Five million taels! That’s five million taels of silver!
Yunzheng's eyes were dull and he took a breath of air. After all, he was just a modern ordinary person who traveled back to ancient times. He was not very clear about the concept of money, but he also knew what five million taels of silver was: the court year in the late Qing Dynasty
The income is only "80 million taels per year", which is the total government income of the 400 million people in China!
However, a "sale of stolen goods" shop opened by Yan'er and her emperor father actually made five million yuan a year! This made him wonder, what are the prices of things these days?
"Yan'er, how much can five million dollars buy?" Yun Zheng didn't know how to say hello at the moment, so he had to ask something silly.
"Ah?" Princess Thirteen was slightly startled, wrinkled her nose and asked, "That depends on what you want to buy!"
Yun Zheng was stunned, and said to himself, yes, we should have a reference for the price, and the most important thing is, we must first find out how much one tael of silver is worth.
Regarding this issue, many people now have no idea at all, especially contemporary TV dramas, where there are two steamed buns and a bowl of soup costing 5 taels of silver, a young lady losing 10 million taels of silver in a gamble, and other ridiculous plots.
We know that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the annual revenue of the treasury was only 2 million taels, and the figures were only achieved after Zhang Juzheng's reforms and the treasury income was abundant. Even masters like Jin Yong did not seem to have conducted in-depth research on the monetary value of silver taels. Everyone should remember Guo Jingchu
When I met Huang Rong, I was slaughtered by her. As a result, "the bill was settled in a while, and the total was nineteen twenty-seven cents and four cents."
After reading some ancient books, you can find that the monetary value of one tael of silver is actually quite high. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", Grandma Liu saw that a meal of crabs in Jia's family cost 24 taels of silver, and sighed that a small family can survive a year. You must know about Grandma Liu's family.
They were considered middle-class at that time. They had houses and land and could afford to hire a working girl. The first time they went to Jia's house to catch the autumn breeze, they got 20 taels of silver. The "History of the Ming Dynasty", which was full of gratitude, also mentioned that the seventh-grade magistrate's one-year legal salary
The salary is only 45 taels of silver
Because the monetary value of silver coins in each dynasty is different, Yun Zheng feels that it is better to use the general equivalent exchange method to calculate the value of ancient coins, because for the Chinese, the livelihood commodity that has not changed for thousands of years is rice.
He quickly recalled his memories of this issue in his previous life. He had to say that although he was a liberal arts student who didn't have the ability to make powerful firearms or those chemical products, he did have some knowledge about these historical things in his mind.
He had some stock. He was surprised to think of such an uncommon thing.
According to historical records, during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver could buy two stones of rice of average quality. At that time, one stone was about 94.4 kilograms. One tael of silver could buy 188.8 kilograms of rice, which is 377.6 kilograms. Now, the rice eaten by the average family in my country now ranges from 1.5 yuan to 1 kilogram per kilogram. 2 yuan, using the middle price of 1.75 yuan, we can calculate that one tael of silver in the Ming Dynasty = RMB 660.8 yuan
Although the story of "Dream of Red Mansions" is based on the Qing Dynasty, the living conditions are based on the Ming Dynasty. Let's calculate based on the value of silver in the Ming Dynasty. Grandma Liu received more than 13,000 yuan in New Year's Eve in one autumn meal. Of course she was very happy.
And Guo Jing paid more than 12,000 yuan for a meal in a small place like Zhangjiakou, which is too exaggerated. Even if Guo Jing is stupid, he comes from a poor family, so it is impossible that he does not know the value of money.
Huang Rong is even less likely to suffer this fierce slaughter from the store.
However, this silver was not expensive in the Ming Dynasty. It was more expensive in the Tang Dynasty because if these two taels of silver were taken to the Tang Dynasty, their purchasing power would be even more frightening.
Dou rice only sells for 5 cents. Usually one tael of silver is converted into 1,000 copper coins (that is, consistent), and you can buy 200 dou rice. 10 dou is one stone, which is 20 stones. One stone in the Tang Dynasty is about 59 kilograms. Today's general rice price is 1.75
Calculated as a pound of yuan, one tael of silver is equivalent to the purchasing power of RMB 4,130. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, inflation increased and the price of rice rose to 10 wen per dou, which is also equivalent to one tael of silver = 2,065 yuan.
It is a pity that the Wei Dynasty that Yunzheng is currently in did not exist in the original history. However, this does not trouble him. According to the surrounding empires, they are Liao, Xixia, Tubo, and Dali.
Come on, this era of the Wei Dynasty is most likely the same as the Song Dynasty in the original history.
The trouble is, as far as Yun Zheng knows, the monetary system of the Song Dynasty is extremely chaotic. After all, even the historical records are full of contradictions, and even different historical records slap each other in the face from time to time.
The Song Dynasty also used "money" as its currency. Because of the rapid social and economic development of the Song Dynasty, and the unprecedented development of industry and commerce, the demand for money was also unprecedentedly large. Moreover, the production and import volume of silver were not high, and there were no similar ones in later generations at that time.
Government macro-control management agencies such as the "Central Bank" have created extremely chaotic situations
Then, Yunzheng had to settle this account based on more authoritative records: According to the "History of the Song Dynasty? Food and Huo Zhi", it is mentioned that "before the Xifeng period, the rice and stone were no more than six or seven hundred" and the "History of the Song Dynasty? Official Records"
According to the record of "Thirty Wen for every dou (meter)", let's take 1,000 copper coins as one tael of silver. During the Taiping Period, the price of rice was 1,600 to 1,200 qian (from around the Jingkang Rebellion to the early Southern Song Dynasty, there were 1 tael of silver and 1 shi).
Rice is not within the normal calculation range) 1 tael can basically buy 2 to 4 shi of rice. Calculated based on 66 kilograms of Song Shi, 1 tael of silver is equivalent to nearly 462 to 924 yuan in RMB; one said that Song Shi is 96 kilograms.
It is equivalent to 336 yuan to 672 yuan for 1 tael of silver. Assuming that the price of silver in the Southern Song Dynasty was similar to that in the Northern Song Dynasty, then Guo Jing treated Huang Rong to a meal and ate as little as six or seven thousand, or as much as more than thirteen thousand. No wonder the little girl was so moved.
a complete mess
Pulling back his thoughts, Yunzheng asked: "Let's talk about the usual price comparison first. For example, what are the prices of rice, pork, beef and mutton, chickens, ducks, and cloth now?"
The Thirteenth Princess opened her mouth slightly and was stunned for a moment, a little confused: "I don't know about these things either."
When Yun Zheng heard this, he immediately wanted to slap himself in the face: tnnd, I asked this question really stupidly. I am a princess, what are the prices of rice and meat that she cares about? - Or maybe it can't be discussed at all.
Whether she cares or not, first of all, these things are not close to her life at all, how could she care about them? This question is really stupid!
Just when Yun Zheng regretted so much that he wanted to slap himself, Princess Thirteen said: "As for such trivial matters, just ask the accountant. I don't sell this in my store..."
Accountant? Oh, by the way, you should ask the accountant!
"Thank you to the accountant...oh, eh, who is that? Go and call the accountant back and tell him that the princess has something to ask him." Yun Zheng shouted smoothly to the servant who was being pushed back in the distance outside the door.
As soon as the servant heard the third young master's order, he hurried over anxiously and yelled at the accountant who had just returned to the accounting room after delivering the money: "Thank you, accountant! The third young master said that the princess has something to ask you!"
The braised chicken feet that Accountant Xie had just grabbed and planned to continue eating suddenly fell to the ground as his hand stiffened. Accountant Xie murmured: "It's over, it's over. The princess remembered that I didn't pay her respects just now." He dropped it in despair.
The plate of braised chicken feet was knocked over, and he smiled bitterly and said: "Why should I eat braised vegetables? I'm afraid I will become a braised vegetable now."
