Xiang Lihe's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "How did the Grand Commandant know that I tried it out of curiosity and did indeed extract a large barrelful? I thought it would be easier to dilute it with water and sell it, but I didn't expect it to be so... inedible."
"Even the man with the best alcohol tolerance in the distillery can't swallow a single sip!"
"Haha, good! Xianglihe, have your brothers control the heat and steam a few more jars of this high-proof liquor. When we have the palace banquet, this original liquor will be specially for the King and his court officials. I guarantee they will drink it to their heart's content."
The wicked man put down the small cup, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "As for that wine you mentioned, it's not for drinking. It may have some other uses. Take me there immediately."
Seeing his behavior, Xianglihe became curious and immediately turned around to lead her wicked husband towards the door. Before they even left, they bumped into Zhang Erhe, who was walking briskly towards them.
"Grand Commandant! Grand Commandant! His Majesty has arrived with all his officials!"
The wicked man paused, then a look of suspicion crossed his face. "What are they doing here?"
"What else could it be? I guess the King... misses you after not seeing the Grand Commandant for so long." Zhang Erhe winked, his words laced with a hint of sarcasm.
"Go away!" The wicked husband glared at him irritably.
Zhang Erhe chuckled and gestured for his wicked husband to walk outside.
Upon arriving at the workshop, the three were immediately taken aback. They saw Ying Zheng and the others, their faces flushed, clutching the enormous wine barrel and weakly shoving each other. A group of anxious-looking minor officials stood around them, swallowing hard.
"Oh no, how did we open that bottle of wine?!" Xiang Lihe's expression suddenly changed, and he glared fiercely at the workers around him.
"This...this bucket...could it be filled with alcohol?" The wicked husband was dumbfounded.
Xiangli He nodded with a wry smile, then hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Grand Commandant, should we summon a physician?!"
The wicked man remained silent, then a heart-wrenching roar erupted from his mouth, "You...you damned bastards!!!"
"He'll drink anything, even this alcohol..."
Before the wicked husband could finish speaking, Ying Zheng was seen leaning against the huge wine barrel, one hand tightly gripping the rim, the other seemingly trying to pull the barrel into his arms. Meng Aocun, standing beside him, was not giving way, pushing and shoving Ying Zheng, trying to take the wine barrel for himself.
His face was flushed, his eyes were unfocused, and he was unsteady on his feet. If Meng Can hadn't been supporting him, this mighty King of Qin would have fallen headfirst into the tub.
"This...this is good wine!" Ying Zheng smacked his lips, muttering incoherently, as if he wanted to scoop up another spoonful.
Seeing this, Meng Can was so frightened that she grabbed him desperately: "Your Majesty, you can't drink anymore, or something terrible will happen!"
His face was also flushed, whether from the alcohol or from anxiety, it was hard to tell. He pleaded with his wicked husband for help: "Grand Commandant, come quickly and think of a solution!"
Not only Ying Zheng, but some people leaned against pillars and dozed off, while others muttered something like "So spicy, so spicy." Even Huan Yi, who always claimed to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, was not much better off, and he was holding an empty bowl with an expression that looked like he was about to cry.
The attendants, guards, and minor officials who had come with them all stared blankly, not daring to make a move, and all looked at a loss.
"Damn it, this is alcohol—what a waste!!" The wicked man's forehead veins bulged as he looked at the group of guys "testing poison on themselves," both angry and anxious. "Who told them to open it without permission?!"
The craftsmen trembled uncontrollably, repeatedly kneeling and kowtowing: "Grand Commandant, please forgive us! We had no idea that His Majesty would be interested in this barrel of wine during his visit... We tried to dissuade them, but they insisted on tasting it..."
"Still want to taste it?! Don't you know...?" Xiang Lihe was also very anxious. He knew better than anyone that this barrel of "alcohol" was not meant to be "drunk"—at least not in the way that it was meant to be drunk directly.
But now, judging from this scene, it's clear they're treating it like ordinary alcohol and drinking it down.
Knowing that things had come to this point and further scolding would be pointless, the wicked husband forced himself to calm down and patted Xianglihe on the shoulder: "Quick, don't just stand there, prepare a large bucket of warm water and heat it up. Also, have someone go find some hangover remedy, and bring some honey and syrup. Have them drink it down the drain quickly, to dilute it first!"
Fortunately, this alcohol was merely a highly distilled spirit, not reaching the level of alcohol in later generations; otherwise, these people... would have been in serious trouble.
"Yes, yes!" Xianglihe flicked his sleeves and immediately ordered several craftsmen to fetch water, boil soup, and get sugar. The accompanying officials were also busy finding basins and bowls, and the scene was instantly chaotic.
"You all watch over the King and the ministers. I'll deal with that barrel of wine first and seal it up." The wicked man turned and roared at Zhang Erhe, "Erhe, you come and help too, so that there won't be any more mishaps."
"Yes, sir!" Zhang Erhe accepted the order and hurriedly went with several craftsmen to move wooden planks and nail iron sheets to seal the "big treasure" tightly.
During this time, Meng Ao and Ying Zheng held on tightly, trying to get into the wine barrel, but the wicked husband kicked them both away, causing the ministers nearby to hesitate and remain silent.
After sealing the barrel was completed, the wicked husband quickly returned and saw that Ying Zheng had been helped to a bench, his eyes were blurry, and he seemed somewhat delirious.
Meng Can scooped half a bowl of honey water with a ladle and was trying to get him to drink it. "Your Majesty, please drink a sip to counteract its potency..."
But Ying Zheng seemed to think the honey water wasn't potent enough, and he turned his head to one side forcefully.
"Outrageous!" Upon seeing this, the wicked husband disregarded all etiquette between ruler and subject, reached out and forcibly turned Ying Zheng's chin, and poured the sweet soup into his mouth.
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