Huang Shi saw that everyone present was whispering to each other, this was something that had not happened for a long time, but Lao Huang didn't care about them, he felt that it was better to let them communicate more by themselves, and it was not too late for him to explain.

However, if he didn't speak, it didn't mean that he didn't pay attention to the conversation between them, and now Huangshi's ears were also pointed, and those muttering in the distance, although they were very small, soon reached his ears.

"Hey, if it's according to what the chief said, then these will become treasures......"

"Yes, it's a treasure banknote, but this treasure money has been gone for decades ......"

"If the chief sends us this money, where will we spend it?"

"yes, yes, what if they don't recognize it?"

On the right side of Huangshi's seat, Chen Youxin and Zhang Chen were also discussing there.

"Brother Yuyuan, I have seen that treasure banknote, it is so wide, so long, and the pattern on it is also very simple, how can there be a chief who is beautifully printed." Zhang Chen said to Chen Youxin, he looked at more than a dozen "banknotes" one by one, although there were large and small, but the patterns on them were vividly depicted, and the colors were also unusually bright and eye-catching, and what was even more peculiar was that this texture was not made of anything, it was cold and slippery to the touch, and those patterns and patterns seemed to be embossed on it.

As for the treasure banknote, Zhang Chen heard that it is made of mulberry pulp, so the banknote paper has slender fibers and a dark blue-gray surface. In his home, there are many treasure banknotes that have not been exchanged, he saw it when he was a child, and there is a dragon pattern border on the front, and the banner on the border is "Ming Pass Treasure Banknote" six words, which is somewhat similar to the money to be issued by the chief.

It's just that the two sides of the upper layer of the frame are written with stacked seals respectively with the eight big characters of "Daming Treasure Banknote" and "World Pass". In the middle is written horizontally the banknote "Erbaiwen". Underneath the banknote is a picture of a string of money, which symbolizes a hundred texts.

In the lower block of the frame, it reads: "Zhongshu Province is allowed to print the Ming treasure banknote, and the copper money is commonly used." The forger is beheaded, and the accuser is rewarded with two hundred and fifty taels of silver, and the prisoner is still given property. Hongwu a certain year, a certain month, a certain day". The text is also stamped with the seal script "Treasure Money Lifting Division Seal" Zhu Wenyin side. The upper layer of the back is stamped with the seal book "Printing Treasure Banknote Bureau" Zhu Wenyin, and the lower layer of the back has a dragon pattern border, and the frame is also written horizontally with the amount of banknotes and the money string diagram.

The "banknote" to be issued by the chief is also somewhat similar to the "treasure banknote", taking the largest "banknote" as an example, the front banner is written "People's Bank of China" six big characters, these words are all known, but when put together, I don't know what the road means.

Then below the banner is marked "100" and "One Bai Yuan", and on the right of them is a magic vessel that does not know the purpose of the road, and then there are some flowery patterns around them, and those patterns are all depicted with colored lines thinner than the tip of the needle, and there is no stickiness in the slightest wisp.

Zhang Chen looked at these exquisite "banknotes", and said in his heart that this "one hundred yuan" is worth a lot, otherwise just looking at this painting, this material can also be regarded as a treasure.

Although Chen Youxin also thinks that these "banknotes" are exquisite, but he has been a maritime merchant for a long time, and his knowledge is far-reaching after all.

Because the Ming Dynasty began from Ming Taizu to the Hongzhi period of nearly 100 years, only one kind of "Ming Dynasty Treasure Banknote" was issued, and the printing and issuance of treasure banknotes was always concentrated in the Ming government, this unity was never had in the previous generation. It does not cash, does not demarcate, does not limit the region and circulation time, does not stipulate the issuance limit, does not have a reserve for issuance, and never changes the name and form of the currency, this currency system is always the same.

But there is a big loophole in the banknote law of the Ming Dynasty, that is, its banknote reversal method. In the ninth year of Hongwu, that is, in 1376, the Ming government formulated the banknote pouring law, and set up "bank banks" in various places to collect and exchange "faint banknotes". In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, the boundaries of the exchange of "rotten banknotes" were stipulated in detail, and all the face value and words that could be recognized could continue to be used, and those who bought goods with old banknotes were not allowed to raise the price.

But in fact, the ancient government had very poor execution, and the government only collected new banknotes when it collected taxes, while the people could only use the old banknotes at a reduced price or simply refused to use them. This creates a difference in the price of the old and new banknotes, which also causes inflation in the future.

Of course, the most fundamental thing lies in the issuance of "treasure money", and the policy of only going out but not entering has been implemented, that is, only currency is put in, but not withdrawn, or more money is put back and less money is returned. The government issued paper money to pay salaries and military salaries, but when it collected materials, gold and silver goods from the people, it only collected a small amount of new money or did not collect "treasure money" at all.

Such a book, it also fully exposes the essence of the exploitation of the Ming banknote law, the eyes of the Ming people are bright, so the Ming "treasure banknotes" in the process of issuance and circulation continue to depreciate, although in the twenty or thirty years from Chengzu to Xuanzong has taken measures to maintain the purchasing power of the treasure banknotes, such as in order to implement the treasure money, has implemented the "household money salt law", that is, each household with a pound of salt, the receipt of money consistently. The "stall course" means that the shop merchant pays the stall class with money. Forcing merchants and ordinary people to use money has had little effect.

The final result, as Chen Youxin and Zhang Chen said, "Zixi, it's just that no one uses this "treasure banknote" anymore, and the people only use silver money!" ”

……

Listening to so many discussions, Huang Shi naturally knew what they were worried about, he was not Zhu Baba, although he was not a financial professional, but he still understood the simple economic principles, so he decided to talk to them about these economic terms.

So he coughed heavily, and then said, "Everyone, be quiet." ”

Everyone saw that the chief was about to speak, so they all put down the "bills" in their hands and listened to what the chief would say.

Huang Shi smiled, turned his head to look at the people on both sides, and asked them, "I know that you have such and such questions, but before answering your questions, let me ask you, what is money?" ”

"What is money?" When everyone heard it, isn't it very simple, isn't money money, but after thinking about it carefully, it seems that the chief will not ask such a simple question, so they all scratch their heads a little.

Seeing that they were silent, Lao Huang asked Li Chengpeng, "What is money, and it may be recorded in those scriptures you have read?" ”

On Dongluo Island, Li Chengpeng is regarded as the most talented intellectual, because he is a showman, and Zhang Chen is just a child, so Lao Huang will ask him first.

Li Chengpeng thought about it, and replied with some hesitation, "Qian has a note in "Shuowen Jie Zi", and it is also a good thing. The ancients were shellfish and treasure turtles. Zhou Tai's public nine-government law is to use springs, to Qin to abolish shell money. ”

"In the Chronicles? There is also a mention of turtle shell money in the book of leveling, Suo Yin said, his real name is Quan, and his words are like flowing springs. ”

By this, he is actually referring to the fact that the early form of ancient coins was mainly shellfish money. In China, from the late primitive society to the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the main form of currency was physical money, and the more widely circulated was natural shellfish, but the name was first called "Quan". In the later period, a small amount of metal weighed currency and coinage appeared. After the Qin Dynasty, the main form of this coin became metal money, and the name was also set as "money".

Huang Shi laughed when he heard this, "Ha Lu Ha, everyone heard it, in ancient times, the so-called money actually refers to goods, and without goods, there will be no money." And this money was not gold, silver, or copper at the earliest, it was a natural shell at the earliest, and it was a shell that we have everywhere on Dongluo Island, so if we think something is precious, then we will call them 'treasure'. ”

Li Chengpeng's words just now were quoted from the scriptures, but except for a few people who could understand it, everyone else had only learned a few words in the past few months, so they were ignorant.

"In the earliest days of ancient times, they were all bartered, for example, I exchanged three sheep for you and a cow, and I exchanged five pottery bowls for one of your clothes, etc."

Hearing this, some people below muttered in their hearts that the price of this cow was more than three sheep, but when they saw that everyone else was listening to the chief, they only dared to complain secretly in their hearts.

"It's just that this kind of exchange may not always be just right, what if someone only brings two sheep, or he only brings a dozen chickens, but these chickens are not what the cattle seller wants?"

Huang Shi paused here, looked at the crowd, let them think for a moment, and then continued, "Then they can only find another item that everyone agrees on to be the equivalent of this middle." ”

"For example, grain, sheep, cloth, seashells, bronze, jade, these are equivalents in the early days, I exchange a cow for 150 catties of grain, and three sheep for 150 catties of grain, so if there are only two sheep, he can use two sheep plus 50 catties of grain to exchange for a cow, or simply sell two sheep to others to get grain, and directly use grain to buy the cow back."

"However, these equivalents are unstable in time, for example, when the grain is ripe once a year, and it has to be eaten, isn't this equivalent becoming less and less. In addition, there are also limitations in this area, for example, rice is grown in the south, while wheat is grown in the north. In this way, it cannot adapt to the purchase and sale of a large number of goods, and the purchase and sale of goods cannot be carried out across regions. ”

"So, as the sale of goods proceeds, the goods that act as equivalents are finally fixed on certain specific goods. It is some precious metals, such as gold and silver, that eventually turn into money because they are not perishable, easy to divide and fuse, and small in size, large in value, and easy to carry. ”