Chapter 102: Strategic Partner
Wei Chengchao stared blankly at the slowly spreading red in his wine glass, as if time had frozen at this moment.
The aroma of the Drunken Immortal Brew remained strong, yet inexplicably it was overshadowed by this sudden metallic scent.
"Blood? Why am I having a nosebleed?"
Wei Chengchao murmured to himself, his voice tinged with confusion and panic.
He glanced around, only to see his friends at the table savoring the wine with smiles, seemingly unaffected.
But his sudden nosebleed nonetheless made him uneasy.
The young master sitting across from Wei Chengchao quickly set down his wine glass and reminded him with concern, "Chengchao, you’re having a nosebleed. Are you alright?"
Upon hearing their master had a nosebleed, the attendants and maidservants standing behind him hurriedly came forward, looking flustered.
"Young Master, Young Master, what’s wrong?"
"Young Master, quickly use a handkerchief to wipe."
Everyone looked up at him, and the atmosphere at the table immediately became tense and chaotic.
Wei Chengchao took the handkerchief handed over by a maidservant and shook his head, trying to clear his mind a bit.
"I don’t know either. I just suddenly felt a warmth in my nose, and when I touched it, found out it was blood."
Wei Chengchao leaned back a little, wiping with the handkerchief. With one wipe, he spread the blood everywhere. His face turned a ruddy red, looking a bit frightening.
The nosebleed continued to drip down drop by drop, showing no sign of stopping.
The blood soon stained Wei Chengchao’s lapel, the bright red spots on his luxurious green robe looked like peach blossoms opening by the roadside.
The maidservant replaced the handkerchief twice more, but they too were quickly dyed red by the overwhelming nosebleed.
"Quickly lift your head, don’t keep it down." A young master hurriedly stepped forward, lifting Wei Chengchao’s chin, making him look up at the ceiling.
Then he called out in a panic, "This nosebleed is too severe. Quick, quick, call for a doctor."
As soon as the young master’s voice fell, an attendant immediately went out to find a doctor. The other young masters, also in a panic, quickly left their seats to surround Wei Chengchao, expressing their concern.
At this moment, the attendant who went to find a doctor alerted the shopkeeper of Tengyun Building. The shopkeeper hurried upstairs with a plate of freshly cut fruits.
"Mr. Wei, what happened to you? Are you feeling unwell? Here, have some fruit to help cool down."
The shopkeeper spoke with concern, but secretly felt troubled.
This young master really never gives anyone peace of mind. Seeing this situation, it seems today won’t be an easy day for him again.
Wei Chengchao also thought perhaps he was just overheated. He took a piece of fruit and bit into it, the sweet juice spreading in his mouth temporarily easing his anxiety over the nosebleed.
He looked at the shopkeeper, forcing a faint smile: "You’re thoughtful. I might just be a bit overheated, it’s nothing."
However, the shopkeeper didn’t seem reassured, glancing at Wei Chengchao’s glass with a hint of suspicion in his eyes: "Mr. Wei, your wine..."
Wei Chengchao froze, then understood the shopkeeper’s implication.
He pinched his nose with one hand and picked up the wine glass with the other, carefully examining the few drops of thick blood that had blended with the Drunken Immortal Brew, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
"This wine... should be fine, right?"
A young master heard and picked up his glass too, sniffing it carefully.
"The aroma is strong, I just drank some and felt nothing unusual. Chengchao, could you be overthinking it?"
Overthinking?
Wei Chengchao pondered for a moment, placing the wine glass back on the table. As he released the hand pinching his nose, the bright red nosebleed immediately streamed down again.
Gazing at the wine glass on the table, a thought crossed his mind, as if he finally realized something.
Wei Chengchao’s trembling hand reached into his chest, where he kept his antidote.
He intended to take it out and put it in his mouth, but found it was already empty.
Only then did he recall, in a fit of anger, he had shattered the small porcelain bottle containing the antidote the previous day. The antidote scattered on the ground was also trampled to pieces by him.
He didn’t know if the two attendants might still have it, but they had already been sent to Taoyuan County the day before.
"No... it can’t be."
Wei Chengchao muttered to himself, a tinge of panic rising in his heart.
No, no, it surely can’t be because Han Lei poisoned me.
Han Lei said her poison causes bleeding until death. And he’s only having a nosebleed right now, it shouldn’t have anything to do with Han Lei’s vile poison.
Wei Chengchao was just thinking this when a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him, causing his vision to go black. His body staggered, nearly toppling the table.
"Quick, quickly take me home. Call a doctor."
Having lost so much blood he felt dizzy, Wei Chengchao was no longer in the mood for drinking. He dared not take any more chances, hastily instructing the attendants and maidservants to take him home.
The attendants and maidservants already frightened, quickly came to support him upon hearing their master’s request to go home.
But before they could touch Wei Chengchao, his vision went black, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground...
Here, due to Mr. Wei’s sudden nosebleed and collapse, chaos erupted in the private room of Tengyun Building.
Meanwhile, in Jingzhou Taoyuan County, Han Lei, holding a piece of paper, happily walked out of Prince Jingzhou’s mansion alongside Yang Haibo and Tang Xiaotong.
In Han Lei’s hand was the agency contract just signed with Prince Jingzhou, bearing his grand seal.
Just as Han Lei imagined, Prince Jingzhou was not favored by Emperor Jing.
Although granted the title of Vassal King and given his own fief, Prince Jingzhou had always been overly cautious, not daring to misstep, living solely on the court’s stipend and his land’s income.
A noble prince, yet his entire household struggled to make ends meet.
Even so, Prince Jingzhou dared not openly engage in business, fearing his suspicious emperor brother might read too much into it.
The Drunken Immortal Brew gained fame in Jingzhou through the targeted promotion by Yang Haibo and Tang Xiaotong. Even Prince Jingzhou "coincidentally" got hold of a small pot, with demand far outstripping supply on the market.
At this time, Han Lei approached Prince Jingzhou, offering him the agency rights to the Drunken Immortal Brew in Jingzhou.
No storefront needed, just the brewery’s warehouse, but all merchants wishing to sell the Drunken Immortal Brew in Jingzhou had to purchase through Prince Jingzhou.
With a receipt from Prince Jingzhou, they could then pick up goods from the brewery’s warehouse.
Upon hearing this, Prince Jingzhou was immediately interested.
The brewery was ostensibly owned by Tao Qing, so Prince Jingzhou neither needed a storefront nor had to show his face.
He only needed to send people to purchase grain from various places and deliver it to the brewery in exchange for enough liquor at wholesale value, with transactions using only receipts.
Thus, Prince Jingzhou not only had silver coming in but also gained control over the distribution of the Drunken Immortal Brew in Jingzhou.
And for the brewery, the Drunken Immortal Brew had a direct and stable sales channel without having to woo individual households for business.
With such a win-win partnership, Prince Jingzhou was naturally pleased. Thus, following discussions between Han Lei and Prince Jingzhou, an agreement was quickly reached.
With Prince Jingzhou as a strategic partner, Han Lei effectively opened the commercial routes between Canzhou and the Capital City.