My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 199 The First Ming Trade Fair

"This is……"

The Sugawara family, to which Sugawara Tadatsugu belonged, was one of the most powerful families in the Southern Dynasty. Logically speaking, he should have seen the world, but when he saw what he saw, he couldn't help but tremble all over.

Ono Hideyo looked at everything in front of him, as if he was dreaming, and rubbed his eyes hard. Yoshimasa Sasaki, Michio Sasaki and others were so shocked that they were speechless.

What came into their eyes was a small hill made entirely of white sugar. The pure white sugar grains were crystal clear and emitted an alluring glow under the light!

Sugawara Tadatsugu swore that he had never seen such pure white frosting in his life!

Although white sugar is not as precious as pepper in the Japanese archipelago, it is also an extremely rare item. White sugar first entered Japan in the Tang Dynasty under the name of frost sugar, but it has always been enjoyed only by the aristocracy.

Moreover, the frosted sugar in the past, although called frosted sugar, had some flaws. Most of them were transparent with a hint of yellowish earth. It was not as crystal clear as the white sugar we see in front of us, which was like the purest crystal.

"Cui, Master Cui, these are..."

Ono Hideyo finally managed to move his gaze away from the mountain of sugar, swallowed hard, and spoke incoherently to Cui Wenyuan.

"These are frosting sugars!" Cui Wenyuan smiled and introduced them to the Japanese envoys slowly.

"This is the first time I've seen such crystal white frosting. It's incredible that frosting can be this exquisite. It's worthy of the Ming Dynasty!"

Ono Hideyo sighed sincerely, and at this moment, the envoys from the Northern and Southern Dynasties nodded in unison, which was rare.

However, when Sugawara Tadatsugu saw that Sasaki Yoshimasa made the same movements as himself, he immediately turned his head away and snorted coldly.

Yoshimasa Sasaki also glared at Sugawara Tadatsugu fiercely, wishing he could rush over and dig out Sugawara Tadatsugu's eyeballs immediately, but as this was in the Ming palace, he did not have the courage to do so, and could only curse the Yoshino boar in his heart.

Cui Wenyuan saw all this and laughed in his heart, but he continued slowly:

"Of course, these are all frosted candies carefully made by the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty using special techniques and going through 9981 processes. Each one of them embodies the ingenuity of the craftsmen. Only in this way can such pure and flawless frosted candies be made!"

Cui Wenyuan just made it up casually. The 81 steps were just something he made up. Even he was only rewarded with a few pounds of sugar by His Majesty during the New Year to try. The Japanese had never seen such white sugar before.

If he hasn't seen it before, why not just let him brag about it?

However, Ono Hideyo really believed it and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Ninety-nine eighty-one processes, so complicated and delicate, can really make such noble frosting sugar, worthy of the Ming Dynasty, it's amazing!"

If Li Han were here, he would definitely think that Cui Wenyuan's work in diplomacy is a waste of his talent. He should go into sales. His eloquence is simply innate. If he could write a marketing copy like "Cuban cigars are rubbed on the thighs of young girls", wouldn't the Japanese be salivating?
"Will the Ming Dynasty trade these frosted candies?" Ono Hideyo asked cautiously.

The other Japanese envoys also pricked up their ears and stared at Cui Wenyuan.

Whoever can do this frosted sugar business will have endless wealth!
"Of course." Cui Wenyuan said proudly: "You all saw it at the dock today. The goods used for trading in the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade this time are these frosted candies!"

Everyone couldn't help but gasp. No wonder the Ming Dynasty was able to earn several ships full of gold and silver. This was enough to show how valuable these frosted candies were.

"But who should be in charge of the frosting sugar business?"

Cui Wenyuan deliberately said this, causing Ono Hideyo to hurriedly say: "Sir, Sir Cui, please let us handle this frosting sugar business. Our Emperor has always been loyal to the Ming Dynasty and will definitely not let the Emperor down or the Ming Dynasty!" When Sasaki Yoshimasa heard Ono Hideyo say this, he cursed the people of the Southern Dynasty for being shameless in his heart and hurriedly said:

"Assholes! What qualifications do you have to deal in the frosting sugar business? It must be handed over to our Northern Dynasty Shogunate!"

"You, the shogunate, dare to call yourself the emperor in the name of the fake emperor?"

Sugawara Tadatsugu sneered and said, "As the old saying goes, the virtuous shall rule the land. Our Emperor possesses the three sacred treasures. This is the orthodoxy of Japan. The frosted sugar business should naturally be left to us!"

"伱!"

Seeing the two dynasties of the North and South refusing to give in to each other, Cui Wenyuan smiled and said, "Please don't be anxious, just follow me and continue to watch."

The group walked forward again. In addition to the shock brought by the white sugar, the following precious items such as silk, tea, porcelain, jade, and gems brought back from the West also dazzled the Japanese envoys.

However, as everyone continued to move forward, suddenly, they smelled a strong and intoxicating aroma of wine!
They had never smelled such a strong aroma of alcohol in their lives, and it seemed that there was more than one kind.

The aroma of some wines is like that of old wine that has been brewed and stored for many years, long-lasting and fascinating, making people intoxicated and reluctant to leave.

However, some scents are as refreshing as a spring breeze, making people feel relaxed and happy.

What's more, the rich fragrance lingers on the tip of the nose for a long time, just like a beautiful, charming, but untamed woman, making people unable to extricate themselves!

Even Cui Wenyuan, although he knew that His Majesty wanted to use good wine to lure the Japanese, the aroma of this wine was something he had never smelled before.

It is not an exaggeration to describe this fine wine as fairy wine. At this moment, Cui Wenyuan was a little reluctant to use this fine wine to trade with the Japanese.

Everyone couldn't help but look forward, and saw several eunuchs opening several wine bottles that no one had ever seen before, and then pouring them into wine glasses. The rich aroma came from there.

The wine bottle was of extremely exquisite shape, and the bottle body was as clear as crystal. I don't know which master made it, but you can tell at first glance that it was not something from this mortal world.

I don’t know which master wrote the words "Jiannanchun" and "Guojiao" on it, but just looking at the words is priceless!

"Such a strong aroma of wine. Although I have drunk countless good wines in my life and tasted the strong liquors of the Ming Dynasty, I have never seen this kind of wine. Just by smelling the aroma, I know it is nectar. Even if I can have a sip of it right now, I will die without regrets!"

Sugawara Tadatsugu no longer had time to argue with Sasaki Yoshimasa, and he sighed sincerely at this moment.

Cui Wenyuan said: "Hey, Lord Sugawara, you are wrong. Good wine is for tasting, right? My Lords, please!"

"In that case, I will not be polite!"

Sugawara Tadatsugu could no longer resist the temptation of alcohol, so he walked straight over, picked up one of the cups, put it to his lips, took a deep sip, and an intoxicated expression appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Yoshimasa Sasaki did not hesitate to step forward and raised the cups with the others.

Sugawara Tadatsugu raised his glass and could no longer hold back, pouring the wine into his mouth. After a while, while the others were still savoring the aroma of the wine, he suddenly spoke:
"Master Cui, if these fine wines can be used for trade, I can agree to any conditions of the Ming Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)