I almost missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Being able to participate in this poetry gathering will broaden my horizons.
"The poetry gathering will be held tomorrow morning. We're setting off for Qing'an Prefecture this afternoon. I heard that Prefect Shen has bestowed a residence upon you in Qing'an Prefecture. This time, when we go to Qing'an Prefecture, we can skip the post station and stay directly at your residence, saving on accommodation costs."
Zhao Xian hadn't really thought of this. This trip to Qing'an Prefecture would be a good opportunity to visit this residence.
"Attending this poetry gathering will take less than three days, so it shouldn't affect your business."
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer." Zhao Xian finally agreed to attend the poetry gathering.
Magistrate Cao breathed a sigh of relief and had someone bring over the permit for producing millet wine.
Zhao Xian took the approval document and read it carefully. The document was stamped with more than twenty seals of various sizes, indicating that it had been approved by many departments, and it also had the seal of Prefect Shen.
It seems that obtaining this approval was indeed not easy. If it had been processed according to the normal procedure, who knows how long it would have taken.
Zhao Xian handed the approval document to Zhao Cheng, instructing him to take it back and give it to Qin Yingying for safekeeping.
The workers for brewing millet wine are now in place, and Qin Shiyu is in charge of its production. He asked Zhao Cheng to tell Qin Shiyu to speed up the production of baijiu (Chinese liquor), as he will be returning home in three days.
After explaining these things, Zhao Cheng prepared to leave, but Zhao Xian suddenly remembered something.
Last time, we produced more than 50 jin of raw liquor, which was blended into more than 70 jin of 30-proof millet liquor. After using some of it, we still have about 60 jin left at home.
He instructed Zhao Cheng to deliver all sixty catties of millet wine to the residence in Qing'an Prefecture that afternoon.
Zhao Cheng accepted the order and immediately drove away.
At this moment, Magistrate Cao was in a great mood, and only then did he remember to introduce Zhao Xian to the two scholars beside him.
"This is Young Master Zhao, a scholar from Shuixian Village. He built a waterwheel, which solved the irrigation problem for the rice paddies and helped the government suppress bandits. He was highly appreciated by the prefect and received commendations from the provincial government and Qing'an Prefecture."
It was extremely difficult to gain the appreciation of the prefect. Although they were both successful candidates in the imperial examinations, they were only minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank. If they wanted to be promoted, they would need the help of their superiors.
The two scholars bowed to Zhao Xian and began to introduce themselves.
"My name is Wang Zhibo, a native of Zhengyang County. I currently work in the provincial government and have come here to participate in the poetry gathering at the invitation of Magistrate Cao."
"My name is Li Qi, also from Zhengyang County. I work in Qing'an Prefecture and have been invited by Magistrate Cao to attend the poetry gathering."
Zhao Xian greatly admired these two scholars. They had become successful candidates in the provincial examinations at a young age, while the original owner of this body had passed the county-level examination at the age of fourteen but had never been able to pass the provincial examinations. It seemed that these two scholars were much better than the original owner.
Wang Zhibo and Li Qi were elegant and polite, and they did not look down on others because they were scholars. They were very friendly to me.
The group chatted happily for the rest of the time, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Magistrate Cao warmly invited them to sit down and have lunch.
Both scholars were invited by Magistrate Cao, so they were considered honored guests. Since Magistrate Cao was in a good mood today, it was natural that they would have some wine.
Zhao Xian brought four jugs of millet wine, but Magistrate Cao was reluctant to drink them. He thought they would be useful at the poetry gathering, so after much deliberation, he took out the two jugs of Zhuangyuan Red wine that Zhao Xian had brought last time.
The wine must be of very high quality. Although the two men were already successful candidates in the imperial examinations, their income was not high. Their monthly income was not even enough to buy half a pot of Zhuangyuanhong wine.
"This wine was sent by Young Master Zhao last time, to be compared with the millet wine. I have already drunk the millet wine, and now that I have drunk some Zhuangyuan Red wine, I will naturally understand."
After Magistrate Cao finished speaking, he opened the lid of the wine pot, and a rich aroma of yellow wine wafted out. Even people who did not like drinking would feel refreshed upon smelling this aroma.
Magistrate Cao picked up his wine cup, took a sip of the Zhuangyuan Red Wine, and did not swallow it immediately, but savored it slowly.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Magistrate Cao slowly began to speak.
"Zhuangyuan Red Wine is indeed excellent, with a pure taste and superb flavor. It's definitely worth spending a few taels of silver to buy a bottle to enjoy."
However, after drinking the millet wine, he realized what real wine was, and from then on, the Zhuangyuanhong wine no longer held any appeal for him.
Magistrate Cao's words surprised those present. He had a good opinion of Zhuangyuan Red Wine, but compared to Baizi Wine, Zhuangyuan Red Wine was no match.
Magistrate Cao's words make a lot of sense. In modern society, baijiu (white liquor) dominates the market and is indispensable on any dining table. Yellow wine can only end up in the kitchen as a condiment, and very few people drink it anymore.
After Magistrate Cao mentioned it, the others wanted to try the millet wine, but Magistrate Cao had already put the millet wine away and was preparing to take it to the poetry gathering to display. It seemed that they could only taste the millet wine at the poetry gathering.
After lunch, the group packed their gear, boarded the carriage, and headed straight for Qing'an Prefecture.
The carriage sped along, and two hours later, the group arrived at Qing'an Prefecture.
After entering the city, the group first went to the government office. There were special reception staff at the government office. After verifying their information, the officials gave them several admission tickets.
Then they were taken by the yamen runners to another place, which was a special place to register the local specialties that were to be promoted.
Zhao Xian handed over four jugs of barnyard wine. The staff recorded the information about the barnyard wine, created a product introduction, and then affixed labels to the barnyard wine.
After finishing their work, the group left. Instead of going to the post station, they went to one of Zhao Xian's residences in Qing'an Prefecture.
The group quickly found the residence, and after verifying the house number, they confirmed that it was indeed the residence bestowed by the government.
The residence is located in the western suburbs of Qing'an Prefecture. Property prices in this area should not be high, but even so, this residence is worth four or five hundred taels of silver.
The carriage stopped at the gate of the mansion, and two servants came over.
After understanding the situation, the two servants knelt down.
"So it's the master who has arrived. Please come inside."
Zhao Xian was puzzled as to why there were two servants living in his own residence.
The servant explained that they were sent by the government to manage the residence, and that they were responsible for guarding the house regardless of whether the owner lived there or not.
The servants' wages were paid by the government, and Zhao Xian did not need to pay any fees.
Zhao Xian originally intended to rent out the house to earn some rent, but since the government had made arrangements for the house, he could not rent it out and could only live there himself.
The house is fully furnished, the kind you can move into right away, but they haven't started cooking there yet, so they have to eat at a restaurant.
Accommodation in Qing'an Prefecture has been very expensive lately, and with the provincial examinations approaching, students from all over the country have gathered here, making Qing'an Prefecture overcrowded.
Currently, both inns and guesthouses in Qing'an Prefecture are fully booked, and accommodation prices are rising again and again.
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