At this time, it is the time when the lights are on, and there are many pedestrians coming and going on the street. Du Zhongxiao stayed at Liu Ganban from a distance and followed behind him.

Liu Gan was puffed up, carrying a wine gourd, and hurried out of the door of Han's foot shop.

Du Zhongxiao followed from a distance, watching Liu Gan do the road until he reached "Qixiangju" and entered through a corner door, and then stopped.

There is no need to ask, it must have been Wu Kejiu who asked Liu Ganban to go to Hanjiajiao to inquire about the news. A large family like the Wu family not only has an industry in the county, but also a Zhuangzi in the countryside. The person who manages the affairs of Zhuangzi for the big households, the people of this era are mostly called Ganban, which is borrowed from the official title of the office in the imperial court, which is similar to the title of the supervisor. Analogous to Du Zhongxiao's previous life, cadres and supervisors are similar to managers.

Du Zhongxiao was a little confused about what Wu Kejiu was doing when he went to find out what Han's foot shop was doing. The spirits sold are made from sake lees, which Du Zhongxiao has never hidden. The liquor of this era is a monopoly product, and it cannot be sold without explaining the source. However, the method of making liquor, except for Du Zhongxiao, only his parents know. Skill is just a layer of window paper, and if you are afraid, it is not worth anything, and you must keep it a secret. Who would have thought that the method of making sake from sake lees is so simple, just steam it in a pot.

Could it be that Wu Kejiu wanted to sue the Han family for selling moonshine for the first time? Du Zhongxiao's heart tightened, but there was this possibility.

At this time, the liquor monopoly was roughly divided into two forms. The capital, including Tokyo Kaifeng Mansion, Xijing Luoyang Henan Mansion, Nanjing Yingtian Mansion, and Beijing Daimyo Mansion, are all forbidden to brew privately, and the implementation of koji monopoly. Other places, including Xuzhou, prohibit private brewing, and specialize in selling alcohol to alcohol. The Han family was originally a wine household, and the production of wine from lees does not involve private brewing, so the lawsuit has to be fought in the county.

When it comes to lawsuits, the identity of his father Du Xun is useful. Not only can you write your own pleadings, but you can also meet the county officials relatively easily, and more importantly, the county does not dare to catch a township tribute at random. After the release test, it is a person with a name and a surname in Xuzhou, there is a directory in the state, and the governor of the state doesn't know when he thinks of meeting him, how dare the county arrest it?

Liu Ganban didn't know that Du Zhongxiao followed him all the way, and when he entered the corner gate, he took off the hat, put it in his hand, and scolded in his mouth: "Straight lady thief, those poor ghosts are sharp-eyed, and they actually recognize grandpa!" The matter arranged by the junior outside was messed up. ”

While scolding, he arrived at the pavilion in the back garden after a while.

In the pavilion, Wu Kejiu was lighting a candle with Cao Jucheng to drink, and a few singers were sitting next to him babbling and singing.

Liu Ganban stepped forward and sang a promise, saying, "Official, the little one is back." ”

Wu Kejiu glanced at Liu Ganban and asked, "Han Lao'er is really selling wine there?" ”

"Back to the petty officials, it's true! The small one went to see it, and the business was really good, and more than a dozen seats were about to be full. ”

"Oh, where did they get such good wine on credit, and attract so many guests. - By the way, I asked you to buy a few catties and come back to taste it, what about the wine you bought? I've drunk all the wine in the neighborhood, and I know where I'm coming from when I taste it. ”

Liu Ganban was a little embarrassed, and said with his hands crossed: "Back to the little official, the little one's trip to buy wine was not smooth." When I arrived at the store, there were a few people in the nearby Zhuangzi who recognized the small one. They called Xiao Xiao's identity, and Han Lao'er didn't sell wine to me, so he had to return empty-handed. ”

Hearing this, Wu Kejiu was a little annoyed, and glared at Liu Gan viciously for a while, before calming down his anger slightly, and said: "Useless things, such a trivial matter can't be done!" I don't know where Han Lao'er got the wine on credit, but this matter is a little difficult to do. ”

Liu Ganban made a stirring spirit, and hurriedly said: "Go back to the little officials, you don't need to taste the wine, the little ones know where Han Lao'er's wine comes from." ”

When Wu Kejiu heard this, he hurriedly asked, "Where did you come from?" ”

"The little one inquired clearly before entering the store, and the wine sold in Hanjiajiao's store was not bought on credit from the restaurant, but bought sake lees from 'Yao Jiazheng Store' and made it from the lees. The wine was so powerful that I heard that no matter how good the amount of wine was, the person would get drunk in a bowl. ”

Wu Kejiu couldn't help frowning when he heard this: "I only heard that vinegar is made from sake lees, and wine can be made in it?" ”

Liu Gan said: "I don't believe it either, but everyone says so, and it can't be fake." And the little one has also inquired, and this method came from the home of the Duju people in the county. The petty officials of the Du Ju family have a wonderful method of making wine from the lees, and they make wine exclusively for the Han family. ”

Cao Jucheng on the side said: "I remember, is it the little animal we saw in the store that day?" ”

Wu Kejiu nodded: "Exactly." That day, I saw that the thief had some meaning to Han Lao'er's daughter, thinking that he was sad to see the Han family, and he didn't know where he learned this demon method. In this way, things are a little difficult to do. Han Lao'er has this way of making money, so he won't take credit from my restaurant, and he can't help him for a while. If you want to get the little lady of the Han family, you have to think of another way. ”

Cao Jucheng groaned: "Making wine and selling wine in the lees, does this violate the alcohol ban?" ”

Wu Kejiu didn't speak, and he summed it up in his heart. As long as the source of the wine is clear, it is not a violation of the alcohol ban. The sake of Hanjiajiaodian is made from sake lees, and the lees come from "Yaojiazhengdian", which is qualified to make wine. In this way, the source of the wine is clear, but if you add a process yourself, does this count as a violation of the alcohol ban?

After thinking about it, he couldn't come up with a clue, so Wu Kejiu had to sigh: "This matter is a bit tortuous, I'm afraid that it won't be good to say a word." It's better to wait until tomorrow, I will go to the county government to find Chen Jiejie and ask him how to calculate. ”

Cao Jucheng clapped his hands: "This is the best." Chen Jiejie is a person from the yamen, and he has also bought a restaurant before, and he knows the most about the wine. ”

Wu Kejiu nodded and waved his hand to let Liu Ganban retreat. Now that he has been seen through the hiding, he should go back to the Zhuangzi outside the city as soon as possible.

Du Zhongxiao stood outside "Qixiangju" for a while, and didn't see Liu Gan come out, so he turned back to Hanjiajiaodian.

decided to sell wine, Du Zhongxiao had already studied the prohibition of wine in this era. At this time, although the prohibition of alcohol is strict, it is all aimed at one of the links. For example, Sijing's liquor koji is monopolized and no private brewing is prohibited, and prefectures and counties are not allowed to drink koji without permission, and for wine merchants who distribute liquor, only taxes are collected, and there is no special prohibition. At this time, the liquor made by himself, tracing its source, came from "Yaojiazhengdian", and "Yaojiazhengdian", like "Qixiangju", is Zheng'er Bajing has the right to brew wine.

Does self-made liquor violate the alcohol ban? It's hard to say, just looking at the process of steaming your own sake is not considered winemaking. At this time, it is necessary to rely on the identity of his father. As long as the family situation is better after selling alcohol, it will be different from before, and my father can go to the government office as much as possible, and there will be more room for activity. The Wu family is rich, and few families in Linying County dare to mess with it. But when it comes to the city of Xuzhou, it is different, how can the state look at a rich man in the countryside, but his father, as a lifter, can talk and laugh with the officials in the state, is everyone a scholar.

Thinking while walking, I unconsciously returned to the Hanjiajiao shop.

By this time, it was already late, and the business in the store was deserted. Xiaowu Shun'er was still busy, while Han Lian and Han Yueniang were at the counter, reconciling together. Han Yueniang has been smart since she was a child, she is literate in reading, and her accounts are very clear.

Seeing Du Zhongxiao coming in, Han Lian hurriedly asked, "Virtuous nephew, how is it?" ”

Du Zhongxiao gave up his hand: "I have been following that Liu Gan, and I saw that he did go to 'Qixiangju' and never came out." ”

Han Lian said hatefully: "No need to ask, it must be the little dog of the Wu family who instructed someone to come, I don't know what to think." It's a good thing I didn't sell wine to the thief, otherwise who knows what would have happened to their family! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Along the way, I was also thinking about what the Wu family meant. Come to think of it, when it is to make a fuss about the way of our wine. ”

"What can be done about the origin of wine? The lees are bought from the 'Yao Jia Zheng Store' and made in your home, so it is clear. ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The wine we sell is different from other families, so there is an article to do." Is making sake from sake lees a private brew? The official word has two mouths, where can it be said clearly? Daddy, the Wu family really wants to insist on making trouble, and this lawsuit has to be fought. ”

Han Yueniang on the side heard this, and said angrily: "The officials in the county are not confused, the Wu family is not a good person, can't they see it?" If we fight a lawsuit, we will fight a lawsuit, we are innocent and make money, what are we afraid of them? ”

"Yes, yes, Yueniang said yes." Du Zhongxiao nodded again and again, but he secretly complained in his heart. I don't know the temperament of the county officials, and what I am most afraid of is that Han Yueniang takes it for granted that she can win.

Officials are different from officials, some only recognize the yellow and white things in their eyes, and some specifically stand on the position of the small people, who knows who they will meet? When you meet someone who sees a big family and sees it as an enemy, you will win the lawsuit yourself, but it's hard to say the other way around.

After thinking for a while, Du Zhongxiao said: "It's useless to think about it now, we just need to sell wine with peace of mind." In the past two days, my father's health has been fine, and I will prepare some gifts tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and walk around the county to explore the wind first. ”

Han Lian nodded: "This also makes it." Du Xiucai is a township tribute jinshi in the end, a real scholar, and the county will not slack off. ”

In fact, Han Lian didn't say a word. This matter really made trouble, and in the end, the Han family's foot shop was afraid that it wanted to guarantee that the business it operated was absolutely legal, and there was no adulterer, and at that time, Du Xun's identity was even more important. No matter how big the family is, there is no township tribute priest in the government for safekeeping.

Seeing that it was getting late, Du Zhongxiao said goodbye to the Han family's father and daughter and left the foot shop.

At this time, the bright moon rises, the moon shines like water, and the moonlight casts mottled shadows on the road.

Du Zhongxiao looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and a sense of pride surged in his chest. Since you have come to this world, you have to work hard to make a career. Wu Kejiu is just a rich man in a small county, if he can't even deal with such a small role, how can he talk about making contributions in this world?