"Officer Zhang, what is written on this?" Beside the "bulletin board" in front of the police station in a neighborhood, several young men in short shirts asked around the notice that the police had just put up.
"It has nothing to do with you." Zhang Mucheng, a young policeman named Officer Zhang, said with a sneer: "This has something to do with the businessmen doing big business. It doesn't matter whether you know it or not. If the superiors hadn't required that every bulletin board must be posted
Come on, the county lieutenant in charge of Zhongcheng has to come down to inspect, so I won’t post this. How good is this paper? Isn’t it better to take it back to my son to practice calligraphy than to post it on the bulletin board?”
"Look at what you said, Officer Zhang. We don't have much money to do small business now, and we don't want to do big business in the future? Just tell us what is written on it." A tall and thin man said.
"Yes, Officer Zhang, just talk and tell us! It's not like you're not free." Others also echoed.
"Okay, then I will tell you. I won't say the original words of the imperial edict, because you can't understand it anyway. The general meaning is that starting from the first day of the next month, the imperial court allows the use of treasure banknotes to exchange for gold. One gold coin (weight
Nine coins (the market value is equal to one tael of gold) were exchanged for forty guan of treasure banknotes, and all Ming people, regardless of good or poor, were allowed to exchange gold coins at the Treasure Banknote Exchange Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs, which originally allowed the use of treasure banknotes to exchange for grain."
"The one below was posted by Qixia Temple and other temples and Taoist banks in Beijing. Starting from the first day of next month, they will also accept the exchange of treasure banknotes for gold coins."
As soon as Zhang Mucheng finished speaking, the crowd watching nearby went crazy. "It's great to be able to exchange treasure banknotes for money! Although treasure banknotes are not easy to lose, they are also difficult to hide. You can exchange them for food at home."
If you don't have such a big place to put it, go to a pawn shop or a bank to exchange it for copper coins or silver. You have to pump money, and it's very tough, so it's not worth it. Now you can exchange it directly from the court or a bank. Let me think about it, one tael of gold can be exchanged for it.
Forty guan of treasure notes, about five guan of treasure notes can be exchanged for one guan of money in the capital." The tall and thin man just now calculated.
"It's the first day of next month in three days. You have to go home quickly and take out all the hidden treasure notes, and exchange them for copper coins early in the morning in three days!" someone else said.
"Can I still exchange treasure money for food in the future?" Some people were concerned about this.
"Officer Zhang, how come this matter of being able to exchange treasure banknotes for money has nothing to do with us? Although our business is not big, we still have a few treasure banknotes in our hands!" Someone else said to Zhang Mucheng with some dissatisfaction after being happy.
"Yes, Officer Zhang, this has something to do with us. How do you say it has nothing to do with us?" Several other people also shouted.
Zhang Mucheng sneered and was about to speak when he suddenly turned slightly and smiled towards the middle of the road: "Good morning, Mr. Tang."
Everyone hurriedly looked back and saw Tang Bohe, the owner of a nearby restaurant called Shandong Noodle House. They all saluted and said, "I have met Mr. Tang!"
Although this Tang Bohe was just the owner of a noodle shop, he was a great person. It is said that when His Majesty was not the emperor's grandson, he once ate at his family's noodle shop. He liked it so much that he inscribed the four characters "Shandong Noodle Shop" in his own handwriting, which is still remembered today.
It was hung in the restaurant as a treasure of the store; his son was favored by His Majesty because of his intelligence and was sent to the Imperial Guard as a general. Later, he performed meritorious service during the expedition to Annan and was promoted to the rank of Qianhu.
To a real big shot, Tang Bohe was nothing, but to the people on this street, even the policemen at the police station were untouchable, so everyone was very respectful when they saw him.
"Everything is fine, everything is fine." Tang Bohe agreed and asked Zhang Mucheng: "What happened? There are so many people watching around and they are still very excited?"
"Mr. Tang, even if you don't ask, I will go to your home to talk to you. The imperial court has issued a decree. Starting from the first day of next month, people are allowed to exchange treasure banknotes for gold coins. Not only the imperial court, but also all temples and Taoist temples in the capital.
Any bank that opens can also exchange money.”
"However, Mr. Tang, this does not allow everyone to exchange them at will. The imperial edict clearly states that it is allowed to exchange treasure banknotes for gold coins. It does not say that treasure banknotes can be exchanged for silver coins or copper coins. And the gold coins and silver coins of the imperial court are not allowed.
It is allowed to cut it privately, but the court will not recognize it after cutting, and merchants will give a discount when collecting it, so people are only allowed to exchange treasure banknotes for gold coins, and the minimum exchange is for one treasure banknote, which is forty gold coins."
"So," he suddenly turned to the others and said, "I said at the beginning that it has nothing to do with you! Which of you can convert forty gold coins into gold coins and hide them at home? As for buying goods or buying things, you have to pay for them.
A gold coin to pay the bill?"
Hearing this, everyone else present shouted: "What kind of rule is this? It is allowed to exchange money, but it can only be exchanged for gold coins? What kind of rule is broken? It's better not to have any!"
"That's right, I can only exchange gold coins for a few uses!" "That's right!"
"You dare to criticize the imperial edict? Believe it or not, I will arrest you all and put you in jail to eat?" Zhang Mucheng shouted to them: "Why don't you go do business? Since you know it has nothing to do with you, you are still here to do it.
What?"
After hearing Zhang Mucheng's words, everyone did not dare to discuss loudly anymore. Although they still whispered, it was indeed time to do business. They dispersed one after another.
After dismissing everyone, Zhang Mucheng turned to Tang Bohe again, waiting for his question.
Tang Bohe asked again: "Can the treasure notes be exchanged for food in the future?"
"Yes, of course, and the place where grain is exchanged at the Banknote Exchange Department remains unchanged. It's just that gold coins are exchanged." Zhang Mucheng replied hurriedly.
"Then what is the purpose of this imperial edict?" Tang Bohe didn't quite understand.
"I don't know either." Zhang Mucheng also said. He is just a small policeman, a person the size of a sesame seed. He does whatever his superiors tell him. He doesn't need to understand the reason, and he doesn't want to understand the reason. Anyway, his
Salaries have been in silver coins since a few years ago.
Tang Bohe thought for a while and couldn't figure it out. He didn't think about it for the time being. He smiled at Zhang Mucheng and said, "I originally wanted to take a stroll on the street to see if there are any new shops and have a few words with Li Suozheng from your police station. I heard
I can't go around for a while, I have to go back quickly to get ready. So Officer Zhang, I won't talk to you anymore and will go back. I'm sorry, Officer Zhang, I'll invite the officer to tea next time."
"Mr. Tang, why are you so polite? Go back quickly, I won't waste your time." Zhang Mucheng also said.
Tang Bohe said another word to him, then turned around and hurried back to his home. On the way back, he thought of another question: 'Why are various temples and Taoist banks willing to exchange gold coins?'
…
…
"This is naturally because I gave them a decree (oral edict)." Three days ago, facing the same question raised by Chen Di, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Yunxi replied.
"Here, what should we do if they violate the law openly and secretly?" Chen Di asked again. He did not believe that an imperial edict or an oral instruction could make these temples and Taoist temples willing to accept the exchange of treasure notes.
"Don't worry, my dear, they will definitely not violate my imperial edict." Yunxi replied confidently.
His confidence was certainly not based on his own oral instructions. Although no one in the Ming Dynasty dared to openly disobey his will, there were cases of overt and covert disobedience, and sometimes there was nothing Yunxi could do about it. But Yunxi believed them in this oral order.
Will definitely comply.
The reason, of course, is that a bank temple was opened in the capital in the name of Monk Dao Lu Si. After all the Taoist temple directors were summoned, Hu Yan, a member of Zhongshushe, hinted to them: If any family does not obey the imperial order,
Once discovered, banks and pawn shops will not be allowed to open in the future.
The profits in the financial industry are too high, and they are almost empty-handed. No one wants to give up. If they are forced to quit because of disobedience to the imperial edict, the losses will be too great, and no one will be willing to part with it. Moreover, it is impossible to open a new business through borrowing money.
Firstly, without the endorsement of the sect, the trust of the people will be greatly reduced and business will be much worse; secondly, if His Majesty really wants to investigate, whoever is borrowing the shell will be found out, and the punishment will be heavier and the end will be worse.
Even worse.
Moreover, Yunxi not only had threats of punishment, but also encouragement. Hu Yan had sang a white face, and Yang Rong came up and sang a red face. "Eminent monks and real people, this is not a bad thing for you."
"Dear monks and real people, I don't know how many people are envious of the fact that the bank business is so profitable. Now the scale is just not large, so no one is involved. But as the capital becomes more and more prosperous, the money made in this business is getting more and more.
There will always be someone who will intervene one day. How will you protect your property by then?"
"If you obey the imperial court's wishes at this time, the imperial court will protect you from now on, and no one will dare to attack you."
"Moreover," Yang Rong continued, "the Ministry of Revenue felt that the bank and pawnshop business was in a very chaotic state. Many of them closed down soon after they were opened, causing heavy losses to the people and merchants. Therefore, they wanted to rectify this business, and ordinary people were not allowed to open it.
.Eminent monks, the real bank has done this job for the imperial court, how can the imperial court not allow you to open it?"
Upon hearing Yang Rong's words, everyone present hurriedly said: "We must obey the imperial court's orders."
Yang Rongshi just talked about two benefits. One is that they can keep their own property. Although temples like Qixia Temple are already huge in the eyes of ordinary people, in the eyes of real predators, such as the Xu family, Chang
The Li family, the Li family, and the Lan family are nothing in the eyes of nobles. Now His Majesty seems to be encouraging them to do business the way of the Song Dynasty. If the top nobles want to seize or 'invest' in their industry, they will be worth millions.
It cannot be stopped. Perhaps super powers in the religious world such as the Wudang Sect, Longhushan, Taishan Sect, and Shaolin Temple can stop it, but they are not among them.
But if they are protected by the court, or to put it more bluntly, they are protected by the royal family. Although they have to cut the flesh of the royal family, they will not give away all their property. It is more cost-effective than cutting the flesh of nobles. (Unfinished)
