Chapter 45 Qin Ren doesn't intend to continue exploring ancient times...

Qin Ren doesn't plan to continue down the ancient path, bringing too many modern elements.

This "bundle" refers to the goods he transports and then sells as merchandise.

If he continues to do this, it will make the people of Da Yong feel that there is a wonderful place overseas that has everything.

Such a wonderful place, with everything at its disposal, makes them feel that even without Qin Ren's help in transporting the goods, they can still get the good stuff they want as long as they can find it.

That would bring danger and trouble to Qin Ren.

For example... they might force Qin Ren to lead his army to move goods?

Qin Ren had no way of finding such a good place for them.

With so many people watching, he wouldn't be able to bribe or kill them all.

For example, they might find Qin Ren useless and want to kill him so they can find a better place themselves, which would put Qin Ren in great danger.

In order to make himself more useful, Qin Ren did not intend to continue as a merchant, bringing more and better exotic things to ancient times. Instead, he planned to create them using his "erudition".

Qin Ren wasn't particularly learned, but he could travel back to the modern era, where there were so many books that he could find any information he wanted. He had access to all the information available in the modern world, making him considerably more learned than people from ancient times.

In this way, what people in ancient times saw was not that he had a country with many treasures behind him, but that Qin Ren himself was a genius with treasures.

As long as they feel Qin Ren is more useful, they are unlikely to kill him easily.

Of course, he couldn't completely trust ancient feudal emperors, since emperors can be good or bad.

For his own safety, he decided to test the alcohol first. If this new emperor was decent, open to new things, and generous to talented people, like a good emperor who treated his subordinates well, Qin Ren planned to showcase his talents.

If the other party is a bad person—incompetent, foolish, and stingy—it wouldn't be pleasant to be his subordinate. Qin Ren planned to devise a way, ideally to escape with Liu Qingyue and the others.

Judging from the current situation, Wen Lingzheng, the heir apparent, is an impatient, difficult-to-get-along-with, and somewhat foolish fellow.

Fortunately, he had someone by his side who could keep him in check, preventing Qin Ren from turning against him on the spot.

After spending the past two days with Prince Ying, it seems that Prince Ying has a decent temper and doesn't seem like the kind of person who would easily behead someone.

Qin Ren thought it might be worthwhile to follow him to the capital and give it a try. Maybe he could actually make a name for himself through his own abilities.

After that, they traveled on and off for about half a month before stopping to rest in one place.

At this moment, the man Gu Liu sent out returned, bringing back some very good news.

"Your Highness, the alcohol was indeed effective. I took several experienced military doctors and tested it on the bandits we encountered earlier. The bandits who didn't use the alcohol died twice as many times as those who did."

Upon hearing this, Wen Lingzheng burst into laughter, "Hahaha, it seems this thing is indeed quite good."

Gu Liu glanced at him with a hint of disdain. The two of them were sitting very close to each other when Wen Lingzheng suddenly burst into loud laughter, which he found a bit noisy.

Upon seeing this, Wen Lingzheng quickly stood up and moved to a place a little further away from Gu Liu.

He thought to himself: Prince Ying is not as good-tempered as His Majesty. His Majesty would not mind if he laughed too loudly.

Gu Liu watched him walk away before nodding to the man.

"Since it's useful, then you should take Young Master Qin back to the capital first."

"Should we place them in the Prince's residence, or..."

“Find him a nice estate outside the city, and prepare whatever he needs.”

"Here you go!"

Watching the man leave to carry out his orders, Wen Lingzheng asked, "Do you really believe he has the ability to produce that alcohol?"

"certainly."

"What do you mean, of course? Aren't you afraid he'll lie to us?"

"No, you must trust my judgment in judging people."

Meanwhile, Qin Ren was not surprised when he learned that he would be leaving the group to go to the capital first.

Alcohol is indeed useful, not only in medicine, but also in the production of many fine wines.

If he can figure it out, he can not only save many lives, but also make a lot of money from the good wine.

Even though grain production was low in ancient times, good wine has always been popular.

Especially the nobles, who would certainly be willing to spend a lot of gold and silver to buy wine.

Qin Ren didn't want to travel slowly with them like this; he wanted to get to the capital sooner so he could familiarize himself with the situation there.

At the same time, he won't have to be watched all the time like he does now, and he'll be more free to do whatever he wants.

When Qin Ren left, he went to see Liu Qingyue one more time.

He gave Liu Qingyue some more food, mouthed that he should contact him through the door if anything happened, and then left with the others.

When they left, Qin Ren was still riding in the carriage.

However, the travel speed is much faster than before.

Because Qin Ren was not a criminal, but a distinguished guest of His Highness Prince Ying.

The people who escorted him were relatively polite to him along the way.

They would rest at post stations or towns, and Qin Ren would occasionally take the opportunity to return to the modern world.

To prevent them from searching him and taking his "synthetic weapon," Qin Ren left it in the passageway.

One time, when Liu Qingyue opened the door, he saw that weapon.

Liu Qingyue didn't know what kind of weapon it was, but having followed Qin Ren around, he had seen a bit of it. He found the weapon rather intimidating and didn't dare to touch it recklessly.

Since Qin Ren will also return to the modern world, in order to prevent Liu Qingyue from accidentally opening the door in the wrong place after opening it.

The two of them agreed on the time they would use the passageway via tablet.

Qin Ren would choose to use the passage at night, while Liu Qingyue would choose to open it during the day.

As long as their timings are staggered—Liu Qingyue opens the passage first, and Qin Ren opens it afterward—Qin Ren won't be teleported to Liu Qingyue's location.

Qin Ren returns to the modern world sometimes to take care of his puppy, sometimes to research information about alcohol, and occasionally to cook a delicious meal for Liu Qingyue in the kitchen.

Traveling is always tedious. Liu Qingyue is either in the carriage or on the road, so she has no time to exercise properly.

With Qin Ren constantly feeding him, Liu Qingyue unknowingly gained even more weight.

When he first met Qin Ren, he was a skinny, bony guy.

After being fed for so long, Liu Qingyue's cheeks finally started to get a little chubby.

Qi Shi and Liu Yuze watched Liu Qingyue every day, so their feelings wouldn't be too obvious.

But Qin Ren was different. He couldn't see Liu Qingyue every day, only occasionally glancing at her through his tablet. He noticed that Liu Qingyue had gained a lot of weight and looked even better than before.

Because Liu Qingyue's situation was different from the others in the Liu family, he had Liu Yuze protecting him, so he wasn't really a prisoner.

Even though he was very handsome, even strikingly so, the people escorting him didn't dare to do anything to him.

Furthermore... the Liu family's crimes have not yet been fully determined, and before they are escorted back to the capital, no one dares to act recklessly.

...

Just as Qin Ren was about to arrive in the capital, Liu Qingyue told him some big news via tablet.

Two days ago, his father, uncle, and others, along with the rebel army, were captured by King Ying's army in Qiuchuan.

The people captured this time were mainly male members of the Liu family; the fourth prince has not yet been captured.

After failing to seize the throne in the capital, the fourth prince faked his death and escaped.

After he came out, he had not yet had time to rejoin the army of the Liu family.

Their whereabouts are now unknown, and King Ying's men are still searching for them.

Upon learning that Minister Liu and his entourage had also been arrested, it meant that the Liu family's guilt was now certain.

Regardless of whether the Fourth Prince can be caught or not, the Liu family is doomed.

Qin Ren instructed Liu Qingyue: "Be smart. If... your brother can't protect you, you have to find a way to escape to the modern world."

Because he was worried that Liu Qingyue might be foolish enough not to run away because she was concerned about Liu Yuze and the Qi family, Qin Ren sent him the same message several times in a row.

When Liu Qingyue left him a message later, she said with a hint of helplessness, "I know, I'm not stupid. As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood. If even my brother can't protect me, I will definitely run away on my own. Only if I successfully escape can I find a way to save the others. Also... the current situation isn't as bad as you think. My elder brother still has some influence with the Emperor Emeritus."

However, he has some influence, but at most he can protect himself and his mother. As for the others... his elder brother won't blame him if he can't protect him and his mother.

Qin Ren arrived in the capital in early June.

They did not enter the city. King Ying wanted Qin Ren to make the alcohol as soon as possible so that he could teach his people to make more alcohol.

Qin Ren settled down in a manor outside the capital, and everyone in the manor obeyed his commands.

To document his first time making alcohol, Qin Ren carried a miniature action camera with him, intending to record the entire alcohol-making process.

Don't be fooled by his current familiarity with the alcohol-making process. When he has more to do in the future, or after three, four, or five years, he probably won't remember it clearly when he tries to recall it.

It's not that Qin Ren has a bad memory, but rather that the more he knows and the more he can do, the more his memory can't hold up.

He only remembers things that matter to him, and he easily forgets things like making alcohol, which are not that important to him.

Regardless of whether recording it is useful or not, even if it's just for the sake of cherishing memories, Qin Ren still felt it was necessary to film it.

It takes at least a year and a half to make a delicious wine.

However, if you're only making alcohol, it won't take that long.

They only need to make ordinary yellow wine, which is cloudy wine, and then purify it through multiple distillations.

This process doesn't take too long; usually a week or two is enough.

This was my first time making alcohol, and I wasn't quite sure about the purity.

Fortunately, Qin Ren had an instrument to measure the purity of alcohol.

Holding a measuring instrument in his hand, and leading a group of people, he conducted multiple measurements and gradually mastered the art of measuring alcohol content.

75% alcohol is needed to disinfect wounds, while 25%-50% alcohol is needed for physical fever reduction.

A liquor with a content higher than 50% has a strong flavor and falls into the category of spirits.

Liquor with less than 50% alcohol content will have a much smoother taste. Of course, this smoothness is relative to modern people. For people in ancient times, liquor with less than 50% alcohol content would still be considered strong liquor.

Qin Ren returned to the capital a month and a half earlier than Ying Wang and the others.

In a month and a half, Qin Ren and his team produced more than ten kilograms of alcohol, and also brewed a considerable amount of liquor in the process.

These wines will take a year and six months to be opened, so even if Prince Ying returns, the wines he brews cannot be drunk for the time being.

Prince Ying and his entourage returned quite late, and upon their return, they went directly to meet the Emperor.

Soon, the decision regarding the Liu family was made.

Surprisingly, the entire family was not executed.

Only Minister Liu, Liu's eldest uncle, Liu Yushen, and other important male members of the Liu family were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.

Others, such as the elderly, their families, and children, all became government slaves.

Liu Yuze was trying to atone for his sins by taking advantage of the fact that the Emperor Emeritus was still alive and asking for his grace to save Liu Qingyue and Qi Shi.

For such a serious crime as rebellion, the new emperor's punishment of the Liu family was quite lenient.

He didn't even kill all the members of the Liu family, so naturally he didn't implicate the Qi family.

From this perspective, the new emperor seems relatively benevolent and doesn't appear to be a tyrant.

After dealing with the Liu family's affairs, Prince Ying finally had time to check on Qin Ren's progress in making alcohol.

By this time, it was already the end of July, and Qin Ren had already produced a lot of alcohol.

Because he was unsure how much Prince Ying wanted, he didn't continue.

In ancient times, grain was precious, and making alcohol consumed a great deal of grain. He planned to show it to Prince Ying before following his instructions.

This time, Prince Ying did not bring Wen Lingzheng with him, but instead brought a new face.

The newcomer wore a heavy veiled hat, and seemed to be in poor health, walking with a slight unsteadiness.

He followed behind King Ying, barely saying a word the entire time.

They only approached with interest when Qin Ren explained the uses of the alcohol.

Prince Ying: "You mean, this stuff can be used to brew wine?"

"Yes, it tastes much better than rice wine."

"When will you open this wine so I can have a taste?"

Ying Wang still did not reveal his identity, even though he knew that Qin Ren already knew his identity, he still did not face him as Ying Wang.

Seeing this, Qin Ren naturally couldn't expose him, so he pretended not to know and continued to treat him as the sixth young master of the Gu family.

"It will probably take another six months. Anyway, this is the Sixth Young Master's estate, so the wine here naturally belongs to him."

"You're quite generous."

As Ying Wang said this, he suddenly couldn't help but smile.

He remembered Qin Ren's love of money, and after thinking for a moment, he said to Qin Ren, "I'll take this alcohol with me first, and then have the doctor try it. If the effect is the same as before, your reward will definitely not be small."

"Then thank you very much, young master."

After watching Ying Wang have all the alcohol removed, Qin Ren finally had time to take a stroll around the capital.

He was busy making alcohol before, and then he had to brew wine; he was as busy as a spinning top.

Now that the alcohol has been produced, he has taught the method to Ying Wang's people, so he no longer needs to do the rest himself.

Thinking about what happened to Liu Qingyue's family, he was a little worried that she would be very upset.

As an outsider, he felt that Minister Liu's death was entirely his own doing.

But Liu Qingyue is different. No matter what kind of person Minister Liu is, he is, after all, her father who gave her life and raised her.

Before the events at Yuyang Mansion, Liu Qingyue still relied heavily on her father, Minister Liu.

Now that Minister Liu is about to be beheaded, Liu Qingyue, as his son, must be feeling very sad.

With that in mind, Qin Ren decided to make a trip to the capital.

He had been in the capital for more than two months, but he still hadn't seen the true face of the capital of Yong.

After Liu Qingyue returned to the capital, she was able to contact Qin Ren frequently, except for the first few days when it was inconvenient for her to do so.

Qin Ren learned from the message he left for himself that the Liu family's house had now been confiscated.

Liu Qingyue and Qi Shi followed Liu Yuze and bought a small courtyard in a relatively remote part of the capital.

The courtyard is called a small courtyard, and it really is very small.

Including the kitchen and the outhouse, there are only five rooms in total, so the whole place looks very cramped.

Now that all the servants of the Liu family have been dismissed, Liu Yuze has no money left, so he can only give Liu Qingyue and Qi Shi a little servant to serve them.

As for the Liu family, they have all fallen on hard times, so why don't they simply move to another place?

After all, houses in the capital are so expensive, and everything from firewood and rice to cooking oil and salt costs money.

Wang Dudu was a familiar place to their family. Now that their family has become like this, it would be very difficult for them to return to Wang Du.

They didn't move away, mainly because although Liu Yuze had been dismissed from his post, his connections were still in the capital.

Liu Yuze still wanted to make a living in the capital, so he had no way to leave the capital for the time being.

Secondly, the Qi family was also in the capital, and Qi Shi didn't want to be too far from her family. Since Liu Yu was going to marry a son from the Qi family's eldest branch, they were even less able to leave the capital.

Liu Qingyue told Qin Ren their current address, and Qin Ren planned to go into the city to check on Liu Qingyue's situation first.

The capital of Dayong was not as prosperous as Qin Ren had imagined.

It's also possible that the city had recently suffered a catastrophe, and many streets in the capital looked severely damaged, requiring extensive repairs to restore them to their original state.

Qin Ren inquired his way to Liu Qingyue's house, but Liu Yu was not home when he arrived.

Their household consisted only of Liu Qingyue, Qi Shi, a young servant, and a guard.

Qin Ren recognized this guard; it was the same guard who had escorted Liu Qingyue to Yu Yang's residence before.

Guard B opened the door and didn't stop Qin Ren when he saw him.

Qin Ren is Liu Qingyue's benefactor, and he is no longer an ordinary merchant. He has climbed up to a big figure like Prince Ying, so his status has naturally risen accordingly.

Of course, it wasn't because of his high status that Guard B was willing to let Qin Ren in to see their young master.

Instead... Young Master Yue told him in advance that if Qin Ren came to see him, he must be allowed to come in.

Now that Guard B is Liu Qingyue's man, and Liu Yu has already given him to Liu Qingyue, he naturally has to obey Liu Qingyue's orders.

When she saw Qin Ren coming over, Liu Qingyue was overjoyed.

He dismissed Guard B and also didn't allow the new young attendant to stay by his side.

The servant felt this was very inappropriate; Young Master Yue was not yet married, and it was truly inconvenient for her to be alone with another man.

But since Young Master Yue had already told him to go down, he couldn't just stand there refusing to go down.

The young servant slightly curtsied, then nervously rubbed his hands as he left.

Watching the servant leave, Liu Qingyue disregarded whether it was proper or not and quickly closed the door.

Their family is in such a state now, and his reputation is already completely ruined.

Just because he's from the Liu family, no one would dare to marry him.

In addition, he didn't care much about others wanting to marry him, so he naturally didn't care much about his reputation.

Liu Qingyue locked the door and turned to look at Qin Ren with a smile.

"how have you been?"

"fine."

"Is Prince Ying treating you well? Has Wen Lingzheng bullied you?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren couldn't help but laugh.

"Do I look like someone who would be bullied?"

"No, I know no one can bully you. I'm just worried... that because of me, you'll act timidly."

"No, Prince Ying is easy to get along with, and they need me right now, so it's impossible for them to treat me badly."

There are many stories of "the rabbit dies and the hound is cooked" in TV dramas, but today's Dayong is in dire need of reconstruction and is beset by internal and external troubles.

The new emperor has just ascended the throne, while the old emperor is nearing his end and is unfamiliar with many things.

Judging from his refusal to employ Liu Yuze, it's clear that he didn't quite trust the person the old emperor had given him.

He didn't trust those people, so the court naturally needed fresh blood.

Qin Ren was neither from a noble family nor from a poor one; his background was extremely simple.

Even if someone like him is given a high position, there's no need to worry about the complex and intertwined power of powerful families behind him.

In addition, Qin Ren is truly capable, and he is very confident that he will soon be given an important position.

"Alright, let's not talk about me anymore. How about you? Are you alright?"

It would have been better if Qin Ren hadn't asked; Liu Qingyue could still talk to him with a smile if he hadn't asked. But now that Qin Ren had asked him, he couldn't help but want to cry.