They seemed to be helping Lin Tian promote the salt he produced, increasing his fame.
However, this was actually a form of "killing by flattery." By elevating Lin Tian too high, it would be even easier for them to utterly ruin his reputation and that of his salt. After all, if all their efforts ultimately resulted in nothing but poisonous salt that killed people, it would be a complete disaster.
Lin Tian, of course, noticed this. But he didn't care.
The people of Black Ice Guard, however, were not so easily placated.
"Your Highness, should we truly do nothing about them? They are plotting against you!"
"There's no need to concern ourselves with them. Their schemes currently pose no harm to me. As for their intentions to plot against me, they will eventually hoist themselves by their own petard!"
"Then what should we...?"
"For now, let's record their names. When the opportunity arises, we will settle the score!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Lin Tian's words, the Black Ice Guard personnel immediately knew what to do. They recorded the names of those spreading rumors and dispatched people to keep an eye on them. They were waiting for the right moment, for these individuals to make further mistakes, and for Lin Tian's command. Once Lin Tian gave the order, they would arrest, or even kill, these people without hesitation.
These individuals, unaware of their close brush with death, continued their propaganda with increasing fervor. Many common folk had already heard that Lin Tian was producing a new kind of salt, one that was better and cheaper. While they didn't provide specific details about the salt, the allure of "better and cheaper," coupled with Lin Tian's reputation, naturally garnered significant attention.
"Is it true that His Highness the Crown Prince is going to produce a better and cheaper salt?"
"Everyone knows about it, so how could it be false?"
"I knew it! His Highness the Crown Prince still has us common people in his heart, which is why he's willing to produce better and cheaper salt for us!"
The implication of "cheaper" was, of course, that it would be affordable for ordinary citizens. Otherwise, what would be the point of calling it cheap? The owners of the salt fields, on the other hand, intended to leverage the voices of the people to completely crush Lin Tian's salt business. They even believed this operation might affect Lin Tian's position as Crown Prince. However, Lin Tian's position was too deeply entrenched. Despite owning salt fields, these individuals dared not participate in the struggle for succession. Thus, they did not expand their ambitions in that direction. It was precisely because they didn't, that they lived to see another day. In that sense, they were fortunate.
Yet, the more these people publicized their claims, the more indignant the Black Ice Guard became. If possible, they wished they could kill them right then and there. With this thought, they intensified their surveillance of those involved with the salt fields and rapidly gathered evidence of their wrongdoings. In this era, the crimes of the powerful and wealthy were commonplace. Collecting evidence of their offenses was remarkably easy. The Black Ice Guard soon amassed a large collection of such evidence. However, without Lin Tian's explicit instruction, they dared not present it to him. They waited for Lin Tian to give the word to deal with these individuals before revealing the incriminating evidence.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian's focus was not on these schemers. His mind was entirely on the production of salt. The people he had brought with him had no prior experience in making salt. Therefore, even if he explained the method, they might not grasp it. Only by personally demonstrating the process and actually producing salt would they truly understand how it was made. The process itself was quite simple. First, the raw material was crushed and dissolved in water, then filtered to remove impurities and toxic substances, followed by crystallization. Lin Tian's method of crystallization was also straightforward: simply boil away the water.
As all the water evaporated, everyone stared blankly at the cauldron. They could hardly believe their eyes.
"Is this... is this the salt His Highness produced?"
"Hiss! Is this truly salt? It's so white, as white as snow!"
"I've never seen salt like this before. If we hadn't watched His Highness make it with his own hands, I wouldn't have believed it was salt!"
Many shared this sentiment. However, Lin Tian soon provided them with an opportunity to prove that this was indeed salt. He had several chickens brought to him and fed them a certain amount of salt, then observed their reactions. The "reaction" in question was whether the chickens would die. After all, this salt was derived from a poisonous salt mine, and its toxicity was the most critical factor. If it were poisonous, no matter how exquisitely produced, it would be unusable, signifying the failure of their salt-making endeavor. Fortunately, after being fed the salt, the chickens remained lively and showed no ill effects, which brought a collective sigh of relief.
Then, a soldier volunteered, "Your Highness, I am willing to taste this salt!"
"Very well, you shall be the one!"
Upon hearing Lin Tian's permission, the soldier's face lit up with a smile. He then scooped up a handful of salt and put it into his mouth. Instantly, his expression contorted. The salt was far too salty for him to swallow easily. However, he did not spit it out; instead, he swallowed it bit by bit. This act also served as a test for poison. After all, humans and chickens were quite different. What if the chickens were fine, but humans were affected? Therefore, this soldier was willing to risk his life to test whether the salt was poisonous. After swallowing the salt, a smile even appeared on his face.
"Heh heh! So salty!"
His words elicited a mix of laughter and exasperation from the crowd. But everyone understood his intent. They promptly brought him water and watched him expectantly. They waited for half an hour. After half an hour, the others could no longer restrain themselves. They, too, grabbed some salt and put it into their mouths. The saltiness registered clearly on their taste buds, and furthermore, they sensed its pure flavor, devoid of any peculiar aftertaste. This filled them all with excitement.
"Salt, this is true salt! This is the purest salt!"
They had never tasted such pure salt before. After a single mouthful, they immediately exclaimed that this was indeed genuine salt.