When they heard the price of fifty coins per catty, the eyes of many ministers began to light up again.

Because even if there are some losses during transportation, plus the necessary transportation costs, it is enough to ensure that they can obtain considerable profits. In this way, they can meet market demand and obtain stable income in the operation, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Wen Zhengqing paused, his eyes slowly sweeping over each official present, before continuing, "Of course, I have another important condition. You must ensure that the refined salt you provide is of the highest quality, without any impurities or inferior ingredients."

I require you to strictly control the quality of your products and ensure that every grain of refined salt meets the standards. If any inferior refined salt appears on the market, and I discover that any substandard product enters the market, not only will your business be severely affected, but I will also ruthlessly punish the relevant responsible persons.

After all, His Majesty's will is clear: He wishes for all citizens to have access to high-quality, affordable refined salt and enjoy genuine salt. We must not allow anyone to exploit this opportunity to profit unjustly through adulteration or fraud. We must ensure that His Majesty's will is thoroughly implemented and carried out, ensuring that the people truly benefit."

Tang Ran, the Minister of Rites (third rank), stepped forward from the end of the crowd. He saluted Cao Mengde, Qin Hui, and other first-rank ministers, then asked, "Excuse me, Censor Wen, can we sell our Wei refined salt to other countries?"

The position of Minister of Rites was traditionally responsible for receiving and entertaining envoys and guests from other countries. Building friendships and connections with people from various countries was a natural part of this position. The Minister of Rites could leverage these established international connections and networks to market Wei's high-quality refined salt to other countries.

After hearing the words of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the other ministers couldn't help but prick up their ears. They were eager to hear what kind of answer Wen Zhengqing would give.

These ministers all had connections and relationships in other countries. If Wei's refined salt could be successfully sold to other countries, they could use these connections to smuggle it to other countries. In this way, they would earn not just a small amount of money, but a huge fortune.

After all, the refined salt sold by the State of Gan was not as high quality as that sold by the State of Wei, and the price of refined salt in the State of Gan was as high as ten taels of silver per catty. If they could smuggle Wei's refined salt to other countries and sell it for eight taels of silver per catty, it would be a piece of cake. In this way, they would not only make a huge profit, but also gain a foothold in other countries' markets, killing two birds with one stone.

Wen Zhengqing smiled modestly and replied, "Your Majesty has clearly instructed that refined salt within Wei must be sold at a price of one hundred copper coins per jin. Outside of Wei, the price of refined salt can be determined by me. However, His Majesty Chu Fan requires that I hand over 90% of the net profit to him. Do you understand what I mean?"

When the ministers learned that His Majesty intended to take 90% of the net profits from the refined salt trade, many immediately gave up the idea of ​​selling refined salt to other countries. They realized that if His Majesty really took such a high profit, their own gains from the trade would be greatly reduced, and the benefits would not be proportional to the risks.

However, some ministers had a shrewd glint in their eyes, and they silently made some calculations in their minds. Even if His Majesty Chu Fan wanted to take 90% of the profits from the refined salt trade, they still believed that they could gain a considerable profit margin from it.

These ministers began to think about bundling refined salt with other products, thereby earning additional profits from the other products. In this way, even if His Majesty took most of the profits from refined salt, they could still make up for the losses through the sale of other products, and even obtain greater overall profits.

Minister of Works Tang Hongwen expressed his concerns with a hint of unease in his tone: "We are currently considering selling refined salt to other countries, but I can't help but wonder if doing so would be seen as aiding the enemy. After all, salt is an essential commodity in the lives of ordinary people. Whether rich or poor, every household cannot do without this basic seasoning.

If we smuggle large quantities of refined salt, while this would bring certain economic benefits, if this refined salt fell into the hands of a hostile country, wouldn't that invisibly provide them with support and assistance? In this way, wouldn't we be indirectly strengthening their national strength, thereby posing a potential threat to our own national security?

Upon hearing Tang Hongwen's concerns, the Minister of Rites frowned slightly. While he understood Tang's concerns, he also held his own opinions. He spoke slowly, "Your concerns are certainly valid, but the refined salt trade is more than just a simple exchange of goods."

In reality, it involves multiple dimensions, including economics, politics, and strategy. If we simply assume that selling refined salt to other countries means aiding potential enemies, while ignoring the enormous commercial value inherent in the refined salt trade, then this approach is undoubtedly a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, with the result being more harm than good.

Minister of Revenue Qian Dai also stepped forward and said, "The treasury of our Wei State is now stretched to its limits, and the financial situation is worrying. In such a situation, it is truly precious to be able to find a business that can bring in lucrative profits.

If Wei could accumulate a certain amount of wealth, we would be able to purchase various advanced weapons and war horses, thereby enhancing our military strength. In this way, the national strength of Wei could be further consolidated and enhanced, social order would be more stable, and people's lives would be more peaceful.

Furthermore, even if other nations gained access to this precious resource, refined salt, they wouldn't become too powerful to pose a threat. After all, while refined salt is important, it's not the sole factor that determines victory or defeat in war. Therefore, I believe we can sell refined salt as a commodity to other nations. This way, we could not only profit handsomely but also establish good diplomatic relations with them through this trade.