Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

The next day, Yuan Zhi took the wine to Wei Yan Tower. As soon as he opened the seal, the aroma wafted for miles.

Manager Li had tasted many fine wines at the Marquis of Changping's residence, but apart from the ten-year-old vintage, none of them had ever been as refreshing as this jar of wine.

"Message Master" was practically drooling with envy. "Boss, may I have some?"

"Of course!"

Yuan Zhi told him to go to the kitchen to get the wine set. "The Messenger" darted out in a flash and came running back with a stack of large bowls. Several cooks, smelling the aroma, followed him, their bellies bulging, swaying as they went.

Yuan Zhi used a wine spoon to distribute some wine to each of them. After they finished drinking, they smacked their lips with lingering satisfaction.

"The Messenger" handed over the bowl, "Good boss, your wine is so delicious, have some more!"

Yuan Zhi sealed the wine, saying, "Just taste it, you don't want to drink your fill. First, help me find customers, and I'll reward you with a whole jar!"

Matsukaze-in has limited space, and the amount of sake brewed so far has already filled up all the usable rooms. To brew sake in large quantities, we'll need to rent a separate brewery.

Unfortunately, she has no money now and can only wait and see how the business goes.

"Boss, please rest assured, I will definitely do my best to make this wine!"

Yuan Zhi put down her wine ladle. It was her first time selling her own wine, and she was unsure of herself.

"This wine... is five hundred coins a dou (a unit of volume) acceptable?"

“The price is too low,” said Manager Li. “The owner’s wine is sweet and has a long aftertaste. It is even more fragrant and mellow than the wine in Qing Shi Town. The minimum price is one thousand coins.”

"Don't even mention a thousand, people would buy it even for fifteen hundred coins!"

"I don't drink much, but I just had a bowl of liquor. Don't even mention those drunkards!"

"Uh-huh."

Several people echoed his sentiment.

Yuan Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, let's set the price at one thousand for now. If it sells well later, we'll see if we can raise the price!"

"it is good!"

"Listen to the boss!"

Everyone was as excited as if they'd been injected with adrenaline, busily wiping tables and sweeping floors.

"The informant" and another man carried the liquor outside and started hawking it.

Before long, a long queue formed at the door. Some people wanted more after finishing one bowl and started making a fuss because they were dissatisfied.

Yuan Zhi was worried that the two shop assistants were too hot-tempered, so she quickly sent her best-tempered maid to explain. The man couldn't get angry at the woman, so he flicked his sleeves and said he would come another day!

In the afternoon, Liang Que brought her fiancé over, ostensibly for sightseeing, but actually to thank Yuan Zhi, the matchmaker.

As soon as the two arrived at the door, they were attracted by the unusual fragrance and went to the wine jar to ask for a drink.

The informant recognized Ms. Liang and went inside to inform the owner.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhi hurriedly asked him to fetch the finest wine vessels and personally went to the door to welcome the two of them in.

Liang Que introduced, "Young master, this beauty is Boss Yuan. Boss Yuan is Chu Fengchen, the eldest son of the third branch of the Marquis of Changping's mansion, and Lan Yin's elder brother."

Yuan Zhi and Chu Fengchen greeted each other, and the other party addressed her as "cousin-in-law," just like Chu Lanyin.

"Lan often mentioned her cousin-in-law at home. After meeting her today, she is indeed intelligent and refined, and not ordinary at all."

The Marquis of Changping's residence remained neutral. At the county princess's birthday banquet, only Old Master Chu and Chu Lanyin made an appearance. Yuan Zhi had long heard that the Chu family members were all exceptionally good-looking, and with Chu Lanyin as an example, seeing Chu Fengchen again confirmed that the rumors were true.

“My cousin is a man of great character and handsome appearance, and my sister Liang is elegant and charming. The two of you together are a perfect match. Your presence has brought great honor to my humble shop. Please come and visit more often when you have free time. That way, I won’t even need to buy lamp oil.”

The two blushed from their faces to their necks, smiling shyly.

Yuan Zhi smiled and asked the waiter to bring the wine, then pushed the wine cup towards him.

"Come, try my wine."

The two stared wide-eyed, never expecting that such a mellow wine was brewed by her!

After tasting it, there was no dizziness or headache; instead, the aroma lingered in my mouth, my mind was clear, and the aftertaste was unforgettable.

"Excellent wine!" Chu Fengchen exclaimed.

After finishing his drink, he took out a silver note and said, "Sister-in-law, I need ten jars. Please have your servants deliver them to my residence and Liang Que's residence respectively."

Yuan Zhi smiled and said, "Today we only have that one jar at the entrance, that's all. How about this, I'll have the waiter make you two jugs, take them home for your families to try, and if you like them, come back for some on the day of the Great Snow."

Chu Fengchen looked regretful. Such fine wine, it's a pity he couldn't drink it to his heart's content!

He mentally calculated the days; there were still several days until the heavy snow, so he should save this wine for later.

Yuan Zhi returned the money, saying, "I won't accept this for now. If you really want to pay, come back on the day of the heavy snow!"

"How can that be? Business is tough in winter, especially for a woman like you who can single-handedly run such a large restaurant. You must accept the money!"

"Why are you being so polite with your cousin-in-law? You're not planning to cancel on the day of the heavy snow, are you?"

"No way! I'll definitely come!"

After a brief tug-of-war, Yuan Zhi, unable to reason with him, said to Liang Que, "Miss Liang, look at his stubborn temper! Can you handle it after we get married? How about I find you another one, I guarantee he won't be any worse!"

Liang Que, a sheltered young woman, could not directly express her feelings and said helplessly, "Boss Yuan, Young Master Chu is not usually like this. He just... he just feels that he can't take your things for free."

Chu Fengchen said urgently, "Sister-in-law, I'm your cousin. Why aren't you on my side? Why are you helping outsiders steal my wife? Let me make it clear! I only love Que'er in this life. Don't try to play matchmaker!"

Yuan Zhi's expression was vivid. "I was just teasing you. Look how scared you are! Alright, take your money and wine, and hurry home! You two have to come on the day of the heavy snow, or I'll come to your mansion to collect the wine money!"

Chu Fengchen and Liang Que exchanged glances, fearing that if they stayed any longer they would be persuaded to part ways by Yuan Zhi. They carefully put away their silver, picked up their wine jugs, and hurriedly took their leave.

Yuan Zhi stayed at the restaurant until evening, and instead of taking a sedan chair or carriage, he slowly walked back to his residence.

Passing by a pharmacy, she stopped and went inside without hesitation.

The Palace of the King of Wu.

Since His Majesty's suggestive reprimand last time, Li Rui had been repeatedly pondering those words in his residence, and had no time to cause trouble for Yuan Zhi's restaurant.

However, after the ladies entered the palace, his emperor father was not idle all night. He favored this one the day before yesterday and that one the day before yesterday. He was full of energy and vigor, completely different from his sickly appearance a few days ago.

He's so robust, what if before he even gets to ascend the throne, another imperial brother appears!

These past two days, Li Rui has become increasingly worried.

Among the concubines was Consort Yuan, who looked remarkably like Consort Yin. She was Yuan Zhi's younger sister and was summoned to the palace to serve him on her second day after entering the palace.

If the Emperor favors Consort Yuan so much, and the Yuan family uses their daughter to rise in rank, his and his mother's situation will only become more and more difficult.

This absolutely cannot continue!

Among those who entered the palace was the granddaughter of the Marquis of Yingchuan, who was said to have been sent to the palace with the protection of the Empress Dowager.

The Emperor had previously angered the Empress Dowager because of the matter concerning the Emperor's brother-in-law. To apologize to the Empress Dowager, he summoned Miss Wei to his bedchamber on the very first night.

The downfall of the Wei family was orchestrated by Xiao Zong. Miss Wei must hate the Xiao family to the core. If we can unite with her to deal with Xiao Zong, it will be easy to place our own people into the Leopard Guard.

He left this matter to his mother, and as for Yuan Zhi, he could easily kill her!

The servants sent to keep an eye on Weiyan Tower today reported that the woman was selling homemade wine outside the door, planning to make a fortune on the day of the heavy snow.

He figured he might as well seize the opportunity to strike up a conversation; he would definitely give her a big gift that day!