Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 681: Counterfeit Currency Appears
"Time flies so fast, it's almost the New Year."

In a tavern in Mingshifang, inner city of Beijing.

Jiang Chen was full of emotion as he stood at the window of the elegant room on the second floor, looking at the busy streets. He said with a sigh: "Once this year is over, it will be a new year again."

"Yes."

He Kai, who was sitting on a brocade stool, also had some emotion in his voice. He stood up and walked towards Jiang Chen, saying, "The new year is here, and the Minting and Cleaning Bureau has a lot of things to do. Going to various places to set up branches is no small matter... By the way, brother Yijie, are you going to the same year banquet in a few days?"

As He Kai was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject and mentioned the classmate banquet.

The Banquet for the Same Year was an indispensable feature in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, which was based on officialdom. In those days, anyone who took part in the imperial examinations and passed them one level after another would eventually shine in the palace examination and be able to enter the official career, and some things would follow.

Being an official means making many friends and few enemies, especially for newcomers who have just entered the officialdom. If there is no one to support them, they should pay more attention to these things. Many things in the situation cannot be refused just because they want to.

Although in the Ming Dynasty officialdom, there is a saying that it is better to bully the old than the young, but it is also targeted. If a newcomer has no prospects and connections, what can he do even if he is bullied?

The officialdom is extremely realistic and cruel!
"We'll see then."

Jiang Chen thought for a moment, frowned and said, "I'm afraid I can't go. There are many matters that His Majesty has clarified in the imperial court meeting that we are attending. I don't know how many files and documents I need to review. You know the doctor's temper. If I don't do these things well, I'm afraid that my Coinage and Li Bureau will not be able to rest during the New Year."

"Yeah, I think so too."

He Kai sighed and said, "Being on duty at the Mint and the Cleaning Bureau is different from being on duty at other bureaus. Here, no mistakes can occur. There is not much difference between going to the same-year banquet and not going. I think the Ministry of Finance will most likely not attend."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Jiang Chen lifted his robe sleeves, turned around and said to He Kai: "Let's talk about the branch office. Ever since the end of the imperial court meeting, I have been thinking about one thing, what is your majesty's attitude towards the vassal state of Korea."

Compared with their immaturity when they first entered the officialdom, both Jiang Chen and He Kai have changed a lot. They are still clear about some of the customs and rules of the officialdom.

Shaofu was an office re-opened by the emperor, and although it existed in the past, there was a fundamental difference between the Shaofu before the Tianqi Dynasty and the Shaofu during the Tianqi Dynasty.

Especially as the officials under the jurisdiction of Shaofu play a huge role in various fields, even now, there are still many criticisms and attacks. However, it is undeniable that Shaofu has unknowingly attracted the attention of many people at the central level, and some even want to make friends with Shaofu officials.

To put it nicely, the banquet for the same year is a place to maintain relationships, but anyone with a discerning eye can see what is mixed behind it.

The palace examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign was over, and the scale of the newly admitted Jinshi was very large. With so many people, there were many thoughts. After all, there were people from all over the world, and some things cannot be changed by individual will.

Environment can change a person.

No one can remain unchanged forever.

This is unrealistic and impossible. Unless you stay in a deserted place, as long as you interact with people, you will be affected to some extent.

“I’ve been thinking about this too.”

Sitting back at the wine table with Jiang Chen, He Kai frowned and said, "If we really plan to build direct-controlled minting bureaus in Liaodong and Shandong in the future, the gold and silver from Korea will be refined and removed first, then melted and pressed, and then handed over to the relevant officials to purchase various necessities for resisting the invaders and suppressing the rebellion. The Korean royal family and the royal court will have to pay a lot of extra money."

"From what they said, the extra silver dollars will be handed over to the Liaodong Governor's Office and the Liaodong Provincial Governor's Office. If this is the case, I'm afraid the war in Korea will not end in two or three years."

"This is exactly what I have been thinking about." Jiang Chen sighed softly: "War is too harmful to the court. One is Liaodong, one is Sichuan and Guizhou, and one is Korea. Although these wars have not affected the stability of other places, they have affected some things."

"Take northern Zhili as an example. In terms of people's livelihood, the prices of grain and cloth have increased by at least 20% compared to before. This is because there are convenience societies and other trading companies that offer affordable prices. If there were no convenience societies and other trading companies, I really can't imagine what would happen."

The more you know about financial matters, the more you can see different things. Although Jiang Chen and He Kai are newcomers, they are valued in the Mint and the Qingli Bureau. They are indeed talented in this area, which means that when they think about some problems, they will inevitably combine many practical considerations to start and consider them.

“These things still need to be viewed from both sides.”

He Kai pondered for a moment and said, "I understand what you mean, but the changes in various places in Northern Zhili are not small, especially the number of people who have left their jobs under my jurisdiction. If these people are not resettled in various places in Northern Zhili, do you think other places will remain stable?"

Jiang Chen was silent.

indeed.

As the officials under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu followed the emperor's proposal for the development of intensive handicraft manufacturing industry and built large projects in various places, starting from the first year of Taichang, in the past two years or so, in addition to northern Zhili, the number of refugees and escaped households absorbed from Liaodong, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places exceeded two million, and the number was even higher.

It was also from the second year of the Tianqi reign that the Shaofu successively dispatched a large number of officials and talents to the coastal areas of Shandong, the Hanzhong area of ​​Shaanxi, and the Liaodong area in batches to build highly corresponding industries in the field, thereby absorbing the surrounding refugee groups. Otherwise, more people would have gathered in Northern Zhili.

Moreover, Jiang Chen also heard by accident that Chen Qiuyu, who was originally an official in Tianjin, was specially promoted by the emperor to be the governor of Guangdong, and the officials of the Shaofu also selected a group of people to accompany Chen Qiuyu to Guangdong.

This also made Jiang Chen worried. With the exponential increase in the number of people who were not engaged in farming, these people were active in various industries to earn money. They used the money they earned to buy everything they needed in the market. If one day the supply and demand could not be met, how would the court solve the problem? How to deal with it?
"Brother Yijie, there is something I am not sure if I should tell you."

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While Jiang Chen was thinking, He Kai showed some hesitation. He didn't know how to talk about what happened next.

"Brother Xuanzi, is there something wrong?"

They went to work in the Mint and the Qingli Bureau together. Jiang Chen knew He Kai's character too well. Although Jiang Chen didn't know what He Kai was going to say, he believed that this matter must be very important, and even directly related to the Mint and the Qingli Bureau.

"You'd better see for yourself."

He Kai sighed lightly, took out a few silver dollars and handed them to Jiang Chen.

Ok?
Jiang Chen looked puzzled and glanced at He Kai, but the moment he reached out to take it, just as he touched it, Jiang Chen's face changed.

"Fake?!"

After Jiang Chen exclaimed, he carefully identified the silver coins. He even picked up one of them, blew it at his mouth, and then put it to his ear.

But the sound he heard made Jiang Chen a little restless.

piece.

Two pieces.

Three pieces.

Four yuan.

After hearing the sounds one by one, Jiang Chen's heartbeat quickened a lot, and even his face became unnatural. He never thought that the new currency of the Ministry of Minting and Lisi had only been circulated among the people for a short time, but fake ones had already appeared. When looking at He Kai's expression, Jiang Chen was certain that he must have found out something!
(End of this chapter)