"Last year, during the dispute with the Qi State over the colony, Zigong, you once analyzed to me that the Qi State began to levy people to engage in the salt industry every October, cut firewood on the seashore, and boiled seawater as salt in pottery deep-bellied vessels, and by the first month of the following year, it could be fried into 36,000 bells of sea salt."

Rubbing the white salt in the copper beans with his hands, Zhao Wuxian looked at them as if he was looking at a pile of gold, this is a strategic resource that everyone needs.

Zigong said: "Yes, looking at the countries that produce sea salt in the world, whether it is Yan, Wu or Yue, they are all fried sea boiled salt. ”

Zhao Wuxian said worriedly: "The country of Qi has a coast of thousands of miles, and it can only produce so much, and it is good that we can produce 10,000 bells a year on the beach of thirty miles to Junan, but this can only meet the needs of the Lu people for three or four months." ”

"There is another problem, the output of boiled salt is small, the cost is high, especially the consumption of firewood, boiling salt for 1 bell consumes about 400 catties of firewood. In fact, to turn seawater into salt, not only can you use decoction, but also use sunlight and sea breeze, salt is dissolved in water, and when the seawater dries, won't it precipitate layers of salt? That's what I'm talking about how to dry salt. ”

Zigong groaned, although he had sold salt, he was only rough about the method of making salt: "In fact, the seaside salt workers use the decoction method as a last resort, and the salt directly dried by the sea water is scattered and bitter, and it is inedible at all, and it often takes more than ten days to precipitate, I don't know how the lord wants to dry it?" “

"Can you be so ......?"

Zhao Wuxian recalled the salt pans he had seen during his trip to the seaside in his previous life, and described the scene in the documentary: "I built an embankment by the sea, excavated some acres of fields, and the fields in front were shallow and wide. It is called an evaporation pond; The acres at the back are slightly deeper, which is called the crystallization pond. Then let people dig ditches. Or use the tides to let the sea water in, and expose it to the scorching sun in spring and summer. After a few days, the seawater will evaporate a lot, and then the saltier brine will be introduced into the crystallization pond, so that it may be easier to precipitate edible salts......"

"This is the general idea, you can ask people to recruit more salt workers in Ju Country, imitate the iron-smelting skills, and give them a heavy reward to try, even if they don't produce salt in the first year, it doesn't matter, but be sure to study this method of drying salt."

Worrying that the short coastline alone is not enough to boil salt. So we had to find a new way to improve efficiency and production in order to meet domestic demand and find a way to generate revenue from sea salt.

"Sounds like a try." Zigong glanced at the lord in surprise, when he was in that small township in the Jin Kingdom, Zhao Wuxian, who was called "omniscient and omniscient" by the villagers, often had a whim, and he had his shadow on the daitian method, keel waterwheel, stone mill, flour, porcelain and other utensils. After coming to the country of Lu, there is a lot less in skills, just paper, but the wonderful ideas in the system are still endless. Another flash of inspiration this time?

Wu Xian coughed lightly and explained: "My inspiration still comes from Wei's Jiechi, when the south wind blows, the pool water will dry up and naturally become salt. There are also locals who bring water into the hemp fields in the depths of the pond. Divide the irrigation of the rivers and fields, and after the sun is exposed day and night, the depression water is exhausted, and the soil becomes salt by itself. Also known as salt pans. ”

Zigong suddenly realized: "I see, I also ask the lord to dictate this method and let the pen copy it." I'll arrange for someone to do it. ”

He also remembered that the sale of porcelain and paper had brought no less financial supplement to the country than the famous Lu Min. And this kind of salt drying method, which does not consume firewood and will save a lot of manpower, will definitely be a hundred times more profitable! It can even sweep the world's salt market at a lower price, making the people of Qi lose their biggest source of wealth!

So Zigong lowered his voice and added: "The minister will definitely let the people involved in this matter keep it strictly confidential." ”

"That's right."

Wuxian nodded, in fact, he only knew the general style, but he didn't know the specific procedure, and he was done by directing the seawater into the salt pan? Of course it can't be, and it also requires technology to dry salt in seawater, otherwise, the yield of salt will be very low, but he has always provided a general direction, and let the salt workers on the seashore figure out the specific things. In the previous life, at the junction of Yunnan and Sichuan, there were still local people in the clan society who carried the brine in the salt well to dry salt, and the craftsmanship was quite proficient and efficient.

And Zhao Wuxian's mind has to be put on state affairs and family affairs!

He earned an outlet to the sea from Ju State, Lu Country is no longer an inland country, facing the sea, the future has infinite possibilities, plus the marriage with Le Lingzi set a date, he was in a good mood, so he patted Zigong on the shoulder intimately and said: "In a few days, I have to work hard Zigong again, and go to Song Country for me to ask for Le's levy and ask for a date." ”

It is a great honor for the ministers to be able to undertake this, and they can also leave a good impression on the future master's mother, but Zigong has another thing on his mind.

He solemnly bowed his head and said: "The servants receive the order, and there is another matter, which should not be placed, but the sovereign's wedding and dowry, the subordinate just has a good candidate, and I dare to make suggestions here, and I hope that the lord will check it." ”

Zhao Wuxian's intimacy was suddenly gone, he put his hands behind his back, looked at Zigong scrutinically, and asked lightly: "I don't know which good woman is worthy of Zigong's solemn recommendation." ”

Zigong raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Wuxian's face, took a deep breath and said, "It is Zigong's junior sister, Kong Jiao, the daughter of the master!" ”

……

"Kong Jiao ......"

Zhao Wuxian tilted his head and thought for a long time, before he remembered that he had seen this woman, it was three years ago, when he relieved the siege of Zhongduyi and went to visit the injured Confucius, Kong Lili sent him out and met the girl next to the vegetable garden.

"I remember how tall she was, and I don't know how tall she is now......"

This is Zhao Wuxian's deepest impression of her, Kong Jiao was only thirteen or fourteen years old at that time, she was more than seven feet, less than eight feet, and she could compete with Zhao Wuxian. It was the tallest woman he had ever seen since he came to Spring and Autumn, and the two could even look at each other.

In retrospect, the girl did not have a low appearance like Confucius, but inherited her mother, with a high nose bridge, a pretty appearance, and a solemn curved deep coat with a simple color. After seeing a stranger, he did not have stage fright, but saluted generously.

Although the two did not speak, her meticulous Confucian etiquette and her standing tall still left an impression on Zhao Wuxian.

But it's not important, what matters is the attributes she carries, the daughter of Confucius! Zigong proposed to make this woman a wife, what was his intention.

Zhao Wuxian stared coldly at the bun on the back of Zigong's head, trying to see through the deep thoughts behind this skull.

Zigong didn't seem to be aware of Zhao Wuxian's deep vigilance, and was still speaking: "The daughter of the Kong family has also reached the age of marriage, she looks dignified and knows etiquette, and the Kong family is originally a prince of the Song Kingdom, and she is a descendant of the same surname as the Le family, so she can be a good wife." ”

"What is Confucius's attitude towards this matter?" Zhao Wuxian didn't know how to describe the relationship with the old man, they had been close, happy, heartfelt, and admired each other. In the end, they inevitably separated, because the "saints" who were thieves and self-proclaimed defenders of the rites of the week were inherently enemies.

"I also hope that the lord will forgive the sin, the subordinate talked about this matter when the master left Qufu, the master was silent at first, and then said, since he has entrusted his wife and daughter to the minister, then I will watch it, not to mention the general, can be a good match, and will not be ......wronged."

Zhao Wuxian was a little stunned: "Confucius left Lu, largely because of me, and I still regard me as a chaotic minister and thief, will he marry his beloved daughter to such a person?" ”

"The master looks at loyalty and righteousness for politics, and he went to the country because he misunderstood the loyalty of the sovereign. But marrying a daughter looks at private morality, and in private morality, the monarch is always at a loss. ”

Confucius is indeed such a person, in history, Wei Ling's public and private morality simply broke the bottom line of normal people, but Confucius was still full of praise, what "did not see good virtue such as a womanizer", and Lu Aigong asked Confucius: 'Today's king, who is the most virtuous?' Confucius said: "Qiu has not seen a sage, if he must be distinguished from the superior, or Wei Linggong is the most virtuous?" Lu Aigong questioned Wei Ling's chaotic private life, but Confucius disagreed, saying: "The courtiers act in their courts, regardless of their private affairs." ”

And his opinion of Zhao Wuxian is probably completely reversed, he is worthy of his personal morality, but he is not loyal to the office...... The pursuit of morality depends on a person's public morality, but marrying a daughter depends on private morality, and the old man is very clear.

After hearing this, in the place where Zigong couldn't see, Zhao Wuxian touched his nose weakly, he was really ashamed to say it, not only did he not have the slightest loyalty to Lu Hou and even Zhou Tianzi, but he also owed a lot of personal morality, not only had a grudge with Nanzi, the holy witch of the Song Kingdom, but even had an inexplicable feeling for Ji Huan......

Since Zigong has said this, the Kong family has been a scholar for many years, and he has also been a doctor, and his status is slightly lower than that of the Qing family, and he can't be the wife of the main family, but he is just the right person, Confucius, a moral gentleman, doesn't care, and Zhao Wuxian, a scumbag whose private morality has fallen to the ground, will naturally not be entangled.

Speaking of which, it's just that I'm too sorry for Lingzi, he wanted to push away Le's marriage before, but he had such a mind. He now has Lingzi, Nanzi, and Bo Mi, and there are three good women in this world, and no matter how many can be shirked, they will resign.

So, should you agree to Zigong's suggestion or reject it? (To be continued.) )