Chapter 2 The Hidden Mystery of the Wine Shop

The next day, Zhou Chang entered the palace to meet the king of Zhao, did not mention any political affairs, only asked the king of Zhao to borrow a servant, the king of Zhao had heard that Zhou Chang behaved strangely, I didn't know that Zhou Chang did not go to the palace to discuss matters but only borrowed the servant from him to do something, and he was stunned for a moment and immediately agreed. Zhou Chang arranged the palace of King Zhao a little and left the palace soon.

The servant followed Zhou Chang and didn't dare to speak first, he was embarrassed yesterday, and he didn't dare to 'show his edge' today, so he just shut up and walked with Zhou Chang respectfully. Zhou Chang walked all the way but didn't say a word to the servant, only two quarters of an hour out of the palace, the servant didn't know where Zhou Chang was going to take him, but he looked at the direction but went to the northern district of Handan, after knowing the direction, the servant took a reassurance pill and no longer had any doubts, just followed Zhou Chang and went straight.

"What's your public name?" Zhou Chang suddenly spoke. "Servant Cui Zhou." The servant replied respectfully. Zhou Chang smiled, "How many years has Gong Cui been a servant?" "Since King Zhao opened his ears, the servant is the servant, and it has been six or seven years." Zhou Chang nodded slightly, and said, "Is the position of Duke Cui's servant given by King Zhang Er?" "Yes." Zhou Changchang said 'oh-', "Then what position can King Zhao give you now?" The servant Cui Zhou probably knew the meaning of Zhou Chang's words, and said in a low voice, "No." Zhou Chang nodded, slowed down and walked side by side with Cui Zhou, and there was a voice outside the strings that instructed, "Jun does not regret the minister, does Cui Gong know this story?" Cui Zhou bowed his head and was silent for a long time before replying, "I know, the story of Zhao Jianzi and the Tiger Society, the minister, the monarch respects the minister." Monarchs and ministers do not lose courtesy and treat each other with courtesy. Zhou Chang nodded with a smile, "What Gong Cui said is true. Ministers, kings respect ministers, do not lose courtesy and treat each other with courtesy. Don't grovel because you are the emperor's heir, don't completely throw away the clouds because of the death of the old master, the courtiers are loyal and righteous. Cui Zhou remembered that he was lying on the ground with his fat body bent and groveling yesterday, so he had already blushed to the base of his neck with shame, touched his forehead in embarrassment, and said, "Zhou Xiang's words, the servant wrote it down." Cui Zhou said again, "King Zhao......, how is Xuanping Hou now?" Zhou Chang smiled, "The life of the Marquis of Xuanping has returned to tranquility and peace, and Princess Lu Yuan is still with him." Cui Zhou also said "oh-" for a long time, "It's good." ”

Zhou Chang's words guided Cui Zhou to be loyal and upright as a courtier and not grovel, and Cui Zhou's heart straightened his waist as if well water had been purified, with a gentle rather than flattering smile. While the two of them were talking, they had already come to the market in the North District, which was prosperous, with wine shops in the east and iron smelting in the west, jewelry shops on the left, and porcelain and pottery on the right filling the street, and they were all shouting brightly. Zhou Chang walked along the street, only feeling that Handan's economy was no worse than Chang'an, and it was more prosperous than Chang'an, and the goods were dazzling and dizzying. Cui Zhou saw that Zhou Chang only nodded but didn't say a word, knowing that Zhou Chang secretly admired Handan's developed economy, Cui Zhou smiled, "Zhou Xiang won't just look at the prosperous scene when he comes to the market, right?" Zhou Chang walked and smiled and paid attention to the goods on both sides of the street, and said, "Just entered Zhao, if you want to quickly understand all aspects of Zhao Kingdom, you need to start from the market life of the people. When I went to Zhao, I had seen some farmers plowing the mulberry fields on the road, and there would be abundant golden crops in the coming year on the fertile land. The market is a direct response to the four industries of agriculture and industry. Cui Zhou showed admiration on his face, opened his mouth and was surprised by Zhou Chang's political style, so he gave a thumbs up in front of Zhou Chang, "The servant is not flattering, Zhou Xiang is really capable." Zhou Chang smiled and walked straight to a wine shop.

A little servant in a gray cloth and a green coat wearing a blue hat immediately greeted the guests with a smile when he saw the guests coming, "Everyone who comes to my Yunxian wine shop is a wine appreciator, and this wine shop gathers all kinds of alcoholic wine in the world, I don't know which one the Jun family prefers?" The little servant smiled like a spring breeze for Zhou Changcui and pushed the name of the wine shop out of the house, Zhou Chang Cui Zhou had not yet replied, he had already been pulled by the little servant to sit by the window of the wine shop, and still asked with a smile, "Look at the first time the Jun family came, and launched the fifteen-year aging of this wine shop for the Jun family - fifteen years of sorghum, okay?" Zhou Chang and Cui Zhou looked at each other and smiled at each other and said to the little servant, "Fifteen years of sorghum? I think the history is long, after two dynasties, hehe. It's up, I'm going to take it and rice wine in a row. The little servant grabbed the back of his head and smiled, "The Jun family is really good at laughing." After that, a gust of wind had already run into the house, and soon after that, I heard a shout in the house, "Sorghum has been in the past fifteen years-", the little servant took a wine jug and the two wine lords drove around the other Hakka and came to Zhou Chang with a smile on their faces, and smiled again after skillfully setting the wine jug, "Jun family try, scorching, can you drink it?" ”

Zhou Chang and Cui Zhou looked at each other and smiled, indifferent to the little servant's words and shook their heads in disbelief. Cui Zhou poured a jue for Zhou Chang first and then poured a duke for himself and tasted it separately, Zhou Chang had already narrowed his eyes and tasted the taste of sorghum wine after taking a sip, only felt mellow but not greasy, fragrant and euphemistic, and drank the three jue in a row, but the more he drank, the more fragrant he became, the little servant had already smiled when he saw the Hakka family's intoxicated face, "What the hell is the Jun family." "Okay-" Zhou Chang suddenly slapped the big case and exclaimed, "The rice wine is soft and slightly sweet, and the sorghum wine is mellow but not greasy, fragrant and euphemistic and has a strong temperament, which is really good." Zhou Chang drank it and felt fragrant, and praised the sorghum wine as good. Cui Zhou smiled even more and said to Zhou Chang, "If you compare it with the ancient sword, the wine will also be dry." The little servant laughed with Zhou and Cui. The little servant came up with another plate of side dishes at Zhou Chang's instructions, and was about to leave to greet the others, Zhou Chang smiled and chatted with him, "Seeing that Yunxian Wine Shop is prosperous like water, doesn't the Zhao Imperial Court collect liquor tax?" The little servant immediately put away his face but leaned down and became serious, "His Majesty the Emperor has already said that businessmen are not allowed to do these things, but he didn't say that he collects alcohol taxes, and by him, life is just to make ends meet, right?" Agriculture and industry are in the four industries, who can be rich and rich in business? Nazigong and Bai Gui are the best, and they will have both. Zhou Changpi smiled in the spring and autumn, drank wine and asked, "Is the sorghum grown by the Jun family themselves or bought with money?" The little servant smiled, "Sometimes I plant and sometimes I buy, and most of them are bought." Zhou Chang nodded, but Cui Zhou, who was sitting on the other side, didn't know why Zhou Chang kept asking the question of wine, and when he heard half of it, he was already confused and drank sorghum wine. Ah, ——, servants went to greet other Hakka, and the Jun family was at will. The little servant suddenly shouted, hurriedly left a word, and then ran to greet the new guests.

"Zhou Xiang has been asking about wine, do you want to collect alcohol tax?" Cui Zhou asked.

Zhou Chang shook his head, "The emperor didn't levy a liquor tax on the whole country, wouldn't it be too sharp for Zhao Guo to collect it alone?" Leave a piece of gold, and Cui Gong will go to a place with me. Zhou Chang took out a gold ingot from his waist and put it on the case, and had already gotten up and left directly. Cui Zhou scratched his scalp and followed Zhou Chang out of the wine shop.