Household Name

One must know that in this era, colored glass was an absolute luxury, truly invaluable.

Previously, Li Shimin had spent a fortune of ten thousand strings of cash to buy a single glass cup. He loved it so much that he couldn't bear to part with it, occasionally bringing it out to show off to his officials.

Now, the liquor bottles Wang Yousheng brought out were actually all made of glass. Moreover, they looked completely flawless without a single impurity, countless times better than the glass cup in Li Shimin's possession!

This stuff is just glass, it's not worth much money.

Wang Yousheng waved his hand. If you all like them, just take them back with you after we finish drinking later. Consider them a gift. If you can't finish the liquor, keep the bottles to store your own drinks.

Although he didn't know much about history, he understood that such things would definitely not be cheap in ancient times.

Upon hearing this, looks of delight appeared on the faces of all the officials.

Cheng Yaojin even stuffed a bottle directly into his robes, seemingly afraid that Li Shimin might object later.

How do we open these bottles? And the liquor inside is actually so clear, not cloudy in the slightest, Zhangsun Wuji asked.

Subsequently, Wang Yousheng took a bottle of Moutai and demonstrated how to open it for them.

The crowd followed suit, mimicking his actions perfectly.

The moment the bottles were opened, a rich aroma of liquor instantly permeated the entire venue.

Excellent liquor!

Even though they hadn't truly tasted it yet, the moment they smelled this fragrance, everyone understood that this liquor was absolutely extraordinary.

Come to think of it, how could a liquor stored in glass possibly be ordinary?

I only remembered to have them bring the liquor over, but forgot to ask them to bring glasses. Wang Yousheng glanced at the table, noting there were no cups, only a few dishes of appetizers and some bowls.

The bold and uninhibited people of the Great Tang always drank their liquor poured into bowls.

Actually, this also had to do with the alcohol content.

Ancient liquors were not as highly concentrated as those of later generations, so downing a few bowls was not a difficult task for an average person.

But the Moutai of later generations was different.

If one were to really drink an entire bowl of it, it was to be feared that not many people could still remain sober.

Ah, you have to use bowls for drinking, who needs cups? Come, come, with such fine liquor, we must drink to our hearts' content today.

As he spoke, Yuchi Gong poured himself a brimming large bowl.

Seeing this, Wang Yousheng pondered for a moment before saying, This liquor is extremely strong. It is not advisable to drink it in such large bowls. Duke of E, you had better take it slow.

No matter how strong it is, just how strong could it possibly be?

Yuchi Gong chuckled, picked up the bowl, and directly downed a large mouthful.

Just after swallowing the first mouthful, he instantly felt that something was wrong.

When Wang Yousheng said it was strong, it was truly strong.

He only felt as if a ball of fire had ignited in his throat.

However, for the sake of saving face, Yuchi Gong ultimately forced himself to swallow it down.

After recovering for quite a while, he let out a long breath. Refreshing! Good liquor! It truly is good liquor!

The crowd naturally saw that his expression was somewhat off and realized that this liquor might indeed be very strong, so they all held their bowls and took tiny sips.

It is indeed fine liquor. Although extremely strong, after savoring and swallowing it slowly, it leaves one with an endless aftertaste, Qin Qiong remarked.

At this time, a teacher raised his bowl to offer a toast from a distance. Haha, Duke of Yi, I toast you a cup. I never expected that in my lifetime, I would actually be able to share a banquet and drink with you. This really feels somewhat surreal.

Oh? From what this gentleman says, could it be that Shubao is very famous in later generations? Li Shimin asked curiously.

Hearing this, the officials were all startled inwardly.

Although Li Shimin had never explicitly told them from the beginning to the end, the crowd was not stupid. In fact, they had more or less guessed something, knowing that the recent appearance of Wang Yousheng and his people was by no means accidental, especially since they had brought so much knowledge and so many divine artifacts.

If they guessed correctly, these people were very likely from later generations.

Now, by asking such a question in front of everyone, Li Shimin was effectively laying his cards on the table.

How could that just be called very famous?

The teacher put down the bowl in his hand and then said, He is exceptionally famous.

Oh? Why not tell us about it? Li Shimin was curious. He had been to the future generations, but he hadn't stayed for very long, and at that time, he hadn't really talked with anyone about matters concerning the Great Tang, so he naturally didn't know.

There is a classical allusion to this.

The teacher stroked his chin and then said, Legend has it that in the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang frequently had nightmares and was harassed by ghosts, rendering him unable to sleep at night. Duke of Yi Qin Qiong and Duke of E Yuchi Gong then donned their armor and guarded the gates, and the ghosts and demons dared not approach. Unable to bear the hardship of his two generals, Taizong ordered painters to draw their portraits and paste them on the palace gates. Later generations followed suit, and it eventually became a custom.

In later generations, you two Dukes are household names as Door Gods. During the New Year and other festivals, almost every household will paste your portraits on both sides of their doors.

Hearing these words, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong couldn't help but become excited. They never expected that they would be so famous in later generations, even becoming household Door Gods.

When the others heard this, looks of immense envy appeared on their faces.

Wang Yousheng smiled and said, Actually, every single person sitting here is no nobody. In later generations, even people who haven't learned much about the history of the Great Tang have more or less heard your names.

In our future generations, there is a saying, A Cheng Yaojin charging out halfway. It is generally used as a metaphor for something sudden, describing how when a matter is ongoing, an unexpected person or event suddenly appears, disrupting the original plan.

And Duke of Zheng Wei Zheng, later generations call you the number one troll of the Great Tang, mainly because you had to scold a couple of sentences about everything and dared to offer frank admonitions.

Speaking up to here, Wang Yousheng saw that Wei Zheng was not only not angry, but actually looked somewhat proud, so he continued, Using a mirror to reflect on the past and present, cultivating one's moral character to reach far.

Actually, Duke of Zheng and His Majesty Taizong left behind some beautiful tales of sovereign and minister. The most famous one is from the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, when Taizong mourned Duke of Zheng and once said: With bronze as a mirror, one can straighten one's attire; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a state; with a person as a mirror, one can see one's successes and failures.

These three maxims have been passed down for a thousand years and still resonate like a great temple bell today, warning future generations that they must constantly harbor a heart of self-reflection in order to walk steadily and go far.

With bronze as a mirror, one can straighten one's attire; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a state; with a person as a mirror, one can see one's successes and failures...

Li Shimin repeatedly muttered this sentence in his mouth. When his gaze fell upon Wei Zheng again, his eyes became a bit clearer, and then he laughed heartily. Good, good, good! My beloved subject is indeed a pillar of my Great Tang. It's just a pity that I didn't expect you to die in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan.

You also died in the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, Wang Yousheng said.

Pfft!

As soon as these words came out, Li Shimin, who had just taken a sip of liquor, couldn't hold it back and instantly spat it out. This was truly a bit of a buzzkill.

But thinking about it, it was currently only the sixth year of Zhenguan. Furthermore, he now had Qin Ning helping to condition his body, and in the future, he would also follow the other party to learn cultivation. History could definitely be changed!