Chapter 293: Chapter 214 The White Wine of the North Prince Mansioni

At this moment, Chu Qingli’s heart was filled with resentment toward a certain bad thing. If that bad thing hadn’t left so many scars on her body, she wouldn’t have had to lie that the scars were the result of practice backfiring.

The key point was that the bad thing clearly had the means to erase these scars, but he just refused to help her remove them. He insisted on keeping the scars there as if she were his possession, and he was stamping his mark on her body.

Having no choice, Chu Qingli could only say, “Well, then, I’ll take some time to rest.”

Seeing Chu Qingli agree, Chu Yuqin immediately said, “Qingli, I’ve told you before, you are an assassin by nature. You were always on the move in the past, so it’s not suitable for you to stay in one place all the time.”

“The frequency of your practice backfiring recently is probably related to your constant presence at the North Prince Mansion.

“Why not take advantage of this time to rest, leave the North Prince Mansion, go out for a walk, and relax your mind? Maybe when you come back, your practice won’t backfire anymore.”

Hearing this, Chu Qingli immediately said, “No need.”

She was planning to quickly complete the trade with Lu Chen and then save her sister and leave the North Prince Mansion. How could she leave the North Prince Mansion at this time? How would she trade with Lu Chen if she were not there?

At that moment, Chu Qingli suddenly thought of something, her gaze fixed on Chu Yuqin’s flawless face, and then suspiciously asked, “Sister, are you trying to send me away so you can do something with that lecherous man?”

Chu Qingli often made excuses to send Chu Yuqin away and then engage in secret trades with Lu Chen, so she was very sensitive to such matters.

At this time, Chu Yuqin replied with a guilty conscience, “Qingli, do you really see your sister as such a shameless person in your heart?”

Chu Qingli said, “Then why does Sister always want to send me away?”

Chu Yuqin said angrily, “What do you mean by sending you away? I’m doing this for your own good. You at least call me Sister, how could I bear to see you get hurt?”

Hearing this, Chu Qingli thought to herself: I’m sorry, Sister, but for you, I can’t leave the North Prince Mansion under any circumstances right now.

With that thought, Chu Qingli said, “Sister, I will not leave the North Prince Mansion unless you leave with me. I don’t feel at ease with Sister alone in the North Prince Mansion.”

Seeing how obstinate Chu Qingli was, Chu Yuqin felt helpless, and as expected, Chu Qingli would not leave the North Prince Mansion.

If Chu Qingli did not leave the North Prince Mansion, would the thing she promised Lu Chen keep dragging on? How would Lu Chen view her then? Would he think she was just using Chu Qingli as an excuse and didn’t want to attend to him?

Chu Yuqin sighed deeply and then said, “Forget it, you won’t listen to me no matter how much I say.”

Chu Yuqin decided not to continue persuading. She didn’t know how many times she had already tried to persuade Chu Qingli, who refused to leave the North Prince Mansion. She even started to suspect that Chu Qingli had an ulterior motive for staying.

To get Chu Qingli to leave the North Prince Mansion, Lu Chen would have to think of a way. Lu Chen could use the Prince’s power to directly transfer Chu Qingli out of the mansion, which would then give her the opportunity to attend to Lu Chen.

She had already discussed this with Lu Chen, and what came next would depend on what he did. It would be best if Chu Qingli were transferred to a location several hours’ travel from the mansion, giving her enough time to help Lu Chen relax.

With that thought, Chu Yuqin’s cheeks became incredibly hot—she really was a woman without shame, trying all means to drive her own sister out of the North Prince Mansion just to secretly steal some… moments with a man.

At this very moment.

The morning court had already ended.

Lu Chen was coming out of the Hall of Political Affairs and was planning to return to his study when a maid from the inner court approached and said, “Prince, the Princess Consort would like you to visit the inner court when you’re free. The sorghum wine is ready.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen’s heart leaped for joy, and he replied, “I’ll go right away.”

Then, Lu Chen hurried to the inner quarters of the mansion.

In the main hall, Lu Chen’s wives and concubines were gathered around a half- meter-tall jar of wine, discussing something.

Soon, Lu Chen entered the hall.

Seeing Lu Chen return, Xiao Wenyao and Yelv Nanyan quickly made way.

Lu Chen walked up to the wine jar, looking at the clear white liquor inside and smelling the strong fragrance in the air, and then he said, “It’s indeed strong!”

At that moment, Mu Zixuan, who was pregnant, said with a smile, “Prince, with this wine, the Prince’s Mansion will have another profitable venture. Soon the treasury of the mansion may not be able to hold all the silver.”

Hearing Mu Zixuan’s words, Lu Chen chuckled and then said, “That’s not necessarily the case. The silver from the mansion is about to be spent. I have decided to build a new city, and the little silver in the mansion might not even be enough for that.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Mu Zixuan was stunned. She hadn’t expected Lu Chen to build a new city, which meant that the silver earned by the mansion would likely be spent very quickly.

After all, it was money they had earned, and Mu Zixuan felt somewhat reluctant to part with it, but soon she let go of these feelings.

After all, silver is meant to be spent. What use is there in keeping it in the treasury?

This silver could be used where it’s meant to be, only then her earnings would truly be meaningful.

At this moment, Lu Chen picked up a bamboo tube scoop beside the wine jar and scooped out a ladle of white liquor from inside. He brought the scoop closer, sniffed the fragrance of the alcohol, and while sniffing, he asked, “Is there a bowl? Give me a bowl, I’d like to taste how this liquor is.”

Hearing this, Xiao Wenyao immediately passed over a bowl, “Prince, the bowl.”

Just as Lu Chen was about to take the bowl from Xiao Wenyao’s hands, her body swayed, and Lu Chen ended up grabbing at thin air.

Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, and as he turned his head to look at Xiao Wenyao, he realized only then that her face was flushed red, reeking of alcohol, with some of her hair sticking out.

This…

Lu Chen said with a smile, “Yaoyao, did you fall into the wine vat or something?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenyao, face redolent of alcohol, responded, “Prince… Prince, I just had a little…”

At this point, Xiao Wenyao’s body started to sway again, and Yelv Nanyan, who was nearby, quickly supported her.

Lu Chen suddenly noticed that not only was Xiao Wenyao affected, but even Yelv Nanyan’s cheeks were rosy, and it was clear that the two of them had been drinking.

At that time, Zhou Youyou, covering her mouth, giggled from the side, “Prince, just now Yaoyao and Nanyan said they are from the grasslands, champions of drinking, claiming that no liquor could intoxicate them. So the two of them downed a bowl each in one go, only to find themselves tipsy within a few breaths.”

Hearing Zhou Youyou’s words, Lu Chen chuckled and then said, “You actually dared to drink such strong liquor straight from a bowl?”

The beautiful Yelv Nanyan felt exceedingly embarrassed, her cheeks turning even more crimson. She hadn’t expected the liquor to be so potent, nor its potency to have such a strong aftereffect. It had been too long since she had drunk liquor at the Prince’s Mansion, and the rich aroma overwhelmed her restraint – she hadn’t anticipated this liquor was nothing like the grain alcohol they used to drink.

In the meantime, Xiao Wenyao once again extended the bowl towards Lu Chen, “Prince… Prince, the bowl.”

Lu Chen took the bowl, then poured the liquor from the scoop into the bowl and took a gentle sip.

A burning sensation instantly surged through his throat; this liquor was evidently extremely strong – it was best diluted. Not many could withstand it straight.

However, thinking it over, Lu Chen realized that once the liquor entered his stomach, it would evaporate immediately. The alcohol did not enter his bloodstream to circulate.

This…

Lu Chen instantly understood what was happening – clearly, his Poison Immunity Body was at work.

The alcohol was regarded as a toxin by his Poison Immunity Body, so as soon as it entered his stomach, it was neutralized. The alcohol had no effect on him whatsoever.

That meant, from now on, no matter how much he drank, it wouldn’t be an issue.

Lu Chen wasn’t sure whether this was good or bad.

The primary effect of alcohol is to numb the nerves, but now that the alcohol he drank wouldn’t enter his blood circulation, he wouldn’t even know what getting drunk felt like in the future.

After seeing Lu Chen take a sip of the liquor before him, Mu Zixuan asked with concern, “Prince, how do you find the taste?”

Lu Chen pursed his lips and replied, “It has a high alcohol content, not really suitable for consumption as is. It’s best to dilute it to lower its alcohol content.”

Hearing this, Mu Zixuan responded, “I understand, my lord. I will speak with the workers who brew the liquor and tell them to lower the alcohol content of the liquor.”

The method of sorghum liquor brewing was provided by Lu Chen, so Mu Zixuan had learned many things about it – and not just her; even the Prince’s Mansion’s workers knew what “alcohol content” meant. Previously, when people drank liquor, they only spoke of it being strong or mild without the concept of alcohol content.

With the notion of alcohol content, from now on they would be able to more accurately describe how strong a liquor was and to what extent it was potent.

After tasting the sorghum liquor, Lu Chen returned to his study to draft content for the officials’ examinations.

A few days later.

The Prince’s Mansion’s newly released sorghum liquor sold like hotcakes, with numerous merchant caravans coming to the North Prince Mansion to place orders. The backlog of pre-orders had already extended three to four months out.

In fact, most people of this era were not accustomed to high-alcohol-content sorghum liquor, yet there was a peculiar mentality at play – wanting to outdo others and feel superior.

As the Prince’s Mansion’s sorghum liquor entered the major taverns, it became the go-to choice for drink-offs, instantly replacing the earlier rice wine, since the sorghum liquor’s higher alcohol content made it easier to get drunk on.

Now in the taverns, a saying was prevalent: only women drink rice wine; a real man drinks the white liquor brewed by the North Prince Mansion.

In the following half a month, even before the North Prince Mansion could name its white liquor, its fame had already spread across Great Xia and the surrounding dynasties.

When Chu Yuqin realized how potent and intoxicating the North Prince Mansion’s white liquor was, an idea flashed through her mind – the white liquor might provide her ample time to attend to Lu Chen.

If she could just get Chu Qingli drunk, then she wouldn’t be able to constantly keep an eye on her, right?