The man with the hooked nose looked completely bewildered.
He didn't know how talking about strong liquor had somehow gotten involved with his buttocks.
Jing Zhe was too lazy to explain to him, because with his intelligence, he probably wouldn't understand what patriotism meant.
He continued coldly, "This is Anguo, the Anguo that gave you birth and raised you. All the people of Anguo are your compatriots. When you slander your compatriots, do you think those people from the Western Frontier will thank you?"
"The liquor from the Western Frontier is strong liquor, but the liquor we brew ourselves isn't? What, if you flattered the Western Frontier barbarians when they invaded Anguo, would they have spared you?"
"Besides, is it appropriate for you to make such outrageous claims without even knowing what our spirits are like?"
"..."
People like Hook-Nose, who are sycophants, are a minority. Most people have a patriotic heart, so Jing Zhe's words easily resonate with them: The barbarians of the Western Frontier have been invading for so many years, and the people of Anguo have suffered greatly. Why is it that the strong liquor brewed by Anguo is not as good as theirs?
So everyone turned to the hook-nosed man and glared at him angrily.
Knowing he had angered everyone, the hook-nosed man lowered his head, cursing Jing Zhe inwardly, but still managed to say, "Although I haven't tasted strong liquor, the Crown Prince of Yu has! The Crown Prince said that your strong liquor is different from the strong liquor of the Western Frontier, so isn't it fake?"
Jing Zhe glared at him fiercely, too lazy to pay him any attention, and instead looked at the Crown Prince of Yu: "Your Highness, you haven't answered my question yet. Aren't our strong liquor stronger and tastier?"
"this…"
The Crown Prince of Yu calmed himself down, gritted his teeth, and said in a deep voice, "I don't think it's stronger than the liquor from the Western Frontier. In fact, I think the liquor from the Western Frontier tastes better!"
"Your Highness, is there something wrong with your mouth?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
If the previous conversation could be considered a reasonable discussion about the taste of spirits, this sentence is tantamount to a personal attack.
Although he knew Jing Zhe had a sharp tongue, he had only used it on people of lower status than him before. But the Crown Prince of Yu never expected that Jing Zhe would even dare to curse him.
He immediately became furious and said, "President Jing, how can you talk like that? What, just because this liquor is yours, does that mean no one else can voice a single objection? Does everyone have to say your liquor is good?"
To everyone's surprise, Jing Zhe nodded seriously and said, "Yes!"
"..."
I'm fucking...
The Crown Prince of Yu's breathing quickened, and he asked in a cold voice, "Heh, but I've tasted the strong liquor from the Western Frontier before, and I think your liquor is inferior to theirs!"
When the Crown Prince of Yu was initially a little uneasy about saying that the strong liquor from Zhang's Distillery was not as good as that from the Western Frontier, he now felt at ease.
"That's why I said, is there something wrong with the young master's mouth? It's clearly much better than the strong liquor from the Western Frontier, but in the young master's mouth, it just doesn't taste as good. Young master, there really is something wrong with your mouth!"
"..."
At this moment, all the words the Crown Prince of Yu wanted to say were curses, but he couldn't utter a single word in front of everyone.
Seeing that even the Crown Prince of Yu had been defeated by Jing Zhe, the hook-nosed man became anxious and immediately chimed in, "If the Crown Prince says it's bad, then it's bad. There's nothing more to say!"
"I said I'd fuck your mother, so I fucked your mother. There's nothing more to say about that, isn't that what you mean?"
"you--"
His hooked-nosed face instantly turned a deep liver color. He was utterly bewildered. Jing Zhe was a second-rank official; why was he behaving like a shrewish woman yelling in the street? The worst part was that he didn't dare retaliate, which was incredibly frustrating…
Swallowing his anger, he continued, "Of all the people present, only the Crown Prince has tasted the strong liquor from the Western Frontier. Therefore, the Crown Prince is the most qualified to speak on whether your liquor is good or bad! Is there a problem with that?"
The last question was directed at everyone present, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Jing Zhe shook his head and laughed, "If you ask me, although His Majesty sends the Prince of Yu's Mansion a lot of strong liquor from the Western Frontier every year, it's not much. That's because the amount of strong liquor that the Western Frontier sends as tribute each year is limited. His Majesty keeps most of it for himself, and the remaining small portion is distributed to His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang, and then to the Prince of Yu and the Prince of Jin. Therefore, the amount of strong liquor that actually reaches the Prince of Yu's Mansion is not much."
Even if the strong liquor was distributed to King Yu's residence, most of it was definitely given to King Yu, not his heir. Besides, the heir is still too young and has a poor palate; he wouldn't know how to appreciate strong liquor. Therefore, the heir's words cannot be trusted at all!
"..."
Jing Zhe's words were indeed true, leaving the Crown Prince of Yu speechless. However, the hook-nosed man retorted, "Heh, even if the Crown Prince didn't drink much, he still drank! With so many people here today, who is more qualified to comment than the Crown Prince of Yu?"
"Yes, I have!"
Jing Zhe pointed and said, "King Yu was qualified!"
The man with the hooked nose was taken aback. He had been so focused on communicating with the Crown Prince of Yu that he had almost forgotten about Yu himself!
Upon being mentioned by Jing Zhe, the hook-nosed man paused for a moment, then chuckled coldly, "Heh, I'm afraid that if King Yu gives the same assessment as the Crown Prince, you'll deny it!"
Jing Zhe waved his hand: "The Crown Prince of Yu is too young and cannot appreciate strong liquor, but Yu himself is different. I will not utter a single word of objection to any of Yu's comments!"
"good!"
Upon hearing this, both the hook-nosed man and the Crown Prince of Yu's eyes lit up.
Although this was a spur-of-the-moment idea of Yu Wang's heir, intended to annoy Jing Zhe and vent his father's anger, he did not consult his father beforehand.
But the Crown Prince of Yu knew that his father must also dislike Jing Zhe, so how could he miss this opportunity?
"King Yu, then I'll have to trouble you to give your comments!"
"good…"
King Yu replied in a deep voice, still pondering how to perform appropriately. His son had tried to help him regain face earlier, but had messed up the performance. Now, it was his turn to help his son.
However, how can one present it in a way that is neither abrupt nor obtrusive, while simultaneously thoroughly criticizing Jing Zhe's strong liquor as worthless?
This is a really technical job...
"Someone, bring King Yu some strong liquor!"
After shouting this, Jing Zhe introduced to everyone: "The Da'an Newspaper Office belongs to the imperial court, which is actually His Majesty's. Wenxiangju is mine. As for Zhang Family Winery, it is actually half public and half private, because Zhang Family Winery does business with the royal family."
"Royal business?"
Everyone asked curiously.
Jing Zhe nodded: "When the strong liquor from Zhang Family Distillery was first brewed, it was sent to the palace for His Majesty to taste. After drinking it, His Majesty praised it highly, saying that it was stronger and better than the liquor from the Western Frontier. So he ordered that the strong liquor brewed by Zhang Family Distillery be sent to the palace first, so it can be considered a royal business."
"..."
————
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