The ruthless emperor in the late Ming Dynasty forced Chongzhen to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 172 All the Pavilion Guys Go to the Bank to Open an Account in Person

The Royal Bank of Dingyuan County has only been established for more than a month, and the treasurer is also a woman.

However, they were conscientious geisha recruited locally from Nanzhili. After being trained in Nanjing, they were distributed to various prefectures and counties.

Thanks to Jiangnan's flourishing style of writing, the two middle-aged managers in the bank are proficient in arithmetic, and even a few of the clerks can read some simple characters.

There are only 12 people in the bank plus bodyguards. It is located in a courtyard in the city. If it weren't for the plaque hanging outside the gate, it would be hard to tell that this would be a bank.

The Royal Bank, which used to be empty at the gate, is now overcrowded. Hundreds of people lined up in a long line, discussing a lot, all with curiosity in their hearts.

These people are naturally officials from Dingyuan County. As long as they have an official status, small officials with high grades will come.

Even the unofficial handymen joined in the fun, all with envious expressions on their faces.

These handymen without official status are now collectively referred to as Baishen, and they are the only ones who have not been transferred in each yamen.

There are not many such people in the yamen, and many of them are city ruffians temporarily hired when collecting taxes.

After a long queue, Xu Fu saw that it was finally his turn, and he also looked excited.

Since I had seen what was going on with the person in front of me just now, before the female shopkeeper could ask, I clasped my fists and said, "Xu Fu, I'm arresting the head in the punishment room. I'm the ninth rank. The serial number is [-]. This is an official document granted by the Ministry of Officials." He took out an official document from his pocket, unfolded it carefully and handed it to her.

"Ok!"

The female shopkeeper saw that she didn't ask, so he spoke clearly and nodded appreciatively. She took the document and checked it, then searched it in the booklet on the table.

It took only a moment to find Xu Fu's name and relevant information, and seeing that all the items were correct and the documents were genuine, he took a red booklet from the side.

After some writing and stamping, he handed back the booklet, official documents, and the bank's identity certificate to him and said: "This booklet is your bank account book, and this certificate is the bank's identity certification. , neither of which can be damaged or lost. Once damaged or lost, you must immediately take the official documents and the certificate issued by the county magistrate, and go to the bank to reapply. Do you understand? Do you remember everything?"

"Understood, may I ask, how much is my monthly salary? Is it really paid?" Xu Fu nodded after receiving the booklet and the official document, and then asked expectantly.

"You are a ninth-rank official, with a regular salary of five taels a month. Didn't the announcement from the Ministry of Officials say so?"

"I said, I just want to make sure, can I give you money now?"

"Today I am only responsible for account opening and verification. You can come to the bank tomorrow with your account book and identity certificate to receive your regular salary for April." The female shopkeeper explained.

"Is there really a bonus every year?"

Hearing that he could come to pick up the silver tomorrow, Xu Fu asked again excitedly.

"I'm not sure about this. I'm just the treasurer of the bank. I'm only responsible for issuing your salary according to the orders and regulations of the Nanjing head office. I don't care about other things."

"Then is this salary issued by the imperial court or by the bank?"

This is what everyone wanted to ask, so after Xu Fu finished asking, almost all the people in line behind looked at the female shopkeeper.

Thinking of what Her Highness the Princess told me when I went to Nanjing for a meeting, the female shopkeeper simply put down the brush and explained: "Your salaries are naturally issued by the imperial court, but His Majesty is worried that officials at all levels will deduct your salaries, so he asked the Ministry of Accounts to entrust the Royal Bank , to be responsible for distributing to all officials, that is to say, the household department will first send the money and the list to the head office every month, the head office will then send it to the sub-branches, and the sub-branches will then send it to the branches, and finally the branch will issue an announcement, and you will receive it yourself.”

Although the female shopkeeper's explanation was very clear, everyone was still confused and didn't quite understand.

"Okay, it doesn't matter if you don't understand, you just need to get your salary with the voucher account every month."

Seeing that there were many people behind, the female shopkeeper might be busy until night today, and she didn't want to delay any longer. She had already explained this, but they couldn't understand.

"Then what if the bank deducts our salary harshly?" Xu Fu thought for a while, and asked through gritted teeth. Obviously, this question was what all the officials wanted to ask, so they all looked at the female shopkeeper again.

"When the bank distributes your salary every month, it will issue a voucher to you and ask you to sign and draw a deposit. If the money you receive does not match the notice from the household department, you can report it to the household department with the voucher. You should all be literate, right?"

The female shopkeeper explained angrily.

Everyone didn't expect the bank and the household department to be so thoughtful, and they were all overjoyed.

Xu Fu complained to the shopkeeper again, and then left.

When Wu Hong from the county government heard the servant's report, he was so startled that he almost spit out the tea in his mouth.

With a look of disbelief: "What did you say? The bank teller actually wants me to come to handle it in person?"

"Returning to your lord, that's what the female shopkeeper said. She also said that your lord's private account needs a grade official document issued by the official department, and the county government's public account needs the county government's seal, and the official department appoints you as a senior official. The official documents of the magistrate of Dingyuan must be attended by the adults in person, both of which are indispensable." The servant replied cautiously.

"It's unreasonable, you go again, tell the female shopkeeper, let her come to the county government office to handle it for me!"

Wu Hong slammed the teacup on the table. If it wasn't for the royal family running the bank, he would have to seal it up and send the woman to prison.

"Yes!"

The servant had to go to the bank again.

Only half a quarter of an hour later, he returned in a hurry.

"Why, isn't she coming?" Seeing his expression, Wu Hong immediately made a guess, and said with a serious face.

"My lord, the female shopkeeper said that their head shopkeeper has a rule that when opening an account, it can only be handled in the bank. She also said that today will be counted and reported tomorrow, so there is no need to handle it."

The servant looked uneasy, and also felt a little resentful in his heart.

"Hmph! Go and tell her that in Dingyuan County, you have to follow the rules of the official, and their rules of the chief shopkeeper are useless."

Wu Hong said with a livid face.

It is a big joke for him to go to a store in person to find a woman to open some kind of labor account with a dignified seventh-rank magistrate and a new scholar.

Where will his face be put when the news spreads?
Haven't been laughed off by your colleagues?
How can the common people and gentlemen of this county be in awe in the future?

"My lord, the chief treasurer of the Royal Bank seems to be Princess Kunxing." Seeing that his lord was confused, the servant hurriedly reminded him in a low voice.

Sure enough, Wu Hong was taken aback when he heard the words, then his face turned pale, and he also remembered at this time.

After a while, he restrained his expression, and said sternly to the servant: "I didn't say anything just now, do you understand?"

If you really answered that sentence, the one I am not embarrassed about is you.

"I understand." The servant nodded quickly.

"Prepare the sedan!"

Only then did Wu Hong calm down. Seeing that it was getting late, although he was depressed to death, he had no choice but to get up and go to the bank.

If Wu Hong knew that even Ma Ge and the six ministers had to go to the bank in person to handle their own private accounts and six public accounts, he probably wouldn't feel so depressed.

When Wu Hong came to the gate of the bank, all the officials consciously avoided, and the spectators were also driven away in advance, so the whole bank inside and outside was restored to the desertedness of the past.

"Please forgive me, Master Wu. It's not that the little girl doesn't want to go to the yamen to handle it for the adults. It's because the chief shopkeeper has strict orders, and the little girl dare not disobey."

The female shopkeeper personally welcomed Wu Hong into the hall from the gate, and after she was seated, she explained with an apologetic face.

She also didn't want to offend the county magistrate, but Her Royal Highness the princess had repeatedly asked her not to come to the door to handle it.

"It doesn't matter, since Her Royal Highness has an order, the next official should obey."

Wu Hong waved his hands kindly, as if he didn't care at all.

"Thank you for your understanding."

"I'm busy with business, so I'll trouble your shopkeeper." Wu Hong obviously didn't want to be long-winded, and he didn't want to stay too long.

"Then please wait a moment, my lord."

As the shopkeeper spoke, she got up and went to the desk beside her, while the servant followed with her official seal and voucher.

It was only a moment before the female shopkeeper came to Wu Hong with two brochures, one red and one yellow, a piece of identification, and a square seal.

"My lord, the red one is your personal account book. You can come to the bank to receive your salary with it and this identity certificate every month. If it is lost or damaged, you need to bring an official document from the official department to the bank to reissue it."

"Does the official have to come in person every month to receive the salary?" Wu Hong picked up the red notebook and ID card and looked at it, then squinted his eyes and said.

"Yes, my lord, the official's private account can only be distributed if he comes to collect it in person, and no one else can claim it on his behalf. This is also the rule of the head shopkeeper." The female shopkeeper explained again with an apologetic expression.

Wu Hong's cheeks twitched when he remembered that he was a majestic seventh-rank county magistrate who had to come to this shop to receive his salary every month like those merchants.

After a long while, I suppressed the anger and depression in my heart, took a look at the yellow notebook and the small seal and asked, "Then what about the account of the Dingyuan County government?"

"This public account does not require an adult to come in person. To withdraw how much, the adult only needs to send an official document explaining, and then stamp the county government's big seal and this small seal, and then sign the adult's name!"

The female shopkeeper said slowly.

When Wu Hong heard that he finally didn't want to come by himself, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his face calmed down a bit, then he asked curiously: "Is there really 1000 taels in the public account?"

"Yes, my lord, the 1000 taels of silver are the daily expenses allocated by the Ministry of Households to the government offices of the counties for a year."

"Well, I'm going to take out all the 1000 taels of silver now, and you go and handle it immediately." Wu Hong's eyes lit up, and he said immediately.

"Originally, no money was withdrawn today, but when the lord spoke, the little girl made an exception and asked the lord to write official documents according to the regulations..."

The female shopkeeper didn't say anything, but nodded.

Wu Hong also didn't put on airs anymore, got up and came to the desk, and wrote an official document for withdrawing money, signed his name and stamped it with a large and small seal.

After the female shopkeeper confirmed it, she stamped the big seal of the bank and signed her name, then carefully put it away and ordered the steward to withdraw the money.

"What is a treasure note?"

Holding a stack of precious banknotes, Wu Hong was dumbfounded.

Although the treasure banknotes have spread to the south, and have been recognized by merchants and common people in Nanjing and its surrounding areas, no one in Dingyuan County will recognize them.

"My lord, the salaries of the officials and the funds of the yamen are all directly issued with precious notes." Seeing his big reaction, the female shopkeeper was also a little embarrassed.

At the same time, I also understand that there is a long way to go if we want to thoroughly promote Baochao in Dingyuan County and gain the recognition of common people and merchants.

"I remember the regulations of the Royal Bank. The banknotes can be exchanged for ingots in full, right? Go ahead and exchange all the 1000 taels for ingots."

Wu Hong also reacted, and quickly put the treasure on the table.

"My lord, silver is inconvenient to carry, and it's not easy to store. What's more, the future taxation will only collect treasure bills. My lord really wants to exchange all of them into ingots, and don't keep some spares..."

The female shopkeeper tried to speak carefully, obviously wanting the county government to take the lead.

"No need, don't say any more, all of them will be exchanged for ingots immediately." Wu Hong didn't want to hear her talk any more, so he waved his hand and interrupted unquestionably.

"All right!"

The female shopkeeper had no choice but to order someone to fetch 1000 taels of silver ingots. After deducting the handling fee, she gave Wu Hong two taels of ingots.

Wu Hong didn't care about the mere two taels of precious banknotes. Looking at the white sterling silver, he finally developed a good impression of the Royal Bank.

He is also very supportive of the Ministry of Households' move to allow banks to distribute funds to yamen at all levels. Otherwise, if the 1000 taels can get to him, I'm afraid it would be good to have 400 taels.

(End of this chapter)