Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Wine of Ten Thousand Years

  The First Emperor's eastern tour did not make any concealment.

  Perhaps in the eyes of Qin Shi Huang, now that the six nations of Guandong have been destroyed and the flames of war have been extinguished everywhere, what can threaten him? On the one hand, this time the ceremony at Mount Tai is to establish the orthodox position of the Great Qin; on the other hand, it also has the intention of proclaiming national prestige.

  Since the Qin people established their foothold in Guanzhong, they have always been regarded by the six nations of Guandong as a flood beast and a barbarian tribe.

  Now that Qin has risen, it is time to show its strength. The First Emperor issued an edict announcing that he would tour the six nations in the east next year and perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai.

  Qin Shi Huang was fearless, but it didn't mean his ministers were not nervous.

  In the middle of the year, Emperor Shi Huang went on an inspection tour to Longxi (now Lintao County, Gansu Province), Beidi (now Xifeng City, Gansu Province), and then to Jitou Mountain (now north of Jingyuan County, Gansu Province) before heading to Zhonggong (northwest of Long County, Shaanxi Province). Along the way, he made a big show of his power, causing the entire 800-li Qin River valley to erupt in cheers and jubilation.

  Next year's tour of Kanto will be a big deal for sure.

  Building roads, maintaining law and order... and so on, big or small matters, enough to give people a headache.

  Not a single mistake can be made, otherwise it will cost one's head. From the moment they received the imperial edict, officials of all sizes began to bustle about.

  Even Ren Fan cannot be an exception.

  Ren Yao, from the Iron Eagle Guards, took this inspection tour of the First Emperor very seriously. Although it was not certain whether they would pass through Pei County, Ren Yao could not be too careful. The banditry had been put down, but who could guarantee that there wouldn't be other mishaps? The remnants of the six states were still present, and no slackness could be tolerated. Therefore, Ren Yao once again mobilized and organized the local militia. However, this time the scope of the mobilization was much smaller.

  The recruitment is limited to residents within Pei County town.

  The number is also too many, only more than ten people were selected. Among them, Fan Kuai was recruited as an official and entered Ren Jun's government.

  Xiahou Ying and Zhou Chang were also summoned along with Fan Qiao.

  Xiahou Yuan was appointed as a minor official in charge of feeding horses, while Zhou Chang was appointed as a clerk. Ren Jun needed these people to handle affairs on the one hand, and on the other hand, he also wanted to appease the people of Pei County, telling them that as long as they were honest and had talent, he would take notice of them as the county magistrate.

  After all, the Qin army stationed in Pei County cannot move on its own initiative.

  It's not easy to let the mighty Qin regular army take charge of capturing thieves and bandits. Moreover, Fan Kuai and his men are all native-born people from Pei County, they are very familiar with the surrounding people and things, so it is most suitable for them to be in charge of some miscellaneous tasks.

  So, Ren Yao was busy all day dealing with major and minor matters in Pei County.

  Those trivial matters were enough to make Ren You feel overwhelmed, and although he had the help of Xiao He and others, he still couldn't get a moment's peace.

  Finally finished dealing with official business, Ren You returned to the inner hall, exhausted.

  He is very decisive in battle, but governing a place is really troublesome...

  Sometimes, I just can't figure it out: the proud Iron Eagle Knights, why do they have to do these things? With a heavy heart, I don't want to continue anymore, but in the end, I still burn the well-written memorial. There is a faint feeling that Emperor Shi Huang has arranged for him to have another purpose.

  After changing his clothes, Ren Yao had not yet caught his breath when he saw Li Bi come to ask for an audience, saying that the prisoner Liu Kan wanted to see the county magistrate and had important business to discuss.

  Ren You was very tired and said: "Tell Liu Kuan, whatever it is, let's talk about it tomorrow."

  As for what happened to Liu Jian, Ren Yao also knew about eight or nine out of ten. However, what could he do? Not to mention that Liu Jian was still being punished, even if he hadn't been stripped of his military merits and titles, the Lü family's daughter getting married, how could it be possible for an outsider to intervene?

  Foodie is not a complimentary term.

  As early as the time of Meng Zong, there was a saying about "chicken crowing and dog stealing". Moreover, Lü's family difficulties were not unknown to Ren Rang. Unifying currency may have no impact on some big families, but for small families like Lü's, it has a profound impact.

  However, it has been half a year since the incident, what does Liu Jian want to see him for now?

  Li Bi hesitated for a moment, then said: "Your Excellency, Liu Kan said that it's related to the Emperor's eastern expedition against the six nations, so he requested an audience with you."

  What's going on with Dong Xie?

  He is just an ordinary person, how can he say such big words?

  However, Ren Yao still sat up straight and said in a deep voice, "In that case, bring him over."

  Li Bilei left with the order, while Ren Yao sat in the hall, lost in thought. What trick is this Liu Kan going to play again? Last time, Liu Kan exploited a loophole, and although Ren Yao only gave him a punishment out of protection, he was not very comfortable in his heart.

  I hope this time he won't cause me any more trouble.

  Ren You took up his wine cup from the long table, drank a mouthful, and then sat down to deal with official documents.

  Actually, there is a big problem in front of Ren You. Shui Jing Hu Die... Since this wine appeared in Peng City, it has spread rapidly at an alarming rate. Merchants from all over the country have been flocking to Peng City, eager to get a jar of Shui Jing Hu Die.

  Even Neishi County (also known as Xianyang) is now going crazy for this Shuihuajiao, and it's said that a jar of Huajiao wine can't be bought even with a thousand pieces of gold.

  The name of this wine suggests that Shanshui Huadiao is produced in Shanshui County.

  However, until now, no one knows who brewed this wine and where it came from. The person in charge of selling Suishui Huadiao also finds it hard to explain clearly. All they know is that the owner of this wine has never truly appeared, and all sales are done through intermediaries.

  The prime minister Wang Yun sent someone to investigate, but still there were no leads.

  There is a faint premonition that this Suishui Huadian might have originated from Pei County. But, after all, whose hands did it come from?

  Wang Wan said in his letter: This time, the First Emperor's Mount Tai ceremony requires 100 tanks of fine wine to sacrifice to heaven and earth.

  Moreover, Emperor Qin Shi Huang seemed to have tasted this wine and specifically instructed to use Si Shui Hua Diao to worship the heavens. However, this type of wine cannot be bought on the market, let alone in Xianyang which is thousands of miles away, even in Pengcheng where Si Shui Hua Diao first appeared, it's now a situation where it has a price but no market.

  Wang Juan suppresses Tu Rui, Tu Rui presses down on his face...

  Gently rubbing his temples, he silently cursed: This damn Huajiu wine, who the hell brewed it?

  At this time, a servant came to report: Li Bi had brought Liu Yan and was now waiting in the hall for instructions.

  "Let him come over."

  He patted his forehead and moved his somewhat stiff body around a bit.

  Liu Jian held a beautifully crafted jade cup with four floating spirit images, and under the escort of Li Biqiao's armor, he walked onto the stage.

  "How come it's been such a long time?"

  "Sir, Liu Jian insisted on going back home along the way, saying he needed to get something very important. I thought that since we were already out, what's the worst that could happen? So I brought thirty men and sent him back home first before returning to report."

  Liu Yan furrowed his brow and said in a deep voice: "Liu Kan, what are you up to?"

  Liu Jian respectfully walked forward and placed the four spiritual jade vases in his arms in front of Ren Yao, "After you see it, sir, you will naturally understand."

  Ren You glared at Liu Jian with an unhappy expression, this guy...

  He walked forward and bent down. Ren Yao tore open the black cloth wrapped around the mouth of the jar. Inside the mouth of the jar, there was still a round black wooden stopper stuck in it.

  Pull out the black wooden stopper, a mellow and harmonious wine aroma, faintly and vaguely comes over.

  That fragrance, which was between explicit and implicit, invigorated Ren Yao's spirit. He hastily squatted down, gently shook the incense burner, and in an instant, the mellow and rich fragrance naturally seeped into his lungs, making Ren Yao feel carefree and delighted. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

  It's Huādiāo...

  Ren You also drank a jar of Suishui Huadiao. This wine is fragrant, and comes from the same origin as Suishui Huadiao, but it can't compare to the fragrance of the wine in front of me now.

  "Bring me a bowl!"

  A small person brought a wine cup in front of Ren Yue.

  He carefully poured a cup of wine from the jug. Under the light of the candles in the room, the wine in the cup was amber in color, crystal clear and full of luster... Ren Xiao picked up the cup and took a sip. When the liquid moistened his entire tongue, Ren Xiao's face suddenly changed.

  Flushed, what an exciting flush!

  "Good wine! Good wine!"

  "Soft and smooth mouthfeel, icy coolness, this is at least a hundred times better than the Suishui Huadiao on the market!"

  After finishing speaking, Ren Yao turned around and stared at Liu Jian. Liu Jian's expression was calm, his clear eyes looked at Ren Yao, not showing any emotions at all.

  "Is this Si Shui Hua Jiao wine brewed by you?"

  "It's just common people!"

  Li Biqiao, who was standing next to him, was startled. They had naturally also heard of the name "Suishui Huajiu" and had even been lucky enough to have a taste once.

  In Pei County, a jar of Shuihua carved flower has skyrocketed to 1,200 coins, but it can't be bought.

  Unexpectedly, the brewer was actually right beside him? Li Bizuo's throat rolled a few times, and his saliva secretion accelerated instantly. Looking at Liu Quan's gaze, it was a bit different... This guy, was he actually the founder of Suishui Huajiu?

  "What do you mean by sending this jar of wine?" Ren Yao said.

  Liu Quan cupped his hands and said, "This wine is called Wansui Wine. It's a recipe that I and Xun Shi found in an ancient book. Legend has it that when Shang Tang defeated Xia and Zhou Wu defeated Zhou, they used this wine to make offerings to heaven and earth. If the emperor bestows this wine upon someone, it can make the brave even braver and the wise even wiser. However, brewing this wine is quite difficult. Xun Shi and I spent a whole year researching and experimenting, and we only managed to produce 100 jars."

  After listening to this speech, his eyes suddenly became bright...

  One hundred bottles?

  He rushed forward, grasped Liu Quan's arm and excitedly said: "Ah Quan, are you saying... that you have a hundred jars of Wansui wine?"