In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

"Song Sanlang, I'll give you my answer again tomorrow, shall we?"

"I'm a little tired now."

Song Sanlang frowned and nodded: "Okay."

"I brought you some gifts from the Central Plains, I'm throwing them in for you."

As they were talking, a bundle was thrown in from outside with a snap, and then the footsteps faded into the distance.

Only then did the woman's cries from inside the door faintly emerge, blending into the biting winter wind, a sound both desolate and desperate.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The sobbing stopped.

The woman inside the door wiped away her tears, and a hint of hatred and ruthlessness appeared in her red and swollen eyes.

"Li Yuanchang, you are a heartless, treacherous, and cowardly man. I misjudged you!"

"If you don't want me, I don't want you either!"

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of tile from the ground and slashed it hard, not caring that she cut her slender fingers.

A strand of black hair drifted to the ground!

Cutting one's hair to show one's resolve was the highest level of oath in ancient times.

"From this day forward, I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!"

"I'll make you pay for your lies!"

His deep, sharp voice was filled with overwhelming resentment and coldness; no one was listening, yet it was exceptionally resolute.

When she stood up again, this bright young girl had completely transformed.

……

Liangzhou.

"Achoo!!"

Li Yuanchang was awakened by a loud sneeze in the early morning.

Upon hearing the sound, Situ Lan rushed to the bedside without even having time to put her hair back on: "Your Highness, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Li Yuanchang rubbed his eyes, thinking that it was just a dream.

He smiled and said, "It's nothing."

"Your Highness, it's so cold, please don't get out of bed anymore." Situ Lan bit her lip to hint, even though the bed was warm, Li Yuanchang insisted that she kneel on the chair, and she was too embarrassed to say it.

Li Yuanchang laughed heartily.

"I'm really fine. If you don't believe me, touch me; I'm burning up."

He grabbed the other person's hand and stuffed it into the blankets.

Situ Lan blushed and withdrew her hand: "Your Highness, don't be so improper."

"Don't forget the important matter."

"Hahaha!" Li Yuanchang laughed again, grabbed Situ Lan and buried his head in her arms, breathing in the fragrant air and feeling the softness of her body.

She is a typical gentle and mature woman, and her figure has become better day by day since she became a wife.

Situ Lan also enjoyed being hugged by Li Yuanchang, so she simply stood there without saying anything and helped Li Yuanchang fix his hair.

By the time Li Yuanchang finished tidying up, it was already quite late.

The ceremonial guard from the Prince of Han's residence has already set off for the Qin residence to pick up the guests.

News of the Han King taking concubines spread quickly, but this was very common in ancient times. If a Han King only took one concubine, he was considered a model of chastity.

Therefore, this did not cause a sensation in Liangzhou City; at most, it was just a topic of occasional discussion among the common people.

What truly caused a sensation in Liangzhou was the complete advent of distilled spirits at noon!

This time, the distilled spirits were not sold by the traditional merchant shops, as that method was too outdated and too slow, far from satisfying Li Yuanchang's appetite.

He had given instructions to the Qin family long ago to use a "distribution point supply" sales method.

The so-called pre-sale supply model means that Zuixianfang does not participate in direct sales, but instead delivers goods to various restaurants, brothels, shops, and pleasure boats in Liangzhou City.

Give these places a little profit so they can sell their wares.

The advantage of this is that the distribution points can be established quickly. In principle, all the restaurants in the entire Tang Dynasty are helping Zuixianfang sell its goods, so the business can be spread in an instant, eventually forming a network that covers the entire Tang Dynasty.

This method did not exist in ancient times; it is purely a later commercial mindset.

Thanks to the unique flavor and strong alcohol content of distilled spirits, these stores responsible for sales don't even have the opportunity to counterfeit or dilute them.

Moreover, the rules set by Li Yuanchang include a clear reward and punishment mechanism; once fraud is discovered, the cooperation will be permanently terminated.

Perhaps at first, these rules were insignificant to many vendors, since alcohol is readily available everywhere. But once distilled spirits became extremely popular, these rules became like a lock on the heads of all vendors.

The ability to distill spirits can even determine the life or death of a restaurant. If other restaurants have it and you don't, then you can forget about doing well in business.

By midday, countless drunkards had appeared in Liangzhou City.

And this is just the beginning.

As time went on, the city of Liangzhou was thoroughly in an uproar.

"Have you heard? Du's Restaurant has released a new wine that knocks you out after just one glass!"

"Siping Restaurant also has it!"

"I heard that the aroma of this wine can travel for miles, and it is extremely spicy. After taking a sip, you won't feel cold for an hour."

"That's amazing?"

"Of course! That drunkard in the north of the city said he only drank distilled spirits; all other liquors are just urine. He wouldn't even trade it for imperial wine!"

"Hiss!" The crowd gasped in unison.

Is it expensive?

"Fortunately, a small drink costs less than a penny!"

"That's still a bit pricey, but let's go try it. I want to see what kind of wine is so amazing!"

"..."

At dusk.

Good news kept arriving at the Prince of Han's residence.

"Your Highness, they're sold out everywhere!"

"It's said that the Siping Restaurant in the north of the city alone sold 300 jin (150 kg)!"

"The Qin family's servants are working overtime to move the goods; the manager of Zuixianfang says they expect to reach 5,000 jin today!"

Li Yuanchang remained calm upon hearing this.

The final price of distilled spirits was seven coins per jin (500ml), while the price of distilled spirits in brothels was ten coins.

If we calculate the average price, this price is much higher than other wines from Datang, but the uniqueness of distilled spirits means that for the same amount of money, you can definitely have enough distilled spirits.

This stuff will make a normal person drunk after drinking two or three ounces.

In addition, distilled spirits broke with the traditional practice of selling by the bushel and redefined the rules, selling them in units of "liang" (a unit of weight).

Because this wine is too strong. According to the traditional way of drinking it in the Tang Dynasty, it was drunk directly from the vat. If someone drank it, they would die!

Li Yuanchang calculated some profits: one thousand coins equals one string of cash, so the profit for one jin of wine is roughly between four and seven coins.

The profit from 5,000 catties is only about 20 to 35 strings of cash.

This was far too little for Li Yuanchang, who was used to spending lavishly and supporting a large group of people every day, incurring enormous expenses.

But this is just the beginning. Let the dust settle, he thought to himself. Besides, distilled liquor isn't only sold in Liangzhou City.

Including numerous counties, townships, and several prefectures, the potential is enormous!

He was decisive and ruthless.

"Guo Chao, go and inform Wan Jun and Cao Wei to increase the number of patrols tonight. The peak time for drinking is at night, especially around brothels."

"Make sure their men are prepared in case of drunkards causing trouble or arson."

"Also, relax the curfew hours a bit. As long as their identities are verified, they can enter and leave the city at night!" He decided to give the distilled spirits another boost.

"yes!!"

The booming business excited everyone in the Han Prince's Mansion, because if the Han Prince's Mansion prospers, they prosper too.