Chapter 531: Loving Money Is Loving His Majesty the Emperor

The only sound in the entire hall was Yan Shaoting's deafening voice.

What he said about re-establishing the Money Bureau, setting up the Gold, Silver and Copper Bank, accepting and exchanging scrapped banknotes, and printing gold, silver and copper notes, had already deeply penetrated the ears of everyone present.

Almost subconsciously.

When Yan Shaoting finished speaking, Li Chunfang blurted out.

"With all these changes, where is the concern for the 200-year-old laws established by our ancestors?"

Lord Li's face was filled with surprise and uneasiness, but one could tell from his expression that he was just blurting out those words out of shock and worry.

Yan Shaoting just glanced at the other person silently.

Most people tend to react like this when faced with this kind of thing.

Because when faced with new and unknown things, these people will suddenly find that there is nothing to learn from or compare to, so they will become more and more eager to find possible corresponding things from things that have happened in the past.

Once they cannot find anything corresponding to it, they will be terrified by the impact and danger that this new thing may bring.

At this moment, Li Chunfang was more afraid and worried about the emergence of new money offices and gold, silver and copper shops in the Ming Dynasty out of ignorance than he was dissatisfied with the new policies of the court.

And Yan Shaoting did not say that the laws of the world are immutable.

Nor did they argue whether the ancestral laws can be changed.

even.

He simply ignored Li Chunfang's questions.

Yan Shaoting looked at Zhu Zaigui and Gao Gong. "The court had a very difficult time in the past few years. Not only was the treasury empty, but there were also a lot of deficits. Every year, we had to eat up the food we had in the previous year. In the past few years, the court has made a lot of changes, and the situation has slowly changed. The deficits of the court have been paid off, and the treasury has gradually become full. The local grain depots along the canal have also stored countless grain and grass supplies. Even the Ministry of Revenue's Taicang is full of silver, and the storehouses of the inner government treasury are filled with countless gold."

See Yan Shaoting start to reveal his family background.

Everyone present showed a hint of pride and honor on their faces.

Regardless of whether this change was due to them, the fact that the court had become rich was a real fact, and they would naturally feel the same way and share in the honor as they were in the court.

Even Gao Gong couldn't help but sigh and praise: "Many things here were done by Runwu himself, which led to the improvement of the court situation today."

Gao Gong was never prepared to deny the contributions of the Yan family and Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting nodded and bowed in response.

Then.

He added: "The court now looks like a riot of colour, with countless provisions and mountains of gold and silver in the treasury. But these things will eventually run out, and the people of our dynasty have always been fond of lavish burials, burying the dead with gold and silver. The court now has a lot of gold and silver because of the opening of the sea, and it has not yet been revealed. But what if there is a change overseas one day and there is no longer so much gold and silver flowing in?"

This is actually a very typical Central Plains cultural tradition.

It has been passed down from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the present day.

As long as people had a little power and status, they would want to continue to enjoy the world after death. So the people in the Central Plains began to sacrifice people and horses, and then made exquisite funeral objects, and buried a large amount of gold and silver in the tombs.

Yan Shaoting dared to swear that if large-scale excavation was carried out in the areas of Xi'an and Luoyang now, countless gold and silver could be dug out.

This incident also reflects a problem, that is, the liquidity of Central Plains’ wealth is actually very poor.

Since the wealthy have no way of using their wealth elsewhere, they can easily choose to take their wealth with them to the underworld.

But the current Ming Dynasty society also determined that it was impossible to solve the problem of wealth liquidity in a short period of time.

Therefore, he could only take action from the legal and legal level to artificially prevent the unnatural loss and loss of gold and silver.

Ever since.

Yan Shaoting took out several gold and silver coins produced in Oloba from his sleeve.

On these gold and silver coins, there were only some simple olive branch patterns and portraits of people he did not recognize.

As more and more foreign businessmen came to Ming Dynasty in recent years, everyone recognized that the gold and silver coins Yan Shaoting took out were the currencies of the distant western European countries.

Yan Shaoting said, "Your Highness, today I advise to change the Ministry of Revenue's Baochao Tizhu Division to the Ming Dynasty's Money Division, because in our dynasty, not only Baochao can be used as a commodity for trading, but also gold, silver and copper coins can be used in combination. In this way, changing the Baochao Division to the Money Division will make it easier for the court to manage it."

"I dare not speak of the Qin Emperor, but the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, established the measurement system, standardized the writing system, abolished the laws of the six kingdoms, and implemented the system of prefectures and counties, which was to implement a law for the whole country. Only in this way could the Han Dynasty prosper for 400 years."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Yan Shaoting who was talking, glanced at Gao Gong, and then looked down at the Europa gold and silver coins that Yan Shaoting took out.

He hesitated and asked, "Does Runwu want our dynasty to also mint such gold and silver coins? And use the Qiansi that you proposed to be transferred from the Baochao Tizhusi of the Ministry of Revenue to be responsible for minting new coins?"

"Your Highness is wise."

Yan Shaoting put his hands together and bowed, then continued: "I have observed that all foreign countries have gold and silver coins. Although our dynasty produces little gold and silver, we have a vast amount of gold and silver. Now that the Ming Dynasty has opened up the sea for several years, and its goods are exported all over the world, how can we prevent the world from seeing our Ming Dynasty's gold and silver coins?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chunfang, who had been silent for a long time, spoke again.

"I have also listened to what Runwu said for a long time. However, as Runwu said, our dynasty has allowed the use of gold and silver since the time of Emperor Yingzong. Civilians and merchants have already used gold and silver for transactions. Isn't it more laborious to mint gold and silver coins?"

Without waiting for Yan Shaoting to speak.

Li Chunfang smiled and said, "The minting of gold and silver will increase the government's expenditure, which will add another expense. As Runwu and I are at the center of this issue, how can we not be aware of it?"

After asking, Li Chunfang looked at Yan Shaoting with a smile and deep eyes.

He asked cryptically.

But the rebuttal is also very strong.

One can even infer from his words that Yan Shaoting is going to do something that will cost the people a lot of money and time.

Even Zhu Zaigui understood it in an instant.

The questioning eyes were also cast towards Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting just smiled and said, "What Lord Li asked is exactly what I just mentioned. The court should change the Ministry of Revenue's Treasure Notes Department into the Ming Dynasty's Money Department, determine the exchange rate of gold, silver and copper coins, and mint new coins."

After finishing speaking, Yan Shaoting turned his gaze back to Li Chunfang.

Since the fall of Xu Jie, the influence of the old party in the court has declined significantly. Now, only Li Chunfang is left to support the court.

And he was already thinking, if he could get the Qian Company established this time, could he use it to harvest another wave of the Qingliu Old Party and the Jiangnan gentry behind them.

After observing the expressions of the people, Yuan Wei asked with a smile before Li Chunfang, who was about to speak, "Runwu said that he wanted to set up a money office and build a gold, silver and copper bank in the local area. I think he has a specific plan. Why not tell us about it first and discuss it with us?"

Li Chunfang was about to speak, but seeing that Yuan Wei had already spoken, she had no choice but to shut up silently.

Yan Shaoting smiled knowingly, turned around and looked at Zhu Zaigui and Gao Gong again: "Your Highness, Prime Minister. In our Central Plains, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and even in the early days of the country, the gold-silver exchange rate among the people has always been between five and six exchanges. One ounce of gold can be exchanged for five or six ounces of silver. This number has not changed much for hundreds of years."

"Recently, our dynasty has been trading with many foreign countries, and with the opening of the sea for trade, more and more silver has been pouring in from overseas. Nowadays, the ratio of gold to silver among the people is roughly one ounce of gold for ten ounces of silver. The ratio of silver to copper coins has always had a fixed value. Based on the small amount of Tongbao minted by our dynasty, one ounce of silver is worth a thousand coins."

"I think that if the court were to establish a money bureau, it could follow the current gold, silver and copper exchange rates and set the ratio of gold, silver and copper coins at 1:10 and 10,000, and make this a permanent rule. In this way, no matter if our court has more gold or silver, or lacks copper, the exchange rate will remain unchanged, and the court and the people can use it at ease."

Seeing Yan Shaoting paused.

Yuan Wei immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, since the Spring and Warring States Period, there has been a saying in our Central Plains that one gold is worth ten thousand coins. Now if we really follow what guest Yan said and set a permanent price ratio for gold, silver and copper, it would be in line with etiquette and rules, and it would also be a reference for the traditions of the past dynasties."

Yan Shaoting cast a look at Yuan Wei.

This Lord Yuan has found a way for himself that is not based on the laws passed down by his ancestors.

He continued, "It is well known that our dynasty is short of copper now. The output of gold and silver is basically fixed every year. The court is currently producing copper, hiding in Yunnan and other places, affected by local fluctuations. However, it can be seen that overseas silver is still pouring in in large quantities. If the ratio of gold, silver and copper coins is set at this moment, the court can stabilize the prices of private goods. Although our dynasty is short of copper now, there is an influx of overseas silver to supplement it. In this way, we can prevent the situation where silver is cheap and copper is expensive, and both harm the people." Having said that, Yan Shaoting has basically finished his core argument.

He also chose to shut up and silently waited for the reactions of everyone present.

Because the Ming Dynasty did not have a formal currency and laws from the beginning, many wealthy gentry could plunder the wealth of the people simply by relying on gold and silver without resorting to trade.

What he mentioned today is actually to give gold and silver real monetary value.

As a result, the local gentry and wealthy families could only manipulate the prices of goods, and could no longer directly and violently exploit the common people through the price exchange rate of gold, silver and copper.

Even if there is trouble locally, it will only be confined to a few commodities.

According to Yan Shaoting's understanding of these people, they would definitely choose to tamper with daily necessities such as food and salt. But as long as they choose to do so, they will suffer the consequences.

"This... seems to be a good idea..."

After a while, Zhu Zaigui gradually understood some of the truth and looked up at Gao Gong and others.

Gao Gong frowned slightly, although he was unwilling to admit it.

But he knew in his heart that Yan Shaoting's method was correct.

Although officials and civilians across the country could use gold and silver, the imperial court never allowed them to become currency, nor did it have any specific management measures.

If gold, silver and copper coins could now be managed in the same way, the benefits to the court would naturally be immeasurable.

Seeing that everyone's face has changed.

Yan Shaoting continued to follow the trend and said, "Our dynasty has changed its money department to collect gold, silver, and copper as banknotes, so it is natural to mint new coins. We can imitate Western European countries and print the image of our emperor on gold and silver coins to promote the circulation of gold, silver, and copper coins and prevent wealthy families from hoarding and burying gold and silver."

Talk about it.

In fact, throughout the dynasties in the Central Plains, at least at the central court level, it has always been forbidden for the people to use gold and silver for lavish burials.

However, people have always believed that the dead are the most important and funerals are the most serious.

As soon as Yan Shaoting finished speaking.

Zhu Zaigui and others were also delighted.

Once the newly minted gold, silver and copper coins of the imperial court were printed with the emperor's image, who among the local wealthy families and common people would dare to use these things as burial objects?

They don't even dare to melt it privately.

Once discovered.

Then you can be charged with high treason for deceiving the emperor.

I have another question for you, are you using the emperor to bury the dead in your family?
But it was still Li Chunfang.

Li Ge Lao immediately asked back: "How can the majesty of our emperor be printed on coins and circulated in the hands of hundreds of millions of people every day? Isn't this also a blasphemy against our emperor?"

Zhu Zaigui, Gao Gong and others were originally surprised by Yan Shaoting's suggestion that could prevent ordinary people from being buried with the dead. After hearing this, they immediately turned their eyes to Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting was not in a hurry.

He looked calm as he recalled Yan Shifan's past words and deeds.

then.

He used the sophistry skill that was probably unique to the Yan family.

"Your Highness, all the elders."

"To print the image of our emperor on gold, silver and copper coins is to offend our emperor. But in other words, money is something that everyone desires and everyone secretly wishes for. If the image of our emperor is on gold, silver and copper coins, the millions of people in our dynasty, whether officials or civilians, will all pursue profit, wouldn't that also be worshipping our emperor who has his image printed on gold, silver and copper coins?"

"It is said that everyone loves money. The common people love gold, silver and copper coins in their hands, just as they love His Majesty the Emperor."

When Yan Shaoting's sophistry ended.

Li Chunfang's face was stunned.

He really didn't expect that Yan Shaoting could be so shameless to give such reasons and explanations!

Lord Li couldn't figure it out.

How did Yan Shaoting equate love of money with love for the Emperor?

Loving money means loving His Majesty the Emperor?
So shameless!
Yuan Wei nodded and said, "Money is wealth, wealth gives birth to power, wealth and power give birth to each other, this is a very good numerology. Only those with great luck can receive it, and the emperor of our dynasty is the son of heaven, with prosperous luck, printed on gold, silver and copper coins. With wealth and power giving birth to each other, he should be rich and prosperous, and have continuous good luck."

Sometimes Yan Shaoting admires people like Yuan Wei.

No matter what the matter is, they can always explain it clearly and make it difficult for people to refute it easily.

I am still at the level of sophistry.

Lord Yuan directly elevated it to the level of numerology.

It might have been considered a blasphemy against His Majesty the Emperor.

Now it has completely become a saying that the emperor's fortune is prosperous.

He blinked at Yuan Wei.

Yan Shaoting secretly gave the other party a thumbs up in his heart.

He was also sorting out the follow-up explanation for his intention to establish the Ming Money Bureau and the Gold, Silver and Copper Bank.

Let’s look at Li Chunfang again.

When Yuan Wei talked about the numerology theory that wealth and official positions are mutually beneficial, Lord Li was completely disappointed.

Zhu Zaigui had even begun to fantasize about his image being printed on the newly minted gold, silver and copper coins, being worshipped by people all over the world, and enjoying good luck, a long life and good health.

after all.

I will ascend the throne and become the emperor tomorrow.

Naturally, his image would be on the gold, silver and copper coins!
Zhu Zaigui, who was about to be promoted to the position of Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, immediately looked at Yan Shaoting with fiery eyes.

"Moisturize things."

"Today you have already talked about the money department and the new currency. These methods... I think they are all very good."

"Hurry up and tell me and the elders about your gold, silver and copper shop and the gold, silver and copper notes."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spoke in an urgent tone.

I have even started to draw inferences from what I have learned.

Since you can print your own image on gold, silver and copper coins.

So, can’t it be printed on gold, silver and copper notes?
It's all possible!

…………

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(End of this chapter)