Your Majesty, what madman would dare to make such a big statement?"

In the secret room, the head of the household, Xia Yuan Jiwei, sat as if he was listening, and after listening to the words coming from the ceramic utensils, he couldn't help frowning slightly and asked.

Somewhat unexpected, Yongle Emperor Zhu Di heard this, but he didn't mean to be offended, but smiled and comforted him.

"Xia Shangshu is a little calm, just continue to listen."

Xia Yuanji was even more puzzled in his heart, he must know that Emperor Yongle is not a good-tempered lord, don't look at the courtiers on weekdays, but when he really angers his bottom line, Emperor Yongle will definitely be furious, and even kill people in public.

For example, in Xia Yuanji's opinion, Zhu Di, as a dignified ninety-five honor, was greatly offended by someone who said that "as long as he has the right to mint coins, he doesn't care who is on the throne".

But the strange thing is that Zhu Di was not angry, which made Xia Yuanji start to wonder, who is the person on the other side of the wall? How dare you speak so presumptuously?

Xia Yuanji stroked the three long strands of his long beard under his chin, since Emperor Yongle had ordered so, he had to suppress his doubts and listen carefully.

"Today's lesson is divided into two parts."

"The first part is the origin and development of money. This part must be said but not important, and I will use short words to help you understand it quickly, without being too verbose."

"The second part is money, the commodity economy and inflation. This part is 'Silver Treasure Money, the point of this lesson, and only by understanding the content of this part will you understand the following questions.'

"Why will silver replace copper coins as the mainstream currency of the Ming Dynasty in the future?"

"Why has 'silver money' become the most effective tool in the fight against inflation for hundreds of years?"

Listening to this gentle and firm voice from next door, Xia Yuanji fell into a short thought.

Xia Yuanji, as the head of the household department, began to assist in the management of the Ming Empire, which can be called a huge financial entity, from the time of the Hongwu Dynasty as the head of the household department, and was personally praised by Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of Taizu Gao, as "Cao Wu Cong is well-organized".

Such an elite bureaucracy of the empire undoubtedly had a wealth of experience in fiscal management and practice.

Therefore, when Xia Yuanji heard Jiang Xinghuo's assertion that "silver will definitely replace copper coins in the future", he almost had an occupational disease, and immediately thought about the possibility.

After a short thought, Natsuhara gave his own answer.

"Impossible!"

And when Xia Yuanji turned his head to look at Zhu Di, he found that there seemed to be an intriguing smile hidden in Zhu Di's eyes.

Zhu Di's temper today was unusually gentle, he did not show the aggressive arrogance of the dawn court, but continued to ask with a smile.

"Xia Shangshu talk about it, why do you think it's impossible?"

Xia Yuanji took a deep breath and replied after a long silence: "Your Majesty, there are many reasons, the first is that the copper coin itself has been tested for nearly two thousand years, and in the hearts of the people of the world, the copper coin is currency, and what about silver?"

"Your Majesty may not know that previous dynasties did not try to use silver coins. In the fourth year of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had minted silver coins, which were abolished in two years. Wang Mang's new dynasty was restructured in retrospect, and silver coins were also issued, and in the end, people died in politics."

….

"Later, the "Tang Hui Yao" clearly recorded: Where there is silver in the world, there must be copper mines, and copper can be used for drum casting, and silver is not beneficial to the people."

"As for the former Yuan, what was issued was only a scarce and beautiful silver Ba Si Pa coin, which could not be used for circulation at all."

"Moreover, compared with copper, Daming's silver reserves are very small, and they can't meet the needs of the people of the world."

"Your Majesty." Xia Yuanji said sincerely, "It's not that no one has tried silver, whether it is historical experience or actual reserves, it has been proved that replacing copper coins with silver is not feasible."

Zhu Diwan asked, "Xia Shangshu is afraid that as soon as my brain is hot, he will waste the copper coin, so as to shake the Ming Dynasty, right?

」

Xia Yuanji was silent, but Zhu Di laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Xia Shangshu don't worry, I'm not a reckless person, let's listen to it."

Xia Yuanji also breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhu Di could listen to the persuasion.

Xia Yuanji was really afraid that Zhu Di would pull him to the prison today to eavesdrop inexplicably, and he really wanted to replace copper coins with silver.

Why?

Just by the words of an unknown fanatic on the other side, the copper coins that had been used for nearly 2,000 years were scrapped?

Daydreaming!

Just by looking at the words of the person opposite, Xia Yuanji can conclude that the other party doesn't know anything about the way of national finance!

But a whimsical fanatic!

But Xia Yuanji was loyal and cautious, and he really didn't want to distract Zhu Di, so he patiently continued to listen to this madman's lecture, but he was a little impatient in his heart.

"This must but is not important about the origin of money." Jiang Xinghuo knew that they didn't like to hear it, "So I'll try to explain it as concisely as possible without delaying too much time."

"All of this starts with the agricultural revolution that we mentioned last time we talked about the "Theory of National Fortunes."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes froze, and he immediately recalled the set of "productive forces determine production relations" and other contents starting from Xia Shangzhou, to be honest, this is the first time in Zhu Gaoxu's life that he feels as if he has seen through the inextricable connections in this huge society.

And Li Jinglong, who had never heard it, seemed confused, but he didn't have to worry too much, Jiang Xinghuo didn't have the habit of repeating lectures.

"From the point of view of the Fortune of the State, the agricultural revolution led to the emergence for the first time of the rentier classes that did not need to engage in production, such as the aristocracy, the army, and the sacrifices, which constituted the necessary composition of the state."

"From the perspective of the Monetary History of China, the agricultural revolution brought about a great division of labor in society, and the great division of labor brought about primitive exchange."

Jiang Xinghuo wrote two words on the ground, and said as he wrote.

"In fact, in ancient times, when people obtained food and goods other than those necessary for survival, 'the division of labor and exchange inevitably began.'"

"Division of labor and exchange are a pair of twins."

Pointing to the two words on the ground, Jiang Xinghuo explained seriously.

"It's not hard to understand. Some people farm the land, some people raise animals, and some people build tools, which is the division of labor; And they rely on each other's bartering, and those who cultivate the land can exchange grain for meat and stone sickles, and this is the exchange."

As he spoke, Jiang Xinghuo gave Li Jinglong two branches, Zhu Gaoxu two small stones, and two leaves in his hands.

….

"The leaves are 'grain,' the branches are 'meat,' and the stones are 'stone sickles,' let's swap them now."

Looking as if it was a child playing a game, Li Jinglong reluctantly exchanged a 'grain' with Jiang Xinghuo, and Zhu Gaoxu also exchanged a 'stone sickle' with Jiang Xinghuo.

"Very well, now you two people who don't grow food have obtained food by exchanging meat and stone sickles, right?"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded very seriously, and even counted the portion of 'grain' in his hand, and the remaining portion of the 'stone sickle'.

Jiang Xinghuo continued: "This kind of direct barter, when the scope of participation in the transaction is narrow and the variety is scarce, can meet the needs of people's survival and development, but the establishment of barter must be based on the double coincidence of demand, the double coincidence of time, and the double coincidence of quantity, these three coincidents as the prerequisite."

"Your Majesty!"

Xia Yuanji finally couldn't bear it anymore, and he was almost complaining to Zhu Di in some kind of complaining tone.

"The country is in turmoil, all kinds of waste are waiting to be rebuilt, the minister is the head of the household, and he can't wait for eighteen hours a day to do things, and so many things are piled up on the desk of the political envoys, such as the flood of the Wusong River, the locust plague in Shandong, and the drought in Gansu. With so many places waiting for disaster relief, and it's time to hand in the autumn food, how can we have time to listen to children play games in this prison room?"

When Zhu Di heard this, he was relieved without hurry.

"I know Xia Shangshu is in a hurry, but what, I

I don't think there's a hurry, there are so many things in the country, it's not bad to do it on this day, Xia Shangshu might as well make a bet with me today."

"Bet on what?" Xia Yuanji asked helplessly.

"Bet you'll drop your jaw if you keep listening."

Xia Yuanji looked at Zhu Di with incredible eyes, holding Zhu Di in the chair with his hands, this is what the supreme of the world should say?

Xia Yuanji almost slandered the classic sentence 'I don't look like a human king,.

Zhu Di's words were all said to this point, and Xia Yuanji, as a courtier, had no choice but to continue listening.

And in his heart, he became more and more disdainful and irritable, Xia Yuanji thought to himself.

I, Xia Yuanji, have a book, manage the money and grain of the world in the Ming Dynasty, and I am the person who knows the most about economics in the world.

To eavesdrop on a maniac lecture in prison?

The key is still the way of the economy?

Isn't this a big axe in front of Lu Ban and a big knife in front of Guan Gong?

The emperor even let me continue listening to it, which was a real insult to my profession.

Outrageous! Dare to be angry but dare not speak.

Inside the wall, Li Jinglong nodded, bartering, it was.

Jiang Xinghuo saw that the two of them had figured it out, so he continued.

"When a person in a specific division of labor can obtain all the necessary resources for his survival by means of exchange, it will inevitably lead to a more refined division of labor, such as the division of those who make stone tools into those who make stone sickles, stone grinders, and stone hoes."

As he spoke, Jiang Xinghuo placed a large stone and a medium stone on the left and right sides of Zhu Gaoxu.

"The big stone is a stone mill, the medium stone is a stone hoe, and the small stone left in your hand is a stone sickle."

Jiang Xinghuo paused, and then said: "And the 'division of labor, refinement, has led to' exchange, high-frequency and large-scale. Do you think that I used to exchange a grain for a stone sickle, and now I should exchange a few grains for your stone mill?"

Zhu Gaoxu scratched his beard and said, "Why don't you get three copies?"

"What if I don't have three, or don't want to give three?" Jiang Xinghuo spread his hands, "You can't find another buyer for a while, 'The double coincidence of demand, time, and quantity does not exist, and you are waiting for the rice to be cooked, will you starve to death?"

Zhu Gaoxu thought about it for a while, and then showed a fierce expression.

"If I refuse to trade, how can I sit back and wait to starve to death? While he still has the strength, he will stone others to death, and then snatch the grain."

With that, he also took the stone in his hand and made a waving motion.

Jiang Xinghuo: "."

Li Jinglong: "."

(End of chapter)

West Lake in the rain