Chapter 68

During the Song Dynasty, the government implemented a monopoly on alcohol sales, known as "quejiu." This meant that the government strictly restricted private brewing and selling of alcohol, monopolizing the market to enjoy the profits exclusively, while the common people could only partake in the leftovers.

In the Northern Song, there were three forms of quejiu. The first was "guanjian jiuwu," where the government brewed and sold alcohol exclusively. The second was "maipu fangchang," where individuals could pay a certain amount of tax to the government to obtain the right to open a shop and brew and sell alcohol. The third was "tequ jiuhu," where, to ensure the revenue from the official alcohol tax, the government strictly designated areas for official alcohol sales, such as the capital, cities, and rural areas. Within a few dozen miles of these areas, private brewing and selling of alcohol were generally prohibited, creating a monopoly by the government.

However, outside these designated areas, households that received special permission from the government could brew or sell alcohol. This was known as "tequ jiuhu."

In the capital, Tokyo, alcohol sellers were divided into two categories. The first category used official yeast to brew and sell alcohol. These sellers mostly lived in the quequ district and were called "jing jiuhu." Quequ referred to the government's monopoly on yeast, which was an indirect monopoly. Jing jiuhu could purchase yeast from the government and then brew and sell alcohol on their own. The second category paid taxes to obtain the right to brew and sell alcohol and were called "xiangcun jiuhu."

Clearly, Zui Xian Ju belonged to the jing jiuhu category.

In the Northern Song, larger taverns were called "zhengdian," and smaller ones were called "jiadian." The difference was that zhengdian had the right to buy yeast and brew alcohol, while jiadian were only retail outlets for zhengdian.

Currently, the price of official yeast was very high, costing about 200 coins per pound. Moreover, the best yeast was not sold to the public. These jing jiuhu had to pay for the official yeast and an additional amount for white rice and glutinous rice to brew and sell alcohol.

By the time the jing jiuhu finished brewing and selling their alcohol, their profit margins were already very small, with the majority of the profits going to the government. Large taverns like Fanlou, during their peak, purchased 50,000 pounds of yeast annually, operating on a model of low profit and high volume.

However, in recent years, due to the decline in business at Zui Xian Ju, Wu Furong naturally dared not brew much alcohol. As a result, the surrounding jiadian naturally became retail outlets for Feicui Xuan, making the situation even worse.

Although the Northern Song was the only dynasty that encouraged drinking, the private alcohol industry was not very developed compared to the thriving official alcohol industry.

After understanding the situation, Li Qi gave a two-word evaluation: "Pitiful."

It was so bad that it made him want to cry.

Li Qi paced back and forth in the room a dozen times, shaking his head and saying, "No, if we do it this way, we won't make any money. We can't compete with Feicui Xuan at all."

Wu Furong asked in confusion, "Then what do you plan to do?"

Li Qi sneered and said, "Brew it ourselves, to hell with the official yeast."

"Absolutely not, absolutely not."

Wu Furong quickly stood up, looking nervous. "The government is currently cracking down on private brewing. If caught, one could go to jail, and in earlier years, even face the death penalty. This is absolutely not an option."

"There's nothing that can't be done in this world."

Li Qi snorted and said, "Uncle Wu, remember, there's one type of person you can never trust, and that's politicians, including officials and even the emperor."

"Master Li, don't say such things to others," Wu Furong interrupted, already sweating profusely and trembling.

"I know."

Since the last time he narrowly escaped death, Li Qi had become more cautious in his speech, but sometimes he still couldn't resist saying something rebellious. He nodded and continued, "Whenever a politician speaks, you must first consider if it affects your interests. If it doesn't, treat it as nonsense. These laws are made by officials, and they are all for their own benefit. Since there is profit, there will be loopholes. Where there are loopholes, there will be ways to exploit them. Do you understand?"

Wu Furong shook his head, looking completely puzzled.

Li Qi rolled his eyes and said, "Let me ask you, if someone kills another person, they must pay with their life, right?"

Wu Furong nodded, "Of course."

Li Qi continued, "Alright. If one of our soldiers kills an enemy soldier on the battlefield, will the government sentence him to death?"

Wu Furong was taken aback, "Of course not. If he can kill the enemy, he will be rewarded, not punished. How could he be sentenced to death?"

"Exactly. Both are killings, but one is rewarded and the other is punished. Why?" Li Qi shrugged.

Wu Furong was puzzled, "How can they be the same?"

Li Qi chuckled, "What's the difference? We just need to turn the dead person into an enemy soldier, and everything will be fine."

"Turn the dead person into an enemy soldier? How?"

"How to do it, I haven't figured it out yet, but in any case, I'm not going to share the profits with the government. If I do, I want the lion's share." Li Qi huffed.

Wu Furong was speechless, staring at Li Qi with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. He was a law-abiding businessman, and dealing with someone like Li Qi was a challenge.

"Brother Li, Brother Li."

At that moment, Wu Xiaoliu's voice came from outside.

"Come in."

As soon as the words were out, Wu Xiaoliu opened the door and walked in, followed by Chen Anan. However, both of their faces looked very strange.

"Uncle, you're here too!"

Wu Xiaoliu was startled to see Wu Furong and stuck out his tongue.

"Big Brother Li, Master Wu."

Chen Anan bowed to Li Qi and Wu Furong and secretly tugged at Wu Xiaoliu's sleeve.

This small action did not escape Li Qi's notice. He frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

Wu Xiaoliu glanced at Chen Anan and chuckled, "It's like this. I just found Anan sneaking into the kitchen to drink alcohol."

"Oh?"

Li Qi looked at Chen Anan and asked, "Is what Sixzi said true?"

Chen Anan nodded, looking down in acknowledgment.

Li Qi suddenly chuckled, "You little rascal, if you want to drink, just tell me. Why do you have to steal?"

In those days, there were no soft drinks, and children being curious about alcohol was not a big deal. As long as they didn't drink too much, it was fine.

Wu Xiaoliu, seeing Li Qi's reaction, was taken aback and quickly said, "Brother Li, you don't know, he even poured water into the wine jug."

Li Qi looked puzzled and asked, "Anan, why did you pour water into the wine jug?"

Chen Anan lowered his head, "I was afraid you would find out, so I did it. Brother Li, I know I was wrong."

Li Qi was taken aback, then laughed, "You're quite clever, but this time, I'll let it slide. Don't do it again. You've ruined a good jug of wine."

Chen Anan, seeing that Li Qi wasn't angry, was relieved and nodded vigorously.

Li Qi smiled and shook his head, then said to Wu Xiaoliu, "Sixzi, you did the right thing. When Anan does something wrong, you should tell me or your uncle so we can help him correct it. But remember, in front of others, no matter what Anan does wrong, if you betray him like today, I won't let you off."

"I understand." Wu Xiaoliu said, sweating profusely.

Li Qi nodded and turned to Chen Anan, "Anan, the same goes for you, understand?"

Chen Anan nodded.

"Alright, you can go now. Oh, and Anan, since you have nothing to do, follow Uncle Tian tomorrow and help him with some work, understand?"

"Okay, I understand." Chen Anan nodded, never daring to disobey Li Qi's orders.

Wu Xiaoliu, hearing this, inwardly laughed. Brother Li was really clever, not saying it outright but finding a way to punish him.

Li Qi, seeing Wu Xiaoliu's expression, knew what he was thinking and said, "Sixzi, don't laugh. When I finish my work, I'll test your and Dazhu's cooking skills. If you don't pass, you'll have to work as a waiter."

Wu Xiaoliu's face fell, "Okay, I'll practice harder."

"Alright, that's it. You can go now."

After Wu Xiaoliu and Chen Anan left, Wu Furong laughed, "Master Li, your method of discipline is truly eye-opening!"

Li Qi shook his head and smiled.

"This Anan is quite mischievous. Only you can handle him. Pouring water into the wine jug, thinking it would go unnoticed. If someone drinks it and finds the alcohol diluted, it would be obvious. I can't believe he thought of that." Wu Furong shook his head, helpless.

Li Qi was suddenly struck by an idea, muttering, "Pouring water into the wine, the alcohol becomes diluted?"

"What's wrong?" Wu Furong asked, puzzled.

Li Qi seemed not to hear him, repeating, "Yeast, low-alcohol, adding water, dilution..."

After a moment, Li Qi's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "I know, I know how to turn the dead person into an enemy soldier."

Wu Furong was confused, "What dead person into an enemy soldier? Master Li, are you talking about magic?"

"Exactly, I'm going to perform magic."

Li Qi smiled slyly, "Uncle Wu, prepare some things for me tomorrow."

"What things?"

"Fruit wine."

Li Qi sneered, "To hell with the official yeast."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The company just got a new project, so I have to work late tonight. I can only write one chapter today. I know, I have sinned, and I am currently facing the wall in penance. ===

{Piaotian Literature}