Chapter Thirty-Nine: Calculations

  The whole day, Zheng Fu and the small officials in the government office were busy running around to hand out the last batch of money, writing down the last person's name, and counting that they had recruited over 1,100 people, almost all the able-bodied men from four villages.

  When Zheng Fu sat down in the main hall, drank a cup of hot tea and warmed up, he was bewildered by the thick flower name book. How did all the ladies change overnight and suddenly understand?

  "Hey, you all stop right there! If you want to eat something, wait at the door and I'll go get it for you. Don't come in!" Just then, Zheng Fu heard the commotion outside and hurried out."

  "Don't block our way, we are people from the government!" a little kid said.

  "Nonsense! This is the Wang Manor, not a beggar's den. What are you people doing in the manor?" The gatekeeper sneered, blocking the way of a group of young beggars who had burst in.

  "Tian Shu, we are the little servants by Second Master's side. Don't you recognize us?" a child asked, bringing his face closer to the lantern.

  "Ah, ah, you're Zhao Ren, you're Zhao Yi! How did you end up in this state?" Old Tian finally recognized these people, they were indeed the attendants of Second Master.

  "Zhao Ren, why aren't you staying by Er Ye's side? What are you doing dressing up as a beggar and causing trouble?" Zheng Fu said, walking over with a scowl on his face.

  "Great manager, you're biting the hand that feeds you! We suffered hunger and cold to help you recruit people, and now you scold us!" Zhao Xin said, his small face flushing with anger.

  "You're helping us recruit people, aren't you?" Zheng Fu was a bit vague, "First go to the house and warm up, let's talk about what's going on!"

  "Alright, we'll tell you, but first, order the kitchen to prepare some food for us. We drank a bellyful of wine last night and only had a bowl of wheat porridge today, I'm starving!" Zhao Xin said with a smirk, seemingly not afraid of Zheng Fu at all.

  Zheng Fu immediately ordered someone to bring a bowl of mutton soup and half a basket of flatbread. A group of people ate while roasting by the fire, telling him about what had happened. Zhao Che used an analogy that if he were a modern person, he would understand at a glance - in front of a large hospital, new buildings are opening, and shopping malls are opening for business, all using this method, which is to find a guarantor.

  He had Zhao Ren and others dress up as beggars to spread the news that the Zhao government was going to carry out large-scale water conservancy projects and was recruiting people at the provincial government, and gave a few 'mortgaged servants' a holiday. Before leaving, he 'strictly ordered' them not to casually mention the matter of recruiting people in the government, because there were not many remaining places, so as not to cause chaos with too many people coming to sign up.

  Zhang Wei took advantage of some people's weaknesses. You told him clearly, but he didn't listen, thinking you were deceiving him. However, they believed in rumors, especially this kind of "internal" news. Those who were sent back were all strictly selected "small trumpets". Although they were strictly forbidden to speak, the more you didn't let them say it, the more itchy their hearts became. At first, they secretly told their family members, then their best friends, but who doesn't have three close relatives and good friends? Overnight, everyone who should know knew about it.

  "It was actually the second master's arrangement, no wonder so many people came today, he really anticipated everything." Zheng Fu suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, he had originally wanted to take this opportunity to make a good impression in front of Wang Ye, but unexpectedly, the whole thing from start to finish was under Wang Ye's control, without his secret help, he would have probably messed things up.

  The study of the king was still lit, and opposite Zhao Ke sat a man in his fifties or sixties. Behind him, Jian Xi stood dazed, his body swaying back and forth as if he had been drinking heavily, and the hot air from his mouth reeked of strong liquor.

  "Zhang Bo, I heard you used to brew wine in the national duke's mansion? You're also a master of wine tasting." Zhao Ye personally poured him a cup of tea and said. By the end of the year, the old national duke thought of his poor grandson who was alone outside, and sent someone to deliver a batch of things for the new year. This old man was the one in charge of delivering goods in the mansion, and naturally received the warm treatment of being personally greeted by the prince.

  "Your Highness, please don't address me like that. I'm just a minor official in the Duke's estate!" Zheng Ting hastily said, "In my younger days, I followed the Duke to manage the winery, so I have some basic knowledge about it, but I dare not say I'm proficient!"

  "Zheng Bo, try this wine and see how it is?" Zhao Zhan let out a happy smile as he took the wine jug from Ji You to pour some for Zheng Ding.

  "Hmm, this wine is quite strong, you should drink slowly!" Jian Xi couldn't help but let out a belch and said.

  "Hehe, thanks for the reminder!" The old man said with a hint of sarcasm on his face. In his heart, he thought to himself: "If I were to die tomorrow, it would be because I've spent my whole life drowning in wine - what kind of wine haven't I seen? But when he saw the wine being poured into the cup, his expression turned serious. When the cup was full, he couldn't wait to pick it up and sniff it, then put down the wine cup and picked up a tea cup next to it and took a sip, before picking up the wine cup again and taking a small sip, savoring the taste.

  "Your Highness, this wine is sweet and refreshing, but it goes down the throat like fire. It's definitely not brewed wine, it's distilled liquor!" Zheng Quan said with a surprised expression.

  "Oh, now there's already huangjiu?!" This time it was Zhao Chu's turn to be surprised. He thought he had found a lucrative business opportunity, but unexpectedly the Song Dynasty already had it, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

  "Old man didn't say wrong, burning wine has been around since ancient times. Have you heard of 'He Ming'?" Zhao Ye shook his head, he hadn't even heard of it, how would he know? "Legend has it that before the prosperous Tang Dynasty, in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a man from Hedong named Liu Bai was good at brewing wine. The wine he brewed could make people drunk for a long time without waking up, becoming the best product at that time. Scholars and officials would often travel thousands of miles to give each other gifts, so it was called 'He Ming'. Later, when Mao Hongbin, the governor of Qingzhou, took office, he brought this wine with him. On the way, he encountered bandits, who drank all his wine and fell drunk, were captured one by one. People also called this wine 'Zhen Jian Wine', and there was a saying that 'not afraid of Zhang Gong's bow and knife, only Liu Bai's spring wine'. What he made was burning wine!"

  "Damn it, did he also cross over and steal Laozi's rice bowl!" Zhao Yi cursed in a low voice.

  "Oh, what did you say, Your Highness?" The old man's ears were a bit deaf and he didn't hear clearly.

  "Are you saying this kind of wine is still being made now?" Zhao asked vaguely.

  "The old man had a drink when he was young, it's said to be from Sichuan, as precious as gold. He never drank again after that, and now only occasionally hears that some wealthy families still have some stored away, but they're all very secretive about it!" Zheng Quan said with a face full of regret.

  "Hmm! Is the wine really that little?" Zhao Che heard and was shocked again, the old man spoke with a big gasp, if it wasn't for his own body being much better, he would have "broken down" again, there's still room for this matter, he hastily asked.

  "Yes, it's hard to come by a thousand pieces of gold. Where did the king get this good wine from?" The old man said with relish, looking at the remaining half cup of wine on the table.

  "This is made by a lower official in the mansion based on an ancient recipe he accidentally obtained!" Zhao Ke stuttered and said, seeing Xi frowning at the side, the king was playing this trick again, didn't know who he would put this "good thing" on his head again, it was clear that the king thought of it himself, and followed him to play around for a day before coming up with it, secretly drank two mouthfuls, now his head was still dizzy.

  "What?! The old man stood up with a shout. "This person is here, can the old man see him?!" He said in his anxiety.

  "Zheng Bo, don't worry, this person is temporarily not in the mansion and has gone back home for Chinese New Year!"

  "Oh dear, I've lost my composure!" Zheng Quan was a clever and astute old man, he immediately understood that such a person would be a treasure in his own household, how could he let him meet outsiders so easily.

  "Zheng Bo brought the remaining jar of wine to Grandpa when he returned, it's also a little thought from me!" Zhao Ye said to Jian Xi behind him.

  "The king is indeed filial, if the Duke drinks this wine he will surely be very pleased!" The old man said with a bow, Zhao Ke waved his hand and let Jian Xi lead him down to rest, the old man didn't forget to take away the remaining half cup of wine as he left.

  "Second Master, why did you let that old man go? He's an expert on wine. Weren't you just looking for someone like him?" Xian asked, puzzled, as he watched Zheng Quan walk away.

  "Hmph, with that wine, are you still worried he won't come back? I'm afraid before the year is over, the Duke's estate will send someone again, and it'll be a heavyweight figure. You think my wine is that easy to drink?" Zhao Yi said with a smile.

  "Second Master wants to drag the Duke's Manor into this as well, wouldn't they be taking advantage of the situation?" Jian Xi said.

  "Haha, this is called investment, can I just take advantage of your cheapness?!" Zhao Ye stretched out his hand to knock on Jian Xi's head, wanting to experience the feeling of being educated by a 'little devil', but he was much shorter than him. He had to tiptoe just to reach his shoulder, which really made him feel stifled.

  Zhao Che saw off the old steward, and Xi gave him a large cape to wear. Two small yellow gates lit up lanterns in front of them, leading the way out of the main hall. Meng Tao and Yang Feng immediately followed, hanging back a few steps behind him. In the Wang Fu's corridor, all the lanterns under the gate were lit up, enveloping the entire mansion in a warm red glow. Although it was a cold winter, it made people feel peaceful and serene, experiencing the strong festive atmosphere.

  "It's great to be an ordinary citizen" The people in the courtyard were busy coming and going, and when they saw him come out, they would stop and greet him with a smile, their eyes filled with concern and gratitude. Zhao Zhe nodded in response, seeing the satisfied smiles on their faces, and suddenly sighed and muttered to himself.

  These underlings were content with a few pounds of pork, a few feet of satin and some extra money at the end of the year. They could then spend their days in joy, surrounded by their wives and children, basking in the warmth of the family hearth. But as a prince, he was born into intrigue, forced to be constantly on guard against the overt and covert struggles that might come from his own family members, with some conflicts ending only in death.

  "How many people dream of being born into a royal family, but the second master envies us ordinary people. It's really a case of being born with blessings and not knowing it!" Yang Feng shook his head and said from behind.

  "Haven't you heard of 'whenever it's a festive occasion, one thinks of their relatives'? Second Master is so young and yet he can't return home for the New Year, all alone in a foreign land. Although there are many people in the mansion, not a single one is his relative. Doesn't that make him feel sad?" Meng Tao said softly.

  "No wonder everyone in the mansion, from top to bottom, is grateful for Second Master's kindness. He let everyone bring their families together to celebrate the New Year, and it turns out he knew about everyone's difficulties all along!" Yang Feng said quietly after figuring out the connection.

  "Brother Yang, we've been drifting in the jianghu for many years, and it's not easy to meet a good master. Although Second Master is young, he's clever and wise, and what's even more rare is that he has a kind heart. In the future, he'll definitely become a dragon or phoenix among men. We think we should settle down now!"

  "Hmm!" Yang Feng walked ahead of Wang Ye, thoughtfully humming a sound.