Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 200 So Salty

Seeing this scene, the civil and military officials and the common people had all sorts of thoughts. The officials were able to remain composed because the emperor was present, but the common people could not contain their excitement and whispered to each other, though their voices were rather loud.

"Did you see that? I vaguely remember seeing those trucks piled with sacks of salt?"

"Oh, why are you asking me? I can't read, I can only vaguely see that the cart is piled high with bulging things, but I don't know what kind of goods they are... Wait, don't you know how to read? What does it say on those bags?"

"I... I used to be literate, but now, I don't know if I'm truly literate anymore..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you know whether you can read or not? Tell me right now what's that black thing written on it?"

"Salt……"

"WTF?"

“Salt! Those are all salt bags.”

"What did you say?"

This really stirred up a hornet's nest. The people craned their necks, trying to step over the officials who were in their way and put their heads on the carriage frame to see if it was a bag of salt.

What were they commotion about before? Wasn't it because the salt bureau ran out of salt that they took to the streets to cause trouble? They were just causing trouble, and now salt convoys are heading to the capital? Isn't that a bit too fast? However, some quick-thinking individuals were worried. Maybe these officials were just trying to fool them. Just because it says "salt" doesn't mean it's a salt bag. Maybe it's filled with sand.

In short, everyone is saying all sorts of things right now, but there's one thing they all have in common: an irrepressible sense of excitement and anticipation.

Jiu Que saw the large crowd gathered at the city gate from afar and was somewhat surprised. Especially when she saw the person in the bright yellow dragon robe in the crowd. Wasn't that His Majesty? Why was Emperor Jingtai here? Was he here to personally welcome her? Was she that important?
Why is the old emperor here too? Could he really be here to welcome me? I don't think I've done anything wrong. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Headache…

Emperor Jingtai, who had been barely managing to maintain a composed expression, burst into genuine laughter upon hearing that familiar voice. He never imagined he would one day reminisce about such rebellious sentiments. Jiuque, that child, was still so honest. Bringing so much salt to the capital couldn't possibly be a bad thing; it was, of course, a great thing!

"Hahaha……"

Seeing His Majesty so happy, the civil and military officials felt a pang of sadness, but more than anything, they were overjoyed. Since His Majesty was so happy, did that mean that the carts were loaded with real salt?

Jiu Que and his entourage rode incredibly fast, arriving at the city gate in the blink of an eye.

"Shut up!"

The men nimbly jumped off their horses and bowed crisply to Emperor Jingtai.

"Your Majesty, I am late."

Emperor Jingtai strode forward and personally helped Jiuque up, his eyes filled with such enthusiasm that Jiuque felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"You're not late, just in time. I was just wondering if you could arrive today, but I didn't expect you all to be so fast. Very good! Did you encounter any danger on your way back? If anyone dared to make things difficult for you, just tell me! I will take care of it for you." "Yes, Your Majesty, I have successfully carried out my mission. With the help of my colleagues on the way back, I was able to bring the salt back safely. Please inspect it, Your Majesty."

The minister following behind him was breathing heavily. Those piles of salt really were salt? Could there be any problem?

And the common people were craning their necks, eagerly watching the endless convoy behind them.

In this situation, Emperor Jingtai naturally wouldn't spoil the mood, so he readily agreed and even waved for several ministers to follow. Reaching the nearest carriage, Emperor Jingtai initially intended to untie the salt bag, but after glancing to the side, he simply pulled out an arm-length golden dagger from his waist and plunged it fiercely into the salt bag, ripping a large gash in it with a sharp sound.

"rustle……"

Snow-white salt gushed out from the crack, a color that startled even the well-prepared Emperor Jingtai, let alone his unprepared ministers behind him.

"This, this is salt?"

How could it be so white? It's practically like snowflakes falling in winter. Emperor Jingtai wasn't some otherworldly emperor; he'd naturally seen what salt looked like. Even the best salt was just coarse salt, but this bag of salt before him was as white as jade!

He looked at Ying Jiuque with a questioning gaze, and Jiuque nodded firmly.

"Your Majesty, we have fulfilled our mission. The salt produced using the new salt-making method is indeed as white as jade and has no bitter taste."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingtai decisively picked up a pinch of the salt and put it in his mouth. He immediately shuddered from the saltiness, but the overwhelming joy in his eyes burst forth uncontrollably.

It really is table salt, not sand!

Overjoyed, Emperor Jingtai nodded to the high-ranking officials behind him. These officials, who had been unable to contain themselves any longer, rushed to the carriage and, disregarding cleanliness, grabbed a large handful of salt and put it in their mouths. Even though the salt made them wince and cough repeatedly, they were reluctant to spit it out.

Even Jiu Que, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Eating salt on empty stomachs? What incredible warriors they must be! I'm truly impressed!
"Your Majesty! This salt is so pure! It's even better than the salt produced in Yancheng. Moreover, this old minister sees not a single impurity in it. Truly, Heaven blesses our Great Jing!"

"His Majesty is a true Son of Heaven descended to earth, seeking the well-being of our people. This salt is so pure that it is enough to resolve the crisis in our Great Jing Salt Industry!"

"May God bless our Great Jing!"

The common people behind them kept craning their necks, trying to figure out if the carts were piled with sacks of salt. Then they heard the almost frenzied cheers of the usually composed and prudent old ministers. They couldn't understand the rest, but they caught the key words perfectly!

What does that mean? That white stuff is actually table salt?! This is different from what they used to eat; isn't salt grayish-white?

The Left Prince, who had been hidden in the crowd, had exceptional eyesight and had now clearly seen that the bag of white stuff was indeed salt! And the old ministers who took a bite were shivering from the saltiness! Their expressions grew increasingly grim as they were shocked. What was going on?! The salt fields in Yancheng had been destroyed; where did this white salt come from? And its quality was so superior, even better than what they had brought back!
This doesn't look like salt that Yancheng could produce at all!

The Left Prince suddenly remembered the new salt-making method that Ying Jiuque had just mentioned, and an unbelievable thought popped into his mind.

Could it be that Ying Jiuque has mastered a new method of salt production? And that the quality of the salt produced by this method far surpasses that of the past? But no matter what kind of salt it is, purifying it requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. How did Ying Jiuque manage to produce it in such a short time?!
(End of this chapter)