Chapter Thirty-Three: Eating White Sugar, Becoming a Provincial Graduate

At the end of the summer harvest, Magistrate Li Yi sent ten strings of coins to the Gu family. This was the compensation money for the incident. According to the law, when a person is sentenced to death for murder, a fine of ten taels of silver must be paid; if not paid, the fine doubles to twenty taels. Wang Fugui was under arrest, and his execution was only a matter of time, so only ten strings of coins were given to the Gu family—this was the personal injury compensation in the early Ming Dynasty. By the time the “Great Ming Code” was released the following year, the Gu family would no longer receive even this sum, as this provision was to be abolished on the grounds that “severe punishment leads to no beating, and heavy beating leads to no punishment.”

The white sugar courtyard was completed not far from the river, making it convenient to draw the yellow mud water. Inside the high walls were thirty-two simple thatched huts, corresponding to the thirty-two households of Dayan Village. Specially designed funnel-shaped tile distillers, dedicated stoves, wooden buckets, and firewood were all in place. A well had been dug in the yard, and stone tables and stools were set up.

Sun Bing sat on a stone stool and said to Gu Zhengchen, who had just finished inspecting the place and was walking over, “Everything is ready as you instructed. Is there any problem?”

Gu Zhengchen sat down and glanced at Liang Fengyang, who was picking small apricots, then said to Sun Bing, “This tree was just transplanted; pick fewer fruits.” He then asked, “Is the supply of brown sugar secured?”

Sun Bing nodded slightly. “No problem now.”

Gu Zhengchen took out a sheet of paper from his bosom and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Sun Bing. “This is the process for making white sugar. How far you can go depends on your skill.”

Liang Fengyang spat out an apricot pit and hurried over to look at the “secret recipe” with Sun Bing.

Sun Bing’s face twitched slightly. “Gu Juren, you’re not joking, right? Just pouring in yellow mud water can make white sugar?”

Liang Fengyang looked at Gu Zhengchen, who was walking back to prune the apricot tree, then at the paper, and said to Sun Bing, “What Gu Juren says must be right. Since there’s nothing else today, the two of us will personally make white sugar.”

Sun Bing stood up. “I’ll start the fire; you get the yellow mud water.”

Liang Fengyang glared. “Why should I fetch the yellow mud water?”

Sun Bing patted his big belly. “If I go, aren’t you afraid you won’t see white sugar next year?”

“...” Liang Fengyang had no choice but to leave the courtyard.

The process of boiling brown sugar, letting the sugar paste settle, and using the yellow mud discoloration method was not complicated, just time-consuming.

After having a meal at the Gu family’s, Sun Bing and Liang Fengyang returned to the white sugar courtyard and finally saw the white sugar, feeling completely at ease. The paper with the white sugar recipe was burned in the bottom of the pot—such matters were best kept undocumented.

“How do you plan to sell the white sugar?” Gu Zhengchen asked, watching Sun Bing and Liang Fengyang eat the sugar.

Liang Fengyang chuckled, “How else but to deliver it to shops and wait for customers? We’ve picked prime locations—for example, a shop in Rencheng is right outside the government office street, where many wealthy families live.”

Sun Bing patted his plump hand, shaking sugar off, and said to Gu Zhengchen, “Don’t worry about the business, brother Gu. We’re seasoned merchants; this time, we’re sure to make a big profit.”

Gu Zhengchen bit into an apricot and calmly asked, “Then how do you plan to create a sensation so that within three days, people in Rencheng, Jining, and Qufu all know about it; within a month, all of Shandong; and within half a year, the entire Ming realm?”

“Ah?”

Sun Bing’s eyes widened.

Liang Fengyang’s lips trembled.

Three months to be known throughout the Ming? Could that be possible?

Gu Zhengchen looked at Sun Bing. “Since you’re seasoned merchants, you must have a plan, right?”

Sun Bing shook his head quickly. “That’s impossible. No business can become known throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. This is white sugar, a business, not a decree that can be posted for all to see.”

Gu Zhengchen flicked an apricot pit, catching it in his palm. “Opening a shop, waiting for customers, passive service—no widespread advertisements, no offline logistics, no active sales calls. With this in mind, your business skills are just this much...”

Sun Bing was somewhat stunned. Although he didn’t understand Gu Zhengchen’s words fully, they seemed profound.

Liang Fengyang looked at Gu Zhengchen and whispered, “Can you really make the white sugar known to all within half a year?”

Gu Zhengchen’s lips twitched slightly. “Of course.”

“Really?”

Sun Bing found it hard to believe.

Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly, his expression turning serious. “But before that, I must warn you: whenever it involves the court, never be careless—whether it’s land tax or commercial tax, not a single bit can be missing. The court is now implementing the Grain Chief system in Jiangnan and will promote it everywhere. Soon, you might become the Grain Chief of Teng County. My advice is: if you can avoid being a Grain Chief, don’t take the position.”

Sun Bing frowned slightly. “Why? Isn’t being a Grain Chief working for the court a good thing? I heard many Grain Chiefs in Jiangnan have seen the emperor; it’s a lifetime honor.”

Gu Zhengchen tapped the table with the apricot pit, his face cold. “Brother Sun, Brother Liang, some things I can’t explain clearly. I can only say: don’t keep too much land at home, and don’t become a Grain Chief. Remember these words for the next fifteen years!”

Sun Bing and Liang Fengyang exchanged a glance. Though they didn’t fully understand Zhu Yunwen’s intentions, they nodded in agreement. Grain Chiefs were naturally chosen from wealthy landowners; if you didn’t own much land, you wouldn’t become one. Having money and buying more shops was just as good an investment.

Gu Zhengchen had no idea where Guo Huan and Guo Sanwan were wandering at this time. Historical records about them were scant, with the most serious note being on their deaths. Many officials had died, taking Grain Chief-type wealthy households with them.

Gu Zhengchen was grateful to the Liang and Sun families and naturally didn’t want them to be left out in the sun at the vegetable market; an early warning was better.

“Keep these words to yourselves. Don’t tell outsiders,” Gu Zhengchen reminded.

Sun Bing and Liang Fengyang readily agreed.

Liang Fengyang asked, “Then how will you make the white sugar business known everywhere?”

Gu Zhengchen picked up some white sugar and let it slip from his palm, softly saying, “This is simple. Just give it a name that people will remember after hearing it once and want to tell others about. Listen—how about this name...”

Sun Bing and Liang Fengyang left, full of admiration.

Large quantities of brown sugar began to be transported to Dayan Village. The villagers, enjoying a brief rest after the summer harvest, seized the opportunity to work. Considering the prospects of white sugar, the Sun and Liang families also built white sugar workshops in their own yards.

On June 15th, a product named “Juren White Sugar” appeared simultaneously in shops across Teng County, Zou County, Rencheng, Jining, and Qufu, accompanied by a gentle and moving story:

In Teng County, there was a scholar, poor and without support.
He dreamed of the white sugar method, showing filial piety and kindness.
Eating the white sugar, he passed the Juren exam and returned home.

A folk rhyme spread among children:

Eat white sugar, pass the Juren;
Pass the filial and incorruptible exam, lift your spirits...

By linking white sugar with the imperial exams, recommendations, filial piety, and vitality, and branding it with the prestigious “Juren” title to catch attention, the white sugar immediately attracted the interest of wealthy families, who eagerly purchased it. Ordinary households followed suit, saving and scrimping just to have some white sugar at home, even using it as a talisman to protect their household...