"Stop eating, it's too sweet!" The wicked husband carefully opened the pottery jar, not forgetting to remind the excited Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng smiled with satisfaction when he saw that the earthenware jar was full of refined salt. He then dipped a finger in the salt and put it in his mouth.

"......"

The civil and military officials craned their necks to try and find out what was going on, but they could neither see the refined salt in the earthenware jar nor get any feedback from Ying Zheng. They were so anxious that they scratched their heads in frustration.

"My dear brother, how does it taste?" The wicked husband lowered his voice and teased Ying Zheng in a tone that only the two of them could hear.

"Refreshing, salty..."

Ying Zheng murmured, still immersed in the awe brought by the pure salt, and didn't even care about being impolite.

This is what makes him a wicked husband. If it were something sent by someone else, let alone whether the ministers and eunuchs would allow him to taste it, he himself wouldn't dare to taste it.

That's fine too; at least he can taste the refreshing flavor of the pure saltiness right away.

"Gentlemen, this refined salt..."

Ying Zheng snapped out of his daze, glanced at the eager ministers, and burst into laughter: "Zhao Gao, quickly bring over the ceramic dishes and distribute them to everyone to try."

Before the words had even finished, the courtiers, not waiting for Zhao Gao to fetch the pottery discs to be divided, immediately crowded around the wicked husband.

"Come, come, Grand Commandant, just give us a piece of your hands, we can just divide it up directly, why bother with all that?!" Feng Jie rushed to the wicked husband's side for the first time, stretching out his hands.

"Here, be careful not to spill it!" The wicked husband carefully poured some fine salt into his palm from the earthenware pot.

Feng Jie dipped his finger in the salt and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "This salt is amazing! It's even better than the best salt I've ever eaten!"

Those present were all powerful and wealthy, and the salt they ate was naturally several times better than that of ordinary people. But compared to the refined salt of the wicked husband, it was no different from mud.

"I'll have some too!"

Give me some.

"Stop pushing! You're going to crush this old man to death!"

"......"

Unable to contain their curiosity any longer, the crowd, without any hesitation, dipped their fingers into Feng Jie's palm.

In an instant, the entire hall was filled with an atmosphere of admiration and excitement.

Looking at the reactions of his ministers, and then at his smug, smiling husband, Ying Zheng felt a surge of pride. Life was becoming increasingly hopeful...

Such virtuous ministers and fierce generals, such a vast and magnificent land—if he could not watch it all fall into the hands of Qin, it would truly be a great regret in his life. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "If only... I could attain immortality..."

Unfortunately, the murmur was too low and was drowned out by the excited clamor of the courtiers.

Only the wicked husband suddenly gave Ying Zheng a deep look.

"Gentlemen, what do you think? Does the purity and taste of my refined salt far surpass any other salt product before?" The wicked man's voice echoed in the hall, and the ministers nodded in agreement.

"Great Commandant, this salt is excellent! Once it's produced, it will surely improve the quality of life for the people of Qin!" an old minister said excitedly.

"But... I wonder what the cost is, and whether it can be refined in large quantities so that all people can afford this salt?"

This old minister's doubts were the doubts of everyone, including Ying Zheng.

The wicked man raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a sly smile, and said, "You can tell that this refining technique is not very difficult because you promised the king that you would develop it within three days."

"Besides, this is just in case, so we're deliberately putting it on a higher level."

"Refining this substance is incredibly easy; whether it's mineral salt or sea salt, it can be refined effortlessly!"

At this point, the wicked man paused slightly, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I plan to first refine the stored salt into refined salt, and at the same time, mine rock salt with all our might."

"As for the manpower for mining... select 10,000 people from the 50,000 Koreans I brought back to work exclusively in rock salt mining."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly in agreement and said decisively, "This matter is entirely in your hands; there is no need to consult me."

A smile flashed across the wicked man's face. He knew that Ying Zheng trusted him, but he still said, "Your Majesty, there is something that requires your personal approval."

"Speak freely!" Seeing his attitude, Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel curious.

Seeing Ying Zheng nod, the wicked man hurriedly said, "We can use Han Min to mine salt, but the refining technology must not be spread casually. It must be done by a trustworthy person who is loyal to our Great Qin and has no disloyalty whatsoever."

"If refined salt is to be widely promoted so that all the people of our Great Qin can have salt to eat, the required supply will be enormous, and the number of refining craftsmen will naturally be too large."

"Such a large number of trustworthy people are probably hard to find!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng and his officials were all struck dumb, as if by lightning.

They were so focused on other aspects that they forgot about this point.

Now that two of the seven kingdoms have been conquered, and the remaining four have not yet been subdued, if this technology were to spread, wouldn't that be tantamount to giving the enemy an easy victory?

While kinship is precious, one must still be clear about one's stance!

The world is not yet unified, and once it is unified, there is no fear of its spread, nor would anyone dare to circulate or refine it privately. But the situation is different now, and those four countries will not care about such things.

Seeing everyone deep in thought, the wicked man revealed a knowing look on his face, "I have a plan that can guarantee everything, but it requires Your Majesty's approval."

“Tell me,” Ying Zheng declared firmly.

The wicked man sighed, a look of sorrow involuntarily appearing on his face. "Years of war have brought suffering to the people and the soldiers alike."

"If I die on the battlefield, that's fine too; at least it will end it all."

"The most tragic are the soldiers who are seriously wounded and disabled. They receive some compensation, but when they return to their hometowns, they are too weak to carry anything. If they have wives and children, then they are better off, as someone will take care of them."

"But many soldiers have not yet reached adulthood when they enlisted, so they have no wives or children. Most of them have elderly and frail parents at home who need their care."

These words brought tears to the eyes of the generals present. As soldiers and officers, they understood the secrets behind it all best, and knew the untold hardships and tears.

Even though they were seasoned veterans with hearts as hard as stone, they dared not easily recall the heart-wrenching agony.

"Alas..." Ying Zheng sighed deeply, his brows furrowed with sorrow.

The rise and fall of dynasties, the suffering of the people and the horrors of war—behind the prosperity of dynasties lies the blood and tears of these people.

"Speak freely of what you wish to do, and I will grant your request!" Ying Zheng promised in a deep voice, having already roughly understood his wicked husband's intentions.

The wicked man bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty select Qin soldiers who have been discharged from the army due to injury or disability and have them take on the task of refining salt."

"If they can't move things, they can mix them; if they can't mix them, they can filter them. There's bound to be something they can do to earn a salary and support their families."

Yang Duanhe suddenly interjected, "Since the Grand Commandant is so grateful, why not just give them money directly? Why make them work so hard despite their injuries?"

At this point, the wicked man said in a deep voice, "My Qin state is not short of money right now and can afford to support them. The reason we can't give them money directly is..."

"It's for dignity!"

"They were able-bodied people who fought for their country and people, and ended up with crippled bodies. How can we treat them as useless beggars?"