I studied in modern times

Chapter 389 Jiaozi begins to circulate

It was Yimao (28) in the leap second month of the first year of Yuanyou.

In Xingguofang, in the Zhang Mansion, the ministers in purple official uniforms were chanting the punishment edict issued from the palace.

"Edict: The official Zhang Ji has an unworthy eye, is unfilial and unrighteous, and is not a minister of our country. He should be punished with thunderous punishment, using the method of punishing rebellious ministers, in memory of the merits of our ancestors..."

The Zhang family members trembled as they listened to the contents of the edict.

When they heard the final punishment - they would be in charge of living in Lianzhou and deprived of all rewards.

All the Zhang family members began to sob.

But they had to kowtow to express gratitude: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

At least they were not implicated by Zhang Ji.

At least their own property was saved.

Moreover, Zhang Ji's younger brother Zhang Yan was specially allowed to inherit the incense of Xu Guogong Zhang Qi and inherit the grace of his ancestors.

Although, there is only one title left: Xunwei Langzhong.

But this is also a great blessing.

Because they have been hinted by many people before today.

If the emperor really destroyed Zhang Ji's writing since his birth and was assassinated on Salmon Island.

Then, the Zhang family should 'bravely take responsibility' and 'not disgrace Xu Guogong's posthumous name'.

what do you mean?
Needless to say.

Some people even suggested that they should make a decisive decision for the sake of their children and grandchildren, and not to "embarrass their children and grandchildren and bring shame to their parents."

This means that even they are not willing to let them go. It is best to leave in a dignified manner and not to throw dirty water on the Xungui Group.

Otherwise, it would not be for 'children and grandchildren'.

If you don’t care about your descendants, then others will definitely care less.

Now, I finally passed the test.

Although, a lot was lost.

The ancestral house in front of me, which was a reward from Ren Temple, was completely taken back by the royal family.

Other gold, silver, utensils, and money given by past dynasties will also be recovered.

But in the end, they saved their lives and the property that belonged to them.

After the Zhang family kowtowed and thanked them again, they stood up slightly tremblingly.

Then, he helped the old and the young, took his family, wives and concubines, and walked out of the mansion, crying and turning back three times.

Officials and soldiers sent by the imperial court have sealed off the entire Zhang Mansion.

Officials holding account books filed in.

They wanted to count the property of the Zhang family and return it to the royal family.

The officials from the store's housekeeping department took rulers and brought the craftsmen in and began to look at the mansion.

The Zhang Mansion, with a surplus of [-] yuan, can be transformed into at least hundreds of official rooms of different sizes to meet the needs of hundreds of civil and military officials in Beijing.

Moreover, this house is close to the imperial city and not too far from the capitals of the three provinces.

It is the most ideal place to rent a house.

The concubines in the palace were very happy.

Even if the rent for these houses is only [-]% of the market price, it is equivalent to them getting an extra sum of money out of thin air every month.

In addition to the Zhang family, several other unlucky people also met the same fate.

But they are better than the Zhang family.

Because of Zhang Ji, he has already been demoted to the editor-in-chief since his birth.

Others will naturally have to be punished, otherwise their rewards and punishments will be unknown.

Therefore, most people's punishments end up being stoppage and substitution.

But the reward is given through the ages.

Including mansions, houses, gold and silver, everything must be recovered.

For a time, people in Bianjing cried for their father and mother, but they could only cry for their father and mother.

Before the swords and axes of the Forbidden Army, the only thing they could do was to cry and cry, and then be kicked out.

On this day, the nobles of Bianjing City watched the families of those families being expelled from their ancestral homes.

They all pursed their lips and lowered their heads.

The sadness of the rabbit's death and the fox's death quietly sprouted among them.

But more than anything, I'm still afraid.

"In the future, if the official gives a hint, just do what he wants!"

Many people are thinking this in their hearts.

A noble person must behave like a noble person!
But you can't get confused and stand opposite the official's house.

Otherwise, this is what will happen to these people!
……

Zhao Xu stood in front of the sealed pile warehouse and watched cartloads of gold, silver, copper coins, silk cloth and spices being brought into the warehouse, then sorted into categories and put into the warehouse one by one.

At this moment, he felt full of security.

The 27 liquor stores and 34 large ones in Bianjing City owed 150 million yuan to Shi Yiwu, and all of them, including principal and interest, were returned to where they should be.

In addition, Kaifeng Prefecture and the Commercial Taxation Institute also received large amounts of tax arrears.

Zhao Xu watched quietly as the last cart of gold and silver was personally delivered to the warehouse by the marriage officers of the Imperial City Department.

He clapped his hands, nodded and praised: "Good!"

Then, Zhao Xu turned to look at Song Yongchen and asked: "Song Yongchen, at Jiaoziwu's side recently, is there anyone there to honor Song and Liaojiao?"

Song Yongchen replied: "Everyone, as far as I know, all the merchants are loyal to the country, and there is no one to pay for the exchange for the time being."

This is natural!

Your Majesty has just finished a big job for the nobles and nobles of Bianjing.

Several noble families that have been passed down for decades or even centuries have ceased to exist in name only.

This greatly shocked people inside and outside.

In recent days, I heard that even Sangjia Wazi's business seems to be a bit deserted.

Many yamen have been banned from home.

Under such circumstances, even if the merchants who took the Jiaozi from Song and Liao were unable to make money for a while, under the strict orders of the people behind them, they did not dare to take those Jiaozi to Ziwu for acceptance.

They would rather wait a little longer than show loyalty.

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "What does Jiaozi's acceptance have to do with loyalty?"

"Go and say hello to Li Xian. All friends of Song and Liao must pay their dues!"

Money is valuable only when it circulates.

Especially these Song and Liao friends, the higher the turnover rate, the more Zhao Xu likes them.

Because this can collect seigniorage.

And it’s a high seigniorage tax!
Every time Jiaozi sells or accepts, a stamp tax equivalent to 25% per thousand can be drawn from it.

For a handout, the higher the turnover rate, the more Zhao Xu earns.

Therefore, how could Zhao Xu hope that merchants would stupidly hold Jiaozi?

He wished that merchants would continue to circulate Jiaozi.

Don’t wait for the three-year deadline.

Therefore, he thought for a while and said to Song Yongchen: "Song Yaban, then go to Dushang Taxation Courtyard, Guanqu Courtyard, shop housekeeping, and Kaifeng Mansion to pass on my oral instructions."

"From now on, all the officials above will accept the payment from Song and Liao as taxes."

"No!" Song Yongchen was stunned for a moment before bowing and retreating.

Zhao Xu looked at Song Yongchen's back and said softly: "It's a pity that we can only play like this in Bianjing City for the time being."

Now, the Song Dynasty only set up Jiaoziwu in two places.

One is Chengdu, and the other is Bianjing.

Jiaozi in Chengdu is mainly denominated in iron money.

The jiaoziwu here in Bianjing City only started playing copper coin jiaozi this year.

At present, Zhao Xu wants to harvest the leeks of the world and let Song and Liao Jiaozi circulate on a wider scale. It will take time and the relevant systems need to be improved and perfected.

Can only be slowly.

Let’s first understand Bianjing’s Jiaoziwu.

……

Song Yongchen worked very efficiently.

By the next day, notices were posted outside the official offices of Kaifeng Mansion, the Commercial Taxation Institute, the Guanqu Institute, and the Shop and House Affairs Bureau.

The general content is that from now on, Kaifeng Prefecture, Dushang Taxation Institute, Guanquyuan, Shop and Household Affairs and other departments will accept Song and Liao Jiaozi as taxes.

And, take it exactly at face value.

In the eyes of Kaifeng Mansion and the Commercial and Taxation Bureau, a regular payment of money is equivalent to a regular payment.

As soon as these notices were posted, merchants in the entire Bianjing city became a sensation.

Because these institutions are directly in charge of their departments.

In the past, paying taxes every year was very troublesome.

When the tax is a little more, the transfer, payment and other processes are enough to make people feel dizzy.

Especially those merchants who live in outer cities and even those who have business in other counties and towns in Kaifeng Prefecture.

I don’t know how much hair I have to lose every year to pay taxes.

Now it's fine, you can just take the Jiaozi and hand it over to the government.

As a result, there were many smart merchants at that time, and they immediately appeared in Jiaoziwu.

Then, they saw people constantly coming and going in front of the official office where Jiao Ziwu was located.

When those people go in, they often just bring their entourage with them.

But when he came out, he had already picked up money boxes full of copper coins.

Naturally, some people took the initiative to ask about those familiar merchants.

The merchants were of course enthusiastic, and they knew everything they knew about their colleagues who came to consult.

As a result, these merchants almost knew the situation on Jiaoziwu's side.

Anyone can come here with Song and Liao Jiaozi issued by the imperial court to exchange for copper coins.But Jiaoziwu only recognizes Jiaozi, not the person.

As long as they check and confirm the authenticity of the jiaozi, the full amount of copper coins can be exchanged on the spot.

Of course, there is a tax of thirty cents for every payment made to the sub-committee.

Listen, it seems to be a bit of a disadvantage.

However, if everyone thinks about it carefully, they all know that this is a very convenient thing.

This copper coin is too heavy!
Even in Bianjing City, every time they make a transaction, they have to bring several vehicles to transport copper coins to do business.

The other party needs to carefully count the copper coins they bring every time.

Usually there are a dozen or even dozens of people, checking the money one by one, then weighing it, and finally the transaction.

And after they buy something, take it back and sell it, they have to repeat the same process.

The most troublesome thing for businessmen is that they have to do this kind of thing themselves.

Every time there is a transaction, I have to be there to keep an eye on it.

Otherwise, if you are a little negligent, you will be taken advantage of and lose a lot of money.

Now, with Jiaozi, everything has changed.

There is no need to check and weigh each copper coin anymore.

No longer do you need to bring a bunch of people to escort money and silk every time you go out.

Now, just put in the Jiaozi and you're ready to go.

The other party only needs to check the authenticity of the handout.

When you need money, you can use Jiaozi to pay Ziwu in exchange for money.

I usually draw thirty cents, which is very conscientious and cost-effective.

Now, the only question is – how good is the Jiaozi?How is the recognition?Can it be protected against counterfeiting?Or can it be said that people can easily distinguish the authenticity from the fake!

With this thought in mind, a fat businessman followed someone into the official office where Ziwu was handed over.

As soon as he entered, he felt that this official office was very special.

First of all, there is no court in Jiaoziwu, only a spacious hall.

There are windows like places in the hall.

Behind every window sat an official in official uniform.

In front of these windows, there are also chairs.

The merchants who came to exchange money sat on those chairs and talked with the officials sitting in the windows.

The fat merchant watched with his own eyes as a strong man in green clothes took out a stack of jiaozi from his arms or sleeves and handed it to the official in the window.

The fat merchant quietly walked up to the strong man.

I heard the strong man speak with a Jingdong Road accent and say: "Excuse me, officer, please exchange these fifty pieces of jiaozi for me into copper coins. My family is in a hurry for money."

The official took the jiaozi, put it in his hand, and examined it carefully.

He seemed to look at several places, then nodded and took out a seal from a box next to him.

Put stamps on those jiaozi one by one.

The fat merchant noticed that he was very particular about where he stamped his seals, and they were all stamped in the same place.

After he finished sealing, he put Jiaozi into a wooden box, handed it to an official behind him, and told him: "Go and get fifty copper coins."

"No!" The person behind him nodded, took the wooden box, and walked towards a door.

Not long after, the man came back.

He also brought back a heavy box.

The box was placed on the window and then opened. It was full of copper coins strung up with ropes.

"After counting, there are fifty strings in total, and each string costs 740 yuan."

The strong man didn't click at all. He directly picked up the box and said with a smile: "Of course I can trust the government!"

Then he picked up the big wooden box and walked outside.

The fat merchant was dumbfounded.

Fifty copper coins weigh at least 150 kilograms.

But people just carry it on their shoulders effortlessly.

All I can say is that he is a good man!

This kind of transaction also opened the eyes of the fat merchant.

He immediately sat down where the strong man had sat.

Then he raised his head and looked at the official sitting in the window.

The other party's official uniform is cyan.

This shows that he is just a low-level official and does not even have an official status.

The other party looked at the fat merchant and asked, "Are you here to exchange money or exchange notes?"

The fat businessman asked: "How can I change the Jiaozi?"

The other party smiled: "Eight hundred dollars a month!"

hiss!
The fat merchant took a breath.

It only costs 740 coins to exchange money for Jiaozi, but it takes [-] coins to exchange money for Jiaozi.

In other words, there is a difference between the two.

The fat businessman vaguely noticed something.

But what exactly?He still couldn't figure it out for a while.

However, one thing he knew very well was that he needed to get the physical object of Jiaozi.

So, he asked: "May I ask the officials, what kind of friendship do they have?"

The official replied: "Now there are Jiao Ziwu ranging from one hundred guan, fifty guan, twenty guan, ten guan, five guan and one guan."

"Which one does Shima want?"

The fat merchant took out a government-made gold ingot from his body and asked calmly: "Can I exchange it for gold?"

The official laughed: "Of course you can!"

"Gold is calculated based on the market price." He pointed to both sides of the window as he spoke: "You can take a look at it. On both sides of the public window, there are today's price comparisons of gold, silver and copper coins."

The fat merchant turned around and looked, and sure enough, there was a wooden sign hanging on both sides of the window, with the exchange rates of gold, silver and copper coins respectively.

Today, one tael of silver is worth two thousand cash.One tael of gold can be exchanged for eight taels of silver.

In other words, one tael of gold is worth 21 yuan, or about [-] taels.

As a successful businessman, he is very sensitive to numbers, especially those involving money.

So, he nodded slightly: "Yes!"

Then, he handed over the twelve-weight government-made gold ingot he was holding, and then said: "Excuse me, officer, please exchange all the face value exchanges for me, and the remaining ones will be exchanged for one." Jiaozi."

He had already calculated it quickly in his mind.

His twelve taels of government-made gold ingots had a market value of 16 yuan. According to the regulations of Jiaoziwu, it was enough to exchange for a total of two hundred guan of Jiaozi.

Therefore, he can also get an additional 22 Jiaozi with consistent face value.

The other party took the gold ingot and after checking it, he was surprised: "Is this step from Xuzhou?"

Gold ingots made by the officials of the Song Dynasty all have stamps and marks, recording key information such as where they were cast, who presided over the casting, the casting workers, and the time.

Naturally, those who can hold these government-made gold ingots must be inextricably linked to the government.

Maybe, this person's family has a minister who is waiting to be appointed!
Xuzhou has always been a popular place for the governors of the Song Dynasty to go out.

The people who can get the gold ingots made by Xuzhou officials are probably either members of the family of a senator or a member of the family of a certain prime minister.

This made the official become more enthusiastic.

The fat merchant smiled and nodded.

The other party did not hesitate. After confirming the authenticity of the gold, he took out a stack of jiaozi from a box next to him.

Then start counting.

One, two, three...

After counting, he continued to count them again, then handed the relevant notes to the fat merchant and said: "Please count them."

The fat merchant took the handed over Jiaozi with excitement.

As soon as he started using it, he discovered that the paper was a little hard, but it didn't feel like inferior paper.

It feels smooth and comfortable to touch.

The fat merchant took these jiaozi and asked softly: "Officer, is there any way to identify these jiaozi?"

The official smiled and replied: "Of course there is!"

"You can take a look at every painting on Jiaozi."

The fat merchant looked down and saw that the pattern on the jiaozi in his hand was extremely exquisite and detailed.

It made him feel as if he was looking at a wall photo in Zaizhi's home.

"In addition, the patterns and colors of Jiaozi of each denomination are different..."

The fat merchant held the Jiaozi in his hand and looked at it one by one. It was indeed the case.

Each denomination of Jiaozi has different patterns and colors.

What surprised the fat businessman even more was that these jiaozi seemed to have some colors that he had never seen before.

These colors are cleverly hidden or next to other colors.

But he believed that the person who handed over the task must have done so on purpose.

I'm afraid the position and amount of these colors are some kind of anti-counterfeiting mark in the eyes of the person who handed over the work.

"In addition..." the official smiled: "please take a look, all these handouts have the seal of my handover!"

"The seal on each Jiaozi has a number, and the numbers on each Jiaozi are different."

"In addition, the seal also contains Jiaozi's printing time and printing supervisor!"

"And every time Jiaozi is recycled, there is also a corresponding seal and stamp!"

The fat merchant listened and nodded.

He stood up and thanked the official: "Thank you very much!"

　I have a cold today and am not in a good condition. What I wrote may not be correct. Please forgive me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)