The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.

It is clear that Xu Da has been working very hard in his post at the Ministry of War these past few days.

Therefore, Zhu Xiong Ying, representing the imperial family, showed concern for the meritorious veterans.

They didn't linger for long.

When he left the mansion, Xu Da personally saw him off.

Zhu Xiong Ying was deeply moved by what she saw and took his hand, saying, "Grandpa Xu, please go back and rest. I'll come to visit you again in a few days!"

"Your Highness, please wait!"

Until the sedan chair was no longer visible.

With the help of his children and grandchildren, Xu Da turned around and went back.

He returned to his quarters and waited for the servants to leave.

He stroked his long beard, glanced at his beloved son, and said, "The imperial grandson is as kind as the crown prince and as decisive as His Majesty... truly worthy of being the eldest grandson of the emperor!"

"Our Xu family has been deeply favored and shares the fate of the nation. At all times, we must remember the four words 'loyalty to the emperor and love for the country'!"

"Yun Gong, do you understand?"

Having served the emperor for so long, and frequently interacting with the crown prince.

But from the young eldest grandson, with his discerning eyes, he could actually see the shadows of two people!

This is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty!

Considering the Emperor's boundless grace, the Xu family would ultimately be handed over to the eldest son.

Feeling moved, Xu Da offered his advice.

Xu Yungong was loyal, upright, intelligent, and brave.

How could she not understand her father's good intentions?

Historically, this eldest son of the Xu family immediately led troops to resist after his brother-in-law Zhu Di rebelled.

Even though Zhu Yunwen's power was waning, he still refused to submit to him and eventually died of illness.

Such integrity shows that he is a person who sticks to his principles!

Xu Yun bowed respectfully and said, "Your son will remember your teachings, Father!"

……

the other side.

Zhu Xiong Ying left the Duke's Mansion, intending to detour outside Jubao Gate and then return to Donghua Gate.

Unexpectedly, after walking only two miles, the area in front of them was completely blocked.

The young eunuch, Lai Shun, quickly volunteered to go and find out what was going on!

Half an incense stick later, I managed to squeeze out of the crowd.

Once inside the Jinyiwei's protective circle, they arrived in front of the sedan chair.

Seeing the grandson of the emperor lift the curtain and look around, he asked, "Have you found out everything?"

Lai Shun bowed and said, "Yes! According to my investigation, a large number of officials from the Six Ministries, as well as some censors who slander the government and spread rumors, will be executed today at the execution ground on the east side of the city gate..."

"Upon hearing the news, the people of our capital rushed to witness the execution!"

"The road ahead is packed with people; it won't disperse anytime soon!"

"Your Highness! It seems we'll have to take a detour back to the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes flickered slightly.

It turns out that today is a good day for corrupt officials like Guo Huan!

Old Zhu's eagerness is nothing more than his desire to make this case an ironclad one!

This will prevent any possibility of criminals banding together to launch a counterattack!

And it blocked any avenues for other meritorious officials to plead for leniency.

Of course, there are also those who, under the guise of legitimate reasons, use the case as a pretext to expand their efforts to clean up local finances...

So, on the surface, his grandfather seemed rather reckless.

But upon closer inspection, it's all about the machinations of emperors!

He needs to learn more.

He then heard that an imperial censor was to be executed.

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately thought of an old friend.

Old Wu!!

He paused, then added, "Don't rush back to the palace!"

"Let's first find out if any of the censors sentenced to immediate execution are the supervising censors, like Wu Yong?"

"Ask someone else, who is the executioner?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Several eunuchs responded in unison.

This time, it took longer.

Upon arriving at the scene, after gathering all the information, Old Wu was indeed on the execution list!

The person in charge of supervising the execution was none other than his maternal uncle, Lan Yu!

Since mid-March, Lan Yu has been constantly by Biao'er's side, and has played an important role in the Guo Huan case.

Many of the dirty and tiring jobs were done by this Marquis of Yongchang!

Zhu Xiong Ying hadn't forgotten the promise she made to Lao Wu last time.

There's a coffin shop on the street corner.

He wasn't in a hurry to return to the palace.

On one hand, he sent Sanbao to find Lan's maternal uncle and explain the matter of the burial.

He took out several Ming Dynasty banknotes from his embroidered lotus wallet and asked Laifu to buy a coffin.

This precious paper money is Empress Ma's private savings.

They knew that every time their eldest grandson left the palace, he would have his attendants buy all sorts of things.

Therefore, they would occasionally give him some loose silver or paper money as pocket money.

In just a few dozen breaths, Laifu came running back, panting, his chubby face scrunched up, and said, "Your Highness! That shop only accepts copper coins and silver, and they won't accept our paper money..."

"The shopkeeper also said that a coffin would only cost two taels of silver! If paid in paper money, it would require ten strings of cash!"

"As for 'one string of paper money equals one tael of silver,' it's all from the old almanac from the eighth year of the Hongwu reign. Back then, everyone accepted it for convenience."

"But now, these banknotes are becoming increasingly worthless. If we accept them, we'll have to ask someone to exchange them for silver to pay our wages. This means we'll lose money again..."

Starting from the eighth year of the Hongwu reign, one string of paper money was worth one tael of silver, equivalent to one thousand copper coins.

By the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign, a string of paper money was worth only two hundred copper coins.

It's only been ten years.

The Ming Dynasty's precious paper money has suffered an extremely severe devaluation!

Even the official legal price comparison has long been a mere formality.

It changes every single day!

Take last month for example, one string of cash could be exchanged for 250 coins!

Just imagine.

What will it be like in ten, twenty, or thirty years?

Zhu Xiong Ying, however, knew the answer.

The official currency of the Ming Dynasty here has no reserves and is issued in unlimited quantities.

Furthermore, the practice of simply issuing funds without recouping them gradually depletes the trust in the system.

By the end of the Hongwu reign, the foundation of credit had already been destroyed!

Private transactions had long been circumvented, and silver and copper coins were used extensively.

During the Yongle and Xuande reigns, a string of banknotes could only be exchanged for five coins. To buy a slightly more expensive item, one would need to carry a whole sack!

By this time, the imperial court realized its mistake and wanted to change the situation, but it was too late.

During the Zhengtong era, in just sixty years, it completely became worthless!

The Chenghua era existed in name only, and it wasn't until the Jiajing era that it was completely abolished...

I heard Laifu speaking out in defense of others.

Zhu Xiong Ying's gaze went over the roof ridge.

He looked towards the imperial city, which was also the center of power in the Ming Dynasty!

A close examination of the excessive issuance of paper money, leading to its complete collapse, proves only one thing—

The Ming Dynasty's economic system was a pile of shit!

The direct cause of the Ming Dynasty's demise was its financial collapse, which led to the shutdown of the state apparatus.

More importantly, from the Hongwu to the Chongzhen reigns, countless amounts of silver flowed into the Ming Dynasty, yet the Ming missed a crucial opportunity to establish a sovereign currency system!

They then handed over the profits to Western powers such as Portugal and Spain!

The key to all of this lies in the maritime ban!

He is currently living in an era when the Ming Dynasty is on the rise.

If you ask whether there is still hope, or whether anything can be changed.

Of course there's hope!

Even more capable of adapting to change!

The primary strategy is to make Lao Zhu face reality!

In light of the ongoing Guo Huan case, he already has a bold plan!

"Your Highness!"

Upon discovering the eldest grandson of the emperor, he stared blankly into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Laifu quickly called out.

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced sideways and instructed, "Don't just wait around. Go ask the rice shops, butcher shops, and teahouses what the paper money is worth, and buy some for us..."