Still standing on the platform, Simon’s face flushed crimson, a mix of anger and humiliation coursing through him. Not only had he been bested by his so-called "worthless" brother, Jace, but he had also lost the prestigious title of "God’s Strongest" of the Persian Empire.
Seething with rage, Simon concocted a scheme to bring Jace down. He ordered the official in charge of salt distribution to replace all the refined salt in Jace's manor with coarse salt.
Meanwhile, still basking in the thrill of his victory, Jace returned to the manor, only to be greeted by its dilapidated state. He stood in the doorway, staring in disbelief.
“What? This is the second prince’s estate? It’s less luxurious than an ordinary home! No wonder history books describe him as the least favored prince,” Jace muttered, brushing dust off a nearby vase, his gaze sweeping over the run-down room.
After a long day of competition, Jace’s stomach growled with hunger. He approached the dining table, where the servants had prepared a meal. Without a second thought, he sat down and began devouring the food.
“Ugh! Why is this so salty? Who’s responsible for this?” he sputtered, spitting out the overly salted food. The dishes were nearly inedible, coated in large granules of coarse salt, overwhelming in their brininess.
A maid dropped to her knees, her voice trembling. “My prince, we’ve long since fallen out of favor. The coarse salt was all the salt official provided. They refused to give us any fine salt.”
“This coarse salt wouldn’t even be fit for poultry in the modern world; it’s only used in industrial processing,” Jace thought bitterly to himself.
“Come with me. We’re going to the kitchen,” Jace ordered, leading the two remaining servants towards the kitchen. When they pushed open the door, they found it almost empty, save for a small amount of rice. The two servants exchanged confused glances, unsure of what Jace intended to do.
“First, we need to dissolve the coarse salt in water,” Jace instructed. He filled a large pot with water and added the coarse salt, stirring it with a wooden stick until the salt completely dissolved.
“Next, we’ll filter out the insoluble impurities,” Jace continued. He fashioned a simple filter using a clean cloth and carefully poured the saltwater into another container, leaving the impurities trapped in the cloth.
“Now, we need to heat the saltwater to evaporate the water,” Jace said, lighting the stove and placing the filtered saltwater over the fire. He waited patiently as the water evaporated, allowing the salt crystals to reform.
Once most of the water had evaporated, he removed the pot and began collecting the fine salt crystals. He dried the crystals with a clean cloth, ensuring no excess moisture remained.
“The final step is to further purify the fine salt crystals,” Jace explained as he placed the dried salt crystals into a smaller pot and heated them again, evaporating the last traces of moisture until the crystals became even purer and finer.
After hours of meticulous work, Jace held a handful of pure, fine salt, the crystals sparkling like tiny diamonds in his palm.
“This is exactly what I learned in high school physics—refining coarse salt into fine salt. Who would’ve thought it would come in handy someday?” Jace mused with a satisfied smile.
Exiting the kitchen, Jace carried the refined salt and, with his servants, headed straight to the salt officials’ department. The officials at the entrance exchanged mocking glances, whispering among themselves, “Does this weakling really think he can take out his frustrations on us?”
But as Jace approached, his servants revealed the gleaming fine salt crystals. The salt merchants and officials were left dumbfounded.
“This salt is so pure and pristine, its quality surpasses even what we produce in the Salt Ministry!” one of them exclaimed.
Soon, word spread throughout the capital about how the fourth prince, Jace, had accidentally refined salt of unparalleled quality. The tale of his unexpected achievement became the talk of the city.
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