The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 531: Sharing Wealth with the People
"Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Qi Shimei, a fellow villager of mine. His home lived at the foot of the Longshan Pagoda in Junzhou. At the age of eighteen, Qi Shimei married Qin Xianglian, the daughter of a local merchant. Later, he went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and passed, ranking eighteenth in the second class. His career was quite good, and he was directly sent to Jiangxia to become the magistrate. He was said to be upright and honest, and he achieved remarkable political achievements in Huguang."

Jin Yuji usually read a lot of vernacular novels and was quite familiar with those stories of love at first sight, secret engagements, separations, and reunions after passing the imperial examinations. She said with a smile:

"It's rare for you to talk about talented men and beautiful women, but you've killed too many people these past few days. Do you feel guilty?"

"I have a clear conscience."

Liu Zhaosun signaled not to interrupt him.

"His old acquaintances heard the news and came to ask for money, that is, to borrow money to do things. At first, Qi Shimei reluctantly responded out of friendship with his fellow townsman. Later, when his salary was gone and he could no longer make ends meet, he began to distance himself from these people."

Jin Yuji interrupted, "Then where is Qi Shimei's wife? How much salary does a county magistrate have to support his fellow townsmen?"

Liu Zhaosun rolled his eyes at her:
"There's no need to argue about trivial matters. This isn't like watching Detective Dee. I think you've been listening to too many books and are just like the trolls."

Jin Yu Ji was about to ask what a sprayer was, but Liu Zhaosun put down the teacup and Amber came over to refill it.

"Those fellow townsmen and acquaintances, unable to find the answer, grew angry and humiliated, and began to slander Qi Shimei. One poor scholar, in the lead, wrote 'The Case of the Chopping of Mei'. Have you read it?"

"The Case of the Chopping of the Beauty? Never heard of it."

"Of course you haven't heard of it. This novel should have appeared in the late Ming Dynasty." Liu Zhaosun said to himself.

Not only had Jin Yuji never read the story of the beheading of the beautiful woman, she also knew nothing about Chen Shimei.

"It is said that during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, a Confucian scholar named Chen Shimei from Junzhou went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. He disappeared for three years without a trace. Legend has it that he was eaten by a hat demon. His wife, Qin Xianglian, struggled to make a living in her hometown."

"What's a Hat Monster?"

"Don't interrupt me, okay?!"

"it is good."

Liu Zhaosun picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Later, a famine killed her parents. Qin Xianglian buried them and, with her emaciated children, she begged for food along the way, trekking through mountains and rivers to Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty, to find her husband, whom she had not seen for three years."

Amber, who was standing next to him, was holding a tea tray and listening blankly. It was obvious that she was also fascinated by the case of the beheading of the beauty.

During these three years, Qin Xianglian suffered immensely, while Chen Shimei, on the other hand, was full of vigor and ambition, achieving the top spot in the imperial examination. During the palace examination, the emperor decided to recruit Chen Shimei as his consort. Chen Shimei lied to the emperor, saying he had never married. He had forgotten where he came from, his parents, his wife, and his children.

After a long and arduous journey, Qin Xianglian finally found her husband's residence. Unexpectedly, Chen Shimei, upon seeing her, beat her out and sent men to kill his wife and children. Upon hearing Qin Xianglian's accusations, the assassins released her and then committed suicide. Qin Xianglian filed a complaint in Yingtian Prefecture, where Bao Zheng accepted the case and decided to redress her injustice. Ultimately, Chen Shimei was executed by the tiger-head guillotine.

The story of Chen Shimei spread to the north and south through the mouths of storytellers. Jiangxia is today's Wuchang. It was a big wharf at that time. There were countless storytellers on the wharf. The story of County Magistrate Qi quickly became a hot topic.

Because his experience was similar to Chen Shimei's, the common people regarded Qi Shimei as a prime example of ingratitude. Qi Shimei was an honest official, always thinking of the people, a figure like Hai Rui. However, he was ostracized by his colleagues, and the people were bewitched, lining up to throw pig's blood at his door, calling him a heartless man... He could no longer stay in Jiangxia and was forced to resign and return to Junzhou. His wife, unable to bear the rumors, jumped into the river and committed suicide. A year later, Qi Shimei died of depression, reportedly drowning after getting drunk.

Liu Zhaosun stared at the floor and stopped talking.

Jin Yuji and Amber asked in unison, "Is it over?"

"It's over."

"What a rubbish story!"

"This story has been passed down through the generations in Junzhou, and is known to everyone, young and old."

"Why did it end like this? Why did he die like this? Why don't good people get good rewards?"

Jin Yuji had read at least a hundred volumes of books, if not ten thousand, but she had never seen such an absurd story.

“This is the real world.”

Liu Zhaosun held the beauty's slender waist with one hand and spread out the rice paper with the other hand, and wrote the big words "No desire means strength".

"The people don't care about who's corrupt or honest. They only see what's in front of them and what others want them to see. As the saying goes, a saint is one who is neither good nor evil. Therefore, for a king, only by transcending good and evil can he do anything."

~~~~~~
Two days later, Liu Zhaosun summoned the civil affairs chief Xie Yang, the shopkeeper Liu Yue'er, the straw raincoat guard Liu Xingzuo and others to discuss matters.

"This Eastern Expedition went quite smoothly, and each regiment has gained something. Now, it's your Chamber of Commerce's turn to make a contribution."

Xie Yang, Liu Yue'er and others looked at each other, wondering what the emperor was going to do next.

"You are all my confidants, so I'll be frank. I need money from Korea. Not only the annual tribute from Li Zong, but also... We have just finished a war, and it is not appropriate to kill more people. The Empress Dowager Cisheng does not want to see too many people die. Most importantly, the "beat the landlords and distribute the land" policy in the interior needs to be adjusted here. In short, how can I turn their money into my own money without killing too many people? This is why I called you here today."

Xie Yang and Liu Yue'er knew very well who the "they" the emperor was referring to.

The people of Korea are poor. Although there are some wealthy families in the two northern regions that have just been occupied, it is probably harder than climbing to the sky to expect to extort money from these local rich men.

The civil affairs officials remained silent.

"Director Xie, what do you think?"

Xie Guangkun is good at logistics and material procurement. Now it is really difficult for him to make money out of nothing and rob legally.

Xie Yang thought for a while, and finally said, "Your Majesty, I have a method, but it's a bit vicious."

"explain."

Xie Guangkun rubbed his nose and looked around quickly.

"First, there's a Yuzhou money shop that's quite well-connected. The Chamber of Commerce can contact them and issue travel permits to wealthy families willing to move to the interior of the country. However, before entering, they'll be required to deposit their silver and money with this shop."

"go on."

"After the wealthy families left the border, the local garrison commander would detain them, claiming their travel permits were incorrect and their banknotes were counterfeit. They would then be held in Liaodong and their money would be deposited into the national treasury."

Liu Zhaosun narrowed his eyes. This routine seemed quite familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

"Well, this is sharing wealth with the people. I like it very much, but I'm afraid it will give people something to talk about."

Xie Yang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. When the time comes, we can put all the blame on the Yuzhou money shop and kill a few Jin merchants to appease the public anger. We won't return a single ounce of silver. We can say that the silver was taken to Japan by the shopkeeper."

In this era, people generally used copper coins and small change for daily transactions, while silver ingots were used for large transactions.

The yangban ministers of Korea had families to support, and silver was very heavy and difficult to carry, so it was impossible for them to carry gold and silver with them.

The Yuzhou Silver Shop exchanged silver notes for them, so these people could get their money back once and for all and rest assured.

During the Ming Dynasty, silver, as a weighted currency that was not standardized, had a natural flaw: transactions required identifying the silver's fineness and weighing it. Furthermore, some private minters added common metals like tin and lead to make silver appear to be pure silver.

The standards for measuring silver were not uniform across different regions and industries.

From any perspective, monetary reform is imperative.

Of course, since we are in Korea, let’s first use the rich Korean families to test the magical power of “travel permit plus silver note”.

"Your Majesty, you can spread the word in advance that depositing silver with the Yuzhou Silver Shop will earn you higher interest rates. Not only will the shop not charge depositors any money (in the Ming Dynasty, depositors had to pay a fee to the shop, 30 coins per 1,000 strings of cash), but if you deposit a lot, the shop will even give you money, doubling the interest."

Emperor Wuding nodded slightly.

"This Yuzhou silver shop is now managed by several Shanxi merchants. The Suoyi Guards have a lot of negative information on them, so we'll confiscate it when the time comes..."

"Okay, close the door and beat the dog, but will there be any dog coming?"

"Of course there are, Your Majesty, don't worry! Shanxi merchants are ruthless. As long as you give these people enough benefits, they will rush to do the business even if it means getting their heads cut off."

Xie Guangkun touched his chest and said with a pious look:

"Your Majesty is benevolent and loves the people. To avoid harming ordinary people, I suggest that the minimum deposit be set at two thousand taels."

Emperor Wuding held Xie Guangkun's big hand tightly, and felt that it was a pity for this Mediterranean person not to travel back to Yuzhou in 2022 to save money.

"What other methods do you have? Tell us together."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we can first find a few wealthy local families and ask them to deposit money first. Then, we can have the Suoyi Guard arrange to select some captives and disguise them as bandits to rob them. We can rob one or two families to make the Koreans feel that the situation is unstable."

"it is good."

·······
Then, Emperor Wuding and Xie Yang discussed the specific details of "keeping wealth among the people", which left the straw raincoat guards stunned. Compared with Director Xie's knife that killed people without bloodshed, Liu Xingzuo felt a little ashamed of himself.

"This is to eat up everything and drain the marrow out of my bones."

At this time, a guard came in and reported to Liu Xingzuo, and the spy chief was overjoyed.

"Your Majesty, the peace talks are complete."

As he said this, he handed a copy of the Tang newspaper to Dongfang Zhu.

Emperor Wu Ding's attention was immediately drawn to the report sent from Ganghwa Island.

"Alright, you can discuss the other details after you go down. I will have the Suoyi Guards cooperate with the operation. Xie Yang, this operation of distributing wealth to the people must be done well and on a large scale. It must stand the test of future generations."

Xie Yang said loudly with a serious face, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

After saying this, he hurriedly retreated with his subordinates.

Liu Zhaosun unfolded the parchment envelope with trembling fingers. There were two copies of the Tangbao, both written in Chinese.

Emperor Wuding put down the copy with the Korean king's seal, picked up the other copy, and read softly:

"The Great Qi Empire and the Kingdom of Joseon have long enjoyed a strong friendship. Now, as we see that the two countries have not yet reached a consensus, we wish to reconcile and strengthen our friendship. Therefore, the Emperor Taichu of Qi has specially ordered the Minister of Plenipotentiary Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Counselor of the Eastern Expedition, Sun Chuanting, and the Deputy Minister of Plenipotentiary Affairs, Councillor Hou Xun, to visit Ganghwa Prefecture in Joseon. The Joseon government has also ordered the Judge of the Central Office, Zheng Douyuan, and the Deputy General Manager, Jin Youkui, to follow the imperial edict and discuss the terms of the agreement, which are listed below:
first set

The Kingdom of Korea is indeed a completely independent and autonomous country. Therefore, any system that undermines its independence and autonomy, such as the tribute ceremony it performed to the Ming Dynasty, will be completely abolished.

Second paragraph

Joseon and Qi are uncle-nephew states, the King of Joseon being the nephew and the Emperor of Qi being the uncle. Henceforth, they must treat each other with the courtesy of ruler and subject, without any encroachment or suspicion. It is advisable to first abolish all the previous regulations that have hindered friendship, and to open up broad and convenient ways to ensure lasting peace.

Paragraph 3

Joseon will manage the rights of the Xiakai area and transfer all the fortresses, military equipment and all public property in the area to Qi forever.

First, from the south of the Yalu River to Longgang, Zhonghe, and Yangde, from Yizhou to the east to Jizhou to the west, all the urban fortresses in the area.

Second, Busan Port and surrounding islands.

Third, Tsushima Island and its affiliated islands.

Paragraph

Five months from now, Qi will dispatch an envoy to Seoul, Joseon, at any time. The envoy will personally receive the Minister of Rites and discuss diplomatic matters. The envoy's stay will be determined by the timing. The Joseon government will also dispatch the Crown Prince to Cheonsimseong (Gyunju) at any time to discuss diplomatic matters. The Crown Prince will not be allowed to leave lightly, regardless of the length of his stay.

Paragraph

Among the five provinces of Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Hamgyong, three ports convenient for trade were selected along the coast and their names were designated. The opening period was calculated from December of the third year of Taichu in the Qi calendar and from February of the Bingzi year in the Joseon calendar.

Article 6

Cut off all trade and diplomatic relations with Japan.

Article 7

In the future, if Great Qi ships encounter strong winds while off the coast of Korea or run out of fuel and supplies and are unable to reach designated ports, they may enter any coastal port to seek refuge, repair equipment, and purchase firewood and charcoal. The shipowners will be responsible for reimbursing the costs of local supplies. In such cases, local officials and citizens must show special compassion and provide assistance without hesitation, and do not hesitate to spare supplies. If ships of either country are wrecked at sea and crew members are stranded, local residents should promptly provide assistance and protect them, and report to the local officials, who will escort them back to their home countries or hand them over to officials stationed nearby.

Article 8

The islands and reefs along the coast of Korea have not been surveyed before and are extremely dangerous. We hereby permit relevant personnel from Qi to land and survey the coastline at any time, determine its location and depth, and compile a map to help passengers from both countries avoid danger and seek safety.

Article 9

The government designated ports in Korea and set up officials to manage the merchants and citizens of Qi at any time. When there were cases of negotiation between the two countries, they would consult with the local officials to handle them.

Article 10

Since the two countries have established friendly relations, the people of each country may trade freely without interference from the officials of either country, nor may they restrict or prohibit it. If merchants from either country engage in fraudulent sales, or fail to repay loans, the officials of both countries will strictly arrest the defaulting merchants and order them to collect the debts, but the two governments cannot compensate for the debts.

·······
Emperor Wu Ding read through all 38 main clauses and the appendix to the treaty. It took him more than half an hour to read, and it was almost dark outside.

A number of civil and military officials congratulated the retired emperor, celebrating the expansion of the Great Qi's territory and its great victory in Korea. Several generals have already begun discussing how to conquer Japan next.

The time traveler smiled as he made his way through the noisy crowd. He pushed open the palace door and walked to the corner of Anhe Palace. He looked up at the dark night sky over Pyongyang and said with a half-smile:
"What a beautiful day! The sky is clear and bright. These days are becoming more and more promising."

(End of this chapter)