Kangxi had never been disappointed by Youqing's ideas, and immediately asked, "What method?"
"Since the people can't afford the salt from Jiangnan, they can just eat salt from the seaside there."
"The salt from the seaside tastes bitter, and eating it can easily make you sick."
"That's because it wasn't handled properly. I have a way to handle sea salt."
Emperor Kangxi believed what Youqing said.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
"It's just a prescription, nothing special."
Youqing said it was nothing, but Kangxi didn't think so. Although husband and wife shouldn't be too clear about their differences, they also shouldn't be completely indistinguishable. Things that need to be said must be said.
With Youqing's recipe, Kangxi quickly dispatched people to coastal areas to produce salt according to the method described in the recipe, and they successfully obtained edible salt.
With the good news, Kangxi was ready to crack down on the salt merchants in Jiangnan.
Salt prices were naturally uniform, but there was no official salt with a uniform price, which forced people to buy smuggled salt to eat.
As for why there was no official salt, it was naturally because it was embezzled. Jiangnan has many waterways, and salt dissolves when it comes into contact with water. The waterways used to transport salt would capsize a few times, so the official salt would naturally become smuggled salt.
The reason why the salt merchants in Jiangnan were so wealthy was because of the smuggled salt of dubious origin. Now, with the salt tax collected by the imperial court decreasing year by year, it has become increasingly difficult for ordinary people to obtain salt.
The recent upheaval in Jiangnan began with salt merchants hoarding salt. Smuggled salt was already expensive, and with the malicious hoarding by unscrupulous salt merchants, the people couldn't afford salt, making it even more expensive.
After taking office, the salt official was ordered to investigate the smuggling of salt. He probably investigated a lot of things, otherwise he wouldn't have lost his life so tragically. This is a veiled threat to the person who will take over the salt official position next!
This matter must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise no matter who takes over as salt official, they will not have peace of mind.
A month later, Emperor Kangxi dispatched a new salt official to Jiangnan. The salt officials in Jiangnan were all watching this new official, but he seemed to be just like a tourist visiting Jiangnan, not concerned with worldly affairs.
"What do you think this new Lord Mu is trying to achieve?"
“We’ve had people watching him for days, but we haven’t been able to find anything wrong with him. He hasn’t investigated the salt business either, and he hasn’t even asked about it. I have a feeling that this is not a simple matter.”
These salt merchants knew exactly what they had done; to put it bluntly, they were robbing silver from the imperial court.
Knowing full well what they had done and that the court would not let it go, they were prepared to outwit and outmaneuver the new salt official, even if it meant he would never return. But the salt official arrived without investigating anything, and without any reason, they really couldn't act rashly.
"News has come from the capital that this Lord Mu is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who works in the Hanlin Academy. He is not very prominent. It is said that he loves literature and calligraphy and is very fond of elegance. Logically speaking, the emperor should not have appointed such a person to the position of salt official."
“I think the information we’ve gathered is probably wrong. We all know the emperor won’t let this go, so this Lord Mu can’t be as he appears on the surface. Perhaps he has some extraordinary abilities.”
"Then check again, don't panic and act rashly."
The investigation went on until the end of the year, but even so, the salt merchants found nothing.
A few days before the Lunar New Year, Emperor Kangxi suddenly issued an edict to establish the Salt Administration, and from then on, the official salt production shifted from inland salt to primarily sea salt.
The establishment of the Salt Administration immediately caused a great uproar, and some people submitted memorials opposing it. Salt had existed for a long time, but the main reason it had not become official salt was that it was bad for one's health.
These people submitted memorials citing the uncleanliness of sea salt, so Kangxi immediately brought out sea salt produced using a new method, which was even finer than refined salt.
"This sea salt was extracted using a new method. After examination by the imperial physicians, it was found to be harmless to consume. I would not joke about the lives of the people."
Upon hearing this, no one dared to say another word.
The Salt Administration was established under Emperor Kangxi's insistence. As soon as it was built, a large quantity of sea salt was delivered to various salt-deficient areas, and people rushed to buy the cheap sea salt.
The salt bureau was established here and salt was produced there immediately, so fast that salt merchants had no time to react.
In a short time, all the salt merchants who had stockpiled salt in Jiangnan were left with nothing.
These salt merchants were also greedy. They gathered together and used most of their silver to hoard smuggled salt. For them, salt was more valuable than silver.
Once the salt was stuck in their hands, they couldn't sell it, since sea salt was really cheap, and they were selling it in batches, as if it were free.
Taking advantage of these people's illness, Kangxi directly ordered their deaths. On the day before the Lunar New Year, Kangxi ordered that blood be spilled in the vegetable markets of Jiangnan, and for a time, there was no trace of salt merchants in Jiangnan.
Meanwhile, the salt official, Lord Mu, leisurely returned to the capital and continued his work of writing and painting at the Hanlin Academy.
Kangxi's move, with its thunderous force, disrupted the situation in Jiangnan. Jiangnan was prosperous not only because of its fertile land, but also because of the salt merchants who were based there, which gave Jiangnan a veil of wealth.
But is Jiangnan really prosperous?
No, the lives of ordinary people in Jiangnan are not much better than in other places; many people still worry about having enough to eat every day.
The Jiangnan region was prosperous, but only the officials and merchants were wealthy; the common people could hardly be considered prosperous.
Now even Emperor Kangxi knew that if he weren't preoccupied with the capital and the Dzungars could make a move at any moment, he would have personally gone to Jiangnan.
Fortunately, the matter in Jiangnan was resolved, and we can finally have a peaceful New Year.
After the New Year, Kangxi became busy again. At the beginning of the thirtieth year of Kangxi's reign, the Dzungar Khanate began to show interest.
Kangxi's secret guards had discovered that the Dzungars had planned to launch an attack last year, but the Dzungars learned of his trip to Mongolia where he was training musket troops and mother-and-child cannons, and thus postponed the attack.
"I intend to personally lead the expedition."
Upon hearing this, Youqing was taken aback. A personal expedition! It is said that swords have no eyes, and even for an emperor, going to the battlefield is extremely difficult.
"Are you really going?"
"My personal campaign is the best option."
"Alright, go ahead, be careful, and make sure you come back alive." As she spoke, Youqing felt a lump in her throat.
Emperor Kangxi was also suffering. She was pregnant, and he should have been by her side, but he had to personally lead the expedition, leaving her to live in fear.
"It was my fault. Don't worry, I will definitely return safely. I still want to see my son born!"
Youqing felt a little better after hearing what he said: "How do you know it's a son? What if it were a daughter?"
"Whether it's a daughter or not, I will give her the best in the world."
The two slept in each other's arms that night, and the next day, Kangxi began to get busy.
When Emperor Kangxi personally led the expedition, all six ministries were extremely busy. Youqing hadn't seen Kangxi for three days, and their next meeting would be their last.
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