Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Chapter 110 I Suspect You Have a Relationship with Mother

"A wine that can warm the body and ward off the cold?"

Hu Su looked at Bai Su with suspicion: "How can this wine warm your body if it's not warm? Besides... this wine has been around for thousands of years. Even ordinary people can brew wine. No matter how special your wine is, it's impossible for it to make a fortune every day. You're not lying to me, are you?"

Bai Su rubbed her nose and said with a smile, "I never lie during the day. If it can make you rich overnight, then it must be worth a fortune."

He wasn't exaggerating. Since the popularization of yeast in the Central Plains, alcohol has become a common beverage in ordinary households. Whether it's royalty or common people, they would enjoy a drink after meals.

Although alcoholic beverages are already very common, they have a fatal flaw.

That is because of the limitations of brewing technology, it is impossible to produce high-proof liquor. Most of the liquor is brewed from grains and fruits, with a very low alcohol content, generally not exceeding ten degrees, and it also contains many impurities.

Such beverages not only taste bad, but they are also not easy to store for long periods of time and their flavor deteriorates easily.

High-purity baijiu has a better taste, but those are secondary. Its biggest advantage is that it is easy to store for a long time. Baijiu becomes more fragrant the longer it is stored, and there is no need to worry about it spoiling.

After all, with such a high alcohol content, there's no need to worry about bacterial growth.

In this way, the wine acquired the characteristics of a commodity for long-term trade, and like silk and pottery, it could be sold not only to the prosperous Guanzhong region, but also transported to the harsh border regions, Liaodong, grasslands, and the Western Regions.

Especially in the grasslands far from the Central Plains and where resources are scarce, people naturally prefer this kind of white liquor that can be stored for five or ten years without worrying about spoilage, rather than ordinary liquor that will spoil after being stored for half a year or a year. A sip of it can warm you up.

Therefore, with the increasing prosperity of trade routes in the future, making a fortune every day will naturally not be difficult.

......

......

Bai Su brought Hu Yi to the Shaofu, which, as the workshop of the Great Xia Dynasty, had the world's top craftsmen. It was not difficult for them to make some distillation equipment according to the blueprints.

Before long, the tools were finished.

He also bought some grain liquor, which had a very mild aroma and a hint of sweetness.

Under Hu Yu's curious gaze, he poured the wine into the pot and covered it with the steamer.

Soon, the wine boiled, and the water turned into steam that rose from the main pipe of the steamer. Bai Su then fetched some water and poured it on top.

After one round of steaming and boiling, less than three jin of the ten jin of liquor remained. Due to the distillation process, the liquor at this point was not much different from the transparent white liquor of the previous life.

Bai Su took a sip and found the taste was still a bit bland, so she continued steaming. After three rounds, less than a pound of liquor remained.

He took a sip, and his brows furrowed involuntarily. Yes, it was that familiar taste.

Hu Yu saw him busying himself, only to have a large pot of wine reduced to such a small amount.

She couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Is what you've done useful?"

Bai Su chuckled lightly, "Here, try it and see how it tastes."

Hu Yi did not refuse. Nowadays, the popular wines are all very weak, generally only seven or eight degrees, and even ten degrees are rare. Therefore, she did not hesitate and took a big sip.

"Pfft, cough cough cough!!!"

Hu was immediately choked and bent over, coughing incessantly.

As if Bai Su had anticipated this, she handed her the water she had prepared beforehand.

Hu drank several mouthfuls, but still felt a burning sensation in his throat.

Like a kitten that had been scalded, she stuck out her tongue and looked at Bai Su, who had a mischievous grin on his face, and couldn't help but give him a nudge on the calf: "What... what kind of wine did you make? It's so pungent."

Bai Su smiled and asked, "How does it taste?"

Hu Yu rolled her eyes at him, recalled the taste just now, and said seriously, "As soon as it went down my throat, it burned like fire, and once it went down my stomach, it felt like a knife was scraping it."

Bai Su nodded: "As expected of Your Highness, what a wonderful name. Let's call it Shaodaozi, as Your Highness suggests."

Hu Yu was speechless. Was this name chosen so casually?

She glanced at the clear liquid in the pot with lingering fear: "This liquor is so strong, would anyone drink this stuff?"

Bai Su smiled and said, "Of course there are. Since ancient times, Yan and Zhao have been bitterly cold places. Naturally, there will be plenty of people who will buy a cup of wine that can warm the body and dispel the cold. Besides, it doesn't matter if you don't like it. This is just one of the flavors. I have other flavors as well."

After all, this so-called "shao dao zi" was just some liquor he bought casually, which he purified by distillation to increase its alcohol content.

They didn't make any truly good wines.

After all, in the current era where resources are extremely scarce in the border regions and grasslands, and alcoholic beverages are snapped up as soon as they are brought over, there is no need for him to rush into making alcoholic beverages with more complex flavors.

Hu Su asked curiously, "Bai Su, how much do you plan to sell this wine for?"

Bai Su stroked his chin: "Let's sell it for 100 coins per catty for now."

"Wow, so expensive!!!"

Hu Yi stared wide-eyed, somewhat incredulous.

It's no wonder she was so surprised. She was right beside Bai Su when she bought the wine. Ordinary grain wine only costs a few coins per pound, but Bai Su just messed around with it and the price skyrocketed dozens of times.

This is even faster than robbery!

Bai Su chuckled and said, "When you're on the desolate grasslands of the border where the yellow sands are endless, and you haven't touched a drop of alcohol for a whole month, if you have a jar of wine by your side, people will still buy it even if it costs 500 coins, let alone 100."

He couldn't help but find it a little funny to see Hu Yi staring blankly with his mouth wide open.

The Great Xia Dynasty has been prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce for too long, and they have no idea how to do business.

In fact, these 100 articles are just the beginning.

If he didn't enjoy slacking off and find it too troublesome, he could have made some more expensive drinks.

For example, they would create special kidney-tonifying and aphrodisiac wines, serve them in beautifully patterned jars, and sell them specifically to the nobles and royalty in Xianyang. They would sell them for as much as a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand coins, let alone a hundred hundred thousand…

For these nobles, the prices were very cheap.

"Just a prescription, and the price has skyrocketed so much..."

Hu Yu felt his worldview had been shaken, staring blankly at Bai Su as if he were seeing a reincarnated God of Wealth.

It took her a long time to come back to her senses, and a hint of excitement appeared in her heterochromatic eyes: "Great! With this method of making money, I will never have to worry about money again. Bai Su, come with me to the palace to meet Mother."

Why?

Bai Su was taken aback when Hu Yi suddenly wanted to introduce her to his parents.

Hu Yu pouted: "My mother always thinks I have a bad temper, so she naturally won't easily entrust such a big business to me. But it'll be different if you go..."

"My mother greatly admires your business acumen. If you offer to help me, she will naturally have no objection."

"Sometimes I even wonder if you have some kind of relationship with Mother, because she treats you better than she treats me."

She turned her head angrily and looked at Bai Su.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Bai Su's forehead, and he coughed somewhat guiltily: "Perhaps it is because I have no interest in power that His Majesty trusts me so much."

Chapter 111 Your Majesty, I am an honest man

Inside the Xianyang Palace.

Hu Yu hummed a folk song from Guanzhong as he skipped and hopped ahead.

Bai Su followed closely behind, and the two of them walked up the high steps towards the main hall.

Inside the hall, on the shelves, are enshrined famous swords that have resounded throughout the Central Plains, including the Tai'a sword, which was once a national treasure of the Chu Kingdom and is now the sword of Zheng Jie.

There is the Chun Jun sword of King Goujian of Yue, and the dagger of Lady Xu that Jing Ke carried when he went deep into Xianyang.

Among these countless collectibles, a golden scimitar has recently been added, which is a war trophy captured by Meng Tian when he attacked the Xiongnu royal court.

The swords that once belonged to countless heroes have now become collectibles in the Xianyang Palace.

Zhengjie sat alone at her desk, her eyes lowered as she reviewed the memorials. Her graceful and noble figure, set against the backdrop of countless famous swords, exuded an air of nobility and inviolability, as if she were the only king in the world.

When the palace maid saw Bai Su and Hu Yi enter, she lowered her head and whispered something in Zheng Jie's ear.

Zhengjie gently put down the memorial in her hand, looked up at Bai Su, paused for a moment, and couldn't help but recall a scene in the palace in the past. Her slender jade hand trembled slightly.

Her expression quickly returned to normal. She turned her gaze away from Bai Su and looked at Hu Yi, asking, "Little Yi, what brings you here?"

Hu Yi puffed out his cheeks and put the wine in his hand aside: "Mother, what are you saying? I am your favorite son. It is only right that I come to visit you, Mother."

The Empress Dowager curled her lips slightly: "Do you think I'll believe your story? Speak, you brought Bai Su along today, is there something you want to ask of me?"

Hu Yi's expression stiffened, then he said with dissatisfaction, "Mother, is this the kind of person you see me as?"

The Empress Dowager gave her a half-smile: "Isn't that right? When have you ever been so obedient, remembering to send me things? Unsolicited favors are either for ulterior motives or theft."

A hint of guilt immediately appeared on Hu Yu's fair and pretty face.

She stubbornly shifted the blame, saying, "My son has no such intentions. I simply brought something for Mother. It was Bai Su who had something to ask of Mother."

The Empress Dowager glanced at her with amusement, then turned to Bai Su: "Bai Su...do you have something to ask of me?"

Bai Su looked at Hu Yi's "threatening" little eyes, scratched his head, and said helplessly, "I recently made something and wanted to present it to His Majesty."

Upon hearing Bai Su's words, Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes flashed with surprise: "Since it's something made by you, it must be extraordinary. Let me see what it is."

As she spoke, she opened the jar next to her. The jar was tightly sealed and clearly an extraordinary product. Once opened, a rich aroma of wine wafted out.

However, the liquid inside was crystal clear, almost like clear water, completely lacking the murky color of alcohol, which looked quite strange.

Zheng Jie's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a hint of suspicion flashed in her phoenix eyes: "This is... alcohol?"

Hu Yi looked like she was showing off a treasure, a hint of pride flashing across her pretty face: "Mother, this wine is called Shaodaozi, and Bai Su and I made it together."

Bai Su glanced at her, both amused and exasperated. What did she mean by "accompanying her"? She was just watching from the sidelines.

"Oh, strong liquor?"

Zhengjie looked at the clear wine, a hint of surprise flashing in her phoenix eyes.

After a moment of contemplation, she raised her head and stared directly at Hu Yu, her strange gaze making him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Hu Yu asked tentatively in a low voice, "Mother, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?"

The Empress Dowager said with a half-smile, "This is the first time I've ever seen this kind of wine. I have no idea how it's made. How did you and Bai Su manage to make it together? Was Bai Su busy working on it while you just watched?"

Bai Su nodded, thinking to herself, "As expected of Sister Zheng, she understands Hu Yi's little thoughts perfectly."

Hu Yi's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Who...who said that the name 'Shaodaozi' was given by the prince, so I deserve half the credit."

Zhengjie couldn't help but roll her eyes at her, finding her shameless daughter amusing.