No matter what you want to do, money is a hard currency. Especially for what Zhao Xi is doing now, he does not rely on the court for anything.
It is true that a lot of money was extracted from the hands of these ministers in the court, but as the controlling party, the East Palace also spent a lot of money.
These days, Taoniang talks to him about money and goods more and more often.
For example, when the weather gets hot, it’s time for the master and servants of the East Palace to buy clothes for the new season...
The ice stored in winter is always not enough, and several children are about to get rashes due to heat...
Zhao Xi knew that he was trying to say that he was short of money.
Isn't it just money? How could he be short of money? Not to mention that he was in charge of minting, even if he didn't have this job, Zhao Xi felt that he shouldn't worry about money, especially in an era where the country was loose and encouraged merchants.
Zhao Xi first made ice with saltpeter. It was simple and the utensils were specially made.
Just put a large wooden bucket of water, add some saltpeter, then put the cooked water in a copper basin and place it on the surface of the wooden bucket.
Su Shi was chattering, finally seeing the things she heard about when she was a child.
This man is so amazing.
Zhao Xi hadn't been to the food factory for a long time. The moment he saw Liu Yi, he was confused by this idiot's tearful eyes.
"Liu Yi, what are you doing?"
"Your Highness, I thought I had forgotten this old slave..."
Alas, I originally thought that he could change places to do something for His Highness the Crown Prince, and it would be better to follow His Highness the Crown Prince closely. But after all these years, he is still in this place.
In terms of change, I no longer have to take care of the imperial kitchen. Even some of the servants who make sweets have been removed from the imperial kitchen and are under the control of the food factory.
Is this kind of job good? It must be good. Except for the incomplete work, Liu Yi is no different from the merchants outside. Even the villa and the concubine are all taken care of.
The reason for this is that he worries more than he misses.
He did not enrich his own pockets. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave him many rewards, and even the Crown Princess did not mess around with money.
Even so, he was also worried that this job would be replaced. He was a servant and a domestic slave. As he became an adult these years, he became more and more nervous about this job.
It's been a long time since I've done such trivial things. If it weren't for the lack of money, Zhao Xi really wouldn't do it outside.
I looked for some egg yolks, icing sugar, milk, etc., which are commonly available in food factories.
He also asked Liu Yi to get some saltpeter to prepare.
The weather is getting hot, so cold drinks should be on the market. Even in Bianliang City, there are many places making cold dishes.
Ice cream, this should be a rare thing...
"Liu Yi, make some boxes that are larger than the food boxes. Follow the method of making sleeping bags and make a coat for the boxes. Use this method when selling..."
"This thing cannot be sold regionally, so the formula can be sold. You can figure out the specific price..."
Too lazy to worry about it.
I saw my women licking the ice cream with such intoxicating enthusiasm... Even though I didn't cook it authentically, the taste should still be good. After all, this is a fresh food, so I should be able to make some money.
I guess it will take a lot of effort to get money from Tao Niang. Besides, the gap in doing those things by myself cannot be made up by eating.
You still have to think about it!
…
This month the ministers and workers received their salaries and actually got some new coins.
Therefore, Bianliang City began to have new coins circulating, mostly copper coins, but also silver coins. Gold coins were rare, and occasionally one or two would be scrambled for.
The court has always been a sieve. Rumors about the new coins coming out of the court have been circulating for a long time, and now they are finally seen.
Counting ancient and modern times, including all dynasties, there is no coin as exquisite as that dynasty. The key is that this new coin cannot be copied at all.
Very valuable for storage!
"Your Highness, now the new currency is exchanged for the old currency. It is still seven copper coins. It is already three copper coins to exchange for two new coins."
Very good! Zhang Fangping once said that if ten copper coins can be dissolved, one or two copper coins can be obtained, and if they are cast into bronze vessels, the profit will be five times that of the original.
Zhao Xi really hoped that the merchants would think this way. Not to mention the high temperature required to melt the new coins, they would be surprised when they melted.
After these operations, the officials of the imperial court should not have much spare money, but the merchants are very wealthy...
"Order the security battalion to disguise itself and disperse in various states along the Gyeonggi Road, selling small amounts of new coins many times! Remember, once exposed, don't come back!"
This matter is a bit of a trap. It really can't be brought to the forefront and it can't be seen in the light.
…
From time to time, new coins appear on the market, and the moment they appear, they are immediately purchased at a high price.
It was time to go to the salary distribution stall again. While processing the memorial, Zhao Xi finally saw someone suggesting that the salary be distributed in new currency. He even mentioned that the price could be equal to the exchange ratio in the market. The only purpose was to get new currency.
In other words, the court should have known about the exchange and circulation of new currency in the market, but no one said anything.
Zhao Xi didn't know whether they didn't understand, or didn't want to ask, or whether they all wanted to profit from it? Or did they also have the intention to store it?
I don't understand, no matter what, this is a trick of praising the rare things. I can only blame myself for my incompetence if I can't figure it out. But if Zhao Xi is allowed to trick the princes in the court, he really can't do it.
Therefore, Zhao Xi directly shelved this book without asking what his father meant, which was equivalent to leaving it unpublished.
When it came time to pay out the salary, it was still the same as before, with a mix of old and new coins.
In the next few days, there were more new coins on the market, and the exchange ratio continued to rise, almost approaching a one-to-two ratio.
Zhao Xi really wanted to give out a lot of new coins at this time, and then the officials would exchange them on a one-to-one ratio... I think the faces of those merchants should be very good-looking.
However, the efficiency of coin making in the guard camp is really not high.
I hope the exchange rate won’t drop due to the delay, right?
Obviously, at this point, Zhao Xi misjudged the enthusiasm for storing coins in this era.
"Your Highness, my uncle has written a letter, talking about new coins. Now in Guangnan, there are many rumors about new coins."
It's only been two months, I didn't expect it to spread so quickly.
In this way, Zhao Xi is relieved. With this speed of propaganda, hundreds of state capitals in the country should be able to maintain a high ratio.
Zhao Xi underestimated the extent of the country's lack of money, and also underestimated the speed of the spread of new coins.
In the middle of the second month, officials from all over the country came to tell us: Why can those who serve in court receive new coins, while local officials still receive old coins?
Anyway, the idea is to ask the court to treat everyone equally. Either make new coins as soon as possible, or issue new coins to local officials, even if they are distributed in combination.
In the guard camp, the newly recruited supervisors had to be put to work.
Three shifts, just make coins!
Then, ten days in advance, let the water transport begin to transport new coins to various state capitals...
The stage is set and the excerpts are staged. Zhao Xi has to start arranging the main show!