Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 182 The hero is sad about the beauty

While Yuwen Rong and his group were on the front lines, Wang Shouyi and Huangfu Shangde were hiding in a farmhouse on the border of Chang'an and Luoyang.

On a bright spring day, these two sat by the field drinking heartily, unlike Yuwen Rong and his group who were busy day and night. It's no wonder that the judges who were advising farmers felt it was unfair.

After finishing his drink, Wang Shouyi put the glass down on the table and laughed, "I didn't expect things to go so smoothly."

Huangfu Shangde said, "It was indeed a bit unexpected, but Yuwen Rong is truly a talented person. He handled the situation perfectly. He didn't fight those nobles to the death; he left room for maneuver. He only investigated some illegally occupied lands. As for other lands, even those acquired through usury, he didn't investigate them."

Wang Shouyi nodded and said, "He is making an example of someone. When those hidden households saw that even nobles were not spared, they were terrified and quickly ran to our Anye Bureau."

Huangfu Shangde said, "It hasn't been long, and five thousand households with land have already come to Luoyang alone. In fact, they do own land, but they just want to avoid the heavy taxes. If this trend continues, we should be able to find one million households across the country."

Wang Shouyi asked, "Have any nobles come knocking on our door?"

Huangfu Shangde said, "There are quite a few, but they're just here to inquire. Do you think this will cause them any losses? Of course it will. If we don't investigate, those hidden households will be registered under their names, and they'll have a lot of extra income for no reason. But it won't be a lot. Instead of keeping an eye on us, they'd be better off going after Yuwen Rong."

He paused slightly at this point, then added, "However..."

Wang Shouyi asked, "But what?"

Huangfu Shangde said, "But we've gained all this fame, will Yuwen Rong be content with that?"

Wang Shouyi said, "Whose fault is that? We originally wanted to let him have full authority so we could get some credit, but he wouldn't allow it and insisted on splitting the work."

Huangfu Shangde nodded and said, "That's true."

Wang Shouyi chuckled and said, "Come on, let's have a drink."

This land expansion has indeed surprised many people. Although it has encountered many obstacles, they are far fewer than expected. When it comes to land, every reform has caused upheaval, so relatively speaking, it has been very smooth.

There are three main reasons.

Firstly, Li Longji did not say that he would go all the way and make the nobles return all their land. In fact, it could be said that he tacitly approved their annexation to a certain extent. He only asked them to release the hidden households under their names, and in the process, all the land should be returned to the hidden households. In addition, he would investigate some land illegally occupied by the court. As long as they handed it over, they would not be punished.

Secondly, the conditions offered by the imperial court were very generous. Not only were most taxes exempted, but some subsidies were also provided. The establishment of the Anye Bureau made the whole matter more orderly.

Thirdly, Li Longji now holds great power and has shown a firm resolve in this matter. Moreover, he has been very ruthless in previous political struggles. As long as he doesn't push people too far, no one will dare to oppose him.

His prestige, coupled with Yuwen Rong's talent, made many things relatively simple, preventing large-scale chaos.

Changan.

The immense popularity of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai has led to a lack of time for students at Wuming Academy to discuss Dream of the Red Chamber. In fact, for students, acting is always more enjoyable than storytelling.

This has caused dissatisfaction among many hardcore fans of Dream of the Red Chamber, who have begun to complain about when the discussion of Dream of the Red Chamber can continue.

Today, the long-awaited Dream of the Red Chamber has finally returned.

It's been so long!
Zhang Huai also arrived at the store early to prepare.

"Ok?"

Zhang Huai, who had just entered the store, felt like he had come to the wrong place. He subconsciously took a step back, looked around, and realized that it was his own store!
but.

What about people?

They quickly found a bartender. "Where are the guests? Why is this all? Don't you know we're going to talk about Dream of the Red Chamber today?"

The bartender replied, "Boss, all the guests have ordered the 'Fresh and Delicious' dish."

"A delicacy of unparalleled freshness?"

Zhang Huai frowned and asked, "Will the Red Mansion over there say it again?"

"It has nothing to do with the Dream of the Red Chamber," the bartender said. "It's just that Yi Xian Jue has launched a new wine today, I think it's called Beauty Wine, and it's attracted all the customers away."

"Beauty Wine?"

"Ah."

The bartender nodded and said, "Not long ago, there were quite a few customers in this bar, but they heard that the 'Beauty Wine' was even better than the wine from the Western Regions, so they all went there to try it."

"Beauty wine? Wine?"

"Beauty wine is a type of wine."

"Ugh!"

Speaking of this wine, Zhang Huai felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Leaving aside the Beauty Wine, he also tried to get Wang Xi to drink the Hero Wine several times, but was rejected each time.

After signing contracts with major restaurants, Yi Xian Jue returned to mediocrity for a long time. Although business was much better than before and it had a group of loyal customers, it was still just so-so.

It's still quite inferior to grand restaurants like Baihualou.

However, today's "One Fresh Delight" can be said to have reached its peak moment, and it's not even because of "Dream of the Red Chamber".

It's no exaggeration to say that the line stretched from one end of the street to the other, and it was made up entirely of nobles.

Some old men stood with their hands trembling, yet they still craned their necks in anticipation, as if a sip of the "beauty wine" could cure their ailments.

Others had their servants bring some small stools and sat on the street chatting; they were all wealthy and had plenty of free time.

It's worth noting that this time, Yi Xian Jue didn't employ any marketing strategy; they simply hung a sign at the entrance that read, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman."

It was all spread by word of mouth among the guests, but it caused a far greater sensation than the original Hero Wine.

This shows the status of wine in the Tang Dynasty. In fact, Chang'an had already started brewing local wines during the Zhenguan period, but they still couldn't compare to those from the Western Regions. Now, a more mellow wine has suddenly appeared, which is enough to drive people crazy.

In the store.

A middle-aged man raised the wine bottle high, tilted his head back, and stuck out his tongue. After a while, a drop of wine landed on the tip of his tongue. He immediately looked intoxicated, as if he were in high spirits, and groaned, "Fairy wine! This is truly fairy wine! Haha--!"

Upon seeing this, a customer at the door immediately pointed at the man and shouted, "Quickly, quick, he's finished drinking! He's finished drinking! Take him away, take him away!"

Immediately, two bartenders stepped forward and dragged the middle-aged man out.

Eight people immediately filed in.

He excitedly slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Bring the wine! Bring the wine! Quickly, bring the 'Beauty Wine'!"

Indeed, due to limited production, Yi Xian Jue adopts a limited-quantity sales approach in order to allow more people to taste it.

They just rush out after you finish drinking, regardless of whether you've finished your food or not.

Inside the counter, Chen Haihong stood hunched over beside a young man. "Brother Que, you know what kind of person I am, Chen Haihong. I am honest, kind, and generous. Please do me a favor and put this Beauty Wine on sale in my shop as well."

Wang Xi laughed and said, "I'm so sorry, I'm paying off a debt."

Chen Haihong asked in surprise, "What debt are you asking for?"

Wang Xi said, "You know, I flirted with the cook at this restaurant before, and I got a severe scolding from the master, so I used this wine to pay off my debt." He shrugged as he spoke, "So, I had no choice."

Chen Haihong's eyes darted around. "Young master, when do you have some free time? Would you like to come to my house for a visit?"

Wang Xi was taken aback. "Why should I go to your house?"

"Uh."

Chen Haihong said, "Oh, I prepared some gifts to thank you, young master."

Wang Xi said, "Then you should send it over. It's outrageous that I, this young master, have to go get it myself."

Huangfu Sengnian, who was leaning against the counter, suddenly said, "Manager Chen, you're not planning to set a trap and have Brother Que harass your daughter, are you?"

Wang Xi stared at Chen Haihong in shock.

Chen Haihong hurriedly said, "No, no, no, how could that be?"

Wang Xi said, "That's truly a pity."

Chen Haihong blinked and whispered, "Would it be alright if I were a concubine?"

Wang Xi said, "Get out, get out! What do you take me for? Who flirts with concubines? It's usually the wife who gets flirted with."

".!"

Snapped!
Suddenly, a hand landed on Wang Xi's shoulder.

Wang Xi looked up and exclaimed, "It's Uncle Cui!"

Cui Shendao hiccuped and said drunkenly, "Little Sparrow, how has your uncle treated you usually?"

Wang Xi said honestly, "I rarely see Uncle Cui."

"???"

Cui Shendao said, "Although it is rare, Uncle Cui has always been kind to you."

Wang Xi smiled and said, "Uncle Cui, would you like to have another drink?"

Cui Shendao chuckled and said, "Que'er really understands her uncle!"

Wang Xi immediately shouted, "Hey you, give Uncle Cui another glass of wine."

"Why?"

A burly man squeezed in, saying, "I've been waiting for a long time."

It was none other than General Ge Fushun.

Wang Xi said, "But Uncle Cui."

“I am your Uncle Ge.”

Ge Fushun grabbed Cui Shendao and told him to throw him outside. He then waved his hand and said, "Brothers, it's our turn."

Several burly men barged in and snatched the table from Cui Shendao.

Wang Xi could only give Cui Shendao a helpless look.

Cui Shendao stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and snorted, "I'll just go queue up again."

At this moment, Bai Siyong suddenly squeezed forward, "Young Master, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know how to entertain these distinguished guests."

Wang Xi laughed and said, "This is our own business, so of course I have to keep an eye on it."

At this point, his expression changed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I've already inquired about your wife's matter for you, uh..."

Bai Siyong hurriedly replied, "I understand, I understand. In any case, I must thank you for your help, young master. You are so kind and virtuous!"

"Little White has come to report?"

"Uh, Young Master."

"If you can't do it, stop spouting nonsense. It's boring."

Wang Xi rolled his eyes and whispered, "For now, this wine will only be sold to you. I won't sell it to anyone else. I believe you'll earn a million dollars soon, but I think you shouldn't have too high hopes."

Bai Siyong nodded.

Wang Xi added, "Actually, what I'm most worried about is that Xiaobai won't be able to accept it, so you have to go and talk to her and tell her not to have too high hopes and to take it in stride."

Bai Siyong sighed, "Actually, I know this all too well. I have told her before, but she just doesn't want to believe it."

Wang Xi sighed, "But you still need to give her some hints first. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

"I will." Bai Siyong nodded, and then, hearing someone calling her, she said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go and get back to work."

It's clear that he didn't say he had high hopes for Wang Xi.

Wang Xi said, "Go ahead."

After Bai Siyong left, Huangfu Sengnian turned over and lazily leaned on the counter. "This is their father and daughter's business. Let's not worry about it."

Wang Xi sighed, "We've known each other for a while, so if we can help, we should. Is there really no other way?"

Huangfu Sengnian shook his head. "And I advise you not to think recklessly. If you really push the Cui family too far, they would rather drive their own daughter to her death than grant Lao Bai's wish."

Wang Xi exclaimed in surprise, "Is it that ruthless?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "This has happened several times before."

Wang Xi frowned and suddenly asked, "If the orphans' cousins ​​come to visit in the future, and we go and tease them, will anyone die?"

Huangfu Sengnian said irritably, "You did more than just flirt with me before."

Wang Xi thought for a moment, "I also find it strange that they always play with me even when I tease them."

Li Jieman appeared out of nowhere and said, "I know that."

Wang Xi looked at Li Jieman.

Li Jie said, "Because you can take a beating, and you keep fighting even after losing. After a fight, you can make up immediately and act like nothing happened. Then you'll start hitting people again next time."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "There aren't that many reasons. It all boils down to one word: cheap."

Wang Xi said, "Get lost. I just like challenging myself with difficult tasks."

(End of this chapter)