Ci Jinzhi

 The emperor must not taste anything brought from outside, but this is what Xin You proposed. Before Emperor Xingyuan could react, Sun Yan hurriedly said: "I'll try it, I'll open my eyes."

 Sun Yan didn’t dare to think that the white frost in this dish was white sugar no matter how he looked at it. It was not against his will to say that he wanted to broaden his horizons, but more importantly, he wanted to test the poison for Emperor Xingyuan.

Xinyou will naturally not stop it.

Sun Yan stretched out his fingers to dig out a little bit from the edge of the small pile of frost and snow in the saucer, and put it into his mouth.

 The tip of the tongue collides with the white frost, and it is sweet yet refreshing.

This is a completely different taste from the white sugar you usually eat!

 The white sugar produced in Daxia does not taste sweet enough. The white sugar imported from the West has a better taste and color. Not only can it be eaten casually, it cannot compare with the sweetness I just tasted. As for brown sugar, not to mention its heavy sweetness with bitterness.

This is actually sugar!

Sun Yan looked at the sugar as white as snow in the dish, his eyes were shocked and eager.

It’s unimaginable that he was the first to taste sugar of this quality!

 “Cough.” Emperor Xingyuan coughed before Sun Yan could say anything.

Sun Yan suddenly recovered from the excitement: "Your Majesty, this is indeed sugar, and it is extremely sweet sugar!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xingyuan immediately stretched out his hand.

Sun Yan hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, wait a moment."

Emperor Xingyuan glanced at him: "Ayou is not someone else, so there is no need to be like this."

Sun Yan was reluctant to step away, but Xin You stopped him: "Your Majesty, please wait a little longer. There is nothing wrong with following the rules."

Emperor Xingyuan didn't mind seeing her and nodded.

 After waiting for a while, Sun Yan asked the chamberlain to get the small spoon.

"Why is it so troublesome?" Emperor Xingyuan stretched out his hand, dug out a handful of sugar and stuffed it into his mouth.

As soon as the candy entered his mouth, Emperor Xingyuan’s eyes lit up.

After experiencing the same experience as Sun Yan, Emperor Xingyuan asked: "Why is this candy so sweet?"

 Xin You couldn’t answer this question.

 This is the white sugar obtained using the method taught by my mother. My mother also said that she learned this method from books in her hometown and was not created by her.

Emperor Xingyuan couldn't help but taste it again and asked, "How much does this sugar cost?"

Xin You didn't answer but asked: "How do you think this sugar should be priced?"

Emperor Xingyuan thought about the taste of sugar and said, "I think a pound of sugar of this quality is worth at least one tael of silver."

Sun Yan secretly sighed, this is really a waste of money.

But it’s a sigh of relief, let him decide, he dares to decide higher.

White sugar, the quintessence of sugar, is not something ordinary people can enjoy. Those high-ranking officials are willing to spend huge sums of money for prostitutes, and of course they will not be stingy with their appetites.

“Ayou, how much does this sugar cost? How is it made?” Emperor Xingyuan was most concerned about this.

Xinyou glanced around.

Emperor Xingyuan waved his hand, and everyone in the palace except Sun Yan retreated.

Xin Youcai said: "This white sugar is obtained by decolorizing brown sugar. Four pounds of brown sugar can produce one pound of white sugar, and two pounds of sugar are similar to the current white sugar..."

The white sugar on the market now, in terms of color, is more appropriately called brown sugar, which is far from “white”.

Emperor Xingyuan stood up in shock: "How can one pound of white sugar be obtained from four pounds of brown sugar?"

One pound of brown sugar is only fifty cents, and the white sugar obtained from two hundred cents of brown sugar is calculated as one tael of silver, which is a huge profit. What's more, there is still white sugar left, isn't this a waste of money!

“This, this method of making sugar—” Emperor Xingyuan was so excited that he paced back and forth, his eyes falling eagerly on Xinyou’s face.

Xin You said calmly: "Such white sugar will be a rare commodity when it first comes on the market. When the method of making sugar becomes popular in the future and the output increases, the price will come down." Emperor Xingyuan's eyes turned cold.

 He also pointed out that he would exchange this unfounded sugar for war horses. This method of making sugar must be strictly guarded!

“Ayou, does anyone know how to make sugar?”

"My mother learned it from a strange book when she was in her hometown and taught it to me. Currently, only me should know it. But if you want to mass-produce sugar, you need to build a sugar factory and recruit sugar workers. It won't take long for these sugar workers to be ready." Can know."

Emperor Xingyuan was a smart man and reacted immediately: "Isn't this method of making sugar difficult?"

Xin You nodded: "It can even be said to be simple. It is inevitable that it will spread slowly in the future."

Xin You doesn’t care that this result will eventually spread. Her mother had told her a long time ago that when new things appear, it is often the aristocracy that can enjoy them, but one day most people will benefit from them, which is a good thing.

Even now, although white sugar is not affordable for ordinary people, it can be used to buy war horses for Daxia and protect the peace of the family and the country, which is also good for the people.

 I would rather be a peace dog than a person in troubled times. This is by no means a mere comment.

Hearing Xin You mention Queen Xin, Emperor Xingyuan felt a pang in his heart. He suppressed his emotions and asked, "How long does it take to make white sugar from brown sugar?"

"Because I only made a little bit, I used a trick, and it took less than two days. If I want to produce it in large quantities to meet the needs of exchange, it will take a month or two."

When Emperor Xingyuan heard this, he quickly asked: "Is this the only porcelain vase?"

“The sugar in this porcelain bottle is brought for His Majesty to taste, and there is also a small jar, about three taels.”

Emperor Xingyuan thought for a moment, then called the names of several ministers and ordered his servants to pass them on quickly.

 Several ministers returned to the yamen and their buttocks were still hot, so they hurried into the palace again.

Most of these important yamen are next to each other. Several people bumped into each other on the road, and they became more and more curious about the reason why the emperor summoned them again.

 “I have met your Majesty.”

When the others arrived, Emperor Xingyuan nodded to Sun Yan.

The sugar in the small porcelain bottle was divided into saucers the size of vinegar saucers. Sun Yan personally carried the tray to several people and divided a plate into each person.

The faces of all the ministers turned pale at that time.

Especially the Minister of Rites, who knew that he was not popular with the emperor recently, so he used his eyes to ask his colleagues for help.

Who can tell him whether arsenic is so white?

Looking at the reactions of the ministers, Emperor Xingyuan laughed and said, "Guess what this is?"

 Several people looked at each other.

 Hum, talking about arsenic is inappropriate.

 “Sugar?” Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance made a random guess.

Emperor Xingyuan touched his palm and said, "You are worthy of being my great minister!"

 Huchbu Shangshu:?

 Others: “…” It’s obviously a blind cat that has met a dead mouse!

 Then he ignored the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, who had been praised by the emperor, and stared straight at the frosty and snowy thing in the dish.

 This is sugar? Even white sugar from the West is not that white.

　　　"Please give it a try, gentlemen."

The emperor has spoken, even arsenic must be tasted. The ministers bravely picked up a little bit with their fingers and tasted it, and their expressions changed.

The emperor didn’t lie to them, it was really candy!

“Why is this candy so sweet?” Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance asked excitedly what Emperor Xingyuan had just asked Xinyou.

By this time, Emperor Xingyuan had regained his composure, or his fiery heart was wrapped in a calm shell: "This sugar is called white sugar, and it was made by Xin Daizhao."

 The method of drenching yellow mud with water and sugar is recorded in "Tiangong Kaiwu" of the Ming Dynasty. I didn't find the ratio in the book. The more information I searched on Baidu, the more confusing it became. The ratio of four pounds of brown sugar to one pound of white sugar was written by my guess (which can be understood as nonsense). I have seen many articles questioning whether brown sugar can be instantly decolorized into white sugar by using yellow mud, so the article went on for a long time.