April 28th, the 25th year of Hongwu.

Peking, Prince Yan's Mansion, sunny.

Zhu Ying looked at Zhu Di in front of him and couldn't help but sigh for a moment.

It has been ten years since he came to the early Ming Dynasty. Who would have thought that he could sit in front of Emperor Yongle and talk freely.

"You have been working with me for such a long time, so of course I trust you. You can discuss the details with Sanbao."

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Ying and said with a smile on his face, his expression looking gentle.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Prince of Yan. I will take my leave now." Zhu Ying said with a smile. Even when facing Zhu Di, he remained neither humble nor arrogant.

After Zhu Ying stood up, he gestured to Zhu Di and Daoyan Master Yao Guangxiao who was standing next to Zhu Di and left.

The three treasures that Zhu Di mentioned were the later Zheng He, who had not yet been given the surname "Zheng" and whose real name was Ma He.

Sanbao followed, bowed slightly to Zhu Di, and then left with Zhu Ying to discuss the details of the transaction.

After seeing the two figures disappear, Zhu Di sighed to Yao Guangxiao: "Even though I have seen them many times, I still find it incredible every time I see them."

"How could there be two people in this world who are so alike?"

"If I didn't know that my eldest brother had never had any romantic affairs outside, I would think that this must be my eldest brother's illegitimate child."

Yao Guangxiao was also somewhat moved when he heard this: "When I first saw her, I was shocked by her beauty. After careful investigation, I was sure that she had nothing to do with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Di was silent after hearing this. After a moment, he said in a deep voice: "This matter must be confirmed again and again."

"This child is about the same age as my nephew who died young. Master, please be careful and understand him."

Zhu Di naturally also sent people to investigate carefully, and the information he obtained was the same as that of Yao Guangxiao.

But he always had a feeling of uneasiness in his heart, mainly because Zhu Ying was not only 70% similar to his elder brother Zhu Biao in appearance, but more importantly, his elegant temperament was extremely similar to that of his elder brother Zhu Biao.

Zhu Ying was just a small businessman, but the temperament of a scholar was not something a businessman could have.

Anyone who met Zhu Biao and Zhu Ying would not believe that the two had nothing to do with each other.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Although this matter happened a long time ago, after several months of investigation, I am sure that this boy has a clear background."

"This boy was born in the fifth year of Hongwu, two years earlier than your nephew. Although his parents have passed away for many years, everyone in the village knows his hometown."

"Those country folk don't have the ability to make up such a lie."

After Yao Guangxiao finished speaking, he sighed, "This boy was born at the wrong time. He is so smart and clever, but he was born into a merchant family."

"If it weren't for this, it would not be difficult for me to pass the imperial examination. If I were lucky enough to enter the palace examination and be noticed by His Majesty, with this pretty face, I would definitely be the top scorer."

"Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be fond of this boy."

After listening to this, Zhu Di did not respond directly, but fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Try everything you can to prevent this boy from leaving Peking."

"We must not let this boy go to the capital. If anyone from the capital comes, he must not be seen by him."

Zhu Di's voice was extremely flat, but Yao Guangxiao could sense the hidden message in it.

Yao Guangxiao was very pleased with Prince Yan's attitude.

Three months ago, when he first met Zhu Ying while visiting the city, he tried every means to make friends with him, and then contacted Prince of Yan Zhu Di.

In the name of trade, he cooperated extensively with Zhu Ying and delayed him in the territory of Peking.

"This child will be of great use in the future."

Yao Guangxiao said calmly.

Zhu Di nodded slightly in approval.

…

"Master Zhu, rest assured. Your snowflake salt is so crystal clear and has no astringency. Now that you have the support of His Highness, it will surely be sold smoothly in Peking."

Ma Sanbao said politely to Zhu Ying.

Ma Sanbao also had a good impression of Zhu Ying. However, he was just a eunuch and was bound to be looked at strangely.

But in Zhu Ying's eyes, he felt a kind of respect for being treated equally.

That was not because of his identity or superficial flattery, but because they treated him as a real man.

"I'm just a matchmaker. After dealing with those foreign businessmen for a long time, I have gained their trust." Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Salt and iron are both official monopolies. No matter how powerful Zhu Ying is, it is impossible for him to sell the snowflake salt himself.

The only way was to import and sell to the Ming government in the name of foreign merchants to gain profits.

"This quantity is indeed a little too little. Mr. Zhu, please tell those foreign merchants if they can supply more considering their market share."

"There are so many people in Peking. Your Highness doesn't know how to distribute this little snowflake salt."

"If Mr. Zhu can get this done, we can discuss the price."

Ma Sanbao said that once the snowflake salt came out, it was snapped up by the nobles in Peking, and the amount Zhu Ying brought each time was only a few hundred kilograms.

These hundred kilograms of snowflake salt would be more than enough to supply the Prince of Yan's Palace, but it would be a bit insufficient to supply the dignitaries in Peking.

The distribution of snowflake salt can only be arranged by the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and Ma Sanbao is the main person in charge.

Every time Ma Sanbao faced those noisy servants, he felt a headache.

Some of these details concern the reputation of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan.

After not affecting the supply of Prince Yan's Palace, there are many details to consider as to which family has more and which has less.

"I'll try my best, but this snowflake salt is precious and scarce, and there are many bandits on the border. It's not easy to deliver more than 100 kilograms to Peking."

Zhu Ying sighed with regret, his eyes flashing with memories, as if he was recalling the hardships of transporting salt in the past.

In fact, this snowflake salt was made by Zhu Ying according to the methods of later generations, and he could have as much as he wanted.

The only difference is the processing method. The well salt is processed twice to produce snowflake salt.

However, the Ming Dynasty controlled private salt production. After some research, Zhu Ying recruited a group of foreign merchants as his subordinates and set up salt-producing areas outside the Ming Dynasty.

In this way, it can only be regarded as import, and even if the officials and businessmen of the Ming Dynasty are jealous, they can't do anything about it.

But the bloody storm in the salt trade is not something that outsiders should know about.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Mr. Zhu."

Ma Sanbao said helplessly.

Of course, the King of Yan sent people to investigate the source of the snowflake salt, but the whereabouts of that group of foreign merchants were very secretive, and there seemed to be a very strong dark force protecting this matter.

Many of the spies sent out disappeared on the vast grassland.

If we can't find out the source, even if we send out a large army, there will be nothing we can do.

It was at this moment that the sound of galloping horses was heard at the end of the street.

I saw a man on horseback galloping in the middle of the main road in the distance, shouting:

"Eight hundred miles in a hurry, anyone who stands in my way will die!!!"