I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 391 Profit from Silver Coins

When Xu Guangqi saw the emperor's attitude, he knew that he had approved it, and he immediately accepted it.

At this time, in Wenyuan Pavilion, Liu Yishen was still discussing the matters of today's morning court. He suddenly saw He Ning coming and said that the emperor wanted to invite them over, and he was suddenly confused.

"Eunuch He, I wonder if the emperor has any business with us."

Seeing Liu Yishen asking, He Ning naturally gave him his name and immediately raised his hand and said:

"Just now, Shangshu Xu brought a plate of coins. He said that the silver coins and copper coins that he had ordered some time ago were minted, and he asked your majesty to take a look. Your majesty took a look and was very satisfied, so he asked all the ministers to come over and discuss it."

Liu Yishen and others looked at each other after hearing this. They had heard Xu Guangqi mention this news, but they didn't expect it to be built so quickly.

So the five people got up immediately and walked to Qianqing Palace under the leadership of He Ning. After a while, they arrived at Dongnuang Pavilion.

But as soon as everyone walked into the door, they heard the emperor's voice coming from inside.

"Xu Aiqing, you are absolutely right. These are in sufficient quantity, making it very convenient for people to trade and difficult for the private sector to imitate."

When everyone walked in, they saw the emperor weighing silver coins with his hands, and Xu Guangqi was also watching.

Just as Xu Guangqi was about to speak, he saw Liu Yishuo and others walking in. As soon as Zhu Youxiao saw the cabinet members, he put his son down and said to them:

"You guys are here, hurry up and take a look at the coins that Xu Aiqing just made. I took a look and it's very good."

As soon as everyone came in, they were also attracted by the coins on the wooden plate. When the emperor called for them to look at it, they didn't hesitate and stepped forward to pick up the coins and look at them.

"How about it? I think this kind of silver coin is very beautifully made and has teeth on the side. It is not easy for people to imitate it. The currency value is also divided into one tael, five qian, two qian and one qian. It can be used for storage. Small denominations can also be used for people’s daily transactions, which is very convenient.”

When Liu Yishen, Ye Xianggao and others heard this, they looked at it carefully and even weighed it with their hands.

"Your Majesty, I just don't know what the raw materials are for such a sufficient amount of silver coins? How much does it cost?"

Ye Xianggao was the first to react. He weighed the silver coins and stroked the serrations on the edges while asking patiently.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Youxiao turned his attention to Xu Guangqi. Xu Guangqi thought for a moment and said slowly:
"This kind of one-tael silver coin contains [-]% silver, [-]% copper, and the rest is nickel. The same is true for the other five taels, two taels, and one tael."

When everyone heard this, they looked at the silver coins in their hands more carefully. They saw that the silver coins were soft and white, and seemed to be of good quality. If [-]% of the silver coins had this effect, it would indeed be a good deal.

Seeing everyone watching more carefully, Zhu Youxiao made calculations in his mind.

If Xu Guangqi is right, excluding the cost of nickel, copper and labor, the court's profit for each silver coin minted would be about [-]%.

This profit seems very low, but it is actually very good.

If you calculate it in detail, casting 100 million is equivalent to 8 taels, and casting 1000 million is equivalent to 80 taels. In addition to casting silver coins, the real bulk is still copper coins, and the profit is probably even higher.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao nodded with satisfaction, looked at Liu Yishui and others and said:
"What do you think? How is this kind of silver coin made? Is it suitable for large-scale implementation?" Everyone in the cabinet had expressed support for the currency reform before. Now they see that the finished product is very good, and they are somewhat satisfied.

But Liu Yishen is still a little worried. The silver content is close to [-]%, which is already very high, and the production is also very exquisite. If it is circulated among the people, he is afraid that many people will melt it and re-cast it.

"Your Majesty, this kind of silver coin is indeed good. I wouldn't object to it being implemented on a large scale, but I'm afraid that the people will collect it privately and pass it off as inferior. That would be troublesome."

Xu Guangqi shook his head immediately after hearing this. He had discussed this issue with the emperor before.

"Don't worry, Chief Minister. Not to mention that the jagged outer ring of this silver coin is difficult for the public to imitate. Let's just say that this silver coin contains [-]% silver, which is completely different from other counterfeit coins. As long as the court publicizes it, it will be easy for the people to identify it."

As he spoke, Xu Guangqi stepped forward, picked up a silver coin weighing one or two weight, and faced the puzzled looks of Liu Yishui and others, and said slowly:
"Silver coins with this content have a white and soft color. Even after being used for a long time to wipe off stains, they will have a strong luster."

After he finished speaking, he blew lightly on the silver coin, and the silver coin in his hand suddenly made a crisp sound.

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Zhu Youxiao, and then explained to everyone in the cabinet.

"Your Majesty, gentlemen. If you blow or tap on a silver coin, the sound it makes will be pure, gentle, soft, and slightly calm. However, fake silver coins with a high copper content will make a high-pitched sound after being struck. All copper-plated silver coins will make a high-pitched sound. The sound of fake silver coins is even sharper and shorter. The sound of fake silver coins with high zinc content is crisp and loud, and the sound of fake silver coins with copper or lead is dull and silent.

Therefore, it is very troublesome for private people to imitate. Unless a sufficient amount of silver is used, it will be difficult to produce the same serrations as the imperial silver coins, and it is also difficult for the imitation silver coins to make such a crisp sound.

As long as the imperial court promotes it properly, it will be easy for the people to identify whether silver coins are adulterated, and it will be extremely difficult for the private sector to imitate them. Please rest assured, gentlemen. "

Following Xu Guangqi's words, Liu Yishen and others followed suit by tapping or blowing on the silver coins, and sure enough they heard a crisp sound.

"That's true. If that's the case, don't worry."

Liu Yishen felt relieved after the experiment, and then he handed Zhu Youxiao and said:

"Your Majesty, if it is true as Xu Shangshu said, then this kind of silver coin can be made."

It was not surprising that Zhu Youxiao approved Liu Yishen. After all, the advantages and disadvantages of making silver coins had been discussed with him before. Now it is enough as long as the quality and anti-counterfeiting of the silver coins are good.

So he turned to look at Sun Chengzong and the other four, and said slowly to them:

"Since Liu Aiqing has no objection, what do you all think?"

Ye Xianggao, Sun Chengzong and others looked at each other when they saw this, and then Ye Xianggao bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I think it's very good. But according to my consideration, among the newly minted coins, the ones used most by the people are either copper coins or one-cent silver coins. Among them, copper coins are used for daily transactions, and their demand is far greater. higher than money.

The officials who promoted the coin were very in favor of it, but the casting of the copper coin should not be underestimated. It was even the top priority of the imperial court and should not be underestimated. "

Zhu Youxiao also nodded when he heard this. Ye Xianggao was right, the smallest silver coin was only one cent.Due to its large denomination and not as many daily use scenarios as copper coins, the casting of copper coins cannot be ignored.

(End of this chapter)