Under the modern refined salt purification method proposed by Chen Jie, the Ministry of Industry in Huangzhou Prefecture began purifying refined salt, eventually yielding the current refined salt without any bitterness.

This immediately became the second hot commodity in Huangzhou Prefecture besides unexpected cotton cloth.

However, when this product was shown to Shen Wansan, he exclaimed it was great but noted that it couldn’t be sold on a large scale; otherwise, it would immediately devalue.

So Shen Wansan directly employed hunger marketing, mixing refined salt into large-scale coarse salt business.

And this refined salt wasn’t meant for the common people to consume; initially, it became popular on riverboats in Yangzhou, gradually entering wealthy households. In the end, guess how much a small jar of refined salt sold for.

Eight maces of silver for a small jar less than a pound of salt.

And the cost? Twenty cents, which includes the small jar. The jar is crafted by a famed artisan, costing fifteen cents, leaving five cents as the production cost.

Just this business alone allowed Huangzhou Prefecture to earn tremendously, though not as much as the cotton cloth business, yet this refined salt business also brought Chen Jie tremendous wealth.

Then Chen Jie started the second technology, white sugar, which didn’t exist in this era. At this time, there was only the most rudimentary malt sugar and cane sugar, severely lacking in sweetness. However, after Chen Jie imparted the yellow mud filtering method, Huangzhou Prefecture produced its first batch of white sugar.

Once this white sugar debuted, Shen Wansan was as though he found a treasure, and the marketing became even hungrier, resulting in the white sugar’s highest price once reaching twenty taels of silver for a small jar.

Twenty taels, this had become an astronomical price, knowing that a family’s annual income might be just one or two silver taels.

Under Chen Jie’s governance, the people of Huangzhou Prefecture lived slightly better, but annual earnings were no more than four silver taels, and such a small jar of white sugar exceeded twenty taels. That’s equivalent to five years of income for people in Huangzhou Prefecture, nearly ten years of income for people elsewhere.

This frightening profit margin even stunned Chen Jie, who often focused on martial arts, marveling at the wealth of Jiangnan’s affluent; it was truly beyond his imagination.

Moreover, it is said that Jiangnan’s affluent even packed this white sugar, using top-grade white jade bottles, selling at fifty taels per bottle to the Great Capital, still in short supply.

It’s undeniable that this world isn’t devoid of wealthy people; it’s just that common people are without money. Fifty taels of silver might be the lifetime earnings of a common farmer, whereas in the eyes of the affluent, it’s merely a jar of seasoning.

This illustrates the enormous disparity between rich and poor in this world.

But precisely because of the wealth gap, Chen Jie amassed a fortune beyond bounds.

The money Chen Jie is making now is equivalent to half of Jiangnan’s tax revenue, and with this wealth, he directly transformed the Six Prefectures of Huangzhou into a flourishing realm.

Agriculture and commerce have been introduced, but what’s yet to be introduced includes the Ministry of Industry, where Chen Jie develops various era-transcending products. The minister in charge is Tao Sheng, also known historically as Flying Ten Thousand Households.

The chief of commerce is Shen Wansan.

Additionally, there’s education. Chen Jie invested a considerable sum in establishing the Huangzhou Prefecture College and county schools in each county, rural schools in villages, where people could send their children to study with a free lunch.

This greatly attracted the common people.

Taking advantage of this schooling endeavor, Chen Jie infused these children with new ideas and continuously instilled loyalty to Chen Jiusi, Mr. Chen, and over time, they became steadfast followers of Chen Jie, and they are also his future talent reserves!

When Chen Jie eventually unifies the world, these individuals will be the talents managing the world for Chen Jie!