Yan Qingqing finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did His Majesty suddenly change his mind?"
Xiao Mochen replied calmly, "Actually, it wasn't exactly sudden."
The Emperor had this plan before the new year, but he kept putting it off because he really didn't like Consort Yu and her son.
However, those officials were making a huge fuss below, and salt tax had always been a major source of national revenue, so the emperor couldn't do anything about it.
However, for an emperor to reach the level of his father is truly pathetic.
Yan Qingqing and Ling Ziyuan exchanged glances upon hearing this; they couldn't possibly say what Xiao Mochen had said.
However, Xiao Mochen, as a son, couldn't say such things. If someone with ulterior motives overheard and reported it to the emperor, would Xiao Mochen be able to get away with it?
Yan Qingqing quickly changed the subject, saying, "Salt tax is a matter of national policy, what does it have to do with Consort Yu and her son?"
Ling Ziyuan sighed and said, "Salt needs to be purified and processed in many ways before it can be consumed, and the technology involved is extremely complex."
Our Great Yan Dynasty has only lasted for three generations, and there are very few people who know this kind of purification technology.
At the beginning of his reign, this technology was in the hands of a few salt merchants.
Later, the Yu family won them over and promised them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, which finally convinced them to produce salt to supply the people of our Great Yan Dynasty.
The refined salt could even be sold to Northern Liang and Southern Xinjiang, and was a major source of tax revenue for our Great Yan Dynasty.
Now that the Emperor is neglecting Consort Yu and the First Prince, they are inciting these salt officials to say that the Ninth Prince is the youngest and has already been granted the title of Prince, while the First Prince is already an adult and, as the eldest son of the Emperor, should rightfully be granted the title of Prince.
Consort Yu has rendered great service, and although she made a minor mistake and was punished, she should be restored to her rank of Imperial Consort.
Yan Qingqing was speechless. Had the emperor really compromised so easily? No wonder Xiao Mochen said he was a useless emperor.
Even a court official could hinder him, yet he still gets up early and works late every day to handle state affairs. What kind of emperor is he?
Yan Qingqing had lived in ancient times for several years, and she knew that in this era of material scarcity, salt and sugar were extremely precious.
Even the emperor has to consider the bigger picture.
So after secretly cursing the emperor in her heart, Yan Qingqing said quietly, "It's nothing more than the problem of refining salt. It's not a big deal. I can do that too."
As soon as Yan Qingqing finished speaking, Xiao Mochen and Ling Ziyuan turned to look at her, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
Does Yan Qingqing realize that she just said she was refining fine salt?
If she possessed this skill, would the Emperor still be hampered by those greedy and wicked people?
Ling Ziyuan took a deep breath and asked, "Is what Madam Mingzhao just said true? Do you really know how to refine fine salt?"
Ling Ziyuan was so excited that he even used official titles and respectful terms like "you," which shows just how excited he was.
Although Xiao Mochen was also in turmoil, he did not ask the question.
Because he trusted his aunt and believed everything she said, even if Yan Qingqing said the sun would rise in the west one day, he would believe it without a doubt.
After all, Yan Qingqing had just given him the blueprints for making a hand crossbow and the recipe for smelting iron not long ago.
Those things are probably more difficult to make than snowflake salt, but they're no problem for my aunt, let alone refining table salt.
As expected, Yan Qingqing nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Why would I joke with you during the New Year? Besides, this thing is really not difficult."
Ling Ziyuan: ……
Look at what kind of talk this is! I wonder what the Emperor would think if he heard it.
Li Xiangping and Li Xiang'an weren't that surprised. Back when their family wasn't wealthy, Yan Qingqing used to make her own ice to escape the summer heat.
Moreover, the process was incredibly simple; not only could Yuan Huiniang, her apprentice whom she had personally taught, know how to do it, but the two of them could do it too.
Now that you see how confident their mother is, the production of this fine salt must not be difficult; it's just that people don't know the method.
However, they were also very curious about how simple the salt extraction process was, so they all looked at Yan Qingqing with the curiosity of curious children.
Seeing their curious expressions, Yan Qingqing chuckled softly. "Fine, I'll teach them a lesson today and broaden their horizons."
Yan Qingqing parted her lips slightly and said, "Actually, the main component of salt is sodium chloride, and there are four main sources: sea salt, well salt, lake salt, and rock salt."
These things all contain a lot of salt, and the extraction methods are similar.
The first method is to dissolve, filter, and then dry.
The second method is to dissolve, filter, and then let it dry naturally with the help of the sun and wind.
The first method, while simple and quick, is not suitable for large-scale use.
The second method, although slower, allows for large-scale mass production.
Although Ling Ziyuan and the others were shocked after hearing this, they were still somewhat confused. Their Great Yan Dynasty only had well salt, so what were sea salt, lake salt, and mineral salt? And how exactly did Yan Qingqing explain the process of dissolving, filtering, and drying?
Or perhaps Yan Qingqing's explanation was too simplistic, and they found it hard to believe.
Seeing that they didn't quite understand, Yan Qingqing took a sip of tea and continued, "Let me give you an example. Let's talk about seawater salt production. We all know that seawater is salty."
That's because it contains a lot of salt, so salt fields can be built along the coast.
Then seawater is introduced into the salt pans, and the seawater is evaporated using the sun and wind. Finally, a layer of white crystals remains at the bottom – that's salt.
Of course, this is just coarse salt. Then, this salt is dissolved again, impurities are filtered out, and finally it is dried to obtain fine salt.
Actually, there are many benefits to sea salt production. After all, fishermen who go out to sea to fish all year round face great risks and their income is unstable.
But sea salt production is different; it not only increases the tax revenue of the Great Yan Dynasty but also provides a stable life for the fishermen along the coast.
Ling Ziyuan and the others already knew all the benefits Yan Qingqing mentioned, but the key question was whether salt production was really that simple.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Mochen spoke first: "Aunt, if we can successfully make salt ourselves, that would be a great achievement."
And we'll no longer be controlled by those salt officials. I wonder if Aunt would be willing to donate these salt-making methods?"
Throughout history, salt has been strictly controlled, and private transactions were not allowed. So, there was no use for Yan Qingqing to hoard it.
She could use the money to help Xiao Mochen and put an end to the arrogance of Consort Yu and her son, so why wouldn't she be willing?
Seeing Yan Qingqing nod without hesitation, Xiao Mochen stood up, bowed deeply to her, and said, "Aunt is righteous. I will take Aunt as my role model for the rest of my life."
Yan Qingqing quickly helped him up and scolded him, "What kind of talk is that? Even if it's for your aunt's sake, you can't keep things to yourself."
One sentence moved Xiao Mochen deeply.
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