After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 83 The Princess Holds a Grudge

The wine was quickly brought over, and he stared at the gift box in his hand, which contained fruit wine that his master had prepared for Miss Ali.

This morning, the master specially prepared this jar of wine and waited at Jin Yu Man Tang, and for her safety, he kept himself by Miss Ali's side.

However, to be honest, this wine isn't actually 500 years old.

It was brewed by his master some time ago.

Fortunately, ever since the master accidentally discovered that using spiritual power to enhance the aroma of wine could make it more fragrant and mellow, he has been using spiritual power to enhance the aroma of wine whenever he has the chance.

He said that Miss Ali likes to drink fruit wine, and the older the vintage, the stronger the aroma.

That's how the bottle of century-old wine I gave Miss Ali last time came about.

This spiritual wine not only has a rich flavor, but also has the effects of strengthening the body and replenishing spiritual energy.

As long as you have enough spiritual energy, you can instantly make wine that's hundreds of years old, or even thousands or tens of thousands of years old, let alone aged wine.

Besides, who says only the palace has wine collections? Families like the General of the State's Mansion and the Grand Secretary Lin's Mansion all have wines older than this. It's just that who would bother showing off their treasured collection?

This adopted daughter is truly ignorant; she's destined to be disappointed.

Sure enough, Xia Li opened the gift box directly, and then with a "bang," the lid was opened, and a rich and mellow aroma of wine immediately spread out.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it smells so good!"

"What kind of wine is this? The aroma is so strong, it must be at least two hundred years old. I drank a two-hundred-year-old wine at the Third Prince's residence before, but it didn't have such a strong aroma."

"Although I don't know much about wine, just smelling it made me feel refreshed."

"Me too. Does this mean that Miss Xia's wine is a rare and excellent wine?"

The more people talked, the darker Xia Wanwan's face became. She retorted, "What's the use of just having a strong aroma? It doesn't prove that this is a 500-year-old wine."

Everyone secretly thought she was brainless, but right now they needed to prove the age of the wine, so no one held her slip of the tongue against her.

Xia Li smiled and said, "Among us, there are many who have tasted countless fine wines. You are welcome to come closer and take a look. Even if none of you know anything about wine, I've heard that our Miss Xianjing is quite interested in it. I was thinking, if that's alright, shall we pour a glass for each of you and have a taste?"

Zhou Xianjing glanced at Xia Li and tacitly agreed. In fact, she had noticed Xia Li as soon as she entered the room. Not only was her clothing outstanding, but her gift was also different from the common items given by young ladies.

While others gave her jewelry and calligraphy, what did she give? A jar of vintage wine. And you know what? It was exactly what she wanted. Of all the gifts, this jar of wine was the only one she really liked.

And look at this girl's temperament, so genuine and adorable, it's totally my type.

The steward first tested the poison with a silver needle, then brought out more than a dozen wine cups and poured them for the high-ranking officials and the family members of the Earl's mansion, while others were not worthy of drinking.

"It has a rich fruity aroma, combined with a subtle wine fragrance, and a refreshing and smooth taste."

"Wow! This smells so good, with a hint of peach. Could this be fruit wine?"

"But can fruit wine be stored for 500 years?" someone asked.

"This is truly the most delicious wine I've ever tasted. I have no regrets in this life!"

"Please forgive me, everyone. I am not capable enough to taste a 500-year-old wine."

Some people praised it highly, while others were puzzled. Of course, the Second Princess coldly remarked, "But this, while delicious, doesn't reveal the specific year it's from!"

"That's normal. Everyone here is a young person, and it's normal that they haven't tasted a 500-year-old vintage before. So how can we prove the age of this wine?"

"I could send someone to invite the palace's official brewer over..." Just then, the second princess suggested.

But before he could finish speaking, Xia Li interrupted him.

"No need. I'm sure the Dongping Marquis's mansion has a winemaker who can find out its age." She had already achieved her goal and didn't want to waste time attending this boring banquet. She was looking for a chance to escape.

"Yes, there is." The butler nodded. "I'll go and fetch someone right now."

Xia Li: "..."

No? Why didn't you invite him sooner?

Why did she keep nagging here for so long?

Butler: Ahem! It's not my fault. Our young lady found you amusing and told me not to speak.

Xia Li felt a venomous gaze and looked around to find that it was coming from the Second Princess.

Huh? How did she offend the second princess?

Because she didn't ask the palace brewer as she suggested?

She simply found it troublesome, and besides, the Dongping Marquis's family was a prominent clan; they certainly had winemakers who had seen wines aged five hundred years. Was this princess really resentful of her because of this?

That's far too stingy!

In fact, the Second Princess's resentment wasn't just about being interrupted and making the Princess feel humiliated. It was also because at the entrance of the Dongping Marquis's residence, a large crowd had gathered to kneel and pay homage to the Second Princess, who was enjoying the reverence as she leisurely walked into the residence. However, Xia Li arrived shortly after she entered, and those who had surrounded her immediately swarmed around him. Although the crowd wasn't being impolite, the Second Princess felt that Xia Li had stolen her thunder.

But this is a banquet at the Dongping Earl's mansion. I came here today to help my third brother win over the other party. I can't make a scene, or I'll embarrass the host.

Otherwise, she would definitely order her clothes to be taken off, and see how she could still show off!

As the legitimate daughter of the current empress, a princess who is favored in every way, she felt aggrieved for the first time because of someone of lower status than herself, and she began to resent that person.

Once you get out of this door, this princess will teach you how to respect people!

While waiting for the winemaker, Zhou Xianjing poured herself another glass of wine, took a deep breath, and sighed with satisfaction, "Miss Xia's gift is truly wonderful, and this wine is also truly excellent. I am delighted. No matter how many years the winemaker claims it to be, I will treat it as a 500-year-old vintage."

Her words implied that she wouldn't pursue the matter further.

After all, given Zhou Xianjing's status, if she were to really pursue this matter, it would be a huge problem for the entire Beiliang Marquis's mansion. So, she was just trying to reassure Xia Li.

Xia Li also found this woman to her liking and said happily, "Miss Zhou is very generous! Today, I distributed the gifts that should have been Miss's to everyone. Although it was a helpless act to prove my innocence, it was still against the rules. To make amends, I will give you the first bottle of good wine I get another day. I hope Miss Zhou will not find it offensive."

"That's great! I've decided to be your friend. Just call me Xianjing. If you ever need anything, feel free to come to me. If it's not too difficult, I'll take care of it for you." Zhou Xianjing laughed heartily, completely at odds with her name.