Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 832: Chapter 8: The Canal Pan Salt Evaporation Method

The method used by the coastal prefectures of Great Zhou to produce sea salt is very simple and crude; it involves boiling sea salt. The so-called "boiling sea salt" method is literal, without any technique. Naturally, the boiled salt doesn’t taste good and is quite troublesome.

Zhao Yao’s new method for making sea salt was learned from the world he saw in his dreams—it’s the Guotan salt drying method.

This Guotan salt drying method has seven steps: constructing the bank, preparing the bank, channeling the tides, making the brine, testing the brine, crystallizing, and collecting the salt.

Although it’s more complex than the boiling method, it’s not difficult to operate. Most importantly, the salt produced by the Guotan salt drying method has a great taste, and the yield is very high.

These past few days, Zhao Yao has been staying at the seaside, watching the Guard Commander lead people in constructing the bank.

In the eyes of others, it seemed that Prince Han was idly digging sand on the beach with a group of people. They thought Prince Han must be very bored to play in the sand like that.

Regarding such misunderstandings, Zhao Yao was not only unbothered but quite pleased everyone was saying this. Since arriving in Swamp Prefecture, everything Swamp Prefecture did was closely watched by officials from other prefectures.

The officials of other prefectures would laugh at him upon hearing that he, as Prince Han, was idly digging sand by the seaside, thus not paying attention to him constructing the bank by the sea.

He Lianfang also heard the rumors and jokingly said to Zhao Yao that if he was too idle, he could arrange some things for him to do. Zhao Yao, after listening, could only helplessly explain in detail what he had been busy with on the beach these past few days to He Lianfang. It was only after hearing the explanation that He Lianfang realized Zhao Yao was doing serious work, not merely playing in the sand.

Constructing the bank is very particular, and it must be done well; otherwise, the tides cannot be channeled. Without channeling the tides, seawater cannot be dried into salt, so Zhao Yao had to monitor daily and direct on-site.

Once the construction, preparation, and tide-channeling were completed, the next steps were making and testing the brine.

Whether the salt is good depends on how well the brine is made.

Zhao Yao felt uneasy and had to personally supervise.

Due to being at the seaside every day, Zhao Yao was tanned several shades darker. Fortunately, the effort wasn’t wasted, and the new sea salt was finally successfully dried.

The new sea salt tasted good, but the yield wasn’t very high. Because it was the first drying and still in the experimental stage, not much of the bank was constructed, and only one was built. After the successful drying of the new sea salt, Zhao Yao then ordered large-scale construction of the banks.

He Lianfang didn’t expect Zhao Yao to successfully produce the new sea salt and that it would taste as delicious as he claimed, even better than the tribute salt from Yangzhou.

Seeing He Lianfang’s convinced expression, Zhao Yao was full of pride, with his tail practically wagging in the air.

"Second Uncle, what do you think? Didn’t I say the new sea salt I made would taste good?"

He Lianfang looked at Zhao Yao’s smug demeanor and, for once, refrained from dampening his spirits.

"It’s quite good."

"Aren’t you impressed with me?"

He Lianfang noted Zhao Yao’s excessive pride and couldn’t help but remark critically, "You’re only making coarse salt, not fine salt. Where’s the fine salt you mentioned?"

"The sea salt drying naturally produces coarse salt. To make fine salt, you have to refine it from the coarse salt; it’s impossible to produce fine salt straight away," Zhao Yao seriously explained to He Lianfang, "Fine salt can wait. Once the people of Lingnan start consuming the new salt, then I’ll make fine salt."

"Isn’t it new sea salt?"

"Calling it new sea salt is too cumbersome, let’s just call it new salt."

"I notice that this new salt is made at the seaside and exposed outside. I’m afraid it will quickly be copied by those salt merchants," He Lianfang warned Zhao Yao, "Don’t forget your every move is being watched."

"Second Uncle, don’t worry. They won’t be able to learn it," Zhao Yao said confidently, "You think constructing the bank is simple, but there’s a lot of nuances involved, and the bank isn’t built haphazardly. Also, the brine isn’t made carelessly; there are quite a few tricks in it."

He further explained, "Those salt merchants can only see the surface and attempt to dry seawater into salt, but the roughly dried salt isn’t tasty, no different from the salt before. So, I’m not worried at all." However, speaking of it, the method of producing new salt will eventually be learned sooner or later.

He Lianfang felt at ease after hearing Zhao Yao’s explanation.

"That’s good."

"Once the first batch of salt is dried, I plan to distribute it for free to the people of Swamp Prefecture, letting them taste the new salt."

He Lianfang asked, "How much do you plan to distribute?"

"One tael per household." Zhao Yao had calculated that one tael of salt could last a family many days. "Once they taste the new salt, they’ll surely be willing to buy it."

"One tael is already quite a lot." He Lianfang continued to ask, "How much do you plan to sell the new salt per unit, four hundred coins per unit?"

"I originally planned to sell it at three hundred coins per unit, but after some thought, I decided not to set the new salt price below the market rate." Making the new salt had already attracted a wave of resentment; if it were cheaper than other salts, he really would become the ’murderer of their fathers’ for all the salt merchants in Great Zhou. "Moreover, if the price is below the market price, people might think our new salt isn’t good."

"The new salt you’ve made is much better than other salts; you should set the price higher. Five hundred coins per unit isn’t actually expensive." He Lianfang believed that such good new salt need not share the same price as the current salts.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao shook his head immediately, saying, "No, it can’t be more expensive than the market price. The reason I make new salt is to let people afford salt and eat it well. If I set the new salt price at five hundred coins per unit, it would go against my original intention of making new salt."

He Lianfang was shaken by Zhao Yao’s words. He was taken aback for a while and said, "You actually made new salt for the people."

"Otherwise, didn’t I say it before?" Of course, he made new salt also to enjoy good salt himself. However, if it were just for himself, there would be no need for such a large undertaking. His main goal in making new salt was still for the people. "Second Uncle, do you think I’m simply out to make money?"

He Lianfang said nothing.

"Second Uncle, what kind of person do you think I am?" Zhao Yao gave He Lianfang a massive eye roll, "Even though I like making money, I don’t earn it at all costs. Besides, if I, as a prince, make new salt for profit, wouldn’t I become a salt merchant? Am I such a lowly person?"

He Lianfang’s eyes dodged slightly because that’s exactly what he thought.

"So far, the things I’ve created, which one was for money?" From childhood, everything Zhao Yao had made had been handed over to the court, thus benefiting the people. "If I were just motivated by profit, anything I created before could make me wildly rich."

He Lianfang felt a bit embarrassed inside, though his face did not show any of it.

"So, you plan to hand over the method of making new salt to the court?" [Handing over to the court] was a term He Lianfang learned from Zhao Yao.

"Yes, if I don’t hand it over to the court, wouldn’t I become a salt merchant?" Zhao Yao replied naturally, "Moreover, to allow all the people in Great Zhou to have cheap and tasty salt, the court has to produce more salt so that salt merchants, noble families, and corrupt officials can’t stir things up."

"You truly are selfless." He Lianfang’s words weren’t intended to mock Zhao Yao.

"I’ve always been very selfless."

He Lianfang smiled slightly, "Indeed." This kid submitted the method of making new salt unconditionally to the court, all to benefit the people. He believed that there was nothing wrong with this; rather, he saw it as his duty as a prince. He cared for the world and was concerned for the people, yet he was unaware of it himself.

"I’ll write a secret letter to Father now. After he receives it, he should quickly send people to other coastal prefectures to make it." Zhao Yao spoke while picking up a brush to prepare the secret letter, "This way, by next year, the salt price in Great Zhou can completely stabilize, and let’s see how the salt merchants in Qilu can cause trouble then." As long as the salt price stabilizes, the people’s confidence will be steady, and unrest won’t easily arise.

"When are you going to make the white sugar you mentioned?" Although He Lianfang didn’t like sugar, seeing Zhao Yao make the new salt so well, he became increasingly curious about white sugar.

"Once the new salt affairs are settled, I’ll start making the white sugar."

"Are you really planning to selflessly hand over the method of making new salt to your father without asking him for any money?"

"No need. Even if I ask Father, he would dodge and not give it." Zhao Yao knew too well the emperor’s stingy nature; by then, the emperor would surely find a thousand excuses to dodge it. "Besides, we’ll soon have Japan’s gold and silver, not needing that little money from the court. The money made from new salt should go to the court so it can do things for the people." He also had refined salt. He didn’t plan to hand over the method of making refined salt to the court; he intended to offer refined salt as tribute to the court, so he could use refined salt to earn plenty of money.

Salt merchants could eventually make new salt, but they would never make refined salt. By then, only the Swamp Prefecture in Lingnan would produce refined salt, and salt merchants could only watch helplessly.

He Lianfang sighed, "Zhao Zheng is really lucky to have you as a son."

Zhao Yao greatly agreed with He Lianfang’s words, smilingly said, "That’s right, having me as a son is Father’s fortune earned over eight lifetimes."

In his heart, He Lianfang silently said: It’s also the fortune of the people.

If the master were still alive to see that he had such an excellent nephew who cared for the people, he would certainly be very happy too.

Far away in the capital, the emperor eagerly awaited Zhao Yao’s letter.

After arriving at the Swamp Prefecture, Zhao Yao wrote a letter to the emperor to inform them he was safe, and that was it.

The emperor was keen to find out what exactly Zhao Yao accomplished and created after going to Lingnan. He had long anticipated that once his youngest son went to Lingnan, he would surely create many good things, so he had been waiting anxiously.