Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 170 Salt Production from Seawater?

But even if they stayed, they couldn't offer any help; it would only cause more trouble. Jiu Que opened her mouth, but in the end, she went back with the others. Alas, countless people tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Jiu Que slowly got out of bed. She hadn't slept all night, and with her eyes open, all she could think about was the salt mixed with ominous black water in the salt field.

While washing up, Jiu Que noticed the large dark circles under her eyes in the bronze mirror and couldn't help but sigh. Even she was like this; the Prince must be feeling even more distressed.

Even with some expectation, Jiu Que still couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when she saw the Prince of Binyang with her own eyes. Could someone really have turned white-haired overnight?
Although the Prince of Binyang was over thirty and had endured three years of torment, he remained handsome. This was because his inner strength was unparalleled; he was unafraid of life's hardships. But now, what did Jiu Que see?
The Prince of Binyang's once jet-black hair had turned mostly white. She had never believed before that anyone could go white-haired overnight; how much sorrow must he have felt to become like this? This man hadn't even shown this much grief when his nephew, whom he had raised as his own son for over a decade, betrayed him; it seemed the destruction of the salt fields had truly devastated him.

The two met at the dock. Although Prince Binyang was grieving, he still remembered that several of his younger relatives were going to the capital that day, so he came early to help them pack. Despite his regrets, he also felt content: his old friend's daughter was alive and well, and had even grown into a spirited young man. This was enough to make Prince Binyang happy.

Seeing Jiu Que's grief and shock beyond words, the Prince of Binyang forced a smile to comfort her.

"Don't be sad. Even if the sky falls, we older folks will hold it up. You have a long future ahead of you. Live freely and unrestrained. I look forward to seeing what changes you will bring to this country."

Jiu Que almost choked up; she couldn't speak. Although she had only spent a few days with this prince, he truly resembled a mature, steady, and reliable elder. He was infinitely better than her father, who was utterly useless and even disgusting to her.

Patting his shoulder, the Prince of Binyang sighed helplessly. The boy's grief was so intense that even he felt a lump in his throat. But what good was sadness? Life had to go on; there was always a way. He just had to remain vigilant to prevent chaos. And what about his people who trusted him? He had broken his promise once again. For three years he had failed to protect Yancheng, and now, waking up after three years, he had failed to protect Dajing.

Perhaps he was utterly unworthy of being a prince. So many brothers who had shared life and death with him were dead, leaving only him. If he hadn't survived to the end, he wouldn't have become the Prince of Binyang. So many talented people died young, yet he, the most useless one, was the only one left alive; perhaps this was heaven's punishment for him…

Although he was extremely saddened, the Prince of Binyang wanted to appear mature and composed in front of his junior. After all, the child was about to leave, and he couldn't let her go with a heavy heart.

"Alright, my dear child, don't be sad. I'll come back to the capital when I have the chance, and I'll visit you then. Oh, by the way, these are the gifts I prepared for you. Yancheng is a well-connected city, and passing merchants always leave behind all sorts of goods. These pearls are of excellent quality, perfect for making hairpins, necklaces, and bracelets. And these leathers, from the great forests of the far north, are all thick and sturdy, excellent for gifting or personal use. And these corals, with their vibrant colors, are perfect for young girls. Oh, and don't you like eating novel and delicious food? There's also a lot of seafood here, all dried. Look at these shrimp, they're longer than two adult hands... Oh, and these seaweeds too. Soak them in warm water, and they're great for soups or seasonings..."

Jiu Que was initially heartbroken, but as the Prince of Binyang pointed out the gifts he had prepared for her, she couldn't help but take a few more glances. What she saw stunned her completely.

There was a large basket of seafood next to it. Especially the seaweed, which was covered with a lot of large grains of salt, probably to keep it fresh, but the color wasn't very appealing.

Pointing excitedly at the basket of seaweed, his fingers trembled. He was too excited to speak for a moment. The Prince of Binyang glanced in the direction he was pointing and found it somewhat amusing.

“Jiu Que, I know that’s salt, but it’s sea salt. There are too many impurities; eating it will make you sick. Less than fifty miles from our Yancheng is a large beach. The people there do use sea salt to pickle vegetables, but they can’t eat too much of it, and they have to wash the sea salt off before eating it. I know you want to help your elders, but child, don’t be in such a hurry. Some things can’t be eaten…” “No!”

Jiu Que finally managed to speak. How could she be so stupid? It was indeed possible to produce a large quantity of salt in a short time. Sea salt would do, wouldn't it?! Of course, purified sea salt! And coincidentally, she had actually seen how to purify sea salt, and it didn't require the hassle of boiling; it could simply be sun-dried!

"Your Highness! I've remembered how to make salt!"

Her shout was quite loud; she was so excited that her face turned red. Jiu Que grabbed the arm of the Prince of Binyang, unable to contain her excitement. She jumped and bounced around, completely losing her usual composure.

The helpless expression on the King of Binyang's face suddenly froze, and then he became serious. Ignoring the sharp pain in his arm from being grabbed, he looked at Jiu Que with great seriousness.

"What did you say? Jiu Que, you need to know this is not the time for jokes..."

“I’m not kidding, I really did figure out how to extract large quantities of salt in a short time.”

The King of Binyang was skeptical.

"Have you discovered other salt lakes and salt wells?"

"No, we don't need salt lakes or salt wells, we can just use seawater."

"..."

The Prince of Binyang sighed helplessly. He had to admit that when he heard Jiu Que speak, he did feel an inappropriate excitement, but upon reflection, how could that be? Even if they found a salt lake or well with vast reserves right now, it would be impossible to produce a large quantity of salt in a short time. Firstly, they wouldn't be able to find enough dry wood suitable for burning. And the northern frontier desperately needed salt; they probably couldn't wait, and might even have to levy taxes from the populace. Perhaps his father also stored salt, but he didn't know how much…

Seeing that the other party did not believe him, Jiu Que became a little anxious and simply grabbed the other party's sleeve to make a pledge.

"Your Highness, I really can produce a large quantity of salt. If I can't, then you can...you can punish me. Anyway, I got this official position by luck..."

(End of this chapter)