The managers of this bank guild established by Yunxi were either the sons of nobles in the capital or disciples of major sects. The power behind them was all astonishing. Not to mention the ordinary businessmen who ran banks and pawnshops, even the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue.
, the minister may not care. Unless the power behind it declines, he will always hold the position of steward and maximize the benefits from this position. On the surface, it seems to be no different from setting up a yamen for supervision.
But after all, there is still a difference, and that is the term of office of the steward. If a yamen is established, the officials will be elected every three years according to the Ming Dynasty's rules, and can be re-elected for a maximum of three terms. Even if they reach the level of Shangshu or Sifuguan,
If you are not promoted, you will be transferred.
This means that these officials do not care about long-term interests and just get a vote and leave; as for officials who do not love money, most of them follow Confucian ideas and despise businessmen, let alone the life and death of banks and pawnshops. Especially the financial industry is not an entity.
On the surface, the economy seems to have nothing to do with the national economy and people's livelihood. Officials have less scruples when they start. The final result is that most banks and pawnshops are under control and the entire industry is destroyed.
Although Yunxi already has some officials he likes, the number is still too small. He can send a few people to serve as ministers, and the ministers can certainly do it. However, if the officials below are colluding, this industry has always had a bad reputation due to loan sharking.
, and may not be able to supervise according to Yunxi’s ideas.
But the stewards of the bank head office are different. There is no term limit for these stewards, and they can even be passed on to their disciples or sons, so they will consider long-term interests. Since they consider long-term interests, although they will also collect money, in order to make themselves
We will collect more money from our descendants and let the bank and pawnshop industry develop and grow as much as possible.
But at the same time, they will try their best to supervise this industry and do not allow banks and pawnshops to exist that are out of control and they cannot receive money. In this way, Yunxi has achieved his goal: to include this industry
The scope of supervision will not kill this industry, allowing it to develop and grow.
In fact, Yunxi regards the bank head office as a junior version of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is a private institution, but this institution has the power to issue U.S. dollars and adjust interest rates, which is equivalent to the central banks of various countries. However, the U.S. government has no management power over the Federal Reserve.
Extremely limited. At present, the bank head office is just an institution that issues and recycles banknotes on its behalf, but Yunxi hopes that in the future, it can develop into a central bank like the Federal Reserve; Yunxi also hopes that those noble sons and daughters who are in charge will not only
Think of the bank's head office as a place to make money.
Of course, due to personal interests and practical constraints, Yunxi would not completely copy the Federal Reserve. He could allow the bank head office to be free from the control of the court, but it must be under the control of the emperor. Therefore, Yunxi did not lift the banknotes.
The two yamen of the Department and the Banknote Exchange Department were placed under the head office of the bank, but were moved from the household department to the internal government yamen, which was equivalent to being under his direct jurisdiction. In this way, it got rid of the imperial court's restriction on the right to issue banknotes and provided the emperor with
It added a direct financial source, and secondly, it restricted the power of the bank's head office, making it necessary for the bank's head office to cooperate closely with the royal family in order to obtain benefits, otherwise it would be nothing but a basket case.
Fortunately, due to the Southern Song Dynasty and the end of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, the precedent of large-scale depreciation of banknotes was first, and the large-scale depreciation of Baobao during the Hongwu period was followed. Even though the ministers in the DPRK knew the huge benefits that would be brought if Baobao could be issued smoothly,
However, he believed that it might turn into waste paper at any time, so he did not regard the benefits of issuing treasure banknotes as a stable source of revenue for the court. Therefore, Yunxi's move to transfer the treasure banknote collection department to the internal government office did not meet with much opposition.
Yunxi sorted out his thoughts and told Wang Xi what he could say. Although Wang Xi was a eunuch, he had been with Yunxi for so many years and had better insights into many important matters in the court than ordinary officials. He basically listened to
He understood what Yunxi meant. But he thought about it and asked Yunxi again: "Your Majesty, I understand why your Majesty established the bank head office and why you allowed them to intervene in the bank and pawn shop business. But this treasure banknote is really powerful
Are you going to let the common people use it all the time?" Wang Xi was very doubtful about this. He had experienced the large-scale depreciation of treasure banknotes during the Hongwu period, and had also heard elders in the clan talk about the history of banknotes being used as wipes in the late Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.
"If you want people to always be willing to use treasure banknotes, you can't issue treasure banknotes indiscriminately. The benefits of issuing treasure banknotes are too great. I can still be sure that I can control it, but people in the future may not be able to control it." Yun
He felt that he had received a modern education and had seen financial sovereignty handed over to others due to huge inflation. He believed that he could control it and not issue more treasures, but future emperors may not be able to do so.
"So in the future, I will gradually hand over the treasure banknote collection department to the bank head office. If the treasure banknote collection department is handed over to the bank bank head office, then the issuance of treasure banknotes will not be the sole responsibility of the emperor, but all the nobles of the Ming Dynasty."
Things. In this way, maybe one or two can be restricted." Of course, this will be what Yunxi will do after he successfully creates a new ruling class. Only by truly realizing his ideas can the nobles prevent the emperor from indiscriminately issuing
The plan of treasure money.
"The official's whimsical ideas are something that I would never think of." Wang Xi flattered him first, and then asked: "I just heard that the official said that they would implement a new nest system. For those who have nests,
Merchants have no taboos but just collect taxes. Isn't this inappropriate?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Officials, since banks and pawnshops are banks and pawnshops are so important, why are they not opened by the court but allowed to be opened by the private sector? Even if the court has too many things to do and cannot handle, it can be like the salt industry, which can be run by the court from beginning to end.
It's in charge, just leave it to the businessmen." Wang Xi said.
"It is absolutely impossible to open it by the imperial court. To achieve my goal, how many banks and pawnshops must be opened? How can the imperial court control these banks and pawnshops? There is no way to prevent the officials in charge from enriching their own pockets."
"As for imitating the salt industry, it is not possible. Salt is a necessary thing for people. Even if you eat less, you still have to save money to buy salt. That is barely okay, but there are many problems; if it is a bank or pawn shop, it should be implemented like this
It is better for the imperial court to set up this system directly." Yunxi immediately retorted. Whether it is for officials to directly manage or to supervise, the results are similar in the Ming Dynasty, which has so many branches and backward technical conditions.
Causing staggering corruption. He wouldn't do that.
In fact, Yunxi has always believed that if you want economic prosperity and a certain industry to develop rapidly, the best way is to do nothing but collect taxes, as long as it does not violate the law, and implement complete free trade; but he is now the emperor of the Ming Dynasty
Of course, the policies formulated must safeguard his own interests. Therefore, for important industries such as steel and finance, complete free trade is impossible. However, under the premise of being able to exercise certain control, he must try his best to create better conditions for merchants.
for a free business environment.
Wang Xi asked a few more questions, and Yunxi answered them one by one. When he had no questions, Yunxi smiled and said, "What, Wang Xi, why are you asking so many questions? Do you want to become an official in the court?"
?"
"How can a slave serve as a prisoner and become an official in the court?" Wang Xiye replied with a smile: "The reason why I want to teach the officials is to prevent them from making mistakes when I give memorials to Your Majesty in the future.
The second is the selfishness of the slave."
"Several of my brothers are also in the capital now. They originally bought land in the countryside, rented it and farmed it themselves, and lived a pretty good life. But after the officials implemented new farming methods, most places had bumper harvests year after year.
, a lot of wasteland has been reclaimed, and food prices have been falling. Fields near the capital are temporarily unavailable, and the family can earn less money. Although it is not difficult to live, it is worse than in previous years.
Although some slaves provide subsidies, it is not enough."
"So I want to find profitable business for my brothers. I heard that banks and pawn shops are very profitable, so I asked the officials to consider whether my brothers can open banks and pawn shops."
Wang Xi said this very openly and without any hesitation. He knew that Yunxi was very tolerant of people around him seeking personal gain for himself or his family, as long as it was not corruption or bribery, so he didn't care about saying it.
"Wang Xi, I think that although money shops and pawn shops are very profitable, people who are not noblemen or from a big sect should not open them. With so many people watching, if your status is slightly inferior, you will be ostracized. You
, I can't take care of my family in the next life." What Yunxi said was not very clear, but Wang Xi already understood what he meant: You are now the eunuch beside me, and no one dares to offend you. But when you pass away
After all, who cares about a dead eunuch? Even if the family opens a bank, the pawnshop will be swallowed up, and it is not a long-term business.
"In my opinion, Wang Xi, if you want your family to be rich and have food and clothing, you might as well do some small business that doesn't attract attention. Although small business makes little money, it is precisely because of the little money that it will not attract many people.
I covet it and be able to operate it for a long time."
"Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty." Wang Xi saluted immediately and said sincerely.
"You have all been with me since you were young, so it is normal for me to take care of you." Yunxi said with a smile.
Wang Xi talked with him for a while, then suddenly remembered something and said to Yunxi: "Guan, there is something I just forgot to tell you. As the saying goes, a snake can't survive without a head. I guess the same should be true for the bank's head office.
.The official family should appoint a general manager."
"I already have a candidate for the general manager in mind."