Chapter 176: A Pair of Bandits
Nearby, Xiao Yu’s handsome brows twitched slightly. He pricked up his ears. ’Surnamed Gu?’
’That’s right, Old Ma said Su Chen came to Ping’an City with Gu Fei’s family. Don’t tell me this was a gift from Gu Fei’s family.’
Xiao Yu stared at the bottle. It was a pink porcelain flask with a white plum blossom painted on it. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like the kind of wine made especially for women.
Xiao Yu suddenly snatched the bottle from his father’s hands. "I’ll have a taste."
Prince Qi, watching from the side, grew anxious. "You brat, you don’t even like to drink! Hey, don’t you go wasting my good wine."
Zhang Ze, standing nearby, felt his lips twitch. ’Since when did this wine become yours?’
Xiao Yu took a sip. The wine was indeed potent, not the kind meant for women.
But this bottle—
Xiao Yu handed the bottle back to his father, his pair of imposing phoenix eyes fixed on Zhang Ze. "Which Gu family is it?"
Prince Qi also asked, "Yes, which family? For a family of refugees to have such fine wine, it’s truly rare."
Zhang Ze could only reply, "It’s Mr. Gu’s family. They originally lived on the Young Master’s estate, but now they’ve bought their own courtyard home, not far from the Young Master’s estate."
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes. ’It’s none other than Gu Fei’s family!’
Prince Qi clutched the wine bottle, refusing to let go, his eyes still fixed on the one in Zhang Ze’s hand. "Give me that bottle, too. You can tell Ah Chen that I’ve taken a liking to this wine. He can consider it a filial gift to me, his great-uncle."
"I’ll send him some other useful things in return later."
Zhang Ze held the bottle, reluctant to hand it over.
He knew what his Young Master was thinking. Although the Young Master had said he didn’t want a return gift, he would definitely want something that Miss Xiao Fei had personally brought out.
Besides, the bottles—one red, one green—were clearly a pair. What a wonderful sentiment that carried.
Zhang Ze struggled before saying, "Well, that... that could work. But, Your Highness, could you please return the bottle to me? So I can report back to my Young Master."
Xiao Yu raised one of his slender phoenix eyes. "This bottle is nice. I like it. Tell Ah Chen I’m keeping it. In a little while, I’ll have someone find two Ru Kiln vases in the storehouse to give him in exchange."
Zhang Ze was utterly stunned.
’Are this father and son pair a bunch of bandits?’
’They steal the wine and won’t even spare the bottle!’
’And another thing, Young Master Heir, this bottle is clearly just an ordinary item. You’re trading priceless Ru Kiln vases for this? Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with you?’
He stammered, "Young Master Heir, this... this isn’t right. This... this bottle... I-I-I... I can’t make that decision. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke to my Young Master about it yourself, Young Master Heir."
By the time he finished speaking, Zhang Ze had broken out in a sweat.
Xiao Yu snorted softly. "In any case, I’m taking the bottle. If he can’t bear to part with it, tell him to come and talk to me himself."
Prince Qi stared at the bottle. "The wine is excellent, but this bottle is just average, isn’t it? The craftsmanship is crude, and the porcelain isn’t fine."
He looked at Xiao Yu. "What do you want this for?"
The tips of Xiao Yu’s ears turned slightly red, but his face remained expressionless. "I just think it looks nice. I’m going to put it on display in my room."
He didn’t know what he wanted the bottle for either; he just didn’t want it to end up in Su Chen’s hands.
Prince Qi couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters. He waved his hand. "Suit yourself."
He looked at Zhang Ze. "Right, after you report back to your Young Master, make another trip to the Gu Family. See if they have any more of this wine. If they do, get all of it for me."
He paused, then added, "Remember to give them silver. Life isn’t easy for a family of refugees."
"Also, see if you can find out who brewed this wine."
Only by finding the brewer could he ensure a continuous supply of this fine wine in the future.
Zhang Ze agreed with a pained expression.
Prince Qi beckoned with his hand. "Bring that other bottle here, too."