Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 281 Your credibility is second only to that of gangsters
"What kind of money is this? How can such a big chamber of commerce like yours give counterfeit money? I want work points and copper coins, I don't want any other money."

A loud commotion was heard at the counter of the Veterans Chamber of Commerce.

The crowd who were buying heard the noise and turned their heads to look over.

Everyone knows that the Yan and Huang people have a gene inherited from their ancestors to watch the fun, and it is natural for our ancestors to be unable to avoid it.

This is the Veteran Chamber of Commerce, the property of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the Jinyiwei and government officials are on duty here around the clock.

Not to mention causing trouble, there wasn't even any quarreling or arguing, but today someone was actually shouting here. This person is really not afraid of death.

When everyone looked over, they saw a young man in brocade robes holding two coins, pointing at the person at the counter and cursing loudly with an indignant look on his face.

As the man swayed, the silver began to emit a little golden light and flash.

"Everyone, take a look."

Seeing that everyone was looking over, the young man angrily called out to everyone, pointing at the counter and shouting: "The Veteran Chamber of Commerce is such a big industry, but they dare to blatantly give out fake money. This is a disregard for the imperial system."

"You dare to spend counterfeit money in the imperial city. Not only are you scared, but you are also scared."

As he shouted, everyone could see clearly that he was holding two coins in his hand.

"This coin has a nice style and looks good, but it's a fake."

"That's impossible. The Veteran Chamber of Commerce is such a big business. How dare they use fake money? Aren't they afraid that His Royal Highness will punish them?"

"Who can say for sure?"

As the discussion went on in low voices, more and more people were attracted.

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost tense, a thin man stood up.

"This young man, fellow villagers, please don't misunderstand me."

The man bowed and took out a board from the counter. There were several rows of coins on it, which looked similar to the ones in the young man's hand.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the man, who held up a sign and said loudly, "Because gold, silver and copper coins are inconvenient to carry, and each country has its own currency, the court has been preparing for many years and, under the guidance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, has officially issued the new currency of our Ming Dynasty, which is the style I am holding in my hand."

"Why are they creating a new currency? It won't be as bad as the Baochao, will it?"

"Hush, you are asking for your life. Dare to mention the treasure pit. Be careful that the Jinyiwei will arrest you."

The man was interrupted by the noise below before he could finish his words.

"Everyone be quiet and listen to Manager Liu first."

The Jinyiwei on duty saw that the discussion below could not be stopped for a while, and was afraid of wasting time, so he stood up and shouted coldly.

The deterrent power of the Jinyiwei is extremely great. In addition, the Jinyiwei have been arresting people every day in the past two days. Their reputation has already made everyone feel overwhelmed, but no one wants to offend the Jinyiwei now.

"Thank you!"

After thanking him, Manager Liu continued, "From today on, all the money we give back to you when you buy something at our Daming Chamber of Commerce will be new money. You can also bring copper coins, gold and silver to us to exchange. The exchange rate will be determined based on the quality of the silver."

"Not only our Veterans Chamber of Commerce, but also the wages paid by the court, as well as the salaries and pensions of various government offices and the military, will all use light currency."

"Of course, we don't just come up with something to make money."

He took out a copper coin worth one cent and said, "Everyone, look at this new copper coin. It contains the finest copper and is covered with the latest metals. They are all rare materials and are worth more than a penny."

"And this is a one-yuan silver coin, and this is a dragon gold coin..."

The manager gave a brief introduction to the currency in words that ordinary people could understand.

"In addition, the Ming Bank will open across the street. Everyone can take their money there to exchange for new currency. If you are not sure, you can come here. We will also exchange it here."

"In addition to being able to exchange new coins, you can also exchange new coins for gold and silver. The court will definitely not cheat you at all."

"Your Highness, I have always been working for the people for so many years. I have never done anything to hurt you. Don't worry."

As the manager spoke, many of the onlookers also thought this was true.

Besides, the court was going to issue new money, and they couldn’t resist even if they wanted to.

They needed to purchase daily necessities, and it had become a habit for them to buy things at the Veterans Chamber of Commerce. The Veterans Chamber of Commerce no longer accepted old currency, so even if they came with gold and silver, they could not buy anything.

"Manager Liu is right. His Highness has never harmed us and has always been considerate of us, the people."

"This coin looks very nice. It must have taken a lot of thought and gold and silver. I believe in His Royal Highness. Please give me ten taels of silver first."

There was a voice of agreement from the crowd, and then a burly man walked forward, took out a bag and put it on the counter.

The clerk who had been waiting at the counter weighed the silver, reported the amount, and then directly exchanged it with the other party according to the ratio stipulated by the court.

After the other party had finished exchanging the money, Manager Liu walked up to him with a smile and handed him a card with a silver border.

"Sir, you are the first person to exchange money at the Veteran Chamber of Commerce headquarters. As a token of your trust in the Veteran Chamber of Commerce, we will give you a silver card. From now on, you will get a 9% discount on all purchases at our Veteran Chamber of Commerce."

The people watching the scene were instantly delighted when they heard about this benefit. The Veteran Chamber of Commerce was offering a 9% discount on items, which could save them a lot of money.

Thinking about the money saved, many people regretted letting this man take advantage of them.

After completing the handover with the other party, the manager smiled and said to the expectant crowd around him: "In order to repay everyone's trust in the Veteran Chamber of Commerce, anyone who exchanges more than one yuan will be able to participate in a lucky draw."

"In addition to various rewards, there are also various coupons and membership cards, including ten Double Happiness cards."

"For those who receive the Double Happiness Card, when their children or themselves get married, the Veterans Chamber of Commerce will present a dowry."

"They are a pedal sewing machine, a Phoenix bicycle, a large clock, and an opera box."

"This is a genuine three-turn and one-ring, with a total value of more than 200 taels. There are only 10 copies, first come first served."

Wow! With the manager's shout, the crowd swarmed up instantly, holding up the money bags in their hands and shouting to exchange them for money.

The reason why they are so active is not because they trust the imperial court, but because they believe in the reputation of the Veteran Chamber of Commerce in recent years and the credibility of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Besides, even if they are unwilling, they can't change anything. It is better to join in advance to get some benefits.

If I could get a Double Happiness Card, I wouldn't have to worry about the dowry for my son's marriage.

Three turns and one ring, that is something only aristocratic families are equipped with. If you can get one for yourself, you will be the only one in the surrounding villages, which will bring you great honor.

"Great! The people are so supportive of the new money. It seems that there will be no problem with currency reform."

On the second floor of the bank opposite the Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Zhu Zhanjun accompanied the old man and others to watch the situation on the opposite side.

Seeing the people rushing to exchange money, Xia Yuanji's face was full of joy and he was extremely happy in his heart.

The new money is convenient. In the past, a box of copper coins could not be exchanged for more than a few taels of silver.

Now that we have silver dollars and gold coins, one box will be enough to collect the tax revenue of an entire prefecture, and they in the Ministry of Revenue will no longer have to count money all day long.

However, although he was happy, the old man looked a little unhappy.

He pointed at the crowded Veteran Chamber of Commerce across the street, then at the deserted bank, and said to Xia Yuanji with a dark face, "Don't you see any problems?"

"what is the problem?"

Xia Yuanji was puzzled for a moment, looked at the situation on both sides, and reacted instantly.

He frowned and whispered, "That's not right. Since they have accepted the new currency and know that our bank can exchange it, why do they go to the Veterans Chamber of Commerce to exchange it instead of coming to us?"

Zhu Zhanjun, who had been planning to return to the second world today, was forcibly pulled over by the old man to check on the new currency sales. He looked at the two worried people speechlessly.

"Why else? You used to issue banknotes as if they were waste paper, and your credibility has long been ruined."

"To put it bluntly, when it comes to money, the people don't trust the imperial court as much as the loan sharks."

"Although those loan sharks charge a lot of interest, at least they give real money instead of a pile of waste paper that hurts even when you wipe your butt."

The two of them looked a little embarrassed, and the old man even looked up at the sky.

Since he and his father didn't understand economic issues, they printed new banknotes when they ran out of money. The amount they printed was even greater than that of selling paper money.

He is at least half responsible for the Ming people's distrust of the imperial court.

"Cough cough..."

Perhaps he felt that he should say something, so the old man coughed dryly and said solemnly to Xia Yuanji and Hai Rui who was also called over: "Money is related to the lifeblood of the court. From now on, you two yamen and the Jinyiwei will keep a close eye on me."

"If anything happens to the bank or the money, I will not only arrest the offender, but you three government offices will also have nothing to worry about."

Hearing the old man say this, the pressure on their shoulders instantly doubled.

Xia Yuanji was better off, as the bank was originally under the jurisdiction of their Ministry of Revenue.

Hai Rui was completely implicated.

Originally, they had enough surveillance in the Censorate, but today he just came to watch the fun and brought another job to his Censorate, and it was a big job at that.

However, Hai Rui is the kind of person who becomes more motivated the greater the pressure.

He knew that no one could face the temptation of money. People who were responsible for such matters had to deal with countless amounts of money every day, and there would definitely be people who could not resist the temptation and reached out for it.

As the Censor of the Censorate, he had the responsibility and obligation to take on this task in order to ensure the economic stability of the Ming Dynasty.

After the two agreed, no one came over to the old man, so he sighed and said, "Let's go. The court has done too many wrong things in the past and has lost the trust of the people. It depends on what we do next."

“The people are like water, and the ruler is like a boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.”

"The imperial court must do something, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will be completely defeated by us sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)