Visit the winery
As darkness fell and the daytime hustle and bustle subsided, Xie Zhuo arrived at Fu Zhi Qiao's courtyard in the night.
The two took their seats, and Fu Zhi Qiao asked Yin Xing to bring two cups of tea. They both took a sip, and Fu Zhi Qiao took the initiative to ask, "Why are you the one who came to deliver the imperial decree?"
It's really a waste of talent to summon a prince to deliver an imperial edict.
"I came because I wanted to see you."
After returning to the capital, she actually learned to be glib and smooth-talking. Fu Zhi Qiao remained unfazed; she didn't take this little trick seriously.
"Why would His Majesty bestow upon me the title of County Lady?" Fu Zhiqiao was self-aware; although she had made some contributions to disaster relief, she had not yet reached the point where she would be personally granted a title by the Emperor.
Could it be because of alcohol?
Seeing that he couldn't amuse Fu Zhiqiao, Xie Zhuo gave up and replied seriously, "Your Majesty wants alcohol."
It was indeed because of the alcohol.
Fu Zhi Qiao wasn't too surprised when she heard the news; it seemed that what she had said to Physician Gao had worked.
Xie Zhuo continued, "Besides delivering the imperial edict to you, I also want to discuss a business deal with you regarding alcohol."
The emperor wanted to use alcohol in the military camps, and it was reasonable for Xie Zhuo, as the General of the Cavalry, to take charge of this matter.
"Your Majesty desires the secret formula for alcohol?"
"No, I want to buy your alcohol." Xie Zhuo's eyes were smiling, and he looked like he wanted praise.
Seeing his reaction, Fu Zhi Qiao immediately understood that the imperial court wanted to buy alcohol from her instead of asking for the alcohol formula, so he must have put in a lot of effort.
"I'd like you to lower the price by another 15 percent."
"Why?"
One jin of alcohol sells for twenty taels of silver, while four jin of Taibai wine sells for ten taels of silver. However, alcohol requires several more processes than Taibai wine, including the addition of distilled water for blending. Considering the manpower and resources spent in this process, she didn't actually make much profit from selling one jin of alcohol for twenty taels of silver.
Xie Zhuo knew what Fu Zhi Qiao was struggling with: "Don't you own a manor? I will inform His Majesty to exempt you from land taxes."
The land tax was collected by the state. Every year, she had to pay a land tax to the court for the land under her name. In addition, a portion of the harvest from these lands had to be distributed to the tenant farmers, and then the court would take a portion, with the remainder being hers.
If land is exempt from taxes, she can buy more land, hire more tenant farmers, and grow her own grain and brew her own alcohol. Without middlemen taking a cut, the costs of brewing and refining alcohol can be controlled.
Fu Zhi Qiao was a little tempted.
Moreover, Qingzhou has been hit by floods and plague, and its economy is unlikely to return to its previous level in the short term. During this period, the daily sales of Taibai Wine Shop have decreased by almost half compared to the past, and now the wine in the winery is basically being sent to Taibai Tower in the capital.
It's unclear when Qingzhou's economy will recover; relying solely on Taibai Tower and merchant caravans to sell wine is too simplistic.
This situation, if continued, will be very detrimental to the development of the winery.
If a new production line were to be established in the winery specifically for refining alcohol to sell to the imperial court, it would not only enrich the winery's business but also establish a relationship with the imperial court.
For ordinary people, being able to establish connections with the imperial court was a great honor.
Xie Zhuo had been observing Fu Zhiqiao's expression. Seeing that she seemed to be softening, he immediately added, "I think it's worth it to exchange this 15% profit for a stable business."
The imperial court needs her to supply alcohol, so naturally they won't let her be suppressed by others, and the reputation of Taibai Wine Shop and Taibai Tower will rise even higher.
However, opportunities and crises coexist.
The most dangerous thing in the world is perhaps the boundless grace of the emperor.
Once a merchant becomes closely connected with the imperial court, he can easily be drawn into the power struggles within those factions. Serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice; a single misstep can have far-reaching consequences. Helping the emperor is like walking on thin ice; the slightest mistake can lead to execution.
The emperor sent Xie Zhuo to negotiate, indicating that he was determined to obtain the alcohol. Fu Zhiqiao knew that she had no choice but to agree.
When will the contract be signed?
No rush.
Xie Zhuo calmly took a sip of tea. Looking at Fu Zhi Qiao's serious and businesslike expression, he felt a little amused and couldn't help but reach out and pat her head.
Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes were sharp, but Xie Zhuo didn't care at all.
"Now that the business is concluded, Your Highness, please return."
"You were able to close this deal, and I deserve at least some credit for it, right? Is this how the Lady of Ming'an treats her intermediaries?"
This fellow was clearly trying to cause trouble, so Fu Zhi Qiao suppressed her temper and asked, "Then what does the young master want?"
Xie Zhuo's gaze remained unwavering as he frankly stated, "How about the county magistrate invites me to dinner?"
"Yes, may I ask when Your Highness will be available?"
Fu Zhi Qiao kept mentioning the word "Crown Prince" in every sentence, clearly intending to create distance between them. This distant and polite attitude made Xie Zhuo's original intention to tease her almost disappear.
Xie Zhuo's gaze was intense, but Fu Zhi Qiao lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze. The two remained silent without prior arrangement, and an awkward atmosphere hung in the air.
After Xie Zhuo left, Fu Zhi Qiao's tense nerves finally relaxed. To be honest, she really didn't know how to face Xie Zhuo. She had seen Xie Zhuo's repeated attempts to befriend her, but for various reasons, it was indeed inappropriate for the two of them to have any intimate contact.
The next day, the news that Fu Zhiqiao had been granted the title of County Lady by the Emperor spread throughout Qingzhou City.
Former business partners came to offer their congratulations, including Xu Shangqiang, the manager of Baiweilou Restaurant, and Mr. Pan from Baofeng Money Shop.
For an entire day, people came and went in the Fu residence without a moment's rest, and Fu Zhi Qiao's face was practically frozen from smiling.
On the third day, Xie Zhuo received new news and sent someone to invite Fu Zhiqiao to the yamen for a meeting.
The two men signed a contract in the government office to supply alcohol to the imperial court, with two copies of the contract.
After signing the contract, Xie Zhuo suggested visiting the winery. Fu Zhi Qiao was in a great mood after signing the contract, so she asked Yin Xing to take the contract back first and tell Yu Rou Lan that she would be back later. Then she took Xie Zhuo to the winery.
The trip to the winery was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and Wenjiang was not notified in advance.
The workers were quite surprised to see their boss suddenly appear at the winery. Wenjiang rushed out after hearing the news, calling out, "Miss!"
Then he saw Xie Zhuo standing next to Fu Zhi Qiao. He knew Xie Zhuo's true identity and immediately bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Xie Zhuo nodded in acceptance, and he looked around the winery with great interest.
Wen Jiang led Fu Zhi Qiao and Xie Zhuo into the winery.
July and August are the season for making plum wine. Because of the terrain, the plum trees on the mountain were not flooded, so there was still a harvest. Workers carried the plums down the mountain and handed them to workers waiting at the foot of the mountain. After the workers sorted out the bad plums, they were transferred to the winery for cleaning and brewing.
Xie Zhuo pointed to the group of workers carrying green plums, "Are they the people from Black Tiger Village?"
Fu Zhiqiao looked over and said, "Part of it is."
Another group of people were incorporated into caravans and were currently trading in other places.
Fu Zhi Qiao wasn't worried that they would run away with her money. The caravan included not only the former Black Tiger Stronghold members but also local villagers. The Black Tiger Stronghold members had finally obtained local residency; if they ran off with her money, she could report them to the authorities and have their residency revoked.
Without a household registration, people become unregistered residents, and they will most likely become migrants again, living a life of danger and peril. Who would want to live a peaceful and stable life when they might not survive the next day?
"Am I right? They are just refugees. If they weren't desperate, who would choose to become bandits in the mountains? Letting them work honestly is far better than taking their lives!"
Xie Zhuo touched his nose, speechless.
As they walked, they arrived at the winery's core production area, the distillery, which is generally off-limits to unauthorized personnel. Fu Zhi Qiao had no suspicion of Xie Zhuo and led him inside directly.
Before entering the distillery, you must change into an overcoat; this is a rule at the winery.
When Xie Zhuo saw the strangely shaped large pots in the distillery, he was dumbfounded. This peculiar brewing method was truly unprecedented: "Is the alcohol extracted from these?"
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded. She did not take Xie Zhuo to watch the distillation process, but instead led him to the receiving port and gave him a small half-cup of freshly distilled Taibai liquor to taste.
Xie Zhuo took a bite with great anticipation, his expression somewhat subtle.
"How is it? Isn't it bad?" Fu Zhi Qiao chuckled.
Xie Zhuo realized he had been tricked, but he didn't care. He wiped his mouth and asked, "Why is this different from the Taibai wine we had before?"
The Taibai wine he had just drunk was neither mellow nor smooth; it had a pungent and astringent spicy taste, completely unlike any Taibai wine he had ever tasted before.
Fu Zhiqiao explained: "Newly brewed Taibai wine tastes bitter and unpleasant because there are some impurities in the wine. Therefore, newly brewed wine needs to be aged in the cellar for two or three years before it can be sold. After the passage of time, the wine becomes mellow and fragrant, the spiciness decreases, and it becomes smooth and easy to swallow. The longer it is aged in the cellar, the better it tastes."
"Is that why you asked me to postpone the ceremony in the first place?"
"Mm." Fu Zhi Qiao nodded.
The distillery was very hot, and the two of them came out after a short while. The high temperature and strong smell of alcohol made Xie Zhuo's cheeks slightly flushed, and at first glance, he even had a touch of alluring charm.
After seeing the facilities, the workers, and the strict rules and regulations at the winery, Xie Zhuo thought to himself that Fu Zhi Qiao was really smart, and her success was not accidental.
"Your winery is excellent!" Xie Zhuo praised.
"Of course!" Upon hearing the praise, Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes immediately lit up with a hint of pride.
The more Xie Zhuo learned about her, the harder it was for him to let her go. Although he hadn't been involved in everything Fu Zhi Qiao had gone through, he could be considered a witness to her journey.
He left his hometown to raise his mother, buying shops, building wineries, and opening restaurants... He knew she was willing to risk everything to recruit the bandits of Black Tiger Stronghold in order to have someone of her own, and he also knew she was the kind of person who would give everything to achieve her goals...
Accompanied by Fu Zhiqiao, Xie Zhuo toured the Taibai Winery.
"Oh dear, did you all see that? The owner has brought a man to the winery!"
"I see him! That young master is so handsome, he's a perfect match for our master. What's that word again? Something like 'male' or 'female'?"
His companion scornfully retorted, "Can't you speak properly? It's a perfect match!"
The workers chattered incessantly, speculating about Xie Zhuo's identity.
Wenjiang followed not far away, watching the two figures from behind; they did indeed look very well-matched.
He deliberately walked slower, falling behind them. After hearing the workers' discussions, he glared at them fiercely and lowered his voice: "Have you finished the work? You dare to gossip about the girl's affairs?"
The cultural affairs manager got angry!
The workers who had been huddled together discussing the matter dispersed instantly, stealing glances at Xie Zhuo's retreating figure as they left.
They're such a perfect match!
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