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

Every word Li Yuanchang used—market research, added value, etc.—was refreshing and insightful.

Qin Zun and the others had never heard of it before, but strangely enough, they could guess its meaning very well from these concise words, and the more they listened, the more efficient they felt.

Li Yuanchang's business acumen and way of speaking greatly surprised Qin Zun, to the point that he became completely engrossed in listening to him.

a long time!

After Li Yuanchang finally finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent, and everyone looked at him with amazement.

"Mr. Qin, what do you think?"

Qin Zun closed his slightly open mouth, suddenly snapping back to reality, and almost without hesitation replied, "Yes!"

"Your Highness, may I ask if what you just said was all your own thought?" he couldn't help but ask again.

"I suppose so," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

Qin Zun was shocked. How could a prince, who was so high and mighty, be so good at business? He was no ordinary man!

He gave Li Yuanchang a deep look.

"Since Mr. Qin has no objections, then this matter is settled."

"As for the money, I intend to give one and a half of the profits to the Qin family, and another half to all the workers in the distillery."

"The princess must occupy eight points."

Upon hearing this, the Qin family's steward's expression visibly changed; this was far too little.

"good!"

"Okay, deal!" Qin Zun agreed immediately, as if afraid that Li Yuanchang would change his mind.

Everyone in the Qin family thought they had misheard.

After all, in the previous plan, the Qin family had to bear all the labor and transportation costs, and only one and a half months' salary was allocated, with even the workers receiving a 0.5% profit.

Li Yuanchang smiled with satisfaction.

His decision to partner with the Qin family was not solely due to his relationship with Qin Keyu.

He had already secretly investigated and found that the Qin family was relatively honest and engaged in the tea-horse trade. Their business not only extended to Sannam Province but also to Gyeonggi Province, with their footprints in about eighty provinces.

Although the scale is relatively small, and eighty states are not too many (the Tang Dynasty had hundreds of states), it is definitely enough for the moment.

After all, you can't eat a fat man in one bite. With the power of distilled liquor, it would surely shock the Tang Dynasty, and countless literati would have to write about it in their poems.

"good!"

"Next, let's discuss the specific details of the cooperation, then sign the agreement and follow the rules."

"good!"

Qin Zun kept saying "okay" and completely listened to Li Yuanchang.

This is by no means a bowing to power, but a genuine submission and trust.

While Li Yuanchang was investigating the Qin family, the Qin family was also inquiring about Li Yuanchang's actions in Liangzhou, which they believed were the first step in establishing trust.

"..."

About an hour later, the negotiations ended.

Li Yuanchang handed over the materials and raw materials needed for distilling the liquor to Qin Zun.

He stipulated that the Qin family would handle the five steps: raw material processing, fermentation, winemaking, aging, and bottling.

The Hanwang Mansion is only responsible for one step, which is also the most important step: purification!

Purification requires a small invention, which Li Yuanchang has already asked Fang Weng to do.

After everything was agreed upon, Li Yuanchang asked Qin Zun to stay at the Prince's residence for lunch, but Qin Zun was in a hurry to return to prepare various matters and raw materials, so Li Yuanchang did not try to persuade him to stay.

They left the palace.

"Boss, why did you agree to a 15% cut?"

"This is far too little! It's so unfair! Isn't His Highness the Prince of Han bullying us?"

"Yes, we might even lose money. The raw material is sorghum, which isn't cheap, and the biggest problem is the transportation cost!"

As a merchant family, the Qin family immediately became the subject of discussion as soon as they left the Prince's Palace.

Qin Zun's expression remained unchanged: "You haven't drunk that wine."

"But I have drunk it."

"Don't even mention 1.5, there's plenty of room to work even at 0.5!"

Upon hearing this, the group was terrified and could not utter a single word.

"Trust me, this distilled spirit will definitely become a household name and sweep across the Central Plains in the future!"

"Even with thin profit margins, once the volume increases, it becomes massive!"

"It's only a matter of time before my Qin family becomes the foremost merchant guild in the Tang Dynasty!"

His servants were shocked again!

Is that really so exaggerated?

Qin Zun then glanced back at the Han Prince's residence, stroked his beard, and said quietly, "His Highness the Han Prince is no simple man. Not only does he contradict the rumors, but he also has lofty ambitions. His ideas are too advanced."

"Master, isn't that brewed by the Princess?"

"The princess comes from a scholarly family, so how could she possibly know how to brew wine?"

As he spoke, Qin Zun himself laughed.

"No need for further words, return to the residence immediately and prepare!"

Qin Zun showed absolute interest and anticipation. He arrived calm and composed, and left excited. It was as if the nearly fifty-year-old man had experienced a second spring.

"yes!"

"..."

Qin Keyu did not leave the Prince's Mansion, but stayed with Situ Lan.

After lunch, Li Yuanchang devoted himself entirely to the matter of distilling spirits.

This is the first step in his business empire, so he is putting extra effort into it. Once this step is taken, the money will keep flowing back.

To expand his power, recruit soldiers, and even develop intelligence agents to compete with the giants of Chang'an, he needed a massive amount of wealth.

The biggest challenge in distilling spirits lies in the still, which didn't exist in ancient times and had to be invented.

Li Yuanchang had already invented the still using knowledge from later generations, but one was clearly not enough, and in the purification stage, mastering the heat was of paramount importance.

He didn't want to rely on others for such core technology, so he selected forty reliable people from the Prince's Palace to learn it.

No one knew this theory, so he could only teach it by hand.

This busy period lasted until late at night.

He returned to the east courtyard, intending to take a shower and then have a good night's sleep.

But when they reached the east courtyard and passed a wing room, they saw that the room was brightly lit and there was a faint smell of heat rising from it.

That was Situ Lan taking a bath.

Li Yuanchang's lips curled up as he approached directly. To avoid attracting the attention of the servants and letting Situ Lan know in advance, he even sneaked in.

A bath for two might be even more intimate than sleeping together.

The room was filled with mist.

Several pieces of women's clothing were draped on a screen, including long skirts and close-fitting undergarments, which are equivalent to underwear in later generations.

Behind the screen, figures were faintly visible, and water flowed continuously.

This scene alone is enough to get your blood pumping.

Li Yuanchang slowly approached, a sly smile on his face, determined to give Situ Lan a "surprise".