In April of the seventh year of Jiayou's reign, in Bianliang, Tokyo, in the imperial city.

Just a few days after the imperial examination, Mr. Cai, who was ill at home, passed away and died.

Mr. Cai Daxiangong was a veteran of the two dynasties and an important minister of the country. He was an upright and upright official and was famous for his uprightness.

Mr. Zhou also left with him.

It was the imperial court that came forward to take care of the funeral affairs for Mr. Cai.

Some time ago, although Xianggong Cai was pressing harder and harder, he once even went to the court to remonstrate with Emperor Jiayou about adopting the clan son and establishing a heir as early as possible. Although Emperor Jiayou was a little unfavorable to see Xianggong Cai because of this, he even met him once

He was upset, but he also knew that Mr. Cai was dedicated to the court and the world without any selfish motives.

Now, Cai Xianggong fell ill first and then passed away. Emperor Jiayou was also filled with grief. After all, in Emperor Jiayou's heart, Cai Xianggong had been with him for decades, and he was a rare humeral minister. He was Emperor Jiayou's heart.

His arms are those of a king and his ministers, but also a confidant and a good friend.

But now...

Emperor Jiayou was a very emotional and kind-hearted person, so how could he not feel sad in his heart.

For several days in a row, Emperor Jiayou couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and tossed and turned.

The beauty of April in the world is over, the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are beginning to bloom, and the flowers in the imperial garden are also in full bloom. Emperor Jiayou is in a bad mood, and Queen Cao is worried about his health, so she takes Emperor Jiayou to take a walk in the imperial garden to enjoy the flowers.

, relax and unwind.

Emperor Jiayou and Mr. Cao had been married for decades and had a deep relationship, so they naturally understood Mr. Cao's intentions, so they started chatting in the garden.

One of the couple is the emperor, the current emperor, and the other is the empress who honors the world. Naturally, they talk about important matters of family and country.

Suddenly, a young chamberlain walked quietly to Emperor Jiayou's personal chamberlain, covered his mouth with his hands, and whispered a few words in his ear.

The old eunuch's expression changed slightly, as if he heard something quite surprising. After careful confirmation with the young eunuch and getting a positive answer, the old eunuch found an opportunity when Emperor Jiayou and Empress Cao were talking and joined in.

Up.

"Your Majesty, Madam, there is news from Quanzhou from the Imperial City Department!"

"News from Quanzhou?" Emperor Jiayou was stunned for a moment, then thought about it. He looked up at the old eunuch and asked, "Is it the news from Wang Zhong?"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" the old official smiled and bowed, bowing his hands in salute: "The salt field built by Wang Tongpan a few months ago has produced sea salt. Wang Tongpan specially wrote down the regulations on the method of drying salt and passed it through the Imperial City Department.

I handed it over, and along with it were two cans of new salt from the salt field that was dried a few months ago."

While he was talking, the old eunuch handed the booklet handed over by the eunuch to Emperor Jiayou.

Emperor Jiayou was a little excited and couldn't wait to read the book. He turned around again and asked, "Where is the visitor now?"

"Waiting outside the palace!" said the old eunuch.

"Invite him to come over. I have something to ask him personally!"

"No!" The old chamberlain bowed and saluted, and immediately walked aside to give orders. Immediately, a young chamberlain ran to deliver the message.

Soon, the messenger from Quanzhou arrived in front of Emperor Jiayou.

"Jia Bing, the humble Imperial City Secretary, pays homage to your majesty and the eldest empress!"

"I'm free of charge!" Emperor Jiayou asked impatiently: "Wang Tongpan said in the book that you know very much about the method of diverting seawater to dry salt?"

“I don’t dare to say that I know it in detail, but I have been following Wang Tongpan since he ordered people to build the salt drying field. He often recited the book "Salt Drying Method" written by Wang Tongpan, and was influenced by it.

The salt method, from beginning to end, all the steps have basically been seen in the salt field."

"Wang Aiqing said in the memorial that the twenty-four acres of salt fields produced a total of eleven thousand two hundred and forty-three kilograms of salt crystals, six taels and seven cents?"

Jia Bing said: "Your Majesty, there are indeed so many. Wang Tongpan said that because this is the first time to make salt, the skills of the salt workers are still relatively unfamiliar. Maybe in the future, after they become more skilled in the skills, the output will be improved!"

"

"Where's the precipitated salt? Bring it up quickly and let me have a look!" Emperor Jiayou said impatiently.

A middle-aged waiter next to him immediately brought over two jars about the size of coconuts.

Jia Bing said: "Your Majesty, what is in the pottery pot is salt crystals formed after drying sea water. It has not been processed. The particles are larger and have more impurities. It is coarse salt. Compared with well salt and lake salt,

Although the coarse salt produced looks different, the taste is similar. Wang Tongpan said that if you eat it for a long time, you will feel uncomfortable.

What is contained in the porcelain jar is coarse salt that has been dissolved and precipitated again. After filtering, the refined salt that precipitates out has finer salt particles and a purer salt taste, with almost no bitter taste left."

Emperor Jiayou wanted to try it himself, but was stopped by Empress Cao. Li Naiguan, who was next to him, immediately stepped forward with a smile and offered to taste it for Emperor Jiayou.

The first thing Li Neiguan tasted was coarse salt. He scooped out a little with a spoon, poured it on white paper, bent the white paper into a channel shape, and poured it into his mouth. The coarse salt was bitter and had a salty taste, but there were too many impurities.

"It's very salty, but a little bitter."

After Li Naiguan expressed his feelings, he tried the refined salt again, and his face suddenly showed a look of shock.

"The salty taste is extremely pure, without any bitterness! It's no worse than the fine green salt used in the palace!"

"really?"

In fact, you can tell the difference between sea salt and ordinary coarse salt just by looking at the color.

Emperor Jiayou couldn't help but taste it himself, and he couldn't help being shocked. He immediately asked Jia Bing to explain to him the process and reasons of drying salt. However, the messenger remembered all the steps of drying salt, and there were also annotations in the album.

, but some words, sentences, and principles could not be explained clearly by Jia Bing, and Emperor Jiayou could not understand them for a moment.

I can only sigh with emotion: "Wang Zihou is the youngest, but he is a rare talent!"

"If this method can be promoted all over the world, it will be a blessing to the court and a blessing to the people!!"

"Your Majesty, you have a clear warning!" Jia Bing suddenly said: "Wang Tongpan once said that the method of drying salt seems simple, but in fact it is complicated and harsh. If there is a slight mistake, the quality of the salt may be very different. If you want to dry the salt,

Producing such high-quality refined salt with very few impurities requires high salt craftsmanship!

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The difference between the general interpretation and the interpretation is a thousand miles away. It is at this moment that the salt workers in Quanzhou Bay No. 1 Salt Field came into contact with the sun for the first time.

In the salt industry, without Wang Tongpan's personal guidance, it may not be possible to produce refined salt of such high quality!

But if you only need coarse salt, you can restore it one by one according to the picture book presented by Tongpan, and there will be no serious problem! It’s just that there are too many impurities in coarse salt, which is harmful to the human body if eaten for a long time!”

"The general statement is at the end of the album, and a development plan for the Quanzhou Salt Works in the next three years is attached. Your Majesty, please take a look!"

"Quanzhou Saltworks Development Plan for the Next Three Years?" Emperor Jiayou noticed that this plan was written on the last page of the album.

"In accordance with my decree, Wang Zhong, the general magistrate of Quanzhou, is promoted to the official position of Chaosan. He will be rewarded with a hundred golds, a hundred acres of fertile land, and ten pieces of silk and satin. He will also serve as the salt and iron envoy of Quanzhou and take charge of all matters related to the salt affairs in Quanzhou. The rest of the tasks will remain as before!"

When this imperial edict reached Quanzhou, it was already May. Chen Jun, the governor of the state, was stunned. Those rewards were nothing more. However, within less than a year since Wang Zhong came to Quanzhou, his rank was almost the same as Chen Jun's.

, the key is that the officials also gave Wang Zhong full authority to deal with the Quanzhou salt affairs. This is such a trust.

That was a state salt service. In the past, Chen Jun would naturally have ignored it, but now with the establishment of the salt farm, the income that the salt service can bring in a year is definitely far more than Quanzhou's wealth. Such a big one

It was a pity that now it was Wang Zhong's political achievement, which made Chen Jun feel unhappy.

Fortunately, at this time, the three large ships that Jihai Company went south to have returned to Quanzhou. All three large ships returned home with a full load of gold, silver, agate, various treasures, borneol, musk, various spices, fine sandalwood, and so on.

.

Three ships full of goods brought Jihai Company an income of at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In the Danbi Building, Changsong raised his wine glass high and said to Wang Zhong with emotion: "Thanks to Zihou's chart, we can go so smoothly this time. If it weren't for the guidance of the chart, I don't know how long we would have been wandering on the sea.

!”

Wang Zhong's sea map not only marks the regional routes, but also the output, customs, customs, etc. of each place. The marks are very clear. After Changsong and others follow the map and arrive at a place, they will know that place.

What do people like best and what can be exchanged with them for rare things that are abundant in the local area.

Before leaving, although Wang Zhong said that the chart was very old, it was handed down from his master's sect, and he was not sure how accurate it was.

But it turns out that the chart provided by Wang Zhong is extremely accurate, especially the detailed maps of each area, which are very detailed and have almost no deviations.

Wang Zhong raised his glass and said, "As long as it's useful!"

Changsong admired Wang Zhong more and more. He was only slightly older than himself, but his knowledge was far beyond his own, especially his sharp eyesight. If Wang Zhong hadn't invited him, the Sheng family would probably have passed on to him.

, and will not consider overseas trade.

After only one trip, the profit brought by it was as much as the Sheng family's income in a year. This was because it was the first time to go to sea. To be on the safe side, the Sheng family only bought three seagoing ships.

Changsong, Wang Zhong and Sheng Wei were talking about what they had seen and heard on their way south, the customs and things they encountered in various places, and their expressions were a little excited. The smiles on their faces almost never broke. They were full of energy and joy.

At the same time, in the Sheng family in Tokyo City, in early March, Mrs. Sheng took Minglan, mother and daughter, and took a boat north from Youyang to return to Tokyo.

Because I was not in a hurry, and the journey north was mostly against the current, so the speed was not very fast. I also stopped by Yangzhou on the way to inspect the Wang family's property. It took me nearly a month in total. I just returned to Tokyo at the beginning of the month.

In the Shou'an Hall, Sheng Hong told Mrs. Sheng that Wang Zhong had been praised by Emperor Jiayou. Not only had he been promoted, but he had also been assigned as the Quanzhou Salt and Iron Envoy. He had real power and had attracted a lot of red eyes.

Even after hearing this, Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but feel surprised: "He has only been in Quanzhou for half a year, and he has already accomplished such a big thing?"

Sheng Hong said with great emotion: "Zihou is very talented and has a photographic memory. He was taught by a famous teacher and has a lot of knowledge. Even my son may not be able to catch up with him!"

Sheng Hong is now just a minor official from the fifth rank. He has a sinecure and does not have much rights. Although Beijing officials are more noble than local officials, the sudden promotion and rewards from officials are not just a message to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. Although Wang Zhong is far away in Quanzhou now, he is almost in the emperor's heart.

It has never happened before, but it is also extremely rare for an official to personally issue an order to promote a sixth-grade minor official.

"My son has worked hard in the officialdom for more than ten years, and he is still only a small fifth-rank official. He is not thick enough to enter the official career for the first time. At a young age, he has already reached the fifth rank. His future prospects are limitless!"

Mrs. Sheng said worriedly: "I'm afraid this may not be as good as you think!"

Sheng Hong was stunned and asked in confusion: "What does mother mean by this?"

"Salt and iron have been the lifeblood of the imperial court since ancient times. Since the reform of the salt administration in the previous dynasty, the status of salt affairs has become more and more important. Now, those in charge of salt affairs in the dynasty are either princes, nobles, or high-ranking officials. Among them The relationship is so intricate that I don’t know how many courtiers and families are involved!”

"In the past, such a heroic figure as Fan Wenzhenggong, in the end, he died in office and died in a foreign land, let alone Zihou!"

The old lady's words made Sheng Hong's heart tremble, and he immediately came back to his senses: "What mother said is absolutely true. Zihou is too young. If he makes too much credit and achieves too high a level, he will inevitably make others jealous. Regarding the salt affairs, , it involves a wide range of things, and if the protection is not complete, the interests of any family will be affected..."

After saying this, Sheng Hong suddenly felt helpless.

Mrs. Sheng said: "You don't need to be so worried. Things haven't reached this stage yet! It's just that Zihou is a little younger after all. You have to give him some instructions."

Sheng Hong hurriedly handed over his hands and said: "The rafters that stand out will die first. The way to be an official is to relax! If you insist on standing out, it will inevitably overshadow your colleagues. Colleagues will not say anything on the surface, but deep down in their hearts It’s hard to say what you think!

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! My son will write to Zihou now, telling him not to just stand out, but to pay attention to Taohui."

Sheng Hong left, and Minglan, who was already eleven years old and had grown a lot taller, walked to Mrs. Sheng's side.

"Have you heard everything?" Mrs. Sheng asked calmly.

Minglan nodded and said, "Yes! I heard it!"

"Hey!" Old Mrs. Sheng sighed, took Minglan's hand, and said with emotion: "It's a good thing to have great ability, but it's hard to say if your ability is too great!"

Minglan is no longer the simple and ignorant eight-year-old child she used to be. After studying with Zhuang Xuexue for several years and being around Mrs. Sheng, Minglan's mind has become more mature.

But precisely because she has matured, Minglan can understand the meaning of Mrs. Sheng's words.

"It's been a long time since I've been to the village. Let's take your wife and brother Dong with you tomorrow and let's go see the Wang Li family!" Old Mrs. Sheng suddenly changed her voice and said.

"Listen to grandma!"

Minglan smiled and hugged Mrs. Sheng's arm, and said softly with a smile.

When Wei Shuyi returned to Tokyo, he vacated a small courtyard in the northwest corner of his home for Wei Shuyi and Chang Dong to live. After getting to know their biological mother, Chang Dong and Wei Shuyi became closer and closer. Changdong was still young, so Mrs. Sheng naturally didn't want to separate mother and son, so she asked Changdong to move out of Shou'an Hall and live with Wei Shuyi.

Changdong, who is more than two years old, can already talk, walk, and eat by himself. He is quite well-behaved and sensible. Especially his eyebrows, the longer he grows, the more he looks like Sheng Hong, with a bit of Wei Shuyin's softness. Sheng Hong also treats this young son. I loved him so much that I often went to Wei Shuyi's hospital to see my son, and by the way, I could have a good time with Wei Shuyi, who had almost recovered.

Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps because of the relationship between Wang Zhong and Minglan, Sheng Hong stayed in Wei Shuyi's courtyard for just half a month. Although Wei Shuyi was not as open-minded as Lin Sushuang, why? He can come up with novel tricks and is even a little conservative.

But that’s just the way men are. If they eat too many wild flowers, beautiful and pure domestic flowers like Wei Shuyi will appear especially sweet and attractive.

Wei Shuyi is not as talkative as Wang, who carries a gun and a stick, nor is he like Lin Sushuang who can talk about poetry with Sheng Hong, play the piano and play Xiao, but he is more considerate, gentle, virtuous, and understanding. , she would never ask for anything from Sheng Hong, she would just take it if Sheng Hong gave it to her, and she would not ask for it if Sheng Hong didn't give it to her.

Being so neither humble nor arrogant, coupled with Wei Shuyi's previous experience, and his lively, cute, well-behaved and obedient son Changdong, made Sheng Hong feel a sense of guilt that he had never felt before, and felt that he was sorry for Wei Shuyi's mother and son. , naturally they tried to compensate Wei Shuyi and his mother, so they went to Wei Shuyi's hospital more often.

Now, although Lin Sushuang has gained Sheng Hong's favor again, the middle child of the Sheng family is still firmly in Wang Ruofu's hands. Unless Wang Ruofu makes a huge mistake, Lin Sushuang will probably die. It is impossible for me to be a steward again in this life.

The power of the housekeeper was lost, and Sheng Hong only returned part of the property in his hands to her. The key is that the servants of the Sheng family now know that the sixth girl's future husband, their future sixth uncle, is not only very popular with their master. He is valued highly and his official position is not low.

What's more important is that since what happened last time, the remaining old people are either in the old lady's room or under Wang Ruofu's people. Lin Sushuang, Chang Feng and Mo Lan's people are all here. After being replaced, although these people listened to Lin Sushuang and the others, it was not that easy to get them to risk their lives for Lin Sushuang.

However, Lin Sushuang has always been a very resourceful and tolerant person, and is willing to put down her dignity and figure. Even Sheng Hong was coaxed around by her, and it was only a matter of time before she wanted to win over these servants.

Otherwise, how could she have competed with Wang Ruofu when they were in Yangzhou? You must know that Wang Ruofu's natal family is a truly scholarly family with a long history, which is not comparable to that of Wang Zhong now.

In the final analysis, it all depends on Sheng Hong's attitude. In the past, Sheng Hong always favored Lin Sushuang in everything. Even for many things, without Lin Sushuang asking, Sheng Hong would immediately make good excuses for Lin Sushuang. What's the point of being delicate and kind? some type of.

However, after experiencing the fact that his son was almost suffocated to death in his belly, the ironclad fact was placed before his eyes. Although Sheng Hong still refused to believe it, for the sake of his children, he could only restrain his preference for Lin Sushuang.

If Wei Shuyi and Chang Dong died in Yangzhou as in the original work, I am afraid that the direction of the Sheng family's back house would have been restored to the same as the original plot.

Therefore, although Lin Sushuang was angry about Sheng Hong's frequent visits to Wei Shuyi's courtyard, there was nothing she could do against Wei Shuyi.

Lin Sushuang knew in her heart that as long as Wei Shuyi was still in the Sheng family, Sheng Hong would always have a thorn in her heart, but she couldn't do anything to Wei Shuyi.

Lin Sushuang understood that the opportunity to kill Wei Shuyi quietly had passed. Whether it was poisoning, framing, or causing an accident, it would inevitably be exposed, and eventually the matter would be implicated in Lin Sushuang herself. .

And as long as Lin Sushuang does this, even if Sheng Hong likes her again, he will be reluctant to deal with her.

After being together for nearly twenty years, Lin Sushuang really knows Sheng Hong very well. What Sheng Hong cares about the most is the Sheng family!

Just after knowing that Wang Zhong had received another commendation, been promoted, and received many rewards, Wang Li also sent several pieces of brocade rewarded by the officials to her home. Even Wang Ruofu got one, but she didn't. Lin Sushuang couldn't help but smashed a brand new tea set, two vases, an incense burner, and two books that Mo Lan was reading. Lin Sushuang also grabbed them and tore them apart. A mess.

Especially after knowing that Sheng Hong had gone to Wei Shu's courtyard again, Lin Sushuang was so angry that she almost had three souls ascended to heaven and seven souls unsheathed.

The entire Linqi Pavilion was as silent as a cicada. The female servants and ladies-in-law were serving him carefully, not even daring to breathe.

Even Mo Lan didn't dare to stroke Lin Sushuang's tiger beard at this time.

At the same time, the remote courtyard in the northeast corner of the Sheng family was filled with laughter and laughter.

Thousands of miles away in Quanzhou, Wang Zhong was also not idle.

As time goes by, the number of salt drying times gradually increases, the proficiency of the old salt workers gradually increases, and the new salt workers are gradually familiar with the various processes of salt drying.

The sergeants from the two command battalions of the Xinghua Army, except for some sergeants stationed around the salt field, were all assigned to the construction of the new salt field.

Several places that Wang Zhongkan set up at the beginning have now begun construction one after another. Since March, a total of more than 100,000 kilograms of salt have been produced from the salt field, and all of it is high-quality refined salt. So much refined salt has suddenly poured into the Quanzhou market.

, which suddenly broke the original salt market.

Due to the limited output, Wang Zhong and Chen Jun decided after discussion to first supply and spread sea salt to Henan and Nan'an counties. After the output increases, sea salt will gradually be spread throughout Quanzhou so that everyone in Quanzhou can use it.

Eat delicious and cheap refined salt.

Most of what ordinary people eat is private salt. Naturally, these private salts are not high-quality refined salt. The price ranges from ten to twenty or thirty cents, so the price is not high.

The quality of official salt is naturally better than that of private salt, but the price of official salt is too high, especially the well salt produced in Shu. The production process is complicated, and transporting it from Shu to the Central Plains is not easy. Naturally, the price has always been high.

Not too high.

The salt produced in ordinary salt farms is not cheap, but it also contains a lot of impurities, so the taste is naturally not good.

Although the grains of the newly launched sea salt from the Quanzhou Salt Farm are slightly larger than ordinary refined salt, its color is white and translucent. In terms of appearance, it is much better than ordinary official salt.
Chapter completed!