deliberately picking a fight
Han Jincai was a notorious rogue and scoundrel in Shizijie, having been in and out of jail two or three times. He idled away his days, and his tricks of cheating and swindling were masterful. Because his crimes were never serious, he would be locked up in jail for a while and then released, only to cause trouble again and be locked up once more. This cycle repeated itself, and the authorities were powerless to stop him.
If the shopkeepers in the Shizijie area saw him on the street, they would rather close their shops than risk being scammed by him.
Taibai Wine Shop?
Seeing that it was a newly opened shop, Han Jincai stroked his chin. This shop wasn't here when he last came to this street. Based on his experience in the "underworld," he would automatically avoid shops with powerful connections. In his eyes, a newly opened shop like this was a place where he could make a quick buck.
Han Jincai was tall and burly, and with his deliberately fierce expression, he looked like someone you didn't want to mess with.
I stepped into the Taibai Wine Shop.
The shop assistant wasn't from the area around the crossroads, so he didn't recognize Han Jincai. Upon seeing a customer, he immediately put on his standard smile and warmly greeted him: "Welcome to Taibai Wine Shop! Our Taibai wine is brewed using a secret method; the liquid is clear and the aroma is rich..."
Han Jincai was impatient to listen to the waiter's introduction; he was there to cause trouble, not to actually buy alcohol.
"Taibai wine, right? Bring it up here so I can have a taste."
"Uh, sir, the wine shop's free wine tasting event has ended."
The free wine tasting event for customers who enter the store was only available for a few days after the store opened. Now, customers can only sit at the long table and enjoy a free glass of Taibai wine after they have paid for their wine.
Seeing that he couldn't gain any advantage, Han Jincai lost his patience.
"I can look at it myself, don't get in my way." After dismissing the shop assistant, Han Jincai pretended to look around the wine shop, touching the cabinets and wine jars here and there.
Unbeknownst to him, he quietly walked to the long table. It was noon, and there were quite a few customers in the wine shop. The waiter at the long table was busy attending to two customers who were tasting wine and did not pay attention to him.
He flicked his sleeve, and a medicine packet appeared in his hand.
Han Jincai looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, quickly opened the medicine packet, intending to pour the powder into the wine jar.
The scheme was about to succeed.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his wrist, and Han Jincai stiffly turned his head, only to be met with Song Dali's magnified face.
Han Jincai suddenly exerted his strength, shoved Song Dali aside, and tried to run away.
"Ouch!" Song Dali was caught off guard and fell to the ground with a thud. He shouted, "Quick, grab him!"
When the other employees in the shop saw that one of their men had been beaten, they all gathered around.
Two fists can't beat four hands. Although Han Jincai is tall, he's just a pretty face with no substance.
The shop assistants worked together and quickly subdued Han Jincai.
Even after being subdued, Han Jincai kept shouting, "Let me go! Do you know who I am? Quickly call your manager over here!"
"Oh! Who do we have here? The famous Han Jincai, right!" Song Dali leaned down to look him in the eye, patted his face with his hand, and then unceremoniously stuffed a rag into his mouth.
The other guys might not recognize Han Jincai, but how could Song Dali not know him? Han Jincai, a notorious scoundrel.
The men worked together to tie him up and took him to the backyard, then sent someone to fetch Fu Zhiqiao to deal with the situation.
At 3:45 PM, Fu Zhiqiao arrived at the wine shop. According to the shop assistants, this was the second incident of troublemakers coming to the shop.
The first incident involved a drunkard who forced his way in and smashed two jars of wine on the counter. The second incident involved Han Jincai, but fortunately, the staff stopped him in time, preventing any significant damage.
One incident might be an accident, but it's not surprising that people keep coming to cause trouble every now and then. It's likely that someone is jealous of her successful business.
In the backyard, Fu Zhiqiao personally interrogated Han Jincai: "Who sent you here?"
The waiter stepped forward and removed the rag from his mouth.
Han Jincai's hands and feet were tightly bound with ropes, and he hadn't had a drop of water all afternoon. "This is an abuse of power! I'm going to report you to the authorities!"
Fu Zhiqiao frowned almost imperceptibly: "Go to the government to report us? You should know in your heart how many 'good deeds' you've done over the years! Do you think the government will believe someone with such a long criminal record like you, or someone like me who is an honest and law-abiding businessman?"
Did we run into a tough opponent?
Han Jincai shrank back, and his entire imposing manner weakened.
Fu Zhiqiao continued to probe his psychological defenses, "This isn't your first time in jail, is it? You must know all too well the torture methods used in prison. You don't want to go back in right after you've been released, do you?"
Fu Zhiqiao leaned forward slightly, getting closer to him in little by little, and whispered, "Tell me, what do you think if I bribed the jailer to take better care of you? Whipping? Branding? Or finger torture? Which one do you prefer?"
Han Jincai involuntarily moved back a little, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"What are you talking about? I don't quite understand." Han Jincai's eyes darted around, and although he tried his best to remain calm, his voice still trembled slightly.
He already regretted taking the job.
He usually only committed petty theft, so the government's punishment for him was not very severe. He was usually imprisoned for a few months, at most half a year, before being released.
Song Dali threw the medicine packet he had taken from him in front of him and kicked him: "Still being stubborn, huh!"
"Caught red-handed, if you confess, I might let you go. If you don't..." Fu Zhi Qiao turned to leave, "Guards!"
The door opened, and several men walked in. Seeing that they were about to drag him away, Han Jincai struggled violently, shouting, "Let go! Let go! You can't report this to the authorities!"
"I confess, I confess!" Han Jincai's face turned ashen.
Under immense psychological pressure, Han Jincai confessed everything.
The medicine packet contained laxatives, which someone had given him. Someone had paid him three taels of silver to put laxatives in the wine at the Taibai Wine Shop in order to ruin the reputation of Taibai Wine.
Choosing to take the risk of acting in the tavern, and specifically specifying that the laxative should be put in the wine jar on the long table, suggests that the other party is very familiar with the situation in the tavern.
Taibai liquor has three layers of sealing, anti-counterfeiting labels, and batch certification, making it difficult for unscrupulous people to cause trouble.
Only when a customer drinks alcohol at a liquor store will an incident trigger a major reaction.
Who ordered you to do this?
"I don't know him. We contacted each other in the alley. It was dark in the alley, so I couldn't see his face. I only know he's a man." Han Jincai only cared about getting paid and doing his job; what the other person looked like was not his concern.
The other party kept it very secret, and no further information could be obtained by asking. Fu Zhiqiao forced Han Jincai to sign a confession as evidence before releasing him.
After leaving the wine shop, Fu Zhiqiao sent people to follow Han Jincai to see if they could follow the clues and find out who was causing trouble behind the scenes.
For three days in a row, the people sent to keep an eye on him did not find anyone suspicious contacting him, and Han Jincai remained lazy and gluttonous.
There's no such thing as a thief who can be on guard against a thief for a thousand days. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. They are very cautious. If we continue to follow them, we probably won't get any results. Fu Zhiqiao had the people withdraw.
Her foundation is still too weak, which is why these people dare to target her. It seems that her cooperative relationship with Penglaiju is far from enough, and there are many people looking for an opportunity to cause trouble for the shop.
*
The next day, Fu Zhiqiao visited Xu Shangqiang with her plum wine.
"Manager Xu, I apologize for bothering you."
Xu Shangqiang, beaming with pride and looking full of energy, said, "Not at all, Mr. Fu's visit is an honor to my humble abode!"
The two men each offered their own compliments before taking their seats.
"I've come today to invite Manager Xu to taste the wine." As he spoke, Fu Zhiqiao gestured for Defu to place the gift box in front of him. "This is a newly launched craft plum wine from our shop. It's refreshing and sweet and sour. Manager Xu is the first person in Qingzhou City to taste it."
"Taibai Wine Shop has released a new wine?" Xu Shangqiang immediately became interested.
His attention was drawn to the gift box. When he opened it, he found plum wine in a white-glazed plum vase, with a red ribbon tied around the vase. The design was extremely exquisite and unique.
"Is this filled with wine?"
The plum wine only had a capacity of eight ounces, so it's no wonder Xu Shangqiang was surprised; it was the first time he had ever seen such a small bottle of wine.
Xu Shangqiang glanced at the wine, then at Fu Zhiqiao. "Mr. Fu, I'm afraid you're not just bringing me wine today." As a seasoned shrew in the business world, he saw right through Fu Zhiqiao's intentions.
Fu Zhiqiao nodded and said with a smile, "Manager Xu is indeed very perceptive. Nothing can escape your eyes. In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. If you think this wine tastes good, I have another box here. I hope you can give it to Madam Sima to taste."
Her words were anything but subtle, and Xu Shangqiang could easily understand what she meant.
The wines from Taibai Wine Shop are bound to be of the highest quality.
Xu Shangqiang is so shrewd. He now shares common interests with Taibai Wine Shop. Since Taibai Wine was introduced to Penglaiju, he has made a lot of money. Xu Shangqiang is thinking, what if he could also introduce Qingmei Wine to Penglaiju...
Moreover, Xu Shangqiang was very pleased with Fu Zhiqiao's act of giving him a bottle of her new wine as soon as it was released, and he immediately agreed.
"Thank you very much, Manager Xu."
Since Fu Zhiqiao wanted to ask Xu Shangqiang to make a connection, she naturally wouldn't come empty-handed. The plum wine in Defu's hand was for Xu Shangqiang, while the more exquisitely packaged box decorated with dried flowers in Yinxing's hand was prepared for Xu Shuangqin.
Fu Zhi Qiao hopes that Xu Shang Qiang can help introduce his sister, Xu Shuang Qin, who is now the wife of the Sima of Qingzhou. She wants to use Xu Shuang Qin as a starting point to win the hearts of the noblewomen of Qingzhou with plum wine.
After seeing Fu Zhiqiao off, Xu Shangqiang couldn't wait to start drinking.
The moment it was opened, a strong, sour plum aroma wafted out, and the taste was pleasantly sweet and sour, a complete contrast to Taibai wine. No wonder Boss Fu specifically asked to give it to Shuangqin.
The sweet and sour taste of plum wine is a flavor that women love, which doesn't suit his masculine image. Xu Shangqiang smiled and shook his head, deciding to leave the bottle for his wife.
Thinking this, he immediately sent someone to deliver another box of plum wine to his sister Xu Shuangqin, and told her that she must try it.
Xu Shuangqin, seeing the wine her brother brought, thought it was just an ordinary thing and didn't pay much attention to it. She opened it and told the servants to put it away in the storeroom.
Five days have passed, and not a single customer has come to inquire about plum wine. It seems that there has been no progress on Xu Shuangqin's end.
She couldn't put all her eggs in one basket; she had to think of another way.
Fortunately, the Flower Festival is coming soon.
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