Chapter 58: I don’t know if I can catch her eye after entering the palace.

The imperial palace is majestic and exudes majesty everywhere.

"Follow me closely." Liu An reminded in a low voice.

Song Baoyuan nodded, knowing that the palace was strict and would not do anything rash.

After passing through the winding corridors, I finally stood outside the hall waiting.

"Look at that." Liu An nudged Song Baoyuan beside him, directing her to look at the two men who were also waiting there. "Our goal today is to defeat them."

Song Baoyuan took a quick glance. One of them was wearing official uniform, while the other, a middle-aged man, was in plain clothes. She had never met the latter before, but she recognized him. He was the owner of the second-largest winery in the capital. His surname was Gu, and he was about the same age as her father.

As soon as Boss Gu arrived, he said, "Song Zhuoqing's precious daughter, I held you in my arms when you were little."

Although Song Baoyuan didn't remember, she still bowed.

"If it were your father today, he'd have to fight for it." Boss Gu shook his head. "It's your turn to hold up the family lintel. Your Song family is doomed."

His tone seemed to be one of lamentation, without much hostility, but it sounded really harsh.

Song Baoyuan chuckled, "It's a bit of a decline, but barely, it's still number one."

"Heh." Boss Gu disagreed, "After today, that may not be the case."

Song Baoyuan looked indifferent and did not refute.

Not long after, a kind-looking eunuch walked out of the hall and said, "Princess, Minister Su, His Majesty invites you two and the people you brought with you to come in together."

The hall was quiet and peaceful. The young emperor sitting at the top held a cup in his hand with a gentle smile on his face.

Below, there were screens on both sides. Behind the left screen, a slender figure could be vaguely seen, and it looked very familiar to Song Baoyuan.

"Luan greets His Majesty, Your Majesty, Holy Greetings!"

"This humble lady pays homage to His Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed!"

The young emperor looked at the newcomer without hesitation, and then curiously glanced at Jiang Keyu, who was frowning slightly behind the screen, and said with a smile, "Everyone, get up."

"I like all the wines you sent me. I am also very troubled about choosing someone to run my wine business."

Liu An was about to speak, but Minister Su beat him to the punch. "Your Majesty, the wine industry is flourishing and has become the foundation of our dynasty. To maintain this prosperity, we must plan both internally and externally and have a long-term vision. It's probably a bit of a joke to entrust such a major responsibility to a woman in the inner chambers."

"Minister Su is wrong. Qianqian Pavilion is undoubtedly the best restaurant in the world," Liu An said calmly. "It has remained unshakable for the past ten years. Isn't that the ability of this inner chamber lady before you?"

"Your Highness, what you said is untrue," Minister Su said sternly. "The woman beside you is only in her early twenties. The name of Qianqian Pavilion is the result of the efforts of our ancestors. Imposing it on the younger generation is unwise."

Boss Gu beside him also said, "If the original Boss Song were still here, I wouldn't have the confidence to stand here. But this Miss Song is just Boss Song's daughter, pampered and spoiled, and she doesn't know the difference between grains. I'm afraid she knows very little about wine."

Song Baoyuan was quite calm, "Boss Gu, it's better not to be so sure about things that cannot be confirmed in front of His Majesty."

This made Minister Su look sideways. "Madam Song is so young, it's inevitable that people will be suspicious. Why don't you prove it yourself?"

Liu An raised an eyebrow, "How do you prove yourself?"

"It doesn't have to be too complicated," Minister Su said generously. "As long as you can tell which of ten glasses of wine is diluted with water, it shouldn't be too difficult."

It’s really not difficult, it’s even so simple that it’s a bit contemptuous, Song Baoyuan thought to herself.

But she didn't expect that Princess Liu'an didn't seem to think so, and was anxious to make excuses for her.

Jiang Keyu behind the screen also turned around, faced the emperor, and bowed as if wanting to speak.

"Okay." Song Baoyuan spoke without warning, interrupting the sounds coming from inside and outside the screen.

Liu An turned around, frowning, and whispered to her, "Don't act stubbornly in front of His Majesty. Don't be unable to distinguish between minor offenses. If you get drunk and lose your manners in front of the palace, it will be a serious crime."

Song Baoyuan smiled and patted the back of her hand to reassure her.

The emperor looked at her with interest.

"I dare not refuse in front of His Majesty," Song Baoyuan said calmly, "but why is it that I am the only one who needs to prove myself? Shouldn't Boss Gu also need to do so?"

Boss Gu was amused. "Madam Song, do you think that after so many years in the wine business, I can't tell a glass of wine from being diluted with water?"

"It's certainly not difficult to distinguish between ten cups." Song Baoyuan chuckled. "How about a hundred cups?"

Her composure revealed a calm confidence. "There's no need to limit yourself to diluting the wine. You can mix it with other wines, or even compete on how fast you can identify it. It's a competition, and there will be a result."

Boss Gu was stunned, not understanding where her confidence came from. Was she trying to cheat him?

"Since Madam Song dares to compete, I am naturally not afraid."

"Interesting." The emperor's smile widened. "Come on, get ready."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, signaling the people behind the screen to be patient.

Soon, hundreds of palace maids poured into the hall, standing face to face with Song Baoyuan and the others between them. Each palace maid held two cups of wine on a tray.

The eunuch beside His Majesty said, "These are two hundred cups of plum wine. Two of them are mixed with water, and two are berry wines that taste very similar to plum wine. They are scattered on both sides. Madam Song and Boss Gu, please find them as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Boss Gu bowed respectfully and began to make his point.

I only dare to take a small sip of each glass, otherwise I will end up getting drunk in front of His Majesty and it will be a disaster.

Song Baoyuan walked slowly past the palace maid and was hesitant to pick up the wine glass.

She remembered that when she was little, her father made her angry, so she made trouble and mixed up all the bottles of wine that had been sorted.

But Daddy restored it in less than two hours, without drinking a single sip.

"How is that possible?" she protested.

Daddy pinched her puffy face and said, "We Song family members are born with a keen sense of smell for wine. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to brew the best wine in the world!"

She curled her nose. "Isn't that the same as a puppy?"

"It's even more powerful than a puppy!" Daddy approached her mysteriously, "Does our Baoyuan have it?"

She tilted her head, "Guess!"

At the end, she didn't pick up any glass of wine.

On the other side, Boss Gu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. After a lot of hesitation, he picked out two glasses of wine and handed them to his father-in-law who followed him.

"Your Majesty, the cup on the left is mixed with water. The cup on the right is mixed with berry wine. I wonder if my guess is correct."

The emperor did not give an answer, but looked at Song Baoyuan who walked up to him empty-handed, "Madam Song, what's your answer?"

"Your Majesty, I cannot be chosen."

Boss Gu lowered his head with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if he was sure of victory.

The emperor's face turned cold, and his voice deepened. "Madam Song was so confident just now, but now she's telling me that she can't choose? Are you kidding me?"

"I dare not."

The emperor once again made a gesture of suppressing his hands, forcefully preventing Jiang Keyu, who was behind the screen, and Liu An, who had taken a step forward, from speaking.

"I cannot choose it because there is no wine mixed with water or berry wine mixed in it."

"You mean, I'm lying to you?"

Song Baoyuan lowered her head and clasped her hands together, "I dare not."

The emperor was displeased, plunging the entire hall into silence and a depressing atmosphere.

As time went by, Song Baoyuan, who told herself to stay calm a thousand times, became uneasy.

"For Liu'an's sake, I'll give you another chance. If you still can't make a choice, Liu'an can't blame me for not taking care of you."

Liu An frowned.

Song Baoyuan doubted herself for a moment, then turned around and walked past the palace maid again. This time, she finally picked up a few cups and sniffed them closely.

I spent more time than last time, but in the end I still gave up and returned empty-handed.

"Your Majesty, I really can't choose."

"Sure?"

Song Baoyuan was panicking, but she didn't dare show it. "Sure."

The emperor shook his head in disappointment, "That's all."

He waved his sleeves.

The palace maids in the hall retreated in an orderly manner.

"You can go down as well. I have already made a decision on who to choose to share my worries."

"yes."

Since he didn't say it clearly, naturally no one dared to ask.

But the answer seems obvious.

After leaving the hall, Liu An pulled Song Baoyuan to a corner and said angrily, "I knew it. Apart from the first time we met, I've never seen you drink! I told you not to show off!"

“But I really don’t smell any difference.”

"Smell?" Liu An put his hands on his hips. "Can you smell it?"

Song Baoyuan nodded honestly.

Lu An: "..."

There were only a few people left in the hall.

Jiang Keyu lowered her head and said, "I am ignorant. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

The stern-faced emperor looked at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed out loud, "Jiang Qing, I remember that you are a very patient person."

The emperor slowly stood up, walked down the steps leisurely, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous. Those one hundred glasses of wine are indeed the same."

Jiang Keyu was slightly stunned.

The emperor walked around him and sighed, "This Lady Song is beautiful and calm. For a woman to confront the emperor is brave, to challenge is wise, and to remain steadfast in the face of doubt, neither humble nor arrogant. Jiang Qing doesn't like such a woman?"

In Jiang Keyu's old impression, Ayuan, who was once his wife, seemed to be only worthy of the word "beautiful" in His Majesty's evaluation.

"I don't know."

"I don't know what?"

Jiang Keyu couldn't help but tighten her grip, "I never knew she had such a skill."

"So unfamiliar?" The emperor found it even more amusing. "But isn't she the one who bore Jiang Qing children?"

Jiang Keyu was speechless for a moment and couldn't say anything to defend herself.

"I was thinking that after I met this girl, I would choose one among the noble ladies of Kyoto who was ten or a hundred times more beautiful than her, and then grant her marriage to Jiang Qing." The emperor frowned in confusion, "But now that I have seen her, I can't think of anyone more beautiful than her."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I really have no intention of remarrying." Jiang Keyu said seriously, "Besides, it's not that I don't like her, it was she who took the initiative to ask for a divorce."

"oh?"

The emperor laughed heartily, as if he had heard something extremely amusing. "My Jiang Qing is the one who was divorced?"

Jiang Keyu: “…”

The emperor paced back and forth, seemingly contemplating, "My Jiang Qing, with her looks, bearing, talent, and abilities, is practically the best in all of Kyoto. And yet this Lady Song doesn't even want her? Then... I wonder if I can catch her eye."

Jiang Keyu's pupils trembled, "Your Majesty!"

"What's wrong?"

The emperor spread his hands, his lips curled up slightly in a menacing manner. "To Jiang Qing, isn't my wife already my sister? Does Jiang Qing's reaction mean he doesn't want to be my in-law?"

"No!"

“Bold!”

Jiang Keyu's face was expressionless. "If Your Majesty wants to punish me for this, I have nothing to say and am willing to accept the punishment."

"What do you mean, Jiang Qing?" The emperor's expression suddenly turned cold again. "Do you think I'm not worthy of your sister?"

"She is not my sister, she is my..." Jiang Keyu paused.

The emperor narrowed his eyes.

After a long pause, Jiang Keyu bowed and said, "It is my responsibility. I wish her to be free and spontaneous, to move towards a future of her own choosing. I hope she lives her life without having to compare herself to others, free from worries and fears. These are things that the palace cannot give her."

The emperor sneered, "Jiang Qing, are you really not afraid of my punishment for saying such things?"

"Your Majesty is benevolent."

"Stop putting the blame on me!" The emperor turned around angrily. "Since Jiang Qing is so reluctant to let go, why should I let go?"

Jiang Keyu hesitated to speak.

It wasn't until the emperor turned around and stared at him that he slowly said, "Because, whatever she says to me, I will agree."

"What if she is willing to enter the palace?"

"His Majesty!"

After a long time, the emperor laughed.

"It's rare to see Jiang Qing showing such open emotions. It's really interesting." He shook his head helplessly. "Never mind. I can't lose a capable person like Jiang Qing just for another beauty in my harem."

Even so, Jiang Keyu still felt depressed and couldn't get rid of her sorrow for a long time.