After the establishment of the Daxuan court, the first task was to mint new coins.
Because private minting was common at that time, bad coins were rampant, resulting in chaotic circulation and cumbersome conversions. If the currency system could be reformed, it would be beneficial to people's livelihood, and it would improve taxation and eliminate fire consumption.
The so-called "fire consumption" refers to the wastage when broken silver is melted and recast into silver ingots. Taxes are levied on all silver and turned over to the state treasury. Fire consumption occurs when the broken silver handed over by the people is melted and recast into silver ingots.
Over time, fire consumption gradually became a means for officials to make money. The additional "fire consumption" levied during taxation was greater than the actual "fire consumption", and the difference went to the officials. In the late Wei Dynasty, "fire consumption" continued to increase, and the general government
The fire consumption in counties can reach 20, 3, or even 4 or 5 yuan per tael. In remote counties, taxes are low, and fire consumption is several times higher than the official tax. Although the imperial court also issued a ban, it did not work, and it was acquiesced in the future.
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If silver coins are used uniformly, there is no need to recast silver, and "fire consumption" will be eliminated.
Emperor Gaozu agreed with Xuan Sheng's opinion and changed the new currency from silver taels to silver coins, that is, peace coins. He did not directly implement treasure banknotes and replaced them with official bills that were in the nature of deposit certificates.
The key to making money lies in materials, that is, the materials used for real gold and silver and anti-counterfeiting methods. At that time, Taiping Bank was just a private bank, but its related technology was the best in the world, and it was difficult for anyone to compare with it. In addition,
Later, its silver notes began to be used as evidence of deposits and withdrawals, and gradually became used for transactions, and were even recognized by the court. Therefore, Emperor Gaozu finally agreed to Xuan Sheng's proposal to have the Taiping Bank mint and implement new coins.
Because of this, the Taiping Bank has gradually grown from a private bank to a behemoth with the power to mint coins. It is also responsible for formulating relevant monetary policies, supervising the activities of local banks in the Central Plains, overseas, and the activities of overseas banks in the Eastern world. It has the power to appoint
The status of the assistant manager in charge of the bank is even higher than that of the household department and the branch office.
Today, Taiping Bank is called Qianzhuang, but it actually assumes the responsibility of the "central bank" among Westerners. It is jointly managed by Taoism and the imperial court. There are a total of seven assistants, three from Taoism, two from Confucianism, and one from
One of the nobles of the imperial court is from the royal family. These seven people are all high-ranking dignitaries. They rotate every five years, but if there are no accidents, all seven will be re-elected.
The three assistants of the Taoist sect are Zhang Wuliang, Li Changsheng, and Yao Yi.
Just from the surnames of these three people, we can see what their identities are. They represent the top three families in the Taoist sect. Among them, Zhang Wuliang is a descendant of the Zhang family without a surname, and Li Changsheng is a descendant of the Li family.
They are the highest-ranking people in their respective families. Although Yao Yi is not the highest-ranking person in the Yao family, he is Yao Pei's father, and his status is equivalent to Zhang Jucheng or Zhang Jucheng of the Zhang family.
Li Wujia from the Li family.
The seven assistants have different responsibilities. The two Confucian assistants are only responsible for supervision. The ones who really control the financial power are the three Taoist assistants and the two court assistants. Three to two, the Taoist school has an absolute advantage.
During the period of the Five Dynasties Grand Masters, all three Taoisms surrendered. The Five Dynasties Grand Masters took control of Taiping Bank, and all financial orders came from Yujing.
It was also during the period of the Five Dynasties that Taiping Bank's business expanded to the entire Eastern world, including Fenglin Island and Borneo.
One can imagine the amount of manpower required to maintain such a huge thing. And because of the special nature of Taiping Bank straddling Daomen and the Daxuan court, it formed its own system, like an independent kingdom.
Taiping Bank is located in various places, but the bank's children do not marry with local people, just like the fairies and mortals in the story cannot love each other.
Why? Because there are various preferential treatment within Taiping Bank. Take the Taoist examination as an example, Qi Xuansu also fought hard with real swords and guns. From a Taoist to a Taoist, and then from a Taoist to a Taoist, he ranked among the best in both assessments.
, then he became a ninth-grade Taoist priest. The disciples of Qianzhuang can directly transfer to Taoism.
Yes, it’s not about being admitted to a Taoist sect, but about being transferred to a Taoist sect on an equal footing, and it’s not about starting as a ninth-grade Taoist priest, but starting as an eighth-grade Taoist priest. Can such treatment not be superior?
Even so, there are still a large number of money bankers who are unwilling to transfer to the Taoist sect. The reason is very simple. The treatment in the bank is better. How can a place that manages money and makes money be short of money? As far as regular banks are concerned, under the same grade
, the bank's regular silver is almost double that of Taoism, and there are various subsidies. In addition, Taiping Bank also builds manor houses in various places, and only distributes them internally. This is a treatment that Taoist priests do not have.
The only advantage of the Taoist sect and the imperial court is power, but the bank has its own system. The three Taoist auxiliary managers are not the great masters of Pingzhang, and they are not even completely within the Taoist sect's system, but they are equivalent to the first level of the great master of the palace, and they have the right to do so.
You can't control them. Besides, how much power can you have before you are promoted to the level of deputy palace master or deputy hall master? The upper limit of the bank is not as high as that of the Taoist sect, but how many people can rise to that level?
Third-grade Taoist priest Youyi, second-grade Taoist priest Taiyi? Or is the bank system more comfortable?
Some people even say that people in the bank can look down on ordinary Taoist priests.
The headquarters of Taiping Bank Nanyang Branch is located in Lion City. Because Lion City is not a fortress or a military camp,
It is a prosperous port, and its geographical location determines that it is the center of Nanyang trade.
After the reception banquet, Qi Xuansu made a request to check the Nanyang Head Office's treasury, but was declined by the bank's assistant on the grounds that he wanted to seek instructions from his superiors.
This was the first time Qi Xuansu encountered a problem after arriving in Nanyang.
Taiping Bank has always announced that if you want to audit the Taiping Bank's accounts, except for special circumstances where the Grand Master or His Majesty the Emperor personally orders it, at least four assistants must agree. Therefore, Qi Xuansu deliberately did not mention auditing the accounts, but only said that he wanted to take a look.
The treasury was considered a test, but unexpectedly it hit a snag.
This is not Qi Xuansu’s whim, nor is it Qi Xuansu’s ability to make opinions, but it has been approved and approved by Donghua Master in advance.
The reason is not complicated. If you want to get tangible evidence that can overthrow Wang Jiaohe, the most direct breakthrough point is the word "money". Local forces have been entrenched in one party for many years, and they can't penetrate with needles and water can't be poured out. What's the reason?
? Is it loyalty? Is it loyalty? None, it is collusion of interests. As long as interests are involved, the word "money" cannot be avoided, and when money is involved, Taiping Bank cannot be avoided.
Most of the trade in Borneo Province has to be settled at the Nanyang Head Office.
At this time, Qi Xuansu only had two feelings, one was the arrogance of the Taiping Bank, and the other was the depth of the water in Borneo. If Wang Jiaohe could really be brought down this time, the number of people involved would probably exceed the two major Jiangnan cases.
The total sum is not something that can be hastily concluded by killing a second-grade Taiyi Taoist priest.
In the afternoon of the same day, Jiayin Lingguan also arrived at the Lion City. In fact, he was a frequent visitor here. He would come several times a month, but this time he came specifically for Qi Xuansu.
Under the arrangement of Protector Lin, Qi Xuansu had a secret conversation with the Jiayin Lingguan.
Lingguan Ding Chou has always been with Zhenren Lan Da, spending most of his time in Shenglong Mansion, so he does not know much about the situation in Java. This is not the case with Lingguan Jiayin. Although he is the leader of the army,
He has been stationed in the Xuanwei Department of Old Port for a long time and is a neighbor of the Lion City. He has never eaten pork and has seen pigs running around. He still knows a lot about various situations.
After the two were a little polite, Qi Xuansu got straight to the point and said, "I want to know if there is anything unusual in sea trade?"
Jia Yin Ling Guan had taken off his helmet, his half-white hair was not messy at all, he was smiling, but there was no smile in his eyes. He said, "I am a leader in war. I charge into battle for Dao Sect. I also have military matters."
If you know something, but when it comes to trade, you know nothing. Qi Cixi is asking questions out of blindness."
Qi Xuansu is not here either
Urgent: "Then please tell the general what you know."
The spiritual officer is not a Taoist priest, nor is he a man in black. However, because his function is very similar to that of a man in black, he is the one who leads troops in war. Therefore, people in the Taoist sect will also respect the first-grade spiritual officer as a general in private situations, which is somewhat flattering.
the meaning of.
The first-grade spiritual officer is equivalent to the second-grade Taiyi Taoist priest, and Qi Xuansu is still the third-grade Youyi Taoist priest. In terms of rank, he is not as good as the Jiayin spiritual official, and he has many requests from him, so he uses the title of "general". If he is Lan Da
Real people are usually only called "Jiayin".
"I don't dare to be a general like Qi Cixi." Jiayin Lingguan waved his hand, "I can only tell Qi Cixi that the sea has been very rough recently and there are often shipwrecks. Last year alone, eleven large ships sank.
It’s one ship a month.”
Qi Xuansu nodded slightly.
The sunken ship here is of course not a flying boat. Such a large cargo volume cannot be carried by flying boats. It must be a merchant ship at sea. It is reasonable for such a ship to sink in wind and waves. It is a normal loss. Under normal circumstances, jade
Jing will not care, let alone pursue it. But sinking eleven large ships in one year is a bit excessive. In other words, it is a bit abnormal.
Qi Xuansu said, "It seems there is something fishy here."
Jia Yin Lingguan smiled and said, "I only state the facts I saw. The specific situation needs to be analyzed in detail."
Qi Xuansu turned to ask, "Are the accounts involved in these shipwrecks all deposited at Taiping Bank's Nanyang branch?"
Jiayin Lingguan hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
Qi Xuansu asked again, "Is there any interception of the Nanyang branch village's head office inside? The general only tells you what you know or guess, and I will judge for myself."
After all, the bank is not a Taoist government, so the Jiayin Lingguan does not have so many scruples. "As far as I know, Hu Fuli of the Nanyang Branch is still aware of the general situation. He is just forced by the situation and favors to pay for all aspects. He is not here.
There’s money to be made in it.”
Qi Xuansu asked, "Is Assistant Hu personally in charge of the Taiping Bank's accounts?"
Jia Yin Ling Guan was silent for another moment. "Hu Fuli is a smart man. Since he doesn't make money in it, how can he get involved in these things personally? He must set up a shield to isolate himself. I heard that all the accounts here are
His deputy is in charge."
Qi Xuansu narrowed his eyes, "Deputy?"
"The surname is Zhou, and his name is Zhou Yonghe." Jia Yin Lingguan said, "By the way, he is also from the Wanxiang Taoist Palace, and maybe he is a classmate of Qi Cixi."