The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

After Su Chen's live broadcast ended, ancient people from all dynasties dispersed one after another.

Seeing that it was getting very late, the important officials of the Tang Dynasty Palace prepared to bid farewell to the emperor and go home.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, I will take my leave.

The other ministers also bowed and took their leave, but did not wait for Li Shimin's response.

When everyone looked up, they saw the current emperor staring at the printer in a daze, as if he didn't hear what they said.

At this moment, all the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wei Zheng called out twice in succession, but Li Shimin remained unmoved and continued to stare at the printer intently.

The ministers all complained in their hearts that although the printer was magical, there was no need to be so obsessed with it!
Of course, I only dared to think about this in my mind and never said it out loud.

Just as Wei Zheng was about to wake Li Shimin up loudly again, Li Shimin finally responded.

Li Shimin looked at the ministers with a serious face, as if he had made some kind of decision.

Li Shimin: My dear ministers, I have an important matter to discuss with you and would like to hear your opinions.

The solemn expression on Li Shimin's face instantly made the ministers present feel nervous.

Judging from your Majesty's expression, I'm afraid there are some national affairs to discuss.

Fang Xuanling: I wonder what Your Majesty is talking about?
All the ministers looked at Li Shimin, each with a stern look on their faces.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then said solemnly: Do you know paper money?

When the word "paper money" came out, everyone present was slightly stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Suddenly, everyone seemed to think of something.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, the paper money you are talking about is the silver currency used in later generations?
At first he was wondering what paper money was, but then he remembered.

Paper money, paper money, since it is currency, it means it is also a kind of silver.

As the name suggests, paper money is paper instead of silver.

After figuring this out, he almost instantly thought of the paper money used to purchase goods in later generations.

Among the videos played on the sky screen before, many were about life scenes in later generations.

Of course, in these videos, there are scenes of people in later generations buying and selling things.

He noticed this very early on and has kept it in mind ever since.

Because the payment methods of later generations seemed to be different from those of the Tang Dynasty, he had such a deep impression.

So much so that when His Majesty mentioned paper money, he immediately thought of it.

As far as he saw, when people in later generations bought and sold goods.

The most common payment method is mobile payment, and the other method he has been keeping an eye on is paper currency payment.

When he saw people in later generations taking out a peculiarly shaped banknote to pay, he was shocked.

At that time, he couldn't understand why a piece of paper could be used as currency to buy and sell things.

This seemed completely incredible to him.

The most commonly used currency in the Tang Dynasty was copper coins, with a small number of them using silver.

If a piece of paper were used as currency to buy and sell goods in the Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid no one would agree.

However, although he was curious about the use of paper money by people in later generations, he did not take it too seriously and just regarded it as a curious anecdote.

After all, seeing the prosperity of later generations and the countless new and novel things, it is no longer surprising to use paper money instead of silver.

Now that His Majesty suddenly mentioned paper money, could it be that...

Soon, he seemed to understand His Majesty's intention.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, the big thing you are talking about, is it this paper currency?

Not only Wei Zheng, but other important officials present also reacted.

Ignoring the changed expressions of the ministers present, Li Shimin nodded in appreciation.

Li Shimin: Minister Wei is right, it is paper money. I plan to use paper money to replace copper coins and silver.

As if he didn't notice the anxiety on the faces of his ministers, Li Shimin was now dreaming of promoting paper currency throughout the Tang Dynasty.

The idea came to his mind after he saw the amazing functions of the printer.

And the more he thought about it, the more he felt that there was great potential in promoting paper money.

Since paper money can become popular in later generations, it is enough to show that paper money is much more useful than copper coins and silver. Otherwise, later generations would not have abandoned silver and used paper money.

After careful consideration, he found that there were many benefits to using paper money.

The most important point is that paper money is much more convenient than copper coins, and it is not a problem to carry it with you.

Moreover, the use of paper money makes it more convenient for businesses to do business and promotes economic development.

You have to know that in the Tang Dynasty, merchants needed to carry a large amount of silver when buying and selling goods.

If the business is larger, bodyguards will be needed to escort the silver.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it is to use silver to trade bulk goods.

But if we have paper money, this problem can be easily solved.

Besides, with paper money, it is more convenient for ordinary people to buy and sell things.

Another important benefit is that paper money is much easier to make than copper coins and can meet the needs of an increasingly active market more quickly.

The process of making copper coins is extremely complicated and takes a long time.

Making banknotes is much simpler. All you have to do is use a printer to print banknotes continuously.

And there is another benefit, which is that it can prevent the emergence of counterfeit currency and avoid losses to the people.

From time to time, copper coins that are short of weight appear in the market.

The low purity of copper coins will inevitably cause financial losses to the common people, and in turn disrupt the market and cause turmoil.

Although the punishment for making counterfeit currency is very severe, once caught, the death penalty is imposed as a warning to the world.

But money is a powerful thing, and there are always people who are not afraid of death and forge counterfeit money.

But if we had paper money, the problem of counterfeit money could be completely eliminated.

The reason is very simple. In his time, he was the only one who managed to buy the printer.

He knew very well what a unique printer meant.

In other words, only the imperial court had paper money produced by a printer, and the public did not have it.

Thanks to the magic of the printer, it is entirely possible to print out colored banknotes.

This alone eliminates the possibility of counterfeiting by the public.

After all, colored banknotes can only be produced by printers, and even the most skilled folk artists cannot forge them.

There are many advantages of paper money, and it can completely replace copper coins and silver.

At this moment, he did not notice the resistance on the faces of the ministers present, but was completely immersed in his beautiful dream.

But to Li Shimin's surprise, none of the ministers present supported it, all of them were against it.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, you must not do that. This could easily lead to something terrible.

Fang Xuanling: Your Majesty, please think twice, otherwise the Tang Dynasty will fall into chaos.

Du Ruhui: Your Majesty, the situation in our Tang Dynasty is completely different from that of later generations. If we act rashly, I am afraid that the world will be in chaos.

The ministers were unanimously opposed to the idea, fearing that the emperor's move would cause unrest and bring disaster to the people. In their opinion, using paper money instead of copper coins and silver was too unreliable.

A piece of paper is worthless, but the copper coin itself has value.

Exchanging a piece of paper for copper coins seems unreliable no matter how you look at it.

There is a huge difference between the Tang Dynasty and later generations, and not everything can be copied.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and calmly told everyone the benefits of paper money, hoping to get their support.

But even though Li Shimin analyzed the benefits of paper money to everyone, the stubborn people still shook their heads and had no intention of giving in.

It’s not that they are stubborn, but this matter is of great importance and if it is not handled properly it will cause unrest and chaos in the whole country.

The Tang Dynasty had just been established and the people had just begun to live in peace.

If we are not careful, the good situation may be ruined.

Li Shimin's face looked a little ugly. He did not expect that everyone would have such strong opinions.

Both sides held their own views and the confrontation was very intense.

After a moment, Li Shimin suppressed the anger in his heart and spoke in a heavy tone.

Li Shimin: Let's both take a step back and issue a small amount of banknotes to see how things go. What do you think?
Seeing the unhappy look on the emperor's face, the ministers knew that they had to take a step back, otherwise it would not be good for them to make the emperor unhappy.

Besides, the conditions proposed by the emperor were not excessive and they were acceptable to them.

The risk of promoting paper money on a large scale across the country is too great, and the consequences of not handling it properly are unimaginable.

But if it is issued in small quantities and implemented on a pilot basis to see how it goes, that would be acceptable.

Even if something goes wrong, the harm is within controllable range and will not cause a major impact.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, I think it is feasible.

Fang Xuanling: I agree with Lord Wei. It is worth a try on a pilot basis.

The other ministers present also echoed him, and Li Shimin's expression looked much better.

Li Shimin: My dear Minister Wei, please arrange for the painter to draw the template for the banknote as soon as possible. I want to see the result tomorrow.

As if he had thought of something, Li Shimin thought for a while and then continued to add.

Li Shimin: There are six styles: one yuan, five yuan, ten yuan, twenty yuan, fifty yuan, and one hundred yuan. One copper coin is worth one yuan.

He designed this with reference to the paper money of later generations, and it was most suitable for use as the paper money of the Tang Dynasty.

The ministers present nodded thoughtfully, and felt that there was nothing wrong with the emperor's request.

One copper coin was exchanged for one yuan, and one tael of silver was exchanged for one thousand yuan, which was exactly ten hundred-yuan bills.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will fulfill my mission.

Li Shimin then smiled, and seeing that it was getting late, he asked all the ministers to leave.

Li Shimin, who was very satisfied, slept soundly at night, but the painter who received the task temporarily had a hard time.

Fortunately, the artist lived up to everyone's expectations and drew six banknote templates in just one night.

With reference to the style of later banknotes, it was much easier for painters to design the Tang Dynasty banknotes.

Early the next morning, Li Shimin went to the morning court with great anticipation.

The only thing to be discussed at today's morning court was the issuance of Tang Dynasty paper money.

Li Shimin: My dear Minister Wei, how is the task I assigned to you last night going?

Li Shimin stared at Wei Zheng with an impatient look on his face.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, the six types of banknotes have all been set up and are waiting for your decision.

Li Shimin's excitement was beyond words, and he quickly asked Wei Zheng to present the banknote template.

Wei Zheng did not dare to delay. He took out a folded piece of paper from his arms and handed it to the eunuch in front of him.

Li Shimin took it from the eunuch, quickly unfolded it, and looked at it carefully with bright eyes.

The more he looked at it, the more amazed he was, and he felt very happy.

I saw twelve banknote patterns drawn on the paper in front of me, with six styles of front and back.

The largest one-hundred-yuan note has his portrait on the front, the Datang Library on the back, and the rest of the space is filled with patterns.

You know what, the portrait is so lifelike, and has a lot of his charm.

It can be seen that the painters in the palace have superb skills and he is very satisfied.

The other five banknotes also have his portrait on the front and famous Tang Dynasty landscapes on the back.

The more Li Shimin looked at it, the happier he became, and he nodded repeatedly in admiration.

Li Shimin: Good, good, good, well-painted, I am very satisfied. My dear ministers, please take a look at the banknotes of our Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin, still not satisfied, passed the banknote template to the ministers in the court so that they could also take a look.

The banknote template was passed from one important official to another, and exclamations could be heard from time to time in the hall.

It was obvious that the ministers were also very satisfied with the style of Tang Dynasty banknotes.

Fang Xuanling: You know what, the pattern on this banknote is quite exquisite and pleasing to the eye.

Du Ruhui: You are absolutely right. Just based on the exquisite design, people would want to own it.

Zhang Sun Wuji: I am afraid that once the banknotes are issued, they will attract scramble among the people.

Seeing the exquisite banknotes, the ministers felt relieved.

Originally they were worried that the issuance of paper money would cause resistance from the people.

But now it seems that the situation may not be as bad as they thought.

Not to mention other things, the exquisite style of the banknotes alone will reduce people's resistance to banknotes.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, I wonder how much paper money Your Majesty would like to issue on a trial basis?
Faced with Wei Zheng's question, Li Shimin fell into deep thought, his mind working rapidly.

Although he also wanted to issue a large amount of banknotes, he also knew that it was not good to act too hastily, and it was better to take it step by step.

After a night of careful consideration, he decided to issue a small amount of banknotes on a trial basis in Chang'an City to see how the people would accept them.

If the effect is good, the issuance of banknotes can be gradually increased.

Li Shimin: Issue 100,000 copies of each type of banknote and try it out in Chang'an City first to see the effect.

One hundred thousand may seem like a lot, but in fact, there are not that many.

There are six kinds of banknotes: one yuan, five yuan, ten yuan, twenty yuan, fifty yuan, and one hundred yuan, totaling one hundred eighty-six yuan.

According to the standard of one thousand yuan for one tael of silver, issuing 100,000 tickets would only amount to 18,600 taels of silver.

Compared with the huge population of Chang'an City, less than 20,000 taels of silver is not much at all.

100,000 pieces of each type of banknote were issued, and the ministers agreed after a little thought.

Li Shimin: My dear Minister Wei, the production of banknotes is now left to you. I want to see the finished banknotes in the afternoon.

He had been eager to see the effect of the banknotes, so naturally the sooner the better, and he didn't want to waste even a moment.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, rest assured, I will complete the task.

Using a hundred printers, it wouldn't take long to produce a total of 600,000 notes.

After leaving the court, Wei Zheng hurried to arrange this matter. (End of this chapter)