Sweat beaded on Zuo Wushang's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged.
He finally understood Liang Xiao's intention.
The remnants of the Great Heng Kingdom were always well-informed, and much of the intelligence sold to the barbarians came from them.
They naturally knew that the Dugu and Duanmu families had been trying to replicate Liang Xiao's "A Drunk Hundred Years."
Of course, even some of the Great Heng Kingdom remnants' own wineries were attempting to imitate it. Everyone wanted to replicate this fine wine!
Moreover, the Dugu family was openly hostile to Liang Xiao!
Now, if the Dugu family took four hundred jars and the Duanmu family took three hundred, one of them would surely be unable to complete even one poem, let alone two!
At this point, conflict would arise between the two families.
Even if the Duanmu family dared not offend the Dugu family, their close ties with other influential families meant they were not to be trifled with by the Dugu family.
What if both families ended up with nothing? They would resent each other for taking up their slots, believing they would have at least secured one poem otherwise!
Liang Xiao's machinations, earning money from selling wine while playing his opponents, left Zuo Wushang and Ye Qingyi feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cave!
Was this the retribution the Dugu family was about to face?
Ye Qingyi looked at the ten jars of "A Drunk Hundred Years" opened by her own people, shaking her head helplessly. She hadn't drawn the crucial two lines either.
She had been able to select ten jars first due to the Bai Chun Tower's preferential treatment, hoping for good luck.
Everyone turned to look at Duanmu Chao. Duanmu Chao frowned, his gaze sweeping across the opened wooden crates in the distance, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"Father! We... we don't have them either!" Duanmu Xiu stammered.
"What?!" Duanmu Chao was struck as if by lightning.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
The two families, having bought a total of seven hundred jars, still had nothing?
This was utterly unexpected!
Liang Xiao, suppressing a smile on the stage, declared, "Both your families wanted a thousand jars each, and as your Marquis, I couldn't refuse to sell, could I?"
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chao and Dugu She exchanged looks, their eyes filled with mutual resentment!
Both roared inwardly: "It's all this old dog's fault! Otherwise, even if our families couldn't buy a thousand jars, we'd have bought seven or eight hundred, and we'd surely have gotten at least one poem!"
"We don't have it!" Several more merchants and scions of noble families sighed, their expressions filled with despair.
They had bought twenty or thirty jars each, and still, they hadn't drawn anything!
"Young... Young Master!"
Just then, a voice rang out from the front of the stage. The crowd looked to see Mu Hong's servant approaching, carrying a jar of "A Drunk Hundred Years" and carefully placing it on the table.
Mu Hong's breath hitched. He walked over and, with trembling hands, turned the jar to display the note attached to it.
[The clouds long for her robes, the flowers yearn for her beauty.]
"It's with the Mu family!" everyone exclaimed in shock. "The Mu family only bought twenty jars!"
Dugu She and Duanmu Chao's eyes seemed ready to spew fire!
They had bought three to four hundred jars and couldn't even get one line, yet this young man, with only twenty jars, had "drawn" a line?
"Congratulations, Brother Mu! Aim to complete the poem!" Liang Xiao roared with laughter.
He felt a measure of comfort that it had fallen into Mu Hong's hands rather than the Dugu family's.
Mu Hong and Mu Wanjun recovered, covering their mouths and giggling.
"Our Mu family has both lines needed! We don't need to pay to buy the other three lines from anyone else!"
The crowd was so envious their eyes felt like they would burst, especially Dugu She and Duanmu Chao!
"Monsters!!"
"What about the crucial line for the other poem?" the crowd pressed urgently.
Just then, Gu Shaoyan, holding a jar of "A Drunk Hundred Years," trembled and said, "Marquis An Guo, our Gu family..."
The crowd looked closely. The jar of "A Drunk Hundred Years" in Gu Shaoyan's arms clearly bore a line.
[Man exists between heaven and earth, like a traveler on a distant journey.]
"How is this possible! This brat only bought twenty jars!" Dugu She immediately spat out a mouthful of blood!
He understood; he was ruined!
He had made the decision to buy four hundred jars and came away with nothing. His butler at the Dugu family would have to be replaced upon his return!
Duanmu Chao and his son hung their heads in dejection. Duanmu Xian, however, gazed at the three hundred jars of "A Drunk Hundred Years" and drooled, "I don't care who it is, Young Master! Such excellent wine, I can finally drink it freely!"
"Slap!" Before Duanmu Xian could finish, he received a smack on the back of his head from his father, Duanmu Chao.
He was already furious and had nowhere to vent, and this brat dared to provoke him further?
There was no doubt that they, along with the Dugu family, had become the biggest fools of the day!
Dugu She wiped the blood from his lips and roared, "Gu Shaoyan, Mu Hong! Aren't you two working with Liang Xiao to put on a show!"
Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong's brows furrowed simultaneously, and their faces darkened. "Are you implying we can't handle losing?"
Mu Wanjun angrily retorted, "Butler Dugu, you're talking nonsense! Those thousand jars of wine were chosen by you first. My brother and Brother Shaoyan picked from the remainder, and they opened them in front of thousands of people. How could they be putting on a show with the Marquis An Guo!"
Liang Xiao burst into laughter. "Does the esteemed butler of the Dugu family have less insight than a mere woman?"
Instantly, the entire hall erupted in laughter!
"Is the Dugu family so unable to take a loss? Do they think the thousands of eyes watching are all blind?" some bystanders couldn't help but jeer.
Dugu She felt as if the world was spinning, and he promptly fainted, falling unconscious!
Duanmu Chao could only offer a wry smile.
Mu Wanjun was right; Mu Hong and Gu Shaoyan had merely been incredibly lucky and picked up the scraps.
Gu Shaoyan smiled, "Unbelievable. Our family bought twenty jars, and we managed to complete the entire poem, 'Green Grass on the Hillside柏'..."
The crowd glanced at the twenty jars of "A Drunk Hundred Years" belonging to the Gu family and realized with a shock!
Indeed, the entire poem was complete!
Even Liang Xiao was surprised. "This luck, I concede defeat..."
Mu Hong's poem was at most four short lines. With the first line, completing the other three wouldn't be difficult.
Gu Shaoyan's poem had a full eight lines, and several of those lines were only in a few jars, making them equally rare!
The crucial line had been personally opened by Gu Shaoyan!
This young man's luck in picking up scraps was outrageously good...
Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong exchanged smiles and nodded in tacit understanding.
"Brother Mu, I want to discuss with my father, and we'll use this completed poem, 'Green Grass on the Hillside柏,' as the betrothal gift to marry Wan Jun!" Gu Shaoyan said tremulously.
Mu Hong nodded solemnly. "I had the same intention. I hope this 'Clear and Pleasant Tune' in my hands can serve as the betrothal gift to marry Xiao Xiao!"
Publicly declared and betrothed, Mu Wanjun and Gu Xiaoxiao immediately threw themselves into their respective lovers' arms, weeping with joy.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Brother Mu, Brother Gu, your luck is good enough, but you're also flaunting your affection and showering us with dog food. That's going too far," Liang Xiao teased.
Dog food?
The crowd blinked. The people from the Dugu and Duanmu families turned pale and then flushed.
They didn't understand the meaning of "dog food," but they felt like they were being treated like dogs!
The Mu and Gu families, who had each bought twenty jars of "A Drunk Hundred Years," had respectively completed a peerless poem!
Especially Gu Shaoyan's poem, its value was immeasurable!
What's more, Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong, with considerable foresight, had exchanged betrothal gifts on the spot, solidifying their relationship and destined to become a celebrated tale, a legendary event passed down through the ages, making their names known throughout the world!
Even Duanmu Chao, with his merchant's pragmatism, felt a surge of anger, watching as Liang Xiao personally presented the two poems to them, then tore up the crucial lines in public.
Along with those two lines, the hearts of other buyers were also torn asunder!
"Thank you, Marquis An Guo! We will surely visit and express our gratitude another day!"
Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong, unable to hide their elation, cupped their fists in salute to Liang Xiao, then hastily arranged for their servants and guards to escort the two poems away.
Liang Xiao received the silver notes, the Gu and Mu families obtained calligraphy, the Dugu and Duanmu families received mockery, the audience enjoyed the spectacle, and Jian Qinwan received the "title of Marchioness An Guo" ...
Ye Qingyi had observed the entire scene, her heart pounding. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she gracefully moved before Liang Xiao under the captivated gazes of the crowd, bowed deeply, and said with a voice as soft as honey.
"Marquis An Guo, I truly admire you immensely. I beg for a private meeting, whether at Bai Chun Tower or your home, as you wish..."
As soon as her words fell, the crowd below, who had been envious of Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong, let out a wail of despair!