine jar and poured a glass for each of the monarch and his ministers.
Several people picked up the wine glasses and smelled the alcohol in the glasses, and their eyes lit up. They brought the glasses to their noses and sniffed them carefully.
Yang Lin first took a small sip and smacked his lips. He drank it all in one gulp with some lingering thoughts. Several other people also did the same thing.
"Good wine! I have never drunk such good wine. This is a hundred times better than those good wines before."
Cheng Kangming praised loudly.
Chu Rupeng calmly poured himself another glass and murmured: "Hey, I'm old, so I can't taste the taste of this wine."
Yang Ke looked at the disrespectful Prime Minister of Wei with some contempt and rolled his eyes.
"Stop. This is the fine wine that Mr. Shen prepared for me, Honglu Temple. How can I allow you to be so greedy?"
Yang Minzhi didn't care about Chu Rupeng's face at all. He spoke in a high-sounding way, but he grabbed the wine jar and poured himself a glass.
Seeing the two ministers laughing and joking, Yang Ke couldn't help but smile.
"continue."
Shen Xiyao said yes, opened a wine jar, and poured good wine for everyone. Shen Xiyao did not dare to tease these important officials like Zi Ling. So the wine she poured first, according to Mu Jianming, was The one with the lowest degree.
Several people took their wine glasses to their mouths and tasted them slowly.
"Well, it's stronger than the one just now, but it has a long aftertaste and is also a good wine. I like this kind of wine."
After Yang Lin finished speaking, he drank the remaining wine in the glass in one gulp.
"I still prefer the former wine, which is sweet, fragrant and soft in the mouth."
Chu Rubeng closed his eyes and tasted the product carefully, shaking his head and giving his opinion.
"The last one."
Yang Ke ordered again.
Shen Xiyao grabbed the last small wine jar and without pouring the wine directly, she warned: "The last wine is the most spicy. Drinking it is like swallowing fire. You must drink slowly and carefully."
Shen Xiyao already knew how strong this wine was. She had tried it once at the winery. She did not dare to play tricks on these ministers as Mu Jianming's message said.
What kind of place is this and who are these people, so Shen Xiyao had to give a warning.
After hearing what Shen Xiyao said, the few people who were tasting the wine took up their wine glasses to taste it with some seriousness.
Cheng Kangming frowned.
Chu Rupeng and Yang Minzhi have distorted faces.
The eldest prince Yang Lin struggled to swallow the wine in his mouth, stuck out his tongue and kept breathing.
"It's such a strong drink! It's like drinking a ball of fire. Just like what Changshi Shen said, it's like swallowing fire and coals."
Yang Ke smiled and looked at Shen Xiyao.
"Tell me about it, Mr. Shen."
"This is made by steaming and blending the wine sent by Guanglu Temple. This wine has never been seen in the world. If you use it for banquets, all countries should be satisfied."
"What do you guys think?"
Cheng Kangming was the first to answer.
"Your Majesty, this method is feasible."
Chu Rupeng also nodded in agreement.
"This wine can be designated as the national wine. It cannot be used if it is unusual. In addition,... Your Majesty, I take pity on my old age. Please give this wine to me."
As he spoke, Chu Rubeng grabbed his favorite wine and bowed to the ground.
Yang Ke looked at Chu Rubeng, who was still bowing and saluting, and the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously and sighed.
"Forget it, Prime Minister Chu worked very hard in assisting the government, so he was given a jug of royal wine as a reward."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Rupeng rushed to the Long Bookcase and grabbed another relatively less strong wine jar in his hands with agility. It seemed that his speed was not weaker than that of the young people.
"you……"
Yang Ke looked at his prime minister in stunned silence.
"Your Majesty, you have a golden tongue. If you say it's a pot, it must be a pot. I've already drank a lot of these two kinds of wine. The remaining veterans will suffer a little loss. Let's add them together to make a pot."
"Okay! Okay! Okay!"
His Majesty the Emperor nodded and said hello, and was very happy.
"But Mr. Chu, this wine is not free. You have to give these three wines names."
Chu Rubeng pondered for a moment and glanced at Shen Xiyao.
"Well, I think that the wine was given by Changshi Shen, so I don't want to bother the two masters. I'd rather leave this matter to Changshi Shen. I don't think Changshi Shen has already thought about it."
Yang Ke stroked his beard and laughed.
"You old cunning guy, you get the benefits, but you leave the work to others."
He turned around and asked Shen Xiyao again.
"Changshi Shen, what do you think?"
Shen Xiyao bowed and saluted.
"Cao Zijian once wrote "Ode to the Goddess of Luo" here. I think this wine is named after the Goddess of Luo, and is distinguished by the words Nian, Chun and Shao. I wonder what your Majesty thinks?"
Yang Ke caressed his beard and pondered for a while before making a decision.
"Chang Shi Shen, please take charge of this matter. Prepare a lot of wine. Yang Shangshu, arrange for people to buy more wine in the market and send it to Doctor Shen."
Yang Minzhi and Shen Xiyao quickly saluted and said yes.
After returning to Zhuangzi, Shen Xiyao immediately found the steward to make arrangements.
Within two days, another set of stills was installed and adjusted, and the speed of wine production was greatly increased. The wine sent from Guanglu Temple was decreasing at a visible speed.
Handan Prefecture, a thousand-year-old ancient city.
Several fast horses galloped southward on the official road.
Li Xiuer, dressed in men's clothing and looking unrestrained and unrestrained, rode in front.
Zhou Lu, who has never left his bamboo hat for thousands of years, followed closely behind.
Behind them are several guards.
The horses under the crotches of several people were covered with sweat, and there was foam around the mouths of the horses. Zhou Lu reined in the horses, and the horses stood up like "sparse" people.
"Xiu'er, we can't drive any longer, we have to let the horses rest."
In just one sentence, Li Xiuer in front rushed out again. After hearing Zhou Lu's words, she also took the horse and turned back, looked at the condition of the horse, and nodded helplessly in agreement.
"Okay, let's take a rest first."
Several people slowed down and walked forward slowly. They found a small forest and dismounted one after another.
A guard took out a few pieces of bean cake from the horse's carrying bag and fed them to the horse. Then he drove the horse aside and let the horse eat grass and rest.
"Uncle Zhou, we should be able to rush back in four days, right?"
Zhou Zhoulu made some calculations.
"Well. We will arrive at Lao Zhangzhuang in four days at most. Don't worry, we will have enough time."
"We are going back, but I'm worried about delaying the lady's affairs."