Read Novel Full Chapter 978 - 75: Foreigners’ Envy and Jealousy (2)
Chapter 978: Chapter 75: Foreigners’ Envy and Jealousy (2)
Afterward, Zhao Yao began to promote the methods of preserving fruit with salt and mixing fruit with chili powder. Initially, the people of Swamp Prefecture, just like He Lianfang, rejected it, but after trying it, they found it quite delicious, and gradually became addicted to it. Later, the locals even invented various peculiar ways of eating it themselves. Nowadays, these chaotic ways of eating have long become the "daily fare" of the people in Swamp Prefecture.
In addition to the salty preservation and chili powder methods, Zhao Yao also invented various sugar water methods for eating fruits. According to the name from Zhao Yao’s dream-world Lingnan, he called it sugar water.
The sugar water he developed was very popular among the people of Swamp Prefecture. They also created various types of sugar water themselves.
Nowadays, in many places in Swamp Prefecture, you will see people setting up stalls selling sugar water.
Visitors from other places and Foreigners are particularly fond of sugar water. Recently, no matter which sugar water stall you go to, they are crowded with people from outside and abroad.
In fact, the main reason people from other places and abroad like sugar water is because they enjoy eating "sugar." For those inland, white sugar is nothing special since it has been sold in many places of Great Zhou since last year. However, for Foreigners, white sugar is a rarity they’ve never tasted before. It’s their first experience with white sugar, and their first time hearing of its existence. They find white sugar tastier and sweeter than honey.
Foreigners were astonished to learn that Swamp Prefecture, and even other inland areas, offered white sugar sweeter than honey, and they were extremely envious.
Besides white sugar, salt also took Foreigners by surprise. Foreigners attending the trade fair in Swamp Prefecture were all renowned merchants locally, naturally not lacking money, but they had never seen snow-white salt and white sugar.
Upon discovering that the snow-white salt and white sugar were produced by Prince Han, the Foreigners were filled with admiration for him.
After arriving in Swamp Prefecture, the thing Foreign merchants desired most was to purchase salt and white sugar. However, these could only be procured through official channels, not secretly from the locals of Swamp Prefecture. If any local was found to be secretly selling salt or sugar to Foreigners, they would face severe penalties, ranging from heavy fines to execution.
Since Zhao Yao developed the new salt and refined salt, salt sales have been completely monopolized by the government. Certainly, salt merchants continue to sell salt, but the quality of their salt can’t compare to the official ones. They can only sell at prices lower than the official salt, but once people have tasted the new official salt, they no longer regard the old salt from the merchants.
Since last year, many salt merchants have been driven to bankruptcy by the court. Currently, only the large salt merchants survive, as they’ve been dealing in private salt trade for generations, and it’s improbable to shut them down anytime soon.
Salt merchants have been desperate to get the formula for new salt and refined salt, but no matter how they threaten or try to entice, they can’t obtain it. The court maintains strict control over the production methods for new and refined salt, and the emperor has decreed that if any official divulges the methods, they will be punished as traitors with the extermination of their entire family.
Officials find it difficult to resist the huge bribes from the salt merchants, but the thought of their families being exterminated if discovered keeps them in check. They wouldn’t dare take any chances or risk such dire consequences.
Due to this, the salt merchants harbor intense hatred toward Zhao Yao, the instigator behind the new salt. Since last year, who knows how many assassins have been sent to kill Zhao Yao, yet all have been dealt with by the Hidden Guards around Zhao Yao.
This time, during the trade fair, the salt merchants naturally sent assassins, yet they were discovered upon arriving in Swamp Prefecture.
Anyway, Foreign merchants all wish to purchase new salt and white sugar from Swamp Prefecture, then transport and sell it in their own countries. During this period, they’ve tried every means to please Prince Han, hoping for his approval.
Zhao Yao certainly wouldn’t miss out on this business opportunity, selling to the Foreign merchants at twice the regular price.
The Foreign merchants dare not complain about the cost and eagerly sign contracts with Zhao Yao.
Inland merchants do not need to buy new salt and white sugar as they are readily available in their locales. When they come to Swamp Prefecture, the business they most want to engage in with Prince Han is glass, soap, dried fruits, and medicinal herbs.
Currently, glass remains under court control, and no private entity can produce glass. To engage in the glass business, one must either cooperate with the court or with Prince Han.
The court hasn’t forbidden Prince Han from selling glass. They lack the authority to stop Prince Han’s private sales of glass, since the glass was invented by Prince Han. The court’s ability to produce glass was also provided by Prince Han.
Most notably, the glass produced in Swamp Prefecture is finer than that of the court. Moreover, Swamp Prefecture manufactures a wide variety of glass items.
The glass from Swamp Prefecture is more popular than the court’s production. When inland officials hear that the glass comes from Swamp Prefecture, they rush to buy it.
Recently, only four inland merchants have signed glass business agreements with Prince Han. These four underwent thorough reviews, meeting Zhao Yao’s standards, before being authorized to sell glass.
Zhao Yao’s standards aren’t overly strict; merchants need a clean, unblemished background, conduct business with integrity, and should not abuse or exploit the populace.
The glass business is extremely profitable, and Zhao Yao could produce it in large quantities, but he doesn’t. He tightly controls the production volume, turning glass into a scarce commodity. This approach makes inland officials desire the glass even more.
It’s said that, nowadays, glass has become a symbol of luxury for the wealthy.