The Crown Princess is busy fishing

Xiao Yunqing replied with satisfaction, "I came to Wankou today to handle some business. Seeing you here, you seem to have something on your mind?"

Lin Yuge hesitated for a moment, but still told him about the salt.

“My mother set up a workshop in the village to make dried seafood.”

"But it's really hard to have both the price and quality of salt. Without suitable salt, this workshop probably can't keep going."

Xiao Yunqing frowned upon hearing this, as this was also a problem that had been troubling him for some time.

The previous betrayal by Li Danian.

After returning, he dealt with a group of people with swift and decisive measures, and the officialdom in Lingnan seemed to have returned to some peace.

In reality, there are undercurrents.

Every decision I make is under the scrutiny of various forces.

The salt administration was the most complex part, where the interests of all parties were intertwined.

Salt production here is not low.

However, due to the layers of exploitation of salt taxes and the monopolistic practices of salt merchants.

This has led to persistently high salt prices, making them unaffordable for ordinary people.

Behind those salt merchants were often intricate networks of official connections.

He wanted to promote salt administration reform, bring salt prices back to a reasonable level, and make it possible for ordinary people to use affordable salt.

This will inevitably affect the interests of these forces.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Yunqing said to Lin Yuge, "Yuge, don't worry. Come on, I'll take you to a salt field."

The two boarded the carriage, and Mo Nan silently drove it out of the city.

Lin Yuge was filled with curiosity, wondering where Xiao Yunqing was going to take her.

We traveled a long, winding road.

They arrived at a relatively secluded place.

On the way, Lin Yuge also learned from Mo Nan.

This saltworks was secretly built by Xiao Yunqing's subordinates in order to implement salt administration reforms.

The goal is to explore a better model for salt production and sales.

This would break the existing monopoly of salt merchants.

Upon entering the salt field, Lin Yuge saw a group of salt workers using an ancient salt-boiling technique to produce salt.

The brine in the large pot was bubbling and boiling under the heat of firewood, and the workers were constantly stirring it with large wooden ladles.

Lin Yuge looked at all of this and found it hard to accept.

He frowned and asked, "Why don't you dry the salt? Boiling salt uses a lot of firewood, and it doesn't seem very efficient."

Xiao Yunqing and the surrounding workers looked at her strangely.

Mo Nan asked first, "Miss Lin, isn't salt all boiled?"

“I have done a special investigation and found that most other salt fields also use this method to produce salt. Although boiling salt is a bit troublesome, it can guarantee the quality of the salt.”

Lin Yuge then realized that salt production technology might not have been widely adopted in this era.

She explained, "Actually, sun-drying salt is more convenient and efficient."

"As long as there are suitable salt fields, salt can be obtained by using sunlight and wind to allow seawater to evaporate naturally."

"This way, we can save costs and increase production."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunqing's expression turned serious.

"Yuge, are you telling the truth?"

"I have never heard of this method of salt production before. How did you learn of it?"

Lin Yuge's heart skipped a beat, knowing that she couldn't reveal too much modern knowledge.

So he made up an excuse.

“Yunqing, I once saw this method in an ancient book, and I thought it was very magical at the time.”

“I think you might as well try this method of salt production at this salt field.”

"If successful, it will not only increase salt production and reduce costs, but also help you promote salt administration reform."

Xiao Yunqing looked around thoughtfully.

"The method you're suggesting sounds quite good."

The people here are used to boiling salt; they have no concept of salt production by sun-drying.

"Please explain the specific process of salt production in detail."

Lin Yuge nodded.

"Of course. We need to choose a suitable open space by the sea to build salt pans."

"Salt fields are generally divided into evaporation ponds and crystallization ponds. First, seawater is introduced into the evaporation ponds. Under the action of sunlight and wind, the water in the seawater slowly evaporates, and the concentration of the brine will continue to increase."

Once the brine reaches a certain concentration, it is introduced into a crystallization tank, where the salt will slowly crystallize out.

"Moreover, during the salt-making process, the flow of brine can be flexibly adjusted according to the weather conditions, making it very convenient to operate."

After listening to Lin Yuge's description, Xiao Yunqing became very interested in the salt-making method.

"Did you hear everything?"

He turned to the steward behind him, Qian Zuo, and instructed him: "This salt-drying method may be an opportunity for us to open up a loophole in the salt administration in Lingnan."

"Follow Miss Lin's advice, first select a suitable location and arrange the salt production as soon as possible."

"We must carefully record the situation at every step, and report any problems in a timely manner."

Qian Zuo respectfully replied, "Yes, Master. I will take care of it immediately."

Xiao Yunqing looked at Lin Yuge with admiration in her eyes.

"Yuge, you've really brought me some good news."

"If the salt-making method can be promoted here, it will not only reduce the cost of salt production but also increase output."

"It can also bring down the price of salt, which is really killing two birds with one stone."

Lin Yuge smiled.

"Yunqing, I'm just telling you what I know. I hope this method can really help you."

"However, what's the quality of the salt from your salt field?"

Xiao Yunqing led Lin Yuge to the finished product area of ​​the salt field.

He picked up a piece of salt and handed it to her.

"Look, this is the salt we produce here."

"Although these people are very dedicated, I feel there are still many areas for improvement."

Lin Yuge examined the salt block carefully.

It was discovered that there were still some impurities in the salt, and the salt particles were not uniform in size.

She said, "Yunqing, I think that if we use the sun-drying method and add some purification steps, we can improve the quality of the salt."

You can rinse the salt crystals with a small amount of water after they crystallize to remove surface impurities.

Xiao Yunqing listened attentively and chuckled softly.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Yuge, your suggestions are all excellent. It seems I made the right decision to invite you to this salt field."

"Once we improve it according to your method, I believe the quality and yield of this salt will definitely be greatly improved."

Afterwards, Lin Yuge personally led them to select a suitable location.

From seawater salinity to sunshine duration, wind force, and the size of salt ponds.

Lin Yuge explained it to them one by one.

Then she took a twig and gestured on the ground, explaining the layout of the salt fields to the workers in detail.

"We need to dig an inlet ditch here to ensure that seawater can flow smoothly into the salt field."

"And you need to set up a simple filter, like this."

Lin Yuge simply built a model of a filter structure using stones and branches.

The workers gathered around her curiously, though they didn't quite understand these novel practices at first.

But seeing Xiao Yunqing's trust in Lin Yuge, they listened attentively.

Lin Yuge continued, "The salt fields are divided into several areas. The first area is the seawater evaporation zone, which is larger in area."

"Then comes the brine concentration zone, where the seawater becomes more saline after initial evaporation."

"Finally, there is the crystallization zone, where salt forms."

Under Lin Yuge's guidance, the saltworks workers began to get busy according to the new plan.