Chapter Seventy: The Air of Kings and Nobles

  In the distant Qingyu County, the master smiled slightly, and next was to create momentum. This merchant family wanted to rise, unless at other times, perhaps there was no way, after all, the national system was in place, even if it was a powerful general, had to consider the situation. Now that the chaotic era is approaching, when the time comes for local uprisings to appear, it will be Pan Hao's opportunity.

  The news of the emperor's death has not been announced yet, and it is likely that the situation in the court is unstable and the news has been temporarily blocked by the officials. However, this news will probably not be hidden for long, just like Han Yang in Yongzhou was able to know about it in advance. I wonder if other vassals and state pastors have no spies?

  Rong County, Pan Hao adjusted his clothes and stepped out. The surroundings entered his field of vision, and vague memories began to clear up one by one, matching with his recollections.

  "Master, you're going out again!" The maid Yuxiang had just seen Pan Hao's figure from afar and ran over, saying somewhat hesitantly. Just now the master had scolded him, and yet he was going out to indulge in pleasures again. Yuxiang looked up at the young master before her, wondering why she felt that something was different about him than before.

  "Alright!" Pan Hao casually waved his hand at Yu Xiang.

  "Master! Master!" Seeing Pan Hao ignoring her kindness, Yu Xiang pouted and stomped her foot, watching Pan Hao leave the house with a scowl.

  On a bustling street, Pan Hao walked by, when suddenly a fortune-telling stall with a Daoist priest appeared out of nowhere. The people around looked at him in surprise, and the blind Daoist hastily asked the people next to him if someone had just passed by, and after taking a look, they replied that indeed a young man had just walked by.

  "He's just a rich young master from a wealthy family in the city, but he spends his days idly and indulges in drinking and pleasure!"

  Some people also recognized Pan Hao and looked at Pan Hao's figure with ridicule.

  "What's wrong with him?"

  The blind old Taoist sat down slowly. This blind old Taoist had not been in Chengdu for long, but his fortune-telling was extremely accurate, so everyone curiously asked him questions.

  "Just now I felt someone with a noble and dignified aura passing by, this person even if he hasn't achieved anything yet, in the future he will probably have a king's destiny!" The blind old Taoist slowly spoke.

  "Really?!"

  "Will this young master have a future as a king or noble?"

  "I heard that Song Yu is a descendant of the imperial family, but it's been declining gradually and has become a merchant."

  "I've also heard about this, but after all, it's a national surname, so I think it shouldn't be fake!"

  Everyone was talking and laughing about it, but they were all joking around, even making fun of the idea that the Song family, which had long since declined, could possibly produce any royalty.

  The old man shook his head and remained silent. He didn't care about other people's comments, slowly packed up his things and left. This was indeed the true form of Pan Hao, and Pan Hao knew that it wouldn't be so simple to create momentum. This was just a seed, which would slowly sprout and grow into a towering tree.

  Although Lao Dao is gone, there are still many kind-hearted people who silently remember this matter in their hearts.

  Pan Haosong walked along the street to a wine house, this wine house is simple, but it's clean and tidy, and the wine here is very unique, often attracting many wine lovers to gather.

  "Mr. Song has arrived!" A waiter immediately greeted him with great familiarity as soon as he saw Pan Hao come in.

  "Song brother, over here!" In a corner of the hall, three young men dressed in luxurious attire called out to Pan Hao. Pan Hao smiled and nodded, walking towards them. This gathering had been arranged by Song Yuluo before he fell into the water, but now it was Pan Hao who came to keep the appointment.

  "Eh, why does Song brother seem different somehow!"

  "Hmm, you seem to have a certain feeling, as if something delightful has happened. Come on, tell us about it!"

  "Just now, at first glance, it really almost couldn't be recognized!"

  Three young men, as soon as they saw Pan Hao coming over, immediately became familiar and half-jokingly said. They indeed felt that Pan Hao had changed a bit, but couldn't quite put their finger on it.

  "Really!" Pan Hao pretended to be nonchalant and smiled, but his heart was secretly on guard. However, he soon felt a sense of relief, thinking that if anything changed with him after today, there would be an explanation for it.

  "Come on, boss, where's the hundred-year-old fine wine you promised?" Pan Hao sat down, and the three of them suddenly started making a fuss. The people around them heard this and immediately remembered the main purpose of their visit today. The owner of this tavern had said that he would bring out his family's treasured hundred-year-old fine wine for everyone to taste today, so most of the people here were drawn in by its reputation.

  "Gentlemen, please don't be in a hurry. This is the fine wine that my ancestors buried deep underground using a special method three hundred years ago. The ingredients used to make this wine were also carefully selected." The stout shopkeeper smiled and explained the origin of the wine as he called for a small servant to bring out a tiny wine jug, no bigger than a fist.

  This wine jar is decorated with ancient simplicity and has a great difference in shape from the current wine jars, giving off an air of being sealed away for ages.

  "This wine jar style was indeed popular three or four hundred years ago! And the wines stored in these jars are extremely precious." said an old man with a Confucian robe and white beard.

  "Shopkeeper, don't be slow, open it quickly and let me have a taste!" A wine enthusiast suddenly became impatient.

  "Hehe, don't be impatient, sir. This fine wine is really too little, and everyone else wants to taste it too. How about this? I'll set a test, whoever passes, the wine belongs to them!" The shopkeeper said with a smile.

  Then five cups were placed, each filled with different wines, and everyone was puzzled.

  "Smell the aroma of wine and guess its name!" The shopkeeper explained.

  Next, the brush, ink, paper and inkstone were distributed, and everyone took turns smelling the five cups of wine on the table. When it was Pan Hao's turn, Pan Hao smelled it and connected with Ben Zun. Ben Zun is a divine spirit, so these things couldn't stump him.

  The first: Daughter Red Wine. Color like amber, clear and transparent yellow; taste better than Chrysanthemum wine, mellow thick and fresh, with a unique fragrance. It is made from high-quality glutinous rice, barley malt and Jianhu water as the main raw materials, using a unique brewing process, aged for many years, and has a lingering aftertaste!

  Second: Zhu Ye Qing. Its color is golden yellow with green, pure and transparent, fragrant and sweet, soft and refreshing, the brewing method of Zhu Ye Qing was initially only soaking tender bamboo leaves in the liquor to obtain a light green and clear fragrance.

  The third: Langling beautiful wine. The color of the wine is amber, crystal clear; retains the natural blended aroma of the raw materials, rich and fragrant; the wine quality is pure and refreshing; the taste is mellow and soft.

  ……

  Pan Hao wrote down the names of five wines in a row, and the shopkeeper's topic suddenly stumped many people who loved wine. Generally speaking, it's not difficult to distinguish, but these wines can only be smelled, not drunk. Moreover, these wines come from all over the Song Dynasty, not just one place, making it even harder to distinguish. Everyone was thinking hard, guessing wildly, and finally, when time was up, they had to hand in their papers and give up reluctantly.

  In the end, only three people guessed it correctly. Pan Hao was one of them. The three young men in brocade clothes were shocked, they knew something about Song Yu, and unexpectedly he also guessed it correctly.

  "Next, taste this cup of wine and tell me what ingredients it's made of!" The shopkeeper said with a big smile on his chubby cheeks.

  Three cups of wine appeared in front of Pan Hao and the others. Pan Hao carefully examined it. The color was a transparent, pale yellow, pure and clear. He took a small sip, and it was sweet and moderate, smooth and refreshing, with a hint of bitterness but no strong stimulation. Although the color was a bit different, wasn't this Bamboo Leaf Green Wine?

  "This wine is made from Zhuye Qing liquor, with ingredients including gardenia, sand ginger, purple sandalwood, angelica, dried tangerine peel, licorice, cloves, bamboo leaves and white chrysanthemum..."

  Just as Pan Hao was thinking, one of the scholars wearing a green robe, with a dignified appearance and full of confidence, immediately said out loud the ingredients used to make it.

  "You've left out one more thing, Osmanthus fragrans!"

  The shopkeeper had not yet decided, when a middle-aged man with a square face and a sturdy build, standing beside the young scholar in a green robe, spoke up with a smile.

  "Adding galbanum, you still say it's missing something!"

  The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously and shook his head at them. The two were shocked, what's going on?! They quickly took another small sip, but still couldn't figure out, huh, what color is this wine?

  Everyone shouted, this is obviously the raw material of bamboo leaf green wine, and the shopkeeper's expression has already shown that it is bamboo leaf green. How can it not be these ingredients? The shopkeeper repeated his explanation in response to everyone's questioning.

  "It's the purified egg white sugar liquid added to the liquor, isn't it, boss!" Pan Hao's main body instantly transmitted a message to his split body here, and Pan Hao lightly smiled as he said out the last ingredient.

  "You, how could you possibly know!" The shopkeeper was suddenly shocked and lost his color. Could it be that someone had leaked the formula? However, no, this formula was something he had just newly researched, the people around him didn't even know about it, let alone leak the raw materials of the formula.

  Everyone took a look at Zhang Gui's changed expression and suddenly knew that Pan Hao had said the last ingredient correctly.

  "Not bad, the last ingredient is indeed the sugar liquid purified with egg whites. I've tried thousands of experiments to get this formula right, and yet you managed to guess it with just one taste!" The shopkeeper said with a bitter smile.

  "This ancestral brew of Du Kang wine is yours!" The shopkeeper handed over the wine jar to Pan Hao, for those who brewed and loved wine, this Du Kang wine was precious, but having someone who understood was also a great joy!

  "Thank you, boss!" Pan Hao took over the Du Kang wine. It is said that Du Kang is the ancestor of brewing, and there is a legend about Du Kang's fine wine that can make people drunk for three years. Unexpectedly, the boss's ancestors actually had the formula for Du Kang wine and brewed it out, Pan Hao thought curiously.

  "Open it and let's have a taste!" As soon as they heard that it was Du Kang wine, everyone's expression became excited and the crowd surged forward.

  "Alright, let's take a look!" Pan Hao said loudly. With a big hand, he pried open the seal and a strong aroma of wine wafted out. Upon closer inspection, the wine seemed as clear and transparent as spring water. Pan Hao was thrilled and with a few gulps, he downed the entire contents of the wine jug in one go.

  Everyone suddenly sighed in unison and stomped their feet in distress. A good wine was gone just like that.

  With a thud, Pan Hao finished drinking and suddenly fell backwards, shocking everyone. They hastily bent down to look at Pan Hao lying on the ground. All they saw was that Pan Hao's face was rosy, as if he had fallen asleep.

  "What? Won't it be like the legend, drunk for three years?" The crowd whispered to each other. The shopkeeper also rushed in and shook Pan Hao, pinching his people's Zhongxue acupoint.

  "Hurry up, Doctor! Come and take a look!" A hurried voice rang out, but Pan Hao remained calm and serene, shielding himself from the outside world, which was also part of the act.