Chapter Sixty: Reputation Takes Flight

  The materials for the soap have been bought back, and production can only start tomorrow. Qin Yu is also trying to see if he can make it, knowing the general steps and ingredients are useless, after all, it's still about seeing the results, speaking with facts.

  If successful, Qin Yu plans to incorporate the medicinal properties of mung beans into it, or add some antibacterial and skin-protecting ingredients, so that it can not only clean but also nourish the skin.

  The efficacy of Mung Bean in preventing skin diseases lies in those traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, but the cleaning power of Mung Bean is not strong, so Qin Yu thought of making soap this way.

  The formula for Douzhi is no secret in the Tang Dynasty, and it can be said that everyone knows about it. It's not strange that Qin Yu knows about it either, and he can get dozens of formulas with just a little inquiry.

  Of course, Qin Yu can't choose everything, he has to choose the ones with the best effect, and then add some spices to make it smell good.

  As for soap, it's even simpler. It's just used for washing clothes, and there are no special requirements for alkalinity. The steps are basically the same as those for making scented soap, and you don't need to add any ingredients that are beneficial to the skin.

  As for the sodium hydroxide required in the manufacturing process, it is not difficult to make, but it can easily cause skin damage, so Qin Yu repeatedly reminded his servants to be more careful, and naturally they did not dare to be careless.

  The next day, Xiaotao gathered a dozen or so servants to start making soap. The materials were all natural, without any of the modern additives, and although it took longer because they used the cold process method, the end result was reassuring.

  Qin Yu was in the house chatting with Cheng Lingyun, and then started to annotate punctuation marks for books. Not long after, a servant girl came to report: "Master, there are many young masters outside asking where the wine is from, and many of them were present at your wedding."

  "Wine?" Qin Yu was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly understood and smiled, "Deal."

  "Husband, what's going on?" Cheng Lingyun asked in puzzlement.

  "Madam, do you know where the wine we drank last night was brewed?" Qin Yu asked with a smile.

  Cheng Lingyun saw Qin Yu's triumphant face and suddenly thought of something, opening her mouth in surprise, "Could it be our family's brew?"

  "Clever, this way we can save on advertising and the reputation will spread directly, it's definitely going to sell for a good price." Qin Yu said with a self-satisfied expression.

  "Husband, you mustn't appear in person, or it will damage your reputation. This matter still needs to be carefully considered." Cheng Lingyun heard this and was suddenly startled, hastily opening her mouth to advise.

  "Madam can rest assured, I have already arranged for someone to sell wine." Qin Yu said with a smile.

  "That's good." Cheng Ling said with a gentle pat on her chest and a deep breath.

  Although everyone who came was asking about the origin of the wine, Qin Yu couldn't help but show up, otherwise he would be accused of being arrogant and rude. He immediately opened his mouth and said, "Madam, I'll go out for a while."

  Cheng Ling nodded, Qin Yu gave Cheng Lingyi a reassuring smile and then went out.

  Sun Erniang was busy every day, after all, Cui Wen of Yongnian County had directly set a quota of 5,000 taels of silver for wine, which was not a small amount.

  It turned out that Cui Wen could settle the bill with silver, which was beyond Qin Yu's expectation. Although silver had been circulating since the Qin and Han dynasties, it was scarce after all. How could Cui Wen have so much silver without surprising Qin Yu? However, Qin Yu wouldn't pursue this matter further.

  Before long, Qin Yu found Sun Erniang and inquired about the production of the wine. After a moment's thought, he immediately went out to deal with those uninvited guests.

  It's said that the people who came to ask were either rich or noble, some of whom were even relatives of the Cheng family, and many more who just wanted to join in on the excitement. However, this is Qingfeng Residence, and since Qin Yu, the master of the house, hasn't given a nod, they can't just barge in. After all, each and every one of them has a high status, so it's only natural that they would get impatient after waiting for so long without seeing anyone come out.

  At this time, the gate of Qingfengju creaked open and Qin Yu walked out with a smile on his face. He took a glance at the crowd of people and thought to himself, "Damn, there are really a lot of people."

  "Hello everyone." Qin Yu said with a smile.

  Many people had attended Qin Yu's wedding, and when they saw him come out, naturally they wouldn't give him a cold face, let alone ask about the origin of his wine. These people had searched for a long time in Chang'an, but couldn't find any wine that was as good as what they drank on the day of the wedding.

  "Brother Qin, may I ask, where did you buy that wine?" One of them clasped his fists and asked directly.

  Qin Yu returned the courtesy, and immediately smiled and said, "So you all want to ask about the origin of that wine. It's not a secret, I took in a strange woman in Yongnian, and the wine was brewed by her."

  As soon as Qin Yu's words fell, the people who came to ask questions were stunned. Nobody was a fool, and Qin Yu's meaning was very clear: this wine was brewed by Qingfengju, if you want to buy it, ask Qin Yu. Some people who wanted to make other plans heard this and immediately retreated.

  It's simple, these people were all prepared to control the person who brewed the wine after Qin Yu said who it was, but now it seems that they can only think about it and not put it into action. If they did, they would definitely offend Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong. No one would dare to offend a powerful person for the sake of making money.

  But there were few people who had this idea. At this time, one person opened his mouth with a eager face and asked, "So, Qin brother, how much of this wine is left? What's its value?"

  "There are still two jars of this wine, as for the price, Qin Mou is not clear, Sun Erniang has not mentioned it yet. However, three days later, Sun Erniang will open a wine house in Chang'an, and then you can ask about it." Qin Yu's words cleared himself up, but the fact was that everyone understood, no one tangled on this, everyone was like this, no one would tear their face apart.

  At this time, Qin Yu continued to say, "Everyone, come from afar is a guest, although there are only two jars of wine left, but Qin certain is not a narrow-minded person, will give them to everyone, as for Sun Erniang's place, Qin certain will persuade her to brew more wine, otherwise it would really not be enough to drink."

  The crowd erupted in applause, and Qin Yu immediately beckoned with his hand. Before long, two jars of various twenty-kilogram white wines were carried over by the household servants.

  Qin Yu looked at the people who had fixed their eyes on the wine jar, smiled slightly, and then said, "Three days later, the wine house will officially open for business. Don't forget to come and support us."

  "Definitely, definitely." Many people responded loudly, of course most of them were relatives of the Cheng family, and there were also some busybodies.

  "Alright, Qin has some matters to attend to, everyone can take their leave." After finishing speaking, Qin Yu bowed slightly and returned to the Clear Wind Residence.

  As soon as Qin Yu left, the crowd rushed up in an instant, scrambling to grab the wine jar, almost smashing it to the ground. At this moment, someone shouted loudly, "Everyone has a share, don't fight, if you continue to fight, no one will be able to drink!" Instantly, the crowd calmed down.

  Before long, the two men carrying the wine jars were surrounded by the crowd and left Qingfeng House. The large team of carriages and horses rushed to Chang'an, which caused many people's curiosity.

  There are not many people, but the wine is more powerful, enough for this group of people to drink once. However, when it comes to choosing where to drink, the opinions of this group of people suddenly become inconsistent. Going home to drink was the first to be vetoed, and going home to drink would not have their share, so they all disagreed.

  After much discussion, they finally ended up going to a brothel to drink.

  The wine was strong and after drinking three to five liang, they were all dizzy. At this time, Qin Yu's plagiarized words came out of their mouths.

  This group of people drank happily, but after returning home, it was either this one being whipped or that one being forced to kneel, the reason is simple, having good wine without thinking about the old, running out to steal a drink, it's not surprising if they shouldn't be punished.

  The next day, in various taverns and brothels of Chang'an, wherever people drank wine, you could almost always hear someone reciting poetry to urge others to drink. The atmosphere was extremely lively. Listening carefully, it wasn't Qin Yu's plagiarized "Jiang Jin Jiu" or what? But others didn't know the truth about Qin Yu's plagiarism.

  "Life's joys should be savored to the fullest, don't let the golden cup be empty when facing the moon. Brother Wang, please."

  。。。

  "Bring in wine, don't stop cups, come on, drink, drink."

  。。。。

  Qin Yu was previously unknown, although many people knew that Qin Yu had created a new type of paper and printed many low-priced books, but few people would specifically mention the name Qin Yunfei.

  But now it's different, all because of a poem, the name Qin Yunfei is spreading at a terrifying speed throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an. As soon as someone mentions entering the wine, they will bring up Qin Yunfei, followed by papermaking and printing books, which will be mentioned by people, and under the word of mouth, Qin Yu's reputation will quickly rise.

  The palace, Li Shimin put down the last batch of reviewed memorials, pinched his brow, and leaned back in his chair. His gaze gradually wandered off, and after a while, he collected his thoughts. All that could be heard was Li Shimin's soft sigh: "Since ancient times, all sages have been lonely... Qin Yunfei, Qin Yunfei, do you really understand my heart?"

  Li Shimin's loneliness is inevitable, being a good emperor requires diligence and dedication to handling the country's big and small affairs, thinking of the people's hardships with all one's heart, rarely having time to play or relax, even less time to accompany his wife than others, let alone Li Shimin wanting to be that eternal emperor, leaving him with even less free time.

  Moreover, the emperor was a lonely and isolated figure, the word "friend" basically did not exist for him, and even familial relationships were probably just a luxury, so Li Shimin was lonelier than anyone else.

  Li Shimin knew that this poem was spoken by Li Chengqian, and at the time, Li Chengqian recited Qin Yu's poem again. Li Shimin was shocked for a long time and sighed greatly, "I, indeed, did not misjudge, this child is indeed talented."

  Li Shimin was about to go to the Lizheng Hall to see Empress Zhangsun when the eunuch Yang Gonggong hastily came forward and reported, "Your Majesty, the Left Assistant Director of the Imperial Secretariat Fang Xuanling, Duke Zhengguo Wei Zheng, the Minister of Works Wang Gui, the Imperial Advisor Kong Yingda, and the Imperial Censor Cui Renshi request an audience with Your Majesty."

  "Huh? How long has it been since dawn?" Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then lifted his spirits and said, "Quickly, announce."

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Yang Gonggong bowed and said, then immediately went forward to convey Li Shimin's order.

  Soon after, Choi Im-seo and others came in, bowing together, "Greetings Your Majesty."

  "What brings you gentlemen here?" Li Shimin thought that something big had happened, but seeing the expressions of these people, he immediately asked.

  "Your Majesty, this..." Wang Gui wanted to speak up, but felt it was inappropriate, and ended up saying only half a sentence before stopping.

  Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Fang Xuanling, Cui Ren and others, only to see that these people also had a look of wanting to speak but finding it hard to open their mouths.

  Wei Zheng stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we have come specifically for that tea."

  Li Shimin's face stiffened at this point, "Tea leaves?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Several ministers bowed in unison and said.

  "Tea?" Li Shimin hesitated and asked again.

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Several ministers responded again.

  "We gave you one or two each, how can it be finished so quickly?" Li Shimin said with great reluctance.

  "Your Majesty, this tea is not enough." Kong Yingda let out a long sigh.

  "We." Li Shimin's mouth opened, and after a while, he continued, "That's all."