Tianliangyuan

Chapter 290 Very sweet

The old lady was quite satisfied with her eldest son's in-laws and instructed Madam Yu to prepare a respectable birthday gift.

Xu Zhaozhao remained silent. These were her eldest cousin's family members; it was up to her whether she went or not.

Moreover, Xu Zhaozhao has now married into the Duke's mansion, so the Duke's mansion only needs to provide one birthday gift. Even if she goes to the banquet, there is no need to prepare another birthday gift.

Of course, some people with whom you have a particularly good relationship will prepare more gifts.

For example, when Xu Zhaozhao and Xie Zheng got married, the Qi Prince's Mansion sent a congratulatory gift to the Marquis's Mansion, and Princess Leyang also prepared a congratulatory gift herself.

This shows how close the relationship is between the two.

However, Xu Zhaozhao was not familiar with the Yu family, and in fact, she didn't know most of them. Naturally, she didn't plan to prepare another gift, and she didn't even intend to go.

Of course, Mr. Yu should mention something.

"If Zhao Zhao is free that day, she should come with us to the banquet. It would be a good opportunity for her to make more acquaintances with the ladies and young women."

Xu Zhaozhao was naturally unwilling to go; she was busy.

"Logically speaking, as a junior, I should go and offer my congratulations when the elders of the Yu family celebrate their birthdays. However, the palace has been urging me to send longevity wine. I promised His Majesty that I would send it to the palace as soon as possible, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask my second aunt to forgive me. I'd also like to trouble you to ask Aunt Yu to be lenient with me."

Yu did not believe that Xu Zhaozhao was lying. After all, she had even dragged His Majesty into it. Who would have such audacity?

"I see. If it is what His Majesty desires, then it is indeed something we must take seriously."

"Yes, I'm having a headache too. My husband said he'll be on leave in two days, so he'll come with me to the Hundred Fruit Garden. The longevity wine is quite complicated to make, and the medicinal herbs and other raw materials are very expensive, so only a small amount can be made each year."

Madam Xie then jumped in: "Really? But I've heard that there's always been longevity wine being sold on the market, haven't there?"

That look in her eyes clearly said that Xu Zhaozhao didn't even know how to come up with a different excuse when she was lying.

The old lady's eyes also darkened. She knew that there was longevity wine for sale outside, and she had some here too. How could it be as difficult to brew as Xu Zhaozhao said?

Yu's expression wasn't good, but she still felt that Xu Zhaozhao wasn't the kind of person to act recklessly.

As expected, Xu Zhaozhao chuckled lightly and explained slowly, "What's sold outside is indeed longevity wine, but it's quite different from the one supplied to the palace. Longevity wine is also graded. What's sold in shops all over the capital is only second-grade wine. The production of this kind of wine is slightly higher, but the price is also not low."

The old lady nodded: "I've heard that these are among the top three most expensive wines out of ten thousand, and this is only a second-grade wine?"

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Grandmother, I sent you a jar of longevity wine before. Have you tried it?"

The old lady nodded: "I've drunk it a few times, and the taste is indeed mellow. After drinking it, I always feel like I have more energy. But the ones I bought later from the market seem to be a bit lacking."

"That's exactly the point. The production of first-class wine is low, less than 30% of that of second-class wine. So first-class wine is generally for family consumption, or it's ordered in advance by high-ranking and powerful families. It's not just a matter of price anymore. For example, a jar of first-class wine might cost fifty strings of cash, but it has to be from a family that I'm willing to sell to."

The implication is that if I, Xu Zhaozhao, don't like something, no matter how much money you offer, I won't sell this wine.

Therefore, from the very beginning, this first-class wine has never been available on the market.

It contains even more precious medicinal herbs, so how can it be the same?

With this explanation, everyone understood.

In particular, the old lady herself said that she felt the wine Xu Zhaozhao gave her was different from the wine bought from outside, because the quality was different.

"To be honest, my maternal family drinks first-class wine, but my father also keeps two jars of premium wine in his study. This premium wine is exclusively for the palace and can only be obtained by His Majesty and the Empress. Others, such as Princess Ning Shuo, who ordered it from me, only get first-class wine. Of course, if His Majesty and the Empress are willing to bestow some premium wine upon them, that's another matter."

The old lady was shocked to hear this. This premium wine was actually reserved for His Majesty and the Empress?

Is this wine really that rare?

"The production of first-grade wine accounts for only 30% of that of second-grade wine, and the production of this special-grade wine accounts for only 10% of that of first-grade wine. Don't you think this wine is very rare?"

The old lady really didn't expect that this longevity wine was actually graded.

Madam Yu exclaimed repeatedly, "If Zhaozhao hadn't mentioned it today, I would never have known there were so many intricacies to this longevity wine!"

"Yes. This premium wine is very difficult to brew, mainly due to the precious medicinal herbs. It was only after His Majesty had used a few jars that the Imperial Medical Academy mentioned its efficacy when examining His Majesty's pulse, which is why His Majesty kept urging us to make it. I have no choice but to accept it; I have never even presented this premium wine to my parents, which is truly unfilial."

Later, when my father delivered the wine to His Majesty, he tricked him into giving up. His Majesty had no choice but to reward my father with two jars, which my father then took home and hid away, refusing to let anyone drink it, insisting on storing it, saying that the longer the wine was sealed, the more fragrant it would be.

That's it!

The old lady thought the first-class wine she had drunk before was already very good, but she never expected that Baiguoyuan would also have a special-class wine.

Wow, this granddaughter-in-law is really something!

Just by looking at this longevity wine, one can tell how much she is favored by the Emperor!

No wonder His Majesty bestowed upon her the title of County Princess so readily, and it was a real title at that.

If he had been born a man, he would probably have been awarded an official position.

Madam Xie was resentful; she had been the most successful woman in the mansion before.

Firstly, because she married the old lady's favorite fourth master, and secondly, because she was the old lady's niece, their relationship was naturally closer than that of Madam Yu.

But she didn't expect that Xu Zhaozhao would be so glamorous as soon as she entered the door.

When she was presenting the betrothal gifts to the Marquis's family, she glanced at the long list of gifts and wished she could just snatch everything on it.

When she entered the family, the dowry was probably less than half of what it is now.

That evening, Madam Xie and Master Xie started making a scene.

It's nothing more than feeling wronged, wondering why they were suppressed by a junior.

Xie Xiaowei was also having a headache from her crying and fussing. He didn't know what had happened and why she was blaming him.

Meanwhile, in the Brocade Garden, the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Xie Zheng, having somehow acquired some grapes, eagerly came to Xu Zhaozhao to present them to her.

Grapes are indeed a rare commodity this season.

"How about it?"

Xu Zhaozhao nodded, meeting Xie Zheng's bright black eyes, and could clearly see that he was eagerly waiting for her to praise him.

Xu Zhaozhao was generous with her praise; after all, if a man does something that pleases him, he should be praised.

"It's so sweet! I love it."