Chapter 28: Wine Workshop

Three days later.

Ten distillers were lined up in the sleeping hall of the Yan Prince Mansion's middle courtyard.

These distillers were no longer the crude objects from when Zhao Xu was just tinkering around, but were fired as complete units.

One jar body was used to hold low-alcohol rice wine, and one was used to collect the distilled high-alcohol wine.

Connected in the middle was a fired ceramic pipe.

Besides having the potters fire the ceramic jars, Zhao Xu also had people thoroughly renovate the old sleeping hall.

Paired with each ceramic jar was a large stove, used to heat the jars.

Additionally, many large wine vats were purchased to store the wine.

"Your Highness, the people for the Wine Workshop have been brought here." Zhou Yi arrived with sixty young and strong servants.

These were all prepared specifically for the Wine Workshop; from now on, they would be responsible for the production of distilled wine.

Zhao Xu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said, "The work at the Wine Workshop is extremely important; it can be said to concern the finances of the Prince Mansion. Selecting you to be wine craftsmen is also a sign of trust in you."

The young men looked at Zhao Xu, their eyes flickering slightly.

They did not have the courage to walk the path of fire like Zhang Han and the others, but they were equally eager to be valued in their hearts.

With Zhao Xu saying this, many were immediately excited.

"If you are diligent and conscientious, this Prince promises that after ten years, I will revoke your status as servants. At the same time, you will not work in the Wine Workshop for nothing; the Prince Mansion will give you a monthly wage of one tael of Silver." Zhao Xu continued.

These words fell like a thunderclap.

To the young men, to be a servant for a day meant being a servant for life.

Even if they were to marry and have children in the future, they would still be servants of the Prince Mansion.

This was common knowledge in the hearts of every Song People.

Now, Yan Wang actually said that after ten years he would return their freedom to them; this was simply like a dream.

Moreover, for a servant, being able to eat one's fill was already good enough; to have a monthly wage was even more unheard of.

If people outside the Prince Mansion heard of this matter, I fear they would break their heads trying to get into the Prince Mansion.

One young man had originally been dead inside, intending only to muddle through his life.

Therefore, he had not been very enthusiastic about entering the Yan Prince Mansion.

After hearing this, he fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face as he said, "People say Yan Wang is benevolent; seeing it today, it is truly like a clear sky living among us. Your Highness, rest assured, even if this little servant works himself to death, he will not betray such great grace from Your Highness."

Seeing this, the others also knelt down one after another, filled with gratitude.

Zhou Yi stood to one side, his expression moved.

He was now very glad that he had guarded Yan Wang alongside Liu Fu back then and taken down Zhang Han.

Otherwise, the Prince Mansion would likely still be in total darkness to this day.

But now, since Yan Wang recovered from his illness, the Prince Mansion was as full of vitality as the tender grass of spring.

Working by Yan Wang's side, he felt as if he were bathed in a gentle breeze.

"Rise."

Zhao Xu wore a smile.

Actually, it was not that he did so well, but that in this dark era, everything depended on the contrast provided by others.

Because compared to him, the people of this era, from top to bottom, truly did not treat servants as human beings.

This universal consciousness was accepted by everyone, just as having three wives and four concubines was considered normal.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The young men stood up, their eyes still burning with fervor.

Zhao Xu cleared his throat and added, "However, there is one condition: the technique of distilled wine is a secret. Once you enter the Wine Workshop, you cannot leave the Prince Mansion. In the future, if you need anything, you must ask others to go out and buy it."

Regarding this point, the young men had no objections.

They could not afford to hope for too much.

Having said what needed to be said, Zhao Xu called everyone into the room and personally taught them the process of distilling wine once.

Everyone watched very carefully, and after a simple trial, they mastered the technique of distilling wine.

Watching the young men busy in the room, never stopping for a moment, Zhou Yi sighed in admiration, "Your Highness is truly capable; from now on, I fear no one will dare to slack off."

"As long as their hearts are not aggrieved and the pay is sufficient, no one wants to slack off."

Zhao Xu dropped this sentence with a smile and headed toward the East Courtyard.

Zhou Yi pondered this sentence and nodded slightly.

Evening.

Zhao Xu arrived at the old sleeping hall again; by this time, a plaque for the Wine Workshop had been hung on the old sleeping hall.

He did not come this time to inspect, but to check the output of the distilled wine.

As soon as he entered the Wine Workshop, the fragrance of wine rushed to his face.

Zhao Xu asked, "How much wine was produced today?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, from morning until night, we haven't been idle for a moment, and we have brewed a total of eight hundred and twenty catties of wine." said one of the older wine craftsmen.

Zhao Xu nodded; this was the foreman of the Wine Workshop selected by Zhou Yi.

Zhao Xu was not very satisfied with this number.

At this rate of production, it would take more than a month just to satisfy the supply demands of the Rich Clan in Yan Commandery.

He said, "Divide the craftsmen of the Wine Workshop into three teams, with each team working for four hours; this way, you can produce one thousand six hundred catties in a day and night."

"Yes, Your Highness." the wine craftsman replied.

He had originally wanted to say that sixty people were a bit too many, but this way, it would be just right.

Zhao Xu nodded and let the foreman go back; in fact, this kind of scheduling was the three-shift system commonly used in modern factories.

One hour is equal to two modern hours, which means each person works eight hours a day.

The people can rest, but the Distiller cannot; this way, continuous production can be guaranteed, which is much better than rushing to do it all in one day.

After walking around, Zhao Xu returned to the sleeping quarters in the East Courtyard.

Having calculated the Wine Workshop's output, he notified the Rich Clan the next day to come and collect the goods.

Upon receiving the news, the Rich Clan arrived immediately with their household servants and slaves, surrounding the Prince's Mansion until it was packed tight.

After handing the Silver over to the Prince's Mansion, they had been feeling anxious, fearing the money had been given in vain.

Now, they had finally received some reassurance.

However, as the Wine Jars were hauled away by the Rich Clan one by one.

A problem became prominent: the Prince's Mansion did not have enough Wine Jars.

"Your Highness, the Prince's Mansion only has two thousand-plus Wine Jars left, enough to last only until tomorrow," Zhou Yi said, rushing to find Zhao Xu. "Besides that, the Green Ant Wine is also in short supply, and the Coal Cakes used for the stoves are also..."

A series of problems came head-on, and Zhao Xu could not help but frown.

This was a typical supply chain problem in industry.

The Prince's Mansion Wine Workshop needed cheap Green Ant Wine, Coal Cakes, and Wine Jars; these three things were the items in the supply chain.

To ensure the normal supply of Wine, this problem had to be solved.

At the same time, these three supply chains were also a source of wealth.

His eyes turned, and he said, "Go and call the people from the Dong Family, the Yang Family, and the Lv Family."

Zhou Yi responded and left.

Before long, Dong An, Yang He, and Lv Chang arrived.

Dong An and Yang He were still dressed like scholars, while Lv Chang was in military attire, looking high-spirited.

"Brother Lv has become exceptionally valiant since joining the County Soldiers," Dong An teased.

Yang He nodded, his face full of envy.

Lv Chang bowed to Zhao Xu, "It is all thanks to Your Highness's promotion."

In the past few days, Zhao Xu had heard from Chang Wei that Lv Chang was quite a good fighter.

After joining the County Soldiers, he quickly became his helper.

Zhao Xu's gaze wandered over the three of them.

Now these three families could be considered quasi-allies of the Prince's Mansion.

In Yancheng, the Prince's Mansion was now the sole dominant power.

And in the countryside, they were needed to keep the Zhang Family in check.

Therefore, he had called the three families over this time to hand these three supply chain businesses over to them.

Firstly, it could consolidate his relationship with the three families and change the balance of power in Yan Commandery.

Secondly, it was to show the other Rich Clan members, letting them understand that only by following the Prince's Mansion would they have meat to eat.