The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 855
The winter in Guanzhong this year is unexpectedly cold. It is not yet the middle of the twelfth lunar month. The sky was clear just now, but it became dark in a blink of an eye. Not long after, another heavy snow fell from the sky, covering Qinchuan eight hundred miles away In the world of ice and snow.

Although the weather is cold, it is a good time to step on the snow and look for plum blossoms.

Yang Tong, who has been busy for a period of time, is also rarely free. After all, the ancient way of life is single, and so is government affairs; although there are many annual summaries and plans for the coming year submitted by counties and counties, they are nothing more than farmland water conservancy and construction of official roads. , Reinforcing river embankments, repairing city pools, repairing school buildings, etc. It’s nothing more than infrastructure construction. Read a few more copies, and you can always see the patterns from them, and then make plans based on the local population.

Furthermore, a dynasty built from the ruins is always clearer than the later generations. Corrupt officials are the least mentioned period. Most of the officials are carefully selected and pragmatic officials. The actual content is not as complicated as the middle and late stages.

Moreover, the political system of "Cabinet discussion, Zhongshu Province drafting edicts, Menxia Province reviewing, and Shangshu Province implementing" is becoming more and more perfect under the collective wisdom and efforts of all. Therefore, even if Yang Tong seems not busy, the court's handling of affairs has always been extremely high, which made him There are not many things to worry about. As for the matter of assassins, it is handed over to the Black Ice Platform for supervision. There are only more than 2000 people, so it is not a big deal.

In the next few days, apart from reading official documents and dealing with government affairs that courtiers can't control, Yang Tong spends most of the time with his beautiful wives and concubines, as if he wished to have countless children.

Today's Jiang Fengyi has been canonized as Zhaoyi, and is the same as the second grade of Zhaorong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong, and Chongyuan. First of all, it is not comparable to other eight concubines, but if it is in an ordinary family, it is just a proper concubine.

Taking a concubine is different from marrying a wife, as long as the regular wife nods, but after all, she has made great contributions to Tai Sui, so naturally she can't show any ceremony. Originally, Wei Fengwu also planned to make formal arrangements.

But Jiang Fengyi was unwilling because she didn't want more people to know that she was Princess Yicheng.After all, for the courtiers, even if the emperor accepts a woman casually, it is more important than ordinary courtiers. If there is a ceremony, the civil and military officials will definitely give gifts one after another, and then they will have to receive the female relatives of each family. If so, wouldn't the whole city know ?If it really caused a disturbance in the city, it would be bad for her, Yang Tong, and the Sui royal family's reputation.Therefore, just like Xiao Yuexian and Lu Qinghua back then, they simply entertained the members of the royal family, engraved the genealogy of the famous Zongzheng Temple, and officially became the members of the royal family.

The fact that Yang Tong accepted Jiang's surname Zhaoyi started to spread in Daxing official circles, but the royal family followed the etiquette system and did not accept concubine rituals. Everyone only knew that Yang Tong had an extra woman, and the heated discussion passed within a few days up.

After a few days of shameless life, Yang Tong received the civil and military ministers in the beautiful landscape pavilion.

The lotus pond in the garden is frozen.

In the gazebo by the pool, a court lady had already prepared a charcoal stove and clay pot, and put a wind fence around it to keep the cold out.

In addition to the small sound of falling snowflakes and the gurgling of a kettle on a small red clay stove, there is the sound of flipping books.

The palace ladies were all sent away, and only a group of bigwigs were reading the articles in the upcoming special issue of "Ban Yue Tan of the Great Sui Dynasty" in the gazebo.

This special issue mainly focuses on monetary policy. It not only introduces in detail how to distinguish the authenticity of banknotes, but also adds official storage and lending services.

Yang Tong picked up the white and delicate white jade teacup, looked at the crystal clear and emerald green tea soup, and took a sip, a sweet aftertaste lingered in his mouth, fresh and sweet, seeing that everyone was almost finished reading, he put it down The teacup said: "The economy of the Sui Dynasty is recovering day by day, and the number of merchants traveling between the Sui Dynasty and various countries is also increasing day by day, and their wealth will continue to expand in the future. An organization dedicated to managing money will become more and more necessary. Therefore, I plan to separate the bank from the Ministry of Commerce. In addition to exchanging coins, the scope of jurisdiction includes storage, borrowing and other businesses. And this storage business is mainly aimed at ordinary people..."

Seeing everyone watching, Yang Tong introduced in detail: "Rich people not only have high-walled courtyards to protect them, but even have secret rooms for storing money, but ordinary people do not have such good conditions. If thieves or robbers enter If the imperial court opens a storage business, people can deposit their excess money in the county bank on a voluntary basis, and then the bank will issue a certificate. If money is needed, the people can Pick it up at any time. For the common people, no one’s money will be lost, and it’s far safer to store it in the official treasury than at home.”

Yang Gongren nodded and said: "Nowadays, there are supply and marketing cooperatives in every county, and even some prosperous counties are gradually opening up. From this point of view, sooner or later it will become popular all over the world, and money houses will follow suit. If storage functions are added, it will be good for the common people. Things!"

"Storage is a matter of benefiting the people, and I have no objection." Wei Zheng bowed, and then said solemnly: "But borrowing goods is similar to Ziqian's family and loan sharks. I oppose this kind of plundering of people's hard-earned money. As."

The Ziqian family is a private usury that has existed since the Han Dynasty, while usury is a usury created by monks. These two kinds of usury specialize in taking advantage of people's dangers, making troubles, collaborating with brothels, gambling houses, and local hooligans, resulting in the ruin of many families. Corruption, only desperate people would borrow this kind of money.

The faces of the others were also very unnatural, obviously they did not agree with this behavior of destroying the court's reputation.

"Everyone can rest assured, I will definitely not do such vicious things." Yang Tong gave everyone a satisfactory answer, and seeing everyone's expressions turned slightly pale, he continued: "Although temple loan sharks have been banned, child money The family has also disappeared in the troubled times, but before that, the common people know that these two kinds of money will kill the whole family, so they want to borrow it. It can be seen that there will be many people who need to borrow money urgently. As long as the common people need money urgently , then the Ziqian family and loan sharks will make a comeback sooner or later, which is a phenomenon that no one can avoid."

Everyone was silent. Although there were no such sayings as "demand determines the market" or "where there is a market, there will be harm", it does not mean that everyone does not understand this truth.

Unless everyone is as rich as they are, there is no such thing as life-saving money, but is it possible?It was impossible, because ninety-nine percent of the poor in the Sui Dynasty were poor. If these poor people had three disasters or six diseases, borrowing money would become popular, and this was the natural place for usury to breed.

Seeing that everyone agrees with his point of view, Yang Tong continued: "Since everyone knows that it cannot be avoided, then the matter of borrowing goods should be handled by the imperial court. Although a certain interest will be charged, at least it will not cause trouble for the common people. At the same time, it can prevent Ziqian's family and loan sharks from poisoning the world again."

Ling Jing said: "The common people hate loan sharks, but they can't do without loan sharks. This is the reason why the Ziqian family and the Yinzi family have continued to pass on and become more and more fierce. If the imperial court initiates loans, the people can borrow life-saving money. It's an act of kindness."

"But I don't know how much the Holy Majesty will charge?"

"The imperial court does not aim to make money, but to meet people's needs. Naturally, it will not make a profit. Therefore, I plan to use the principal as the basis, and set the interest at three types, three per thousand per year, and two per thousand per year. Four, five thousandths in three years. If the full amount is returned within half a year, no profit will be collected."

Everyone nodded their heads, this is almost negligible compared with the loan sharks and loan sharks who borrow ten to five and six profit at every turn.

"People need to pay profits when borrowing money, so storage can also be profitable." Yang Tong in turn introduced the storage business, "People can deposit their idle money in banks to obtain profits, and they can get three thousandths of a year or two years. 1/2, 2/3 for [-] years, [-]/[-] for [-] years, [-]/[-] for [-] years. If a person who signed a five-year term of deposit needs to take it out urgently during this period, he will only return it in less than a year. For the capital, one-year interest will be given for [-]-[-] years, and two-year interest will be paid for [-]-[-] years..."

"Using the benefits of saving and borrowing to balance each other, the court will not suffer losses, and the people will have their own gains. It is really good governance! My ministers agree." Kong Yingda said.

"My lord, I have a question." Wei Zheng cupped his hands and said.

"Go ahead."

"What if the people never go to the village? Can't their fields and houses be confiscated?" Wei Zheng asked a key question.

"If you don't pay it back, don't pay it back." Yang Tong said with a smile.

"what?"

Everyone was in an uproar, they didn't expect Yang Tong to give such an answer.

"Really?" Wei Zheng asked forcefully.

Yang Tong nodded and said, "If the borrower is insolvent, or unable to repay the principal and interest, he can apply for bankruptcy to the local criminal department."

"What is bankruptcy?" Wei Zheng frowned.

Yang Tong introduced: "Bankruptcy is an act of the imperial court to protect the borrowers. When the borrowers are unable to repay the principal and interest, the imperial court will not only cancel the unpaid debts, but also will not touch his fields and real estate, so that they will not be cornered. , and take risks. Of course, not everyone can apply for bankruptcy. It must be strictly reviewed by the local government, the local criminal department, and the local imperial department, and then reviewed by the county level; if someone is clearly able to repay , but maliciously file for bankruptcy and blackmail the court, that will also be punished accordingly."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. No one thought that Yang Tong would be so generous. Compared with his son Qian's family and loan sharks, the bankruptcy system of the imperial court is simply a blessing for the desperate people.

Li Jing shook his gray head, and said in admiration: "I have lived for most of my life, and I can barely be called a well-informed person. I always think that the rebellion of the people is actually caused by the fact that I can't survive. As long as there is a little bit of life , and will not take risks by stealing, stealing and abducting. If this bank is to be spread all over the world, the common people can not only borrow money to save themselves from danger and regain their lives, save many human tragedies, but also save money and make profits, which is enough to prevent many crimes from happening again .”

"What Zhongshu Ling said is very true. The interest rate is so low, and the bankruptcy system protects the borrowers. The loan from the imperial bank is a life-saving act." Wei Yunqi said.

"Wei Chen also supports such a bank." Liu Zhenghui said, "Ziqian's family and loan sharks will only plunder crazily, causing countless human tragedies. The imperial court's loans are based on the interests and lives of the people in the world. A loss, but compared to the peace of the world, it is nothing."

"My minister seconded the proposal." Fang Xuanling also bowed.

"My minister seconded the proposal."

Immediately, all the bigwigs supported it one after another, and the proposal for the independence of the bank was unanimously approved.

"The business of saving money and borrowing money is mainly aimed at ordinary people, and they may not be able to visit the county government several times in their lifetime. In order to avoid being too complicated and bring statistical troubles to the officials, in principle, it is based on the principle that the money does not go out of the county. By the way, the name of the bank is not good, so it will be called the National Bank of the Sui Dynasty in the future, and it will still be under the name of the Ministry of Commerce. The grades of the central officials will be compared with the divisions, and the local officials will be in accordance with the officials of the counties and counties." Yang Tong said again.

"Here."

Everyone nodded. Silver coin is a currency between gold coin and copper coin, and it is one of the main currencies in the Sui Dynasty. A bank is a commercial bank, and 'bank' means a silver commercial bank, which is very appropriate.

Yang Gongren asked: "Is there a reason for the common people to borrow money?"

Yang Tong glanced at Yang Gongren appreciatively, nodded and said, "The money bank should not be too complicated when it is being created at a young age. It should be opened to people who encounter natural disasters and diseases first, and then open to other directions when the system is mature. As for those who have a good reputation in the local The very worst ruffians, hooligans, slackers, and bullies will not be borrowed at all."

"This kind of people are idle, lazy, and let the fertile land go to waste, so they shouldn't borrow it." Kong Yingda praised.

After the main content was finished, the monarchs and ministers discussed other matters one by one.

When encountering any questions, Yang Tong answered them one by one.

Although he doesn't focus on financial business, a lot of common knowledge is unheard of here, but no matter what kind of business, the purpose is to benefit and facilitate the people, making people hard to pick.

After the discussion, the special issue that has already been printed will be released immediately.

. . . . . . . . . .

Although "Ban Yue Tan of the Great Sui Dynasty" was not issued many times, it represented the mouthpiece of the Sui Dynasty court. Every time it was released, there were many contents closely related to the people of the world, so when the special issue came out, it was sold out immediately.People who buy publications will naturally see the front page first.

When they saw the content of the official establishment of the "Da Sui National Bank" and various businesses, they all started discussing it enthusiastically.

"What's the difference between this bank and Ziqian's family and loan sharks? I didn't expect that the imperial court would want to make money with such bloody money. It's really disappointing." A reader from Changjie, West Mayor of Daxing The student roared angrily, "We should report to Jijiu, please Jijiu to come forward and ask the Holy One to cancel this bank."

"That is, Ziqian's family and loan sharks have caused many people to go bankrupt since ancient times. How can the Holy One release loan sharks? It must be deceived by treacherous officials."

The name "Ziqian Family" comes from "Historical Records Huozhi Biography", which is a product of the Western Han Dynasty. He has only one business, which is usury, and usury is often linked to dirty, dark and bloody killings. In ancient times, once the common people fell into usury, their families would be ruined and their wives and children separated. Therefore, it has been notorious since ancient times.

Although it has a bad reputation, its demand is too wide, so it has always existed in the past dynasties, especially when a dynasty loses order, it becomes even more presumptuous and arrogant, like a gadfly sucking blood, squeezing the blood of the people, shaking the foundation of the dynasty, and facing the troubled times. The advent of the Bank played a role in fueling the flames, thus accelerating the birth of the battle for dynasty change, and because of this, everyone is extremely disgusted with banks that have lending business.

The Sui Dynasty headed by Yang Tong has a good reputation and credibility among the people. Yang Tong is even more sacred in the hearts of the people. Yang Tong is deceived.

"The dangers of the Ziqian family and loan sharks are introduced in detail below. Can you wait to read the article before making any comments?" A student snorted coldly: "And the National Bank of Sui is not a Zijia money, loan sharks. , the real purpose is to let the people borrow life-saving money from the imperial court when they are desperate. There is no need to pay it back. If you look at the interest again, it is not even one in ten thousand of Ziqian’s family and loan sharks, and there is no rolling interest.”

"According to historical records, many dynasties faced the dilemma of lack of money, let alone ordinary people like us? If we encounter difficulties, and our relatives and friends have no money to borrow, then we can only embark on the road of no return by borrowing usury. And the existence of this bank has completely knocked out the Ziqian family and loan sharks, so that the common people can make money with spare money, and save lives at a small price when they are short of money. The Qian family, the usury side?"

Another student said: "The imperial court is worried that the people's hard-earned money will be stolen by thieves, so they encourage everyone to deposit the money in the bank, and even repay the money in order to help the people. For the people, this can prevent theft. , can also make money, and the profit obtained is exactly the same as that of borrowing. That is to say, if the people deposit a yiguan and the imperial court lends a yiguan, then the imperial court will not earn a penny. So after calculation, the benefited People who save money."

"Yes, as long as there are poor people, as long as there are natural disasters, people will borrow money. This is unavoidable in any dynasty. The bank is an institution that came into being to bring the chaotic lending under the jurisdiction of the court. Since then , Ziqian’s family and loan sharks cannot survive, and the common people also have ways to borrow money.”

"That's right. Ziqian's family and loan sharks use unscrupulous means to make money and squeeze the blood of the people, while bank lending is to benefit the people who save and borrow. Even when encountering a bankrupt borrower, the court will suffer a blood loss. This is real good governance. .”

As the saying goes, the more arguments become clearer, when everyone calmly reads the detailed introductions of various businesses, and the Ziqian family, loan sharks, and the true meaning of the court that serve as negative teaching materials, they gradually calm down.

"Yes, yes, I have also seen the detailed introduction." The student who opposed before was ashamed, and even considered it from the perspective of the court, and said with some concern: "There are countless people in the world. If everyone goes bankrupt, the court will go bankrupt again." How can you bear it?"

"You are crying while reading "Spring and Autumn", and you are worried about the ancients." One person said with a smile: "In fact, the imperial court has considered these issues very clearly, and has written out the direction of making money very frankly. Among them is this money order .If I want to go to Luoyang City to do a big business, I need a principal of [-] guan. The [-] guan cannot even pull a horse-drawn carriage. If I exchange it for a hundred gold coins or gold tickets, it is easy, but the road is not safe. .”

Everyone nodded. Hundreds of gold coins or the corresponding gold tickets are huge sums of money. If someone targets them and robs them halfway, the loss will be disastrous.

"If you deposit the [-] guan in the Daxingcheng Bank and issue a money order, you can take this thin piece of paper and carry it close to your body. You can easily reach Luoyang without worrying about loss or theft. Among them, the bank will charge [-]% one of the costs."

"That is to say, this ten thousand guan needs to give the bank [-] guan?" Everyone was dumbfounded.

They finally understood why the imperial court didn't have to worry about being dragged down by bankrupt borrowers. If this kind of money order prevailed in the world, the one percent commission of the countless tens of millions would not be a small sum.

"What is this little money to a big businessman who travels thousands of miles? If you hire a young and strong escort all the way, you may pay more. Of course, the imperial court is not a Ziqian family whose purpose is to make money, so the draft Cheng has also stipulated that the minimum fee standard is one tranche and one penny for remittance, and the highest is consistent. Always money."

The flying money business that was popular in later generations charged one-tenth of the fee, so no one used it at all in the end. Of course, Yang Tong would not make such a mistake, and set the charging standard at a range acceptable to all parties from the beginning.

"Although Yiguan's money is not a small amount! But compared to the risks that businessmen who travel thousands of miles have to bear, it is very worthwhile, and they don't care about such a small amount of money."

"That's acceptable!"

But some people also raised questions: "Aren't money orders the same as gold and silver bills?"

"Of course it's different. Gold and silver tickets are the same as money. If you lose them, others can use them. Money orders are documents that cannot be used directly. You must go to the bank to exchange them for gold, silver, copper coins, or gold and silver tickets. Moreover, seals and code words are needed, and no one can take away a penny except yourself, and when it comes to safety, it must be a money order."

"..."

With the release of this special issue, there has been a lot of discussion in Daxing. In the eyes of ordinary people, banks are just for talking, while in the eyes of businessmen, they are more convenient and safer tools.

What really caught people's attention and shocked them was a seemingly inconspicuous little game that actually exposed the tricks of Zijia money and loan sharks—that is, the penny murder case in which Zhu Yuanzhang killed Shen Wansan, the richest man in Ming Dynasty.

One penny was not much for the people of the Sui Dynasty, but after doubling it for a month, it reached a shocking 5.37 million yuan.This allowed the common people to have the clearest and most intuitive understanding of the dangers of Ziqian family and loan sharks. Coupled with the promotion of the special issue of "Ban Yue Tan" and the constant harm of these two kinds of money, it made its already bad reputation even worse. Messy.

Even people who don't pay attention to "Half Moon Talk" and the bank know the game of "earning [-] million yuan a penny a month" very well through the spread of the neighbors. Zijia money and loan sharks are treated like scourges and avoided like snakes and scorpions.

(End of this chapter)