Zhu Youzhen was quite happy to see that this small restaurant had begun to use silver dollars for trading, and even the large-denomination banknotes issued by the Daming Central Bank a few days ago had been recognized by the market.

At the very least, this shows that the monetary reform has been successful and that the obstacles are not so great.

Even, it means that in the near future, paper money will also be smoothly implemented.

But one noodle costs three silver dollars!

This made Zhu Youzhen very unexpected.

In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the price of Nanjing is still so high?

Zhu Youzhen remembered that Fan Jingwen, the head of the household department, had made a report that a stone of rice a year ago was ten taels of silver, that is to say, one liter of rice was one penny of silver.

But now, a bowl of noodles costs three silver dollars.

This is equivalent to eating a bowl of noodles for 30 yuan in later generations.

"Why is this shop so expensive?" Zhu Youzhen asked the celebrant to write Shi Kefa.

"Back to Your Majesty, this is just an ordinary restaurant, and the price is fair, but if there is chaos today, the grain output is not as good as before, and the price of food has been rising."

After Shi Kefa said, Zhu Youzhen couldn't help but nodded: "This is still in the south, the price of food is still so high, and I don't know what the scene is in the north, which also proves that after the spring of the next year, a big war is inevitable." ”

Saying that, Zhu Youzhen instructed Li Ruolian, the commander of the Jinyi Guard: "That rich businessman just now, bring him over, since this person is from Huguang, you might as well ask about Huguang." ”

Not for a while.

The wealthy businessman was brought to Zhu Youzhen.

It was the first time that Zhu Youzhen had spoken to people in the non-system at close range, and he also felt very fresh, once upon a time, he was the same as them in his previous life, and he was the ruler of this society.

And now, due to an accident in his previous life, he has become the imperial ruler of this world.

Now sitting in front of this kind of rich businessman, Zhu Youzhen does not have the inferiority complex caused by his poverty in his previous life, but looks at the rich businessman with a contemptuous look: "What kind of business?" ”

This wealthy businessman could also see that Zhu Youzhen and the others were extraordinary by observing their words and expressions, and naturally bowed down and replied humbly: "If you go back to the master, Xiaomin is an official and businessman named in the household department, specializing in the trading of iron ore and grain. ”

The iron tools and grain also aroused Zhu Youzhen's vigilance, and he took off Wu Mengming's waist card and put it on the table: "We are Jinyiwei, how do you do this business, tell us, there can't be a lie." ”

"Xiaomin obeyed the order, the price of iron ore in Huguang has soared recently, and it is rumored that Ning Nanbo wants to cast iron armor, and the small one has made this deal from General Jin Shenghuan, and by the way, he also helped General Jin Shenghuan purchase grain in Jiangnan."

The rich merchant just finished speaking.

Wu Mengming, who was the commander of Jinyiwei and specialized in intelligence investigation, slapped the table suddenly: "Bold! Take it for me! ”

"Wait!"

Zhu Youzhen snorted coldly, saw that the rich businessman had already knelt down tremblingly, and said busily:

"Don't be afraid, get up and talk back, although the imperial court prohibits the transportation of salt, iron and grain equal to the north, but it also does not prohibit you from going to Huguang to sell, this is not to blame you, you are a merchant named in the household department, you have the right to monopolize, and naturally it is not illegal smuggling, since you know Jin Shenghuan, take the time to bring him a message, just say that Shi Kefa, the master of ceremonies, wants to meet him."

With that, Zhu Youzhen let the rich businessman retreat.

Shi Kefa couldn't help but ask Zhu Youzhen at this time: "I don't know why Your Majesty wants to meet this Jin Shenghuan in the name of Weichen, what is so special about this person?" ”

"There are not many people under Zuo Liangyu's command who can recruit good fighters, if there is, this Jin Shenghuan is one, this person is utilitarian, you can recruit it, just now from the words of this rich businessman, didn't you hear some information, this Zuo Liangyu seems to be dishonest recently."

Zhu Youzhen walked out of the hotel first, and at the same time instructed Wu Mengming to strengthen the investigation of the Huguang area, and warned Yuan Jixian and Huang Degong to pay close attention to the movements in Huguang.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, Weichen must keep an eye on Huguang Zuo Liangyubu!"

Wu Mengming replied.

Zhu Youzhen nodded silently, and continued to walk in the direction of the Ordnance Bureau with white snow: "Is there any news from Macao?" ”

"Hongfan is willing to send 300 mercenaries, but they demand that the mercenary money be doubled, and there must be a pension after death."

Wu Mengming replied.

"This request is not excessive, I agreed to them, and told them to take out their most powerful firearms, and if they performed well on the battlefield, I could consider purchasing a large number of arms from them, and the value of the transaction might not be less than a million silver dollars."

Zhu Youzhen knows that Portugal and Spain are now the maritime hegemons in the Western world, and thermal weapons are already at the forefront of the world.

Most of the artillery technology in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was also introduced to these two countries.

Although Zhu Youzhen will definitely focus his attention on equipment manufacturing on the improvement and research and development of domestic firearms in the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Youzhen will not close himself off from the rest of the country and take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the latest developments in firearms in Portugal and Spain.

Even, Zhu Youzhen may use this to make an arms deal between Portugal and Spain and the Ming Dynasty, after all, in the future, the Ming Dynasty's demand for firearms will definitely increase, and these two Western powers today may be able to bear a certain amount of production for the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the main output of equipment manufacturing still has to rely on the domestic market.

Zhu Youzhen came to the Ming Ordnance Bureau in Nanjing, and saw that the street where the Ordnance Bureau was located was full of the sound of striking iron and banging pots.

After a closer look, Zhu Youzhen found that this street was full of iron shops and shops making gold and silver jewelry from various pots.

Looking ahead, the gates of the Ordnance Bureau were also blacksmiths, carrying freshly made knives and guns, and those craftsmen were working in the sheds, which were not only craftsmen but also women and children gathered around the iron stoves to keep warm.

"This is really a street made of gold and iron!"

Zhu Youzhen said a word and asked Xu Shilan, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry: "When I moved south, there were tens of thousands of craftsmen who were brought to Nanjing together, and how are these people settled now?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the people you just saw striking iron, mending pots, and repairing Western clocks, as well as making gold and silver jewelry are all them, Weichen doesn't know why Your Majesty wants to bring these people to Nanjing together, but Your Majesty, you want the ministers to settle, and the ministers have to open their shops with the silver allocated by the user department, so that they have a means to make a living, and they can only keep them in vain if they stay in the Ordnance Bureau."

Xu Shilan, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, replied to Zhu Youzhen's words with a smile, in his consciousness, the key task of the Ministry of Industry is to dredge the river and build the imperial tomb, and this Ordnance Bureau is just a department under the incidental management of the Ministry of Industry, not to mention these craftsmen, neither Hanlin Jinshi nor Jinyi Captain, why bother raising them in vain.

But what Xu Shilu didn't expect was that Zhu Youzhen had already darkened his face at this time.