Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Yue Pengju felt extremely frustrated. Why couldn't the Song Dynasty produce a talent like Shen Lang?

If Shen Lang had appeared in the Song court, the situation of the Song Dynasty would not have been in such a state.

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, and he picked up his wine glass and downed the wine in one gulp.

The cool, mellow taste quickly calmed him down.

"Eat some food, don't just drink alcohol. If you get drunk, you won't be able to appreciate such delicious food."

Shen Lang then placed a piece of food on Yue Pengju's plate and offered a comforting word.

Yue Pengju took a deep breath, closed his eyes and pondered for a while. Looking at the mutton skewers in front of him, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

“Principal, you’re right, the purer the rice wine, the more popular it is, but you’ve forgotten a crucial point.”

"Oh, tell me."

Shen Lang took a bite of mutton and looked at Yue Pengju with curiosity.

Yue Pengju poured himself another glass of grape wine before slowly raising the glass and speaking.

"The deliciousness of fermented rice wine depends on the improvement of the winemaking process. For example, this grape wine, even though it is the best wine in the world, is still made from grapes."

"Without grapes as the raw material, no matter how much the winemaking process is improved, not a single drop of grape wine can be made."

"To truly appreciate fine wine, you have to look at the grapes themselves. If someone were to destroy the vineyard where the grapes were grown, would they still be able to produce such a fine wine?"

"Principal, the people of the Great Song Dynasty are like these grapes; whether they meet the conditions for winemaking depends entirely on the management of the estate owner."

If the landowner is willing to put in the effort to manage it, it will eventually become a fine wine praised by the world.

If handled carelessly, it will become a cup of cloudy wine. Although cloudy wine doesn't taste as good as fine wine, it can still satisfy one's cravings.

But if the landlord abandons the management of the estate and leaves it to the elements, I fear I won't even be able to drink any more wine.

After saying that, Yue Pengju drank it all in one gulp.

When he put down his glass again, his eyes were filled with tears: "An unmanaged vineyard, and then a group of lawless thugs..."

What will be the result? In the end, you won't be able to taste any fine wines, you won't be able to taste them at all..."

At this point, Yue Pengju was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Looking at Yue Pengju's appearance, Shen Lang silently took a bite of dried bean curd.

"hiss."

Yue Pengju took a deep breath, grabbed the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Those deep, fragmented eyes revealed utter despair and exhaustion at the inability to turn the tide.

"Principal, tell me, how can we revive this vineyard and make delicious wine?"

"The people of the Great Song Dynasty suffered greatly from the ravages of the Jin people, enduring hardship day after day amidst the ravages of war. I, Yue Pengju, am twenty-one years old."

As a former captain of the Daredevil Battalion under Zhong Shidao of the Song Dynasty's Military Governor's Office, I could only watch helplessly as my hometown gradually fell under the iron heel of the Jurchens.

I, I…

He choked up and couldn't say another word, so he could only keep drinking one glass after another.

Shen Lang did not stop him, but silently watched Yue Pengju drink until he was completely unconscious, then slowly uttered a sentence.

“If the landlord is mismanaging the land, why not find a more reliable landlord to manage it? Pengju, you wouldn’t dare say that, would you?”

"Fine, since you want to be a hero, then I'll personally mold you into the hero who saves the manor. You'll be the one to write the final chapter of this game between Song and Jin."

Setting down his wine cup, Shen Lang beckoned and called over the waiters to help Yue Pengju onto the carriage.

"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion".

At a command, the carriage slowly turned...

Inside the Duke's mansion, the powerful family from Guanzhong, whose stomach ailment was on the verge of relapse, finally received news from Shangguan Yan.

Shangguan Yan stepped into the main seat and smiled as she faced the expectant members of the powerful Guanzhong clan.

Finally, he spread his hands wide and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I have good news to tell you all. I have spoken with the Regent, and he has decided not to pursue the actions of the powerful clans in Guanzhong!"

Upon hearing this, cheers and applause erupted in the previously lifeless hall.

"You're so great!"

"Holy crap, I'm alive!"

"Patriarch Shangguan, I thank your ancestors for eight generations! I'd rather die than let you go!"

After days of anxiety, people can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Many even burst into tears on the spot to release the "grievances" they had suffered over the past few days.

"but!"

Shangguan Yan suddenly changed the subject, and the hall immediately fell silent again.

"The Regent said he could let bygones be bygones for our criticism of the government, but we must be held accountable for our actions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the family heads immediately asked, "How does the Regent want us to take responsibility?"

"I haven't said yet; it depends on everyone's sincerity."

Shangguan Yan replied with a smile.

Now the whispers in the hall started again.

What they feared most was this kind of ambiguous attitude; a single wrong guess could bring annihilation to the entire tribe.

"Patriarch Shangguan, what exactly does the Regent mean by this?"

"Yes, tell us, what exactly did you talk about with the Regent, and why doesn't he come to see us?"

"Stop playing coy. What will it take for the Regent to forgive us?"

Seeing everyone's impatient expressions, Shangguan Yan immediately smiled.

"Gentlemen, do not worry. The Regent is always a man of his word. Since he has agreed not to pursue the matter, he certainly will not."

However, if you take the Regent's goodwill for granted, then don't blame me for saying this upfront: don't come looking for me if anything goes wrong later.

"Shangguan family, just say it! What sincerity do you want? Stop playing coy! We're getting impatient!"

Seeing that the atmosphere had been stirred up, Shangguan Yan raised her hands and said, "Quiet, everyone quiet. To be honest, I don't know what the Regent means by putting us in charge."

However, I also made a special trip to visit several high-ranking officials in recent days, and from their words I gleaned the current difficulties facing the Regent.

That is, even with the completion of the north-south railway, there is still a significant shortfall in funds and provisions, roughly estimated to be at least eight million taels.

I was thinking, since we've committed heinous crimes, which in the past would have resulted in the execution of our entire families, but now that the Regent is not pursuing the matter...

Then we, the powerful clans of Guanzhong, should reciprocate and cover this shortfall. How about this: I'll start, the Shangguan family will contribute one million taels.

As for the remaining seven million, everyone should chip in a little; I imagine the Regent will be delighted to see this sincere offer.

Seven million?!

Upon hearing this number, the heads of the wealthy families present all frowned.

This is no small sum; if divided among all households, it would amount to tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

One person immediately suggested, "We're afraid it will be difficult for us to raise so much money. Could we ask for less?"

Shangguan Yan glanced sideways: "You're starting to feel the pinch again, aren't you? Haven't you all benefited from the railway openings these past few years?"

What used to take months can now be covered in days. You're making a fortune; this money will come back in just a few years.

Moreover, the completion of the north-south railway will greatly benefit everyone; consider this an investment for the future.

Once the railway is repaired, our goods from Guanzhong will be able to reach all parts of the country. At that time, will we still have to worry about not making money?

How could the vision of our powerful clans in Guanzhong be inferior to that of those aristocratic families in Jiangnan? Don't you agree?

The last sentence directly ignited the competitive spirit of the powerful clans in Guanzhong.

We can't afford to lose to those pens from the Jiangnan aristocratic families.

Over the years, the powerful families of Guanzhong and the aristocratic families of Jiangnan have been engaged in open and covert struggles. They want everything that you have, and they want even more of what you don't have. The main theme is comparison.

The powerful clans of Guanzhong were known for their extravagant and magnanimous nature.

"Alright, since Patriarch Shangguan has said so, let's contribute money and effort. My Chen family will contribute twenty... no, thirty taels!"

“My Sun family will contribute 150,000.”

"The Yang family will also contribute 150,000."

"The Lin family will contribute 70,000 taels of silver, plus 2,000 shi of wheat."

"The Wang family will contribute 60,000 taels of silver, plus 1,000 catties of salt..."

Soon, Shangguan Yan raised eight million taels of silver for the railway project.

He was overjoyed, thinking to himself that he could finally report back to Shen Lang.