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Life in Chang'an Chapter 17: Brewing Workshop and Alcoholism

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    PS: A big chapter of 5,000 words. I wish everyone a happy National Day!

    After a while, Li Ke and others came here while walking and talking. Li Min hurriedly greeted them. After all, they were either elders or brothers, so he didn't dare to put on any airs.

    "Nephew Li Min, meet your uncle and brother!" Li Min stepped forward and saluted. In addition to Li Xiaogong, Li Daozong, Li Min and Li Yong, the people who came were actually Li Xiaojie and Li Jingheng whom they met at the last banquet.  Fatty Li Jingheng probably came with his father Li Daozong, but Li Xiaojie with the mustache was a little surprised.

    "Imperial nephew, you don't need to be polite. Your reputation has spread all over Chang'an these days. Several of your cousins ??are clamoring to come and meet this great talent like you!" Li Xiaogong smiled and helped Li Min up, and actually started driving.  caught his joke.

    "Haha, my uncle has given me the award. My nephew only wrote a few crooked poems. How can he be so talented?" Li Min smiled and said modestly, while looking at the King of Hejian, who had the highest military merit in the royal family.

    Li Xiaogong looks to be in his forties. He is thin and tall, with an ancient appearance and three long beards. He looks very elegant. There is no trace that he was once a famous military general. Instead, he looks like a military commander.  A scribe holding a scripture in his hand. Unfortunately, this boy Li Yong did not inherit the slightest bit of his father's demeanor. He looked no different from the Young and Dangerous boys of later generations with his ruffian spirit.

    "Hahaha~, Liulang, please stop being modest. If what you write is crooked poetry, then all the scholars in Chang'an will not dare to write poetry anymore. Compared with you, your bastard cousin is really worthless.  Ah!" Jiangxia King Li Daozong said and pointed at his son Li Jingheng, which caused everyone to burst into laughter, while Li Jingheng laughed with embarrassment.

    This King of Jiangxia seems to have a very cheerful personality, which is exactly the opposite of Li Xiaogong's thin body. He is wide and fat. His round and fat face is full of kindness, which makes people feel close to him at first glance.  Li Jingheng completely succeeded his father.  It seems that the King of Jiangxia did really well in the Tang Dynasty, especially because he won the trust of Li Shimin. Even if he was dismissed from office because of corruption and bribery, he was quickly re-employed. If he hadn't offended Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang later,  If he died on the distribution road, he would probably live longer.

    "That's right, who doesn't know Liu Lang's name now? In the past few days, many familiar scholars in my house have asked to see you. They want me to introduce you to you, a great talent who is famous in Chang'an!"  Qinghe King Li Xiaojie also said that for such a talented person in the clan, they, the royal relatives of the clan, also have a lot of face, so they have the same attitude. After all, Li Min's fame has no conflict of interest with them.

    "Haha, uncle is so complimented!" Li Min said with a smile. The opening atmosphere was good and very harmonious. "I invite some uncles and the emperor to come here today. The main reason is that I have brewed a new wine in my house. I want to invite you.  Please review it!"

    "Wine?" Li Xiaogong and others all frowned. The purpose of their visit today was for the business that Li Min mentioned to make money, not to drink some new wine.

    "Liu Lang, you" Li Ke was also anxious. He didn't care about business or anything. What he was afraid of was that Li Min would offend these uncles. Li Xiaojie among them was nothing more than a noble prince.  But Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong are different. For example, Li Daozong followed Li Jing to pacify Tuyuhun last year and held real power in his hands. Although Li Xiaogong retired because of his previous military exploits, his prestige and potential strength should not be underestimated.  , these two people are not easy to offend Li Min.

    "Haha, third brother, don't worry. If you have anything to say, let's talk after drinking!" Li Min interrupted Li Ke, then waved to the craftsman and said: "Light up the fire!" Following his order, someone immediately lit the pot.  firewood.  The work before distillation has been prepared, and the only thing left is to raise the fire for distillation.  Li Xiaogong and others looked at it inexplicably, wondering what Li Min was up to.

    Not long after the fire started, the lees in the pot gradually heated up. The alcohol in it was heated and turned into gas, which then condensed into liquid when it encountered the cold lid. It dripped down the tip of the awl into the copper spoon.  Soon, a thin stream of wine flowed out from the copper pipe on the wall of the barrel, and was caught by the sprinkling altar that had been prepared below.

    "Hmm~, what a delicious wine!" As the wine flowed out, a strong aroma of wine filled the workshop. Li Yong, who is a very good wine drinker, sniffed his nose and couldn't help but pick up a spoon and drink some.  Pour the wine into your mouth.

    "Holy shit, shut up! Do you want to die?" Li Min was so frightened that he knocked the spoon away. What came out now was the head of the wine. Although it tastes very fragrant, you must not drink it directly because it contains extremely high formaldehyde content.  , drinking too much can kill you.

    "Liu Lang, wasn't it just a little wine? How could it scare you like this?" Li Yong said very dissatisfied.

    "What do you know? The first thing that comes out is called the head of the wine. It is poisonous. If you drink a little, you will feel chest tightness and discomfort. If you overdose, you will definitely die. You can only store it for a period of time to let the poison inside dissipate, and thenOnly then can it be blended with wine.  "Li Min said angrily.

    "Is there such a strange thing?" Li Xiaogong asked with a surprised look, "But the taste of this wine is so delicious, I can't help but want to drink it." Li Xiaogong also had a greedy look on his face, he and Li Yong  As expected of a father and son, a pair of desperate drunkards.

    After receiving about a kilogram of the wine head, immediately change the jar. What comes out is the heart of the wine and you can drink it directly.  Wait until the taste of the final wine becomes lighter, and then change the jar. What comes out at this time is the tail of the wine. When the next distillation occurs, the tail can be added for distillation again.

    "Come! How about you try this wine?" Li Min held the jar with the heart of the wine in his hands and took a deep breath of the wine before saying.  No one present was a bad drinker, especially Li Xiaogong and his son, who were the first to rush up, poured a bowl and couldn't wait to put it in their mouths.  As a result, as soon as the wine was in my mouth, I was immediately made to vomit by the high concentration of alcohol, but I was reluctant to part with such a delicious wine. My face turned red for a while. It took me a long time to calm down, and I drank the wine in my mouth with a 'gudong' sound.  Swallow into the stomach.

    "Hoo~, what a strong wine!" Li Xiaogong took a deep breath and praised loudly.

    "Good wine! One more bowl!" Li Yong is a drunkard. He drank up the wine in a few mouthfuls. He felt that it was not satisfying and poured another bowl. Li Daozong and others next to him took a look.  When there was no more to drink, a swarm of swarms rushed in to grab it.

    Following the lessons learned by Li Xiaogong and his son, they did not dare to drink it in big gulps, but tasted it in small sips. After they got used to the strength of the wine, they boldly drank. After a while, the wine in the jar was overflowing.  They drank most of it.

    "Hey~, LiuLiu Lang, this wine is really good, butit's just too strong! Haha~" Li Yong hung out his tongue and fell drunkenly. After speaking, he fell to the ground. He had drunk the most just now.  , and the wine was so strong, he, who had never been a good drinker, couldn't hold on any longer and fell to the ground drunk.

    "Hahaha~, this bastard!" Li Xiaogong laughed and kicked his son, "Someone, carry him down! It's so shameful, you dare to drink such a strong drink without the ability to drink!"

    "Good wine! Good wine! After drinking this good wine, any other wine you drink in the future will become bland. If you do well, you can earn more than a million a year? It is even possible to make tens of millions." He has always been the most sensitive to money.  Li Daozong also understood at this time that it turned out that the business Li Min was talking about was this wine. If he hadn't tasted it himself, he would never believe that there was such a beautiful wine in the world?

    "Liu Liang, how is the production of this wine?" Li Xiaojie and Li Min often hang out together, and they talk very directly.

    "The output of the same grain is estimated to be only one-third of the previous one, but as long as the raw materials are enough, you can get almost as much as you want." Li Min made an estimate before speaking. If it is not distilled, the alcohol content is only a dozen or so at most.  degree, and after distillation, the degree must be increased at least three times. In addition to the loss during the distillation process, it would be good to have one-third of the previous output. This is also a considerable increase in the yield of the distiller's grains caused by distillation.  result.

    "Okay! This is indeed a big business. How are you going to allocate the shares, Liuyang?" Li Daozhong was already dazzled by the wonderful money scene of distilled liquor and asked impatiently. He is now  I wish I could put this wine on the market right away and exchange it for heavy copper coins.  Others also listened quietly, after all, this was related to their future interests.

    "Hey, nephew, I am a poor prince. Now my family still owes a lot of foreign debts, so this time I can only invest in technology, and I must hold at least 20% of the shares. As for the rest, it will still be made by three people.  The emperor's uncle and the emperor's brother should discuss it among themselves!" Li Min played a trick. Anyway, the technology is in his hands. He has 20% of the shares. As for how to divide the rest, he doesn't care. After all, it doesn't matter how much or how little he shares.  Offend.

    "Hahaha~, everyone said that Liu Yan became an amazing literary talent after losing his memory. I didn't see your literary talent today, but I saw your cunningness first!" After listening to Li Min's words, Li Xiaogong joked with a smile.  .  Several other people also understood Li Min's thoughts and laughed together.

    Next, headed by Li Daozong, the four princes began to allocate their respective shares according to the amount of funds or in-kind contributions.  Although these few are all princes, when it comes to their own interests, they are no different from ordinary businessmen. Even Li Ke is no exception. In the end of the quarrel, even Li Min was dragged into the water by them, noisily.  It was hard to settle down in the end.

    The redivided shares were 30% owned by the wealthy Li Daozong, and 20% owned by Li Xiaogong. Li Ke and Li Xiaojie were the weakest, each accounting for 15%. Li Min's 20% remained unchanged, but in addition to providing technology, he also had to pay for free.  Provide distiller production and post-maintenance.

    The five people contributed a total of about 300,000 yuan, which was equivalent to 1% of the total fiscal revenue during the Zhenguan period. It was also a large amount for several princes.? Huge funds.  Li Xiaogong had a large piece of wasteland near Chang'an City, which could be used to build a wine making workshop. The craftsmen in the workshop were hired by various princes. If there were not enough, he would buy them from Sinong Temple.

    The core of the brewing workshop is the distilling workshop. The plan is to separate the distilling workshop and make it composed of close craftsmen from each house. Without the joint consent of the five of them, no one is allowed to approach, otherwise they will be executed.  After all, the craftsmen here are all official slaves, and life and death are in the hands of these people. As a modern person, Li Min is very uncomfortable with this slave system, but he also has self-awareness and knows that this is not something he can change.  Moreover, this system is very beneficial to him now. It can at least ensure that the secret of distilled liquor is not spread, so he has no plans to change it for the time being.

    "Come on, come on! I would like to thank the two royal brothers for taking care of me. If I have to do something in the future, I will die in pieces." After the matter of the brewing workshop was finalized, Li Min immediately prepared wine and food to entertain everyone. During the dinner, Li Xiaojie repeatedly asked Li Xiaogong and  Li Daozong and the two toasted.  Li Min asked Li Ke privately and found out that the reason why Li Xiaojie came with them was thanks to the help of Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong.

    This matter is said to be quite old. Li Xiaojie's father was Li Shentong, King of Huai'an. When he was alive, he was also an old general with outstanding military achievements. He made a lot of contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Seven of his sons were crowned kings.  It can be seen that Li Yuan affirmed the old man's contribution at that time.  The old man and Li Yuan are cousins, a generation older than Li Xiaogong and others. When Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong were young, they were taken care of by the old man in the army, and they were very grateful to the old man. Li Shentong died in the fourth year of Zhenguan.  They were called to the couch and told them to help take care of his sons. After all, the old man knew what his sons were. Both Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong agreed with tears in their eyes.

    To say that there are seven princes among the eleven Li Xiaojie brothers, they can be considered a prominent family. The others are doing pretty well. They are either princes or dukes. Although they have no talent, they are all living a stable life in their own aristocracy.  Life.  But Li Xiaojie was a careless boss. He had everything he wanted to eat, drink, whore, and gamble. He didn't have much money to make in his house. His salary alone was not enough. Within a few years, the money left to him by the former King of Huai'an was gone.  Lao Di ate it all.  Now Li Xiaojie is actually worse off than Li Min. There are only a few servants left in the huge Qinghe Prince's Palace to support the appearance. The others were sent out of the palace because they could not afford to support them. The Qinghe Princess, who was born in a prominent family, only had one dowry maid to serve her.  , even when she gave birth to a daughter, she had to go back to her parents¡¯ home to take care of herself, which can be said to be extremely embarrassing.

    But even after getting so mixed up, Li Xiaojie still refused to change his ways. At first, his ten brothers often helped him, but later they found that they couldn't fill the bottomless pit, and they gradually started to avoid him.  Later, almost no one of his generation wanted to talk to him. He had offended everyone just by borrowing debts but not repaying them, so he could only eat and drink with the juniors like Li Min all day long.

    This time, Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong couldn't stand it anymore, and were about to help him. Just in time, Li Min said that there was a big business to do, so they called Li Xiaojie over, and his 15% share,  It was the two of them who jointly contributed money and lent it to him.  Although Li Xiaojie was a bastard, he was still very grateful to Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong for their help. He kept toasting to them at the wine table.

    The wine is newly brewed liquor, and most of the dishes were brought by Li Min from later generations. In response to Li Ke's strong request, last night's beggar's chicken was the main dish this time. It was golden and orange in color, and the meat was delicious.  The tender, soft and fragrant beggar's chicken made the princes present feel extremely embarrassed when eating it, and they kept praising the cook of Li Min's house.

    "Liu Lang, this wine is good, but it's too strong and spicy. I'm afraid some people can't get used to it?" Li Daozong drank the wine in one gulp and said with a red face, "But it's suitable for us.  The rough and rude people in the army, take one sip and the spicy smell of alcohol will go straight to your chest, it's very enjoyable!"

    "Hahaha~, uncle, don't worry, this wine will not go bad when stored. As long as it is stored for a period of time, most of the spiciness in the new wine will dissipate, and the wine will become very fragrant and rich. And the longer it is stored, the better it will be.  The wine tastes better when you drink it. If the two uncles have the patience to wait for decades, it will definitely turn into a fairy wine that even gods will attract!" Li Min said with a burp. Although he didn't like drinking, today  The people sitting here are all elders, and the two peers are older than him. The only one who is younger than him, Li Yong, is not awake yet, so no matter who is toasting, he has to drink, and he is already a bit drunk now.

    "Hahahaha~, you brats dare to make fun of me. Daozong and I are both dozens of years old. There are still decades to wait, but you brats do have a chance to taste Yipin Na  Immortal brew!" Li Xiaogong laughed loudly, his tone not caring about life or death at all.  The half-drunk King of Hejian showed his true colors as a general.His personal pride and open-mindedness are undoubtedly revealed.

    "Singing to wine, what is life" Li Xiaogong got excited about drinking, picked up the jug and sang Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing" loudly, his voice was as impassioned as gold and jade, and it faintly revealed the killing atmosphere on the battlefield, which made people feel  It was exciting to hear it.

    "Humanlife is short, and you should enjoy yourself in the moment. Suchsuch fine wine and delicious food, if you can invite a group of friends to drink and sing, wouldn't it be a joy in life?" Li Xiaojie also drank too much and got knotted.  Baba was talking nonsense.

    "Bah~! What a great idea!" I don't know why Li Daozong went crazy, but he suddenly slapped the table, stood up and said loudly.  Li Xiaojie, who was sitting next to him, was so frightened that he was so alert that he had already woken up from the wine. Li Ke, who was top-heavy from drinking and was already drunk, slipped directly under the table and snored after a while.

    "Daozong, your drinking capacity is no longer good. You are already drunk after just a few drinks?" Li Xiaogong said with a smile.

    "Brother Wang, I'm not drunk, but the words of filial piety reminded me." Li Daozong shook off Li Jingheng, who was trying to help him with his drunken fist, stroking his beard and smiling, "Since we have newly made such a delicious wine, why not invite all our relatives and friends to share it with us?"  Tasting this wine? In this way, you can not only build up the reputation of this wine, but also get together with old friends to have a good drink and talk. Maybe it can become a grand event. Isn't it a great thing?"

    "My uncle is a great talent, and my nephew has great admiration for me!" Li Min was the first to jump out and agree. It was a pity that the King of Jiangxia did not go into business. He actually understood the importance of advertising without a teacher.  Li Xiaojie and Li Jingheng, who were barely awake, also cheered loudly. These two people love to be lively. Since Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong were so interested, of course they followed suit.

    "Good idea, you and I are getting older, and the injuries we suffered when we were young are recurring. I don't know when I will never have the opportunity to taste such a fine wine again. I just happened to invite a group of old friends to have a happy drink. Even if I die, I will not risk it."  This life, hahahaha~" After Li Xiaogong said this, he picked up the wine bottle and blew wildly.  Li Min felt dizzy. He could drink so boldly. How could he see any signs of old age?

    At the end of the drinking session, all the young people climbed down. When Li Min fell down, the two old guys were wrestling with their shirtless arms. Whoever won would have another drink. No one knew who would win in the end.

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