My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 200 Chongzhen: I am not dead yet, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you to do this?
Zhu Cilang took these drawn Ming Dynasty banknotes in his hands, placed them in the sunlight, and then looked at them carefully.

The snow-white kraft paper exudes a soft luster, feels warm to the touch, and has a superior texture.

The edges are trimmed neatly without any roughness.

On the front of the banknote, the most eye-catching feature is the portrait of Chongzhen in the center.

It has to be said that although these painters all come from the grassroots, their craftsmanship is quite exquisite.

Chongzhen's face is portrayed vividly, with his eyes and eyebrows fully displaying the emperor's majesty and solemnity.

In addition, Chongzhen's portrait is surrounded by a circle of exquisite and complex patterns, with smooth and flexible lines, all outlined with delicate brushstrokes, and every turn and connection is just right.

These patterns not only enhance the beauty of the banknotes, but also highlight the royal nobility.

Right below the portrait, the six characters "Da Ming Baochao Yi Guan" were written in a vigorous and powerful font. Although the characters were not written by a famous calligrapher, they were still very smooth.

On the back of the treasure note, there is a pattern of auspicious meanings, with dragons and phoenixes appearing lifelike, symbolizing the prosperity and auspiciousness of the Ming Dynasty.

Then, Zhu Cilang took out the original Ming Dynasty treasure notes for comparison.

Sure enough, the new version of the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes completely surpasses the old version of the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes. Whether in terms of feel or appearance, the two are completely on a different level.

Looking at the new version of the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes in his hand, Zhu Cilang smiled with satisfaction.

He actually wanted to give the new version of the Ming Baochao a new name, such as "Ming Bi" or "Ming Bi"!
But no matter how you listen to these names, they seem a bit strange, and are far less catchy than the Ming Baochao.

So in the end, Zhu Cilang decided to continue calling it the Ming Treasure Note.

After all, this is an innovation based on the Ming Baochao. Keeping the original name may make it more acceptable to the people.

The Ming silver coins, Ming gold coins and Ming treasure notes, these three items are all samples, and Zhu Cilang intends to set them as equivalent exchange.

That is, one string of Ming treasure notes can be exchanged for one Ming silver coin or one Ming gold coin.

The current gold-silver ratio in the Ming Dynasty is ten to one, and Zhu Cilang has no plans to change it for the time being. After all, it is just a sample, and the specific implementation needs to be discussed again in the capital.

Even if you want to change it, wait until you get back.

After a moment, Zhu Cilang put down the new version of the Ming Dynasty treasure note in his hand, and looked at the painters in front of him with satisfaction.

At this moment, these painters were also looking at him eagerly.

Zhu Cilang smiled kindly and said:
"You have done well. I am very satisfied. Each of you can go down and receive 200 taels of silver, and then leave!"

When the painters heard this, they knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward!"

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, and the Jinyiwei immediately took them away to collect their reward.

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang no longer hesitated and picked out the most pleasing one from the new version of the Ming Dynasty treasure notes. Then he picked up the gold and silver coins and hurried towards where Chongzhen was.

Coincidentally, when Zhu Cilang arrived here, Hong Chengchou was also there, and was talking to Chongzhen.

Seeing Zhu Cilang come in, Hong Chengchou quickly stood up and saluted, saying:

"I see His Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Cilang raised his hand and waved, indicating that Hong Chengchou did not need to be polite.

Seeing this, Hong Chengchou suddenly looked at Chongzhen and said:

"Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince has come to see you, I will take my leave first."

Chongzhen nodded slightly and was about to respond when Zhu Cilang suddenly said:

"Master Hong, please don't leave. I have something to discuss with you."

After hearing this, Hong Chengchou had no choice but to sit down again obediently.

At the same time, Chongzhen was also puzzled, wondering what Zhu Cilang was going to discuss.

After everyone sat down, Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry to take out the new version of Ming Dynasty treasure notes and gold and silver coins.

Instead, he slowly took out a wrinkled, frayed-edged, and creased Ming Dynasty banknote from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.

Then, his eyes slowly swept across the faces of Chongzhen and Hong Chengchou, and then he asked:
"Father, Lord Hong, look at what this is?"

Hong Chengchou and Chongzhen subconsciously moved closer to take a look, and immediately looked helpless.

The two of them murmured in their hearts, thinking, isn't this the Ming Dynasty treasure note? It's such a common thing, how could they not recognize it?
Finally, Chongzhen couldn't help but speak first, with a hint of doubt and confusion in his tone:

"Isn't this the Ming Dynasty Treasure Note? What are you doing with it?"

At this moment, Hong Chengchou on the side suddenly seemed to be struck by lightning, and his face instantly became a little ugly.

As the governor of Ji and Liao, he was well aware of the embarrassing situation of Ming Dynasty treasure notes in Liaodong.

In the capital area, although the Ming Dynasty treasure notes had depreciated severely, they could still be circulated in the market.

After all, most merchants still need to use Ming Dynasty treasure notes when paying taxes.

But when it arrived in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty treasure notes were almost worthless, like waste paper.

Because the Liaodong government did not accept Ming Dynasty treasure notes for paying taxes, they only wanted real gold and silver.

This led to the fact that the people of Liaodong did not recognize the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes at all.

A Ming Dynasty treasure note that is apparently worth one guan of cash cannot be exchanged for even a penny in Liaodong.

For a moment, Hong Chengchou couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. He thought Zhu Cilang was going to blame him for not doing anything to promote the Ming Treasure Notes.

Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou couldn't help feeling aggrieved. After all, the people of Liaodong had already lost their trust in the banknotes. Even if he had three heads and six arms, he would be helpless.

Just when Hong Chengchou was thinking about whether to apologize first, Zhu Cilang suddenly spoke again.

"Father, do you know how much money the Ming Dynasty treasure notes can be exchanged for in the market today?"

Chongzhen frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashed across his face, but then he replied:

"Don't underestimate me, I know this kind of thing."

"In the capital, one guan of Ming Dynasty treasure notes can be exchanged for about fifty coins."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, then turned to look at Hong Chengchou, his eyes scrutinizing as he slowly asked:
"Then, Lord Hong, please tell my father how much one guan of Ming Dynasty banknotes can be exchanged for in Liaodong?"

When Hong Chengchou heard this, his face turned pale instantly and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He thought to himself, this is not good. The prince is really coming for him!
At the same time, Chongzhen also looked at Hong Chengchou with curiosity, his eyes full of inquiry, as if waiting for his answer.

At this point, Hong Chengchou had no other choice but to bite the bullet and said with a slightly trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince, these Ming Dynasty treasure notes are completely unacceptable in Liaodong. The people regard them as waste paper and do not recognize them at all."

"Even if...even if you throw it on the street, no one will pick it up!"

Since no matter how he answered, it would not work, Hong Chengchou simply told the truth.

After all, he had already understood one thing, that is, it was absolutely impossible to play any tricks in front of Zhu Cilang!

On the contrary, telling the truth can also demonstrate one's "loyalty"!
what?
At the same time, when Chongzhen heard this, his body shook violently, as if hit by an invisible force.

Although Chongzhen knew that the Ming Dynasty treasure notes had depreciated severely, in his opinion, they should be worth at least a few dozen coins. Now that he heard that they were worthless, he felt it was a bit exaggerated.

At this moment, Zhu Cilang spoke up and told Chongzhen everything about what he had witnessed on the street: soldiers using treasure notes to eat but being refused by vendors.

When Chongzhen heard that the peddler would rather throw the banknotes on the ground than pick them up, his face became very ugly.

But don't get me wrong, he wasn't angry, but he felt that this matter was too embarrassing.

After all, the reason why the people here do not recognize the Ming Dynasty treasure notes cannot be entirely blamed on the people, because even the Ming Dynasty officials themselves often do not recognize the value of the treasure notes.

If this is the case, how can we blame the people for being disgusted?

Even if this Ming Dynasty treasure note could be used as a penny in Liaodong, it would probably not be thrown on the ground and no one would pick it up!

Sure enough, this Ming Dynasty treasure note is really worthless in Liaodong!

At this moment, Hong Chengchou on the side suddenly understood.

It seems that the prince did not want to blame him when he mentioned the Ming Dynasty treasure notes?

But want to do something about it?
After realizing this, Hong Chengchou looked at Zhu Cilang again, a hint of caution and temptation flashed in his eyes, and then he asked cautiously:

"Your Highness, I dare to ask, do you wish to reform the Ming Treasure Notes?"

Seeing that Hong Chengchou was so smart and guessed his intention in an instant, Zhu Cilang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and nodded:

"Master Hong is indeed a smart man. He understands everything immediately."

When Chongzhen heard this, he immediately reacted.

After all this time, it turns out that Zhu Cilang wanted to reform the Ming Treasure Notes!

But to be honest, Chongzhen did not have much hope for this matter.

Because in the past two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty had tried to reform the Ming Baochao, but without exception they all ended in failure.

This matter was too difficult. He felt that even if Zhu Cilang was willing to reform, it would probably be difficult to succeed.

But at this moment, Zhu Cilang didn't care what Chongzhen was thinking. He suddenly said with a firm look in his eyes:

"That's right, I want to reform the Ming Dynasty's Treasure Notes. And not just the Ming Dynasty's Treasure Notes. I also want to further unify and comprehensively reform the Ming Dynasty's gold and silver coins."

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang took out the brand new Ming Dynasty banknotes, gold coins and silver coins from his arms, and handed them to the young eunuch beside him, indicating that he should show them to Hong Chengchou first.

Hong Chengchou curiously reached out and picked up the silver coin. Then he took a closer look and was immediately shocked. His eyes widened in disbelief and his hands even began to tremble involuntarily.

Because the front of this silver coin clearly has the portrait of Chongzhen engraved on it.

Then, Hong Chengchou looked at the gold coin and Ming Dynasty treasure notes again.

really!

Both items also have Chongzhen's portrait printed on them.
For a moment, Hong Chengchou's face turned ashen, and he didn't know what to say. He subconsciously looked at Chongzhen beside him, his eyes full of panic and helplessness.

Because to put it mildly, this matter would be disrespectful.

But if it is said seriously, it can be linked to the crime of treason. Hong Chengchou never thought that Zhu Cilang would actually do this!

At the same time, Chongzhen was puzzled by Hong Chengchou's sudden appearance, and doubts arose in his heart.

He immediately stood up, walked quickly to Hong Chengchou, and picked up the silver coin!

When he saw the portrait clearly, he was stunned for a moment.

The next second, Chongzhen's face was filled with surprise, and he looked at Zhu Cilang with an unbelievable look and said:

"Why is there a portrait of me on it?"

Zhu Cilang cleared his throat first, then said calmly:

"Father, I want to print your portrait on the coins. That way, as the coins circulate throughout the country, the people will know clearly who their emperor is."

Isn’t that a good thing?”

After listening to Zhu Cilang's explanation, Chongzhen's face suddenly became extremely complicated, turning red and white, and became extremely complicated.

For a moment I didn't know how to respond.

But he soon thought of something and picked up the gold coins and Ming Dynasty banknotes beside him.

When I saw my avatar still appearing on it, my scalp felt tingling.

At the same time, Chongzhen finally understood why Zhu Cilang had sent someone to paint his portrait.
The story about asking all officials from Liaodong to pay homage is totally fake!
This is Zhu Cilang’s real purpose!
For a moment, the atmosphere here suddenly became solemn.

Chongzhen found it difficult to accept his own portrait appearing on any object, especially something like currency that circulated in the market every day and was handled by everyone at will.

Moreover, let alone him as the emperor, even ordinary people would probably find it difficult to tolerate their faces being printed on something like this, right?

In Chongzhen's view, the emperor's majesty cannot be violated. Zhu Cilang's behavior really made him feel uncomfortable, as if a huge stone was blocking his heart.

Then, Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cilang with a sharp gaze, and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice:

"I'm still alive. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to act like this?"

When Hong Chengchou heard this, he was so nervous that he was sweating all over.

He knew clearly in his mind that if this situation happened to an ordinary emperor and prince, the prince would have been deposed long ago just for his audacious behavior.

Because the prince's behavior was a huge taboo.

However, he also knew that the father and son in front of him were not ordinary father and son.

After all, through these days of getting along, anyone who is not too stupid will realize that it is no longer Chongzhen who has the final say in the Ming Dynasty, but the young prince.

But then again, even if he knew these things, it was not something that an outsider like him could get involved in right now!
At this moment, Hong Chengchou was full of regret and wanted to slap himself a few times. He secretly blamed himself for having to come to Chongzhen today.

He felt like a mouse trapped in a crack, with no way out.

Then he stole a glance at Chongzhen, then at Zhu Cilang, silently praying in his heart that the storm would subside as soon as possible.

Or let him leave first, and then the two gentlemen can discuss it, so that he won't be affected.

But how could he dare to act on his own without the emperor and the prince's permission? He could only stay where he was, not even daring to breathe.

Immediately at this moment, Zhu Cilang finally spoke again.

Zhu Cixi smiled and said:
"Father, this matter is actually not a big deal. It's just that you are concerned about the so-called majesty of the emperor."

"Think carefully. Printing your image on these coins and circulating them throughout the world will allow all citizens to clearly know who their emperor is. How can this undermine your dignity?"

"In my opinion, this move will actually allow the people to feel the emperor's majesty more deeply."

"Especially when soldiers receive these coins, they will understand who is paying them and who they should be loyal to."

"Wouldn't the soldiers' loyalty be higher this way?"

"Of course, some traitors might take advantage of this to vent their anger, but so what? For the sake of the people of the entire world, there's no need to worry about such a small matter."

After hearing these words, Chongzhen's originally furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Because what Zhu Cilang said does make some sense.

If coins with his own portrait printed on them were distributed to soldiers, all the soldiers in the world, whether they were in the capital or on the frontier, would know who their emperor was as long as they received the money.

Know who you should serve.

This will undoubtedly play a huge role in stabilizing military morale and enhancing military loyalty.

However, Chongzhen still felt that something was wrong, and the awkward feeling in his heart still lingered.

He frowned slightly and said awkwardly:
"I understand what you said, but I still feel something is wrong."

Zhu Cilang didn't seem angry when he saw this, as if he had already expected Chongzhen to react like this.

So he continued:
"If Father feels it's inappropriate, that's fine."

"At worst, we can just replace the portrait on the coin with Taizu's. Right now, these are just templates, and the patterns and text on them can be changed at any time."

After hearing this, Chongzhen's tense body finally relaxed a little and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

In fact, he is already a little moved, but he still needs some time to digest and adapt.

Give him some time, maybe he will agree to this matter after all.

Afterwards, Chongzhen sat back in his original position, reached out to pick up the three things on the table, and played with them gently in his hands.

Then Chongzhen asked:
"Tell me, what are you going to do next?"

Zhu Cixiang said:

"It's very simple. I want to reform the existing Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes and currency system. What you are holding in your hand is the sample I had made."

"Although this sample is a bit crude, it can be further improved upon returning to the capital."

Chongzhen stroked the Ming Dynasty treasure notes in his hand, feeling filled with emotion.

The paper of this new treasure note is strong, soft and warm to the touch, which is a world of difference compared to the rough and easily torn Ming treasure notes of the past.

Judging from the paper and feel alone, this new banknote is far superior to the previous ones.

As for the silver and gold coins, their shapes are even more exquisite, like two works of art.

At the same time, Hong Chengchou on the side had already guessed something.

He bowed slightly and asked respectfully:
"May I ask Your Highness, can these three items be exchanged for each other?"

Hong Chengchou was not a stupid person. He had been working in the officialdom for many years and had developed a pair of sharp eyes.

He could see that there had to be a reason for these three things to appear at the same time.

Moreover, the face value of the Ming Baochao itself is one Guan, which is equivalent to one tael of silver. From this, it can be inferred that these three items should be able to be exchanged at equal value.

Sure enough, Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded:
"Yes, that's exactly it."

Then, Zhu Cilang continued:

"There are actually many reasons why the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes have fallen into such a state today."

"First, it was not tied to gold or silver and was completely dependent on the imperial credit. Moreover, the people could only exchange gold and silver for treasure notes, but could not exchange treasure notes for gold or silver."

"This has caused the treasure notes to lose their stable value support, as if the imperial court is using the Ming treasure notes to plunder the wealth of the people."

"Secondly, the main way for the people to consume treasure notes was by paying taxes. However, the Ming Dynasty levied taxes mainly in the form of goods or labor, and the proportion of treasure notes used in taxation was extremely low."

"Imagine that you have a Ming Dynasty treasure note but can't buy what you want. Would you still be willing to use it?"

"Third, the court continued to issue large quantities of Ming Dynasty treasure notes, which triggered inflation and caused the treasure notes to depreciate significantly."

"In addition, there are many other reasons, such as poor recycling of old banknotes and inadequate control measures."

Hong Chengchou and Chongzhen listened to Zhu Cilang's words and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Because Zhu Cilang really hit the nail on the head.

Chongzhen's eyes revealed anxiety and expectation, and he couldn't help asking:

"Then tell me, is there any solution?"

As an emperor, Chongzhen naturally hoped to solve this difficult problem and save the Ming Dynasty from danger.

Zhu Cilang continued to speak methodically:

“It’s actually very simple to solve these problems.”

"First, the imperial court must completely bind the Ming treasure notes with copper coins, silver, and gold."

"Ensure that Ming Baochao can be freely exchanged for copper coins and gold and silver at a fixed rate, thereby strengthening the credit foundation of Ming Baochao and allowing the people to regain their confidence in Baochao."

"Just like these three things I brought you just now, one guan of Ming Baochao can be exchanged for a Ming silver coin weighing one liang, or a Ming gold coin weighing one qian."

"Secondly, we must improve the issuance system and determine the amount of Baochao to be issued based on actual market demand and economic development. We must not issue it indiscriminately just to solve financial problems."

"A dedicated monetary management agency could be established to monitor and assess the amount of money in circulation in the market and formulate a reasonable issuance plan."

"And no matter how many Ming Dynasty treasure notes are issued, sufficient copper coins, gold and silver must be prepared for exchange."

"Then we need to strengthen recycling management and strictly enforce the banknote reversal law to ensure that old banknotes can be recycled and destroyed in a timely manner, so as to control the total amount of banknotes in circulation in the market."

"At the same time, it reduces the cost for people to exchange new banknotes."

"For example, damaged Ming Dynasty banknotes in the hands of ordinary people should be exchanged for new banknotes free of charge, and they cannot be depreciated or discounted."

"Finally, we need to stabilize the proportion of Ming Dynasty treasure notes in tax revenue and force the people to pay taxes using Ming Dynasty treasure notes, thereby increasing the market demand for treasure notes."

"Another crucial point is to intensify the crackdown on counterfeiting of banknotes and increase the cost of counterfeiting."

"At the same time, we are strengthening the anti-counterfeiting technology of Baochao, using special paper, watermarks, seals, etc. to prevent counterfeiting."

"Of course, when the new version of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Note is released, the old version of the Treasure Note will either continue to be used or be exchanged for the new version free of charge. In short, it must not be discarded, causing the people to suffer unnecessary losses."

"As long as we do all of the above, the problem of Ming Dynasty treasure notes will be completely solved."

By the time Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Chongzhen and Hong Chengchou were completely stunned.
(End of this chapter)