"Grand Commandant, the salt in this pot... seems... ready too?!" In the end, Xianglihe was more composed and quickly recovered from his surprise.
The wicked man chuckled, scraped some salt from the bottom of the pot with a knife, and put it in his mouth. "Hmm, the distillation method worked too, the taste is exactly the same!"
Seeing this, the people swarmed forward again, crowding into the iron pot to taste the fine salt refined by distillation.
"It tastes exactly the same, Grand Commandant... We are truly honored today!" Everyone offered their praise.
The wicked man's face showed arrogance, his chest filled with a sense of accomplishment. "Of course! All of you, stop standing there and get to work. Quickly refine a few pounds of fine salt. I'll be taking it to the palace to deliver to the King later!"
Refining salt is neither difficult nor difficult. The promise made to Ying Zheng that it could be completed within three days was to allow Xiangli He and other Mohist disciples time to resolve the issue should they fail.
To my utter surprise, I succeeded on my first try. I couldn't contain my excitement and was eager to see Ying Zheng's shocked and excited expression.
"Hey! Grand Commandant, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should!" Zhang Erhe chuckled, looking somewhat lewd.
"Speak!" The wicked husband glared at him irritably, thinking to himself that he must teach Zhang Erhe a lesson someday, so that he wouldn't embarrass him, the Grand Commandant, by acting so lewdly in public.
"Grand Commandant, why not announce it to the public personally at tomorrow's morning court session? That would be much better..."
"Showing off?!"
Upon hearing this, the wicked man's eyes lit up. If Zhang Erhe hadn't reminded him, wouldn't he have missed this great opportunity to show off?
"Erhe, not bad! I've known you'd be good since you were a kid!" In his excitement, the wicked husband raised his hand and slapped Zhang Erhe's shoulder hard. "Then I'll listen to you!"
"Come on, let me make it with you and guide you to deepen your understanding."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone was already eager to get started and crowded around the iron pot to try it out.
The day passed quickly, and it wasn't until late at night that everyone reluctantly stopped and went back to rest.
The refined salt they produced weighed over ten kilograms, and these people had thoroughly mastered the distillation and caustic soda methods, and could pass on their experience to others.
The next morning, the sky seemed to be shrouded by a huge gray curtain, with dark clouds covering the ground, like a heavy stone pressing on people's hearts.
The wicked husband got up early as usual, washed up, and then, carrying a sealed earthenware jar containing fine salt, went out with light steps to go to the palace to attend the morning court.
Of course, the reason he was so eager was that he couldn't wait to show off in front of everyone and hear the praise from Emperor Zheng and all the officials.
Strangely enough, it was the height of summer in July, a season that should be scorching hot, dry, and with little rain, but the thick, inky clouds in the sky seemed to foreshadow an impending storm.
A cool breeze blew in, running wildly through the streets like a mischievous child, sometimes gently caressing people's cheeks, sometimes lifting the corners of their clothes, making the shrew walking on the street feel as comfortable as a spring breeze.
"Hmm, God is really kind, knowing to shield me from the sun and cool me off!" In his excellent mood, the wicked husband became narcissistic.
They headed straight for Xianyang Palace. When they arrived at the palace gate, many civil and military officials had already arrived. Upon seeing the wicked husband arrive, they hurriedly greeted him.
"We pay our respects to Your Excellency, Grand Commandant!"
The wicked man's lips curled slightly. "My fellow colleagues, there's no need for such formalities. No need for formalities!" The scene before him was actually quite satisfying. No wonder countless people spend their entire lives pursuing power.
A sharp-eyed person noticed the earthenware pot he was carrying carefully and immediately asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what is that you are carrying? Why are you being so careful?"
The wicked man smiled mysteriously: "This is a good thing; you'll find out soon enough."
Seeing that he wouldn't speak, the others naturally didn't dare to press him further, and didn't even consider the possibility of the non-toxic refined salt. In their view, refining non-toxic refined salt must be no simple task; how could it be done so quickly?
The wicked husband was happy to see this, so that they wouldn't have to keep asking him questions and he wouldn't have to make excuses.
Before long, more and more ministers arrived at the palace gate. They all first bowed and greeted the wicked husband, and then lined up at the palace gate, waiting to enter the palace.
As the morning court bell rang, civil and military officials entered the palace one after another, heading straight for Zhangtai Palace, where they each found their place and stood still.
The wicked man also found his place. He gently placed the earthenware pot aside, glanced around, and secretly looked forward to the next moment.
Ying Zheng strode in with the air of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, exuding an air of high spirits. He ascended the high platform, took his seat, and surveyed his assembled ministers with a commanding gaze.
"The morning court session begins!" With Zhao Gao's loud announcement, everyone immediately bowed in unison.
"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"
"Gentlemen, no need for formalities!" Ying Zheng pressed down with both hands, and only then did everyone straighten up.
The morning court session officially began, and various state affairs and political matters were raised for discussion one by one. The Zhangtai Palace suddenly became somewhat lively and noisy, but the wicked man was somewhat absent-minded, his mind already on the refined salt that was about to be displayed.
Finally, all political and trivial matters were discussed, and the hall fell silent.
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Gao was about to announce the end of the court session when he saw the wicked man take a deep breath, step forward, and respectfully bow to Ying Zheng, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
These sudden words startled Zhao Gao, who was preparing to shout, and he swallowed back the words "dismiss the court," his face turning red with distress.
"Oh? What new policies or wars is our Grand Commandant planning this time?" Ying Zheng asked with amusement, teasing his wicked husband.
Whenever this kid goes to court, if he doesn't slack off or sleep, he's definitely up to some kind of wicked scheme to harm others and benefit himself.
"Your Majesty, I have something to offer you." The wicked man's voice echoed in the hall. He picked up the earthenware pot at his feet, took out a small pinch of refined salt from it, and held it high.
Ying Zheng was on a high platform and could not see clearly. Zhao Gao, who was very perceptive, rushed to Ying Zheng's side before he could speak.
"Take it now!"
The wicked man placed a small pinch of refined salt in Zhao Gao's palm. The snow-white, crystal-clear salt caught his eye, and his pupils contracted. As shrewd as he was, he immediately associated it with refined salt.
Zhao Gao glanced at the wicked husband in shock, then hurriedly and carefully returned to Ying Zheng's side, presenting the item to him as if it were a precious treasure.
"This is non-toxic refined salt that I recently refined. Its purity has been personally tested by me and my guards, and there is absolutely no problem with it," the wicked man said proudly.
The hall erupted in an uproar as civil and military officials whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter.
"Grand Commandant, is this true?" Ying Zheng's voice was tinged with disbelief as he looked up at Zhao Gao's palm and carefully examined the fine salt. His expression slowly changed from shock to ecstasy.
"Refined salt...this is non-toxic refined salt, and this refined salt...it's so white!"
Ying Zheng was somewhat disgusted with Zhao Gao, so he got up and went straight to his wicked husband, saying, "Quickly, let me taste this refined salt and see how it is different."
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