The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The candlelight flickered and the light was dim.

Eight strong men in iron armor carried a huge "Nine Continents Geomancy Map" and slowly walked towards the central stone platform. The eight men walked in unison, their knees slightly bent, their arm muscles tensed, and their underwear under their iron armor was soaked with sweat. When the base touched the stone platform, there was a muffled sound.

Yi Huawei stood in front of the stone platform, stretched out his right index finger, pressed it on the ruby ​​inlaid in the Yunnan position, and his fingernails scraped across the edges of the gem, making a slight friction sound.

"Is there any record of this pigeon blood red in the inner court?"

Wang Chengen immediately stepped forward and pulled out a cowhide booklet from his bosom. His fingers were withered and thin, with cinnabar remaining between his nails, and his knuckles made a slight clicking sound when they were bent. He quickly flipped through the pages, searching through the densely packed handwriting.

"Your Majesty, in the 37th year of Jiajing, Myanmar paid tribute. In the 37th year of Jiajing, Myanmar paid tribute. In the first year of Longqing, it was granted..."

Wang Chengen suddenly fell silent, and his skinny hand pointed to a certain page.

“To whom?”

Yi Huawei picked up the cinnabar pen beside the stone table and asked calmly.

"Give it to Wang Chonghuan, the general of Datong..."

Wang Chengen's throat seemed to be strangled: "His daughter married into the Fan family."

"Crack!"

The cinnabar pen in Yi Huawei's hand suddenly broke. He looked down and threw the broken pen on the ground. The pen rolled to the feet of the strong man, and no one dared to move it.

"Demolished."

Yi Huawei said calmly: "The rubies will be distributed to the Shenji Camp as rewards, and the gold threads will be melted into horse harnesses."

Qiu Chengyun, who was standing nearby, trembled slightly as he held the pen. The ink from the wolf-hair pen dripped onto the paper, leaving a black stain on the word "gold thread". He looked up at Yi Huawei, his Adam's apple rolled twice, and his voice tightened: "Your Majesty, this painting was given by the late emperor. If it is damaged..."

Yi Huawei turned his head to look at him, his eyes stern: "You dare to sell the border defenses, what are you keeping them for?"

Qiu Chengyun immediately lowered his head and dared not say anything more.

Li Ruhua stood in the corner, his hands in his sleeves, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cuffs. He stared at the ground, breathing lightly.

Luo Sixian stood half a step behind the emperor, his hand on the handle of the Xiuchun sword, his knuckles slightly white from exerting force. His eyes swept across the crowd, finally stopping at Wang Chengen.

Wang Chengen closed the booklet, bent down and stepped aside, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

When Yi Huawei turned around, the hem of his dragon robe swept across the copper lamp stand, causing the lamp to sway and the candlelight to flicker. The figure on the wall twisted, lengthened, and shortened.

He walked to the wooden shelf on the other side and picked up a brocade box. He opened the lid of the box and found a white jade seal inside. The seal button was carved into a coiled dragon and the four characters "Jin Shang Tong Bao" were engraved on the bottom.

"Whose is this?" Yi Huawei asked.

Li Ruhua stepped forward, clasped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, this is the private seal of the Fan family, which was found in the cellar of the old house in Shanxi."

Yi Huawei threw the seal back into the box, and the metal collided with the wooden box, making a crisp sound.

"Luo Sixian."

"The minister is here."

"Have you finished the interrogation of the Fan family?"

"I have confessed everything. Here is the confession."

Luo Sixian took out a stack of documents from his arms and presented them with both hands.

Yi Huawei didn't answer, but just glanced at it and said, "Read it."

Luo Sixian unfolded the document and said in a steady voice: "Fan Yongdou and his sons and nephews confessed that since the 20th year of Wanli, they have smuggled 30,000 catties of ironware, 50,000 stones of grain and 2,000 yin of salt to the Jiannu, and delivered border military intelligence seven times, earning 800,000 taels of silver."

The room was dead silent, with only the occasional crackling of the candlelight.

Yi Huawei was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, the corners of his mouth twitching, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"Eight hundred thousand taels... more than my treasury."

He walked to the other side of the stone platform, put his hand on a pile of account books, and tapped the cover with his fingertips.

"Li Ruhua."

"The minister is here."

"Have you finished counting the confiscated property?"

Li Ruhua swallowed his saliva and whispered, "Your Majesty, the residences, fields, and shops of the eight major Shanxi merchants and the twelve Jiangnan families have been sealed up, and the cash, jewelry, and antiques are being registered. It is estimated that it will take another three days..."

Yi Huawei nodded and glanced at everyone: "How many soldiers can these things support?"

No one answered.

Yi Huawei didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk towards the warehouse door. Luo Sixian immediately followed, his hand on the hilt of the knife.

When he reached the door, Yi Huawei suddenly stopped and said without turning his head:
"Qiu Chengyun."

"The minister is here."

"The Western Factory will keep a close eye on Jiangnan. If anyone finds anyone collaborating with the enemy again, their entire clan will be exterminated."

"The minister obeys the order."

Yi Huawei stepped out of the door. The light was a bit dazzling. He squinted his eyes and raised his hand to block it.

Wang Chengen trotted after him and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, what's next..."

"Go back to the palace."

Yi Huawei said calmly: "Send it to the cabinet to discuss the matter."

...............

The second year of Zhaowu, autumn.

Ji Town.

The morning mist wrapped around the Jizhou Garrison like soaked cotton wool, and white smoke was emitted from the chimneys of the twenty blue-brick barracks at the same time. The smoke mixed with dew condensed into a gray mist in the air.

Soldiers crowded around the notice board on the east side of the parade ground. Some stood on tiptoe and clung to others' shoulders, while others used their scabbards to knock on the wooden board to urge them on. The newly posted military documents still had wet marks of glue on the edges, and the large vermilion seal cast a blurry red shadow in the mist.

"Brother Zhao, what does it say?"

Wang Ergou squeezed into the crowd, his cotton armor shoulder strap tilted to one side. He had just turned sixteen this year, his hair tied with hemp rope had grown to his ears, and there was still a scar on his forehead from frostbite during last year's winter training.

Zhao Tiezhu stood on tiptoe, scanning the notice word by word, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he read: "According to the imperial decree, from this month onwards, each infantryman will receive 3 taels and 6 coins per month, and cavalrymen and musketeers will receive 4 taels and 6 coins per month..."

Wang Ergou craned his neck and stared, "Didn't you say it was 300 grams last month? Why did it go up again?"

Tiezhu turned around suddenly and slapped Wang Ergou on the back of the head with a loud bang: "You idiot, isn't it good to have a pay increase? This is the emperor's favor to our border soldiers, don't make a fuss." Before he finished speaking, the sound of wooden boxes colliding was heard from behind the crowd.

Two iron-wheeled pay carts rolled over the gravel road, their axles creaking. The escort lifted the tarpaulin to reveal neatly stacked silver ingots.

The crowd suddenly became commotion.

Captain Sun Degong walked over the broken bricks, the soles of his new leather boots stained with tinder. Three months ago, this place was still muddy, half of the boots would sink in on rainy days, but now the newly paved gravel road is still grayish white. The list in his hand was bound with thick thread, and each page was stamped with the red seal of the Ministry of War, and the corners were wrinkled by sweat.

"Everyone, disperse! Follow the order of the A-type barracks!"

He roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the barracks and tickling people's eardrums.

Wang Ergou retreated to the end of the team and watched the veterans in front of him whispering to each other. Zhang Laosan, who was in the front row, kept rubbing his hands, with half of his missing front teeth exposed, and smiled a little funny: "Can they really give enough? Last year they said they would give them salary supplements, but in the end they only gave them two bags of brown rice, which is not enough to feed the pigs."

Li Mazi, who was standing next to him, kicked away the stone at his feet and snorted, "Didn't you see the silver? It has the Taicang stamp, so it doesn't look fake."

The clerk sat behind the long table, holding a copper ruler in his hand, measuring the horizontal lines on the register. The beads on the abacus were polished to a shine, and each time they were moved, there was a crisp "click" sound.

"Wang Ergou, infantryman, three taels and six cents."

After the clerk finished reading, he took out three strings of whole coins from the wooden box. Each string of copper coins had the smell of newly minted copper and was heavy. He picked up the scale again, and the silver coins, like silver stars, shook on the scale pan and fell into the cloth bag with a "ding" sound.

When Wang Ergou took the bag, his hands were shaking. He looked down and saw that the silver ingot was indeed stamped with "Taicang Full Color", so clear that it seemed to be engraved.

In the past, what was distributed was mixed silver without marks, mixed with lead, which would leave teeth marks when bitten. He subconsciously knocked it lightly with his teeth, and only a white mark appeared on the edge of the silver ingot, which was very hard.

"Thank...Thank you, sir!"

He stepped back clutching the cloth bag, and his heel hit the barrel of the musketeer behind him, almost causing him to stumble. The musketeer glared at him, but said nothing, and just squeezed forward, waiting to receive his salary.

Sun Degong suddenly walked to the end of the team, the embroidered spring sword on his waist swaying gently with his steps, and the copper buckle on the scabbard glowed dark yellow in the morning light. He stared at the new recruits with a stern look: "Put away your money! The camp has set a new rule. Anyone who gambles and loses all his money will be punished with thirty military sticks!"

Wang Ergou quickly stuffed the cloth bag into his arms and hid it against his underwear, as if he was afraid that someone would snatch it away.

Sun Degong looked around and saw that everyone had received their monthly salary. He cleared his throat and raised his voice, "One more thing - the emperor sympathizes with the border troops and has specially ordered the payment of the overdue salary for the past three years!"

The crowd suddenly exploded.

"Three years?!"

"real or fake?!"

"Each infantryman earns three taels per month, which is one hundred and eight taels in three years! The cavalry earns four taels, which is a total of one hundred and forty-four taels!"

Zhang Laosan suddenly grabbed Li Mazi's arm, pinching him with his fingers until he grimaced: "Lao Li, did you hear that? More than a hundred taels! Enough to buy ten acres of land in my hometown!"

Li Mazi broke free from his hand and rubbed his arm, but his mouth was also grinning: "I am a cavalryman, I can get 144 taels!"

Sun Degong raised his hand and signaled everyone to be quiet: "Stop making noise! ​​Listen to me!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, but their breathing became heavier, as if everyone was holding their breath.

"The salary will not be paid directly to you."

Sun Degong paused and said, "The Ministry of War will send the money to your home according to the list. If you have family, please sign and seal, leave your address, and the money will be sent directly to you. If you don't have family, the money will be kept in your account, and you can go to the bank in town to withdraw it with the receipt."

"bank?"

Wang Ergou was stunned and turned to look at Zhao Tiezhu, "Brother Zhao, what is a bank?"

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head, also at a loss: "How should I know? I've never heard of it."

Sun Degong heard this and explained, "The bank is a new money house established by the court, specializing in deposits and withdrawals. You can take the voucher and get the money, which is safer than carrying it on your body. And..."

Li Mazi frowned: "Sir, this bank...is it reliable? Is it a scam?"

Sun Degong glared at him and said, "The emperor personally issued an order, and the Ministry of War stamped it. You say it's a lie?"

Li Mazi shrank his neck and dared not say another word.

"Tomorrow is a day off."

Sun Degong continued, "The camp will send someone to take you to the bank in town to familiarize you with the route and take care of the voucher. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Sun Degong raised his hand and tightened his embroidered spring sword on his belt, and glanced at the uneven soldiers in the queue:
"Also, if you want to send money or things home, or bring letters, you can hand them over to the clerk's office in the camp. The court has set up a special post team, which will set off on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of every month, with special escorts. If there is any mistake on the way, the escort team will be punished!"

Before he finished speaking, there was a commotion in the team.

Li Mazi held the newly received salary in his hand, his Adam's apple rolling up and down: "Master, can you really send the things to my hometown?"

He thought of his sick old mother at home. The half piece of bacon he asked someone to bring back for him last year had already rotted into blood by the time it arrived at his hometown.

"No jokes in the army!"

Sun Degong used his scabbard to hit the flagpole beside him, causing the flag to rattle. "Letters will be stamped with the wax seal of the Ministry of War, and items will be registered. You only need to write down your address and name, and the post station will verify and sign for them in every county they pass through."

He turned and pointed to a newly erected wooden sign in the corner of the training ground, on which were densely engraved the names of post stations in various prefectures: "Even if it's deep in the mountains and old forests, or on the Liaodong Islands, we can deliver it!"

Chen Sanzhu limped forward two steps, the cuffs of his patched cotton jacket gleaming with wear: "Then...does it cost money to send a letter home?"

He took out a crumpled piece of straw paper from his bosom, on which was written a half-finished letter with charcoal: "My wife is illiterate. If I want to find a teacher to read the letter, I have to pay a copper coin..."

"free!"

Sun Degong said firmly: "Not only is writing letters free, the post station also provides pens, ink and paper. If you want your family to reply, just write it at the end and the special team will bring it back when they return."

He looked at the soldiers' wide eyes and suddenly raised his voice: "This is His Majesty's sympathy for your hard work on the border, so that you don't have to worry about anything!"

The parade ground fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of gravel hitting the barracks in the north wind. I don't know who shouted "Long live" first, and then the shouts came one after another like spring thunder.

Wang Ergou held up the silver ingot high up and shouted until his voice was hoarse; Tiezhu raised the musket to the sky, shaking off the frost on the barrel; Chen Sanzhu wiped his eyes, stuffed the straw paper back into his arms, and his hunched back seemed to straighten a little.

Sun Degong looked at the excited soldiers, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. He pulled out the token from his waist and slammed it heavily on the pay cart. The copper coins collided with each other as the wooden box trembled, making a crisp "clattering" sound:

"Remember this! Bring your receipts to Huimin Bank to collect your salary tomorrow! If anyone else hides the silver in their boots and lets it get smelly—" He paused deliberately, looking around at everyone: "Don't blame me for beating you with a military stick!"

Laughter mixed with cheers rushed out of the parade ground, startling the crows roosting on the city walls. The snow-capped mountains in the distance shone coldly in the sun, and at this moment in the Jizhou Guard station, the soldiers were holding not only the heavy salary, but also the hope of connecting with their families thousands of miles away.

Wang Ergou huddled in a corner of the training ground, his back against a moss-covered brick wall. The silver bag in his arms was wrapped in burlap, with three strings of copper coins underneath and six coins of silver placed separately in the innermost layer.

He counted the silver rust between his fingers and calculated in his mind: brown rice costs five cents a dou, and three taels and six cents can be exchanged for seven hundred and twenty cents, enough to buy one hundred and forty-four dou of grain for the family. The thatched roof of his old home was leaking again, and perhaps he could spare a few dozen cents to hire someone to repair it.

Zhang Laosan suddenly squatted beside him, and the patch of linen on the sleeve of his cotton-padded jacket rubbed against the back of his hand. The old soldier's half-missing front tooth flashed in the morning light: "Ergou, do you think... can this money really reach our home?"

There was a tremor in his low voice. Last year, he asked a peddler from the same village to bring him money, but the peddler never came back. He was so angry that he smashed the ceramic bowl he used for eating in the barracks. (End of this chapter)