Deng Xunfeng and Fu Xiujin exchanged glances, each taking a sip. Their expressions changed—the wine was indeed off.
A waiter was summoned, and moments later the shopkeeper hurried in, sweat beading his forehead.
Fu Xiujin explained the problem with the wine. The shopkeeper wiped his brow, poured a clean cup, and tasted it himself. His shocked face showed he hadn’t expected anything wrong.
“How could it be sour? Impossible! None of the other guests complained. How strange.”
Yao Shu tasted lightly. It had a grape flavor, but sour—clearly the fermentation had been exposed to air and acetic bacteria, turning it into vinegar.
“Shopkeeper, someone must have opened the jar during brewing. The grape wine has turned into grape vinegar.”
The shopkeeper shook his head furiously. “Impossible! My wine is famous for its quality. Such a mistake could never happen.”
Yao Shu pressed further. “You said no other guests noticed anything wrong, only our table? Was it the same jar of wine?”
The shopkeeper looked at the waiter, who quickly shook his head. “No. The Marquis Dingguo’s wine was from a separate jar. Madam General, you asked for a large vat to keep for later. We would never dare serve your wine to others.”
Madam Guo nodded. “Two years ago, grape wine first arrived in the capital. I tasted it and liked it, so I ordered a vat, thinking Lingyun could enjoy it when she returned. We’ve drunk it several times before—never a problem.”
The shopkeeper insisted his brewing process was fine. The same batch had been served to other guests without issue, and Madam Guo herself had drunk from this vat before without issue. To prove it, he led them to the wine cellar, pointing to a row of large vats at the bottom of the shelves.
“These vats are reserved for distinguished guests. This one is Madam’s grape wine. The smaller jars above are from the same batch, served to other customers.”
Yao Shu peered from behind Fu Xiujin. The vats and jars were sealed with labels, but near the bottom was a small hole plugged with wood, used to draw wine while minimizing air contact.
The waiter poured wine from one of the smaller jars for Fu Xiujin. He tasted each—no issue. The shopkeeper tried the Marquis Dingguo’s vat again—still sour. It seemed the problem was indeed with this vat.
“Strange. The seal hasn’t been broken. Madam, last time you drank it, it was fine. Why sour now?”
The shopkeeper apologized profusely, promising to brew a new vat for the Marquis’s household. General Deng and Madam Guo were easygoing and didn’t press him. The shopkeeper quickly ordered the sour vat to be carried out to be discarded.
Two kitchen helpers struggled to lift the heavy vat. As they carried it out, one stumbled, and the entire vat crashed to the ground.
With a loud *bang*, a scream followed.
“Ahhh! Are those bones?!”
Yao Shu and Fu Xiujin spun around. The two helpers sat on the ground, faces pale with terror. Amid shards of pottery and spilled vinegar lay bones—many bones. A skull rolled to one helper’s feet, making him wet himself in fright.
General Deng immediately shielded Madam Guo’s eyes, afraid she’d be horrified. Deng Xunfeng tried to block Deng Lingyun, but she stepped past him.
“These are clearly human bones. Judging from the pelvic joint, about a thirty-five-year-old man.” Yao Shu crouched calmly to examine them, her composure earning Deng Lingyun’s admiration.
The shopkeeper was already deathly pale. Fu Xiujin called him three times before he snapped out of it, crawling forward to kneel.
“Spare me, Prince Su! Spare me! I swear I didn’t know there was a corpse in the Marquis’s wine vat. I never meant for you to drink such filth!”
The shopkeeper assumed Fu Xiujin’s anger was over drinking wine steeped with a corpse—but he forgot the greater problem: a dead body had been hidden in his teahouse.