What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 80 The High-Proof Wine That Shocked the Immortal Cultivation Master

Su Mo didn't keep her uncle in suspense.

The lesson from being hit on the back of the neck last time is still fresh in my mind.

He pondered the words, striving to use the simplest and most understandable language available to people of this era: "This distilled spirit is actually very simple!"

"It involves using distillation to extract the essence of the liquor, making it stronger and more mellow!"

Chen Qian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately grasped the key point: "Any type of liquor will do? How long will it take?"

He didn't know what distillation was.

But the stronger and more mellow flavors that followed made him realize the value they contained!
Su Mo nodded: "Any kind of alcohol is fine!"

"The timing is uncertain; it requires actual testing."

He paused, then added, "As long as the equipment is ready, we should have results in one or two hours!"

Chen Qian slapped his thigh excitedly.

"What are you waiting for!"

"Hurry up and go distill... that wine!"

Su Mo gave a wry smile: "My nephew hasn't prepared the equipment for distilling wine yet."

"I wonder how big the market will be once the wine is distilled, and whether the people here... will accept it."

During the Da Wu Dynasty, the wine was as light as water; it was truly a watery wine.

Su Mo couldn't get used to the taste.

Similarly, people who are used to drinking water may not be able to get used to strong liquor with an alcohol content of several tens of degrees!
Chen Qian waved his hand: "Whether it's acceptable or not, we'll know once the wine is distilled and we try it!"

"Go and prepare the necessary tools."

"Uncle, summon the Tu brothers and others to guard your house closely!"

The principle of distillation is very simple.

It simply involves heating the water and controlling the temperature difference between the boiling points of the water and alcohol to evaporate the alcohol and reduce its water content.

If we don't consider large-scale production...

You can easily make it by finding two earthenware pots, a wooden barrel to collect the wine, and a bamboo tube as a steam pipe at home.

Su Mo originally thought that since he would need to find someone to do the brewing anyway, he planned to find a master craftsman from a distillery to help him out.

Seeing Chen Qian's cautious demeanor, he realized that his own thinking was somewhat inappropriate.

Let's distill the wine first.

Thinking of this, Su Mo said, "There's no need to alarm the Tu brothers."

"Distilling liquor is very simple; my third uncle and nephew can handle it!"

"Third Uncle, go to the distillery now and buy back all kinds of wine... Hmm, buy two jars of each."

"Nephew, I'll go prepare the equipment right away!"

Chen Qian hesitated for a moment: "Should I involve my uncle as well?"

"Isn't this... a bit inappropriate?"

Although the Su family and the Chen family are as close as family, they are ultimately two different families!
This secret method of passing on one's lineage to future generations must not be easily passed on to outsiders!

No wonder Chen Qian hesitated.

Su Mo chuckled: "How could the nephew not know how his uncle treats him? It wouldn't be too much for him to call him uncle!"

"Why should I hide the simple method of distilling liquor from my uncle?"

Aside from his cheat ability, Su Mo really had nothing to hide.

The reason for not mentioning the Vajra Pestle is simply to prevent it from bringing unnecessary trouble.

After all, the more people who know, the greater the risk, and sometimes it's not necessarily what Uncle San wanted to leak.

Hearing Su Mo say this...

Chen Qian was silent for a moment, then patted Su Mo's shoulder heavily: "I'm going to be your uncle!"

Bamboo is everywhere in Changping County.

Ordinary families mostly chop bamboo for firewood.

There were many dried bamboo piled up in Su Mo's courtyard.

The straight swords of the Imperial Guards were somewhat inconvenient for chopping bamboo.

Su Mo simply took out the precious sword given to him by Wang Shi, cut off several sections of suitable size, removed the bamboo joints, and connected them into a Z shape.

They also found earthenware pots and wooden buckets.

The bamboo tube is sealed to the earthenware jar, with one end leading to another earthenware jar that is inverted on top of the wooden bucket.

A simple distillation apparatus was thus created.

Chen Qian also quickly returned, pushing a wheelbarrow.

There were eight large jars of wine on top!
I bought all four common types of liquor in Changping County.

In the early days of the Great Wu Dynasty, food was scarce, and the production and sale of alcoholic beverages by private workshops were strictly prohibited.

After fifty years of recuperation, grain production has increased significantly, and there has been a surplus. Ten years ago, the right to brew wine was opened up.

Of course, it's fine for ordinary people to brew their own wine for their own consumption.

Selling them is strictly prohibited.

We need to get a liquor license to buy distiller's grains from the government at a high price!

Therefore, although the liquor is weak, it is by no means cheap.

The cheapest ones cost fifty coins a jar, and the most expensive ones cost five hundred coins!

They saw the strangely shaped distillation equipment that Su Mo had created.

Chen Qian was quite surprised and doubtful: "This thing can extract the essence of wine?"

Su Mo nodded: "There shouldn't be any major problems."

"Try it and you'll see!"

Open the cheapest jar of liquor.

It was murky and tasteless, like rice water, and looked terrible, just like the one I had at the steamed bun shop last time.

The alcohol flavor is extremely weak, even weaker than beer.

Pour about half of the wine from the jar into the earthenware jar, and seal the joint with hemp cloth and yellow mud.

Just as they were about to ignite the distillation, they suddenly realized something was wrong.

Another earthenware pot was placed upside down on the wooden bucket. If water was poured on it to cool it down, wouldn't the water flow into the wooden bucket?
Su Mo had no choice but to make another modification.

Another earthenware pot was also fitted with a bamboo tube for drainage.

Then start heating the earthenware pots of wine.

Before long, another earthenware pot and bamboo tube emitted white steam and the aroma of wine filled the air!
Chen Qian was immediately shocked and subconsciously exclaimed, "Such a strong smell of alcohol!"

Su Mo smiled.

The device was rudimentary, but it worked.

"Third Uncle, keep an eye on the fire. Be careful to control it, don't let it get too intense, and don't let the wine boil!"

Chen Qian hesitated for a moment: "Is this all you need?"

He had absolutely no idea what this distilled liquor was and was afraid of ruining Su Mo's plans.

Su Mo smiled and said, "It's that simple!"

Then he went to another earthenware pot, picked up a wooden ladle, scooped cold water from the water vat, and poured it over the earthenware pot to cool it down.

Before long, the steam from the earthenware pot and bamboo conduit turned into liquid and dripped into the wooden basin!

Chen Qian stared dumbfounded at the dripping wine, completely petrified!
The smell of that wine was so strong that it could intoxicate someone from half a meter away!
If you light a fire on your side and pour water on Su Mo's side, wine will come out of the bamboo tube.
This is hardly a secret technique.
This is clearly divine magic!

He was so shocked that he was hesitant and timid even when adding firewood, fearing that he might make a mistake and ruin his nephew's good deed!
Su Mo rarely saw his mature and composed uncle behave like this, so he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Third Uncle, there's no need to be nervous."

"Even if the fire isn't brought under control, the impact won't be significant!"

It simply means evaporating more water vapor.

As long as it doesn't boil, the amount of water vapor can't be too large, and the alcohol concentration can be controlled.

If that doesn't work, steam it one more time!
This is a good opportunity to distill off the high-concentration alcohol, just in case!

High-concentration alcohol, used for sterilization and disinfection, was absolutely a magical tool in ancient times.

It seems that alcohol at around 75 degrees has the best sterilization effect?
Chen Qian's eyes widened when he saw Su Mo pour out the small half-bowl of wine essence that had been steamed out!

But I gritted my teeth and kept quiet.

There must be a reason why my nephew did this!
He was unaware that this wine contained many impurities and was not suitable for drinking!

After distilling for about ten minutes, Su Mo felt that the water that dripped out had little to no alcohol flavor.

It stopped immediately.

Whether the timing of cutting off the head and tail is right has a great impact on the quality of the wine.

I picked up the wooden bucket and shook it; it weighed just over a pound!
The half-jar of distilled liquor that was poured in weighed a full ten jin!
This shows how low the alcohol content of this liquor is!

I scooped out a small half bowl and tried it.

The alcohol content was naturally much higher than the liquor I drank a few days ago.

It's around 20 degrees Celsius.

Turning my head, I saw my third uncle rubbing his hands together beside me, swallowing hard, but not daring to speak.

Su Mo handed over the ceramic bowl: "Third Uncle, you should try the taste too!"

Chen Qian took the porcelain bowl, carefully sipped it, and then his eyes lit up: "Good wine!"

Su Mo quickly asked, "How good?"

Chen Qian squinted his eyes and took another sip.

"The alcohol is strong and potent, burning like fire upon entering the mouth and going straight down into the stomach!"

"It's so delicious!" He pondered for a moment, "Although I haven't drunk many fine wines, this one is worth at least an ounce!"

Su Mo was taken aback: "Only one or two ounces?"

Chen Qian glared at him, annoyed: "What do you mean, only one ounce!"

"Even the best liquor in Changping County wouldn't sell for this price!"

"Based on this amount, seven or eight jars can be steamed to make one jar."

"Do you know how much it cost to buy this jar of wine for your uncle?"

Su Mo naturally followed up: "How much?"

Chen Qian stretched out his palm, fingers spread wide: "Fifty coins!"

"Seven or eight jars, four hundred coins!"

"If you sell even one ounce of this liquor, that's a 150% profit!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "Fifteen percent!"

“One tael of silver can be turned into two and a half taels in just a short while!”

"If it were a thousand taels..."

He took a deep breath, too astonished to even imagine how beautiful the scene must be, and exclaimed in amazement, "This is divine magic! A true magic that turns stone into gold!"

"This magical technique is worth at least 30,000 taels of silver, let alone 3,000!"

Su Mo thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's not that outrageous."

"For distilled spirits, you need manpower; for selling spirits, you need distribution channels; and you need to leave profit margins for spirit merchants!"

"Large-scale procurement of alcoholic beverages for distillation and brewing will definitely increase costs."

The final conclusion was: "A 150% profit is impossible; 70% or 80% is more likely."

Chen Qian exclaimed in surprise: "That's quite remarkable!"

He hesitated for a moment, then looked conflicted and reluctant: "You really intend to... give this little bit of gold magic to that centurion?"

"Could we simply resell the distilled liquor to the Imperial Guards at a low price, while keeping the secret formula ourselves?"

Su Mo gave a wry smile: "I have considered it, of course."

"The question is, how much alcohol can we supply to the Imperial Guards each month?"

"Furthermore, does Third Uncle believe that the distillation technique can be preserved?"

Chen Qian immediately fell silent.

With the Jinyiwei's all-pervasive methods and overwhelming power.

Once they find out about the existence of distilled spirits, there's no way our family can keep this secret!

Su Mo added, "If you want to cooperate with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you have to have your own confidence!"

"It's just a distilled spirit, nothing more than a trial balloon!"

He smiled proudly: "I'm not bragging, but I have plenty of similar secret techniques!"

"Only after the centurion is promoted and they realize the value of my nephew can we talk about cooperation!"

Chen Qian let out a long sigh.

Although I was reluctant to part with him, I knew that my nephew was right!

At the same time, I felt very gratified.

My nephew is thoughtful and prudent.

He'll probably be able to get by in the officialdom from now on.

Su Mo distilled the medium-strength liquor several more times to test its limits.

The fourth time, what came out was basically the same as high-concentration alcohol in later generations.

Due to limitations in equipment and poor sealing, it is extremely difficult to increase the concentration.

However, at this concentration, it is not a big problem to use it for disinfection and refining of floral fragrances.

Perfume can be made!

Next, the uncle and nephew distilled the remaining liquor once or twice.

You will get about 15 jin of medium-strength liquor with an alcohol content of around 20 degrees, and 3 to 4 jin of high-strength liquor with an alcohol content of 40 degrees!
Chen Qian tasted each flavor.

I think medium-strength liquors around 20 degrees have a better taste.

I'm not used to 40 degrees Celsius.

However, he also pointed out that this strong liquor should be more suitable for the people of Shenjing.

The weather there is cold, and drinking strong liquor makes you feel hot all over, which is even more effective in dispelling the cold!

In addition, high-proof liquor should be more popular among martial arts masters and Taoist sorcerers.

After all, such people are physically strong, far exceeding that of ordinary people!
Low-alcohol beverages have negligible effects on the body; only high-alcohol beverages can stimulate bodily functions and cause excitement!
Su Mo tried it herself.

Indeed, as Chen Qian said, the medium-strength liquor felt a bit weak.

It wasn't like this in my past life.

It's probably because he practiced the Yangtian Technique.

It's 40 degrees, but it's a bit too strong. I don't know if it's because the liquor used for distillation was of poor quality.

After all, there wasn't much good wine to buy in Changping County.

The four types of liquor, after distillation, do not have much difference in taste.

It's just a matter of how much or how little alcohol is produced!
They are clearly made from the same ingredients and brewed using the same method.

They are simply graded and sold according to different alcohol concentrations after brewing!

The distillation test was completed perfectly on the first try, and the big project is about to be accomplished!
Su Mo and Chen Qian packed up the tools.

The two concentrations of liquor were separated into three jars.

By then, the sky had already darkened.

Just as Su Mo was pondering whether he should go find Lin Moyin now.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard.

Su Mo also said that Lady Chen and Qin Rui had returned from the yamen.

Although Lady Chen had the key to the side door, Su Mo had to bolt the door to keep it a secret and had to go and open it herself.

Open the door and take a look.

Su Mo was stunned.

Staring wide-eyed at the two people in front of him: "Miss Xue? Mr. Wang?"

"Why are you here?"

Wang Xiuzhi said last night that he forbade Xue Yishu to see him before he came to propose marriage!
Before Xue Yishu could speak.

Wang Xiuzhi's nose suddenly twitched.

"The smell of alcohol is so strong!"

"You little rascal, you actually have such fine wine hidden away?"

Su Mo was dumbfounded.

This old guy has a nose like a dog's!

The wine is being distilled inside; you can smell it all over here?
He raised his hand and sniffed it. There was a faint smell of alcohol, but it seemed very weak.
Before Su Mo could explain.

Wang Xiuzhi had already strode towards the back hall!

Su Mo was speechless.

She could only look at Xue Yishu, who was still dressed as a man, and ask, "You... why are you here again?"

"Didn't Mr. Wang say he wouldn't come to you?"

Xue Yishu covered her mouth and smiled slightly: "I have a brilliant plan!"

Seeing Su Mo's dejected look, she chuckled and explained, "I... well, I told my uncle that you have a secret cooking technique, even better than the head chef of Tianyi Restaurant. He didn't believe me, so he brought me here."

Su Mo...

They were about to walk back to the inner hall.

The two puppies started barking again; they certainly have a big appetite.

Su Mo tossed a carp over: "White Tiger, Pill, remember this, next time you see that guy surnamed Wang, bite him!"

Xue Yishu's expression instantly turned strange!
This Su Mo is absolutely audacious!
They actually named their two dogs "Want to Play with Hundreds of Households"?
Aren't you afraid the female centurion will find out?

Su Mo had no idea that the magistrate's daughter was having such wild imaginations that he couldn't possibly play the role of a mere centurion.

They returned to the inner hall with Xue Yishu.

Then I saw my uncle standing helplessly to one side.

Wang Xiuzhi was holding a large porcelain bowl, filled to the brim with strong liquor, and was pouring it into his mouth!
Su Mo was dumbfounded!

This large porcelain bowl must weigh at least six or seven ounces!
Let alone people of this era.

Even seasoned drinkers of later generations, tested by alcohol, might not be able to withstand it!
Sure enough, the next second.

The great sorcerer's originally fair cheeks instantly turned red, and his expression changed drastically.

His lips were pursed tightly!
After a long while, he finally opened his mouth and exhaled!

"What a potent liquor!"

He took two deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the rising effects of the alcohol, and his gaze fell on Su Mo with surprise and suspicion.

"You little rascal, where did you get such good wine?"

"The wine is clear as water, but once you drink it, it is incomparably pungent, burning your intestines and stomach!"

"I, Wang, have traveled the world and tasted countless fine wines, yet I have never heard of this one before?"

He took another deep breath: "What is the name of this wine?"

(End of this chapter)