Xu Youzhen complained when she heard this: "You don't show up recently, I was originally in charge of water conservancy, but the daily affairs of the Ministry of Industry were all in charge of me, and I was so busy that my feet couldn't touch the ground, this crime is really great." ”

It turned out that Zhou Chen had been obsessed with coinage and the construction of the outer city recently, and spent most of his time in the outer city, and easily did not return to the Ministry of Works. In this way, I will also be at ease, and I will not be able to mix with those bad things in the court.

But as soon as he did this, he was tired Xu Youzhen, and Zhou Chen replied embarrassedly: "Yuanyu, you are still young, you have to do some work."

I'm seventy-two, and I'll work for another two or three years, and when I see the outer city built and the coinage on the right track, I'll retire and go home to make fun of my great-grandchildren. ”

Xu Youzhen walked to the table, picked up Zhou Chen's silver and copper coins and looked at them carefully: "The Ministry of Industry has minted a total of seven kinds of coins now, are there any other styles in the future?" ”

When Zhou Chen heard this, he took out two gold coins from his sleeve and handed them to Xu Youzhen: "Now there are five kinds of copper coins: small flat money, two coins, three coins, five coins, and ten coins.

There are two kinds of silver coins, and the small silver dollar is a silver dollar.

A large silver dollar is one or two pieces of silver, which is worth ten small silver dollars and a thousand small flat coins.

There are also these two gold coins, the big one is one or two gold, and the small one is one gold dollar. However, the pattern of the gold coin is more complex and delicate, and the minting cost is higher, which is a pattern coined by the Ministry of Industry and has not yet been officially issued. ”

Xu Youzhen nodded: "When will this be fully circulated in Daming?" ”

Zhou Chen smiled: "When it will be fully circulated in Daming, I don't know." But these Jingtai Tongbao have already circulated in Beijing.

I dare to guarantee that the fast is two years, and the slow is three years, and the streets and alleys of Jingshi are full of Jingtai Tongbao. All the daily transactions of the people in the capital will be changed to Jingtai Tongbao. ”

Xu Youzhen was a little unconvinced: "So fast? ”

Zhou Chen said proudly: "Do you know how many Jingtai Tongbao have been cast by our Ministry of Industry?" Do you know how much more you have to mint this year? ”

As the so-called wealth does not return to the hometown, such as brocade clothes at night. After casting so much money, Zhou Chen felt uncomfortable without showing off.

Xu Youzhen said tentatively: "A million taels have already been cast? ”

Zhou Chen shook his head: "The copper coins minted alone are already worth more than six million taels of silver." I have minted more than two million taels of silver coins.

For the remaining five months of this year, we will have to mint five million taels of silver. ”

Xu Youzhen was taken aback: "Impossible, where did you get so much silver?" ”

Zhou Chen said with a smile: "When the saint went to the western suburbs to build the Qi Palace, a total of 300,000 taels of gold and 4 million taels of silver were allocated to the Ministry of Industry, and then our Ministry of Industry collected 300,000 taels of silver as a casting fee.

The rest was minted into copper coins equivalent to the Qi Palace, and then the Qi Palace, in the process of construction, spent all the Jingtai Tongbao worth millions of taels of silver. The Qi Wangfu is particularly kind, and it also comes with a Qi State Avenue connecting the capital and the western suburbs.

These Jingtai Tongbao have flowed into the pockets of the people in the capital in the form of material money and wages.

The household department exchanged the treasure stolen by the saint from the Yexian tribe into silver, and allocated one million taels to the Ministry of Works, plus the four million taels obtained from the Qi Palace, a total of five million taels.

We have taken out two million taels of silver and minted silver coins, and there are three million taels of silver and three hundred thousand taels of gold left in the treasury of the Ministry of Industry.

In addition, in order to build the outer city of Beijing, our Ministry of Industry and Household Department also raised 2 million taels to cast Jingtai Tongbao. ”

Xu Youzhen gasped: "In other words, the copper coins and silver coins are counted together, and there are a total of eight million taels of silver Jingtai Tongbao in circulation in the capital city. ”

Zhou Chen nodded: "Just now, Princess Qi allocated another three million taels of silver to the Ministry of Industry and entrusted us to cast Jingtai Tongbao. ”

Xu Youzhen was even more surprised: "Why is the Qi Wangfu so rich?" ”

Zhou Chen shook his head helplessly: "We were calculated by the saint, and the important ministers reached a consensus with the saint: the ministers, military generals, nobles, and relatives will return to the imperial court.

The income of the vassal kings, eunuchs, brocade guards, monks, and Taoist copyists shall be returned to the inner court.

In this mutiny, the eunuchs of the inner court were copied and destroyed. Don't look down on eunuchs, they are much richer than civil and military officials and noble relatives.

Most importantly, the eunuchs were generally friendly with the monks. In this mutiny, a large number of monks and even the entire temple were involved. In addition, much of the wealth of the eunuchs was held by the monks.

According to the previous agreement, all the property of these eunuchs and monks belonged to the Holy One.

So this time I copied the house, and the wealth in the hands of the saint was unimaginable. Three million taels is just an appetizer. There will be at least tens of millions of taels to be cast by the Ministry of Industry in the future.

Our Ministry of Industry has already made a lot of money just by collecting the coinage fees of the palace. ”

Xu Youzhen was speechless when she heard this: "Old Shangshu, you are too powerful, and you dare to collect coinage from the saint?" ”

Zhou Chen asked innocently: "What should I do if I don't accept it?" Don't so many craftsmen in our Ministry of Industry not want to eat? Did the copper of our Ministry of Industry fall from the sky, it is all mined and smelted by the major copper mines under its subordinates little by little, aren't these all costs, how can there be coinage for nothing.

In addition, the Holy Lord also approved a business for the Ministry of Industry to mint silver coins for other noble and wealthy families.

For example, if you have 10,000 taels of silver, you can send it to the Ministry of Industry, and I will charge 300 taels of coinage, and the rest will be exchanged for the equivalent value of Jingtai Tongbao.

But it's not mandatory, you can change it if you want to, and pull it down if you don't want to change it. ”

Xu Youzhen nodded: "Wait a minute, let me take a look, the Holy Lord plans it like this:

The first step was to mint Jingtai Tongbao and abolish the Daming treasure banknotes that robbed the wealth of the people.

The second step is to copy these eunuchs and monks who suck the blood of the people and get a lot of wealth.

In the third step, the Holy Lord used this wealth to restart Western trade. Once the Western trade was done again, four or five million taels of silver could flow into the hands of the imperial court every year.

Fourth, with this additional income of four or five million taels per year, the imperial court can greatly reduce and reduce domestic commercial taxes, firstly, to reduce the burden of the people and increase the savings of the people; The second is to let cheap goods circulate throughout the country. Once the commodity is circulated, Jingtai Tongbao will naturally begin to circulate throughout the country. ”

Zhou Chen added: "What's more, I guess, when the fourth step is successful, the Holy Lord will even completely lift the sea ban, and even the commercial tax on overseas trade will not be collected."

Originally, I thought that those powerful and wealthy merchants in the south would definitely oppose going to the West, but if the sea is not forbidden, and the taxes are not collected, they will not have time to be happy, so why should they oppose it?

In that case, there would be no need for smuggling at sea, and there would be no need for the pirates to stir up the pirates, and the south would really be peaceful.

In the Taizong era, the imperial court paid for the Western Ocean, and the profits from overseas trade went to the interior. In this way, Zheng He went to the West and insisted on it seven times.

Now it's completely reversed, and the cost of restarting the Western Ocean is paid by the Holy Lord himself, but all the income from overseas trade goes to the imperial court.

Once the income of the imperial court rose sharply, then the Holy Lord once again greatly increased the income of the hundred officials. At that time, there may not be many people who oppose going to the West. ”

Xu Youzhen nodded: "Back then, Taizong relied on the Northern Expedition to Mengyuan, the Southern Annihilation of Jiaozhi, and the expansion of territory in all directions to establish a huge prestige, so as to forcibly maintain Zheng He's voyage to the West.

If the Holy Lord can expand his territory, he can also rely on his great prestige to maintain Western trade.

said that it was too far away, and it was up to us to see if we could beat Annan out of the way. ”

Zhou Chen nodded: "It's not bad for Wang Ao to let him govern the place, let him command the army, it's nothing, Liaodong was made into that ghost by him."

Now that he has become the governor of Liangguang again, he really asked him to attack Annam, isn't that a mistake for the country?

It seems that the Holy Lord will replace him soon, but the ministers of the court are dead, those who retreat, the old and the sick, there are not many people who can use it, and I don't know who the Holy Lord will send. ”

Xu Youzhen smiled: "I will take the initiative to ask the Holy Lord." Old Zhou, hurry up and recommend a Ministry of Industry to share the chores. ”

"Huh? Yuanyu, you're going to lead the troops to fight? ”

"This nature, the food of the king, the matter of loyalty. In just two years, I have been taught from a sixth-grade Hanlin waiter, and I have been loved by the saints and jumped to the second-grade Ministry of Works.

How can a person who knows such a kindness and is a minister not repay it?

I want to make meritorious contributions, assist the saint as the holy lord of the Ming Dynasty, and I myself can follow to be the minister of Zhongxing, and my name will go down in history and be famous for centuries. ”

Zhou Chen praised when he heard this: "It's good to be young, the opportunities are all for you young people, take advantage of it." I went to the cabinet to write the notebook, handed me the gold coin sample, and went on to mint it. ”

Xu Youzhen smiled: "Then I will also go to the cabinet to write a recital." ”

(End of chapter)