Jing Zhe looked in the direction of the voice and found that the speaker was a young man with a hooked nose. His hooked nose was so distinctive that he looked somewhat familiar. After thinking carefully, he remembered that this man with the hooked nose was usually by the side when Yu Wang's heir appeared.
Then Jing Zhe glanced to the side and sure enough, he saw the shadow of Yu Wang's heir in the crowd. He sneered inwardly: "They really are brothers who fight tigers together, and fathers and sons who go to war together!"
However, since his father had already been humiliated by him, it would be tantamount for him to come up here now and get himself killed!
Okay, let's watch his performance!
So Jing Zhe asked with a smile, "What do you mean by that?"
"I've heard that Wenxiangju is now also owned by President Jing. I wonder if President Jing is speaking to me now as the president of Da'an Newspaper or as the owner of Wenxiangju?"
Is there any difference?
"Of course there's a difference! The president of Da'an Newspaper is a second-rank official. If President Jing were to speak to me in that capacity, I wouldn't dare say anything more. I'm afraid that if I say too much, I might displease President Jing and have him arrested!"
"Oh, then I'll speak to you as the owner of Wenxiangju. Don't be afraid, just speak freely!"
After hearing this, the man with the hooked nose was no longer afraid and walked out directly.
"As everyone knows, strong liquor is unique to the Western Frontier. Only a small amount is offered as tribute to His Majesty during the New Year. In the entire An Kingdom, only the royal family can afford to drink strong liquor. Does he mean the strong liquor they sell is strong liquor?"
"Didn't we say before? Everyone can taste it with confidence. If it's fake, we'll compensate you tenfold!"
Hearing Jing Zhe say this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Since it's a free tasting anyway, and they offer a tenfold compensation for any counterfeit product, how much would he have to pay if the liquor were fake?
The man with the hooked nose sneered, "We're not stupid. How much silver does it cost to come in for a meal? How much silver does it cost to buy a pound of turbid wine? If you were to pass off turbid wine as strong liquor, and we offered a tenfold compensation for the fake, the compensation would still be turbid wine. How much silver would that be worth?"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that the hook-nosed man's statement was quite accurate.
Jing Zhe wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "Whether we're selling strong liquor or cloudy liquor, you'll find out once you taste it!"
The man with the hooked nose waved his hand and said, "Don't think we're stupid! Tell me, how many of you here have ever tasted strong liquor? If he just slightly purifies the liquor and calls it strong liquor, who can tell whether it's really strong liquor or not?"
After listening, Jing Zhe genuinely laughed this time: "If we follow your logic, how do we distinguish between them?"
The man with the hooked nose pretended to be deep in thought, then looked at the Crown Prince of Yu: "The Crown Prince of Yu is also a member of the royal family, so he must have drunk strong liquor before?"
The Crown Prince of Yu nodded, feigning seriousness: "Every year, the Western Frontier sends strong liquor as tribute to An Kingdom, and His Majesty also sends some to the Yu Kingdom's residence, so this Crown Prince... has indeed drunk it!"
"Then bring out some strong liquor and let Prince Yu taste it. If what you're selling is truly strong liquor, then everyone will be willing to pay. But if this liquor is of inferior quality and not genuine, then not only will everyone refuse to stay for dinner, but you'll also have to pay for it. What do you all say?"
"good!"
After the man with the hooked nose finished speaking, he immediately gained the support of the crowd.
For the seated group, if the liquor was genuine, they could drink it for free. Even if they had to pay for the food, it wouldn't matter, since liquor isn't something you can just drink anywhere, and you certainly can't just drink it on its own; good food is the perfect complement. If the liquor was fake, they not only wouldn't have to pay for the food, but they could also get compensation for free—why not?
"Since everyone agrees, then let's—go for some strong liquor!"
"..."
The Crown Prince of Yu was pleased that Jing Zhe agreed so readily, but his expression remained serious.
Once the strong liquor was served, Jing Zhe said to the Crown Prince of Yu, "I'll leave the rest to the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince of Yu waved his hand and said, "I have been invited by everyone, and this is also related to everyone's interests. I dare not neglect this opportunity and will certainly enjoy it!"
As he spoke, he picked up the wine bowl, brought it to his nose, and smelled it in a serious manner, then frowned.
Seeing this, everyone naturally felt that the strong liquor must be bad, otherwise why would the Crown Prince of Yu frown?
After smelling it, the Crown Prince of Yu brought the wine bowl to his lips, took a small sip, frowned again, and then took another sip.
"Your Highness, how is it?"
Is this really strong liquor?
"Your Highness, are you frowning because this isn't strong liquor?"
"..."
Everyone was very curious and asked a few questions.
Jing Zhe also smiled and asked, "What does the young master think?"
The Crown Prince of Yu still frowned: "This taste...isn't right..."
After saying that, he added, "President Jing, please don't be angry. Because it involves the interests of so many people, I was just telling the truth. This wine is indeed a bit different from the strong liquor that His Majesty bestowed upon us before!"
"Is it stronger and tastier than the spirits His Majesty bestowed upon us?"
Jing Zhe asked with a smile.
"..."
The Crown Prince of Yu was speechless, because Jing Zhe had indeed guessed correctly. This liquor was much stronger than the liquor that was originally offered as tribute from the Western Frontier!
But... he can't say that!
In order to avenge his father, King Yu, he decided to say that this was different from the strong liquor bestowed by His Majesty, and make the people think that it was fake liquor, so that no one would eat here!
As for whether the liquor could be sold in the future, the Crown Prince of Yu was not worried about it; his only purpose was to disrupt the opening ceremony!
"How is that possible?"
Before Yu the Great's heir could answer, the man with the hooked nose spoke first.
"The strong liquor bestowed by His Majesty is a tribute from the Western Frontier! What liquor in the world can compare to the strong liquor brewed in the Western Frontier?"
Jing Zhe asked, "How do you know there isn't any if you haven't even tried it? Besides, is the Western Frontier so powerful? Why can't Anguo brew a better spirit than the Western Frontier's?"
The man with the hooked nose scoffed at the idea.
"The climate in western Xinjiang is harsh, with bitterly cold winters. That's why they brew strong liquor to keep warm. Western Xinjiang's strong liquor has a long history and is famous far and wide. When it comes to brewing strong liquor, who can compare to them?"
With his hooked nose and head held high, he spoke with an air of pride and smugness in his eyes, as if he were a man from the Western Regions, which made Jing Zhe feel nauseous.
Seeing him, Jing Zhe thought of the many kneeling tribes in his world, who only knew how to grovel and were utterly disgusting.
And the hook-nosed man is undoubtedly like that, earnestly licking the boots of Western Xinjiang and slandering his compatriots. In his eyes, all the good things about Anguo are bad, and all the bad things about Western Xinjiang are good.
They've always been hypocritical.
So Jing Zhe looked at him and asked in a cold voice, "Is your butt crooked, or have you been kneeling for too long and can't stand up anymore?"
"..."
————
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