Chapter 30: Beginning the Brew

Three days later, after passing a series of inspections by the palace gate guards with his equipment, Li Shen left the palace and headed straight for the East Market. Upon arrival, he transported the equipment into the rear estate and set it aside. Then, accompanied by Shi Tou and the guards, he left the city to visit his manor.

Li Shen’s farmland lay to the south of the city, as did his manor. The five hundred taxable households granted to him by Emperor Li Shimin had previously been royal estates. Before, eunuchs managed them, collecting grain but otherwise neglecting daily affairs. Now they were bestowed upon Li Shen, who needed to send his own people to manage them. However, he could not leave the palace often, so this was his first visit. There were two estates: the Greater Imperial Manor and the Lesser Imperial Manor, named so because they belonged to the royal family. Li Shen had no intention of changing these names. The Greater Manor comprised three hundred households, and the Lesser Manor two hundred. In truth, there were more households, but only this many were registered for taxation.

Arriving at the Greater Imperial Manor, Li Shen summoned respected elders to meet him. Soon, a man in his fifties approached, accompanied by many villagers.

“Are you His Highness Prince Ji?” the elder asked.

“That is indeed Prince Ji,” Shi Tou answered loudly.

“Greetings, master of the household,” the villagers knelt and bowed to Li Shen. From this moment, they were his people. With the establishment of his household, they became members of Prince Ji’s estate, bound to him in life and death. Moreover, there was an advantage to having taxable households: since they were his kin, in years of disaster they would be exempt from taxes, and the head of the household was obliged to provide them with grain and supplies so they would not be displaced.

“Very well, rise,” Li Shen said. “What is your name?”

“Your Highness, my surname is Zhang. I have no given name; I am known as Zhang the Elder,” the man replied.

“Zhang the Elder, I cannot leave the palace often, so I entrust you with the affairs of both the Greater and Lesser Imperial Manors. For the Lesser Manor, select a village chief; for the Greater Manor, you will serve as the chief yourself. If anything arises, I will notify you, and you must oversee the matter. This year’s grain remains royal property; you shall manage it as usual. Next year, you will cultivate your own land as before. Regarding my five thousand acres of fertile farmland, assign ten acres to each household. These ten acres will be rent-free, and I will purchase their grain at a premium. Arrange the details as you see fit.”

Li Shen briefly outlined his plan for the five thousand acres, acknowledging it was somewhat scant—ten acres per household was not much. He resolved to buy more land once he had the means.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity,” Zhang the Elder said gratefully. Ten acres rent-free, with an average yield of two shi per acre—over two hundred jin per acre—amounted to a substantial income.

“Enough,” Li Shen said. “Now, to business. Today, I have come to recruit several craftsmen to work in my workshop. They must be strong, able to endure hardship, and above all, discreet—no talking about workshop affairs. Since you are my taxable households, I trust you. Wages will be fifteen wen per day, with bonuses for good work, and three meals provided. Work hours are five hours daily. Ask if anyone is interested.”

Zhang the Elder recognized this as a great opportunity; the master was truly considering his own people. Fifteen wen per day amounted to four hundred fifty wen monthly, or five guan annually—more than twice what they earned farming. Plus, three meals saved a man’s food expenses.

He quickly gathered all the able-bodied men in the manor to select those who met Li Shen’s criteria. No sooner had Zhang spoken than the strong men swarmed him, all eager to go. Li Shen, seeing he could not control the crowd, shouted, “Stop! Everyone stop!”

At Li Shen’s command, the crowd fell silent and listened. Standing atop a large stone, Li Shen addressed them:

“This time, I only need ten men. But there will be many more opportunities later, so do not be anxious.”

He continued loudly, “Listen carefully. Whose father or grandfather died fighting alongside His Majesty the Emperor? Step forward.”

Three men, all around twenty years old, came forward. Zhang the Elder confirmed to Li Shen, “Your Highness, these three have ancestors who died in battle alongside His Majesty, as recorded in the household registry. The Emperor has taken care of them here at the manor.”

Li Shen nodded. “Good. The Emperor has not forgotten the merits of your forebears, nor has the Tang Dynasty. You three are accepted.”

He then asked, “Whose forefathers were wounded in battle and subsequently retired?”

Eight men stepped forward this time. Zhang again confirmed, “Your Highness, these eight are indeed descendants of those disabled in service to the Emperor.”

“Very well, I will take all eight of you. Remember, the Emperor and the nation have not forgotten those who served honorably. You should be grateful to your ancestors. Now, prepare yourselves and follow me back to work. For the time being, you will reside in the city; once the workshop is built here, you may move in. You will receive two days off each month.”

Having finished speaking, Li Shen returned to his carriage. The manor was quite distant from the city’s south gate, so he rode by carriage.

Some were joyful, others disappointed. Those selected were naturally pleased; those not chosen, disheartened. Li Shen told Zhang the Elder to inform the villagers this was only the beginning and many more opportunities would come.

Half an hour later, the eleven men, each carrying bedding, followed Li Shen’s carriage toward Chang’an.

The entire afternoon, Li Shen busied himself arranging the installation of equipment and teaching them how to distill. Using purchased distillery residue, he ran a batch, dripping the output into wooden barrels below. The gathered men crowded close to watch.

“Is this wine? It looks like water.”

“Yes, yes, it must be water.”

“Nonsense! Don’t you smell the aroma of wine?”

A lively discussion ensued. Li Shen handed out small bowls, one per person, for tasting.

*Cough* “This wine is strong.”

“Yes, very potent, but pure.”

Li Shen sipped as well. The proof was roughly fifty degrees. Since the distillery residue came from various vendors, the flavor was average, but certainly better than the Cui family’s. He planned to sell this as a standard-grade product.

Because Wang Hongfu’s collected residue was quite mixed, Li Shen instructed Wang Fugui to seal this distillate in jars as low-end wine. Meanwhile, wine fermented and distilled twice in the workshop would become mid-to-high grade, needing double distillation and elegant jars. Mid-August, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, these would be presented as gifts. Thinking of gifts, Li Shen had another idea.

He had several jars brought out—both ordinary and exquisite. Some thought wine jars could not be refined, but in fact, they bore patterns engraved during firing.

Li Shen observed carefully, asking for explanations where unclear. He then ordered Wang Hongfu to begin purchasing all kinds of grains to brew wine himself, stockpiling the surplus since grain was cheap.

With nothing else pressing, he returned to the palace.

He planned to produce a batch of gift sets. At the Mid-Autumn Festival, nobles and wealthy merchants would all exchange gifts. As a man from the future, Li Shen understood the custom well. A high-end, tasteful gift—wine, a cultural treasure passed down for thousands of years—was the first choice. After all, wine culture was deeply rooted in China.

(Note: Near my home is a distillery where I often buy bulk wine. They say the first distillation yields wine around fifty degrees. Their distillery performs a second distillation to remove harshness, acidity, and raw grain taste, making the wine smoother. Importantly, the second distillation discards the heads and tails of the distillate, recycling them into the next batch.)

—End of excerpt—