Chapter 228 VIP P
Madam Li leaped from the carriage, her movements as light as a feather.
Madam Li walked straight to Shen Yulou, not even sparing him a glance.
She simply stared at the wine barrels and asked indifferently, "How much is this wine?"
In the distance, the eyes of the Yan State soldiers all focused on them.
They craned their necks, constantly swallowing saliva.
They all had one thought: if these rich merchants drank it and were fine, then they could drink it too!
Before Shen Yulou could speak, a "clerk" next to him eagerly interjected.
"Madam, this wine is a birthday gift for County Magistrate Liu, it's all top-grade Peach Blossom Brew!
Five barrels for one tael of silver; anything extra is sold cheaply for a bit of hard-earned cash."
Madam Li didn't even frown; she directly grabbed a large ladle from a nearby clerk.
Gulp, gulp—
She raised her fair neck and, in front of thousands of people, directly chugged a large ladleful!
Her actions were incredibly bold and unrestrained; the wine trickled down the corner of her mouth, tracing her elegant jawline, making the soldiers' Adam's apples collectively bob up and down.
"Good wine!"
Madam Li wiped her mouth, tossed the ladle back into the barrel with a clatter, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.
She turned and returned to her carriage, saying a few words to someone inside.
The next second, a money pouch was thrown out of the carriage window.
"Keep the change."
Madam Li had her subordinates carry five full barrels of wine from Shen Yulou's carriage.
Her servants swarmed around like hungry wolves, one with a ladle, another with a bowl, drinking on the spot.
The sounds they made were utterly delightful, making Tiger Zhao's men itch with anticipation.
"General!"
The adjutant couldn't hold out any longer; his throat was practically smoking.
"Look, the merchant caravan has already drunk it, and they're all fine, so this wine should be okay."
"Exactly, General, it's too hot today; if we don't drink some water, we'll get heatstroke for sure!"
"Shall we buy a barrel to quench our thirst?"
Tiger Zhao looked at the faces of his subordinates, which were almost roasted.
Listening to the gulping sounds of drinking from over there, he couldn't help but swallow his own saliva.
Damn it, he was really thirsty!
His heart wavered.
These merchants all seemed like wealthy people; they wouldn't gamble with their lives.
"Wait a little longer!"
Tiger Zhao gritted his teeth, making his last struggle.
"After they've gone far away, if they're still fine, then we'll go buy some!"
He had been cautious his whole life; a little more waiting wouldn't hurt.
Not long after, Madam Li's group had drunk their fill.
They wiped their mouths, contentedly drove their carriages, and slowly continued on their way.
Their satisfied expressions made it seem as if they had just enjoyed a state banquet.
When Madam Li left, she even deliberately tossed the used ladle casually back into the wine barrel.
Only, no one noticed that the used ladle was coated with a layer of white powder.
Upon entering the wine, it instantly dissolved, showing no trace of a flaw.
This stuff was an enhanced version of 'meng han yao' (a type of anesthetic/sleeping drug) concocted by Shen Yulou and Yang Dali, a pair of desperate poison masters.
With a modern scientific formula, it was designed to be potent and effective in large quantities.
Seeing the merchant caravan disappear into the distance without any issues, Tiger Zhao's soldiers could no longer sit still.
Shen Yulou, seeing that the time was right, sighed and also pretended to prepare to drive his carriage away.
"Hey! Wine seller, wait!"
Tiger Zhao finally couldn't hold back and called out to him.
He walked over with a few personal guards, and thousands of eyes instantly focused on Shen Yulou.
"Sell us a few barrels of your wine."
"Not selling!"
Shen Yulou turned his head, his temper flaring, looking sulky.
"Didn't you not want to buy just now? Afraid my wine has poison?
This wine of mine is a birthday gift for County Magistrate Liu; if I delay the time, can you bear the responsibility?"
Shen Yulou's acting was quite superb, practically flawless.
Tiger Zhao's mouth twitched, and he cursed "son of a bitch merchant" in his heart, but he had to force a smile on his face.
"Little brother, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."
He lowered his stance and said politely, "It's understandable to be cautious when on military duty outside. Don't take it to heart; how about this, we'll pay more, you name the price!"
If this were within Yan State, Tiger Zhao would have slapped him already.
But for now, they still needed to maintain a low profile.
"That's more like it."
Shen Yulou knew when to stop; the act was sufficient. He held up one finger.
"One tael of silver per barrel, not a single cent less!"
Before, it was five barrels for one tael of silver; now it's one barrel, which better fit the image of a cunning merchant and made them believe him even more.
"Are you f***ing robbing us?!"
The adjutant exploded on the spot; it was just five barrels for one tael of silver earlier.
"Buy it or don't!"
Shen Yulou stiffened his neck, looking like he couldn't care less.
"Buy it!"
Tiger Zhao's main concern was safety, and he wasn't short on money. Now, seeing the vendor haggle with them like this, he believed him even more.
Shen Yulou saw him take the bait, his heart overflowing with joy, but his face showed an expression of "you're sensible."
He picked up the ladle that Madam Li had just used and was about to draw wine.
"Wait!"
Tiger Zhao snatched the ladle away.
"We'll do it ourselves!"
Tiger Zhao had seen clearly that the merchant caravan had drunk from this very barrel and used this very ladle!
If they were going to drink, they would drink from the safest barrel!
He took the ladle and personally scooped a full ladle from the barrel Madam Li had drunk from, handing it to a personal guard behind him.
"Go, test it."
The personal guard tested it with a silver needle, then took a small sip himself, smacked his lips, and nodded to Tiger Zhao.
"General, no problem!"
"Good!" Tiger Zhao waved his hand, "Drink up!"
He himself took a big gulp first; the cool wine flowed down his throat, bringing a refreshing chill that lifted his spirits.
Refreshing!
Seeing this, the other soldiers also rushed forward, surrounding the other barrels and drinking ravenously.
Tiger Zhao watched all this, a smug smile playing on his lips.
He felt like a genius, having circumvented all risks.
However, he never would have imagined.
The barrel he drank from was the VIP of VIPs that Shen Yulou had prepared for him, a special deluxe package.
The dosage was ten times that of the other barrels!
"Burp—"
Tiger Zhao had just burped when he felt something was wrong.
His vision began to spin, and golden stars danced before his eyes.
His feet felt like he was treading on cotton, soft and weak.
"Not good... the wine... has..."
His face instantly turned pale; before he could utter the last word, "poison," his eyelids felt as heavy as if two pieces of iron were hanging from them.
As expected of a general, his reaction was quick!
Tiger Zhao made a decisive move, using all his strength to shove his fingers down his throat, quickly trying to induce vomiting.
"Ugh—"
The wine he had just drunk was mostly expelled.
But the soldiers behind him didn't react as quickly as he did.
One after another, like mown chives, they fell down in swathes.
In less than a minute, an army of thousands lay silently flat on the ground.
"You dog villain... I'll kill you.