I am the king of the dead

Chapter 177 The Emperor of Ming Dynasty is about to publish a new book

Jin Lian continued: "Actually, there are a large number of private salt fields in Zhejiang, Huai, Fujian, Guangzhou and other areas. They employ local people as stove salt workers and cook salt every day. The scale is extremely large."

"Ding Ming's salt quotations can be accepted in official saltworks, and they can also be accepted in private saltworks."

"So, the imperial court sent out so many salt quotations, but it didn't cause any disturbances. Instead, the prefectures and counties in various places always hoped that there could be more salt quotations."

When Zhu Qiyu was a teacher, he always had a question.

The earliest banknotes in the world appeared in the Song Dynasty.The earliest credit currency was written in the textbooks at that time.

Later, in the Yuan Dynasty, it was the Zhiyuanbao banknote, and in the Daming Dynasty it was the Daming Baochao.

But these paper currencies quickly became cheaper than toilet paper due to over-issue and inflation.

What is the basis for the emergence of these paper currencies?Why did it become a pile of waste paper again?

The reason for the emergence of banknotes is simple, because there is a lack of currency to complete private business transactions.

The Ming Dynasty produced more than [-] taels of silver every year, and Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral precepts stated that in order to promote the use of Daming banknotes, the folks were not allowed to trade gold and silver.

The indiscriminate issuance of Daming banknotes began in the Hongwu period, and the flood of Daming banknotes has become a disaster. From the first one banknote that can be exchanged for another, to now it is waste paper that no one wants.

But another kind of paper currency, currency based on grain and salt, appeared, that is Yanyin.

Daming's salt quotations can be accepted at the saltworks. Even if they cannot be accepted at the official saltworks, private saltworks can also accept them. These salt quotations have become real currency.

When Daming did not have a large amount of silver input, it assumed the function of currency.

Therefore, it is true that the imperial court owed salt to merchants for three years, six years, nine years, and 14 years of orthodoxy, but merchants don't care much about it. Go to the private saltworks to accept it and exchange it to the water merchant, and you can also earn money.

Because Daming is strong enough, the population is growing day by day, and the demand for salt and grain is increasing, the currency with salt and grain as credit can be so unimpeded in Daming.

It is precisely because Daming is strong enough that Daming's financial affairs can be in a sustainable state of collapse without collapsing, and has an extremely powerful self-adaptive adjustment ability.

Zhu Qiyu sat up straight and said, "We shouldn't be secretly happy about the emergence of this phenomenon. Although it seems that the court has made a lot of money, we must always remember the lesson of the Ming Dynasty."

"Indiscriminate and excessive posting will definitely lead to the complete collapse of the salt class."

Jin Lian agreed: "Your Majesty is right. In fact, last year's overspending of salt quotations caused a run on both official and private salt farms, causing overcrowding."

"In September, a small amount of Yanyin is only worth three buckets and five dendrobiums of grain. Calculated according to the price of grain in the south of the Yangtze River, a small amount of Yanyin is only worth [-] cent, [-] cents, [-] cents and [-] cents of silver."

"The official salt farms are overcrowded and people are angry. The private salt farms are closed down. Salt workers can't make a living, and the price of salt and food has soared."

Zhu Qiyu did some calculations, and it was roughly equivalent to 0.1754 taels of silver.

Jin Lian changed the subject and said: "But with the victory in the battle of the capital, this panic has been greatly alleviated."

"All the private salt farms started frying salt again, and the run on the wind dropped immediately. The price of this salt and grain slowly came down, and the price of this salt rose slowly, returning to the price of one or two yuan."

"The silver I'm talking about is not cash silver, but the reference price after converting the price of grain and salt."

Chen Xun was stunned for a long time, and said with some doubts: "No, why is that so? Salt and food are expensive, and salt should be expensive. Why is it so cheap?"

"Salt and food are expensive, but salt is cheap, salt and food are cheap, but salt is expensive? This..."

"Your Majesty, I am stupid."

Chen Xun is a university scholar. Since the 13th year of Yongle, he has been an official in Beijing. He is good at reciting scriptures, collecting the actions of ancient emperors, writing "Diligent Government Essentials", and admonishing the emperor to be diligent in government. Chen Xun has always been very active in this regard. role.

However, he has been serving as a Beijing official for a long time, which makes him unable to understand the affairs of the world. It is normal for him to be separated from the common people.

Zhu Qiyu tried to explain the matter, and said to Chen Xun: "Salt quotations are often used to make money in the market place. Civil fortresses were defeated, salt quotations were run, private saltworks were closed down, and official saltworks were filled with more salt and less salt. The price of salt soared and the price of quotations plummeted." , because people don't know if they can replace the salt."

"If the capital wins, there will be no more runs, and the Yanyin will continue to be used as a currency for a large number of transactions as usual. If there is no longer a run, the Yin and Yan will be balanced in the official salt field, and the quotation will resume."

"Chen Xueshi, can you understand what I'm saying?"

Chen Xun shook his head dully, and said in a daze, "Yanyin is equal to one stone of rice in Datong Prefecture, and equal to two hundred catties of salt in Jianghuai. Salt is expensive, and Yanyin should be expensive."

In fact, not only Chen Xun, but also the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the six ministers, the minister, and the staff of the six departments present were scratching their heads.

Yu Qian can understand, and so can Shi Pu, Jin Lian, and Wang Zhi.

It is easy to understand Yanyin as the gold-dollar coupons of the Republic of China. After the war was defeated and inflation started, the gold-yuan coupons immediately depreciated, just like Yanyin’s plunge in September 14.

Zhu Qiyu took a blank piece of paper, drew three circles, picked it up and said, "Minggongs, please take a look, this is Yanyin. The value of Yanyin is divided into two parts, one is the use value and the other is the exchange value."

"The sum of use value and exchange value is the value of Shiobiki, which is the value of currency."

"Use value is the salt that can be accepted, and exchange value is the role of a medium of exchange in trade."

"The defeat of the country and the turmoil in the hearts of the people will cause the exchange value to plummet, far exceeding the growth of the use value, so it will plummet."

"The country was defeated, people's hearts were stabilized, and production resumed. Although the use value fell slightly, the exchange value recovered, so the quoted price recovered."

Only then did Chen Xun suddenly understand and said, "I understand."

He looked at the picture and immediately understood, so it is!
Yanyin not only represents salt, but also money issued by Daming, which is similar to Daming banknotes.

If Guochao was defeated, the thin paper of Yanyin would be useless, but if Guochao won, Yanyin would still be Yanyin, and everyone would go on as usual.

Only then did Zhu Qiyu breathe a sigh of relief. What he said was not complicated. It was actually the function of the simplest and most basic currency.

Chen Xun was very successful in politics, especially in the aspects of the emperor's affairs and documents, but in the field of economics, his eyes were smeared.

Yu Qian looked at the emperor instead, his eyes flickering.

Logically speaking, when His Majesty was the King of Yi, he would not have learned these things. How did His Majesty understand the role of Yanyin in circulation so thoroughly and clearly?What was the value of this currency during the turmoil last September?

At this time, Yu Qian was even more convinced that there was an expert behind His Majesty! 99 feet tall!

As for whether His Majesty is the reincarnation of Emperor Zhenwu, Yu Qian does not believe it. He believes that it is an expert behind His Majesty, similar to Yao Guangxiao and Emperor Taizong Wen.

But Yu Qian pondered over and over again, but he didn't figure out who the master was.

Jin Lian carefully wrote down the notes, His Majesty's part about exchange value and use value is enough for him to understand.

After thinking about it, Jin Lian still thinks that silver is the most suitable currency for Ming Dynasty. Why can silver be used as currency?

Because silver has no use value, but it has a very high transaction value.

Gold is also available, but gold is too little, and silver is more reliable.

Zhu Qiyu sat on the stool and watched Jin Lian's reaction, and felt that it was necessary to write a Ming version of "The Wealth of Nations".

Daming's financial affairs are simply a mess!
Wealth is power.

Without a healthy and stable financial system, how could the Ming Dynasty have traveled thousands of miles and swaggered across the region?
Compared with "The Wealth of Nations", Zhu Qiyu actually likes "Das Kapital" better, but writing "Das Kapital" in Daming is really too over the top...

Jin Lian has already sat down, and he is still thinking about where to get money. He heard that there are many Japanese countries, can he use large-scale business to obtain a large amount of stable currency?
Yanyin is really too unstable, and he is concerned about the people's daily life of Ming Dynasty. If this thing is used as currency, it will really affect the whole body.

Gold and silver are stable, but Daming produces more than [-] taels of silver a year, which is simply a drop in the bucket.

According to Jin Lian's calculations in the accounts at the Ministry of Accounts, Daming needs at least 500 million taels of silver inflows a year to allow silver to fully serve as currency.

Zhu Qiyu continued: "I have said before that I plan to let the eunuch who settles accounts and the head of the Du branch of the household department set up a planning province, temporarily hang it under the name of Shijing factory, and calculate the annual production of Shijing factory, and occasionally do it for me. Do the math."

Emperor Jiajing, also known as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty, had complete control over the money bag, so he would not go to court for 20 years and ignored matters, but he could still arbitrarily judge the court.

Zhu Qiyu didn't intend to do Jin Lian's work, Jin Lian did a good job, but Daming's economic account can't continue to be so confused.

"If you have any objections, you can raise them now, or write a memorial and submit them to Wenyuan Pavilion. As long as it makes sense in the four major directions of phenomenon, problem, reason, and plan, I will take it seriously." Zhu Qiyu never allowed it The courtiers participated in the discussion of state affairs, but Zhu Qiyu opposed the general talk and the nonsense of nonsense.

Participating in and discussing state affairs is what courtiers do!

Didn't the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination select them from the vast crowd for the purpose of allowing them to participate in politics?
But some people lost even three parts of their human appearance in front of the officials, leaving only seven parts of their animal appearance, if it was the beast on the patch on their chest.

"Your Majesty, I think that the Yan government is a serious matter, and it is necessary to send more capable officials to visit the salt in the two Zhejiang provinces to find out the matter and make a decision. There is no investigation, but empty talk." Wang Zhi said every day in Fengtian Hall Dozed off, but not today, he has been listening attentively and actively offering his words.

Judging by inspection, translation means that without investigation, there is no right to speak.

After many investigations, combined with the memorabilia of the inspectors of the prefectures and counties, and the ministers of His Majesty's eyes and ears, they went to the local inspections, and then made a decision.

"Is there anyone to choose?" Zhu Qiyu nodded and asked.

As Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Wang Zhi was responsible for recommending talents. He bowed his head and said: "Li Xian, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, is quite talented. I think I can go to Zhejiang, Lianghuai, Fujian, Guangzhou and other places for inspection. Play in the morning."

"Is that Li Xian who escaped by chance during the Civil War?" Zhu Qiyu remembered this person. Before that, Yu Qian defeated the Wala Pioneer Army outside Zhangyi Gate and captured many people, including Li Xian who escaped by chance.

Zhu Qiyu still had a little impression of this person, he nodded and said, "That's him."

At least Li Xian was loyal to Daming, even though the emperor Zhu Qizhen had surrendered, his courtier ran back instead.

Although Li Xian was nothing in Daming, such a person, in Wala, would not be able to find a talent for helping the country and governing the world even with a lantern.

For example, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Fan Wencheng under Huang Taiji failed even a Jinshi examination in Daming.

"Your Majesty, I think that a regulation should be drawn up. What is the situation of the salt law and how to improve it? Only through regular discussions can it be promoted. Instead of thinking about it, just discuss it, and if you don't think about it, just throw it away like a shoestring." Hu Yi bowed his head to offer advice again, and dozed off all day in the court hall.

If His Majesty kills someone, Hu Wei and Wang Zhi will go to sleep. They are both master-like figures, masters of pretending to be confused!
It's not that Hu Wei is old and useless, he just pursues self-protection.

He has been in office for more than forty years from Yongle to the present, and he has already seen through the Ming Dynasty. If he thinks about it today, if he changes it, he will forget it tomorrow!
Is the Daming Salt Law discussed for the first time today?

But every time it is always discussed and discussed, and it ends without a problem.

But His Majesty is obviously not such a person.

Zhu Qiyu nodded and said, "Then once a month."

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(End of this chapter)