Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 266 Black Wealth
Although Zhang said he had his own selfish motives, he had to admit that this policy was actually beneficial to the country, the people, and himself, because the biggest problem with establishing the capital in Chang'an was the food problem.

The majority of the government's budget is spent on this.

This is why the Northern Song Dynasty established its capital in Bianjing (Kaifeng), mainly because Bianjing was well-connected and the emperor would not have to travel to Luoyang (Eastern Capital) for food.

It is actually very necessary to strictly prohibit the brewing of wine from grain in Guanzhong, especially since the amount of grain consumed is increasing. You nobles in Chang'an may be enjoying yourselves, but the people of the whole country will have to pay the price.

If it could be completely banned, it would certainly be more effective than the current fertilizer-based production increase, which is undeniable, because brewing wine consumes too much grain.

Of course, the upper limit of this policy is very low; even if it is completely banned, the gains will be limited. However, the upper limit of fertilizer is very high, and it can be continuously increased with technological advancements.

Since some people benefit, others must lose.

Who lost out?

Those are the major brewing households.

Therefore, when the Central Secretariat issued a decree to levy a wine tax in Guanzhong, it immediately aroused the anger of many people, not only the large winemakers, but also many scholars.

How can a scholar be considered cultured without wine?
However, Zhang Shuo's abilities are definitely stronger than Wang Maozhong's, so he wouldn't act so recklessly. Besides, the literati are his base, and he had already discussed with the Yuan family how to avoid such disputes, rather than going to compete with those literati.

The one maneuvering all this was none other than Lady Zixia.

However, she couldn't go and lobby beforehand, otherwise it would seem too fake, obviously something you had planned.

She waited until everyone had started making a fuss before she began to act.

First, she made sure to buy all the fruit in the Guanzhong region at a higher price than it was currently available, regardless of quality, unless it was already spoiled.

It should be noted that those who own orchards today are mostly the powerful and wealthy, and the Yuan family is the largest fruit merchant because they have a tradition of operating orchards since the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

This actually implies to those in power and privilege that their interests are protected.

Secondly, maintain the interests of most wine merchants, ensuring that they can all purchase Beauty Wine from the nameless winery, and also give them sufficient profit margins.

Finally, she divided the beauty wine into several types, from cheap to expensive, to ensure that everyone could afford it.

In this way, the anger was quickly quelled.

In fact, during the Tang Dynasty, both commoners and nobles preferred wine to grain-based beverages. However, good wines were very expensive, and ordinary people couldn't afford them.

When that beauty wine first came out, it was also sold at a very high price.

However, what Lady Zixia wanted was not just wealth, but more power. If she could monopolize it, she would be willing to earn half as much.

She promised to bring down the price of fruit wine, so that if everyone could enjoy delicious wine, there wouldn't be much reason to object.

Even if someone is fond of fine rice wine, they can actually brew it themselves or buy it from Luoyang, because the wine tax is only levied in the market, and private brewing by ordinary people is not subject to regulations.

Actually, it was not really their business, because the Tang Dynasty did not have the foundation to collect large-scale wine taxes, unlike the Song Dynasty, which had various government departments to manage it. The Tang Dynasty had such a large territory, and its people were naturally easygoing and did not pay much attention to details or like to micromanage.

For landowners and nobles, selling fruit is more economical because fruit is difficult to store, while grain can be stockpiled and sold for money.

This single policy enabled Meirenjiu to achieve a complete monopoly from top to bottom.

Crucially, the Guanzhong region is also rich in grapes, pomegranates, and other raw materials for winemaking, which is its unique advantage.

This also aligns perfectly with the interests of the Guanzhong Plain.

In no time, Lady Zixia's prestige soared, and she became incredibly popular.

All the nobles in Guanzhong had to come and deal with her.

Madam Zixia strives for perfection in everything she does, and she must ensure that the Beauty Wine is in full supply.

Besides fruit orchards, the Guanzhong region also produces another abundant commodity: coal, which is produced right in Chang'an.

This is why Wang Maozhong set his sights on coal. If coal could be used on a large scale, it would not only provide fertilizer factories with more raw materials, but also reduce deforestation and ensure better application of water resources.

Wang Maozhong, without any hesitation, handed over the entire task to the Nameless Academy.

However, Wang Xi and his team were not in a hurry. They adhered to a Taoist philosophy of valuing oneself over material possessions. This was a task that would never be finished. Moreover, they had been busy preparing for the medical school. Only after Wang Maozhong had gone to Luoyang to deal with the river issue did they manage to spare a day to visit a nearby coal mine.

Let's see what the situation is.

When the four arrived at the coal mine, the servants had already prepared wine and food. The four sat down to drink and rest for a while, making sure not to let Wang Maozhong take them away, or they would be killed.

While the fertilizer factory was still under construction, he went off to work on water conservancy and coal projects, all of which were huge undertakings.

"Do you think there will be a liquor tax?!"

Li Jie asked in a low voice.

Huangfu Sengnian said, "That must be it. Moreover, I heard that it was suggested by Master Zhang. Without a doubt, it must have been planned by Que Ge'er's aunt and Madam Zhang."

Wang Shuang said, "I heard that the largest orchard in our Guanzhong region belongs to the Yuan family."

Li Jieman said, "That's for sure. The Yuan family has been rooted in Guanzhong since the Northern Wei Dynasty. Moreover, they are extremely good at managing gardens. Although they later divided up a lot of land, they still control the mountains."

Wang Shuang clicked his tongue and said, "Judging from this, Madam Zixia's methods are truly formidable. How can we possibly defeat her?"

Wang Xi raised the corner of his mouth and said, "It's not a question of whether we can win or not, but how we will fight. The success of this matter will depend on how we deal with her."

If she doesn't handle it well, it proves that her abilities don't meet our needs, and then we might have to kick her out.

But if she handles it well, it proves she still has value, and ultimately we'll have to find a way to force her to submit to us.

Wang Shuang asked anxiously, "So how do you plan to deal with her?"

"Don't worry!"

Wang Xi said, "Let's take it one step at a time, okay? Why make yourself so tired?"

Li Jie nodded vigorously and said, "Brother Shuang, don't let your dad lead you astray. We should let our fathers do all the work so we can enjoy our freedom." Wang Xi immediately raised his glass and said, "Xiao Man, let's have a toast."

"hey-hey."

The two touched hands and took a small sip of wine in tacit agreement.

Just as he put down his wine cup, Huangfu Sengnian suddenly exclaimed, "What a coincidence!"

Wang Xi turned his head and saw Lady Zixia, Guang Sheng, and a group of servants walking over.

Wang Xi hurriedly and excitedly stood up, waving and saying, "Auntie!"

Who would have thought that this kid was just plotting against his aunt? Even Wang Shuang couldn't help but mutter, "This Sparrow is really fickle."

"Why are you here?"

Lady Zixia had already seen them and walked over, asking them with great curiosity.

Wang Xi shook his head dejectedly and said, "Don't even mention it. It's all Uncle Wang's fault for forcing us to come here and see if we can apply our pneumatics skills to coal mining."

Lady Zixia's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "Have you thought of a solution?"

Given previous examples, she still had high hopes for Wang Xi and his team. She didn't care who would mine the coal; if someone could do it better, she would be happy to see it happen.

"Uh!"

Wang Xi scratched his neck and said, "We just arrived not long ago."

Madam Zixia glanced at the wine table, speechless. "You've never drunk alcohol before, have you?" she couldn't help but say. "You've only just arrived and you're already drinking?"

Wang Xi chuckled and then asked, "What brings Auntie here?"

Lady Zixia said, "Why else would we come here? Of course, it's for this coal!"

Huangfu Sengnian pondered for a moment and said, "Does Madam intend to use coal to brew wine?"

“The monk Nian is still the wise one.”

Lady Zixia sighed again and said, "Now that the court has levied a wine tax, everyone wants to buy our Beauty Wine. It's all about social etiquette, and it's hard to refuse. We can only try to increase the production of Beauty Wine."

The problem isn't with the fruit or other raw materials right now, but with the fuel for firewood. The Ministry of Works is currently overhauling water conservancy projects, making timber acquisition difficult and more expensive.

If we could mine more coal, it would be a tremendous boost to our winery!

Brewing wine is very fuel-intensive. Although the Tang Dynasty did not lack timber and could still cut it down extensively, it was only after the An Lushan Rebellion that timber became scarce. This is why coal mining technology in the Song Dynasty advanced by leaps and bounds – it was all out of necessity.

However, the emergence of large-scale workshops has made this fuel crucial.

The perfectionist Lady Zixia is already preparing for large-scale production in the future.

After saying that, she complained to Wang Xi and the others, "You are the owners of the winery, but you don't care about it at all."

Wang Xi said awkwardly, "With Auntie around, we'll only cause trouble."

"If that's the case, then so be it," said Madam Zixia. "Wasn't the fertilizer factory designed by you?"

"It was our suggestion."

"Didn't you think that method also applies to wineries? If wineries had used that method earlier, I wouldn't be in such a mess now."

"Uh."

This really left Wang Xi speechless.

Previously, supplying only one restaurant, Yixianjue, meant they could just do whatever they wanted. But now it's different; it's almost a monopoly. The assembly line production model is a huge help for wineries of this size.

Wang Xi had really forgotten about this.

Fortunately, Dou Xiguan found Madam Zixia to take over the fertilizer production workshop. She immediately applied this method to the winery, which happened to coincide with the current trend, greatly saving costs and improving winemaking efficiency.

But that's far from enough. If coal could be mined more easily, it would further reduce the winery's costs and allow for increased production.

Madam Zixia added, "If you really care about the winery, put down your glasses and come with me upstairs to take a look, and we should find a way to mine more coal as soon as possible."

“But that won’t work.” Wang Xi shook his head.

Lady Zixia asked, "Why not?"

Wang Xi nodded and said, "Because this is how we've always worked. This is called a combination of labor and service, which also aligns with our Taoist philosophy. Everything should be done in moderation, and we shouldn't burden ourselves too much. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to come up with so many good ideas. Why don't you sit down and have a few drinks, Auntie?"

"No thanks! Your aunt can't compare to you; she can only make up for her lack of talent with hard work."

Lady Zixia shook her head in pity for their lack of ambition and led Guang Sheng and the others toward the mine.

After she left, Wang Xi whispered to Wang Shuang, "Brother Shuang, does your father need any concubines?"

"No shortage."

Wang Shuang asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Xi said, "If we need more, we might consider my aunt. The two of them are a perfect match, always busy doing nothing but pointless work. They're exhausted, what other solutions can they come up with?"

Wang Shuang said, "My dad is quite capable. Actually, your aunt is no less capable. Besides, if they didn't work hard, we would have to do all the work."

“That’s right!” Wang Xi blinked. “In order not to let their efforts go to waste, let’s drink a little longer.”

"Great idea!" Li Jie nodded vigorously. "Running this far must be exhausting."

(End of this chapter)