Chapter 141: Clear Wine in Golden Cups Worth Ten Thousand Coins

"It seems the gathering is finally dispersing, Your Highness. Shall this humble servant step forward and have a word with Young Master Ye, lest he leaves first?"

It was already the hour of *Shen*, and the sky was beginning to darken. The clamor below had finally quieted down as the crowd gradually dispersed to their respective homes. Meanwhile, Ye Chang and Cao Shaokui had both stood up, lingering near the entrance and whispering to each other.

The man addressed as Your Highness, clad in luxurious garments, shook his head. "Li Guo, that sharp-eyed and ambitious Persian rogue of the Peony Tower, won't let Eleven Ye leave so easily."

As if to confirm his words, no sooner had Ye Chang parted ways with Cao Shaokui than the Persian stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Li Guo pays his respects to Young Master Ye."

This Persian actually possessed a Han Chinese name and had adopted a royal surname.

"You are too kind. What instructions does Shopkeeper Li have for me?"

"I am of Persian descent. My ancestors accompanied Prince Aluhan to the Great Tang to pacify the various foreign tribes on behalf of the Emperor. Later, during the reign of Empress Shenlong, my family was bestowed official titles and ranks by the Tang court, a heritage that has endured for eighty years."

The Persian shopkeeper spoke in a fluent and authentic Chang'an dialect, entirely devoid of any foreign accent—sounding even more standard than Ye Chang's own speech. As he recounted the glory of his ancestors, a look of immense pride crossed his face, and from time to time, he cast glances at Ye Chang, as if awaiting words of praise.

Ye Chang merely smiled, maintaining the appearance of a respectful listener.

*This young man is not easy to deal with,* Li Guo thought to himself, though aloud he said, "My ancestors passed down a priceless treasure, which I rarely allow anyone to behold. Today, having heard of Young Master Ye's extraordinary dream of immortals, I wish to invite Young Master Ye to appreciate and examine it."

Ye Chang nodded and followed Li Guo through the back door of the tavern. Shanzhi and Wuguli flanked him on either side. Li Guo's eyes darted toward the two guards, and he chuckled softly, "Does Young Master Ye bring these two wherever he goes?"

"Carrying a great treasure upon my person, I must be cautious," Ye Chang replied with a smile.

"Oh? I wonder what manner of treasure this is?"

"Could the brewing method of Drunk Sorghum not be considered a great treasure?"

Through this exchange, both men understood each other's intentions. Li Guo smiled and extended a hand. "Please."

The Peony Tower was situated at the intersection of the Northern Market, facing the streets on two sides with a three-story tavern structure. To the rear lay a courtyard adorned with pavilions and gardens, possessing a rather refined elegance. Guided by Li Guo, Ye Chang walked through the gardens to a private side chamber.

Outwardly, the room appeared unassuming, but upon entering, one could immediately tell that its luxury far surpassed that of the lavish tavern in the front.

The faint sounds of stringed and wind instruments from the tavern could still be heard, but once the heavy felt curtains were dropped, even that distant murmur vanished completely. This was indeed an ideal location for confidential talks. Ye Chang surmised that whenever distinguished guests required absolute quiet, Li Guo would lead them here.

"Young Master Ye, please take a look."

Once inside, host and guest took their seats. Dispensing with further pleasantries, Li Guo clapped his hands three times.

The wall on the opposite side suddenly slid open without a sound, and a stunning, lovely young maiden sat kneeling behind it.

The wall was actually a hidden door. Ye Chang was slightly startled and inwardly heightened his vigilance; if armed guards had been concealed here, even Shanzhi might not have noticed them.

The radiant maiden held a brocade box, approaching with steps on her knees. She placed the box upon the small table between the two men and then quietly withdrew.

Li Guo opened the box, and a sudden ray of light illuminated the dim room.

The light emanated from within the box—a soft, ethereal glow. Though not exceptionally bright, it cast a faint outline of nearby figures. Ye Chang leaned forward and saw a sphere the size of a goose egg resting inside the box. Shanzhi could not help crying out from the side, "A night-pearly gem?"

"I wish to trade this pearl for Young Master Ye's secret recipe of Drunk Sorghum," Li Guo stated bluntly.

Amidst the gleaming radiance of jewels, these words caused Shanzhi's eyes to widen in astonishment.

This "night-pearly gem" was undoubtedly a priceless treasure, offered merely in exchange for a brewing formula. Although Shanzhi was not particularly greedy for wealth, even his heart could not help but flutter at this moment.

Ye Chang, however, suddenly recoiled, moving as far away from the "night-pearly gem" as possible.

"Do not try to harm me. Those who possess this object never live long," Ye Chang said calmly.

The so-called night-pearly gem was nothing more than an object containing radioactive material. Ye Chang had no intention of being killed by this thing at such a young age.

His reaction took Li Guo completely by surprise. Recovering himself, Li Guo nodded repeatedly. "I was just about to say—this object is a treasure my ancestors brought from Persia, and only those with immense virtue and fortune may keep it. Ordinary people lack sufficient destiny; encountering such a treasure brings not blessings, but disaster... Since Young Master Ye could discern this, and has furthermore experienced the dream of immortals, you are precisely a person of great virtue and fortune. Holding this item should pose no great harm."

"Hah! Surely even Old Master Li has never dared to closely examine this item while it remained in your estate, has he?" Ye Chang looked at the stunning maiden, his gaze carrying an inevitable hint of pity. "You entrusted this treasure to this young maiden for safekeeping. I wonder how many maidens have been replaced over the years?"

The expressions of both Li Guo and the maiden changed drastically. The girl trembled slightly, raised her head to look at Li Guo, and lost all the color in her lips.

Li Guo remained silent for a moment before waving his hand. The maiden lowered her head in a bow, stood up, and retreated through the front door.

"Could this object truly be... an ominous thing?" Li Guo asked Ye Chang with difficulty.

"The reason this object emits light is because it continuously projects invisible baleful energies in all directions," Ye Chang spouted nonsense, yet managed a barely plausible explanation. "The so-called treasured glow is actually carried by these baleful energies, injuring people unseen. Furthermore, while the glow can be blocked by a wooden box, the baleful energies pierce straight through the container, harming the human body unconsciously. In all the world, there is only one thing that can restrain this baleful energy."

"I wonder what that might be. Please enlighten me, Young Master Ye."

"A lead box," Ye Chang said.

He was merely guessing. The object Li Guo regarded as a "night-pearly gem" was clearly radioactive, and he lacked absolute certainty as to whether a lead box could truly block it. However, storing it in lead was bound to be better than keeping it in a brocade box.

Given the nature of this Persian merchant, who knew full well that anyone lacking immense wealth and status would suffer harm from possessing the pearl yet still assigned a young maiden to guard it—this was standard practice for the era, where servants were not viewed as human beings. Though powerless to intervene in the matter as a whole, Ye Chang felt a tinge of sympathy and thus taught him the method of the lead box. If it worked, it might offer some measure of protection to the maidens tasked with guarding the item.

Li Guo understood this as well and smiled. "Young Master Ye is truly tender-hearted and protective of the fairer sex. I shall immediately order someone to find a lead box."

With that, he changed the subject, looking straight into Ye Chang's eyes. "Young Master Ye understands my intent. What price must be paid to acquire that brewing secret?"

"Any price is impossible." Ye Chang quoted a widely circulated proverb of future generations: "I will not kill the goose that lays golden eggs merely to obtain a single golden egg."

Li Guo stared at Ye Chang. After a long moment, he nodded.

During the reign of Empress Wu, Persian merchants like them possessed considerable standing in Luoyang. Empress Wu loved grand achievements and sought to usurp the throne, thus heavily employing figures outside the mainstream of the Great Tang. But now that the Third Son Emperor was on the throne, they barely had enough energy to protect themselves, let alone anything else.

Therefore, the likelihood of using underhanded methods to extract the secret recipe from Ye Chang was exceedingly slim.

Since it could not be obtained by force, they had to seek cooperation.

"I am willing to act as the exclusive distributor of this wine for Young Master Ye. What does Young Master Ye think?"

Ye Chang shook his head. "Why speak of exclusive distribution? Shopkeeper Li, let us speak plainly between honest men. My wine is worth a thousand coins per dou; what do you think of that?"

Immortal Li Bai once wrote in a poem, "Clear wine in golden goblets ten thousand coins a dou." Though somewhat exaggerated, it showed that fine vintage wine was immensely valuable at this time. When Ye Chang proposed a price of one guan per dou for Drunk Sorghum, a light instantly appeared in Li Guo's eyes. "Very well! I shall purchase the wine from Young Master Ye at ten thousand coins per dou—no, wait—you must guarantee that the supply price to others will not be lower than this!"

"Not only will the supply price not be lower than this, but the retail price in the market shall not be lower than two thousand coins," Ye Chang added. "If anyone sells it for less than two thousand coins, I will no longer supply them with wine."

"Words alone are worthless; let us draw up a contract as proof," Li Guo said.

Ye Chang was in no rush. He smiled and asked, "A contract can certainly be made. However, my wine's annual output is limited. Although the liquor regulations are somewhat relaxed now, purchasing large quantities of grain for brewing is still easily viewed with suspicion by the government. Therefore, production must be capped for now and increased only next year. What does Shopkeeper Li think?"

Li Guo's eyes rolled as he hesitated.

He had heard rumors that Ye Chang had accumulated some wealth through his recent ventures in the ball market. However, for such a massive enterprise, even if Ye Chang had money, the amount was hardly inexhaustible. Furthermore, brewing was not an overnight endeavor; the grain Ye Chang was currently using for brewing was likely amassed before he made his fortune.

Thinking of this, Li Guo sneered inwardly.

Since the wine was selling exceptionally well, Ye Chang would inevitably have to expand production, thereby increasing his overhead costs. By next year, when Ye Chang found himself saddled with excess stock, Li Guo could unite the major taverns and drinking houses cooperating with him to suppress the price, forcing Ye Chang to lower his thousand-coin-per-dou rate...

The most crucial task right now was simply securing the qualification to sell this wine.

"Very well. In that case, let the contract stipulate that within one year, Young Master Ye shall supply one thousand catties of wine. Next year, we will renegotiate the volume based on circumstances. How does Young Master Ye find that?" Having reasoned thus, Li Guo offered what he believed to be a clever suggestion.

"There is no thousand catties; I can only supply three hundred catties," Ye Chang waved his hand. "Shopkeeper Li, do not underestimate these three hundred catties. I have only set a minimum retail price of no less than two thousand coins. If you are able to sell it for ten thousand or a hundred thousand coins, that is entirely your own skill."

Li Guo understood the principle that rarity brings value. A quick turn of his mind already birthed several schemes to drive up the selling price of the wine. Without further ado, he extended his palm.

The two men slapped hands three times, concluding their agreement, though a written contract still needed to be signed.

Emerging from the room, under the protection of Shanzhi, Wuguli, and the others, Ye Chang headed back toward Dafuxian Temple. After walking only a short distance, Shanzhi asked with visible puzzlement, "Young Master Ye, why let this fellow off so easily? I can tell at a glance that his eyes dart around like a thief's and his gaze is dishonest—he is a scoundrelly merchant through and through. What good could possibly come from cooperating with him?"

"Master Shi, you are quite mistaken there," Jia Maoer chimed in with a laugh. "When it comes to fighting, the rest of us tied together are no match for you; but when it comes to using one's brain, a hundred of you tied together wouldn't match Eleven Lang."

Glancing at Ye Chang, Jia Maoer continued, "Eleven Lang has only recently arrived in Luoyang and possesses no deep roots here. The grand undertakings he wishes to accomplish all require the support of influential figures locally in Luoyang. Cooperating with the Peony Tower is precisely for that purpose... While Shopkeeper Li is certainly no saint and clearly calculating and cold-hearted, how could Young Master Ye not guard against him? That one-year agreement is hardly just for show!"

Ye Chang nodded repeatedly, smiling as he patted Jia Maoer's shoulder.

Jia Maoer was a man tempered by the lowest rungs of society and was exceptionally adept at reading people's expressions. Though his words appeared addressed to Shanzhi, they were actually meant for Ye Chang.

After arriving at Wolong Valley, Ye Chang had painted many grand blueprints for them, but up until now, those plans remained relatively small-scale. Ye Chang had reserved much of his strength, both in financial investment and technical support. Others failed to grasp this, but Jia Maoer saw it clearly.

Initially, Ye Chang's primary concern had been the loyalty and righteousness of his followers. Following the incident at the ball market, Jia Maoer understood that these old brothers of his might not prove reliable at critical moments. However, once their children were sent to Wolong Valley to study, that problem was largely resolved. What worried Ye Chang now was their actual capability.

Loyalty alone, without sufficient competence, could accomplish nothing. Therefore, after much deep reflection, Jia Maoer had finally resolved to firmly cling to the sapling of Ye Chang, which was growing so vigorously, and he knew he had to demonstrate his own worth.

"Let's go. We saw many notable figures back in Chang'an; I wonder what kind of characters we shall encounter here in Luoyang..."

Before he could finish speaking, a handsome, noble young master appeared right before them, standing beneath a roadside tree and gently waving a folding fan. Meeting Ye Chang's gaze, the handsome noble youth flashed a broad grin. "Young Master Ye, what a fortunate meeting! I have been waiting here for quite some time."

A stir ran through Ye Chang. Surveying the noble youth's surroundings, several maidservants stood gracefully nearby, while two burly men kept their hands on their sword hilts a short distance away.

Such a pompous display could hardly be called low-profile.

"And you might be..." Ye Chang probed cautiously.

"Who I am matters little. If Li Guo of the Peony Tower is not a complete fool, he ought to be presenting Young Master Ye with a gift by now." The noble youth's teeth were starkly white, and his expression when smiling was exceedingly striking. Ye Chang considered himself a dashing youth as well, yet standing before this person, he felt somewhat outshone.

Sure enough, no sooner had the noble youth spoken than a voice called out from behind, "Young Master Ye, please stay your steps! Please stay your steps!"

It was Li Guo. Though stout and panting heavily as he chased after them, he had managed to catch up. Upon seeing Ye Chang conversing with the noble youth, he froze momentarily, then cried out in surprise, "Young Master Shen is here as well?"

"Just exchanging a few words with Young Master Ye. Old Master Li has matters to attend to, so please feel free."

"Yes, yes." Li Guo's attitude toward this Young Master Shen was remarkably deferential. He acknowledged the remark twice before gesturing backward. "Young Master Ye possesses a heart tender and protective of the fairer sex, and I wish to bring a fine romance to fulfillment... Come forward. From now on, Young Master Ye is your new master."

Ye Chang looked over in astonishment, only to see the maiden who had previously carried the box stepping forward gracefully and bowing deeply. "This slave, Meiniang, pays her respects to the new master."

"What a dazzling maidservant! Old Master Li is certainly generous. Why have I never seen you gift such a person to me?" the Young Master Shen laughed.

Ye Chang was stunned.

During the Great Tang era, the mutual gifting of servants and maidservants was hardly uncommon. Yet this young maiden was striking in appearance, and her every movement demonstrated excellent upbringing and meticulous training. Such a stunning maidservant was easily worth over a hundred strings of coins; for Li Guo to give her away simply because he said so—whatever else might be said of his character, his sheer boldness forced Ye Chang to look at him in a new light.

Yet... should this stunning maidservant be accepted, or not?