GBP Chapter 418 Zhu Biao: Thank you, brother-in-law, for saving my life.
Chapter 418 Zhu Biao: Thank you, brother-in-law, for saving my life.
While inwardly cursing, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "We'll talk about the academy later."
"As for what Your Highness is worried about, it is actually very easy to solve."
Zhu Biao's eyes lit up, and he asked, "How do we solve this?"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and turned his gaze directly to the Chang brothers, Chang Mao and Chang Sheng: "After Your Highness returns to the capital, please go to the Chang residence first."
"First, go to Aunt Chang for help, and then have Wang Sheren deliver the memorials His Highness has written during this period to His Majesty."
"With Aunt Chang's help to persuade her, Her Majesty the Empress will most likely be able to get away with it."
"As for His Majesty... with so many memorials to attend to, His Majesty certainly won't have time to cause trouble for His Highness."
"I will also prepare an extra gift for Your Highness. As long as Your Highness presents this gift, even the greatest anger of His Majesty and the Empress will be quelled."
After hearing Yang Shaofeng's words, Zhu Biao was also a little confused.
Should we ask Aunt Chang for help?
I need to ask Aunt Chang for help, I also need to bring Sister Chang to the palace.
Should we write more memorials?
This is something we absolutely have to write several copies of, since if my dad does more work, I can do less work in the future.
But just how amazing must that gift that my brother-in-law mentioned be to quell my parents' raging anger?
Ok?
Zhu Biao's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "Is my sister going to have a baby?"
"Is it the eldest sister or the second sister?"
"Yes, if I can take my eldest sister, second sister and nephew back, it will indeed appease my parents' enormous anger."
Yang Shaofeng was immediately very displeased.
Damn it, history books are all lies.
Who said Zhu Biao was kind?
I kindly helped you settle this matter, but you wanted to take my wife back to the capital. How could you repay kindness with such treachery?
Have some decency!
After a flurry of complaints, Yang Shaofeng simply smiled and said to Zhu Biao, "Your Highness, don't panic, the gift I mentioned..."
Wait a minute, holy crap!
What did I just say?
It's a gift!
What is Zhu Biao talking about?
My child!
So, my child is just a gift you use to please your parents and avoid getting beaten?
Thinking of this, Yang Shaofeng immediately chuckled and said, "Your Highness will only see the gift I mentioned tomorrow."
I'm going to see how you sleep tonight!
……
The next day at noon, Zhu Biao, once again sporting panda eyes, stood on the beach with Yang Shaofeng, asking in a daze, "Where's the gift my brother-in-law promised?"
Yang Shaofeng pointed to the beach and laughed, "Isn't this the gift?"
The best gift to appease Zhu Chongba's anger was this beach used for salt production.
Actually, it's pretty damn frustrating.
The salt-making method already existed during the Yuan Dynasty.
Compared to boiling salt, sun-drying salt can save a lot of timber and manpower.
Most importantly, the yield of salt produced by sun-drying is far greater than that of salt-boiling.
However, the salt-making method has never been widely adopted.
This is because it involves salt producers, salt prices, and also the profits of government officials and salt merchants.
In short, due to various reasons, the salt-making method already existed during the Yuan Dynasty, but it was not until the Yongle era that it began to be gradually promoted.
Yang Shaofeng's idea was to implement the sun-drying salt production method in Dengzhou.
Salt production can be increased simply by expanding the use of the sun-drying method.
Increased salt production means lower salt prices.
If Zhu Biao were to take the sea salt dried in the salt fields back with him, would that old scoundrel Zhu Chongba still care about Zhu Biao?
Yang Shaofeng smiled and led Zhu Biao forward until they stopped at the edge of the salt fields.
Zhu Biao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Salt fields!"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "I wonder how this gift is? Will it be able to appease His Majesty and the Empress's anger?"
Zhu Biao chuckled and said, "Yes, absolutely! By the way, brother-in-law, how many kilograms of salt can this salt field produce in a day?"
Yang Shaofeng pointed to the salt field in front of him and said with a smile, "One mu of salt field can produce a thousand jin of salt a day."
"In Penglai County alone, hundreds of acres of salt fields can be cultivated."
"Let's calculate based on 100 mu of salt fields."
"A hundred acres of salt fields can produce 100,000 catties of salt a day, which is 36.5 million catties a year."
"Then let's calculate based on each person consuming ten kilograms of salt per year."
"The output of 100 acres of salt fields is enough to feed 3.65 million people for a whole year."
Zhu Biao was completely numb.
Three million six hundred and fifty thousand people?
The entire Shandong Provincial Administration Commission did not have 3.65 million people!
In other words, the salt fields of just Penglai County were enough to supply the entire Shandong Provincial Administration Commission and still have a surplus?
Yang Shaofeng added with a smile, "Of course, the salt fields are affected by the weather and tides, so salt can not be produced every day."
"There may only be three to five months a year when salt production can be carried out."
"Therefore, the annual output of 100 mu of salt fields is far from 36.5 million jin, and may not even reach 10 million jin."
"However, there are other counties in Dengzhou Prefecture where salt fields can be developed."
"Even if we calculate that each 100 mu of salt fields can produce 5 million jin of salt per year, it would still be at least 50 million jin a year."
Fifty million catties of salt...
Wouldn't the salt production of Dengzhou Prefecture alone be enough to supply the entire Shandong and Henan provinces?
The problem is that Shandong is not just about Dengzhou being a coastal city.
Laizhou, Qingzhou, and Jinan are three prefectures with large coastal areas.
Even if there are fewer salt fields available for salt production than in Dengzhou, the three prefectures can still produce 30 million catties of salt a year, right?
Besides, there are many prefectures and counties along the coast of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, and there are also quite a few along the coast of Yanyun.
If the method of salt production in salt fields were to be fully implemented...
The more Zhu Biao thought about it, the more excited he became.
What's wrong with me sneaking out?
I came out so that all the people in the world could have salt to eat, not to play around by myself!
Zhu Biao bowed respectfully to Yang Shaofeng and said solemnly, "On behalf of the people of the world, I thank you, brother-in-law."
Yang Shaofeng quickly stepped aside and bowed in return, saying, "This is my duty, Your Highness. I dare not accept your thanks."
If you, Zhu Biao, are thanking me, your brother-in-law, for saving your life in your own name, I will accept any amount of courtesy you offer.
However, since you are here to thank me on behalf of the people of the Ming Dynasty as the Crown Prince, I cannot accept your gift.
Zhu Biao naturally knew why Yang Shaofeng refused the greeting. After straightening up, he cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Besides thanking you on behalf of the people, I must also thank you for saving my life."
Pointing to the salt fields in front of him, Zhu Biao continued, "Brother-in-law, as I was looking at these salt fields, I suddenly thought of what questions should be asked in this year's imperial examination."
Yang Shaofeng immediately became interested.
Does it matter whether the brother-in-law gets beaten up or not?
It doesn't matter at all.
The important thing is that the brother-in-law plans to set the questions for the imperial examination in the fourth year of Hongwu's reign.
This is going to be fun!