Chapter 262

Chapter 262

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 8: Chang’an Wine Debate, Autumn Changes Chapter 262: Preservative Strong Wine

Belonging to the book:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 262: Preservative Strong Wine

Welcome and cleanse the dust?

This seems more like causing a fright!

The wine bowl did not stay in Qiao Yan’s hand for long, soon returning to the table in front of her.

But the fire lasted for a really long time.

So long that everyone snapped out of their astonishment at the phenomenon of why the wine was on fire, turned their gaze to the wine jars and bowls in front of them, carefully poured out a little, confirmed it was indeed wine and not oil, and then turned their gaze back to Qiao Yan’s calm face, only then did the fire burning in the bowl slowly extinguish.

But what made them even more astonished was that before they could even ask why the wine caught fire, they saw Qiao Yan pour another half bowl of wine and then without hesitation drank…

Drank it?

The people present had never seen such a scene!

The fact that wine could burn was beyond their knowledge.

And such wine could actually be drunk normally, which was even more beyond their understanding.

Thinking of Qiao Yan’s past rumors, some even wondered if today on this high platform, there would be a terrifying scene of her pouring wine down someone’s throat and then setting them on fire.

But after all, Qiao Yan drank the wine herself first. If she really wanted to enforce the alcohol restriction order in such a brutal way, there was no need for her to make such a move.

Moreover, she had already appointed Yang Xiu and Wei Ji to handle the reception, and had eased relations with them by soliciting manuscripts for the new road in Chang’an, so there was even less need for such actions.

But even so, when they saw Qiao Yan place the emptied wine bowl in front of her and raise her hand to invite them to drink, signaling the start of the wine debate, everyone still stiffened in place.

To drink or not to drink, this seemed like a life-threatening question.

The ministers of the Chang’an court had also seen such an unimaginable side when they were persuaded by Qiao Yan.

But at that time, they only saw high-proof wine catching fire, not that it could also be drunk.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan took pity on the psychological endurance of the old ministers.

After all, the oldest official in the Chang’an court was not Chen Ji, who was over sixty, but Zhao Qi, the Grand Master, who was born in the first year of Yongchu of Emperor An of Han and is now 84 years old!

If he were scared to death, she could not bear such a responsibility.

But with these representatives of noble families in their prime, she could be a bit more reckless.

In the weather at the end of May, wine with a modern proof of around 50 degrees could burn, without her needing to bring out higher purity.

So of course it could be drunk!

Not to mention, before the wine debate began, Qiao Yan had them eat a simple meal first, citing the possible length of the discussion.

Look, she even considered the issue of not drinking on an empty stomach.

“Gentlemen, do not worry, except for those who cannot handle alcohol, this wine is still drinkable,” Qiao Yan said, looking around at the inscrutable expressions of the people around her. “If you do not drink this wine, how will you know the first reason for the alcohol restriction order?”

Everyone looked at each other, thinking that Qiao Yan would not dare to eliminate them with cruel methods, and that the construction of Chang’an still needed their efforts, so they all raised their wine bowls.

But once the wine went down, perhaps because they had first seen the wine burning, they felt as if they had swallowed not a mouthful of wine, but a ball of fire.

The fire carried a strong and intense wine flavor, burning from the tongue to the throat, completely filling them with this stimulating taste.

This unprecedented stimulation and flavor left these seasoned wine connoisseurs of noble families dumbfounded.

This, this really seems to be wine!

Just more fierce.

But if this is strong wine, what were they drinking before?

Realizing that this was neither poison nor fuel, the bold ones immediately raised their wine bowls and took a couple more sips.

This time, they did not down the small half bowl in one go, but sipped slowly to try to discern the rich wine flavor.

After the intense burning sensation, a particularly unique taste emerged between their lips and teeth, accompanied by a slight tipsiness from the rising alcohol, making them feel that all the wine they had drunk before was nothing.

It is said that in negotiations, one should follow the rule of courtesy before force.

But wasn’t the “courtesy” offered by the Grand Marshal a bit too heavy?

Moreover, with such wine, it is even less likely that anyone would agree to ban alcohol!

The scholar-officials love wine, and they would never part with such a good thing!

But perhaps because their unified front was so fierce when they arrived, it was suppressed by Qiao Yan’s method of fighting poison with poison and fire with fire, so when they heard her speak again, they were somewhat more at peace.

She said, “I do not wish to discuss the taste of the wine with you all, as it is not an important matter today.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the attendees became colorful again.

What do you mean not important, this is very important to us.

Why is the profit margin in wine so high, isn’t it because of its unique flavor, which is the primary consideration?

But Qiao Yan continued on her own, “May I ask, what is the production ratio of wine in your wineries?”

The wine production rate, that is, how many pecks of wine can be produced from one dan of grain, is indeed a more practical question than the taste of the wine.

The person Qiao Yan looked at replied, “In the past, when the alcohol industry’s profits were limited to the official treasury, it was stipulated that one brew with one hu of coarse rice and one hu of yeast could produce more than six hu of wine, which is more than double the output. But in reality, there are also cases of improper brewing and spoiled yeast, which would result in a loss of about ten to twenty percent. If a natural disaster occurs and the grains are shriveled, the wine output rate would drop even further.”

“Let’s just say it’s less than double.”

Qiao Yan shook her head, “This calculation has some problems. For most wines on the market, the actual wine flavor itself is less than ten percent of the total volume, and there are many unfiltered residues, leading to the term ‘turbid wine’. This so-called double actually includes a lot of things that shouldn’t be counted.”

Only then did everyone notice that the wine in the bowls in front of them, although slightly yellow in color, was indeed clear and pure, quite different from ordinary wine.

She continued, “So-called wine and water, I calculate the wine output based on half wine and half water. According to these wines on the market, at most it’s fifty to sixty percent.”

From the original less than double to the current fifty percent, there is nearly a threefold difference.

If they hadn’t tasted the “more flavorful” wine in front of them, they might have found it absurd, but now it somehow made sense.

Qiao Yan: “The wine in front of you is roughly half wine and half water. The wine output efficiency is about thirteen hu of wine from twenty hu of grain.”

Not everyone present is proficient in arithmetic, but they can roughly calculate the business.

This fierce wine, said to be three times more concentrated than the original wine, is completely acceptable to them.








Accepted, and because of the striking contrast between this low-alcohol and high-alcohol liquor, it might even be more so.

According to this ratio of ten hu producing thirteen hu, at around sixty-five percent, the yield is higher than that of the liquor brewed in their wineries.

Although Qiao Yan did not explicitly state it in front of them, it was not difficult for everyone to understand her underlying message from their perspective—

She had mastered a brewing method with a higher liquor yield.

In the case of temporarily not wanting to disclose it and wanting to save on grain, it was only natural to take control of the brewing process herself.

Whether the liquor yield efficiency is as high as she claimed is still unknown, but one thing is certain: this uniquely flavored liquor is now before her, serving as evidence presented to everyone.

However, relying solely on this to convince them of her claims is far from enough.

The taste of strong liquor is indeed unique, but everyone’s palate is different. Some can down three vats, while others prefer to sip lightly for pleasure. The original low-alcohol liquor still has its irreplaceable market.

Moreover, the daily income of the winery and the number of workers from top to bottom are well-documented in each household’s accounts.

They rely on this for their livelihood and enjoyment!

In the past, there were periods when liquor was state-operated, and times when seventy percent of liquor profits were collected into the state treasury. Both were abolished due to opposition from the noble families. From their perspective, Qiao Yan likely lacks the capital to be the first to stand out.

She took in their expressions.

Perhaps because her fiery opening at the wine gathering startled many, they only dared to express their demands through their eyes, not daring to directly refute her before she finished speaking.

However, what they might do upon returning home remains unknown.

They might very well trip her up.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan did not expect to dispel their doubts with just a new type of liquor.

She clapped her hands, and more small jars were brought up and placed before everyone.

She said, “What I mentioned earlier was a half-and-half ratio of liquor to water. There’s another type, with three parts liquor to one part water, which is what’s before you now.”

In other words, this is disinfectant alcohol!

Seeing her gesture for everyone to feel at ease, someone opened the lid first.

The aroma of liquor from the porcelain jar immediately hit them, even more intense than the previously strong liquor.

But whether it was his imagination or not, the liquor’s aroma, though strong, was so overpowering that it didn’t make one want to drink it all at once. Instead, it reminded him of the fire Qiao Yan had lit earlier.

Frowning, he asked Qiao Yan, “Grand Marshal, what do you mean by this?”

“This is not for you to drink. I just wanted to show you another use for this liquor,” Qiao Yan replied calmly. “This special brewing method produces high-concentration liquor, which has a particularly useful effect: it can cleanse decay and toxins, whether on wounds or in rooms, and has a significant preventive effect against epidemics.”

As soon as she mentioned the word “epidemic,” there was a slight commotion below.

Qiao Yan looked in the direction of the noise and saw a young man showing signs of distress.

Unfortunately, since today’s meeting did not follow modern meeting rules with name and origin placards, Qiao Yan couldn’t immediately identify which family he was from. She could only guess from his unusual reaction that his family might have experienced an epidemic.

But now was not the time to inquire, so she signaled her subordinates to bring up something else.

Two jars were brought up, accompanied by two people: Xianyu Fu and Lu Zhi.

Qiao Yan stood up and walked to the newly placed table in the center of the high platform, pointing at the two jars and saying, “I was afraid you might not understand what I meant, so ten days ago, I did something.”

“Let me explain for the Grand Marshal,” Xianyu Fu took over. “Ten days ago, the Grand Marshal had ten similar pieces of meat cut from a dead pig, equally divided and placed in jars. One jar contained ordinary well water, and the other contained this extremely strong liquor. Then, both jars were placed in a shaded area outside the Zichen Hall, monitored by the Golden Guards stationed outside, and seen by all the ministers attending court.”

“At the same time, His Majesty deliberately allowed those attending the court meeting to send their servants to watch, to demonstrate the authenticity of this act. So, Lu Zhi and I are here as witnesses.”

These two ceramic jars were originally made for storing liquor, with much better sealing properties than ordinary jars.

So, when they first saw these two jars, they hadn’t realized the severity of the situation.

At most, they noticed that Qiao Yan’s attendants handed her, Lu Zhi, and Xianyu Fu cotton masks.

However, when the two jars were opened, a young man who had curiously stepped closer was immediately hit by a foul, rotting stench, almost making him turn and run, but he managed to retch for a while before recovering.

Qiao Yan, however, calmly picked up two long chopsticks and fished out the meat from both jars.

Four to eight days are enough for meat in water to start rotting, let alone ten days.

Everyone clearly saw that the pork fished out from the water jar had turned gray-green on the surface, with white spots growing on it, completely rotten without exception.

In stark contrast, the pork from the liquor jar looked almost as fresh as new.

While they were still stunned by the experiment’s shocking results, Qiao Yan said, “With Lu Zhi and General Xianyu as my witnesses, no one should doubt that the contents were swapped. In short, this higher-purity liquor can kill the things that cause decay, so using it on soldiers’ wounds can reduce infections, and using it on walls and in rooms can combat disease invasions during epidemics.”

“If you still want to see, we can repeat this test here.”

As she spoke, she drew a short dagger from her waist, running her finger along the blade.

Even though they knew she didn’t intend to use people for comparison, her casual gesture still sent shivers down their spines.

“That… that won’t be necessary,” someone immediately said, trying to dissuade Qiao Yan.

Since this was witnessed by the Son of Heaven and the court ministers, there probably wouldn’t be any issues.

And if Qiao Yan’s claims about its miraculous effects were true, how is this high-purity liquor any different from divine medicine?

And it’s the kind of divine medicine you don’t even need to drink!

In times when natural disasters and epidemics were rampant, if they had such a thing earlier, how could Zhang Jiao have had the chance to develop followers with Talisman Water, leading to the formation of the Yellow Turban Army? How could they have lost family members despite having the means to hire famous doctors?

Perhaps because Qiao Yan’s gesture with the dagger gave them an inexplicable sense of mortal threat, they also had a strange and intriguing thought—

If pork soaked in liquor can preserve and prevent decay, could they, after their deaths, also soak themselves in this liquor to keep their bodies from decaying?

This is a treatment even the Son of Heaven never had!