I'm really not doing business

Chapter 897: The Fifth Major Case of the Wanli Period: The Mistake of the Loyal Minister Zhang Juzheng
Zhang Juzheng's biggest disadvantage was that he had no experience in grassroots work.

So when Ke Yanchang's memorial filled with "self-resolving dilemmas" was sent to the court, Zhang Juzheng handed it to Wang Chonggu to judge whether Ke Yanchang was deceiving his superiors and subordinates, similar to the auspicious sign of Daxing County's 10,000 catty per mu yield.

In other words, Ke Yanchang was a doctor of agronomy. If a Ming official submitted such a memorial, Zhang Juzheng would definitely conduct a loyalty check to see whether he was truly loyal or was pretending to be loyal and actually doing something rebellious.

Zhang Juzheng was naturally disgusted with this kind of "self-solution to the dilemma" solution. Everything has a price. How could one protect the mountains and forests while protecting the interests of the woodcutters?

This self-explanatory statement of the dilemma made Zhang Juzheng doubt its authenticity.

Wang Chonggu explained the logic behind this to Zhang Juzheng. To put it simply, it is really complicated and one cannot understand it unless one is in it. To put it simply, it is actually an industrial upgrade in agriculture.

Xishan Coal Bureau has stopped coal mining. Mining more than 100 feet underground is still too hard and dangerous. Xishan Coal Bureau has carried out industrial upgrading. Now Xishan Coal Bureau's main businesses are coking, steelmaking, water fertilizer refining, and cast iron.

In the past, logging in the mountains was the main livelihood of woodcutters, but it was not profitable because the roads were bad and every time they went into the mountains they were risking their lives. In addition, tigers, wild boars, and wolves were rampant, and the ferocious beasts in the mountains were also a huge threat to woodcutters.

Now, planting this fast-growing poplar on some land that is not suitable for farming is an upgrade of the agricultural industry after the productivity has been improved.

It is not a self-resolved dilemma at all, but a significant feature of increased productivity, and the Ming Dynasty has already paid the price.

Contrary to what Zhang Juzheng thought, industrial upgrading requires costs and involves pain, just like the natural resistance of textile workers to mechanical workshops.

The Ming Dynasty banned logging in the mountains and forests, which reduced the income of woodcutters in recent years. If they could find other ways to make a living, they would not go into the mountains and forests.

The overall poverty in Shaanxi, Gansu and Suiyuan also left them with nowhere to make a living. This is why Ke Yanchang set up a government-run forest farm. He did not allow these people to go into the mountains to cut wood, but to find a way for them to make a living. Otherwise, the poor would be forced to die of poverty, starvation, and confinement.

Ke Yanchang is not sure about other places, but in Shaanxi, Gansu and Suiyuan, forcing the poor to die will really lead to their own destruction and no one will live. It is a helpless and final choice.

Wang Chonggu continued, "Your Majesty, it is easy to understand why Ke Yanchang was able to do it."

"Pan Jixun, Liu Dongxing, Ke Yanchang, Madam Zhongshun and others incorporated these woodcutters into military households and formed an engineering corps to build water conservancy projects, repair bridges and roads, reclaim wasteland, and build forest farms. Although being an engineer was very hard work, the life was not very good."

"But being able to survive and have food to eat is already a lucky thing."

"In other words, the deadlock of the poorer the country, the drier it gets, and the drier it gets, the poorer it gets. We can finally untie the knot a little bit, and finally see a little hope. We can stop the vegetation from decreasing further, significantly increase the planting of high-quality forage grass, and gradually block the sand."

“Only when Shaanxi, Gansu and Suiyuan turn green can we completely get rid of poverty.”

"There is no such thing as a self-resolved dilemma in this world."

The people of the Ming Dynasty have always been like this. If they are forced to die, they will perish along with them. But as long as they are given a chance to survive, everything becomes negotiable. They are not allowed to cut down trees, but are given work to do and food to eat. The people can accept this exchange.

The Ming Dynasty had already paid the price. This price was that the court borrowed a special national debt of 10 million silver coins in order to build the Suiyuan Road at the most dangerous time. The local poor coolies had to leave their familiar environment, give up their ancestral property, obey the orders of the court, and go with the flow, living in a place without a fixed place, wandering around, and living in fear of their future.

Labor pains are extremely painful, but the knot needs to be untied.

Wang Chonggu believed that Ke Yanchang did not lie. Among all the doctors of science in the entire Ming Dynasty, Wang Chonggu liked talking to the doctor of agronomy the most. Even though Wang Chonggu sometimes did not understand what he was saying, he still liked it.

Because PhDs in agronomy will go to the fields themselves, they are essentially educated farmers. They speak in a down-to-earth manner and use words that farmers can understand to tell farmers what to do in order to produce more food.

"This is all thanks to the grace of God." Wang Chonggu said sincerely.

"The fast-growing poplar varieties supported by Pan Jixun and improved by Ke Yanchang, the people of Shaanxi, Gansu and Suiyuan fought against the sky and the earth themselves, there is no need to ask for the emperor's grace all the time." Zhu Yijun said with a frown, he really didn't like narratives of favors.

Sometimes the scholars in the Ming Dynasty were really bad. For example, Zhang Juzheng engaged in a narrative of gratitude. Zhang Juzheng even alienated his own class theory into a narrative of gratitude!

Zhang Juzheng replaced class with the Confucian legal order of noble and humble, and the order of respect, inferiority, and age, and replaced distribution with the emperor's grace.

Zhang Juzheng used the narrative of gratitude to perfectly replace the widely circulated first two volumes of class theory!
Of course Zhu Yijun could not agree. If he agreed, Zhang Juzheng would have succeeded and the sun would have risen in the Ming Dynasty. These ministers would have been tying themselves up in knots and were not afraid of getting sunburned.

"Your Majesty, the engineering corps and camps did not come out of thin air." Wang Chonggu rarely disobeyed the emperor's will. He said solemnly: "Your Majesty, people need to eat. This may seem like nonsense, but in the government-run forest farms, what do these woodcutters who cannot enter the mountains to cut wood eat and drink?"

"From the ninth year of the Wanli reign, Grand Minister of Agriculture Xu Zhenming went to Suiyuan and began to promote sweet potatoes. It can be said that today's Suiyuan Highway, Womagang Mine, Shengzhou Mine, Suiyuan Highway, and 1,500-li canal all grew from sweet potatoes."

"And the Agricultural College, Baoqi Division, and Doctor of Agricultural Science did not come out of thin air. They were created after your majesty personally engaged in agriculture in the first year of the Wanli reign. After seventeen years, they have become what they are today."

"So, I said that it was all due to Your Majesty's grace. The grace here is not just the special national debt of 10 million silver, but also Your Majesty's diligent efforts to govern the country over the past 17 years."

"Everything happens for a reason!"

Wang Chonggu's tone was very excited. Your Majesty was expressing gratitude in a narrative, but the narrative of gratitude itself was extended from Your Majesty's various actions.

Wang Chonggu wanted to say something extremely disrespectful, but if the Taoist priest, the late emperor, and Your Majesty were as magnanimous and resolute as him, Wang Chonggu would not become a traitor.

Without Your Majesty's persistence for seventeen years, there would be no glory of the Wanli Reform today. The Wanli Reform would have disappeared in the wave of opposition that began in the tenth year of the Wanli reign.

Zhu Yijun was stunned. He found that he could feel disgusted but could not oppose it, because opposing this narrative was opposing his own behavior, unless he no longer wanted to be emperor.

The emperor still has to do his job.

From historical experience, there has never been a high-ranking minister or emperor who could, after offending all the meat-eaters he could, retire bravely and spend his later years in peace. For any reform leader, losing power is tantamount to death, and the end of the regime.

The day when everyone fights to death will be the end of the struggle.

Shang Yang was indeed torn apart by five horses, but his death was just a comma. His policies still made the Qin State powerful. Reformers of all dynasties have never pursued a good end, but rather that their policies continue after their death.

In China, even after a person dies, his or her name continues to shine in the long river of history, guiding those who come after him or her to follow in their footsteps.

Zhu Yijun did not think that Marion could lead the Great Light Church to save the French people because shining torches were too rare in French history.

One or two lonely lights flicker, but eventually become dim.

Without the support of Duke Xiao of Qin, Shang Yang would not have been able to succeed.

Without the emperor's support, the Wanli Reform would become the Ming Dynasty's last stand amid a wave of opposition.

"There is no need to mention it repeatedly in front of me." Zhu Yijun proposed a compromise solution: out of sight, out of mind. It was you ministers who wanted to raise the sun. If you get sunburned in the future, you can't blame him, Zhu Yijun.

"Then can we restore the ancestral laws for the Emperor's Birthday in September?" Zhang Juzheng immediately took advantage of the opportunity and demonstrated what it means for a bureaucrat to push for more.

As soon as the emperor agreed, Zhang Juzheng followed suit.

The Emperor's Birthday is the festival for celebrating the Emperor's birthday.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, only Zhu Yuanzhang’s festival is called Christmas, all others can be called Longevity Festival.

How to celebrate the emperor's birthday is a very serious matter. The Ministry of Rites has a special process, requiring officials from all regions to write congratulatory messages in advance. There are also extremely strict regulations on the format for officials at all levels, and only the chief official of a government office is qualified to wish the emperor a happy birthday.

Each emperor was different and had his own special preferences.

For example, Zhu Di liked to hold large banquets, with so many people that there was no room in the entire Danbi Square, and he would even hold banquets on Chang'an Street. Even on the way to the Northern Expedition, he would hold banquets and drink with the princes.
For example, Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty would review the military and horses on the second day of the Wanshou Festival.

For example, the late Emperor Longqing loved to watch and lavishly reward performances of various arts.
For example, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty and Daoye both liked to perform Taoist rituals, such as burning incense and praying for blessings from heaven.

But since the 21st year of Jiajing, Daoye never attended his own birthday party again. He always asked the ministers to pay him respects from afar, and he never held a birthday fast or prayer ceremony.

When it came to Emperor Wanli, he would reward his ministers with money and banquets, and Zhang Juzheng would hold a grand birthday celebration for Emperor Wanli, to sum up the above!
In the early years of the Wanli reign, the capital would be particularly lively during the Wanshou Festival in September.

After the performance evaluation system was implemented, all bureaucrats in the Ming Dynasty had to submit a congratulatory letter. If the letter was not well written, it would be evaluated. Not writing one was not acceptable, and it had to be original.

Because during the Hongwu period, all officials had to go there, this was the law passed down by our ancestors.

On the day of the Emperor's Birthday, the Emperor was waiting in the Fengwang Hall. All Beijing officials, regardless of their rank, had to be present. They lined up from the Fengwang Hall to the Chengtian Gate. After the ceremony of five bows and three kowtows, Emperor Wanli was asked to light the Qingci and pray to heaven.

Anyone who dares to be absent without reason will be hit on the head by the performance evaluation law.

There was a governor of Shanxi who returned to Beijing to report the incident. He was not a Beijing official and did not know the rules. He did not kowtow in the Fengwang Palace, so he was demoted to the lowest position and even lost his official status and honors. He was never reinstated afterwards.

In addition, all women of the fifth rank and above had to enter the palace, pay homage to Empress Dowager Li, Empress Dowager Chen, and Queen Wang, and also make needlework to present longevity paintings as gifts.

After the fasting and offering sacrifices are over, there will be a performance of various arts.

After a lively afternoon, the emperor and his ministers gathered in Danbi Square to watch operas, face-changing performances, stilt-walking, juggling and acrobatics. The emperor would give rewards as usual, but there was an upper limit, a maximum of 20,000 taels of silver, no more.

On the second day of the Wanshou Festival, there is a military review on Chang'an Street. It is crowded with people, with loud gongs and drums, waving banners, and it is extremely lively. The entire capital city is deserted to watch the military horses pass through Chang'an Street.

On the third day, Wanli's high priest Xu Wenbi would bring military honors to the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum to worship their ancestors. This was a suburban sacrifice, and because the emperor was young, Duke Dingguo would go on his behalf.

This is the court's side, and the entire Northern Yamen also has celebration activities. If the weather is good, there will be lights on Aoshan Mountain. If the weather is bad, there will also be temple fairs along the streets to celebrate.

During the Ming Dynasty, all places would take holidays and hold temple fairs. The local temple fairs would last for a full seven days and could be said to be as lively as the Chinese New Year.

This kind of excitement lasted for twelve years. Because the censors repeatedly impeached the emperor for excessive waste, the old system was restored, which was to send congratulatory messages, kowtow, and reward cabinet ministers with banquets and property.

At first, Emperor Wanli was very dissatisfied. He thought that he couldn't even celebrate his birthday in a lively manner? He had celebrated his birthday like this since he was a child. Why couldn't he celebrate his birthday like this?

Since the 17th year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Wanli never attended his own birthday party again.

Later on, Emperor Wanli didn't even care whether his ministers kowtowed in the Fengwang Palace or not.

Shen Shixing was the last Prime Minister who managed to coax Emperor Wanli to his birthday party. Later, Wang Xijue and Shen Yikuan tried every possible means to get him to meet Emperor Wanli, but were unable to do so.

Zhu Yijun was different. From the first year of the Wanli reign, Zhu Yijun cancelled all ceremonies for the Emperor's birthday, citing the mourning period for the previous emperor, the difficult state affairs, and the need for frugality and prudence. He also refused to accept any congratulatory letters. After that, the Ministry of Rites requested it for seventeen years, but Zhu Yijun was never accepted once.

"In the past, when the country was in decline, when we held the Emperor's Birthday Festival, some were late, some did not come without reason, some had their congratulatory messages written by others, and some copied the previous ones. Your Majesty did not hold the event, and I had no choice but to obey. You can't not hold it now, can you?" Zhang Juzheng spread his hands and began to force the emperor to abdicate.

The emperor has to do this whether he wants to or not!
In the first year of the Wanli reign, it was the mourning period for the late emperor and everything was to be kept simple, with no ceremonials or music. Zhang Juzheng agreed to this. However, he had never expected that this agreement would last for seventeen years!
He could never have imagined that in the future he would only see the five words "don't follow the old rules".

No matter what, we must celebrate the Longevity Festival this year!

"I don't understand. This is the third time you've mentioned the Wanshou Festival this year. Sir, you didn't hold it in the past, so why are you holding it now? We agreed to simplify the red tape at the beginning. Why did you suddenly mention this?" "I don't want to make it like the birthday gift at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty."

"Queen Wang will celebrate my birthday for me. Every year she prepares carefully prepared gifts and longevity noodles, which is also very good." Zhu Yijun looked puzzled.

Previously, it was all memorials, and Zhu Yijun replied as usual, and Zhang Juzheng did not invite him again. But this time, it was said in person. It was obvious that Zhang Juzheng was obsessed with it and had to do it on a big scale.

In the past, when the ruler was young, the country was in doubt, the ministers did not support him, the world looked down on him, and people were suspicious, it was only natural to hold the Wanshou Saint Festival in a grand manner to calm people's hearts.

Now Zhu Yijun was 27 years old and at the peak of his career, but Zhang Juzheng repeatedly asked him to hold a birthday celebration and made a grand ceremony of it. The whole process gave Zhu Yijun a headache.

Burning the green poem and asking God for blessings, Zhu Yijun didn't know whether he, the emperor who always shouted that man can conquer nature, would get the blessing of God.

If God didn't send down thunder to strike this king who was determined to change the fate of the Ming Dynasty, it would be like God turning a blind eye.

"We were very poor back then." Zhang Juzheng explained why he had obeyed the emperor's orders and kept everything simple. Starting from the sixth year of Wanli, the Ming court had a surplus. Before that, it was in debt, including salaries, military pay, and the cost of building the imperial mausoleum.

Starting from the sixth year of Wanli, the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty was finally no longer a shame among the six ministries.

"This birthday celebration must be held. I have reflected on it and feel that we have gone too far in simplifying the red tape." Zhang Juzheng sat up straight, and continued:
"Your Majesty, King Antonio of Portugal and French envoy Joao, they all have to face a problem, that is, where are the civilians."

"The Yang Wei case, the Tian Yijun case, the tribute selection case, and the Chizhou ship robbery case caught me off guard. These things happened completely beyond my expectations."

"Your Majesty is wise and brave, with great determination and resolve. You command the capital's garrison and the navy. You are measured in your work and clear in rewards and punishments. You are an outstanding ruler. How dare these rebels do this? Why do they dare to rebel against you?"

"I have read through the files and found one thing. These rebels have a question, which is where is Your Majesty?"

"After everything was simplified, these rebels have forgotten that the Ming Dynasty only has Your Majesty as its own."

"The fifth major case of the Wanli reign was the fault of a loyal minister."

National affairs include military affairs and sacrifices. In the past, Zhang Juzheng attached too much importance to military affairs and strengthening the army, but ignored etiquette and laws. In the eyes of this group of rebels, the emperor had long been gone.

Now Zhang Juzheng has realized his mistake, so the Wanshou Festival must be celebrated in a grand manner!

"So that's it." After hearing Zhang Juzheng's reasons, Zhu Yijun understood why Zhang Juzheng wanted to hold the Wanshou Saint Festival at this time.

"How about a compromise and commemorate it on the birthday of Emperor Taizu Gao? Isn't Emperor Taizu Gao's birthday Christmas?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "I already know your concerns, sir. What you said makes sense. It's more appropriate to commemorate it on the birthday of Emperor Taizu Gao."

"No." Zhang Juzheng said firmly.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's abruptness, Shen Li was afraid that the emperor and the prime minister would quarrel, so he immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Taizu Gao has passed away."

"So it is." Zhu Yijun understood what Zhang Juzheng and Shen Li meant. Zhu Yuanzhang had already lived in history, while Emperor Zhu Yijun lived in reality.

Zhu Yijun thought for a while and said, "Then let's do as you and the Ministry of Rites wish. I suddenly remembered that the Kaigu Inspection I was in charge of should be lively."

The opening inspection day is held on the last day of May. Zhu Yijun holds it every year, actually for the purpose of building cohesion.

The grand celebration of the Longevity Festival is also for the purpose of building cohesion.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally solved a worry that had been bothering him. He, Zhang Juzheng, was also responsible for the loss of the emperor's authority. It would be too late to correct it now, but it would not be too late.

"Sir, it will cost at least 150,000 silver coins to complete all these rituals. But we should do it, so we won't feel sorry for the money. With this 150,000 silver coins every year, we can run many forest farms." Zhu Yijun's words were a bit confusing, and he really felt sorry for the money.

Of course, this money is worth spending. The cohesion of people's hearts cannot be bought with any amount of money. But it is still painful to spend. This is not a one-time expense, but a fixed annual expense.

"Shen Shixing has sent a memorial from the Northern Yamen." Zhang Juzheng took out Shen Shixing's memorial.

Zhu Yijun read it for a long time. At first, he didn't care much. As he read, the emperor's face gradually became serious. He handed the memorial to Feng Bao and said, "Feng Daban, look at how bad this scholar is!"

"Isn't it?" Feng Bao didn't even read the memorial, but took the initiative to speak. After reading it, he said sincerely, "It is indeed bad."

Shen Shixing's memorial was about Felipe's imposition of tariffs on the Ming Dynasty. Shen Shixing disagreed with the emperor's direct imposition of a 60% tariff, but instead proposed an idea called tariff quota.

Tariff quotas, as the name suggests, are tariff quotas imposed on Western countries every year based on their relations and friendship.

If foreigners offend the Celestial Empire again in the future, we will continue to reduce their tariff quotas. This will give us time to adjust the supply of raw materials and find alternatives. Secondly, we will use this period of time to put pressure on other countries and achieve the goal of isolating the enemy.

Spain imposed a 30% tariff on the Ming Dynasty, and it would be enough for the Ming Dynasty to retaliate with a 30% equal amount. By reducing Spain's share, it could be allocated to France, England, Portugal, and even the various governorates.

These countries and the Governor's Office cannot take this share for free, so they must make a statement by imposing tariffs on Spain, condemning Felipe II's retrograde actions, terminating port leases, and cutting off cargo exchanges.

This is friendliness in action.

Even if it is an open statement, it is enough to make Felipe suffer, because when countries compete with each other, they will not know the true intentions of the other party, and the statement can be false or true.

Spain is a big fat sheep. If we share the food, everyone can have enough to eat.

Doubling the retaliation is certainly refreshing, but tariff quotas can instigate internal and external conflicts, exacerbating the conflicts between Western countries, the Governor's Office and the mainland.

"Sure enough, the nickname was not wrong. Minister Shen is indeed a master of balancing things." Zhu Yijun marveled at it. Shen Shixing's offshore balancing act was superb, and it brought a lot of flexibility to the Ming Dynasty's policy adjustments.

The master of keeping balance has a very flexible figure.

"Let's proceed according to his idea. Has the imperial decree to increase the tariff by 60% been issued to the Maritime Customs? If it has been issued, then take it back and execute the new order. If not, then there is no need to issue a decree." Zhu Yijun issued a clear order.

He broke his promise and retracted the imperial decree which was difficult to execute. In a fit of anger, he doubled the price. This decree, which was obviously issued in a fit of anger, was a bit ridiculous.

If this is really carried out, wouldn't Zhu Yijun have to sit at the children's table with Felipe II?

It is not as vicious as Shen Shixing's tariff quota. For the Western countries and governor-general's offices, if they do not want to be led by the nose by the Ming Dynasty, they can just not do business with the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty's decree has not yet been issued. Your Majesty will have to wait until you meet with the envoys of various tribes and make the final decision." Zhang Juzheng answered this question clearly. For emergencies, Zhang Juzheng would of course wait.

The imperial edict is also time-limited. Before the time limit expires, the emperor and the cabinet may modify the policy. The time limit is set to maintain flexibility.

If you change your policies every day, you are not respecting yourself. The uncertainty of policies will cause great troubles when they are implemented at the grassroots level.

It would be disrespectful to the imperial power for the cabinet to hastily issue an order before the emperor has met with the envoys and finalized the order.

Wang Chonggu highly agreed with this memorial. He said with some anger: "This is not malicious, and it is not Shen Shixing's fault. It's just that I have never worked in the Maritime Customs, so I can't think of such a method."

"As long as Spain gets closer to the Ming Dynasty, Felipe must be made aware of the consequences of playing tricks on the Ming Dynasty!"

"Felipe didn't even want to talk. He first increased the tax on the Ming Dynasty by 30% and then sent an envoy. Why, in his eyes, is the Ming Dynasty so lowly? Whatever conditions he puts forward, the Ming Dynasty must accept them?"

"It's true that we have been doing business with the big sailing ships for seventeen years. We have done a smooth business for seventeen years. Give him face!"

"what!"

In the process of the Ming Dynasty's national history turning into world history, the Ming Dynasty's core external interests can be summed up in four words, that is, the Celestial Empire. Just like the glory of Spain, it is a core interest that cannot be violated.

It was because Wang Chonggu didn't want to be thrown out by the ceremonial officer that he didn't curse, otherwise he would have started cursing long ago. If this Spanish man dared to disrespect the Ming Dynasty, he would not know what pain was unless one of his teeth was knocked out.

"Your Majesty, should we send Li Yashi directly back to Taixi? Just let him be burned at the stake. He makes up jokes all day long, which is simply..." Shen Li brought up the old matter again. He was very dissatisfied with the special envoy Li Yashi.

Zhu Yijun asked nonchalantly, "He made up a joke again?"

"Isn't it?" Shen Li also said with a headache: "Your Majesty, he is an interpreter in the Ministry of Rites. Your Majesty indulges him in making jokes. I really can't do anything about it."

"What joke did he make?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously.

Shen Li told this widely circulated joke, which made the court officials smile knowingly.

"His joke is not funny. It's not even enough to warrant staying in a detention room for ten days. Don't pay any attention to it." After hearing this, Zhu Yijun didn't care much. This widely circulated joke of Li Yashi was actually explaining the difference between the Ming treasure notes and the gold bonds.

Even the powerful and wealthy people in the Ming Dynasty had heard the news that the gold bond was about to collapse, and some scholars and officials were worried that the Ming treasure notes would learn from the gold bond. After all, the Ming treasure notes had collapsed before.

Li Yashi asked the scholars: Why do you think that the Ming Baochao will collapse like the gold bonds?

Scholar-officials: Because the Ming Baochao is the debt of the Ming court, the scale of the debt will continue to rise, and soon the Ming court will not be able to afford the debt. The Ming court cannot even pay the interest and will collapse.

Li Yashi asked again: Since the treasure notes are printed, we only need to print them as much as we want, so how can we not be able to afford the interest?

Scholar-officials: To print banknotes, one must obtain the consent of the Cabinet, the National Treasury, the Internal Treasury, and Your Majesty. There are four keys in total. How can the printing be opened? There are strict regulations and procedures. It cannot be printed casually, so it cannot be paid back. The number of banknotes is measured based on the Sun Shangli Index.

Legashi asked again: Since it cannot be printed at will, it will not collapse like gold bonds.

The scholar-official then realized that he had fallen into Li Yashi's trap and left in anger.

This is not even a joke, but a fragment of a debate, somewhat similar to Zen, which reveals the fundamental logic of the Ming Baochao.

"Sir, you are always worried that the imperial power is no longer as strong as it used to be. In fact, haven't you discovered that I have the final say on how much and how to print the banknotes. Are you still worried that the imperial power is no longer as strong as it used to be?" Zhu Yijun used this debate clip to tell Zhang Juzheng that he wanted to secure the throne.

At least before the five large tiled houses of the Wanli Restoration were built, no one could pull him off the throne.

In the policy of the golden narrative and the Ming Baochao, Zhu Yijun firmly grasped the right to issue currency. He had absolute power to print or not. The cabinet, the national treasury, and the internal treasury were only for reference, and the final decision was made by him.

The right to issue currency, a power that even Zhu Yuanzhang did not fully control, is gradually being mastered by Zhu Yijun.

The imperial power is becoming more prosperous, not weaker. It's just that the imperial power in the traditional sense seems to be a little weak.

What Zhu Yijun liked was never money, but power.

(End of this chapter)