In the largest courtyard of the Liang Manor, over a hundred people sat, gazing expectantly at Liang Xiao.
The number of people seeking to purchase Yi Zui Bai Nian had doubled! Landowners and gentry from across the land—Jiangnan, Donghai, Beijing, Longxi—had sent people to the capital to inquire about Yi Zui Bai Nian!
The reason was simple: Yi Zui Bai Nian's taste was even more mellow than Song Ling Jiu, a peerless elixir among wines! Following Liang Xiao's previous strategic scarcity marketing, Yi Zui Bai Nian had become a symbol of identity and status.
Liang Xiao simply smiled and listened to everyone’s requests, a cold sneer in his heart.
Dugu Qun had donated a hundred thousand taels just yesterday, and the Dugu family had already sent someone to the Liang Manor to purchase Yi Zui Bai Nian, ordering forty jars! He had underestimated the Dugu family's financial might.
The Duanmu family’s demand had doubled, requesting eighty jars, intending to resell them to the powerful figures of the Great Liang country and earn a profit through their "labor"!
Duanmu Xiu respectfully cupped his hands at Liang Xiao, saying, "Marquis An Guo, you are now ennobled. Our Duanmu family purchases in large quantities; could we get a discount?"
Liang Xiao shook his head, "Young Master Duanmu, you come from a merchant family. Do you need this Marquis to remind you? Yi Zui Bai Nian is worth this price now!"
Duanmu Xiu's throat moved. He wanted to speak but stopped, eventually forcing a smile. If they didn't buy it, others would. The Great Qian and Great Liang countries were not lacking in extravagantly wealthy individuals. Even if both countries were plagued by famine, it wouldn't stop the rich from indulging in pleasure and vying in opulence!
Mu Hong and Gu Shaoyan, due to their official positions in the Hanlin Academy, found it inconvenient to represent their families. The Gu and Mu families sent replacements to inquire about purchases, each requesting five jars of Yi Zui Bai Nian.
After Liang Wen tallied everyone's requests, Liang Xiao glanced at the list and sighed, "The total is one thousand jars. I cannot produce that much."
One thousand jars! The wealth of these aristocratic families surpassed ordinary imagination, astonishing even Liang Xiao! Now he understood the legends of ancient people competing in wealth, and the wealthy here were even richer!
The crowd grew anxious, arguing heatedly, their faces flushed. Finally, the quantities were settled.
Five hundred jars of Yi Zui Bai Nian were brought over, their fragrance filling the air! The Dugu family was the first to rush forward to inspect, fearing Liang Xiao might have adulterated the wine they were buying.
Twenty-five thousand taels of silver notes were now in hand!
After seeing off the buyers, Liang Xiao summoned Liang Yun and gave him twenty-five thousand taels. Liang Yun felt a sense of elation, then calmed down and said, "Second Brother, I have decided. Besides sponsoring refugees, I also plan to engage in business. Making money from money will allow me to better support the refugees. Otherwise, we will be consuming our capital!"
Liang Xiao praised him with satisfaction, "Grandfather would also be pleased with your foresight."
The three young masters of the Liang family were now famous throughout the capital thanks to Liang Xiao. Liang Yun had also abandoned the idea of being a wealthy idler who merely collected money.
Liang Yun looked around, confirming only he, Liang Xiao, and Liang Wen were present, then couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother, what do you think I should engage in?"
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "In the future, you can set aside half of your capital, and we will buy land together. Let's add some money to purchase land from those landowners and gentry. Don't deliberately pick fertile land; any land that can grow grain will do. It's best to buy land in Yan Province; it's cheap and close to home."
Liang Wen and Liang Yun were puzzled by his intentions. However, out of trust in Liang Xiao, Liang Yun readily agreed. In his eyes, his wealth was a gift from Liang Xiao, so what if it was all lost? Still, buying land carried great risk, especially land in Yan Province, which bordered the desolate regions...
"Remember, if farmers are forced to sell their land due to hardship, we will buy it at a higher price and hire them to farm it," Liang Xiao reminded them repeatedly.
Liang Yun was lost in confusion, but fortunately, Liang Wen diligently took notes.
Liang Wen read what he had recorded and exclaimed, "Second Young Master, are you betting that land prices will rise in the future?"
"Precisely!" Liang Xiao replied without hesitation.
Liang Wen and Liang Yun exchanged glances, their eyes revealing their worry. Due to the wars brought by the desolate regions, land prices in the north were continuously falling; gold and jewels were valuable. Furthermore, the government's promotion of the屯田 (Tuntian) policy, which Liang Xiao had proposed, would inevitably cause land prices to fall further! Under these circumstances, Liang Xiao's move against the current trend baffled them.
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Even if we fail in the future, at worst, we can donate the land to the people. Isn't that also a beautiful deed?"
The two then seemed to understand and nodded solemnly. Liang Xiao merely smiled, confident in his plan. He had calculated for so long; how could he fail! With the promotion of the曲辕犁 (Qu Yuan Li, a type of plow), grain yields would increase. As farmers' cultivation efficiency greatly improved, landowners would require more land, and eventually, they would have to buy back the land they had previously sold cheaply from Liang Xiao at a high price. If the population increased, the value of land would rise further. If Great Qian could find potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, and promote them vigorously, coupled with the implementation of摊丁入亩 (Tan Ding Ru Mu, a tax reform), it would inevitably lead to a population boom... This was a crucial investment and a necessary means to reclaim land from the landowners and gentry!
At this moment, Liang Yun had not yet discovered his talent, but he was preparing to attempt land acquisition according to Liang Xiao's wishes.
Five hundred jars of Yi Zui Bai Nian and the "share" of twenty-five thousand taels of silver notes were sent to the palace. Xiao Qing read Liang Xiao's letter, her heart filled with sweetness. These peerless wines were presented by Liang Xiao to the court, replacing Song Ling Jiu as the national wine. In the letter, Liang Xiao had reminded her three times: "This wine is potent; His Majesty and Princess Ningshuang must not try it."
*He truly cares about me!* Xiao Qing secretly glanced at Wang Canghai and the Minister of Works, Huang Xing. The two elders also wore expressions of surprise. Based on Yi Zui Bai Nian's current market price, this represented a value of a full two hundred and fifty thousand taels!
Xiao Qing spoke with exhilaration, "I intend to designate Yi Zui Bai Nian as the national wine, with status equal to Song Ling Jiu. What are your opinions, my two esteemed ministers?"
The two elders recovered their senses and nodded in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!" National wine? They believed that in the future, Song Ling Jiu would likely only serve as a foil to Yi Zui Bai Nian! Some distinguished guests might be hesitant to drink strong spirits like Yi Zui Bai Nian and could be entertained with Song Ling Jiu instead, but the unfortunate Song Ling Jiu would thus be relegated. Rumors from the common folk had already reached the court: Duanmu Xian, the second young master of the Duanmu family and a notorious drunkard, could no longer tolerate any other wine after tasting Yi Zui Bai Nian, claiming "these wines are too bland"! It was rumored that even the Qin Sage had sent people from the distant Tianqin Mountain to the capital to await purchasing several dozen jars of Yi Zui Bai Nian!
Xiao Qing smiled with satisfaction. After Huang Xing departed, she cautiously asked Wang Canghai, "Esteemed Grandfather Chancellor, how is the promotion of Physician Liang's smallpox prevention?"
Wang Canghai quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the physicians previously arranged by Your Majesty to receive the cowpox inoculation have recovered yesterday and have already gone to areas severely affected by smallpox to assist with prevention! The physicians heard that the Medical Saint and many other renowned doctors support Marquis An Guo, which has reassured them and eased their fear of smallpox!"
Xiao Qing's brow furrowed, and she said happily, "Then, it is reasonable for me to take some time to visit Physician Liang's home to express my gratitude, isn't it?"
Wang Canghai paused, then gave a wry smile, "Your Majesty, the Western Regions, respecting the divine might of General Tian, have requested a peace marriage with Great Qian, which you have not yet approved..."