Chapter 22: The Fragrance of Wine Fills Yancheng

Yancheng, Dong Shi.

Two servants from the Prince Mansion placed a Wine Jar on the ground, immediately attracting the attention of many commoners and merchants.

Even some young masters from Rich Clans, who were strolling around the East Market, gathered around to join in the excitement.

"Oh, what kind of wine is this? The scent is truly intense."

As soon as the Wine Jar was opened, the fragrance of the wine immediately rushed into the noses of those nearby.

Instantly, the mouths of several drunks began to water.

One Prince Mansion servant, his face full of pride, recalled the words Yan Wang had taught him and said, "To tell you the truth, this jar contains Fine Wine secretly crafted by His Highness Yan Wang. Having just obtained one jar today, His Highness ordered the two of us to bring it to Dong Shi for everyone to drink for free."

The other servant said, "That's right, so if everyone drinks it and thinks it's good, you only need to shout a few cheers for His Highness's Fine Wine."

Upon hearing the words "Fine Wine" and "free," the crowd was suddenly in an uproar.

People in the back pushed forward, fearing they wouldn't get a turn.

Those in the front were shoved, and soon the Prince Mansion servants had almost nowhere to stand.

And as the news of the free Fine Wine spread, more and more people flooded into Dong Shi.

The Prince Mansion servants felt no dissatisfaction with the crowded mob.

On the contrary, this was exactly what they had expected.

Therefore, they were in no rush to distribute the wine, but continued to wait...

Zhang Family.

For the past few days, Zhang Qian's mood had been like he had swallowed a dead fly.

First, the Ice-making Technique had cost him one hundred thousand taels of Silver and some farmland given to the Yan Prince Mansion.

Now, because of his son, he had been extorted for another one hundred thousand taels of Silver by Yan Wang.

Even though his Zhang Family was wealthy and powerful, they could not withstand such torment.

That Ice-making Technique was one thing, as it was possible to earn the money back.

But the one hundred thousand taels of Silver for the ransom could truly never be recovered.

Because his heart ached over this sum of Silver, he had not slept all night.

Just as he was sighing and drinking tea, he saw the Steward hurrying over, looking anxious.

"What is it, acting so flustered?" Zhang Qian was in a bad mood, so his tone was naturally poor.

The Steward was cautious.

He knew that Zhang Qian was like a wounded tiger right now; one wrong move and he would eat someone.

Several servants had already run into bad luck, and some had even been beaten to death on the spot.

"Master, there is something this small one does not know whether to say or not," the Steward said.

"Spit it out!" Zhang Qian did not even lift his head.

Swallowing hard, the Steward said, "Someone came to report that people from the Yan Prince Mansion are distributing free wine in Dong Shi, claiming it is Fine Wine secretly crafted by the Prince Mansion."

Hearing this, Zhang Qian suddenly raised his head.

The largest Wine Workshop in Yan Commandery belonged to his Zhang Family.

Moreover, because the Zhang Family was powerful, his Zhang Family was the only one allowed to sell wine in Yan Commandery.

Therefore, the annual profit from selling wine was extremely lucrative.

Now that the Yan Prince Mansion was distributing free wine in Dong Shi, they certainly had the intention of selling wine.

Wasn't this snatching his business?

"Yan Wang, you are courting death!" Zhang Qian slammed his palm onto the stone table.

Now, he only hated that time passed too slowly.

Otherwise, once the Northern Di arrived, he could deal with Yan Wang; why would he have to suffer this indignity every day?

But for now, he could only watch helplessly as Yan Wang eroded his interests step by step.

"Send someone to taste it; I don't believe that Yan Wang can brew any Fine Wine," Zhang Qian said.

He was still very confident in his own family's brewing.

The Steward answered in the affirmative, not daring to delay for a moment, and turned to leave.

At the same time.

The news caught the attention of other Rich Clans, who one after another sent people to disguise themselves as commoners and mingle into Dong Shi to verify the truth.

And some merchants who had come to Yan Commandery from other provinces to trade, upon hearing the news, also decided to come and join the excitement.

Dong Shi.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived.

The two servants took out the small wine cups they had prepared.

Such cups could only hold a small sip at a time.

In this way, more people could get a taste.

"Everyone don't crowd, come one by one, line up; those who don't line up won't get any."

The servant poured a cup of wine and shouted.

He handed the wine to the first person.

This person was dressed in silk and had a potbelly, looking like a merchant.

Taking the wine, the merchant drank it without hesitation.

"Ah..." Letting out a gasp of amazement, the merchant's eyes went wide.

The delicious Wine entered his mouth, stimulating every one of his taste buds.

As the wine went down his throat, it triggered his craving for alcohol, making him feel as if he were in a dream for an instant, thoroughly enjoying it.

"It's so delicious," the merchant shouted, unwilling to leave.

Looking imploringly at the Prince's manor servant, he said, "Please, give me another cup."

Those behind, seeing the merchant's exaggerated reaction, could no longer wait.

Three or five people immediately clamored, telling the merchant to move.

One with a short temper dragged the merchant to the back directly.

The two servants smiled; they had already tasted this Wine.

The merchant's reaction did not surprise them.

Next was the second person.

Like the merchant, after drinking the first cup, he wanted a second, but he was also driven away.

After leaving, he stood with the first merchant, his heart feeling as if a Flame were burning inside.

He wished he could rush in and snatch the Wine to take home.

Then, the third, fourth, and fifth people who had tasted the Wine stood with him.

"This is simply immortal Wine from the heavens; if I could drink my fill, it would be worth dying for in this life," a drunkard said, his eyes bloodshot.

Listening to the exclamations of those drinking ahead, this group who had tasted it felt even more heartbroken.

No one knew which reckless person suddenly shouted, "Charge! Follow me to snatch the Wine; it's worth dying for tonight!"

Once these words spread, the crowd immediately became restless.

The dense crowd swarmed toward the Prince's manor servants.

The two Prince's manor servants were dumbfounded; they had not expected the Wine brewed by Yan Wang to cause such a riot.

They wanted to stop them, but they could not hold back the torrent of the crowd and were soon submerged.

The Wine Jars were snatched back and forth, and Dong Shi fell into complete chaos.

When the riot subsided, they only saw a mess on the ground; the Wine Jars and wine cups were all gone.

The two servants had bitter expressions and had no choice but to head back to the manor.

At this time.

Three burly men were heading toward the Zhang Family.

They held a wine pot in their hands, containing only a little bit of White Wine.

Even this little bit was snatched after they had been beaten black and blue.

Upon entering the manor, they immediately presented the Wine to Zhang Qian.

"This is the Wine brewed by Yan Wang?" Zhang Qian knew he had lost just by smelling the aroma of the Wine.

The three men nodded.

Trembling, he poured a cup of Wine and downed it in one gulp.

The rich aroma of the Wine dissolved in his mouth.

The Wine was fiery hot, while his heart was cold.

Although he was unwilling to admit it.

But in the face of this Wine, the Green Ant Wine brewed by his Zhang Family was nothing but a fart.

The Prince's manor.

The moment the news of the secret Fine Wine spread.

Dong An and Yang He arrived at the Prince's manor; only Lv Ran did not come because he had gone to the Jun Bing Ya Men.

While others were arguing until their faces were red for a cup of Wine, Dong An and Yang He had already drunk their fill.

After all, having sworn an alliance with the Prince's manor, they were in the same boat as Zhao Xu.

"Your Highness, there is no Wine in the world more delicious than this."

Yang He was dead drunk, while Dong An remained somewhat sober.

He understood that by doing this, Yan Wang intended to go into the business of selling Wine.

He said, "Your Highness, I wonder what the value of a jar of this Fine Wine is; our Dong Family is willing to buy one thousand jars to transport and sell elsewhere."

Just as his voice fell, a servant suddenly ran over in a hurry.

"Your Highness, many people from the Rich Clan have come outside the gate, saying they request to see Your Highness."

Zhao Xu heard this and smiled triumphantly.

Clearly, the Fine Wine had more charm than ice cubes.