Zhenwu ordered the Jingshi and the local foundry bureau to assist the 'Four Hengs' to mint the Qing Dynasty silver dollar, and the news soon spread to the study room in Changchun Garden, and the three ministers of the study on duty, Zhang Pengxi, Xiao Yongzao, and Song Zhu, were all stunned after hearing about it, how much innovation did this master have? With such an endless stream of drumming, and not letting people live, this day is really impossible to live.

The great victory of the navy in Europe has slightly cooled down the debate on the new deal of the Beijing newspaper and Ningbao, which has not taken a few breaths, and the master has thrown out a new money issuance, and does not follow the study to discuss, does not seek the opinions of the household department, and directly handed over the minting right of the new money to the 'Four Heng' such a private ticket number, so what does the imperial court want to do with the foundry bureau?

After being silent for a long time, Song Zhu glanced at Zhang Pengxi and said: "The new emperor ascended the throne and issued new money, which is a natural and understandable move, but it has always been the issuance of copper coins, and now the monetary system composed of silver and copper coins in the Qing Dynasty is not inappropriate in the slightest, why issue silver coins for no reason?" ”

Xiao Yongzao also muttered: "I don't know the fineness, weight, and size of the issued silver coins?" Our study has become a deaf ear - an ornament. ”

Zhang Pengxi smiled bitterly before he said: "Although I have been in charge of the household department, I really don't know about the issuance of silver dollars, and you also know the emperor's temperament." ”

"Yunqing, money law is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, it is not a trivial matter, but it can't be done by the emperor's temperament." Song Zhu said solemnly: "You have to ask about this matter, since the pre-Ming Dynasty, there is no precedent for the imperial court to mint silver coins, let alone a precedent for the silver ticket number money village to mint coins, isn't this too upside down?" ”

Use me as a gunman? Zhang Pengxi still said with a bitter face: "Although the emperor said that he was like a stream, but the things that were decided are extremely difficult to reverse, and now the head of the household department is not in Beijing, and this matter is only on my own, and I really have no certainty." ”

"The law of money is the foundation of the country. Let's go to the audience together. Xiao Yongzao said. Then he instructed the outside world: "Go and hand over the sign immediately." ”

"Oh, the minion is going." After the little eunuch who was waiting at the door bowed and answered, he ran out with a smoke.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Pengxi couldn't help but smile bitterly, he was clear about the disadvantages of silver, and European silver coins were quite popular on the southeast coast, and he had also heard of them. The Qing Dynasty issued its own silver coins, which is conducive to the circulation of silver, which is not a bad thing in itself, the problem is that the coinage right should not be handed over to the 'Four Hengs', nor should it not be without a little news in advance, Xiao Yongzao and the two reacted so much to this matter. is more dissatisfied with Zhenwu's arbitrariness, and wants to hand over the coinage right to the 'Four Hengs'.

Zhenwu was in the front hall, and Zhenwu, who was reviewing the folds, heard that the three ministers in the study were asking to see him outside, and couldn't help but smile slightly, these people who were fighting in the ring were not slow, and immediately ordered: "Let them in." ”

After the three of Zhang Pengxi, who were waiting, came in to greet An, Zhenwu put down the red pen and closed the fold. He smiled and said, "No courtesy." Sit. After the three of them were seated, he continued: "Are the three of you here for the purpose of issuing silver dollars?" ”

Seeing that Zhenwu was so direct. Zhang Pengxi threw bricks and said: "Back to the emperor, it's true, I don't know what is the color, weight, and value of the silver coins to be issued?" ”

"The Qing Dynasty silver dollar treasury is flat seven coins and two cents, ninety percent silver, and silver is universal." Zhenwu said slowly: "The currency value is divided into four types: one yuan, medium circle (five corners), two corners, and one corner, and one yuan is equal to ten corners. ”

Hearing that the value of the currency is yuan and jiao, Zhang Pengxi was also stunned, how could he completely imitate the European silver dollar? But the color is only ninety percent? Generally, the fineness of official silver is 95%, is it intended to make a profit from it? Just thinking to himself, Xiao Yongzao had already spoken: "Your Majesty, since the silver dollar is common to silver, why is it not the same as the official silver?" ”

Zhenwu glanced at the three of them, picked up the teacup, and took two sips of tea before he spoke: "You first talk about the advantages and disadvantages of issuing silver dollars." ”

Seeing that Zhenwu was anti-guest, Zhang Pengxi groaned slightly, and said: "The fineness and weight of the silver dollar are the same, the standard is uniform, and the size is appropriate, which is not only easy to carry, but also saves the pain of exchange in other places and the loss of circulation, which will greatly promote the circulation of silver in all parts of the Qing Dynasty, just." ”

After a slight pause, he continued: "The Qing Dynasty has always been measured in two ways, and the silver dollar was changed to yuan and jiao, and the merchants and the people were afraid that it would be difficult to accept, and besides, the lack of quality would also cause criticism." ”

Zhenwu smiled slightly and said, "If the silver dollar is changed to one or two of Kuping, and the quality is ninety-five, what are the drawbacks?" ”

Hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but be stunned, if the silver dollar is changed to Kuping one or two, the fineness is ninety-five, it can be said that there are only benefits, there is no harm, the European silver dollar, they have not seen it, the benefits are obvious, but why should Zhenwu change it to two yuan, and the fineness is only set at ninety?

Is it for the sake of fire? The three of them flashed this thought in their hearts, and the official silver was recast into silver dollars, and the loss was unavoidable, in addition to the loss, there was also labor, and all the hundreds of millions of taels of silver in the Qing Dynasty were recast into silver dollars, which was indeed not small, but no one dared to say this.

After a little hesitation, Zhang Pengxi bowed down and said: "Weichen and others are dull, I implore the emperor to dial it." ”

Zhenwu glanced at him and said: "The purpose of recasting the Qing silver dollar is to unify the silver currency of the Qing Dynasty, to reduce the loss of foreign circulation and save the cumbersome exchange of foreign places, to facilitate the better circulation of silver, and to promote the trade of the Qing Dynasty. ”

Hearing this, Song Zhu was confused, and when he saw that it was a good conversation, he hurriedly bowed down and said: "The slave is stupid, since he wants to expel the silver dollar of the foreign domain, the fineness of the silver dollar of the Great Qing Dynasty should be higher than that of the silver dollar of the foreign domain, otherwise how can he be expelled?" ”

Zhenwu glanced at Zhang Pengxi and said, "Yun Qingjiu is in charge of the household department, and he should be familiar with the money law, you can talk about it." ”

Zhang Pengxi couldn't help but be stunned, this silver dollar is not the same as copper money, the copper money is in high quality, and the unscrupulous businessmen collect copper money to cast copper objects privately and resell them for profit, resulting in insufficient circulation of copper coins, so that silver is cheap and expensive, harming the interests of the people and small people.

"Wechen obeys." He hurriedly bowed slightly and said: "The copper money circulating in the market is not the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the fittest, the people have always had the habit of accumulating silver money, which is to accumulate, naturally it is to save good money, use bad money, over time, good money is hidden, and the market circulation is all bad money. ”

"Thoroughly." Zhenwu praised it without hesitation.

Zhang Pengxi bowed down and said: "Your Majesty, the small people pay taxes mainly on copper coins, and the fineness of silver dollars has declined, which invisibly also contributes to the trend of cheap silver money, which is also a major drawback, but the large issuance of small silver coins is enough to make the small people have more opportunities to use silver coins. ”

"Good! One can draw inferences from three, which is really the words of the old man seeking the country. Zhenwu glanced at him appreciatively, and said with a smile: "The disadvantages of the money law of the imperial court are not small, the rectification of the rule of officials, it is necessary to innovate the money law, the quality of copper coins is too high, so that the silver is cheap and expensive, the official price has not changed, it is one or two silver to copper coins of one thousand Wen, in fact, the proportion of the people has always been between seven hundred and eight hundred, and the local officials levy taxes, which have always been levied according to the official price, and the people have to be stripped of once in addition to paying the envy, and paying taxes with copper money.

We will not only issue a large number of small amounts of silver coins to reduce the pressure on the circulation of copper coins, but also plan to adjust the exchange ratio of official silver coins in a timely manner according to the actual exchange rate in the market from next year, so as to reduce the burden on the people and prevent local officials from profiting from it. ”

Zhang Pengxi really didn't expect Zhenwu to think farther than him, according to the actual exchange rate of the market, timely adjustment of the official price of the silver money exchange ratio, this method can effectively solve the drawbacks, but also simple and practical, he hurriedly bowed down and said: "The emperor Shengrui Tiancong, penetrating every detail, is really the blessing of hundreds of millions of people in the Qing Dynasty." ”

Xiao Yongzao and Song Zhu didn't know much about the money method, but they also heard it clearly, and they were busy praising it, but they were aggrieved in their hearts.

After the three people finished praising him, Zhen Wucai continued: "Why didn't the Qing silver dollar use Kuping one tael, but the same as the Spanish silver dollar, and use Kuping seven coins and two cents a piece, abolish two and change the yuan, and change the name to the silver dollar?" One is that we want to comprehensively promote the silver dollar and completely abolish the silver two systems, and the situation of parallel circulation of silver and silver dollars is only temporary, because it is not conducive to the unification of the currency.

Second, the southeast coast's love for the Spanish silver dollar shows that the size and specifications of the silver dollar are very suitable. Third, the Qing Dynasty's foreign maritime trade, mainly to Europe, will be expanding day by day, and the unified specifications with the European currency will be conducive to promoting overseas trade.

Finally, for the sake of expelling the European silver dollar, the Dutch Malaysian sword Kuping eight coins and six cents, the fineness of the ninety-four, the Spanish silver dollar Kuping seven coins and three cents, and the fineness of the ninety-three, but the European silver dollars circulating in the market are mainly Spanish silver dollars. ”

Song Zhu has long been out of the mind to pick thorns in this, talking about the economic money law, talking about the long-term vision, he knows that he can't beat the horse and Zhenwu, a little groaning, he said: "The emperor's holy thoughts are far-reaching, which really makes the slaves ashamed, but the slaves are dull, there is still one thing unclear, the right to mint money is the foundation of the imperial court's money law, how can it be granted" Four Heng "?" ”

Seeing that Song Zhu raised this question so directly, Zhang Pengxi and Xiao Yongzao couldn't help but secretly slander themselves in their hearts, and they wanted to die tactfully? Who doesn't know that Zhenwu accounts for more than half of the shares of the 'Four Hengs'? The two of them didn't dare to peek at Zhenwu's face, and they both lowered their heads with their hearts, waiting for Zhenwu's reaction. (To be continued.) )