Zifu stammered, "I don't know what you mean, sister-in-law..."
"Hmm? Haven't you been pestering him all this time? Don't you want to marry him?"
Even if you've never eaten pork, you've seen a pig run. Isn't that what it's all about between a man and a woman?
She did say that as long as Xiao Jingnan didn't divorce her, she wouldn't divorce him either. But at that time, she didn't know there was such a gentle, affectionate cousin by his side...
Since there was already someone else by his side, what was she still doing here?
Kill herself to liven up the party for the two of them?
Moreover, she had more important things to do now...
Li Wanming took Zifu's hand and said earnestly, "But cousin Zifu, you're being a bit too impatient. Even if you want to marry him and be his wife, you should wait until this old wife like me leaves first..."
"What you're doing now is called being a home-wrecker. Do you know that? It's very bad for a girl's reputation!"
Zifu was both ashamed and angry, but mostly scared!
Did she want to be the wife of the heir apparent?
Was she crazy...
She was just a maid. The highest goal she could strive for in this life was to become a good concubine of the heir apparent. She didn't even dare to dream of being a noble concubine... How could she be so bold as to want to be the wife of the heir apparent?
If the prince and princess misunderstood that she had such delusions, would she still have a life?
When Zifu saw the cold gaze of the Prince of Ning looking over, she was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. "No, no, no! Sister-in-law, you've misunderstood! I really don't have the idea of being my cousin's wife..."
Li Wanming waved her hand. "It doesn't matter. Drink!"
Xiao Jingnan's gaze came over, with something flickering in his eyes. "You just said you're leaving?"
His voice was as cold as frost.
Li Wanming replied, "Not so soon. I have to finish the things I need to do first."
She pulled Zifu and him together and whispered, "As soon as my business is done, I'll leave and won't pester you anymore."
She patted the back of Zifu's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry. After I leave, there will be a day for you to rise in status!"
Zifu was so scared that she almost cried.
Rise in status?
Rise to what status...
Help! She really just wanted to be an ordinary concubine!
Xiao Jingnan said nothing. After a long while, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Li Wanming was completely bewildered.
What on earth was he throwing a tantrum about?
Wasn't she being so kind and magnanimous? Wasn't he satisfied?
Moreover, wasn't this wine-tasting party his idea? Why was he getting angry out of the blue...
Alas, men are just so emotionally unstable!
Li Wanming looked eagerly at the wine bowl in Zifu's hand and urged, "Drink quickly!"
Since Caiwei and Qinglan had given some valuable comments just now, she had high hopes for Zifu too.
Zifu held the wine bowl tremblingly. Looking at the thoughtful expressions of the prince and princess staring at her, she really wished the bowl in her hand was a bowl of poison so that she could just end it all!
After she finished drinking, Li Wanming asked eagerly, "How is it?"
Zifu said with a long face, "I can't tell..."
Wu Yao laughed heartily. "Her mind is not on the wine. How could she tell?"
Li Wanming thought about it and realized that was true. Since the man had left, she probably had no mood to drink.
"What about you? Can you tell?"
Wu Yao smiled proudly, drank three large bowls of wine in a row, and said, "This wine... is good!"
...
Li Wanming rolled her eyes at him.
The recipes for each of those three bowls of wine were different. How could he tell anything after gulping them down like that!
Uncle Zhong and Lu Ping were standing on one side, holding their bowls and smiling awkwardly. "We think it tastes better than the Lihua Bai we drank before, but we can't tell exactly what's good about it..."
Not only Zifu couldn't tell the taste, but they were also trembling with fear standing here!
Except for that brainless Wu Yao, who didn't know that the heir apparent was angry?
Just let that restless Zifu suffer here by herself. Let them go quickly!
They wanted to exercise, to work, to run five kilometers... In short, they couldn't stay here anymore!
The Prince of Ning withdrew his gaze, smiled slightly, picked up the wine and took a sip, and said, "It's sweet and refreshing, fragrant and mellow. It's indeed better than Lihua Bai."
Then, he picked up the second bowl. "It has a strong fruity aroma and a long aftertaste... This bowl has a higher alcohol content. It should have been brewed for a longer time."
The third bowl. "It tastes mellow and sweet when it goes into the mouth, and the aftertaste is refreshing. It's more sophisticated... If I had to choose, this bowl is the best."
"However," he changed the subject and said, "Wanming, the recipe for your wine comes from Fujian.
"But the people in Fujian are tough and like to drink strong liquor, while the people in the capital city love elegance and prefer wine with a long-lasting taste. Have you considered the taste differences between the two places?"
Li Wanming was stunned.
She really had overlooked this point.
Fujian was a humid and mountainous place, and the local people were tough. So whether they were high-ranking officials or peddlers, they were all forthright and liked to drink stronger liquor.
So even the Danli wine she brewed only added a rich and sweet fruity aroma without changing the alcohol content.
But the capital city was different.
The people in the capital city emphasized elegance and culture.
If they got drunk and looked messy all the time, how could they be elegant and cultured?
"Father-in-law is right. I really forgot about the differences between the two places."
The Prince of Ning continued, "In the capital city, people in the common folks like Lihua Bai, and the people in the palace mostly drink Chenbi wine. But whether it's Lihua Bai or Chenbi wine, they are all brewed from multiple grains such as sorghum, rice, and millet. The process is complex, the taste is mellow, and the layers are distinct."
"Your wine, although sweet when it goes into the mouth, is a bit too refreshing and has a too high alcohol content and a strong aftertaste... Daughter-in-law, if you don't mind my saying so, it may be difficult for your wine to open up a market in the capital city."
Instead of being discouraged, Li Wanming was filled with fighting spirit.
"Father-in-law is right! Just because my wine sells well in Fujian doesn't mean it will sell well in the capital city..."
She had a sudden inspiration and asked Chuntao to put away the remaining wine and load it onto the carriage.
"Let's go find Liu Yiyi! Her family has a big business in the capital city, and they have a lot of employees, all of whom are locals. Let them taste it. Maybe they can give us more useful suggestions!"
After Li Wanming and Chuntao left, Uncle Zhong and the others also quickly found excuses to leave.
In an instant, only the Prince and Princess of Ning were left in the Luoxue Pavilion.
The Princess of Ning said worriedly, "My lord, are you really going to let Jingnan go out to sell wine?"
The matter of Zifu wasn't important. That maid couldn't cause much trouble no matter how scheming she was. But selling wine... It meant doing business in public and shouting on the street. If he was recognized, it would only cause trouble.
The Prince of Ning didn't answer her question but asked instead, "Do you know what Jingnan was doing when he was going out early and coming back late a while ago?"
He looked at his wife and smiled meaningfully. "He went out to set up a fortune-telling stall."
"What?" The Princess of Ning was shocked and asked in disbelief, "You mean, Jingnan..."
"Yes, just as you think. He set up a stall on the street and pretended to be a fortune-teller."
The Prince of Ning gestured with his hands. There was confusion in his eyes, but more admiration.
"I really didn't expect that Jingnan looked quite like a fortune-teller. He had a sharp tongue and could sweet-talk the customers into smiling from ear to ear... Uncle Zhong once took me to see him. His business was booming. If you wanted him to tell your fortune, you even had to make an appointment and queue up."
"But... this is not a proper occupation after all. If the people in the palace find out..."
"Do you know where the money came from for the bird's nest that Wanming bought for you a while ago?"
The Princess of Ning's eyes widened instantly. She had a bad feeling...
"She won it in the gambling house."
...
The Prince of Ning gently put his arm around his wife and sighed, "Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. They've already done fortune-telling and gambling. Are we still afraid of them selling wine? Forget it. Let them do as they please..."