Coveting alcohol
"Your Majesty, that is exactly what I was thinking. Fu, the inventor of alcohol, told me that alcohol is not easy to refine, and using it only for fever reduction is a waste of its potential. If it could be used in military camps and on the battlefield, I believe it could save the lives of many soldiers."
Soldiers, who spent their days wielding swords and clubs, inevitably bore such scars, especially on the battlefield. Treating wounds with alcohol could greatly reduce swelling and suppuration. Medical resources were limited on the battlefield, and often a small abscess could be fatal. Small wounds, if not treated promptly, could gradually fester and become large.
Many soldiers in the barracks did not die from knife or sword wounds, but from sepsis caused by infected wounds.
"Regarding the effectiveness of alcohol disinfection, I tested it on a soldier of the cavalry when I was in Qingzhou. At that time, the young soldier's arm was cut by a sharp stone. Instead of boiling herbal water to clean the wound, I applied alcohol and wound medicine to the wound. The next day, the young soldier's hand was not swollen and he did not show any signs of fever."
The Emperor Chengde became increasingly excited as he listened. He believed that if war were to break out again, the number of casualties among his soldiers would be greatly reduced. With alcohol, the military strength of the Great Wei would be enhanced, and his empire would be more secure.
Could the Imperial Medical Academy decipher the formula for alcohol?
Imperial Physician Gao shook his head. "All I know is that alcohol is extracted from Taibai wine."
The Emperor of Chengde was a little curious, "Taibai wine?"
"Taibai wine is a transparent and strong liquor." The imperial physician Gao was deeply impressed by Fu Zhiqiao's talent. He seized the opportunity to praise Fu Zhiqiao: "This wine was brewed by a woman from the Fu family of Qingzhou. The liquid is as clear as water, which I have never seen before in my life. The essence extracted from the wine is called alcohol by her."
As he spoke, he presented the prepared wine jar to Emperor Chengde.
The eunuch serving nearby opened the wine jar, and immediately, a strong aroma of wine filled the air.
It was indeed as clear as water, pure and without any impurities. The written description in the memorial was far less shocking than seeing it with one's own eyes. Emperor Chengde exclaimed, "Could such a miraculous thing really have been invented by a woman?"
"Every word I have spoken is true; I dare not deceive you!"
Emperor Chengde was delighted and exclaimed three times, "My Great Wei has such an extraordinary woman! Reward her! You will all be rewarded!"
After seeing off Qin Zhao and Min Kunzheng, Emperor Chengde kept Xie Zhuo by his side.
Only the two of them remained in the Hall of Diligent Governance. Emperor Chengde, setting aside his imperial airs, asked in a consultative tone, "Could the court take over the management of alcohol?"
Alcohol is a beneficial substance in war, and the emperor intends for Fu Zhiqiao to hand over the secret formula for alcohol to the court.
Xie Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. His Majesty not only coveted the alcohol but also wanted to possess it for himself. What would happen to Fu Zhiqiao if the court confiscated the alcohol?
In an instant, several thoughts flashed through Xie Zhuo's mind. He calmed himself and said, "This humble subject thinks it is not advisable."
The Chengde Emperor was somewhat displeased. He leaned forward, placed his hands on the imperial desk, and asked, "Why not?"
Xie Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty wants the secret formula for alcohol, and the Fu family certainly wouldn't dare refuse. However, now everyone in the world knows that the alcohol was developed by the Fu family. If the secret formula is suddenly handed over to the court, it will inevitably make people think that Your Majesty forcibly seized the secret formula for alcohol."
"Nonsense! Who said I was going to steal the alcohol formula? I was planning to buy it from her with money!"
"The Fu family is a merchant with a wealthy background, so money is unlikely to sway her. As Physician Gao just mentioned, this alcohol is extracted from Taibai wine, which is a family secret recipe passed down through the Fu family. She has achieved her current wealth thanks to this recipe, so it will be difficult for the court to obtain her family secret recipe now."
"What's so difficult about it? If the imperial court wants her, would she dare refuse?"
The Chengde Emperor snorted coldly, his displeasure undisguised on his face, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became tense.
Xie Zhuo's heart pounded, but he still braced himself and said, "The Fu family is easy to deal with. She dares not disobey the imperial court's orders. We can give her some money and benefits and she will hand over the secret recipe. The Fu family can shut up, but how can we shut up the mouths of the people?"
The Chengde Emperor pondered for a moment, but remained silent.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but even if the court obtains the secret formula for alcohol, it won't work without skilled operators. Different chefs using the same ingredients will produce different flavors, let alone the extremely complex process of refining alcohol. Furthermore, if news gets out that the court is demanding the Fu family's return, it will make the world think that Your Majesty is heartless and covets the secret formula held by the common people."
Xie Zhuo kept his eyes downcast, his expression submissive. "Therefore, I believe that the suggestion to have Lady Fu present the secret recipe for alcohol would be detrimental to Your Majesty's reputation."
The Chengde Emperor looked displeased, his brows furrowed tightly. Despite his displeasure, he admitted that Xie Zhuo was right about one thing: his reputation for virtuous governance should not be tarnished under any circumstances.
"Then what do you think should be done?"
"As far as I know, the cost of producing alcohol is not low, and it is not always successful in refining. The loss rate of the liquor during the refining process is extremely high. If the court obtains the secret formula for alcohol, it will have to bear the losses from failed refining..." Thank you for stopping there: "Therefore, I think it is better to buy ready-made alcohol."
"Buy something ready-made?" Emperor Chengde tapped his fingers on the imperial desk, one tap after another.
“That’s right. Your Majesty can levy alcohol from the Fu family in the name of the court, so that the alcohol cannot flow out and can only be used by the court. In this way, the court will not have to spend more money to build distilleries, nor will it have to bear the losses caused by failed refining.”
Seeing that Emperor Chengde seemed to be persuaded, Xie Zhuo continued with more forceful measures: "The price of alcohol is not low, and its usage is related to the number of wounded soldiers. If there are not many wounded soldiers in the camp, wouldn't it be a waste to refine too much alcohol? I believe that the court only needs to purchase alcohol from Qingzhou regularly."
The point Xie Zhuo mentioned about saving money was exactly what Emperor Chengde valued most.
Saving money has become a major worry for him.
The war with the barbarians before the New Year caused the Great Wei to lose a lot of financial and military resources. Later, the Qing and Yu regions were hit by floods, which cost a large sum of money. The national treasury has spent too much in the past two years, and he, as the emperor, has no choice but to plan ahead.
Having made up his mind, Emperor Chengde waved his hand, dismissing Xie Zhuo.
After learning that the emperor wanted the secret formula for alcohol, Xie Zhuo was filled with anxiety. He hoped that His Majesty would listen to his advice and that the court should just buy the formula from Fu Zhiqiao instead.
Fu Zhi Qiao is definitely not someone who will suffer in silence. Her delicate appearance might make people mistake her for a frail person, but in reality, she has a very strong personality. It won't be so easy for the imperial court to forcibly take the secret formula from her.
Although Emperor Chengde was somewhat reluctant, after being persuaded by Xie Zhuo, he gave up the idea of asking Fu Zhiqiao to hand over the secret recipe for alcohol.
Having experienced war, floods, and plague, the imperial court has not yet recovered its strength and needs to do something to appease the people.
Fu Zhiqiao made great contributions to the flood and the prevention of the plague. He not only developed alcohol, but also donated 100,000 catties of grain. The imperial court also had to save face. How could it be right to ask a commoner to pay for the treatment of the people?
Rewards are definitely necessary, but how to reward them has become a problem.
Most officials are rewarded with a record of their merits, which can lead to promotions and titles in the future. However, the reward for Fu Zhiqiao, a commoner, has stumped the emperor.
A reward of ten thousand taels of silver? The imperial court just allocated several million taels of silver for disaster relief, and it is currently short of money. If it does not reward gold and silver treasures, it will seem that the imperial court is stingy and mistreating its meritorious officials...
How to bestow rewards that both demonstrate the court's appreciation for talent and avoid using the national treasury's funds? This has become a recent dilemma for Emperor Chengde.
This problem had been troubling him for two days, and he couldn't bring up the issue with his ministers to discuss it, otherwise it would make him seem petty as an emperor and damage his dignified image.
The Empress noticed the worry etched on the Emperor Chengde's face and asked, "What troubles Your Majesty?"
The emperor sighed and briefly explained the whole story.
The Queen chuckled softly, "I thought it was some kind of difficult problem."
"Does Your Majesty perhaps have a good idea?"
The Empress took a sip of tea: "I think His Majesty has used all his wisdom to think about important national affairs, and as a result, he has been stumped by trivial matters such as rewards and punishments."
These words, seemingly criticism but actually praise, pleased Emperor Chengde greatly.
"Your Majesty, stop keeping me in suspense and give me a suggestion."
"I think this Lady Fu comes from a merchant family and is of a lowly status. Why don't Your Majesty bestow a title upon her? This would not only show Your Majesty's compassion for the people and your love for meritorious officials, but also avoid using a large amount of money from the national treasury."
The Empress's words seemed to awaken him. "That's right, how come I didn't think of that?"
For ordinary people, being granted a title is already a great honor. Emperor Chengde, having received the instruction, hurriedly went to the Imperial Study to draft an imperial edict.
*
There haven't been any major events in the government recently, the only noteworthy one being the disaster relief efforts.
Emperor Chengde first praised Xie Zhuo, Qin Zhao, and Min Kunzheng for their contributions to disaster relief efforts in the south, and then bestowed upon them some calligraphy, paintings, porcelain vases, and ornamental pieces.
The positions of the court officials were all filled, one person per post; no one stepping down meant no one getting promoted. Qin Zhao and Min Kunzheng currently had no room for advancement; they could only accumulate seniority to have a chance of promotion. Rewards were merely icing on the cake for them; being recognized for merit was the most important thing, as these achievements, large and small, would become crucial criteria for their future promotions and titles.
Then, Emperor Chengde praised the Ministry of Works for its meritorious work in building the dam, and the Imperial Physician Gao for his meritorious work in treating the plague. He also mentioned Fu Zhiqiao's meritorious work in developing alcohol.
The entire morning court session turned into an awards ceremony.
After the morning court session ended, the ministers left the court in droves. Xie Zhuo approached Emperor Chengde and volunteered to go to Qingzhou to convey the imperial decree.
"Let the imperial edict messenger handle it; there's no need for you to make the trip again." Emperor Chengde considered himself a benevolent emperor, and it was somewhat inappropriate to send Xie Zhuo out to do something again now that he had just returned from disaster relief.
Xie Zhuo quickly replied, "Your Majesty has forgotten that in addition to delivering the imperial decree, we also need to purchase alcohol on this trip to Qingzhou."
When alcohol was mentioned, a slight unease flashed through the Chengde Emperor's mind. He swallowed his objections, as the purchase of alcohol was a matter of great importance, and he was not entirely at ease entrusting it to others.
Xie Zhuo said that he could represent the court to negotiate with Fu Zhiqiao on the purchase of alcohol, "Your humble servant is confident that I can reduce the purchase price of alcohol by 10%."
"really?"
Upon hearing that it would save money, Emperor Chengde no longer objected and immediately agreed to send Xie Zhuo to Qingzhou.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
