eurekapd Chapter 202: Wealth Comes Through Risk
Chapter 202: Wealth Comes Through Risk
That night, in the inconspicuous Gao family mansion in the southwest corner of Youyun City, the future Emperor Taizu of the Daqian Dynasty and the future Crown Prince and Crown Princess made a bold and correct decision after a tense and secret conversation.
At this point, the Dingbei Palace in the northern border completely ended its fatal shortcoming of being short of money and unable to make ends meet.
Under the leadership of the Crown Princess, a batch of new sea salt with white color, fine particles and pure taste was produced using the sea salt purification method that shocked the world as soon as it was introduced at that time.
In order to distinguish it from the previous green salt, this salt is also called white salt.
The price of white salt is about 50% higher than the current green salt, but anyone who has tasted white salt will feel obligated to replace the green salt in their home with white salt.
White salt, though expensive, has a delicate and pure taste, a world apart from the bitter, rough green salt. Furthermore, due to its high purity, only 30% to 40% of the amount of coarse salt is needed for cooking, and the resulting dish still tastes just right.
Although the price is half that of the original, the dosage is less than half, and the taste is completely different. Anyone with a bit of common sense can figure out which one is more cost-effective.
With such a strong contrast and the rapid spread of edible white salt water, less than three months after the launch of white salt, the entire Jin Dynasty and even foreign countries had begun to discard coarse salt and switch to refined salt.
For more than half a year thereafter, no matter how much refined salt was produced in the North, it was quickly snatched up by the wealthy families and tycoons who rushed in after hearing the news. Supply exceeding demand became a common occurrence for the White Salt General Administration under the Dingbei Palace.
For a time, salt was expensive in the northern border. In just less than two years, the Dingbei Palace earned wealth that was enough to rival a country. It also laid a solid foundation for the Dingbei Palace to march south and attack the capital.
Of course, this is something.
At this time, Gao Cheng saw the lights not far away shining from the twilight until midnight.
It was late spring in April, and he was wearing the same spring clothes he wore during the day. He felt a little cold because he had been sitting in the yard for a long time.
If this continues, he will probably catch a cold tomorrow!
He was just about to get up and call for help when he suddenly thought of the solemn look on the prince's face when he came to visit at night, and all the secrets that took place during the three people's meeting. Gao Cheng keenly realized the importance of what the three people in the room were talking about.
There is an old saying: If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose himself; if everything is not discreet, harm will occur.
These few words were like a bolt of enlightenment, waking up the young man who was already feeling drowsy from staying in the yard for too long.
Gao Cheng sniffed, suppressed the thought of calling for someone to deliver clothes, and also restrained the thought of leaving this place. He stood up and walked back and forth in the pavilion to generate some heat so that he could feel a little warmer.
Even if I have to risk catching a cold and staying in bed for a few more days, I will definitely help the three nobles in the house to guard this yard.
He walked and thought, sometimes he thought a lot, sometimes he felt his thoughts were too confused.
I don’t know how long it took, but with a "creak", the two tightly closed doors finally opened!
The sister walked out with a leisurely pace. Seeing him, she was slightly startled, then smiled gently again. "Brother, have you been waiting here in person until this moment? It's really hard for you!"
He awkwardly greeted her, "Sister, you are too kind. I am incompetent and cannot help you and your sister with your worries. I can only quietly guard the door of this house for the three nobles!"
As soon as these words were spoken, his sister, who seemed kind and amiable on the surface but was actually alert and sharp-witted inside, showed an unusual attitude of criticism.
Her clear eyes looked straight at him. When she saw the thin clothes on his body, her eyes flashed slightly. The next moment, a smile appeared on her face again. The smile was very faint, but Gao Cheng intuitively felt that this faint smile was her true appearance.
"Brother, what you said is quite insightful." The girl's voice was low and gentle, with a rare touch of admiration. "The most difficult things in the world must be done from the easy, and the most important things in the world must be done from the details. Many people claim to be smart, but they are not smart in small matters, but not in big matters."
She was silent for a moment, then said something with a double meaning, "Big brother, you have such a clear understanding of yourself, a clear position, and a character that is willing to do things for you regardless of the small things. This really makes me admire you very much. If you can continue to do this, you will definitely not be forgotten by the crowd in the future!"
Gao Cheng's heart trembled slightly, but he heard his sister's voice again: "Brother, since you can help the prince guard this small gate today, you may be able to help them guard more and larger gates in the future!"
The girl walked up to him for the first time, gently patted his shoulder, and changed her tone to one of concern: "I have finished my discussion with the prince and the young master. Big brother, you must have worked hard today. Go down and call the court doctor to prescribe some medicine to warm you up. Don't let the cold get worse and harm yourself too much!"
The girl lowered her voice and said again, "The prince and I will both remember your service in guarding the gate today. Don't worry, big brother!"
After saying this, the girl floated away and walked towards her own yard.
He was slightly startled and hurried towards the house. Before he could knock on the door, Prince Dingbei thanked him with a smile: "Brother, thank you for your hard work today!"
Jin Chu returned to her yard, changed her clothes, took off her hairpins and rings, and just as she lay down to rest, she heard her stomach rumble.
When she was with the prince, she was so engrossed in her work that she was oblivious to the outside world. Now that she was back and relaxed for a bit, she suddenly felt hungry and couldn't sleep.
So she called the maid back and asked her to prepare some simple food.
The maid went to the small kitchen as ordered. She was lying on the bedside, and her heart was still beating like thunder when she thought about the big deal she had conspired with the prince before.
This act of purifying sea salt undoubtedly put the Northern Territory in clear opposition to the imperial court.
If the old emperor does not fall, the princes do not fight among themselves, and the ministers do not fight among themselves, the northern border will inevitably have to bear the thundering blow from the Great Jin Dynasty.
This is a risky move. If the emperor can quickly come to his senses and stabilize the government, the northern border will be in imminent danger.
Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, which is no empty saying. If they want to grow stronger as quickly as possible and turn defense into offense, they must make this risky move.
The three of them were actually gambling, gambling that the old emperor would not wake up quickly, gambling that the princes would not be willing to be outdone, and gambling that the group of greedy ministers would not back down easily and shake hands and make peace with each other.
Since that’s the case, let’s all show off our abilities and show off our prowess!
The winner will be the king and the loser will be the bandit. Anyway, we have been forced to do it, so just do it!
A bowl of steaming shredded chicken noodles was served. In the rising mist, the girl's pretty and soft face took on an indescribable solemnity.