Chapter 2379 Or buy one or two toilet paper for the thatched hut (seeking
Chapter 2379 Or buy one or two toilet paper for the latrine (please subscribe and vote)
Kaiyuan in both places refers to the founding of the country, which means opening up a new era. The word Tongbao was first coined by Ouyang Xun, which means a treasure in circulation. Therefore, coins began to be called "Tongbao" in the early years of the Tang Dynasty.
But now, this boy Cheng Sanlang has made this kind of small coin. The four characters "Zhenguan Tongbao" on it directly make Li Shimin feel like a deer.
Li Shimin murmured for a long time, and finally said something. "Why are you so small?"
"..." Li Ke almost chuckled. It seems that Brother Chu Bi really understands his own father's thoughts.
Cheng Chubi also laughed in his heart. It seemed that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty really liked this.
"My father-in-law Mingjian, this Zhenguan Tongbao represents one-tenth of the Kaiyuan Tongbao."
"...What?" Li Shimin's face instantly became unhappy, and his eyes suddenly bulged.
What do you mean, is this kid in a state of confusion today or something? He actually dares to insult me in front of me?
"You kid, tell me clearly, why is the Zhenguan Tongbao worth only a tiny bit?"
Seeing his father-in-law's sudden change of expression, Cheng Chubi instantly felt blessed. He understood that it seemed that he was too careless and did not consider everything.
What kind of person is Cheng Sanlang? His mind was spinning and he continued without changing his expression.
"...father-in-law, don't be anxious. My son-in-law just made a small coin. This Zhenguan Tongbao also has a large coin, which is equivalent to the Kaiyuan Tongbao."
"It's just that I only got a small coin today. I specially gave it to my father-in-law to ask for some advice. If there are any problems, my son-in-law can take it back and correct it."
When Li Shimin heard Cheng Sanlang's explanation, he suddenly felt a lot more balanced.
Looking at this exquisite Zhenguan Tongbao, the more I look at it, the more I like it, and I just can't put it down.
"I'm talking about you kid. I have always thought that Kaiyuan Tongbao can be used. I didn't expect that you actually thought of casting Zhenguan Tongbao."
"Before, all those cast were Kaiyuan Tongbao. Especially during the Wude period, a large number of them were cast. I thought they would be enough to circulate throughout the world."
"In addition, minting money is very expensive. Over the years, the imperial court has rarely minted coins. In the past few years, your Han and Tang Dynasty Commercial Bank took over the task of minting coins, and that's when it started..."
Cheng Chubi and Li Ke were both sitting as quietly as chickens, listening to the energetic and glorious Li Shimin telling stories in front of them.
It seems that the Zhenguan Tongbao created by Cheng Chubi has hit the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
After excitedly showing off his great achievements for a long time, and finally calming down a little, Li Shimin asked Cheng Sanlang with a smile.
"...Xianxiang, why do you want to cast this Zhenguan Tongbao? Come here, tell me carefully."
"This..." Cheng Chubi couldn't help but wipe his face. He was a real person, but he was facing the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty who had no moral ethics.
Of course, I would not tell him that the reason was because I felt that the sales volume of toilet paper at the entrance of the public toilet was too low, which triggered my idea of making smaller denomination coins.
"My father-in-law, this is my son-in-law. These days, since he became the magistrate of Luoyang County, he has often gone deep into the people, openly and covertly investigating the sufferings of the people."
"What surprises my son-in-law the most is that the currency of our Tang Dynasty was too simple, which forced the people to have no choice but to carry out many business transactions by bartering."
"Just like some little kids who want to buy some maltose, they either have to spend a penny to buy half a catty, or they have to scoop up some grain from home and exchange it for sugar."
"My son-in-law also saw that if the common people were hungry, they could buy two cakes and a bowl of soup for a good meal for just one copper coin."
"But if it's a little kid with a small appetite, a piece of cake and a bowl of soup might be enough. The extra piece of cake can only be carried..."
Listening to these vivid examples Cheng Sanlang mentioned, both Li Shimin and his son, as well as Zhao Kun on the side, nodded frequently and believed deeply.
Cheng Sanlang became more and more proud as he talked, and continued to talk about the pain points of the common people who had no change.
"And the toilet paper sold in various public toilets in Los Angeles can be purchased for one penny per pound. The problem is that even if you only miss a day, you may not be able to use it all..."
"Pfft..." Li Ke farted directly with his mouth and quickly turned his head away.
Li Shimin's originally convinced expression turned petrified. He raised his finger and almost poked Cheng Sanlang's cheek.
"... Hehe, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, everyone understands it anyway. In short, after my son-in-law realized this problem, he learned from it painfully.
I decided to make it easier and more flexible for the people of the Tang Dynasty to use coins, so I decided to come up with this kind of small money..."
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the currency measurement system implemented in the Qin Dynasty has been abolished, and the 24-base system was based on twenty-four bahts.
In the Tang Dynasty, ten qian was used as one tael, and the unit of measurement of coins was also based on the decimal system of centimeters, cents, qian, and liang.
This was the commonly used regulation of market jin and market liang later. In the Tang Dynasty, ten cents was one cent, ten cents was one qian, ten qian was one tael, and ten taels was one catty.
It's a pretty standard decimal system. Maybe at this point, something will pop out. In ancient times, wasn't sixteen taels equal to a pound?
That was during the troubled times, that is, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Since the landlord class controlled the lifeline of the economy, the landlord class had more than one pound of rent and tax.
At the same time, when merchants sell, the price of one pound is less than two ounces. This is all due to the dominance of the farming economy, which makes more than one pound become the mainstream.
After this developed for a certain period of time, public disobedience appeared. Since the people were unable to fight, they could only accept the reality.
Therefore, the measurement and exploitation model of more than ten taels per catty became the mainstream. In the late Yuan Dynasty, when calculated comprehensively, one catty was about sixteen taels.
Until the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, due to the habits of the common people, the random system of one pound equaling sixteen taels, but one tael equaling ten qian, and one qian equaling ten cents, remained unchanged.
In other words, one pound is equal to sixteen taels. This is the exploiting class of the old society that cannibalizes people. They used their ugly faces to distort the decimal system into that ghostly appearance.
Of course, that kind of chaos will not appear until hundreds of years later, and it has nothing to do with Cheng Sanlang.
The powerful Tang Dynasty still used its strong military power and political ability to vigorously defend the decimal system.
Cheng Chubi continued to make his concluding speech while spitting.
"...My son-in-law got the idea of zero from this, and made this kind of small coin, which can also be called a penny, ten cents are one penny, and ten cents are one tael."
"One penny may not buy a piece of cake, but it can buy a bowl of porridge, or a small piece of maltose, or an ounce of toilet paper for the latrine..."