Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

There was no choice but Zhu Biao could only set his eyes on Ouyang Lun.

In matters like this, my brother-in-law is the one I can trust.

To be honest, Zhu Biao had some opinions about this group of old ministers. Before he ascended the throne, he felt that these old ministers were experienced and had rich experience in governing the country and solving national problems. But after he ascended the throne, from the perspective of the emperor, he suddenly found that this group of old ministers were indeed experienced, shirking responsibilities, blaming each other, and putting pressure on the emperor!

To put it bluntly, these old officials raise more questions than they actually solve problems!
snort!
You old ministers always say that the emperor should not favor and trust Ouyang Lun alone, should not only listen to Ouyang Lun, but should listen more to the opinions of other ministers!

Haha, I want to hear more, so please speak up!

When you are asked to speak, you become cowards; when you are not allowed to speak, you become very active and try to show off your knowledge, but your mind is in the wrong place.

In the past, Zhu Biao never understood why his father never had a good face towards the old ministers in the court. Now he understands it. Not to mention his father Zhu Yuanzhang, he can't stand these old ministers now. Now Zhu Biao not only understands Zhu Yuanzhang, he even admires Zhu Yuanzhang a little. You know, Zhu Yuanzhang has tolerated these old ministers for more than 20 years!
And I’m only a little over two years old!

Zhu Biao originally wanted to say these words directly, but after thinking it over he decided not to.

Such angry words would not change anything at all. They would only make civil and military officials think that he was an emperor who could not even control his emotions, and would also disappoint his father Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Brother-in-law Ouyang, today we are here to solve the currency problem. Lord Wu has just pointed out that the disadvantage of currency is the Ming Baochao. Do you have a specific solution? You must know that during the imperial meeting today, you promised me."

Zhu Biao spoke to Ouyang Lun calmly.

Now the only one we can count on is Ouyang Lun.

As Zhu Biao asked this question, all the cabinet ministers seemed to come alive again. They all looked up at Ouyang Lun with complicated expressions, including curiosity and doubt!
The biggest purpose of all the cabinet ministers coming here today is to know how Ouyang Lun is going to solve the currency problem of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang also opened his eyes, and kept looking at Ouyang Lun out of the corner of his eye, looking forward to what Ouyang Lun would say next.

Ouyang Lun was lying peacefully when he was suddenly called by Zhu Biao. He also felt that everyone in the room was looking at him, so he smiled bitterly.

At this moment, Ouyang Lun had a feeling that everyone in this room, except him, Ouyang Lun, was a giant baby!
Although I was the one who organized this situation today, and I do need to come up with a solution according to the agreement, but nominally this is still a meeting for the top leaders of the Ming Dynasty to brainstorm, and we need to work together to find a solution.

But you all just finished enjoying yourself and lay down directly, waiting to give the correct answer.

You guys are really trying to take advantage of me, Ouyang Lun!

I am tired, really tired.

Although he was muttering and complaining in his heart, Ouyang Lun still sat up and slowly said, "Your Majesty, regarding the currency issue of our Ming Dynasty, I do have some ideas of my own!"

"Then I will continue with what Lord Wu said. Everyone knows that the Ming Baochao was the main force promoted by Your Majesty."

Ouyang Lun paused deliberately.

Cough
Zhu Yuanzhang coughed twice, and the warning was quite obvious.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Ouyang Lun smiled slightly and continued, "I think there is nothing wrong with the emergence of Ming Baochao. It can even be said that it saved the Ming economy! This is undoubtedly a brilliant move!"

“That’s very worthy of recognition.”

Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a proud expression.

The other cabinet ministers looked strange, it turned out that Ouyang Lun also knew how to flatter!

This is really like a knife cutting into the butt and opening the eyes!
Moreover, it seems that Zhu Yuanzhang is very happy with Ouyang Lun's flattery. Why?

All the cabinet ministers, especially Li Shanchang, felt increasingly unwilling to accept the situation. However, there was nothing they could do but to keep it to themselves.

"Brother-in-law Ouyang, please continue. I believe that my father and all of you dear ministers would like to hear your opinions!" Zhu Biao spoke again.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ouyang Lun nodded, and then said: "Just now I said that the creation and beginning of the Ming Baochao were good! There is no doubt about this!"

"However, some deviations occurred during the subsequent circulation and control process, which led to a series of problems today!"

"Your Majesty discovered the problem of the treasure notes in a timely manner. If the court does not pay attention to it, it may not take long for the Ming Dynasty to face a huge economic crisis. Although the economic crisis may not seem as terrifying as the war crisis, if a major economic crisis really breaks out, people will die!"

"I'm sure everyone will remember the financial crisis in the four southern provinces. Many people lost everything, and it eventually led to rebellion!"

Forehead.
When Ouyang Lun spoke about this matter, everyone in the hall looked at Li Shanchang, who was sitting at the entrance of the hall. Li Shanchang could be said to be quite embarrassed at the moment.

The financial crisis in the four southern provinces can be said to be one of the biggest stains in his life. It was because of this incident that he suffered a huge blow and almost completely withdrew from the court.

Now Ouyang Lun was doing this in front of the retired Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the Emperor Zhu Biao and a group of cabinet ministers. This was no different from slapping Li Shanchang in the face in public. The key point was that he had no way to fight back against Ouyang Lun. Not only could he not fight back, but he also had to force a smile.

"I feel extremely guilty about the financial affairs of the four southern provinces. If I have the chance, I will definitely find a way to make it up to the people of the four southern provinces!"

Although he could not refute, Li Shanchang still spoke slowly, showing his magnanimity and sincerity. "That's probably difficult. I heard that the people of the four southern provinces have erected a statue for you, Lord Li, at the border of the four provinces. It's not to commemorate you, but to remind future generations that if they see you, Lord Li, going to the four southern provinces, they must run as far as possible, otherwise they will be killed by you."

Ouyang Lun said calmly, "Ahem, of course, I just heard it, Lord Li, please don't take it to heart!"

"We are getting off topic. Let's continue talking about the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes."

Ouyang Lun mocked Li Shanchang and did not give him a chance to refute. He directly changed the subject, leaving Li Shanchang so angry that he could only stare blankly.

"As for the problem of Ming Dynasty treasure notes, my Ministry of Revenue is actually the most clear. All provinces have similar problems, such as the denomination of Ming Dynasty treasure notes. There are many different types of denominations. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Revenue, the lowest denomination of Ming Dynasty treasure notes is 100 taels, and the highest is a terrifying 500,000 taels!"

"I don't need to say much about the five hundred thousand taels of Ming Dynasty treasure notes. That stuff doesn't just cheat ordinary people. Let's take the lowest one hundred taels of treasure notes as an example. Although people's income has increased nowadays, one hundred taels is still the upper limit of many families' savings!"

"In the daily lives of ordinary people, the use of Baochao is really rare. Do you think people are familiar with and trust Baochao?"

As soon as Ouyang Lun said this, everyone at the scene suddenly understood.

Zhu Biao nodded and said directly: "Brother-in-law, since the denomination of this treasure note is too large and it is inconvenient for the people to use, should we reduce the denomination of the treasure note?"

"Reducing the denomination is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution. It is essentially no different from Lord Li issuing a decree forcing the people to use it!" Ouyang Lun shook his head, "Besides, the current defects of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Note are more than just this."

"Then the second question is, who will eventually get the notes issued by the court? Obviously, they are in the hands of the rich and powerful. They naturally know that the notes will depreciate if they hold them. What will they do?"

"There is no doubt that they need to find someone to take over. The best person to take over is naturally the common people of Ming Dynasty. This is also the contradiction. The common people resist the treasure notes, while the nobles force the treasure notes. The devalued treasure notes plunder the wealth of the common people. I have given this phenomenon a name, which is called cutting leeks!"

"Chives can grow again after being cut, so just cut them again if they grow!"

“So I’m very suspicious of the intentions of those who want to force the people to accept the treasure notes.”

Forehead.
As soon as Ouyang Lun said this, everyone at the scene turned their eyes to Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang became embarrassed again, his face twitching, and he muttered to himself, Ouyang Lun, ah Ouyang Lun, just talk about the problem, why do you always drag me out to whip my corpse?
Did I offend you? Well, I did, but let's keep some distance so we can meet again in the future.
Ouyang Lun was in no mood to pay attention to Li Shanchang now, and continued: "There is a third problem with the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, which is what is the anchor for the issuance? To put it bluntly, what basis do you have to print this treasure note? You say it is money and it is money? Then I would say it is toilet paper for wiping your asshole!"

Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Li Shanchang seemed to see a good opportunity to strike back at Ouyang Lun, and immediately said: "Does my Great Ming need any basis to issue treasure notes? This is the right of my Great Ming!!"

"As the orthodox dynasty of China, it is perfectly normal for the Ming Dynasty to issue banknotes!"

"Ouyang Lun actually questioned this. Is he doubting the legitimacy of our Ming Dynasty?!"

Li Shanchang's words were quite aggressive. No matter whether Ouyang Lun admitted it or not, it would definitely make the emperor and the emperor emeritus dislike Ouyang Lun. After all, no emperor likes others to question his legitimacy.

Sure enough, after Li Shanchang said this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, father and son, frowned. If it really involved the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty, then many things would have to be discussed carefully.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became serious.

But Ouyang Lun burst into laughter at this time.

"Ouyang Lun, what are you laughing at? No matter what you think, what I said is right!" Li Shanchang said in a deep voice.

"Master Li, Master Li, I really admire your serious nonsense! We are talking about the anchor of the treasure banknotes, and you are talking to me about the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty, and you know what the anchor is. Forget it, I am too lazy to ask you, after all, you don't know even if I ask you!"

"The so-called anchor is the certificate for issuing currency. Why do you issue it, and why do you issue so much currency? If the currency is over-issued, it will cause inflation. Right now, the treasure notes of the Ming Dynasty are in a state of over-issued currency!"

"Your Majesty, the Emperor, in the past, the treasure notes of the Ming Dynasty were anchored by the credit of the court and a small amount of gold and silver from the national treasury. The credit of the court is valuable and worthless. This is equivalent to the court writing IOUs to the people. If the number is not large, it's fine. If it increases, it will increase the anxiety in the hearts of the people. No one wants to hold a pair of IOUs in their hands, right?"

With Ouyang Lun's vivid metaphor, everyone at the scene finally understood, and the frowns of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao gradually relaxed.

"Ouyang Lun, the emperor and I are more or less clear about these issues. Why don't you just tell me your solution?" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"That's about all the problems. The solutions are also very simple. We can solve them one by one. For the first problem, the quota of Ming Baochao is too large. The solution is to reduce the denomination. My suggestion is to directly change it to one cent, five cents, twenty cents, one hundred cents, one tael, five taels, ten taels. The highest is one hundred taels!"

Ouyang Lun said directly.

Hey!
After hearing what Ouyang Lun said, everyone at the scene was stunned.

"Brother-in-law, isn't the gap from the lowest one hundred taels to the highest one hundred taels too big?" Zhu Biao frowned.

"Prince Consort Ouyang, this is almost the same as exchanging a set of banknotes!" Song Lian couldn't help but speak.

"Master Song is right. What I meant is to change a set of treasure notes. It is normal for currency to be updated. The old treasure notes are no longer applicable, so we naturally need to eliminate them!" Ouyang Lun said slowly: "Don't worry about the complexity of the replacement!"

"Nowadays, the newspaper industry is well developed, and the content of the court's policies can be easily spread to villages across the country. Once the new treasure notes are determined, we can notify the people to take their old treasure notes to the major silver cabinets to exchange for the new ones! The old treasure notes will have an expiration date, and they will be abolished and no longer circulated!"

"Doing this can also indirectly solve the second problem, which is to take back the control of the treasure notes from those dignitaries who hoarded the treasure notes! We can truly take back the imperial court!"

"As for the third question, that is, the anchor of the Ming Baochao, it is even simpler. The court actively develops gold mines and uses gold as an anchor. Gold is a precious metal. We will issue Baochao of equivalent value according to the amount of gold reserves. In other words, the price of Baochao is equal to the price of gold. In other words, the people only need to take the new Baochao to exchange for the corresponding gold in the court's treasury! There will be no obstacles." (End of this chapter)