The next day, Yan Qingqing went to the palace after breakfast.
This time, Xiao Mochen personally waited at the palace gate.
As soon as he saw Yan Qingqing, he rushed to greet her.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "You silly child, it's not like it's your first time entering the palace. Why do I need you to come and greet me every time?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mochen replied, "To be honest, Aunt, I've had a lingering fear ever since you almost got into trouble the first time you entered the palace."
"As soon as I know my aunt is going to the palace, I have to send someone to guard her or stand guard at the palace gate myself to feel at ease."
Yan Qingqing sighed softly upon hearing this; this was a sentimental child.
So he smiled and said, "Alright, let's go, don't keep the Emperor waiting."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mochen made a gesture, and soon several eunuchs carried over two sedan chairs.
Yan Qingqing had seen this sedan chair at the New Year's Eve banquet on New Year's Eve, so she didn't stand on ceremony and got into the sedan chair directly.
Xiao Mochen also boarded another sedan chair.
This is Yan Qingqing's third time entering the palace.
The first time, I didn't know the rules and was tricked. I not only took many detours, but I also almost got caught by that little eunuch.
The second time was at night. Although the palace was brightly lit, Yan Qingqing, surrounded by people, had no interest in appreciating the scenery.
It is early spring now, the weather is gradually warming up, and the flowers, plants and trees in the palace have begun to sprout green buds.
Sitting in a high sedan chair, gazing at the magnificent palace while enjoying the spring breeze, has a unique charm.
The eunuchs carried the sedan chair directly to the saltworks.
The saltworks built by the emperor were located in a remote area, and it looked like an abandoned palace, guarded by many imperial guards.
When they arrived at their destination, the eunuchs stopped and lowered the sedan chair, while another eunuch lay down directly next to the chair.
This action left Yan Qingqing somewhat bewildered, but she quickly realized that the little eunuch wanted her to step on his back to get off the sedan chair.
Yan Qingqing couldn't help but curse the damned feudal society in her heart.
However, this also shows the emperor's high regard for her, so Yan Qingqing cannot act too out of line.
She's not like those heroines in time-travel novels who constantly shout about equality for all, have powerful figures backing them up, and are universally perceived as kind, adorable, and different from ordinary people.
If she dared to do that, the emperor would be the first to object. She's currently working for the emperor, and she can't afford to undermine his position.
If everyone is equal, what's the point of being an emperor?
Besides, in any society, there is no absolute equality.
So Yan Qingqing eventually stepped off the sedan chair onto the back of the little eunuch, but her feet didn't land properly.
The little eunuch lying on the ground was still wondering to himself how Lady Mingzhao could be so light, as he felt nothing when stepping on her back.
Only Xiao Mochen, who was constantly watching Yan Qingqing, noticed that his aunt's foot hadn't landed properly.
So he lightly stepped on the back of the little eunuch with his foot, and then gestured to Yan Qingqing to invite him.
Yan Qingqing and Xiao Mochen entered the heavily guarded courtyard and found that the Emperor was already waiting there.
Moreover, there were several officials with him. Yan Qingqing thought that these people must have been invited by the emperor to learn how to refine fine salt.
Yan Qingqing quickly stepped forward to greet the emperor: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Upon seeing Yan Qingqing arrive, the Emperor beamed and said, "Consort Mingzhao has arrived. Please rise."
Yan Qingqing thanked him and stood up.
The emperor looked at Yan Qingqing and asked with a smile, "Lady Mingzhao, do you think everything I've prepared is complete?"
Yan Qingqing glanced at the two large pools containing water and several large pots.
Yan Qingqing replied, "We've prepared everything perfectly, but salt production isn't something that can be done in a day; summer is the best time."
The emperor was somewhat disappointed. We had to wait until summer? That was still quite a long time.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing said, "However, I have a method to quickly produce salt, but it cannot be used for large-scale salt production. Would Your Majesty like to try it first?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately perked up, saying that as long as the salt production could be successful, he was willing to wait a little longer.
To put it bluntly, the emperor was still worried that the methods Yan Qingqing suggested were unreliable.
Seeing that the emperor was interested, Yan Qingqing first had the coarse salt dissolved. After it was completely dissolved, it was filtered to remove the mud and other impurities. Finally, the brine was put into a pot and boiled over a high flame.
Two hours later, a thick layer of crystals appeared in the pot.
The emperor knew that the salt was a success when he saw the white stuff in the pot.
He was about to reach out and touch it when Yan Qingqing quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, be careful, it's hot."
This was just heated up, and the fire underneath hasn't gone out yet. If the emperor gets burned, she'll be in big trouble.
Upon hearing this, the emperor somewhat embarrassedly withdrew his hand; he had been too hasty.
But looking at the pure white salt, he couldn't help but feel happy, even if he got burned, he would accept it.
Not only was the emperor happy, but the ministers who came to observe and learn were also pleased.
They never imagined that refining fine salt could be so simple, and the emperor said that if they succeeded, he would entrust them with the responsibility of managing the salt supply for the entire Great Yan Dynasty.
Although they are far from the capital, they are trusted by the emperor, and once they become salt officials, they are a force that no official dares to underestimate.
Then the emperor looked at Yan Qingqing and asked, "Lady Mingzhao, is this all right?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "It's basically done, but the salt is still a bit damp and needs to be air-dried naturally."
Upon hearing this, the emperor burst into laughter: "Good, good, as expected of Lady Mingzhao, you are indeed remarkable."
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, "Your Majesty flatters me. This method is suitable for small-scale salt production."
If you want to produce salt on a large scale, you still need to sun-dry it.
The emperor hesitated upon hearing this. Did they really have to wait until summer? That would take quite some time.
Seeing the emperor's expression, Yan Qingqing knew what he was thinking, so she asked, "Is Your Majesty troubled by the inability to immediately refine fine salt?"
The emperor nodded and replied, "To be honest, Lady Mingzhao, I urgently need to produce a batch of fine salt to show those people that our Great Yan Dynasty can still have salt even without them."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I only said that summer is the best season for salt production, I didn't say that salt production can't be done in other seasons."
Just because the capital city isn't suitable doesn't mean other places aren't.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mochen immediately understood Yan Qingqing's meaning, and then looked at Yan Qingqing and asked, "Does Aunt mean that the South is suitable for salt production?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "The climate in the south is hot and the sunshine is long, so salt production is perfect for it."
Additionally, the seaside or saltwater lakeside are also suitable, especially the seaside where there is not only long hours of sunshine but also strong winds, making it ideal for salt production.
The emperor listened and said "good" several times. Then he quickly sent people to build salt-making facilities so that he could extract fine salt as quickly as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com