The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City.

Tsing Yi Lane has been particularly lively recently.

The reason is simple: a new family recently moved into the alley.

If it were anyone else, the neighbors in the alley would be curious.

But it wouldn't be as lively as it is now, just like an ordinary family moving in.

The reason why it has become such a hot topic is that the people who moved here are very well-known. It can be said that everyone in the entire Chang'an City knows them.

And this family is Wang Erniu, who is well-known to everyone.

Everyone in Chang'an City knew that Wang Erniu was the first lucky person to win the jackpot.

It is extremely difficult to win the first prize in the lottery, and it requires incredible luck.

Wang Erniu is undoubtedly a man with incredible luck. How could he not be envied by his neighbors?

That's a full ten thousand taels of silver, no small amount.

When the lottery was first issued in the Tang Dynasty, the people of Chang'an City were all looking forward to it.

It is conceivable how exaggerated the topic of lottery is.

It was also because of this that Wang Erniu, the first person to win the first prize, became famous in Chang'an City.

Ever since Wang Erniu won the first prize and received a bonus of 12,000 taels of silver, he bought a new house in Qingyi Lane to accommodate his family.

Ever since Wang Erniu moved to Tsing Yi Lane two days ago, he has become the subject of discussion among the neighbors in Tsing Yi Lane.

After all, Wang Erniu became famous throughout Chang'an City because he won the first prize.

Now that the lucky guy in everyone's eyes has moved to Tsing Yi Lane, the neighbors naturally keep talking about Wang Erniu.

In the yard, Wang Erniu and his family were cleaning and tidying up.

It's so hard to get a new home, and as the saying goes, a new home, a new look, so naturally you have to keep it clean.

Seeing that he had almost finished packing, Wang Erniu said goodbye to his family, left home and headed for the city center of Chang'an.

Wang Erniu had just walked out of the house not far when he ran into Uncle Liu from next door in the alley.

"Erniu, where are you going?"

Uncle Liu had a good impression of Wang Erniu and would always chat with him whenever they met.

Wang Erniu smiled innocently and pointed to the distance.

"Uncle Liu, I'm going to the city center to take a look."

Uncle Liu asked in surprise, "Erniu, are you going to buy lottery tickets again?"

When he was chatting with Wang Erniu before, he knew that since Wang Erniu won the lottery, he would go to the lottery shop from time to time to buy a few lottery tickets, hoping to win the jackpot again.

Wang Erniu smiled and nodded, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

It was just as Uncle Liu thought, he wanted to win the jackpot again.

Although he also knew that this hope was extremely slim, after all, winning the jackpot once was already a great honor, so how could he dare to hope to win it again.

But he thought that a lottery ticket didn't cost much money anyway, so he might as well just buy one and try his luck.

If you can win the prize, that would be the best, but even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter.

Uncle Liu didn't say much about this matter, but instead talked to Wang Erniu about another matter.

"Erniu, have you heard? The imperial court is going to issue paper money soon?"

Wang Erniu was stunned and asked puzzledly: "Paper money?"

Although he had never heard of paper money, he could guess that it was probably related to currency.

When it comes to new things like paper money, Uncle Liu’s information is more relevant.

As far as he knew, Uncle Liu's youngest son worked in the prime minister's residence.

Although he was just a gatekeeper, the information he received was not comparable to that of ordinary people like him.

The paper money that Uncle Liu is talking about now is probably the news that came from the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Thinking of this, his face straightened and he looked at Uncle Liu attentively, expecting to learn about the paper money from Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu thought for a while and then told Wang Erniu everything he knew.

"My youngest son told me about the paper money when he came home from work last night."

"It's just that we didn't get much news last night, only bits and pieces."

"But the news from the palace this morning said that the court intends to issue paper money on a trial basis in Chang'an City."

Wang Erniu's expression was startled, and he asked in surprise, "What news came out of the palace this morning?"

He had just come out of the house and hadn't heard any news yet.

But from what Uncle Liu said, the news about paper money has probably spread throughout Chang'an City.

"Yes, the news from the palace is that the paper money has been formulated and is being printed. It will probably be issued in Chang'an City soon."

"You should have seen the paper money of later generations. The paper money of our Tang Dynasty was based on that of later generations."

Uncle Liu looked worried when he talked about this and was skeptical about the banknote.

After all, it's just a piece of paper, and it doesn't seem reliable to use it as money.

Although paper money was used in later generations, that was later generations after all, not the Tang Dynasty.

He was also worried about one thing: the issuance of paper money might make the copper coins in the hands of ordinary people worthless.

The reason was very simple. He was afraid that the court would produce too much paper money.

If these paper notes were used to purchase goods on the market, then the copper coins in their hands would probably not be able to buy anything at all.

In the end, it is still the ordinary people who get hurt.

Wang Erniu did not pay attention to the concerns on Uncle Liu's face, but thought of the paper money in later generations.

After Uncle Liu said this, he seemed to remember.

When I watched the video about Tianmu's life scenes in later generations, I noticed that people in later generations used strangely shaped paper to buy things.

In that case, it should be paper money.

The emperor saw that people in later generations used paper money, and he planned to follow suit.

He was not surprised by this.

After all, living conditions in later generations were much better than those in the Tang Dynasty, so it is reasonable for the emperor to learn from later generations.

He was still very curious about the court's plan to issue paper money, and even had some expectations.

He was very willing to try out new things like paper money.

After all, he can have a good life today thanks to the emperor's imitation of later generations in issuing lottery tickets.

"Uncle Liu, do you know what paper money looks like? How much is it worth? When can we use it?"

He asked several questions in a row, and it was obvious that he was very interested in banknotes.

The worry on Uncle Liu's face had not yet disappeared, but he just shook his head subconsciously.

"I don't know the details, but I heard there are six types of banknotes."

"One yuan, five yuan, ten yuan, twenty yuan, fifty yuan, one hundred yuan. One yuan note can be exchanged for one copper coin."

Wang Erniu nodded thoughtfully, and became even more curious about the banknotes.

But it's no use thinking too much now, we'll know when the banknotes are issued. "Uncle Liu, you go ahead, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket."

After saying goodbye, Wang Erniu and Uncle Liu walked towards the stadium.

Along the way, Wang Erniu indeed heard discussions about the issuance of paper money, and passers-by coming and going expressed their opinions.

Except for a few people, most people are worried about paper money.

The reason is nothing more than that everyone is not confident about banknotes and is worried that problems will arise and cause financial losses to everyone.

Nowadays, the most commonly used coins on the market are copper coins, which are made of real and valuable copper.

Compared to worthless paper, copper feels more solid in your hand.

Wang Erniu could understand the concerns of the people around him.

Since paper money is still used in later generations, it means that paper money is indeed feasible.

It will not cause catastrophic consequences for the common people, otherwise there would have been problems with the use of paper money in later generations.

And the more crucial point is that he trusts the current emperor very much.

The current emperor is a wise ruler, and even people in later generations praise his majesty as the greatest emperor of all time.

In this case, the current emperor will naturally not harm the common people or use paper money to rob them of their money.

So what does he have to worry about paper money?

Thinking of this, he ignored the pedestrians around him and quickened his pace towards the stadium.

In the palace, Li Shimin was handling government affairs.

At some point, Wei Zheng came hurriedly to report.

Wei Zheng: Your Majesty, the first batch of banknotes has been produced. Please check them.

Under Li Shimin's expectant gaze, Wei Zheng had someone bring in a wooden box.

When the wooden box was opened, bundles of banknotes were found inside.

This is just the first batch of banknotes produced, with 10,000 of each denomination, and the others are still being produced.

Li Shimin took two steps at a time, walked to the box, picked up a bundle of hundred-dollar bills and began to examine it.

There are one hundred pieces in this bundle, with a total value of ten thousand yuan, or ten taels of silver.

Flipping through the banknotes one by one like turning the pages of a book, the rustling sound is particularly crisp and beautiful.

Li Shimin: This is the hundred-yuan banknote of my Tang Dynasty. Very good. I am very satisfied.

After looking at the hundred-yuan note, he picked up notes of other denominations and looked through them one by one.

The more he watched, the happier he became, and then he felt a little emotional.

This was the first batch of paper money in their Tang Dynasty, and it also heralded the beginning of the paper money era in the Tang Dynasty.

He hoped to use this as a starting point to gradually promote paper money, and one day in the future completely replace copper coins and silver coins with paper money.

Li Shimin: Now that paper money has come out, the current priority is to push it into the market and see what the people’s feedback is.

Although he is very confident about the future of paper money, he is still somewhat worried that ordinary people will not be able to accept the new currency.

If this is the case, the pace of promoting paper currency will probably be slowed down, which is something he does not want to see.

Wei Zheng: That is what I was thinking. I plan to take these banknotes to the lottery shop and see what happens.

Since the lottery was launched, the people of Chang'an City have been very enthusiastic about buying lottery tickets.

Lottery shops are always crowded, so it is best to take these banknotes to the lottery shop.

Lottery shops have such a large flow of people. If ordinary people accept paper money, it won’t take long for all the banknotes to be exchanged.

Li Shimin: This is a good idea. I plan to visit the scene in disguise to see the situation.

The issuance of banknotes is a matter of national importance and cannot be taken lightly. He can only feel at ease after seeing it with his own eyes.

Wei Zheng originally wanted to stop it, but seeing the determined look in His Majesty's eyes, he didn't say anything more.

A moment later, Li Shimin and Wei Zheng, who were in disguise, rushed to the lottery shop with a group of guards who had changed their clothes.

The lottery shop is located in a stadium that was recently completed. There is currently only one such lottery shop in the entire Chang'an City.

In order to develop sports in the Tang Dynasty, the court built a large stadium near the Tang Library.

In the future, various sports events will be held in the stadium, bringing new entertainment activities to the people of Chang'an City.

There are many shops opened in the stadium, including lottery shops.

When Li Shimin and his entourage arrived at the stadium, they saw many groups of ordinary people coming to visit the stadium, and the noisy sound was very lively.

The lottery shop not far away was already surrounded by people, with three layers of people inside and outside the shop making it impossible to get in or out.

Seeing this, Li Shimin walked slowly towards the lottery shop.

A guard had already arrived at the lottery shop, carrying a box full of banknotes, and squeezed through the crowd. He whispered some instructions into the ear of the shop owner.

The people watching were very curious, but they also urged the shopkeeper to buy lottery tickets.

The shopkeeper was a little surprised at first, but he quickly reacted.

He had also heard rumors that the court was going to issue paper money, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Li Shimin could see it clearly from a distance and waited quietly for the next scene.

"Boss, give me twenty lottery tickets."

Wang Erniu, who had been waiting for a long time, saw that the shopkeeper had finished his work and hurriedly asked the shopkeeper to buy lottery tickets.

After finishing, Wang Erniu handed the shopkeeper a small piece of silver.

The shopkeeper weighed it with a small scale and found that the piece of silver was worth fifty-six copper coins.

"The lottery ticket is worth forty copper coins in total. I'll give you sixteen copper coins in change. I have some newly issued banknotes from the imperial court. How about I give you sixteen yuan?"

As the shopkeeper spoke, he took out three banknotes from the box, one yuan, five yuan, and ten yuan.

Looking at the three banknotes in the shopkeeper's hand, Wang Erniu's eyes lit up. Before he could say anything, the customers around him suddenly went wild.

They had just heard that the court was going to issue paper money, but they didn't expect to see the paper money with their own eyes now.

“Is this the rumored banknote?”

"You know what, the picture on this banknote is quite beautiful."

"Could this head with a crown be the current emperor?"

"Although this banknote is beautiful, it is made of paper after all. It is not a good idea to use it as currency!"

"I also feel a little uncertain. Paper money is not as reliable as real money."

Although everyone present was very interested in the banknotes, they were still a little worried.

Wang Erniu took the three banknotes from the shopkeeper, looked at the customers present with righteous words, and then expressed his views on the banknotes.

Whether it is the use of paper money in later generations or out of trust in the current emperor, the court's promotion of paper money will definitely not harm the people, so you can use it with confidence.

When the onlookers heard what Wang Erniu said, they also thought it made sense and their concerns about paper money were greatly alleviated.

Besides, one yuan note can be exchanged for one copper coin.

It is okay to hold paper money appropriately, there is not much risk anyway.

In the subsequent lottery ticket sales process, most customers accepted the change given by the shopkeeper using paper money, and some customers even specifically used the copper coins in their hands to exchange for paper money from the shopkeeper.

Li Shimin saw this scene clearly, a slight smile appeared on his lips, and he felt relieved. (End of this chapter)