Chapter 119: Imperial Inspector

The lively atmosphere in the hall suddenly stagnated.

Everyone knew that the Prince of Badong was eccentric and moody. Seeing him suddenly change his face, no one dared to speak anymore, and they didn't know what Wang Yang had done to offend the Prince.

Xie Xinghan, Le Zhan, and others who had friendships with Wang Yang could not help but worry about Wang Yang.

Wang Yang had a deep understanding of the Prince of Badong's ability to "change face." However, after these two contacts, he had a bit of a pulse on the Prince of Badong. He said calmly:

"If Your Highness can't stand it, then just treat it as the 'Yan' from 'shameless'. But that's not good either. The surname of Confucius's first disciple, how can it overlap with such evil words?! To show respect, this word must be changed. There are also 'servile', 'ashamed of heaven and earth', which are even more rebellious words that do not respect the sages! They should be banned together!"

Everyone was shocked to hear Wang Yang publicly satirize the Prince of Badong!

Xie Xinghan frowned, showing worry.

Since she met Wang Yang, she knew that he was a combination of square and round. When he was smooth, he had no temper, was exquisite in all directions, could say a cartload of soft words; when he was square, he was distinct, his words were sharp, no matter if it was the son of a Duke or a Confucian master, he was always moving forward, awe-inspiring, making people dare not insult him lightly.

But she never expected that he would dare to publicly contradict the Prince of Badong on such an occasion!

At this time, the whole hall was silent, and everyone knew that the next step would be the Prince of Badong's thunderous anger!

The Prince of Badong straightened up, his eyes sharp as a sword.

He was extremely strong, and sitting up like this, his majestic aura was revealed. Compared with him, Wang Yang was like a scholar in white, and no one who saw it could help but squeeze a sweat for him.

But Wang Yang was calm, drinking as usual, without any fear on his face.

The Prince of Badong asked in a deep voice: "Are you relying on the Langya Wang family, so you are not afraid of me?"

Wang Yang said casually: "Your Highness is not a vulgar person who can't afford a joke, what am I afraid of."

The Prince of Badong was silent,

Suddenly laughed loudly!

"Well said! Well said! I am naturally not a vulgar person, and Zhiyan is not either. It's just a pity that there are too many vulgar people in this world, who like to make a fuss about nothing! I should have known you two years earlier, and then thrown your words to those censors to see what they say!"

Wang Yang: *What happened two years ago??? *

For those who don't know what happened two years ago, they will naturally feel a bit inexplicable.

But those who knew the inside story suddenly realized: The Prince of Badong was talking about that matter! So they understood where his picking on Wang Yang came from.

The Prince of Badong suffered a loss in that matter two years ago, and it seems that Wang Yang's answer just now happened to scratch his itch.

The Prince of Badong pointed at Wang Yang and said heartily: "I'm riding a horse in the suburbs the day after tomorrow, Zhiyan, you come too."

Everyone was shocked to hear this!

The Prince of Badong did not like to meet officials. On weekdays, the only people who could see him were Kong Zhangyu and other Wang Fu administrative officials and those sixty personal guards.

Activities like riding in the suburbs were never allowed for outsiders to participate. Now he actually invited Wang Yang!

Wang Yang didn't know about this, so he didn't take the Prince of Badong's invitation as anything special. He was a bit embarrassed, mainly because he couldn't ride a horse!

Seeing Wang Yang hesitate, the Prince of Badong's face sank: "Why, you don't want to?"

Wang Yang explained: "Horsemanship is not my convenience, I'm afraid I'll spoil Your Highness's interest."

The gentry of the Six Dynasties valued literature and despised martial arts, and many did not know how to ride horses. By the Liang Dynasty, there were even scholar-officials who were afraid of horses like tigers. Therefore, Wang Yang dared to admit directly that he was not good at riding.

Hearing that Wang Yang was embarrassed because of this reason, the Prince of Badong's expression relaxed: "What's this, I don't want you to race horses, you just come and play."

Wang Yang bowed: "Then I will obey."

The Prince of Badong was happy: "Come! Bring that jar of Yicheng Spring sent in the day before yesterday,

Yicheng Spring was a famous fine wine of that time.

Cao Zhi's "Ode to Wine" states: "Wine has the thick brew of Yicheng, and the clear drift of Cangwu."

The latter half refers to the Bamboo Leaf Green wine of Cangwu Commandery, while the first half refers to Yicheng Spring.

Wang Yang had heard of this wine's great reputation in his past studies; now that the old jar was unsealed and the aroma of the wine hit his face, he could not help but swallow.

The Prince of Badong had the attendants pour wine for Wang Yang, Le Zhan, and the other three, then raised his cup and smiled:

"Everyone, this Yicheng Spring was sent from Huashan Commandery. It is said to be brewed entirely with Jinsha Spring water, and only these few jars were transported here in total. Those who didn't get any are not allowed to hold a grudge."

The crowd laughed boisterously, all saying they would not dare.

The Prince of Badong added: "Wait for the grand banquet at the end of this year; I will prepare a hundred jars of Yicheng Spring so everyone can drink to their heart's content!"

Everyone in the hall raised their cups in praise, and the atmosphere was lively.

Just as everyone was drinking together, a servant from the Wang Fu hurried into the hall and whispered something in the Prince of Badong's ear. The Prince of Badong's expression changed slightly, followed by a light laugh: "Let him in."

A tall, thin man dressed in black official robes and wearing a flat-topped cap walked in. The noise in the hall seemed to be suddenly pinched out by an invisible giant hand, and the whole place fell silent.

This person was extremely thin, with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, and a serious expression. As soon as he entered, he was completely out of place with the opulent and lively banquet.

This was the Jingzhou Imperial Inspector—Wu Xiuzhi.

In the Southern Dynasties, imperial princes were often sent to garrison the provinces, especially in military commandery provinces, where the power of the Inspector was immense. To strengthen control and supervise the princes, Imperial Inspectors were established to oversee them.

The rank of an Imperial Inspector was low, usually filled by commoners, but they were appointed by the imperial court and under the direct jurisdiction of the Son of Heaven, so their power was not small. Not only did they have the right to submit secret reports, but they were also permitted to return to the capital periodically to report privately before the Emperor, investigating the faults of the princes and the failures of officials, which made them feared by all.

If the garrisoned prince was young, the Imperial Inspector even enjoyed guardianship rights in certain situations!

When the current Emperor's eleventh son, the Prince of Nanhai, Xiao Zihan, was nine years old and garrisoned in Langya Commandery, he once wanted to go out to play but was stopped by the Dianqian. He went back and cried to his mother, saying: "I want to move five steps but cannot; how is this different from being a prisoner?"

Although these were the complaints of a child, one could see the power of the Dianqian official.

Wu Xiuzhi had been a Dianqian for a long time and was known for being harsh and tough. He had previously served as the Dianqian for the tenth son, the Prince of Xiyang, Xiao Ziming, and had tormented the young prince, who was not yet ten at the time, to the point that he was terrified whenever he saw him. Upon arriving in Jingzhou, his style of conduct did not change, and he had already reported the Prince of Badong for misconduct twice. As soon as he entered the hall, he seemed to bring frost and snow with him, instantly freezing the happy atmosphere of the banquet.

The Prince of Badong leaned on his armrest and said indifferently: "So Dianqian Wu has come. Someone, bring a seat."

Wu Xiuzhi kept a straight face: "Your Highness is hosting a banquet today; why did you not invite this official?"

"I forgot." The Prince of Badong had an indifferent expression.

Wu Xiuzhi cupped his hands upward and said in a deep voice: "According to the regulations of our dynasty, when a provincial Inspector holds a public banquet, the Dianqian must be present. Your Highness is now violating the regulations and merely saying 'I forgot'; I fear that will not suffice as an excuse."

The Prince of Badong sneered: "Then go and report it! Didn't you report me once before regarding the grain prices? Continue this time! Anyway, you are accustomed to sowing discord between fathers and sons..."

Wu Xiuzhi frowned and said loudly: "Your Highness, watch your words!"

"Watch your mother's words!" The Prince of Badong suddenly roared, startling many people into a shiver.

"Let me tell you, Wu the Slave! I am not the tenth brother, to be manipulated by you! If you have the guts, continue to slander me and get me killed! I will admire you as a man! If you don't have the guts, then shut your damn mouth!"

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Note: ① Yicheng wine was very famous in the Medieval period. Emperor Jianwen of Liang wrote: "The Yicheng wine is now ripe; I stop my saddle and tie my horse to stay for a while." Liu Xiaoyi wrote "A Petition of Thanks to the Prince of Jin'an for the Gift of Yicheng Wine." One reason the wine was good was the quality of the water. The "Huguang Gazetteer: Geography" records of Yicheng County: "Jinsha Spring, two li east of the county. Its water makes wine sweet and beautiful; the world calls it Yicheng Spring."

The origin of distilled spirits in our country has been debated in academia for a long time, with the latest being no later than the Yuan Dynasty. The mainstream opinion is also the Yuan Dynasty. However, with archaeological progress, the Han Dynasty theory has gradually emerged. The latest issue of this month's "Cultural Relics of the Central Plains" published the experimental results of Professor Yao Zhi Society and the Zhengzhou University team regarding the distiller unearthed in the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun. Depending on the alcohol content of the raw material, distilled spirits ranging from 27.5 degrees (7-degree raw material) to 66 degrees (14-degree raw material) can be obtained. According to the traditional concept of the history of science and technology, anything above 20 degrees is considered distilled spirits, so the discovery time of distilled spirits can be pushed back to the Western Han Dynasty.

If referring to Mr. Ma Chengyuan's "Archaeological Investigation and Experiment of Han Dynasty Bronze Distillers," Yao Zhi Society's experimental results are not surprising. According to Mr. Ma's experiments, the Eastern Han distiller housed in the Shanghai Museum can distill spirits of 20.4 to 26.6 degrees; if 15.5-degree raw material is used, it can be distilled to 42.5 degrees.

However, the distiller experimented on by Mr. Ma is unlikely to have been used for distilling wine. Mr. Sun Ji has already refuted this point clearly; please refer to Sun Ji's "The Origin of Grain Wine and Distilled Spirits in China" for details, which will not be repeated here.

The distiller of the Marquis of Haihun was found in the wine room of the tomb, and its size and structure are closer to a distilled wine vessel rather than a distiller for alchemy. It is relatively more complete than the distillers of the two Han periods discovered previously (although it still lacks a water cooler, it has double-sided interlayers and water outlets to discharge condensate), and there are a large number of taro residues inside the vessel, which may be taro wine or medicinal wine.

"Lingnan Herbal Medicine Records" records a prescription for tonsillitis: three taels of taro, six taels of liquor, soaked for twenty days, drink 2-3 qian each time, and the pain will stop. "Duxing Fang" records: "To treat ringworm, take one catty of raw taro, crush it, soak it in wine for fourteen days, and drink one cup on an empty stomach." "Sike Jianxiao Fang": "Crack the taro, put it into wine and soak for a month, drinking it" can cure "diseases of phlegm and qi stagnation." Such prescriptions of taro in wine may be a remnant of ancient Han methods, which remains to be verified.

However, if one follows the opinions of some scholars and pushes the discovery era of distilled spirits to the Han Dynasty now, it is perhaps too early to draw a conclusion. Firstly, it is isolated evidence; secondly, the judgment on the use of the vessel is only an inference; thirdly, there is no documentary evidence to support it. Han Dynasty documents are insufficient, and the art of brewing was regarded by the intellectual elite of the time as a "minor skill." Therefore, it is difficult to verify using the "double-evidence method," and it can only be left to more archaeological discoveries in the future.

② The story of fearing horses can be found in "Yan's Family Instructions: Dealing with Affairs": "Wang Fu, the Magistrate of Jiankang, was elegant and had never ridden a horse. Seeing a horse neighing and prancing, he was terrified and said to people: 'This is a tiger; why is it called a horse?'"

③ The Prince of Shaoling, Zizhen, once asked for bear fat, but the cook replied that the Dianqian was not there and dared not give it. The Prince of Xiyang, Ziming, wanted to send a letter to visit the sick Bao Zhuan, but the Dianqian, Wu Xiuzhi, did not allow it, saying: "You should consult the executive." It was then stopped. — "History of the Southern Dynasties: Prince of Baling, Zilun"