Xie Ping couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Then, his brows were filled with disdain: “Fang Yang, have you thought it through? It’s nothing to pour out my wine first, but I’m afraid that after these people drink my wine, and then drink your damn celestial intoxication, they won’t even want to smell it!”
The friends who came with Xie Ping also burst into laughter.
“Young Master Xie is right! Not only is it bland, but it’s probably no different from horse piss! Haha!”
The laughter was ear-piercing.
Fang Yang raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over them.
“Alright, since that’s the case, you’re included too. When I win later, I guarantee you’ll all be flushed with a rosy glow!”
The laughter of the few people abruptly stopped, and their expressions stiffened.
Song Yiran, who was observing this scene from the periphery, flashed a hint of disgust in her eyes.
She had thought that Fang Yang had changed for the better, but she didn’t expect him to still be such a simple-minded brute who resorted to violence at the slightest provocation.
On the other side, Xie Ping saw his friends being put in a difficult position.
He didn't bother to say anything more to Fang Yang.
With a wave of his hand: “Pour the wine!”
Soon, servants came over, opened the wine jars Xie Ping had brought, and poured out the wine inside.
As the wine flowed, bursts of aroma began to spread.
The surrounding onlookers couldn’t help but deeply inhale a few breaths, noses twitching.
Their eyes were fixed on the wine in the bowls, and they almost drooled.
“So fragrant! Is this the Hundred-Day Brew from Yongping Marquis Manor? It’s truly fragrant!”
“Just smelling this gives a mellow and sweet sensation; it’s absolutely amazing!”
For a time, praises rose from all sides.
Listening to these praises, Xie Ping said proudly: “You are all correct! This wine is indeed the Hundred-Day Brew from my Yongping Marquis Manor. This wine is made by a secret method, aged in cellars, and has a mellow and fragrant taste. It is the treasure of our wine shop!”
The surrounding commoners, upon receiving the confirmed answer, immediately had their eyes light up.
They all began to envy the twenty chosen individuals.
With this Hundred-Day Brew, even if the Spendthrift of the capital brewed dog shit, it wouldn't matter!
Lian'er on the side was a bit anxious, constantly looking at her Young Master Fang Yang.
Fang Yang, however, looked indifferent.
The accountant, who had been dragged by Fang Yang to be a strongman, was now also sweating profusely. He hadn't expected the opponent to be so ruthless as to bring out the capital's renowned Hundred-Day Brew for the competition.
The old man chosen by Fang Yang, twitching his Jiuzaobi, sniffed it, and without a word, picked up a cup of wine and gulped it down.
After drinking, he didn't forget to wipe his mouth.
Seeing this, the other nineteen people also held their bowls and drank the wine.
“Good wine!”
“This is really good, no wonder a pot of wine can sell for two taels of silver.”
Jiuzaobi also smacked his lips, savoring the taste: “This is good, fragrant and mellow, truly good wine!”
Seeing the reactions of these people, Xie Ping’s smug expression became even more unconcealed.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at Fang Yang with a pretentious air and said, “Young Master Fang, it’s your turn!”
Lian'er and the accountant’s hearts were now in their throats, their palms sweating.
Fang Yang, however, calmly waved his hand: “Pour the wine!”
Several young attendants quickly came over and directly opened the wine jar in front of Fang Yang.
Instantly, a strong aroma of wine, straight to the top of the head, spread out.
The common people present were all stunned, and they all turned their attention to the wine jar in front of Fang Yang.
Jiuzaobi even started to drool.
“This wine! So strong!”
“Just a whiff, and I feel like I’m floating. No wonder it’s called celestial intoxication; I haven’t even drunk it yet, just smelled it, and I’m already a bit dizzy.”
“How exhilarating would it be to drink this wine? I can’t even imagine!”
The common people present discussed animatedly.
The commoners participating in the wine tasting were even more eager.
Before the attendants could finish pouring the twenty bowls of wine.
Jiuzaobi was already one step ahead, picking up a wine bowl and taking a sip.
Originally, he took a big gulp, but realizing something was wrong, he quickly spat half of it back out, then slowly swirled the wine in his mouth, not swallowing it for quite a while.
At this moment, the rest of the wine had also been poured.
Seeing Jiuzaobi’s expression, the others dared not reach for their wine bowls for a moment.
However, smelling the wine’s aroma, their hearts yearned for it.
Xie Ping also noticed that something was amiss.
He immediately burst out laughing: “Haha! Fang Yang, Fang Yang, did you put something in the wine? Look at that old man’s pained expression, did you poison him?”
The common people present were all in an uproar.
Song Yiran, in the crowd, also frowned slightly, then gently shook her head. It was clear that Fang Yang, this Spendthrift, was definitely going to lose.
After all, as far as she knew, the Fang family didn't have anyone who could brew wine. She turned to leave.
Just then.
Jiuzaobi suddenly shouted loudly: “Good! Good wine! This old man has tasted such fine wine for the first time in his life!”
“Wow!”
The crowd, who had just thought the old man was in trouble, was instantly shocked.
The other nineteen wine tasters stood there stunned, not knowing what to do for a moment.
And Jiuzaobi, holding the wine bowl, began to drink fiercely again.
Having gone through the previous experience, Jiuzaobi was clearly prepared this time, and he didn't care about the spiciness in his throat at all.
Seeing this, the others also picked up their wine bowls.
With just one sip, everyone frowned tightly.
They let the wine swirl in their mouths, but refused to swallow it.
Not swallowing it was one thing, but the key was that they weren't spitting it out either.
This scene made Xie Ping furrow his brows tightly.
After a while, these common people gradually began to swallow.
After taking one gulp.
The remaining wine was all drunk directly from the bowl.
After drinking, they even wished they could lick the bowl clean.
Watching this scene, Xie Ping was utterly bewildered.
Lian'er, on the other hand, looked at Fang Yang with curiosity and asked, “Young Master, what’s wrong with them? Why do they look both uncomfortable and enjoyable? Are they not satisfied?”
“Heh heh, don’t worry.”
Fang Yang chuckled, looking as if he had everything under control.
Seeing everyone silently finish the wine in their bowls.
Fang Yang then slowly spoke: “Alright, now you can all start judging, to see whose wine tastes better.”
Jiuzaobi heard this and immediately said, “Of course, it’s this celestial intoxication. The Hundred-Day Brew is not even as good as horse piss in front of it.”
Then he looked at Fang Yang with longing and said, “Boy, give me another bowl!”
“I also think the celestial intoxication is better.”
“That’s right! Although the Hundred-Day Brew is mellow and sweet, compared to the exhilarating sensation of celestial intoxication directly hitting the throat, it’s clearly nothing.”
“Me too, celestial intoxication has more kick.”
“I’ll choose this one too; this kind of strong liquor is absolutely unique in the capital!”
...
For a time, the twenty commoners who tasted the wine.
Not a single person chose Xie Ping’s Hundred-Day Brew.
Xie Ping's face turned pale.
He simply couldn't believe that these people actually thought the celestial intoxication brewed by this unlearned Spendthrift was even better than the wine from his Yongping Marquis Manor Xie!
If that were truly the case, then this Spendthrift’s celestial intoxication would surely become popular, and his own wine shop would probably be crushed.
Thinking of the potential outcome, Xie Ping felt his head buzzing.
In the crowd, Song Yiran, who was about to leave, also frowned slightly, somewhat disbelieving that Fang Yang had actually won in the end...
Unlike Xie Ping’s dejection.
At this moment, Fang Yang’s clenched fists were cracking.
Seeing this, Xie Ping’s expression suddenly changed dramatically.
He said with great fear, “You… what are you going to do?”
“You dog! From the moment This Young Master came to open the shop, you’ve been making trouble for This Young Master everywhere. Now that This Young Master has won, naturally, we’ll follow the bet!”
“Fa... Fang Yang! Let’s talk nicely!” Xie Ping was truly scared now.
“There’s nothing to talk about!”
Fang Yang rushed forward in an instant.
Seeing this, the surrounding common people quickly retreated, and Xie Ping's eyes widened in terror.
Looking at Fang Yang’s imposing manner, he shouted loudly, “Fang Yang, how dare you! My father is a Marquis!”
“Just a Marquis? My father is a Guo Gong Fu (Duke's Residence)!”
“Bang!”
Fang Yang’s fist landed directly on Xie Ping’s eye socket.
Xie Ping was sent staggering back several steps.
His heart was even more in a panic.
He hadn't expected that this damned Spendthrift would actually take the mere verbal bet seriously.
Without thinking further, he quickly shouted to his cronies beside him: “Quick! Quick! Help me! Help me stop him!”
Fang Yang glanced at This Young Masters who wanted to stop him, and directly shouted coldly, “Whoever interferes will take the beating for him. This matter was agreed upon between him and me!”
At these words, Xie Ping’s cronies all stopped in their tracks.
They were just there to watch the show; they didn't want to get beaten for no reason. After all, although Fang Yang, the Spendthrift, wasn't very smart, his combat strength was top-notch among the second generation of nobles.
With no one to stop him, Fang Yang was like a tiger entering an unguarded realm, his fists flying, beating Xie Ping so badly that he scurried around like a rat.
After crashing into several tables in the wine shop, he finally ran out onto the street.
However, it would have been better if he hadn't run.
Once on the main street, without tables and chairs to maneuver around, Fang Yang caught up in just a few strides.
Then he quickly knocked the person down, straddled him, and started punching him left and right.
He beat Xie Ping until he cried for his father and mother.
“Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Fang Yang scoffed, continuing to strike.
If he didn't beat this guy into submission, he would probably cause trouble for him in the future.
He had also inquired these past few days; other noble families were also involved in the wine business.
If he didn't establish his authority today, perhaps the Wang family would come looking for trouble tomorrow, and the Sun family the day after. By then, his business wouldn't be able to continue.
From not far away, the servants of Xie’s wine shop heard Xie Ping’s wailing.
After a glance, they quickly called for people to grab their weapons and charged out, howling.
“How dare you! How dare you hit our Young Master!”
Seeing this, Fang Yang’s brow furrowed, and he too became furious.
“You, Xie Ping! How dare you go back on your word! Then don’t blame me for being impolite!”
He reached out, grabbed Xie Ping’s clothes, and threw him to the servants behind him: “Keep a close eye on him, don’t let him run away!”
Then he casually picked up a stick and charged towards the Xie servants.
The house guards behind Fang Yang were also bewildered at this sight.
But since it had come to this, there was nothing more to say.
“You two watch him, the rest of you go!”
The leading house guard gave an order, and then led his men to pick up sticks nearby and charged forward.
For a time, the entire intersection of East Market and Changle Ward became a brawling ground.
The surrounding common people were all stunned.
Having lived in this East Market and Changle Ward for so many years, they had truly never seen such a scene.
Upon learning that the one fighting ten without falling behind was the Spendthrift from Duke Chengguo Residence, they all praised him.
‘Truly worthy of being a Spendthrift, so brave!’
Under Fang Yang’s leadership, the Xie servants were quickly beaten back, none daring to advance.
“Let our Young Master go!”
The leading servant shouted, his voice betraying his inner weakness.
There was no other way; they couldn’t win, so they could only shout.
“Are you kidding? The bet hasn’t been fulfilled, and you want me to release him? Do you think that’s possible?”
Xie Ping, who was being held, quickly said, “You’ve already beaten me, I’ve fulfilled it.”
“Hmph, you said I could beat you up, but you ran away just now.” Fang Yang said lightly.
“Then what do you want?” Xie Ping was about to cry.
“Simple. Just now, you damaged my tables and chairs in the wine shop, and there’s also This Young Master’s lost income, emotional distress, and reputation fees.”
Fang Yang smiled slightly, full of amiability, and coupled with his handsome face, he had a certain charm, like a jade-like gentleman unique in the world.
“Rep… reputation fees?” Xie Ping’s mouth twitched.
“Nonsense, This Young Master is also a person of status. If today’s events get out, how will everyone look at me? Pay up!”
At this, not only Xie Ping, but even the surrounding common people couldn’t stand it anymore.
What reputation does a Spendthrift like you have?
Song Yiran, who had been in the crowd, also slowly walked out.
With slightly furrowed brows, she looked at Fang Yang with a hint of disdain and called out, “Fang Yang!”
Fang Yang, who was about to make an outrageous demand, turned his head upon hearing this.
He saw Song Yiran standing gracefully in the sunset, like a painting.
The next second.
Fang Yang frowned slightly: “What do you want?”
“Fang Yang, he is the Marquis of Yongping’s son. Don’t cause trouble for your Guo Gong Fu (Duke's Residence). Quickly release him and apologize, and today’s matter will be over.” Song Yiran said imperiously.
“Apologize? Me?”
Fang Yang immediately found it amusing.
“Yes, don’t cause any more trouble for Fang Bo.” Song Yiran said crisply.
“I thank you!”
Fang Yang said impatiently.
Then he said to the servant, “Go back and tell your master to pay five hundred taels of silver to redeem him, otherwise my Guo Gong Fu (Duke's Residence) doesn't mind having an extra servant to dig latrines!”
He waved his hand, then instructed the servants behind him: “Watch him in shifts. If the Xie family causes trouble again, I’ll continue to deal with Xie Ping!”
After speaking, he was about to leave.
“Fang Yang!”
Song Yiran called out again.
In the past, Fang Yang had always revolved around her, but today, being so coldly ignored, she felt very uncomfortable.
“If there’s anything, say it quickly. This Young Master is very busy.” Fang Yang replied indifferently.
Song Yiran frowned.
Her pair of bright, watery eyes just stared at Fang Yang.
Normally, this tactic would definitely work.
But this time.
Fang Yang only left two words: “Sick in the head!”
Then he turned and left.
“Fang Yang! What you’re doing, such crude behavior, what’s the difference between you and an unlearned brute!” Song Yiran shouted angrily.
“Heh! Brute?”
Fang Yang sneered, and with a 'whoosh', the folding fan in his hand suddenly opened.
He looked at Song Yiran with disdain: “Miss Song, have you forgotten who took first place at yesterday’s poetry gathering?”
Song Yiran’s expression froze.
Then she gritted her teeth and said, “Hmph! You just copied two poems from somewhere, what’s there to show off about?”
Fang Yang immediately found it amusing.
Too lazy to waste words with this woman, he directly shouted: “Bring paper and brush!”
An attendant heard this and quickly ran into the wine shop to fetch paper and brush, and at the same time, very perceptively, brought over a table as well.
Fang Yang took the brush and smoothed out the paper.
Then he glanced at Song Yiran with an utterly indifferent look.
He directly said to everyone present: “Today, my Duke Chengguo Residence’s celestial intoxication wine shop is opening, and yet someone dares to question my Fang Yang’s talent and character. So today, I, Fang Yang, will state it here: I will present an upper couplet, and whoever can provide the lower couplet will receive free wine whenever they dine at my celestial intoxication in the future!”
‘Wow!’
Fang Yang’s words instantly made the entire crowd of common people boil over.
As long as they wrote the lower couplet, they would get free celestial intoxication!
This temptation was too great!
Several scholars, upon hearing this, all had their eyes light up and pushed their way to the front.
They were determined to get this free quota.
Fang Yang, meanwhile, had already picked up his brush and began to write.
“Boom!”
The next second, a thunderclap suddenly echoed in the minds of these scholars who wanted to freeload, and then they only felt as if the sky had collapsed...