Lin Tian's return was a great cause for celebration throughout Great Qin.
With Lin Tian back, Great Qin finally found peace.
The remnants of the six former states had been rampant, preying on Great Qin's citizens with arson, murder, and plunder.
Now that Lin Tian had returned, all those remnants had vanished into obscurity.
He was like a guardian deity, protecting the safety of all Great Qin!
This sentiment was not limited to the citizens of Great Qin; even the people of the former six states had come to greatly admire Lin Tian.
Initially, after Lin Tian conquered the six states, the people of those states harbored some resentment towards him.
However, in the aftermath, Lin Tian undertook so many beneficial deeds for the nation and its people, especially when contrasted with the actions of the remnants of the six states.
They felt that Lin Tian was truly exceptional.
Such a general was precisely the protector they desired.
Conversely, the remnants of the six states were universally scorned.
"Those old nobles are truly detestable. They never truly considered us their subjects!!"
"I agree. After everything, I still feel Great Qin is the better option!!"
"From this day forward, we are citizens of Great Qin. I believe that under the leadership of the Crown Prince, Great Qin will only improve!!"
These words resonated with countless citizens.
Especially now, with Lin Tian's return saving everyone, he had earned their profound gratitude.
Lin Tian, however, paid little heed to this.
Upon his return to Great Qin, he dispatched men to hunt down the remnants of the six states.
Concurrently, he aimed to revitalize Great Qin's economy rapidly.
His plan involved liberalizing trade, believing that a larger merchant class would accelerate Great Qin's prosperity.
After all, Great Qin had already conquered the western nations, and it would be a shame not to capitalize on their wealth.
However, before that, Lin Tian had one more pressing matter to attend to.
That was salt production.
Salt and iron had always been crucial resources for nations, and salt taxes, in this feudal era, were among the most significant sources of revenue.
Although Great Qin had now annexed the six states and inherited their salt fields, the salt produced was still insufficient to meet the needs of Great Qin's populace.
Many citizens of Great Qin had never even tasted salt; they primarily consumed salt extracted by boiling cloth.
As for refined salt, many had never laid eyes on it in their entire lives.
Even the refined salt of this era, while finer, still contained numerous impurities.
Even the salt consumed by Ying Zheng was not as pure white as the common salt of later generations.
Therefore, Lin Tian believed it was imperative to produce edible salt, making it accessible to more citizens.
Moreover, by producing and selling salt to the entire realm, he could ensure that all salt tax revenue flowed directly into his hands.
Other factions might possess salt, but their salt could never compare to what Lin Tian would produce.
Coupled with Lin Tian's intention to price his salt very affordably, he was confident that his salt would dominate the market through competition.
However, before embarking on this, Lin Tian needed to secure one more thing.
That was the acquisition of salt mines.
At this time, numerous natural salt mines existed.
However, these mines contained not only salt but also various other components.
Indeed, many of them even contained toxic substances.
Consequently, these salt mines were effectively considered worthless by others.
Only someone like Lin Tian, having come from the future, could effectively extract salt from these salt mines.
This was precisely why Lin Tian intended to produce salt.
The reason was that purchasing these salt mines was exceedingly cheap and readily achievable.
Others were unaware of Lin Tian's grand scheme.
However, those who closely monitored Lin Tian noticed his subordinates undertaking a peculiar task in recent days.
He instructed his men to aggressively purchase toxic salt mines.
Upon the dissemination of this news, many were perplexed.
"What is the Crown Prince planning? What does he need those mountains for? Is he planning to open them up??"
"Even if he's opening them, why toxic salt mines? After all, nothing grows on them!!"
"I can't comprehend it. I'm incredibly curious about the Crown Prince's actions!!"
As they did not know Lin Tian's true intentions, they were filled with intrigue.
Certain factions that controlled salt mines, in particular, sensed that Lin Tian's actions were likely related to salt.
However, they remained unsure of his specific plans and dared not antagonize him.
Thus, they could only watch on with unspoken apprehension.
Of course, not everyone could discern Lin Tian's intentions.
Many dismissed his actions with disdain.
"He bought those salt mines, does he really intend to produce salt from them??"
"Looking at him, it seems he genuinely wants to produce salt. Could this impact our salt mine business!?"
"Let him produce it. Historically, salt has always been toxic. Even beasts wouldn't lick such salt much. Even if he produces salt, it will be toxic, poisonous salt."
Their conclusion stemmed from their ingrained understanding.
In their worldview, salt produced from toxic salt mines could only be toxic salt, nothing else.
With this thought in mind, they felt no cause for concern.
After all, toxic salt was inedible and could even be fatal.
Under such circumstances, this toxic salt would pose no threat to their salt mining business.
Holding such beliefs, they took no action and instead chose to observe from the sidelines.
Under their indifferent gaze, Lin Tian indeed commenced salt production.
Upon witnessing this, many chuckled.
"I never imagined our Crown Prince had such grand ambitions, aiming to monopolize all salt revenue!!"
"Our Crown Prince is a more ambitious ruler than even His Majesty. Controlling the realm's salt should be no challenge for him. However, he's chosen the wrong method!!"
"Let him proceed. Once he produces it and people die, his salt will be utterly ruined!!"
They simply did not believe that the salt produced by Lin Tian could be consumed by humans.
In their eyes, Lin Tian's salt would likely poison people.
Such salt did not deserve to be called salt; it was akin to poison.
Who would willingly consume poison as food?
With this mindset, they eagerly watched the unfolding events, actively and subtly spreading rumors about Lin Tian's salt.
Their intent behind such publicity was to utterly tarnish the reputation of Lin Tian's salt.
...