Bao Hong, being someone who had spent time in the capital, could always discern the hidden meanings behind words, even if he couldn’t express them himself.

After years of hearing cryptic remarks, he had developed a sort of intuition.

For instance, right now, when Qiao Yan asked him whether this wine could be called Hero’s Wine,

Bao Hong couldn’t help but feel like she was implying, “Since you’ve already drunk this wine, shouldn’t you go and fight bandits now? Drinking strong liquor to bolster courage before setting off.”

Though the wine wasn’t that strong, its significance seemed to align with that sentiment.

Bao Hong’s expression froze on the spot. “Marquis Qiao, please don’t joke with me…”

With only a little over two hundred men accompanying him to Leping, he couldn’t be considered an elite commander,

Let alone handle enemies outnumbering him several times over.

This wasn’t about being a hero; it was a suicide mission!

Just as he was considering the possibility of emulating the previous magistrate of Leping and discreetly leaving,

He suddenly saw Qiao Yan smiling. “Lieutenant Bao, where did your thoughts wander off to? I was merely saying that this wine is rich and worthy of heroes. So why not name it Hero’s Wine?”

Bao Hong was taken aback, replying awkwardly, “Ah… I see, I see.”

Thankfully, he hadn’t blurted out his inner thoughts just now; that would’ve been embarrassing.

He then heard Qiao Yan continue, “The land in Bingzhou is bitterly cold, and there’s a greater demand for wine.

Moreover, there are more heroes stationed at the border compared to the inland regions, where there are numerous conflicts every day.

Since this wine was born in Bingzhou, it should naturally cater to this region. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a pity?”

Bao Hong didn’t understand sales tactics, but he found her words quite reasonable.

He asked, “So, Marquis Qiao intends to establish the reputation of this wine?”

“Not exactly,” Qiao Yan’s response caught Bao Hong off guard.

He realized he shouldn’t try to read too much into this marquis.

Her calm demeanor and confident words didn’t seem to harbor any intention of teasing him.

Qiao Yan continued, “General Bao, don’t forget, I’ve already told Yang Xiu that the purpose of improving wine-making is to establish connections with the local wine workshops,

Exchanging brewing techniques for their channels to purchase grain. We shouldn’t confuse priorities.”

“Firstly, we don’t have the capital for large-scale wine production yet.

The plan to reduce land taxes in Leping this year and promote agriculture remains unchanged.

Secondly, even though I’m a marquis, I’m still an outsider here in Leping. Competing directly with locals will only lead to resentment and hostility.”

“Thirdly—this is merely an experiment, and we shouldn’t rush things.”

“Let’s just keep improving these ten pottery jars for now; we don’t know how far they’ll go yet, so there’s no need to rush onto the stage,” Qiao Yan remarked.

Bao Hong asked, “Then why mention the three words ‘Heroic Wine’ if it’s just for more profit, as you said?”

“It’s simply for the sake of more benefits,” Qiao Yan replied.

Bao Hong found this answer somewhat puzzling, but he didn’t consider himself particularly clever.

Seeing that even Yang Xiu didn’t understand Qiao Yan’s intentions, his slight frustration vanished.

Moreover, he didn’t see a reason to be frustrated.

After all, he could assist in loading the wine barrels onto carts with some soldiers, and in return, he would receive some excellent wine from Qiao Yan.

Overall, he was still profiting!

That was all that mattered!

Why should he bother thinking about unnecessary things?

Thinking about it this way, he couldn’t help but feel he had something in common with that drunkard who came to do odd jobs for a drink.

Although, after he finished loading the wine and patted the drunkard on the shoulder with a knowing look,

He received a somewhat baffled expression in return.

Bao Hong didn’t mind this and immediately turned to instruct the soldiers to keep an eye on the surroundings of Le Ping.

Although the bandits on Mount Taihang had seemingly disappeared over the past month,

The news from Zhao Yun about Zhang Niujiao’s and Chu Yan’s forces merging made Bao Hong a bit nervous,

Fearing something unexpected might happen at any moment.

What he didn’t notice was that behind him, Zhi Cai retracted his gaze.

What seemed like a somewhat lazy look in his eyes revealed a hint of interest.

This Lord Qiao is indeed quite interesting…

It was not in vain for him to make this trip.

He is not, as Yang Xiu and Bao Hong think, just an ordinary person trading labor for wine.

He was deliberately brought in by Yang Xiu.

Of course, the name ” Zhi Cai ” is somewhat perfunctory, but since his real name is Xi Zhicai, and there happens to be a surname “Zhi” originating from Jinzhong in Taiyuan, he conveniently borrowed it.

Naturally, he is not a native of Taiyuan, but a person from Yingchuan.

Yes, the very Yingchuan known for producing scholars and strategists.

Several months ago, Xi Zhicai traveled north from Yingchuan, arriving in Luoyang along with He Boqiu from Nanyang.

He Yong intended to recruit talents for the Three Excellencies’ Office, and the people he associated with mostly had firsthand political information.

Although Xi Zhicai had no immediate plans to take up an official position, he heard quite a lot from these interactions and inevitably developed some interest in Qiao Yan.

In his view, although there are naturally talented people in this world, someone at Qiao Yan’s level made people wonder if she was born with innate knowledge.

However, being interested is one thing, but engaging with her is another matter.

Xi Zhicai, being carefree in his actions, naturally did not pay much attention to the decree appointing a county lord that was issued in Luoyang in mid-May.

He continued with his plan to travel around the mountains and rivers, leaving Luoyang to head north to Bingzhou.

After a visit to Yunzhong Mountain, he temporarily settled in Jinyang.

It was during this time that he received a letter from He Yong, which mentioned Qiao Yan’s strategic discussions in the capital and Xu Shao’s evaluation of Qiao Yan.

Xi Zhicai replied with a letter.

“Guo Linzong regards Wang Zishi as a talent fit to assist a king, and Boqiu regards Xun Wenruo as such.

Now, Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi regard Lord Qiao as fit to assist a king, and Zijiang considers her a phoenix.

However, the three who could be king’s assistants still need time. It would be better for the evaluators to first determine who is superior.”

When He Yong received the letter, he was nearly infuriated by Xi Zhicai’s mischievous words.

Look at what he said.

Guo Linzong, that is, Guo Tai, was a critic as famous as Xu Shao.

When he was in Taiyuan, he said that Wang Zishi of the Wang family in Taiyuan, that is, Wang Yun, had the talent to assist a king.

He Yong, also known as He Boqiu, once saw Xun Yu while residing in Yingchuan and declared that he had the talent to assist a king.

And now, Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi are saying the same about Qiao Yan.

However, these three “king’s assistants” currently include one assisting in quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yuzhou, another still studying at home, and the last one only ten years old.

In short, whether these three truly possess the talent to assist a king still requires time to verify.

So, what should be done? Perhaps the critics themselves should have a contest to determine who is superior.

Not to mention that asking He Yong to fight against battlefield veterans like Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi is completely impractical,

Let’s talk about Guo Linzong, He and Xu Shao are often mentioned together, not because they currently hold titles as critics in the north and south, but because Guo Linzong has long passed away.

Is He Yong supposed to go underground to find Guo Linzong for a duel to see who is more talented?

Fortunately, He Yong was well aware of Xi Zhicai’s absurd and unconventional nature.

His reaction was more one of speechlessness than anger, thinking that perhaps this was why Xi Zhicai had not yet made a name for himself.

However, He Yong likely did not expect that although Xi Zhicai’s letters back to Luoyang expressed some skepticism about the evaluations, he was not merely playing around.

Upon discovering that Qiao Yan and her group had detoured to Jinyang due to the Black Mountain bandits, and noticing that Yang Xiu was recruiting winemakers in the city for some unknown reason,

Xi Zhicai, driven by his interest in Qiao Yan, decided to join the group.

He even used the excuse of doing it just for the wine, forgoing any wages, and gave himself the rather fitting alias “Zhi Cai.”

a half-hearted alias.

As for those theories about winemaking, he had memorized enough during his leisure time to speak convincingly without much difficulty.

This gave him a perfect opportunity to observe Qiao Yan up close.

In the past month, her statistical analysis of Le Ping’s population and the implementation of a one-year tax reduction policy had already given Xi Zhicai some insight into Qiao Yan’s style of governance.

Today’s discussion further convinced him that he needed to label Qiao Yan as a “pragmatist.”

This clear self-awareness and gradual approach were incredibly impressive, especially in someone so young, already holding the rank of a marquis.

Even though Xi Zhicai was on good terms with Xun Yu, he had to admit that what he observed in these small details suggested that his friend might still fall short compared to Qiao Yan.

He immediately began to ponder Qiao Yan’s ideas regarding the branding of the Hero’s Wine.

Perhaps it was because her conversation with Bao Hong was so unexpectedly intriguing that, although Xi Zhicai had some thoughts on how to profit from it,

He suspected that Qiao Yan’s plan might be entirely different from what he imagined.

However, because he was not suited for strenuous labor, Qiao Yan excluded him from the list of people going to Jinyang.

Not wanting to reveal his true identity or stand out too much, he had to rely on second-hand information.

But this was no big deal.

He poured himself a small jug of wine.

This nine-step supplemented fermentation process produced a uniquely flavored wine, allowing him to enjoy a leisurely sip while reclining in the courtyard.

He found Le Ping County to be quite deserving of its name and much more comfortable to reside in compared to Yingchuan and Luoyang.

Yet, with bandits lurking nearby, he wondered when Lord Qiao would initiate plans against the Black Mountain bandits.

From his perspective, Chu Yan, who decisively retreated into Mount Taihang when the Yellow Turbans were suppressed in Jizhou, maintained a strategic advantage and attracted followers, likely making him a shrewd and opportunistic leader.

Until he fully understood Qiao Yan’s capabilities, he wouldn’t rashly attack Le Ping.

Otherwise, he might end up like those who failed before.

Unless…