Daming: I, the emperor who trains the carpenter

Great Ming Cabinet,

After Zhang Haogu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Qian Qianyi returned to the cabinet, they called Zhang Ruitu, Huang Liji, and Qiao Yunsheng. The six members of the cabinet got together and started a plan for changing the silver standard to the gold standard.

"The development of the imperial court is based on the imperial court's control of its own currency. Whether it is large copper coins, broken silver coins, or gold and silver ingots, these things can be cast by the court, as well as by the people, and outsiders can also imitate them. The banknotes are unique to my Ming Dynasty, even if others have similar ones, they will not be able to imitate the treasured banknotes of the imperial court."

"This precious banknote is the confidence of the imperial court, and it is also the foundation of the imperial court's development of industry and commerce and trade with all nations. Previously, precious banknotes were linked to silver, and now there are more and more silver. If it continues, the silver held by the people and the silver held by the court As many or even more, the treasure banknotes will inevitably depreciate, and the prices of the court and the economy will also be affected."

"So, for the stability of the court and for the sake of the overall situation, the banknotes cannot continue to be pegged to silver. This is not in the interests of the court. His Majesty also asked me to wait for the past. After some discussion, he decided to change the banknotes to be linked to gold. Stabilize prices and the value of banknotes."

Zhang Haogu spoke slowly, setting the tone for the meeting.

Zhang Ruitu nodded: "It is one of the foundations for the issuance of treasure banknotes to be linked to silver, and it is also the economic policy that the imperial court once advocated. Now it is more in line with the current situation to change it to gold. But we must also consider those who hold a large amount of silver among the people, so they cannot cause riots."

Yes, how many folks in Ming Dynasty hold silver?

Today is not what it used to be, now Daming is a strong country and rich people.

What is the wealth of the people?It is not simply three meals a day, adequate food and clothing, surplus money on hand, and surplus food at home, in order to be considered well-off or wealthy.

Although it is said that precious banknotes are used for transactions in all parts of Ming Dynasty, who hasn't ordered silver and copper coins?
There are too many folk things like Tongbao making money and broken silver coins. There are also large chambers of commerce and gentry in the north and south, and they also store a large amount of silver in their cellars.

These silvers are the base money for them to establish chambers of commerce to do business, and they are also the main currency for trading with foreigners.

After all, not all foreigners use precious banknotes. Foreigners can naturally exchange silver for precious banknotes when trading in the Ming Dynasty.But when you leave Daming, you don’t need to go far away. Let’s talk about the Nanyang territory. Foreigners still prefer gold and silver, tea, silk, porcelain and other goods, and barter is also the mainstream.

What's more, now that merchants have gone to the Indian Ocean and Persia, the role of silver is even greater than that of banknotes.

Under trade, the amount of silver held by the people in recent years is very large.

With so much money, a word from the court is worthless. The big guys must have opinions, and if there is trouble, there will be turmoil.

Huang Liji took a sip of tea slowly: "The court has more and more silver, and the merchants have more. According to those Yidiyang people, there are many silver mines in the world. The mining is convenient and the circulation is fast. If there is too much silver, the price will be unstable, and this fluctuation is not a good thing for the court or the people."

"But the imperial court can't change it just by saying it. It still needs to give the merchants time to react. It's best to negotiate with the merchants to collect all the money and not let the merchants lose money."

It is the opinion of Zhang Ruitu and Huang Liji that the merchants should not lose money. Although they are not in charge of economics, who among the elders of Ming Dynasty can really understand economics at all?
Merchants are very important. The development of industry and commerce has led to the great industrial development of Ming Dynasty and the rise of national power. It cannot be abolished because of money.

Zhang Haogu said: "That's right. The imperial court is not trying to exhaust the river for fishing, nor is it trying to cut the merchants' flesh. There is too much silver, and the price fluctuates too much. In the past, what can be bought with a penny of silver can be bought for one or two now." Can't stop, if the price of silver collapses like this, the royal banknotes will also be gone."

"Now that the imperial court wants to reform, it is natural to consider those who have a lot of money. This Ming Dynasty not only has the imperial court, but also the people, and it is always necessary to discuss and discuss."

Qiao Yunsheng echoed: "Yuanfu is right. It is necessary for the imperial court to link the banknotes with silver instead of with gold, but it must also be done in a stable manner so as not to cause too much disturbance. The most important thing is to be able to communicate with the people. Alright. Now that His Majesty has decided to change, we must make a smooth transition to avoid turmoil among the people."

Zhang Haogu looked at Qian Qianyi and Lu Xiangsheng: "Lu Xiang, Qian Xiang, I will mainly leave this matter to you two. Discuss with the big guys and make a regulation."

Lu Xiangsheng and Qian Qianyi nodded. In the final analysis, this matter is still aimed at big households. After all, only large households have a lot of silver in their homes. The money in it is also worth more.

But big households have not only precious banknotes, but also silver, which requires communication.

Zhang Haogu looked at Zhang Ruitu again: "Mr. Zhang, Daming News should publish an article first. Let me briefly talk about how much silver the Ming court and the people have now. Is it a good thing for Daming? Should we continue to maintain the treasure?" Banknotes are linked to silver."

Zhang Ruitu smiled and said, "It's simple."

First throw out an article to test the waters and see the reactions of the people. The old practice of the imperial court, what policy was not like this before it was implemented?

After everyone discussed it, they went to work.

Soon, a new issue of Da Ming Pao came out. Although it was not the headline on the front page, an article was also on the front page. Its content was to question the silver standard that Da Ming implements today, which links the banknotes to silver.

The article clearly pointed out: the reason why the imperial court implemented the silver standard before is that the silver in the Ming Dynasty was plentiful. Although it will increase, it is stable and valuable. In addition, the imperial banknotes cannot be imitated. The same, so it can be widely implemented.

But now, as the imperial court opened up sea trade, and all countries came to the DPRK, whether it was the imperial court or the private sector, a large amount of gold and silver poured in in a short period of time. Gold is fortunately scarce and its price is stable, but silver has poured in in just a few years. The amount that came was greater than the amount held by the imperial court. How much money will flow into Daming in the future?

With so much money pouring in, wouldn't it be a disorder for Daming's market?After all, one tael of silver was equal to one thousand treasure bills in the past, and you could buy a lot of goods, including grain, meat, vegetables, preserved fruits and cloth, but now that there are too many silver coins, is the imperial court's treasure bills still worth it?Things that can be bought with one tael of silver in the past may not be enough now, and the money in the hands of the people is so much. Does this mean that the money in the hands of the people has shrunk invisibly?
After this article was published, it became a topic for the common people, but the money in the hands of the common people was scarce, and the discussion was over, but for the merchants, it was undoubtedly a harbinger of the court's movements.

Soon Jingshi Commercial Daily, Zhili Commercial Daily, Jinling Commercial Daily, Jianghuai Commercial Daily, Southeast Commercial Daily and other large commercial newspapers published this article. This article did not cause any disturbance among the common people, and attracted businessmen Great shock, the waves have risen!
In Prince Xin's Mansion, Zhang Jinrui held the newspaper and beamed with joy: "Your Highness, Your Highness, good news, great news!"

Zhu Youjian was very puzzled: "Mr. Zhang, what's the good news?"

Zhang Jinrui handed over the Da Ming Pao: "His Royal Highness Xin Wang, look, the imperial court is going to attack Yin Zi!"

Zhu Youjian was shocked and quickly read the newspaper: "Ah, the imperial court is going to attack the silver? Isn't this silver going to fall again?"

Zhang Jinrui nodded, but his expression couldn't hide his excitement: "Yes, the silver will definitely fall again, and this newspaper from the imperial court is an omen. But when the silver falls, we can buy it!"

Zhu Youjian didn't understand: "Mr. Zhang, the court obviously intends not to use silver. The price of silver has fallen, can it still rise?"

Zhang Jinrui laughed: "It can go up, it can go up! How much money do the people have now? How much money does the court have? The court said that money is worthless. How can the common people be willing? Can those big businessmen and gentry be willing? They are all their old friends. And I, Daming, traded with foreigners, did I get less money? This money can be used at any time."

"Therefore, it is impossible for the imperial court to completely abandon silver. Don't look at the imperial court wanting the price of silver to fall right now, it is preparing for the future. The price of silver will definitely fluctuate in the future."

Zhu Youjian nodded, and suddenly realized: "So that's the case, so sir, we are going to collect the money now."

Zhang Jinrui patted the table: "That's right, you have to charge, and you have to charge as much as you have. Now that you collect money, you will definitely make money in the future!"

While Zhu Youjian and Zhang Jinrui were discussing how to operate silver futures to make money, the big chambers of commerce, big businessmen, gentry and gentry in the north and south of the Ming Dynasty were also discussing the intention of the court. It is impossible for the court to really not want silver at all, right?

With so much money among the people, it is unlikely that the court would give up as soon as it said it would, right?
Soon, the imperial court issued a new notice, inviting big businessmen from the north and the south, gentry and wealthy families to go to the capital for discussions.

This notice was issued, which proved that the imperial court was really going to attack the silver. For a while, the silver in the futures market suddenly fell, and Zhu Youjian took the opportunity to buy a lot of silver. After all, the price has fallen sharply now, and it is not just Zhu You One person saw an opportunity.

Therefore, many big speculators are taking the opportunity to buy silver. Their views are consistent with Zhang Jinrui's, that is, the imperial court cannot completely abandon silver. Earn a lot of money!
The big merchants from the north and the south rushed to the Shuntian Mansion in the capital. They had a lot of silver in their hands. You must know that the imperial court said that it could change the silver standard in an instant. Now they specially published the newspaper first and issued a notice to the merchants. Prepare time, give them a chance.

There is no idiot who can be a big businessman. Those who come to the meeting are all major families, the leaders of major chambers of commerce, and the shopkeepers introduced by everyone are not eligible to participate in the meeting.

When these businessmen arrived in the capital, they were arranged by the commercial office to rest in the inn prepared in advance. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity for the gathering of the big businessmen from the north and the south, these big businessmen also got together to chat and discuss business. You talk about leather goods, I say Talk about wool, that one talks about Nanyang spices, this one talks about tea cloth.

A group of people chatted in full swing, which also increased everyone's knowledge horizons.

"Everyone's discussion is very lively. It seems that the official came a little late. If you talk about it earlier, you may not be able to get the business experience." Cui Chengxiu said with a smile.

Seeing that Cui Chengxiu arrived, these big businessmen also came forward with smiles. The businessmen still respected this third-rank servant who was in charge of the businessman's fate. After all, Cui Chengxiu was different from ordinary traditional officials. He was still considerate of businessmen.

What's more, there have always been rumors that Zhang Shoufu wants to reform the various ministries, and the commercial office must be upgraded at that time. At that time, it will not be the third-rank business minister, but the second-rank business minister.

"Everyone, I'm here to invite you to the banquet. It's rare that such a well-known and well-known businessman came here. The imperial court specially allocated funds to hold a banquet in Xiyuan to entertain you all."

Xiyuan!

That is the royal forest garden, Zhu Youxiao's first favorite place. This is the private land of the Ming emperors, and being able to have a banquet in Xiyuan is also a reflection of his status.

Hearing that they were able to have a banquet in Xiyuan, the merchants felt a sense of disbelief from the bottom of their hearts. At this time, they realized that their current status had really risen, and how much the court valued them.

A group of people entered Xiyuan in a carriage, and the banquet was held in Xiyuan Nanhai. The grandeur and aura of the royal garden gave these big merchants a little shock from the royal family.

This is not just a royal garden in the Ming Dynasty. It has been more than 300 years since the Yuan Dynasty began to build it. After continuous repairs and expansions, ordinary gardens do not have such a boldness.

And the people who presided over the banquet were not ordinary people, they were the elders of the Ming cabinet, one was a tycoon of the New Party, the elder of the cabinet and the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Lu Xiangsheng, and the other was one of the leaders of the Donglin Party, the elder of the cabinet, Qian Qianyi.

The choice of these two, Zhang Haogu, was also based on the new party, the old party, and the choice made by the businessmen from the north and the south. In addition, both of them are proficient in economics, so it is reasonable for them to come to negotiate with the businessmen.

At the beginning of the banquet, the businessmen were a little cautious, but who is Qian Qianyi? My mind was still on the silver.

And Lu Xiangsheng also looked at the right time and threw out the impatient matter that the businessmen had been waiting for a long time ago: "The purpose of inviting everyone to the banquet today must be well understood by everyone. It is true that the imperial court is going to carry out the silver standard. Reformed."

When these words came out, although the merchants were noisy, they did not speak easily. They knew that the imperial court must have resettlement measures for calling them here.

Sure enough, Lu Xiangsheng continued: "Everyone is a big businessman with a name and a surname. They are all wealthy and famous all over the world. It is inseparable from you that Daming can have the current prosperity. Yes, His Majesty and Yuanfu also agree."

"The silver standard is about to change, but the imperial court will not let everyone suffer too much damage. After all, the future promotion and development of industry and commerce of the imperial court cannot be separated from you. Everyone can rest assured that the imperial court is not trying to exhaust the resources. Please come to discuss Next, how to minimize the impact and loss of this incident.”

"Speaking of which, neither Benge nor Mr. Qiange are very proficient in business, but you are all big businessmen who have traded with various countries and have been to both South Seas and Western Seas. In this regard, we still need everyone to give their opinions."

Qian Qianyi said with a smile: "Yes, all of you present here are all well-known businessmen in the Ming Dynasty. According to the Ming Dynasty business list, everyone is in the top [-] figures, and they all rely on themselves. How to reduce the impact and reduce the loss after saving a family property that is incomparably rich is still up to you.”

The two old elders said that although the big businessmen here have experienced so much wind and rain, they have already practiced thick-skinned, but they can't help but feel excited when they hear about the top [-] business figures and the court needs everyone .

That's right, we are already among the top [-] business figures in the Ming Dynasty, and we are already the pillars of the imperial court.

It's hard to imagine that a group of former lowly businessmen can also become the pillars of the imperial court and the pillars of the country.

But after all, they are big businessmen, and each of them quickly calmed down and started discussing with each other.

Speaking of the placement of the imperial court is also very interesting, not according to their respective native places, but according to the industry they are engaged in, such as steel, coal, wool, silk, tea, etc. to divide a table, and the surroundings are not divided. They are all acquaintances.

A group of people discussed for a long time and discussed many proposals, but either they disagreed or they disagreed.

Because someone's interests will always be harmed, and the loss will be more than others, so no one is happy about it.

Why do I have to suffer more losses than you?

They all work for the imperial court, and they are all influential figures, so why can't you take more care of them?
What?Are they all from the same place of origin?

That's even more embarrassing, what does our wool business have to do with your coal business?
In this way, the discussion among the people became more and more helpless, and it was really impossible to come up with a reasonable way to satisfy everyone.

Seeing this, Qian Qianyi said: "Everyone, is there a better way?"

"If not, why don't you listen to this cabinet?"

The big businessmen really didn't have a better plan to satisfy everyone, so they all quieted down and listened to Qian Qianyi's words.

Qian Qianyi took a sip of tea: "The purpose of the court calling the big guy is to discuss a good way and try to ensure that the big guys don't suffer any losses. After all, the industrial and commercial development of the court cannot be separated from everyone."

"Right now, everyone has a lot of silver in their hands. These silver are also accumulated for trade with the four countries, and they will definitely be used in the future. Although the imperial court wants to promote the gold standard, the silver is not just to give up. , at least in countries all over the world nowadays, those foreigners still spend a lot of money."

"Since this is the case, the imperial court intends to open a new bank, the Daming Commercial Bank. Everyone can take out their own money and each own a part of the shares. Of course, this share will not be too much, but this bank is opened by the imperial court and everyone. Why? In terms of business, everyone gathers a shareholder meeting to focus on business and trade, so it can be regarded as preventing everyone from losing money."

"How is it?"