These words sent a chill down Chunqiong's spine, and goosebumps instantly rose all over her body. Her legs went weak, and she knelt down again.

He quickly denied that he meant it that way, saying that the twelve bottles of Forget-Worry Valley were of good quality, purchased with his savings from before he became an official, and not obtained through corruption or illegal means.

The reason he offered these two items as tribute was because he admired the emperor's power and had long been deeply grateful for his imperial favor, and had always wanted to find an opportunity to repay him.

He said he was well aware of the people's poverty, and that with the great disaster just over, the people were struggling to make ends meet and everything needed to be rebuilt.

He had already given away all his wealth to provide disaster relief and help the people.

He had accumulated the Valley of Forgetfulness over a month, and had no ulterior motives. It did not conflict with the relief efforts and was entirely out of loyalty. May Heaven and Your Highness the Crown Prince bear witness.

By the end, Chunqiong's voice was almost choked with sobs.

They seem genuinely terrified!

This scene made Sun Jian smile wryly and shake his head.

Although this magistrate Chunqiong had the same physique and appearance as Heshen in later generations, he lacked Heshen's inherent quick wit and spirit.

Anyone with eyes could see that Lord Yao was simply trying to give His Highness the Crown Prince a way out.

It could even be said that this was a legitimate reason and excuse for Chunqiong to offer him fine wine and food as tribute, to demonstrate his loyalty and filial piety.

We are indeed in a time of rebuilding after a natural disaster.

The Crown Prince was sent by the Emperor to pacify the people, and he should share their joys and sorrows. If he doesn't find any reason or excuse and just openly eats expensive delicacies and wine, wouldn't that be a bit self-destructive?

At the very least, this excuse must appear and sound plausible to the world, and certainly not give His Highness the Crown Prince any reason to criticize him in the future.

Chunqiong is such a fool. She can't even see this much, yet she fawns over him and tries to curry favor. She's utterly stupid.

Look how scared he is!

Sun Jian's assessment of him can be summed up in three words: "Pig brain!"

Crown Prince Li Gancheng smiled and said, "Alright, Lord Chun, stop kneeling and get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

Chunqiong wiped the sweat from her forehead and staggered to her feet.

Li Gancheng glanced at the crowd below and continued, "Although the price of this Forget-Worry Valley is high, it is ultimately just food and drink to relieve fatigue, and it is not considered extravagant."

"Lord Chun was willing to exchange his own wealth for this item out of gratitude and admiration! There was nothing else!"

"I appreciate Lord Chun's loyalty and offer these two items out of filial piety towards the royal family. Furthermore, Lord Sun, Lord Yao, and all the ministers have worked tirelessly day and night to suppress the locust plague in various regions. Their hard work and contributions are immense."

"Having finally settled down and rested in Gaoling County, I will accept this on behalf of all the lords as a reward for them."

"Lord Chun, what do you think?"

After hearing what Crown Prince Li Gancheng said, Sun Jian glanced at him helplessly.

This kid...

So clever!

Why would you accept it for yourself?

Damn it... This Valley of Forgetfulness was invented by Lao Tzu. You can take as much as you want from your own home!

Do I need this reward from Magistrate Chun?

Sun Jian understood that this was the basic rhetoric used by Crown Prince Li Gan to manage people, so he didn't dwell on it too much.

Chunqiong wasn't completely stupid; she finally understood and quickly bowed again, saying, "This...this is exactly what I meant! Thank you...thank you for granting my request, Your Highness!"

"Alright, then I will accept this delicious food and wine on behalf of all of you lords!"

Li Gancheng waved his hand and gave Liu Jin a wink. Liu Jin immediately understood and hurriedly took the Forget-Worry Valley from the two maids and began distributing it to the people below.

Chunqiong didn't dare to speak, and remained standing there with her head down, waiting for the Crown Prince to tell her to leave. Her appearance and expression were quite adorable.

Ten of the twelve bottles of wine were distributed, leaving two bottles in Liu Jin's hands.

Apart from Li Gancheng, Sun Jian, and Yao Tianzheng, all the other ministers present were overjoyed when they received the Forget-Worry Valley.

The camp was filled with the aroma of wine, which was refreshing and delightful.

Those who are seated below the hall are all people of high rank and great power, people who have seen much of the world.

Even so, many of them were still captivated by the aroma of the wine.

Forget-Worry Valley has been around for over a month now, and most of you here have already tasted this wine.

Once they tasted it, they wanted to try it a second time, but unfortunately, the quantity was scarce and it was not easy to buy. As court officials, they could not be too extravagant, so they drank it very rarely.

Being able to taste this rare and exquisite wine again in Gaoling County is a reward for my recent hard work.

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"

"Although the aroma is different from what I have drunk before, it is not hard to tell from the aroma that this is a rare and exquisite wine!"

Zhuang Qishi smelled the bottle cap and sighed.

"Indeed! It is indeed fine wine. Although I have never tasted it, I have heard of the name Forget-Worry Valley countless times. Seeing it today, it is truly extraordinary!"

Mi Zhu then turned his gaze to Xing Kang, who was sitting next to him, and asked, "Lord Xing, what do you think of this wine?"

Xing Kang laughed heartily, “Haha, I’ve long heard of the name Forget-Worry Valley. To be honest, I’ve wanted to have a good drink for a long time, but I’ve been too busy with official duties, and a bottle of Forget-Worry Valley wine is hard to come by! Like Lord Mi, I’ve never had the chance. Today, I’m determined to have a good taste.”

Xing Kang was being rather polite. As the Minister of Works, he was second only to the Three Dukes in the entire civil service.

If someone of such status wanted to drink this wine, even if it was extremely rare in Forget-Worry Valley, they wouldn't be unable to get it.

Both he and Mi Zhu were the type who disliked blindly following trends and were cautious in everything they did, simply because they didn't want to give others cause for criticism.

Otherwise, how could a mere county magistrate be able to buy it while they couldn't?

They genuinely wanted to drink and taste it, but they also understood a principle: everything should be left to its own devices.

When it's time to drink, you'll naturally get to drink.

They don't care what other adults think, but that's just how they do things.

"Your Highness, I have heard that this Valley of Forgetfulness was developed by a remarkable person in my Great Gan. Although this remarkable person has never shown his face and I do not know his name, it is not difficult to see from the various items sold by his Qiankun Hall that he is unparalleled in the world when it comes to business skills!"

Zhuang Qishi stroked his beard, praising this "extraordinary man" highly.

"Yes! This extraordinary person's various ingenious ideas have resulted in products that are all rare treasures. First, there was the fine salt, then the Forget-Worry Valley, and now white sugar is circulating in the market. It is said that in a few days, there will be new products to come out."

"I estimate that before long, the Qiankun Hall's business will be able to spread throughout the five continents and attract all the talents in the world!"