The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Why wasn’t Yun Shuyou in a rush for a promotion before?

One reason was that cultivating good crops takes time.

Another reason was that her relationship with Lin Ruhai wasn’t that close.

Her son, on the other hand, was her own flesh and blood.

But Lin Ruhai was her superior.

In some ways, she and the two children she bore were one entity. If her status rose, theirs would rise with it. Likewise, if they became successful, as their birth mother, she would also benefit, and no one would dare look down on her.

However, Lin Ruhai was different. He was a typical scholar-official of this era.

Initially, he had a legitimate wife, Jia Min. After her death, he didn’t remarry, but even if he were in his seventies or eighties, as long as he had status, it would still be easy for him to marry again.

Moreover, as long as he hadn’t completely lost the ability to have children, even the uniqueness of her son’s position couldn’t be guaranteed.

If Yun Shuyou ever had any merit, Lin Ruhai would be the only one to report it to the emperor. Whether he chose to hide it or acknowledge it depended solely on his conscience.

Would reporting it guarantee the desired result?

Not necessarily.

In this male-dominated era, even if Yun Shuyou had merits, she wasn’t sure if the highly exalted Kangxi would credit her, or if the credit would go to Lin Ruhai or even her children.

If the latter happened and Kangxi gave the credit to Lin Ruhai, and if he had other sons, especially a legitimate son, then Yun Shuyou would suffer a major loss.

This is why Yun Shuyou hadn’t been in a rush before.

But now, the situation had changed. Although her son hadn’t yet matured enough to stand on his own, Yun Shuyou wanted to give it a try.

Over the years, Yun Shuyou had come to understand Lin Ruhai’s character quite well. While she might not claim to see through him completely, she had a good grasp of his nature.

Even if Lin Ruhai saw such a significant achievement, the likelihood of him taking credit for it himself was relatively low. Moreover, she wasn’t entirely reliant on him anymore.

The Yun family, her own family, had also slowly grown in influence.

Therefore, Yun Shuyou believed that if she accomplished something significant, based on Lin Ruhai’s nature, he would first verify it and then mention her name in his confidential memorial to Emperor Kangxi.

Additionally, after all these years, she had always treated Lin Ruhai as her superior, but in his eyes, she was more than just a subordinate.

If he visited the inner residence, he mostly came to see her.

Their discussions had broadened over time, and although it wasn’t romantic love, there was another kind of bond.

They also had two outstanding children.

However, because they were born of a concubine, no matter how excellent the children were, in the eyes of those who wanted to suppress or belittle them, their birth status would always be a point of attack.

If Yun Shuyou advanced in her position, her children would benefit as well.

Still, she felt that what she had presented this time might not be enough to earn significant merit.

After all, the method of boiling seawater for salt had been around for a long time.

She had now sent her cousin and others to experiment with the sun-drying salt method, which could save labor and resources, produce more refined salt, and make salt more affordable for the common people. But would those in power consider this achievement significant?

Moreover, those who already benefited from the established salt production methods would naturally resist supporting the sun-drying method.

That was another obstacle.

It was still essential to improve crop varieties. If rice and wheat yields could increase by 10-20%, how many more people could be fed across the empire? Such an achievement could be worthy of a noble title…

—

Before Yun Chang rushed off to Yangzhou, he met with his cousin and learned all the details. He felt an intense excitement.

Ever since discovering what his cousin had come up with, he could almost feel his blood boiling.

Salt was something no one in the world could live without.

People need food to have strength, but just eating food isn’t enough—they also need salt.

Even if salt is expensive, people still have to scrape together money to buy some. Without consuming salt, people can easily get sick, and for an ordinary family, how could they afford the money for medical treatment?

Before his cousin entered the Lin family, their family had some financial stability, but even then, getting sick was still tough. If unlucky enough to catch a serious illness, it wasn’t uncommon for a family to fall back into poverty.

So, to survive, they would buy salt every so often.

How many commoners are there across the empire? And how much salt do they consume?

The profit margin during this process is enormous!

That’s why, like iron, the government strictly controls it. Iron can be used to make weapons for war, and in a sense, salt is another type of weapon.

Most of the salt that commoners can buy is legitimate official salt, which merchants are allowed to sell only after obtaining a salt permit.

This is why Lord Lin’s position is considered a lucrative one. Even if some people have salt wells or mines, without a salt permit, they are not allowed to sell it. To make money, they can only sell it as illegal private salt, which is against the law.

Since private salt avoids taxes, it is sold at a lower price. Commoners, who are desperate to stretch every copper coin, will naturally choose the cheaper option, as long as they aren’t caught.

However, even private salt won’t be that cheap. Salt households extract salt, and some salt lakes and wells require risking lives to harvest it.

Once extracted, the salt must be boiled and then transported to various places. Each of these steps adds to the cost.

If his cousin’s method works as well as the experiments suggest, then the cost could be significantly reduced, and salt production would increase.

Even a slight reduction in salt prices—by just one or two coins—would be an enormous achievement.

However, there is another important concern that must be taken into account.

This would undoubtedly provoke the salt merchants who own the rights to salt lakes and wells, as well as the powerful people behind them. If they find out that someone is threatening their steady source of wealth, they will surely do everything in their power to stop it, ensuring that their fortunes remain intact. Their backlash could be incredibly fierce. Even though Yun Chang hasn’t entered the officialdom yet, just imagining the potential consequences made him break out in a cold sweat.

One wrong step could result in the destruction of both family and home.

It’s like walking a tightrope across a steep cliff—one misstep and you could be shattered to pieces. But if you make it across, the path ahead will be smooth.

Then there’s the matter of the alcohol.

Low-alcohol spirits and strong liquors are sold at completely different prices. Once the process is established, wealth will flow endlessly.

As they hurried on horseback to Yangzhou, Lin Ruhai initially thought something major had happened at home and immediately had them brought over to see him.

He knew who Yun Chang was and had met and spoken with him before.

Did something happen to the family? But if that were the case, it should have been someone sent by his mother, not Yun Chang.

Many thoughts flashed through Lin Ruhai’s mind until he saw the thick letter. On the envelope was Yun Shuyao’s handwriting, marked for his personal attention.

Under Yun Chang’s watchful gaze, Lin Ruhai opened the letter. He read quickly, and as he absorbed its contents, his expression became increasingly shocked. Then, unable to contain himself, he stood up abruptly and asked Yun Chang, “Is this true?”

Yun Chang replied, “I saw it with my own eyes. I even brought some equipment. We can recreate it, and you’ll see the results for yourself.”

Indeed, no matter how much is said, nothing is more convincing than seeing it firsthand.

Lin Ruhai chose trusted aides and followed the steps outlined in the letter. They successfully produced pure white fine salt and potent high-proof liquor.

These two methods, if mastered, could be passed down as family treasures. It could be said that if they seized control of these two formulas, future generations, as long as they weren’t fools, would never have to worry about wealth again. However, Lin Ruhai quickly regained his composure.

“This can’t be done.”

Lin Ruhai realized that the Lin family could not handle it, whether it was salt or liquor.

Salt was regulated by the government.

As for liquor, it required grain to produce. In times when people were struggling to have enough to eat, using grain to make alcohol was prohibited in many places. Although, for the sake of profit, many nobles secretly brewed alcohol on their estates and sold it in the northern regions where the cold climate made strong liquor highly desirable. However, by law, this was illegal. If caught, they would face legal consequences.

Setting aside personal gain, Lin Ruhai immediately considered the broader implications. If the salt refining method were widely implemented, what consequences would it bring for him, the local salt merchants, and salt merchants across the country?

One reason salt taxes had decreased was due to the rampant smuggling of private salt.

The common people chose private salt because of the price.

If official salt were cheaper and of better quality than private salt, which would they choose?

He fell into deep thought.

Yun Chang stood by like a wooden post, worried that he might disturb Lin Ruhai’s thoughts.

After a long while, Lin Ruhai sighed softly. This matter couldn’t be rushed; both of them needed to grasp more specific information before reporting.

As long as one piece of information was true, the emperor would likely be satisfied at the end of his term.

After all, he wouldn’t remain in this position for long. The emperor had sent him to increase the salt tax but wouldn’t keep him here indefinitely.

This position was crucial; one had to be aligned with the emperor. Although the emperor currently categorized him as part of the royalist faction, his daughter had already been promised to the Fourth Prince.

His presence here was not just a sign of the emperor’s trust but also a means for the emperor to collect his dues.

Thus, he was sent to break the existing stalemate, but the local salt merchants would not easily allow him to bring the tax revenue back, especially since it would clearly indicate that there were issues before.

Lin Ruhai planned to proceed step by step.

Yun Chang stayed by Lin Ruhai’s side, going to the seaside, enclosing some land, and starting experiments.

The situation in Yangzhou couldn’t be quickly understood by those in the capital.

Yun Shuyao had entrusted this matter and temporarily set it aside.

She had sent her cousin over for a specific reason.

He was involved in the process, and if it succeeded, the Yun family would naturally speak up for her without her needing to say anything herself.

Now, they were just waiting for the results.

After Yun Shuyao entrusted this matter, she felt somewhat relieved, while Luoyu and Chenyu were still filled with surprise and anxiety.

They knew their father had taken charge of the salt affairs, but they hadn’t expected that their aunt would not only think deeper but also successfully assist in the practical implementation.

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed it.

Now they were all looking forward to their father’s reply, waiting for his confirmation and subsequent actions.

This was a significant achievement; would the emperor reward them?

“Aunt, aren’t you anxious?” Even Chenyu was starting to feel impatient.

Even if there was a single word from the emperor in the decree mentioning their aunt, it would be a tremendous honor.

Yun Shuyao replied, “I’ve done all I can. The next steps depend on your father.”

Chenyu and Luoyu thought: While that makes sense, they still couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Their aunt was too composed; they still needed to learn patience.

Why was time passing so slowly?

Just as they felt time dragging on, Lin Ruhai’s letter arrived.

Chenyu was the first to receive the letter.

Seeing their aunt’s name on it, he rushed to deliver it to her, eagerly waiting for her to open it.

Yun Shuyao felt her heart race as she saw the letter. She glanced at her children, whose expressions mirrored her own anticipation, and slowly opened the envelope.

She skimmed through it quickly and then handed it to them. “You can read it yourselves.”

The letter contained quite a bit of information. To summarize, Lin Ruhai had already conducted experiments, confirming that the strong liquor was effective for treating wounds, and the salt extraction from seawater had also been verified. He had instructed tests in different locations, and while there were areas for improvement, the results were already conclusive.

This reassured them.

He didn’t use direct language in case the letter fell into the wrong hands, but the meaning was clear to them.

Aside from that, there was nothing more.

Luoyu furrowed her brows. “Has Father reported this yet?” Such news needed to be communicated quickly; otherwise, if it leaked…

Chenyu felt more at ease. “Father wouldn’t put this in writing. We just need to wait a little longer.”

All they could do was wait.

In the palace, a thick confidential report lay on Kangxi’s desk, filled with densely written characters. Without even reading the content, the beautiful handwriting was a pleasure to behold.

Kangxi opened the report again, examining the characters on the page. Finally, he made a decision: “Send someone to investigate the Yun family.” A method proposed by a woman from a back courtyard? He wanted detailed information.

A eunuch quietly bowed and accepted the command, then swiftly left. Soon, a group disguised as merchants set off southward on horseback, heading directly for Yangzhou.

Kangxi’s order to investigate the Yun family quickly yielded results.

The Yun family was the mother of Lin Ruhai’s pair of twins.

To his surprise, the investigation revealed remarkable information.

The Yun family, especially her two younger brothers, were both young talents. One held a position in the Ministry of Revenue, and the other was a scholar.

With two successful candidates in the imperial examinations from the same family, this indicated that the Yun family was on the rise, showcasing the capabilities of this Yun woman.

Initially, Kangxi thought she might have an interest in such matters, but further investigation showed that her true passions lay elsewhere—namely, flowers and plants.

In the capital, she was somewhat renowned for cultivating flowers. The plants Lin family used for gifts were grown by her.

Additionally, it was said she enjoyed reading and appreciating calligraphy and paintings, but aside from that, there was nothing particularly special about her.

Had she stumbled upon this idea by chance?

While Kangxi awaited good news, some complications arose in Yangzhou.

Lin Ruhai certainly paid attention to confidentiality, but for some reason, news had leaked to a certain extent.

First, unidentified individuals were probing around the experimental sites, and then Lin Ruhai encountered various parties testing him. Later, while passing through a narrow path, rocks rolled down from the mountain. If not for the timely intervention of his guards, he would have been struck directly.

Even so, he sustained injuries.

By the time Kangxi’s envoys arrived, they found Lin Ruhai lying on a sickbed.

He lay there with one hand wrapped in thick white cloth, his face pale, and his eyes dark and deep.

This sight caused the leader to feel a chill in his heart; it seemed they needed to accelerate their efforts.