Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

On the street, Shen Chen and his companions carried a load on a shoulder pole, with round wine barrels hanging from both ends.

"Qin wine, fine wine transported from the Great Qin, three hundred coins a barrel!" Shen Chen shouted loudly in a Western Region accent.

Several henchmen nearby followed suit and started shouting as well.

A passerby walked by and asked suspiciously, "Was this wine transported from the Qin Dynasty?"

"The goods are genuine." Shen Chen took out a trade document. "We are all legitimate merchants from the Great Qin. If you tell me a single lie, you can arrest me and put me in jail. We do business honestly and fairly."

The man became interested: "I've never tasted Qin wine before, let me pour a bowl and try it."

Shen Chen shook his head: "This wine is only sold by the barrel; it cannot be poured into a separate bowl."

The passerby curled his lip and walked away: "Who buys wine by the barrel?"

Several more drinkers arrived, but when they heard that the wine was sold by the barrel, they all shook their heads and walked away: "They won't even open a barrel for us to try; they're just selling it by the barrel. Who would buy it?"

Shen Chen waited patiently, and at noon, a young man dressed as a servant came into his view.

The young man walked hurriedly, his brows furrowed with anxiety, as if he were searching for something.

"Wine for sale! Fine wine from the Great Qin, three hundred coins a barrel!" Shen Chen shouted loudly.

The young man's eyes immediately turned towards Shen Chen, and when he saw the several barrels of wine on the ground, his eyes lit up, and he quickly came over: "You sell wine?"

"Yes, this is fine wine from the Great Qin. Please buy a barrel, sir," Shen Chen said in a Western Region accent.

The young man asked, "Is your wine really that good?"

"This is top-quality wine. If it's not good, you can beat me up," Shen Chen said confidently. "This wine is so good that it dissolves in the air, so we only sell it by the barrel."

Upon hearing this, the young man felt a little relieved. Liu Ming didn't drink ordinary liquor; he only drank aged liquor, and he would drink a whole barrel of it each time.

He said, "Alright, bring one barrel to my residence first. If this wine is really as good as you say, I'll take the whole batch."

"Alright, Sanpang, Erhu, pick up the load." Shen Chen called to Zhang Xiaohu and Zhuang Man, and the three of them quickly carried the wine to the gate of a house.

Several servants then went out of the mansion and brought in a barrel of wine. A short while later, a shout of approval came from inside: "Excellent wine!"

Zhuang Man and Zhang Xiaohu exchanged a glance; they recognized Liu Ming's voice.

They belatedly realized why Shen Chen had disguised himself as a Qin merchant selling wine and even set a rule to sell it by the barrel.

These rules were specifically designed to target Liu Ming; only with these rules could they find Liu Ming's hiding place.

Soon, the young man from before came out and stuffed a bag of money into Shen Chen's hand: "I'll take all of these wines."

"Thank you, guest." Shen Chen took the money bag and thanked them repeatedly. Several barrels of wine were then carried into the courtyard.

After discovering Liu Ming's hiding place, Zhang Xiaolong and Zhuang Man were both eager to move: "Let's rush in and kill Liu Ming!"

Shen Chen said somewhat helplessly, "Have you really forgotten the pain once the wound has healed? Have you forgotten how badly Liu Ming beat you up last time?"

"This time we have Shen Tou, Zhao Qian, and Wang Wu. The few of us together should be able to take down Liu Ming," Zhuang Man said.

Shen Chen said, "The gap between the True Qi Realm and the Internal Organs Realm is too great. It's not something that can be overcome by adding a few more people. Besides, I don't think those servants are really servants. Several of them are martial artists who are close to the True Qi Realm."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaolong was somewhat discouraged: "Then how do we take down Liu Ming?"

"Wait," Shen Chen said. "Tomorrow, Liu Ming will ask us for more wine."

The brewing technology of this era was not advanced. The batch of wine that Shen Chen sold to Liu Ming was made by him using the distillation method. Compared with rice wine, the taste was more delicious and rich. Liu Ming, who was a wine enthusiast, would definitely become addicted after taking a sip!

At this moment, Liu Ming held the wine barrel with both hands and drank the wine inside in big gulps.

He had never drunk such potent liquor before. After finishing a whole barrel, he was already slightly drunk, and every pore on his body seemed to open up, releasing the aroma of the liquor.

After finishing the two barrels of wine, Liu Ming collapsed on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky outside the window. Liu Ming rubbed his temples and staggered out the door.

After using the latrine, Liu Ming returned to his room. His stomach was empty, and the memory of the fine wine he had drunk the day before made his mouth water. He immediately called to his servant, "Quickly, go find those wine merchants from the Great Qin and buy some more!"

……

Faced with the young man's request to buy wine, Shen Chen looked troubled: "Sigh, sir, to be honest, we've almost sold out of wine, and we plan to return to Da Qin today."

"If you want to drink, then wait until we come back next time," Shen Chen said.

The servant panicked immediately: "No! Please, I beg you, think of a way! If my master doesn't get his wine, he'll definitely beat me to death!"

The servant couldn't help but tremble at the thought of Liu Ming's rage.

Shen Chen looked troubled: "But the wine is already sold out... Unless we make a batch on the spot, there's no other way."

"If your master really wants to drink, he can prepare a stove, steamer, rice wine, and water tank in the yard, and we'll come and make it for him on the spot," Shen Chen said earnestly.

The servant dared not delay and immediately ran back to the courtyard to explain the situation to Liu Ming.

After hearing this, Liu Ming immediately became interested: "Such delicious wine can be made on the spot? I want to see how they do it."

He immediately ordered his men to prepare the ingredients and invited those "Qin merchants" to come and make the wine.

Liu Ming sized up Shen Chen and his companions, who were disguised as Qin merchants, and asked, "May I ask how you gentlemen are addressed?"

"My name is Murong Chen," Shen Chen introduced himself in a thick Western Region accent. "These are my henchmen, Sanpang and Biaozi. We come from Miluo City in the Great Qin Dynasty, a place known for its fine wine."

Liu Ming glanced at Zhang Xiaolong, Zhuang Man, Zhao Qian, Wang Wu, and the others beside him.

Zhang Xiaolong and Zhuang Man lowered their heads somewhat uncomfortably. Although their last encounter with Liu Ming was at night and they were dressed in black, they were still worried that Liu Ming would recognize them this time.

Liu Ming didn't recognize them. He turned his head and praised Shen Chen's wine: "Your wine is really good. I feel uncomfortable if I don't drink it for a day!"

He pointed to the things in the yard: "Everything you need is here. Please start making the bar."

Shen Chen said, "This winemaking technique is a closely guarded family secret. Please ask any unauthorized personnel to refrain from entering."

Liu Ming didn't suspect anything. Such delicious wine must be made with a closely guarded secret. He immediately dismissed the other servants in the courtyard: "All of you, get out! Get out!"

One of them looked troubled: "Lord Liu, Constable Zheng has instructed us to keep a close watch on you at all times. We are afraid we cannot comply."