Chapter 355: Snowflake Salt

"So West Market is this bustling?"

"Not quite right, it's still early. Not a holiday, just an ordinary morning—where did all these people come to stroll West Market?"

"The two of them, dressed like that, went out without any attendants, so they had to squeeze in themselves."

"Going with the crowd inward, they were almost pushed from behind by the flow; seeing everyone else carrying baskets and jars, they roughly understood. The two wanted to leave, but unfortunately they had been squeezed into the middle by the crowd behind them, and turning back against the flow was even harder. The handsome Xie Tu even had his cheek pinched by a certain auntie in the chaos—now even if he darkened his face, he couldn't turn back."

"After walking another few dozen meters and turning a corner, the crowd loosened and became orderly, and they finally saw the culprit."

"In the widest open space of West Market now stood three large wagons, a squad of burly men encircling the wagons, each with a stern expression, hands on sword hilts."

"They looked like itinerant merchants in attire, but a closer look showed their weapons were uniformly standard. Neither dart escorts nor great clan guards would have such heavy weapons—clearly they were in violation of regulations."

"From their stance to their gaze, even a slight hint of discernment could tell—this was certainly no ordinary merchant convoy."

"Finally they understood why it was so crowded outside: the further in, the quieter and more orderly it became."

"Looking at this display, it seemed like some high official's procession, but in fact they were genuinely selling salt, and it was snow‑white fine salt."

"The whole street was dazzled by that snow‑white sea salt."

"."

"The sea salt from East of Liao had never been sold outside the Northern Border before; stirring up salt profits would surely provoke armed conflict, and without military force it's hard to open the situation. Meanwhile, Zhu Ti prefers to directly sell the surplus salt to the Gold Family, but that hasn't been discussed yet."

"This time, anyway, everyone from Model Yang has come; since they're making the trip, the Chief Steward unhesitatingly sent three carts of newly arrived sea salt, letting them take it to Model Yang to sell."

"And the cash‑strapped Great King tacitly allowed her this overqualified‑for‑the‑task move. After all, spring is coming soon, and he has far too many expenses."

"Is there any safer way than having these people personally escort the shipment?"

"No."

"So it's quite reasonable."

"."

"Salt is not only a rarity on the steppes; it's also a rarity in Great Jin."

"Boiling seawater to make salt, in order to get rich."

"Everyone knows this principle; the Gold Family, with deep reserves, has long monopolized the salt‑boiling technique—even if they hand over seventy percent of profits to the court on the surface, they are still the world's richest."

"How expensive is salt in Great Jin?"

"There's a saying: 'The people of Jin all eat blandly.'"

"Is it because the flavor is light? No, it's because they can't afford it. A dan of salt sells for four hundred eighty taels of silver!"

"A catty costs about eight taels of silver, a price not proportional to the income of ordinary Great Jin households—it's a luxury."

"Salt shops use a twenty‑wen small measure to weigh salt, scoop a spoonful, level it, and sell it for eight hundred wen (fifty grams)."

"(PS: Anti‑objection note, fictional; salt prices are half those of Emperor Wu of Han's era.)"

"Even families who can afford this price pinch every penny; the poorest folk, just to survive, will dig salty‑tasting soil from alkali flats and mix it into their food."

"Others produce low yields with impurities when boiling salt, but the Great King has no such trouble—he evaporates salt."

"Knowing that someone is selling salt cheaply, it's no surprise no matter how crowded it gets."

"\"No purchase limit, starting at a hundred wen, buy as much as you like! \""

"\"Spectators, go this way; buyers, line up there—don't crowd! \""

"\"You can try before you buy! \""

"\"Today our hundred‑wen salt is three hundred wen cheaper than the salt shops—only these three carts, sold out and done! \""

"\"Look at this salt—snow‑white, fine, extremely pure! Your old salt had at least ten percent impurities, which made it look murky and dark; see how clean ours is—hundred percent pure salt! \""

"\"Our Rising Peace Salt Firm's first time coming to your precious land, we sell this cheap just to put up a sign. \""

"\"This salt sells for a fortune elsewhere—our hundred‑wen price is five hundred wen more than your coarse salt mixed with grit! \""

"\"Those who can reckon find it's an eight‑wen bargain inside and out! —Push! \""

"Those few weighing and collecting money, shouting while they sell, are genuine convoy folk—their patter is sharper than that of bandits."

"Xie Tu didn't even think, just queued up in the left‑hand salt‑buying line…"

"\"No, you're actually buying it? \""

"\"Have you ever eaten salt this white? \""

"\"……No. \""

"\"Then have a taste. \""

"Lu Jia also had no choice but to join; after all, the two of them were dressed in rags today, fitting right in with the crowd of salt‑grabbing aunties without any sense of being out of place."