Premium Taibai Wine

With the restaurant purchased, Fu Zhi Qiao felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. That night was the most restful night she had slept since arriving in the capital. Knowing that she had been working very hard lately, Cui Mama didn't come over early to urge her to get up.

Fu Zhi Qiao woke up naturally, washed up and dressed, and came out to find Xie Zhuo already waiting for her in the main hall.

Today she was going to Peng's Tavern to help promote the premium Taibai liquor. She changed into men's clothing and even applied face cream and powder to her earlobes, so that no one could tell she had pierced ears unless they looked closely.

With her jet-black hair tied up on top of her head with a small silver crown, Fu Zhi Qiao dressed as a young man in white, holding a folding fan with ink painting in her hand. Her robes were snow-white and spotless, with auspicious cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread on the lapels and cuffs. The jade pendant hanging at her waist swayed from side to side with her steps, adding a touch of unrestrained and romantic charm.

When Xie Zhuo turned his gaze to her, she bowed to him and said, "Brother Xie, how have you been?"

Fu Zhiqiao slightly raised his chin, opened his folding fan with a "whoosh," and his smile had the air of a dashing young man.

Meanwhile, at Peng Family Tavern, Peng Gaofei was waiting anxiously.

Today is the day that the premium Taibai liquor goes on sale. He took Fu Zhiqiao's advice early on and hung a large plaque at the entrance that reads: Premium Taibai Liquor, buy now!

The signboard had been placed at the entrance of the tavern for two days. Fu Zhiqiao had also asked Peng Gaofei to send invitations to customers who had previously bought Taibai wine. After laying the groundwork for so long, she brought Xie Zhuo today to add the final push.

On the day the sale officially began, many onlookers came to Pengjia Tavern.

Premium Taibai liquor? Fifty taels per jar?

This is outrageous!

Peng Gaofei stood at the entrance of the tavern and greeted everyone: "You are all honored guests of my Peng Family Tavern. I have invited you here today because my Peng Family Tavern has received a batch of premium Taibai liquor."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice of doubt came from below, "Boss Peng, are you sure this is premium Taibai liquor? Don't try to inflate the price and try to fool us with ordinary liquor."

The others nodded in agreement.

Peng Gaofei recognized the speaker and replied, "Master Yang, what are you saying? Everyone here has tasted Taibai wine before, and you can all tell how good it is once you try it."

"Taibai wine worth fifty taels, I must try it!" Master Yang was full of anticipation. He had a fondness for wine, and after hearing Peng Gaofei's words, he couldn't wait any longer.

The waiter came out carrying a tray and placed the cups in front of them.

Peng Gaofei opened the wine jar in front of everyone, explaining as he did so, "As you all know, the smaller the number on the Taibai wine jar, the more precious it is. As you can see, the number on this jar starts with the number two..."

Peng Gaofei showed the numbered jar to everyone so they could see that the wine in their hands was genuine.

People standing behind the tavern craned their necks to look, eager to see what was so special about this premium Taibai liquor.

After introducing the number, Peng Gaofei opened the seal of the wine jar.

A rich aroma of wine immediately filled the entire tavern, drawing everyone's attention to the wine jars.

There were many wine enthusiasts with a keen sense of smell at the scene. They sniffed and tried to distinguish the taste of the wine from the aroma in the air.

The premium Taibai liquor is the first batch produced in the winery. It has a longer distillation time and is purer. It has been aged in the cellar to develop a very good flavor, so the taste is naturally different from the regular version.

Peng Gaofei invited a total of eight distinguished guests to taste the drinks, Xie Zhuo was among them.

Fu Zhi Qiao was fully prepared; if no one recognized Xie Zhuo at the scene, she would personally act as the shill.

As it turned out, Fu Zhiqiao's worries were unnecessary.

Among those interested in Taibai wine were many people of high status. He recognized Xie Zhuo and bowed, saying, "Young Master, are you also interested in the premium Taibai wine?"

Xie Zhuo nodded to him. The man who spoke was named Yi Lian, who served as the Director of the Imperial Observatory. He had met Xie Zhuo once before at a celebration banquet for the bandit suppression.

Yi Lian's voice wasn't loud, but several people around who were tasting the drinks could hear him.

Young Master?

In an instant, several people turned their gazes to Xie Zhuo, then their expressions changed, and they hurriedly bowed to him.

Is the young master also here to drink premium Taibai liquor?

The thought of drinking with the heir of the Prince's mansion sent a rush of blood to their heads. Being able to drink at the same table as someone of the Prince's status meant that when they were old, they could brag to their grandchildren, "Your grandpa was someone who drank at the same table as the Prince back in the day."

Peng Gaofei was also surprised when he heard Xie Zhuo's identity. Fu Zhiqiao had told him earlier that she would bring people to support him, but she did not say that the person coming was the heir of the Duan Prince's Mansion!

How could Boss Fu know such an important person? Peng Gaofei, who was also a businessman, knew very well that scions of powerful families never took businessmen like them seriously. He looked nervously at Fu Zhiqiao.

Fu Zhi Qiao gave him a reassuring look.

Peng Gaofei calmed down and personally poured wine for the eight people: "Distinguished guests, this is the best Taibai wine in our tavern, please taste it!" He smiled slightly and gestured to everyone.

Xie Zhuo took the lead and took a sip: "The premium Taibai liquor truly lives up to its reputation!"

With Xie Zhuo leading the way, the remaining people were no longer reserved.

Yi Lian picked up his cup and took a small sip: "As expected of a premium Taibai liquor, it has a mellow body. You can only appreciate its wonderful flavor by savoring it slowly."

"How wonderful! This is absolutely top-notch wine! It's just a pity there's only a small glass, not enough to enjoy it to one's heart's content."

"As soon as the wine enters the mouth, you can feel a slight bitterness at the back of your tongue, followed by a refreshing sweetness, and the aroma fills your mouth. The aftertaste lingers long after you finish drinking it."

"Hold the liquor in your mouth for an extra second, and after the rich aroma of the liquor, a light fragrance of grain slowly emerges. This premium Taibai liquor is indeed superior!" Master Yang squinted, shook his head, and looked thoroughly enjoying himself.

The eight people Peng Gaofei invited to sample the liquor were either of high status or had purchased Taibai liquor multiple times; some could even be considered liquor enthusiasts.

Through the tavern's doors, watching the eight people inside enjoying their drinks, the onlookers couldn't resist urging, "Boss Peng, can we buy some premium liquor now?"

Peng Gaofei replied with a smile, "The quantity of premium Taibai liquor is limited; we only allow a purchase of thirty jars per day."

"Huh? Why is there so little?"

"That's right, what kind of business would refuse to sell alcohol if it's available?"

Peng Gaofei quickly calmed everyone down, "Please be patient. There are only three batches of premium Taibai liquor. Because it is a special brew, the production is limited. In order to ensure that these premium liquors can be transported to the capital intact, my Peng family's caravan had to make several trips to bring them back successfully. There are only three hundred jars of premium Taibai liquor in the warehouse now. Once they are sold out, there will be none left. Please forgive us!"

His words were sincere, but the complaints from the crowd did not stop.

Fu Zhi Qiao watched from the side. She was very satisfied with the current effect. Controversy is what sparks discussion. With more people discussing it, how could the premium white liquor not be popular?

While everyone was still complaining, Xie Zhuo had already paid the money and taken away a jar.

With only 29 spots remaining out of the original 30, everyone rushed forward.

*

Peng's Tavern only has three hundred jars of premium Taibai liquor; once they're sold out, you'll never be able to drink it again.

Fu Zhiqiao brought over a hundred jars. Peng Gaofei had over three hundred jars in his warehouse, but he only planned to take out two hundred jars, leaving the remaining one hundred jars to appreciate in value.

Three hundred jars of wine, limited to thirty jars per day, were sold out in ten days.

With the sense of urgency that they couldn't buy the liquor, the people of Beijing became even more enthusiastic about the premium Taibai liquor.

Peng's Tavern set a rule that it would only sell thirty jars a day, and many people who didn't manage to buy any wine that day decided they would definitely come earlier the next day.

As Fu Zhiqiao had predicted, the premium Taibai liquor became an instant hit in Beijing thanks to Xie Zhuo's reputation.

Some people who failed to buy the premium Taibai liquor even offered high prices to buy it from those who did.

Some people were willing to spend sixty taels to buy it, some were willing to spend eighty taels to buy it... and that's how the price of premium Taibai liquor was driven up.

The popularity of the premium Taibai liquor exceeded Peng Gaofei's expectations. He even wondered if he had taken out too many jars at once, and should have kept more to sell at a higher price after they appreciated in value.

Fu Zhiqiao gave him a warning, explaining that no matter how prices fluctuate, Peng Family Wine Shop can only sell a jar for fifty taels.

The most important thing in doing business is reputation. Although Peng Gaofei wavered, he finally decided to listen to Fu Zhiqiao and insist on selling at the original price.

The price of premium Taibai liquor outside has skyrocketed, but the price at Peng's Tavern remains unchanged. Some people even wait outside Peng's Tavern before dawn in order to buy premium Taibai liquor for the original price of fifty taels.

In a fight to secure one of the first thirty spots to buy alcohol, people even got into a brawl outside the tavern.

This can't go on. The people are too enthusiastic and won't listen to any advice. Peng Gaofei had no choice but to go to Fu Zhiqiao again to ask for her help.

That day, a notice was posted in Peng's Tavern, announcing that the rule that only the first thirty people in line could buy wine had been changed to a lottery.

Fu Zhiqiao asked Peng Gaofei to prepare one hundred sticks in advance and put them in a stick container. The sticks that won the lottery had red characters on them, while the rest had black characters.

People lined up to draw lots, and whether they won or not depended entirely on their luck.

The uncertainty of selecting 30 people out of 100 puts everyone on edge.

Everyone was very careful during the draw, holding their breath and waiting for the final suspense.

"Ah! I won!" The person who won was a middle-aged man with a mustache. He couldn't contain his joy and shouted out loud.

"I won too! I just came to join in the fun, but I ended up winning! Hahaha!"

Cheers and sighs mingled among the crowd.

The lottery system for buying wine is so novel that everyone feels like they will be the lucky one until the answer is revealed.

The thrill of drawing lots lies in the uncertainty of the outcome. The process of drawing lots allows you to deeply experience the anxiety of the unknown, and that feeling of tension and excitement stimulates everyone's brain.

When the suspense was revealed, the person who drew the winning ticket was overjoyed, feeling like the chosen one, while the person who didn't draw the winning ticket was unwilling to give up and thought about trying again next time.

After the lottery rules were implemented, there were no more fights outside Peng's Tavern; in fact, even more people came to draw lots.

This approach directly boosted the reputation of premium Taibai liquor.