Lingquan Space: Fortunate Wife of a Farmer’s Family
Lingquan Space: Fortunate Wife of a Farmer’s Family Chapter 568

Chapter 568: Buying Wine

“Sorry,” the dry apology was hardly better than none at all.

“Second Prince, Xiao He is not usually like this. It’s just that she’s been experiencing significant emotional changes due to her recent pregnancy. The Second Prince wouldn’t argue with a pregnant woman, would he?” Xuan Feiran said with a smile.

Ling Xiaoye took a deep breath, telling himself not to get angry, but he was still very upset. What should he do?

The King Zhenbei, who had been wanting the grain seeds all along, furrowed his brow slightly. It seemed that if he wanted the grain seeds, he would have to make a move through Wang Jinhe.

If he made a move through Xuan Feiran, he might not get what he wanted, and it wouldn’t be a good idea.

The King Chen looked meaningfully at Wang Jinhe. The Princess of Xuan was indeed an interesting person.

“Of course not,” Ling Xiaoye sat in his chair with a stern expression, and his forbidding demeanor silenced everyone.

The King Huainan chuckled and said, “I wonder if His Majesty will have surplus grain seeds next year. I’m shamelessly asking for some grain seeds for the people in my fief, so they can have more grain.”

The King Huainan was the least interested in power and status among the four feudal lords. Upon arriving in the capital, he went to the palace to meet the emperor and even handed over the military token that could command a hundred thousand troops.

This was undoubtedly a great gift, and it naturally improved Xuan Feiran’s attitude towards the King of Huainan.

“We should ask Xiao He for her opinion on this,” Xuan Feiran said with a smile.

Not refusing meant there was a chance, which made the King of Huainan very happy.

It turned out that handing over the military token was the right decision.

If the emperor were a weak ruler, he would definitely not have given away the military token. However, this emperor was diligent and cared for his people, and he was not a tyrant. Such an emperor could become a wise ruler. Even without military power, the emperor would not treat him badly. Moreover, the people in his fiefdom would also benefit. It was a win-win opportunity.

Today, the harmonious words of the ministers were not entirely believed by Ling Xiaoye.  However he believed that the 700,000 catties of grain seeds were indeed real, as well as the 1,800 catties per mu yield. After all, these were not baseless rumors.

He glanced at Wang Jinhe and thought highly of the Princess.

“Speaking of which, Your Highness, when I return to my fief, I wonder if I could buy some wine from you? I heard that the wine in your possession is quite exceptional,” he said. In fact, he also wanted fruits and vegetables, but he didn’t mention it as it was difficult to transport.

“I can sell fifty barrels to King Huainan. I have a limit of thirty barrels, but I can give you twenty more,” Wang Jinhe replied.

“That’s great.”

King Chen also spoke up, unwilling to be left out, “I want some too.”

Wang Jinhe, knowing that after the other King had passed the military token, King Chen might also hand it directly to the emperor, considered them all as one family with Xuan Feiran’s side.

“No problem.”

“I…”

“I have only a limited amount of wine, and I’m not keen on the idea of selling it,” Su Yu preemptively refused when King Yan spoke up.

“We produce very little wine each month, and we have to supply a batch to the palace and our regular customers. We don’t have any left,” Su Yu shrugged, indicating that they had nothing to offer.

The expression on King Yan’s face turned sour, suspecting that Su Yu was doing this on purpose.

King Chen exchanged a glance with King Huainan, realizing that they would benefit from being close to the emperor.

“I’ll personally give each of you a barrel of my private reserve when the time comes,” Su Yu considered and said.

After all, they had lost their military power, so a barrel of wine could serve as a consolation.

“You’re in luck. The oldest wine in my collection has been aging for two years,” Su Yu added.

“It’s just a two-year-old vintage. What’s there to be proud of?” Ling Xiaochen muttered.

Meanwhile, the ministers of Xuan Empire silently cursed their lack of appreciation.

“Your Majesty, a few days ago, Xiao He’s side sent over a batch of wine. Why not open it to entertain the envoys and the four feudal lords?” one of the ministers suggested.

“Good, have the wine brought over,” Xuan Feiran agreed.

Soon, a hundred jars of wine were brought in. As Su Yu uncorked and tasted the wine, the wine enthusiasts among them were already salivating.

King Chen’s eyes lit up, “This is excellent wine. How long has it been aged?”

“Two months,” Su Yu replied.

The wine, aged for only two months, had such a rich and mellow flavor. Ling Xiaoye suddenly felt that after returning to Ling Empire, he might have no interest in any other wine.

After a few generals from Xuan Empire had a taste, they looked at Wang Jinhe with shining eyes and asked, “How much does this wine sell for, Your Highness?”

“The newly brewed wine is 300 taels per catty, the three-month-aged wine is 500 taels, and the six-month-aged wine is 1,000 taels. As for the aged wine in Su Yu’s possession…”

“I’m not selling it,” Su Yu interrupted. He had no intention of parting with these wines, which he intended to leave for his sons and daughters. With two children in his wife’s belly, as well as Chang Le and Hongyi, he would need to make arrangements for them when they got married. He wouldn’t have enough wine to go around for all his children, so there was no way he would let anyone take his wine.

The generals looked at their cups of wine and realized that each sip was worth several taels of silver. This wasn’t just drinking wine; it was drinking money.

“Your Highness, your wine is too expensive. We can’t afford it,” one of the generals remarked.

“You must be out of your mind. How could anyone afford such expensive wine?” Ling Xiaoye frowned and said.

“Second Prince, you’re mistaken. If it weren’t for Xiao He setting up the winery and me asking her to save some for me, I wouldn’t have been able to buy any wine. Her wine is always in high demand, and there have been people willing to pay 5,000 taels per catty for the aged wine in Su Yu’s possession, but he hasn’t sold any.”

“Who would be so foolish? Not selling at 5,000 taels per catty is like giving away money,” one of the generals remarked.

“If you don’t understand, don’t speak. The aged wine in the Prince’s possession is even better than what we have now. It can not only nourish the body but also help heal hidden injuries. It’s a precious medicine that money can’t buy. Is that really expensive?” the head of the Ming family said bluntly.

Indeed, the person willing to pay 5,000 taels per catty for Su Yu’s wine was the head of the Ming family, who intended to purchase it as a gift for his father’s 70th birthday.

Although the Ming family was a merchant family, the head of the Ming family had elevated their status to that of an imperial merchant. Therefore, they were invited to various banquets.

Upon hearing about the remarkable effects of the wine from Wang Jinhe and her husband, all the generals began to covet it.

“Your Highness, we are colleagues. You can’t bear to see us struggling with our health, can you?” one of the generals appealed.

“Yes, Your Highness, we can’t afford much. Could you sell us a few catties of the new wine each?”

“Sure.” As long as it wasn’t about taking his collection of wine, it was all good.

Most of the aged wine in his possession was personally brewed by Wang Jinhe. Moreover, the proportion of Lingquan water in his wine was much higher than in other wines, naturally making it more effective.

Taking advantage of Su Yu’s generosity, the head of the Ming family spoke up again, “Your Highness, could you sell me a barrel of your aged wine? My father is about to turn seventy, and I want to buy it as a gift for him. If 5,000 taels per catty isn’t enough for you, how about 10,000 taels?”

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