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“Everyone, come and try it, come and try it.”
This was the first time white sugar appeared in the Great Yu Empire, and this new item naturally attracted many people, including Lu Tong, who came to see what was going on, as the production of white sugar still required his sulfite.
As soon as Xiao Ming finished speaking, the workshop supervisors in the industrial district were not polite, each picking up rock candy and eating it.
Words like “too delicious,” “so sweet,” and “magical” kept coming.
In modern times, rock candy could be said to be the most ordinary among various sugars, but here it immediately became a high-end commodity, and the rich sweetness of white sugar completely conquered everyone who tasted it.
After finishing the white sugar in his mouth, Xiao Ming looked at Zhu Wuliu and asked, “How is it? Do you want this white sugar and rock candy production technology?”
“Yes!” Zhu Wuliu was so excited that his hair stood on end. The malt sugar sold in the East Market was nothing compared to white sugar. Even if he was dumber, he understood that this white sugar would make him and even Zhu family village earn a lot of silver from now on.
Xiao Ming said solemnly, “Since that’s the case, you can stay here and learn from the craftsmen for a few days, but you’ll have to figure out how to build the workshop and buy sugarcane yourselves.”
“I understand. It is already a great honor for Your Highness to entrust the white sugar technology to me,” Zhu Wuliu’s face was flushed.
Nodding, Xiao Ming still wanted to make some things clear. He said, “Besides you, I will also put the white sugar technology in the Chamber of Commerce. You won’t be the only ones who can make white sugar, so if you want to make money, you have to use your real skills and control the quality of white sugar, understand?”
These words put some pressure on Zhu Wuliu, but recalling his elder brother, a surge of impulse rose in his heart, and he nodded vigorously.
After instructing Zhu Wuliu, Xiao Ming had Zhao Long and Zhao Hu carry the rock candy and follow him back to the Prince’s Mansion.
Lu Tong was on the same path as Xiao Ming because he had to return to Bowen Academy. While savoring the rock candy, he said, “Your Highness, this white sugar is truly amazing. It can become very pure simply by adding this sulfite. I am becoming more and more interested in chemistry.”
“Is that so? So you weren’t interested in chemistry at all before,” Xiao Ming glared at him.
“Hehe, Your Highness, I didn’t even know what chemistry was before, so naturally, I didn’t understand its power. But now I understand more and more, and many students in the chemistry academy have also changed their minds. Now they are not just dealing with it, but it has become an interest,” Lu Tong said.
Xiao Ming smiled. What he liked to see most was this kind of change. True science is driven by those who are passionate about science. He said, “This is a good phenomenon. In the future, we need to guide students to turn tasks into interests.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Lu Tong replied.
The two chatted along the way and soon reached the fork in the road between Bowen Academy and the Prince’s Mansion. At this time, Xiao Ming returned to the Prince’s Mansion with the rock candy.
He had promised Fei Yuer hard candy that day, and this rock candy could be considered hard candy.
Zhao Long and Zhao Hu carried the baskets and followed Xiao Ming into the Prince’s Mansion. Along the way, they were eating as they carried, and their mouths were now full of syrup.
The three entered the Prince’s Mansion and headed towards the sleeping quarters. Soon, they heard the lively chatter of women. It turned out that Fei Yuer, Xiao huan, Lu Luo, and Ziyuan were laughing and talking in the pavilion in front of the main hall.
Moreover, Xiao Ming had told them about the white sugar before he left, so Fei Yuer seemed to have specially called them all back.
“Your Highness, did you bring the candy back?”
Seeing Xiao Ming approach, Fei Yuer stood up and asked.
The three maids also looked expectant, especially Lu Luo, whose mouth was watering. She loved candy the most, and every time malt sugar was brought back from Chang’an, she would eat the most.
“Of course I brought it back. Look, this is rock candy.” Xiao Ming had Zhao Long and Zhao Hu place the bamboo basket in the middle of the pavilion.
As soon as the bamboo basket was put down, Lu Luo’s saliva almost dripped out. Ziyuan patted her, and only then did she realize and quickly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
Fei Yuer gently said, “Lu Luo loves candy the most, Lu Luo, you try one first.”
Although she really wanted to be the first to eat, Lu Luo still remembered the hierarchy. Although Fei Yuer treated them both well, maids always had their rules. She softly said, “Princess Consort, Lu Luo dares not. Please be the first to taste it.”
“It’s fine. In this Prince’s Mansion, only the three of you can talk intimately with me. Don’t worry about these small details. Ziyuan, you try it too.”
Ziyuan and Lu Luo exchanged glances, still hesitant.
“Don’t push and shove each other. I will feed each of you,” Xiao Ming suddenly joked, looking left and right, seeing that the pushing and pulling was endless.
Upon hearing this, the four immediately blushed crimson.
Xiao Ming then picked up a piece of rock candy and first fed it to Fei Yuer’s mouth, and then placed pieces of rock candy one by one into the palms of the three maids. He only said it, but he didn’t actually feed the three maids, otherwise, it would be too improper.
Seeing this, Fei Yuer glared at Xiao Ming, implying that he hadn’t gone too far.
However, the four soon forgot about Xiao Ming’s joke, because the sweet taste of the rock candy made them unable to stop. They all kept savoring the rock candy.
“So sweet, so delicious,” Lu Luo ate the fastest. A piece of rock candy was quickly devoured by her. She asked, “Your Highness, what is this rock candy made of?”
“Sugarcane,” Xiao Ming said with a smile.
“No wonder the sweetness is so special,” Lu Luo said excitedly, picking up another piece of rock candy and putting it into her mouth again.
Fei Yuer also tasted rock candy for the first time and was also impressed by its sweetness. She exclaimed, “Your Highness, this white sugar will definitely sell well.”
The four of them ate and laughed, their faces full of enjoyment.
However, for Xiao Ming, white sugar was not just limited to eating rock candy. After all, in modern times, almost all sweets require white sugar.
While Fei Yuer and the three were eating rock candy, Xiao Ming called the chef from the kitchen and asked him to prepare a special dish for that night, which was modern-style candied sweet potatoes.
But while he was excited about white sugar as a trophy, the battle of Ryukyu had already caused a stir in Japan.
The defeated Sakai and Makino Haruaki returned to Japan with their remaining troops. The heavy losses shocked the Japanese daimyo and made them extremely angry. In their eyes, the Great Yu Empire had been left far behind by their firearms. In their eyes, the Great Yu Empire was just a piece of meat waiting for them to share.
But the battle of Ryukyu was like a slap in the face. How could they not be enraged and humiliated?
“This is a disgrace, a warrior’s disgrace.”
Sakai and Makino Haruaki knelt in the great hall, surrounded by renowned Japanese daimyo, whose angry gazes seemed capable of killing them at any moment.