Chapter 11: Drunken Chang'an

Du Rui saw that Manager Feng was already moved, so he continued: "Manager Feng, you think this wine is expensive, and you are not wrong. But you haven't considered that because of this wine, those who love strong spirits will be drawn to your restaurant to dine. The profit from the wine itself might not be huge, but the profit from the dishes will follow. That is only one point. Relying solely on your restaurant, you won't be able to sell much wine. But Manager Feng, do not forget: north of the Yellow River, there is plenty of room for you to go. As long as you transport this wine out, think of how many wealthy and powerful families there are in this world. When that time comes, are you still worried about not making a profit?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Feng’s heart began to stir. One must know that merchants are driven by profit, which is precisely why the scholars of past dynasties looked down upon them. In truth, the moral standards of merchants in this era were far stronger than those of the black-hearted merchants of later generations. According to the blueprint Du Rui had sketched out, this was a great opportunity to expand his business.

Manager Feng thought for a moment and said, "Young Master Du must promise me one thing! I must have the exclusive right to sell this north of the Yellow River!"

"Why not!" Du Rui laughed. "Even south of the Yellow River or in the bitter, cold lands beyond the frontier, as long as you are willing to go, you may sell it. It is only that, aside from the north of the Yellow River, exclusive rights are absolutely out of the question!"

The north of the Yellow River alone was enough to make Manager Feng’s heart race. He hurriedly said, "Young Master Du, we have a deal."

Seeing him agree, Du Rui finally set down the heavy burden in his heart. Even Du Rui himself felt that twenty guan per jin for white liquor was a bit unreasonable. One must know that following the development of the Wude and early Zhenguan eras, the Great Tang was already beginning to show signs of a prosperous age, and the prices of goods among the common people were extremely low. If these twenty guan were converted into gold, it would be over five taels of gold; if one were to spend it solely on grain, it would be more than enough to feed a family for three to five months.

Seeing the deal concluded, Du Rui had Du Gui bring the Four Treasures of the Study and wrote the contract: "Manager Feng, are you satisfied?"

He called out three times before he brought Manager Feng back to his senses. It turned out that when Du Rui wrote this contract, he had used Zhao Ji’s "Slender Gold" calligraphy. This script was thin, vigorous, and sharp, faintly revealing an air of wealth and nobility. Zhao Ji could be called a famous incompetent ruler in history, as well as the unluckiest emperor. However, his Slender Gold script and meticulous paintings were famous for generations to come. This script could still be found on many websites, which showed how influential it was. At this time, it was still hundreds of years before Zhao Ji would be born; where would the people of this world have seen such a script?

Although Manager Feng was a merchant, he was somewhat literate. He wasn't an expert, but he was at least familiar with the basics. He was instantly stunned by this script and couldn't help but reach out his hand under the table to trace it.

It wasn't until Du Gui, seeing that Manager Feng was ignoring them, shouted loudly that he was brought back to his soul. He hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Du, I am very satisfied."

When speaking to Du Rui now, his demeanor was clearly more respectful. Although the Great Tang was founded on military might, the legacy of the Wei and Jin dynasties still remained, and the status of scholars in society was still quite noble. Although Du Rui was young, it was not impossible for him to rise to greatness and become a high official in the future, so Manager Feng dared not treat Du Rui as an ordinary child anymore.

Seeing this, Du Rui smiled: "Manager Feng, since the contract is settled, there is one more thing that must be made clear in advance. You must be cautious and keep the source of this wine a secret; it must not be leaked. I am but a powerless son of a commoner, and you are but a merchant. As the saying goes, 'an innocent man is guilty of a crime if he carries a jade ring.' If someone from the Duke of Lai’s mansion takes a fancy to this brewing recipe, I imagine we would be powerless to resist."

Manager Feng was shocked upon hearing this, realizing that what Du Rui said was not empty talk. The new Duke of Lai had sent his young brother away from the mansion while still in mourning for his father; he was clearly not a kind person. If he were to find out that Du Rui held a secret brewing recipe, he would surely come to cause trouble, and the business would certainly be ruined. Understanding this, he hurriedly said, "That goes without saying. But if someone asks, what should I say?"

"Manager Feng should just say it is your own secret recipe, not to be shared with outsiders. You only need to send a trusted person to my mansion to collect the wine at the hour of the Tiger (3:00 AM to 5:00 AM) every day!"

With the discussion concluded, Manager Feng rushed back to prepare the silver. He even posted a notice at the entrance of his restaurant, stating that the wine would be sold starting tomorrow. The men who had been clamoring inside the restaurant saw this and finally dispersed, waiting to return tomorrow for a good drink.

A total of one hundred jin of distilled white liquor had sold for two thousand guan of full-weight coins. Although he had participated in the entire brewing process, Du Zhong could not believe that all of this was real, and the look he gave Du Rui was already filled with a bit of awe.

After the payment was settled and they agreed that Manager Feng would come to collect the wine at the hour of the Tiger the next day, Manager Feng bowed and took his leave. Looking at the copper coins piled up in the hall, Du Rui seemed completely indifferent.

"Uncle Zhong! In a few days, please hire some people to renovate this old house. Buy whatever is needed for the household as soon as possible. It was fine when we had no extra money, but now that we have an income, it is better to get these things done quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Du Zhong hurriedly replied, "I will take care of these matters, Young Master, do not worry!"

Du Rui smiled and said, "That is good!"

After speaking, Du Rui turned and entered the study. As Du Zhong and the others watched, a strange thought couldn't help but cross their minds—they truly wondered what other ways to make money the young master would come up with after going in there.

The next morning, while Du Rui was still fast asleep, the person sent by Manager Feng to collect the wine arrived. Taking advantage of the early hour, Du Gui and the man loaded the wine onto a carriage.

Just like the day before, as soon as the sky brightened, the entrance to the Zuixian Restaurant was crowded with customers waiting to buy wine. Manager Feng felt anxious seeing this. After returning home yesterday, he had calculated all night and finally gritted his teeth to set the price at twenty-five guan per jin. Although the lion's share went to Du Rui, Manager Feng was satisfied with a profit of five guan per jin.

"Someone! Hang the banner out!"

Manager Feng gave the order, and the waiter who had been waiting by his side went to do it.

The customers saw the restaurant doors open, and a waiter walked out, holding a banner that he hung directly to the left of the Zuixian Restaurant sign.

The customers saw it, and those who were literate immediately let out a cry of surprise.

"Twenty-five guan per jin! What kind of wine is this? This is clearly extortion!"

"What did you say? Has this old man surnamed Feng gone crazy for money? What wine could sell for twenty-five guan a jin!"

"Could it be immortal nectar!?"

Manager Feng saw the crowd of customers clamoring at the door, but no one stepped forward. Although he was anxious, he had spent seventy percent of his life's savings on the wine yesterday; if no one bought it, he would truly have no choice but to hang himself.

However, though he was anxious inside, his face remained calm. He pushed past the waiters, stepped forward, and cupped his hands: "Everyone! You all say my wine is expensive, but you do not know that this wine is brewed from my family's secret recipe—a true immortal nectar. The cost alone is twenty guan of full-weight coins; even the current Emperor has never tasted it. If you do not believe me, I will have my waiter bring some over. How about you taste it before you buy?"

"That is only fair! Manager Feng calls it immortal nectar, but if we buy it and get cheated, who can we go to?"

"Right! Right! Right! Bring the wine out!"

Seeing this, Manager Feng called a waiter to fetch a jin of wine and set up a table with ten wine cups on it.

When the waiter opened the seal of the small jar, a fragrance of wine immediately wafted out. The customers sniffed greedily, their eyes fixed on the jar in the waiter's hand, wishing they could snatch it away and drink their fill.

Manager Feng laughed: "This wine is rare; there are only one hundred jin available each day. Since you do not trust me, Feng, please taste it. But let it be agreed, there is only this one jin of wine; there is no more!"

"Manager Feng really knows how to whet one's appetite, pour the wine quickly!" a man dressed in luxurious clothes but with a rather vulgar appearance shouted loudly. Those who knew him knew this was Niu Er, who ran a butcher shop in the West Market. He was quite wealthy, and because he was a chaotic person who often stirred up trouble with others, people were somewhat afraid of him.

Before long, all ten cups were filled. Just as people were about to step forward to take them, they were blocked by Niu Er: "What are you all grabbing for! In this West Market, who doesn't know that I, Niu Er, love wine the most? Whether this wine is good or bad, can your tongues compare to mine? Step aside and let me taste what kind of immortal nectar this is that is worth twenty-five guan!"

People knew he was overbearing and did not argue with him. They watched as Niu Er picked up a cup and drank it in one gulp. Just as they were waiting for his review, they saw Niu Er, who was usually a heavy drinker, turn red in the face the moment the wine hit his stomach. He didn't say a word, just coughed incessantly. Seeing this, those who had intended to step forward to taste it didn't dare to move, just watching Niu Er.

Manager Feng saw this and smiled to himself; wasn't he in the same state yesterday?

It wasn't until Niu Er caught his breath that he didn't say anything, but picked up another cup. This time he learned his lesson and drank it in small sips. Then, one after another, he drank seven of the ten cups of white liquor by himself.

Just as he was about to pick up the eighth cup, his wrist was grabbed by Manager Feng.

Niu Er was startled, looked at Manager Feng, and shouted: "Manager Feng! What is the meaning of this? Didn't we agree this wine was for free tasting?"

Manager Feng knew Niu Er was trying to take advantage and laughed: "Brother Niu! How is the taste of this wine?"

Niu Er grunted: "I only had a few sips, I can't tell clearly. Let me drink more!"

Manager Feng refused to let go. The other customers saw this and understood. Those who were quick-handed snatched the last three cups and, imitating Niu Er, drank them in small sips.

"Good wine!"

"Good wine!"

"It truly is immortal nectar!"

"The most rare thing is that there isn't a single bit of 'green ant' (sediment) in this wine. It is as clear as water, yet it is exceptionally spicy. It is truly good wine!"

Niu Er saw there was no more wine, but the "wine worm" in his belly had just been hooked. He refused to give up and urged Manager Feng to bring more.

"Brother Niu! I cannot bring more for tasting. This wine is not easy to brew and the cost is extremely high. I am also relying on this wine to support my family. If you all want to drink, the price is clearly marked there—bring your money and buy it!"

After saying this, Manager Feng turned and went into the restaurant with his waiters. The rest of the crowd was greatly disappointed. Those who wanted to go in and buy some were short on cash, and those who wanted to leave were reluctant to do so, hoping Manager Feng would be kind and bring out more wine for everyone to share.

Unfortunately, Manager Feng seemed to have a heart of stone, sitting high inside the restaurant and ignoring everyone. With no other choice, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a dozen or so young men dressed in luxurious clothes who walked into the restaurant. Niu Er, seeing others going in to buy wine, feared it would run out, so he hardened his heart and followed them in.

Although only twenty-some jin of wine were sold on the first day, Manager Feng was not discouraged. Sure enough, the number of people buying wine increased the next day. From then on, more and more people came to buy wine every day. Manager Feng still went to the Du mansion every day to collect one hundred jin. He remembered Du Rui saying that the longer this wine was buried deep underground, the better it would taste, so every day he dug pits in his courtyard to bury and store the wine he collected.

As more and more customers bought the wine, this distilled white liquor gradually gained some fame in Chang'an. Because the wine was spicy and made drinkers drunk instantly, enthusiasts gave it a name—"Drunk Chang'an!"

Suddenly, one day, near noon, a young man burst in, shouting as he entered: "Manager! Quickly, get me one hundred jin of that 'Drunk Chang'an' and send it to the Duke of Lu's mansion!"