My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 183 Black Tea and White Sugar

Su Ze followed Zhang Hong to the East Palace. Along the way, he listened to Zhang Hong's description, which could be summarized as "Tea is not selling well, Master Su, please help me."

When Su Ze arrived at the East Palace, in addition to the Crown Prince, he also met the Imperial Uncle Li Wenquan.

Upon seeing Su Ze, Little Fatty Jun exclaimed, "Master Su! Please help me!"

Su Ze comforted the chubby boy, then asked, "The Hundred Plays Festival is over, what does the Crown Prince need so much money for?"

Zhu Yijun said with a wronged expression, "My mother's birthday is coming up in a few days, and I want to prepare a big gift for her."

Su Ze glanced at Zhu Yijun, surprised that he had such filial piety.

Consort Li was only a consort; with the Empress still alive, she naturally could not hold a grand celebration.

Zhu Yijun's consideration for his mother and his willingness to raise funds to send gifts brought some comfort to Su Ze.

Then Su Ze asked again:
"Then what's the reason for the sluggish sales of tea?"

At this moment, Li Wenquan, the emperor's brother-in-law who was beside Zhu Yijun, said:

"Your Highness, let me speak."

Li Wenquan bowed to Su Ze before saying, "Hanlin Su, a while ago the Crown Prince asked His Majesty to take some aged tea from the Imperial Treasury and give it to me to sell in Dengzhou and Laizhou. At first, the sales were good, and we raised quite a bit of money."

"But a few days ago, merchant ships stopped accepting tea, and now there is still a lot of tea piled up in the warehouses of Laizhou Port."

Su Ze asked in confusion, "Is tea not selling well?"

That shouldn't be the case. Tea is clearly a best-selling export product from the Central Plains, so why is it not selling well?

Li Wenquan did conduct some research and said, "In the past, the majority of tea exports went to Korea and Japan. Recently, with the spring tea from Fujian coming onto the market, merchants are more willing to buy tea in Yuegang. Although Your Highness's tea is good, it is old tea from previous years."

It turned out to be the case.

Tea is essentially an agricultural product, and fresh tea is the best.

The tribute tea from the inner transport warehouse was naturally of the highest quality, but even the best aged tea could not compare to fresh tea.

Su Ze then asked, "Since they're not selling well in Japan and Korea, what about Western merchants?"

After the last Portuguese merchant ships arrived in Dengzhou and Laizhou, these Western merchants learned that Dengzhou and Laizhou allowed them to do business with foreigners, and the number of Western merchant ships in Laizhou Port increased.

The demand for Chinese goods in Europe during this era was terrifying. A Ming port that allowed free trade was worth traveling thousands of miles for.

Li Wenquan said, "Su Hanlin probably doesn't know that imported tea is not easy to sell, and Western merchants generally dare not buy too much."

Fearing Su Ze might not understand, Li Wenquan said, "Tea is very easy to spoil. Seawater is humid, and if tea is transported by sea back to the West, almost none of it will still be drinkable."

Only after Li Wenquan said this did Su Ze realize that the export volume of tea in the Ming Dynasty was indeed not large. Tea only truly became a flagship product during the Qing Dynasty.

Upon further thought, Su Ze immediately understood the reason.

During the Longqing period, all tea was green tea. Green tea is very easy to spoil, and after being transported back to Europe, the tea did not taste good and was not popular there.

Zhu Yijun grew increasingly anxious as he listened. He asked, "Master Su, why don't you write a memorial to the Emperor and ban the sale of tea in Yuegang?"

Su Ze quickly said, "Your Highness, you mustn't."

"Why not?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, is this silver money something you absolutely need?"

Zhu Yijun thought about it and realized that as the crown prince, making money wasn't really a necessity for him; he simply enjoyed seeing the numbers in the accounts rise.

Su Ze then guided the discussion further, saying, "Your Highness, doing business is only interesting when there are competitors. What's the point of making a lot of money if you're the only one selling?"

This sentence made Xiao Pangjun think.

He recalled the most enjoyable period of his "playing games" when he had just taken over the shop and was competing with the surrounding shops.

Once those shops were on track and the numbers on their books were increasing every day, the fun was gone.

Having figured this out, Little Fatty Jun immediately said, "Master Su is right! I must compete with these Fujian tea merchants fairly and squarely!"

But then Little Fatty Jun said, "But now that the new tea has almost sold out, how am I supposed to compete?"

Su Ze already had a plan: since green tea wasn't selling well, he would sell black tea instead!
In the history before Su Ze's time travel, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Fujian improved its tea-making techniques and began producing black tea for export, which opened up sales channels in Europe.

Black tea has a smoother taste and lacks the bitterness of green tea, making it a more popular beverage among Europeans.

For example, Queen Victoria loved black tea and popularized afternoon tea in Britain.

The manufacturing process of black tea is actually not complicated. It is simply the traditional green tea production process with the addition of a fermentation process, which involves fermenting the tea leaves after they have withered, and then processing them into tea.

Legend has it that black tea originated during the turmoil at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Tea farmers hid from the Qing army and did not have time to process the tea leaves they picked. The next day, they couldn't bear to part with the tea leaves, so they fermented them and made them into tea.

Unexpectedly, this tea leaf, which did not look very appealing, produced a rich and bright tea soup that was as red as amber, hence the name black tea.

Moreover, black tea does not require fresh leaves for its production, unlike green tea, which must be made from tender leaves harvested around the time of Grain Rain and Qingming Festival.

So Su Ze explained the method of making black tea to Li Wenquan, and copied down the specific steps, so that Li Wenquan could buy tea leaves, make a batch, and try to sell it to those Western merchants.

Li Wenquan already trusted Su Ze completely, and upon hearing such an ingenious tea-making method, he quickly thanked Su Ze.

Su Ze added, "Tea making is one method, but there is another extremely profitable industry."

Upon hearing about the new industry, both Xiao Pangjun and Li Wenquan perked up their ears.

All that was heard was Su Ze saying, "Make sugar."

Upon hearing that it was about sugar production, Li Wenquan wore a strange expression.

Little Fatty Jun excitedly said, "Sugar making? That's right, sugar is a popular item in the capital. Master Su even knows how to make sugar?"

Seeing that the Crown Prince was getting a little carried away, Li Wenquan poured cold water on him, saying, "Scholar Su, there's something you probably don't know. Merchant ships coming and going from Laizhou often bring Jiaozhi brown sugar, which doesn't fetch a high price in the capital."

Zhu Yijun asked in confusion, "Imperial brother-in-law, why is that? I've heard that sugar is very expensive in the capital."

Li Wenquan said, "What's sold in the capital is Fuqing rock sugar. This Fuqing white sugar is as white as snow and as sweet as honey, and it's very popular in the capital."

"However, the appearance of Jiaozhi brown sugar is dark, the sugar is bitter, and it has an off-flavor. The price is not too low, and poor people cannot afford it. Therefore, when it is transported to Laizhou Port, no Ming Dynasty merchants are willing to buy it."

Su Ze had no idea that merchants were already bringing sugar from Jiaozhi to Laizhou Port to sell.

Upon hearing this, Su Ze quickly asked, "Is there a lot of this cochinchinensis candy?"

Li Wenquan said, "Not much. This Cochin sugar doesn't fetch a high price, and only those Western barbarians would buy it, but they all buy it directly in Cochin. Many merchants use Cochin sugar as ballast, bringing it to Laizhou to try their luck." Unexpectedly, this question revealed a business opportunity.

Koji brown sugar is also a type of cane sugar. Koji has a long history of sugarcane cultivation, but its sugar industry has always been underdeveloped.

The outdated technology resulted in the poor appearance of Jiaozhi sugar.

However, Cochin candy is still candy, and poor appearance can be compensated for through technology.

Su Ze then came up with the bone char method, which involves using dry-burned animal bones to make activated carbon, which is then used to adsorb colored substances in sugar water, and finally to make white sugar.

This method was invented by French merchants during the Napoleonic era, when Britain implemented the Continental System, preventing luxury sugar from entering Europe.

France used this method to produce large quantities of white sugar, breaking through the continental blockade and raising considerable military funds.

Su Ze said to Li Wenquan, "Please ask Li Guojiu to purchase Jiaozhi sugar in Laizhou and then transport it to the capital, or have merchant ships dock at Zhigu Port and then transport it to the capital via the canal."

Then Su Ze said to the Crown Prince, "Please find some reliable people and a workshop in the capital."

Although Zhu Yijun and Li Wenquan didn't know what Su Ze was going to do, they quickly agreed.

In Zhu Yijun's view, Su Ze was the most amazing person; whatever he said he could do, he would eventually accomplish.
-
After returning from the Eastern Palace, Su Ze decided not to go back to the government office and went straight back to his residence ahead of time.

Hearing that her husband had returned home early, Zhao Lingxian hid the book and went to greet Su Ze with her personal maid.

However, Su Ze did not go directly back to his study today, but instead pulled Zhao Lingxian into the inner courtyard.

Zhao Lingxian's ears turned red. She had wanted to refuse her husband, but for some reason, her whole body went weak.

Zhao Lingxian touched her belly, thinking that if all else failed, she would just give her personal maid to her husband.

However, Su Ze pulled her into the inner courtyard but did not make any advances. Instead, he asked, "My lady, do you have any trustworthy servants in the house?"

"what?"

Zhao Lingxian put aside her strange thoughts and said seriously, "I have several servants who came with me as part of my dowry. They are honest and reliable. Does my husband have any instructions for them?"

Su Ze asked, "Is it reliable?"

Zhao Lingxian said, "Their indentures are all in our hands, so they are naturally reliable."

"Can you do accounting and arithmetic?"

"Zhao Cheng is the manager of the estate outside the city and knows some accounting and arithmetic."

Su Ze nodded and then asked, "Does your family have any reliable craftsmen?"

Zhao Lingxian nodded. The Zhao family of Neijiang was a prominent family in Sichuan and Chongqing, and they had produced a Grand Secretary named Zhao Zhenji. They had many servants in their household.

Su Ze said, "I want to run a sugar workshop with the Crown Prince. If we have capable people in the family, we can make some money together."

Su Ze added, "These days, my wife has been supplementing the family income. With the workshop making money, the family can live more comfortably."

Hearing her husband say that, Zhao Lingxian's eyes reddened.

Although the family was not short of money, Zhao Lingxian was still very moved by her husband's consideration for the family's livelihood.

After a brief moment of tenderness with his wife, Su Ze, fearing it might upset her pregnancy, quickly ran back to his study.
-
Outside Donghua Gate.

It's frustrating to say, even though the Eastern Depot was established later, the alley where its offices outside the palace were located was called Eastern Depot Alley.

The headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was adjacent to the Eastern Depot, did not have a single alley named after the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If others were to look for the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they would probably say it was located next to the East Depot Alley.

The current Embroidered Uniform Guard is extremely frustrated. In terms of power, it is firmly suppressed by the Eastern Depot. The Northern Garrison Command, which is under the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is also becoming increasingly powerful. Now it has overshadowed the General Headquarters and is obeying orders from the General Headquarters but not summons.

The Northern Garrison Command was in charge of the "Imperial Prison," a special judicial department independent of the Three Judicial Offices. It could directly interrogate and execute prisoners, making it a place feared by everyone in the outer court.

During the Chenghua era, the Northern Garrison Command obtained its official seal, thus acquiring an independent administrative structure and achieving a semi-independent status within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard felt frustrated by the current situation.

What frustrated the Embroidered Uniform Guard even more was that their salaries had been delayed these days, and when someone asked their superiors, they were told that the Ministry of Revenue was not approving the payments.

There were rumors circulating within the Embroidered Uniform Guard that Feng Bao, the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot, had a good relationship with Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and that the Eastern Depot was unwilling to step in to cover the Embroidered Uniform Guard's shortfall in salaries.

All of this fueled the indignation within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Of course, the indignation came from the lower-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, while the higher-ups were dissatisfied with the Embroidered Uniform Guard's low political status, not with their paltry salaries.

Wang San was a centurion at the elephant breeding farm outside the capital city.

The practice of raising elephants in the suburbs of Beijing during the Ming Dynasty likely began during the Hongzhi era. The Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) established a special elephant-raising station to be responsible for raising and training elephants.

Once tamed, elephants would participate in court activities. Whenever there was a grand court assembly or celebration in the imperial palace, elephants would be dispatched, either to drive a palanquin or to carry treasures, to make the assembly or celebration joyous and grand, and to enhance the emperor's prestige.

This was a leisurely job, and because it was leisurely, whenever the emperor bestowed titles and rewards upon the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he would fill the personnel quotas into the Elephant Breeding Bureau.

Wang San is a hereditary centurion of an elephant breeding garrison. His ancestors were put into the garrison for some unknown reason, and the position has been held for four generations.

The powerful and wealthy within the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't care about their salaries, nor did the newly rich. Only someone like Wang San, who was neither high nor low, would care.

Wang San was impulsive, so he was encouraged by others to take the opportunity of delivering documents to the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to ask the headquarters for his salary.

Upon arriving at the General Headquarters, Wang San was once again misled. He and several friends, dressed in the uniforms of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, rushed towards the Ministry of Revenue, intending to demand an explanation from the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission.

Of course, Wang San wasn't completely brainless.

He knew he was just a centurion at the elephant stables and had no chance of getting through to the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, he decided to target the head of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission. With his limited political acumen, he believed that it was the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission that was withholding official documents, which was why they owed the Imperial Guards their salaries.

Wang San also bribed the gatekeeper of the Ministry of Revenue to help him identify the head of the Shandong Division, while he led his men to guard in front of the Ministry of Revenue, preparing to arrest the corrupt official when he left the office and intimidate him into committing the crime.

Wang San thought his plan was foolproof. He waited in front of the Ministry of Revenue until the end of the yamen, and then received a secret signal from the gatekeeper. He then led his men to surround Su Ze.

Su Ze was standing next to Li Wentong, who was about to inspect the sugar workshop set up in the suburbs of Beijing when a group of Imperial Guards surrounded him.

Li Wentong was the commander of the elephant breeding garrison, and he immediately recognized Wang San as his own centurion.

Li Wentong shouted, "Wang San! Who gave you the audacity to harass an official of the imperial court in front of the Ministry of Revenue?"

(End of this chapter)