Rongyao gazed at the Minister of Revenue with her clear, pure eyes, her bright voice continuing, “This princess believes the opposite is true. If we follow this method and specially authorize some commoners to produce salt, they will have a means of making a living. The government can supervise them and collect the salt they refine, while the people producing it will earn money and naturally work hard. In this way, the problem of salt production will be solved.
“Then there is the matter of transporting the salt. Merchants travel far and wide, and as long as there is profit to be made, they will certainly scramble for salt licenses. If each merchant pays a thousand taels, that will be another substantial source of revenue! After buying the salt from the government, they will naturally go out and sell it, traveling throughout the empire. If more salt is produced and more merchants transport it, the price of salt will fall. The common people will not only be able to afford salt, but with more salt sold by the state, the imperial treasury will naturally earn more money!”
The Minister of Revenue stared at the Grand Princess Fuxi, who was only eleven years old, and remained silent for a long while.
Even Dantai Ji’s eyes darkened as he looked at his daughter. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Yaoyao, when did you think of this?”
Rongyao answered seriously, “A few days ago, I read a book on salt administration and felt that it ought to be improved.”
The Minister of Revenue clutched his chest, his face full of shock. “But—but if this method fails, wouldn’t that mean…”
“We can try it first.” Rongyao’s clear voice rang out.
The Minister of Revenue asked anxiously, “How should we try it?”
Rongyao replied, “We can first select one merchant, grant him a salt license, and permit him to purchase salt produced by the court and sell it.”
Dantai Ji asked, “Yaoyao wants the Cui family's second son to be that merchant?”
Rongyao nodded firmly. “Second Uncle is very capable. He will certainly be able to sell a great deal of salt. He once said that if he could sell salt, he would sell it throughout all of Great Zhou! If this method works, then we can let more merchants sell salt. They will pay money to obtain salt licenses and sell salt throughout Great Zhou. Then everyone in Great Zhou will be able to eat salt!”
Dantai Ji said, “If this method truly succeeds and more merchants obtain salt licenses, wouldn’t your Second Uncle earn less money?”
“Second Uncle doesn’t care about that,” Rongyao replied. “He is very capable. He will certainly sell better than anyone else!”
A smile rippled through Dantai Ji’s eyes.
“Very well! Minister of Revenue, proceed according to what the princess has said. Pass down My decree: grant the Cui family's second son, Cui Huaihao, a salt license specially authorizing him to conduct this business. With this license, he may sell salt throughout the entirety of Great Zhou!”
The Minister of Revenue left Wen Yuan Pavilion on unsteady feet, dazed and bewildered.
The method proposed by Grand Princess Fuxi was indeed ingenious.
If it truly worked, it might really change Great Zhou’s salt situation.
But could it really work?
…
At the Cui residence, Cui Huaihao excitedly accepted the imperial edict, his face filled with irrepressible delight.
He could actually sell salt!
Government-issued salt from Great Zhou!
Salt that merchants like them had never been able to touch was now within his reach. He possessed a salt license and had received the emperor’s favor. From now on, he could purchase salt in various places and sell it in various places as well!
One had to understand that countless people throughout Great Zhou could not even buy salt. And he could bring that salt to them!
Even if he never became an official, Cui Huaihao could still make every person in Great Zhou know his name!
News that the emperor himself had granted Cui Huaihao a salt license and specially authorized him to sell salt soon spread throughout Great Zhou.
Many merchants began to stir. They sent people to make inquiries, hoping to obtain a salt license and receive the emperor’s personally written authorization to conduct this business.
Sell salt!
It was a business that could make a fortune overnight!
And this was government-issued salt, not contraband! To be able to sell salt would bring honor to one’s entire clan!
It was as if one’s ancestors’ graves had begun smoking.
After making inquiries, however, they learned that at present, only Second Master Cui had been granted a salt license. If he could sell the salt successfully, benefiting both the country and its people, then this policy could eventually benefit all of Great Zhou.
For a time, many merchants hoped that Second Master Cui would manage to sell the salt well.
Before long, the salt-license policy had spread throughout Great Zhou.
Some said that the emperor had lost his senses and actually listened to the Grand Princess Fuxi’s nonsense.
Others believed that the matter would ultimately end in failure.
Naturally, many officials adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
And so one month passed, then two, then three…
Three months later, the Ministry of Revenue worked late into the night. The clacking of abacuses rose and fell without pause. At dawn the next day, the Minister of Revenue stood in the Golden Hall and presented a ledger before all the civil and military officials.
The emperor’s dignified voice rang throughout the hall. “What is this?”
The Minister of Revenue replied, “Your Majesty, last night the entire Ministry of Revenue worked through the night to calculate the proceeds from Cui Huaihao’s purchase of government salt over the past three months. The total is six hundred thousand guan!”
The hall fell utterly silent.
One could hear a pin drop.
“W-what did you say?” Grand Secretary Zhang disregarded court protocol and stepped forward excitedly to question the Minister of Revenue. “How many guan did you say?”
The Minister of Revenue’s eyes were red. It was unclear whether he was overcome with excitement or simply exhausted from calculating accounts all night. He repeated, “Six hundred thousand guan! A full six hundred thousand guan! In previous years, the entire year’s salt revenue amounted to no more than six hundred thousand guan. Yet in just three months, we have already earned six hundred thousand guan! If—if we issue more salt licenses, we can certainly earn several more sums of six hundred thousand guan!”
With that, the Minister of Revenue dropped to his knees and said, “I respectfully request that Your Majesty open the salt licenses to the public and issue them in every commandery and county. Then not only will salt reach the hands of the common people, but the revenue will also fill the imperial treasury. From this day forward, Great Zhou will have money!”
Many officials in the court thought they must have misheard.
Yet after the Minister of Revenue presented the ledger and Eunuch Wang Zhong read it aloud, the entire hall fell silent. No one dared say another word.
Even Grand Secretary Zhang knelt in the hall and begged the emperor to open the salt licenses to the public.
That very day, the emperor issued a decree announcing that two salt licenses would be offered in each of thirty prefectures and commanderies. The licenses would be awarded through bidding, with the highest bidder winning.
At the emperor’s words, no one dared object.
A month later, the news had spread throughout all of Great Zhou.
Merchants from the other prefectures and commanderies raced toward the capital, desperate to compete for the salt licenses in the thirty regions.
Merchants from every corner of the empire flocked to the capital.
The capital was even livelier than before.
The Minister of Revenue personally presided over the bidding, allowing merchants to compete regardless of their origins or family background. The highest bidder would win.
That day, merchants from every route went mad with their bids, calling out prices that soared to the heavens.
A single license for Lingzhou sold for thirty thousand guan.
And that was not all. Huangzhou was immediately purchased for fifty thousand guan!
The thirty prefectures and commanderies brought in a total of 1.2 million guan.
Every coin went into the imperial treasury.
With the treasury filled, the emperor was overjoyed and reduced the people’s taxes.
The merchants who obtained salt licenses were delighted.
The people throughout the various regions were ecstatic as well.
Great Zhou was filled with celebration.
Even the taverns throughout the capital were more crowded than ever.
Those scholars who had originally opposed the salt-license policy had also profited from it, so they no longer said anything against it.
The common people and merchants alike praised Princess Fuxi, who had proposed the policy, calling her clever and perceptive for seeking benefits for the people.
The merchants in particular all hailed Princess Fuxi as a star of good fortune sent from heaven.
That autumn, sweet potatoes appeared in the world.
The emperor distributed the sweet potatoes among the northern prefectures and commanderies of Great Zhou.
When the people learned that the crop could yield thirty dan per mu, withstand drought, and grow easily—even in sandy soil—those who received the golden tubers fell to their knees and kowtowed in gratitude for the emperor’s grace.
After learning that this crop was Princess Fuxi’s achievement, many commoners began calling her a female immortal.
The imperial palace.
The four-year-old Sixth Prince Dantai Lin had been crying and fussing nonstop these past few days, insisting on going to the Wenchang Academy to study alongside Princess Fuxi.
Unable to bear his constant pestering, Noble Consort Cui asked His Majesty for permission, and the emperor allowed the four-year-old Sixth Prince to attend the Wenchang Academy every day.
So that day, Rongyao, who went to the Wenchang Academy daily, took her younger brother by the hand and went with him.
Dantai Lin was thrilled. He tilted his little head up to look at his sister. “Sister, Sister, what’s at the Wenchang Academy?”
Rongyao answered seriously, “There are books, brushes, and the Grand Tutor. In short, it’s a very interesting place.”
Dantai Lin’s eyes lit up, and he bounced excitedly. “Wonderful! Lin’er wants to go! Lin’er wants to go!”
Rongyao said, “Mm-hmm! You’ll study with Sister.”
Dantai Lin puffed out his little chest. “All right!”
Wu Wanning, who was following behind them, was utterly dumbfounded.
