Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 79: Death without surprising words

After saying this, Hu Weiyong and Zhao Ding, the director of the Baochao Duzhuzhusi, stood up and left the Secretariat with several exquisitely crafted new Baochao notes.

He went straight to Wuying Palace and reported the matter to the emperor in person.

It is really vigorous and decisive.

Anyone who sees this will inevitably praise the prime minister.

But Zhao Ding, who had been smiling just now, was extremely upset at this time, and expressed his most sincere greetings to Prime Minister Hu Weiyong in his heart.

Even the eighteenth generation of ancestors were not left out.

The reason was simple: he had originally planned to go to the emperor in person to report.

It is said that since the establishment of the Baochao Duzhizuo Office last year, Zhao Ding has gathered craftsmen and racked his brains to work hard to produce Baochao.

The paper currency called Baochao requires extremely complicated things.

Even the paper used in production has very high requirements.

It needs to be flexible and strong, and it should not rot or lose color easily even if it comes into contact with water.

At the same time, the patterns on the banknotes also need to be extremely complex, to the extent that they cannot be imitated.

But while ensuring exquisiteness, the cost of making the banknotes must be kept as low as possible...

God knows how much hair Zhao Ding has lost since taking on this task.

From last year to now, several versions of treasure notes have been produced, but they were all rejected by the emperor, who said they were not good enough and gave suggestions for further improvement.

This latest edition of treasure notes, whether in terms of paper or patterns, fully met all the emperor's requirements.

Even beyond that.

So this time, Zhao Ding was full of confidence.

Following the previous procedures, he first came to the Secretariat and reported the matter to Prime Minister Hu Weiyong.

Then he prepared to go to see the emperor in person with the prime minister's consent, present the emperor with the latest treasure banknotes, and wait for the emperor's praise.

After all, Hu Weiyong had let him go the previous few times.

But who would have thought that Hu Weiyong's reaction this time was completely different.

It was he who took the treasure notes to see the emperor himself, leaving behind himself, the person in charge of the treasure notes administration office and the one who was actually in charge of the work!
It would be strange if Zhao Ding didn't send his most sincere greetings to Hu Weiyong in his heart!

It was I who suffered the hardships. It was I who had the treasure notes I had made, but had them returned to me by the emperor for remaking.

As a result, he finally performed exceptionally well this time, and was absolutely sure that the emperor would recognize this version of the treasure banknotes and would receive his praise. However, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong took advantage of the situation!!!

So frustrating!
What a shameless bastard Hu Weiyong is!
But... he really had no other choice.

Who made him just a small treasure bank supervisor, while the other party was the prime minister, holding a high position and great power?

A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death, not to mention that we don’t know how many levels higher he is.

Besides, if things really get out of hand, it won't be good for him.

It would be better to just swallow my anger. That way, Hu Weiyong could give me some compensation later, so I wouldn't end up getting nothing...

When some officials in the Secretariat saw Zhao Tiju leave, most of them looked surprised.

Of course, it was not because of the action their prime minister had just taken, but because of the treasure note matter itself.

Ever since the emperor set up the Baochao Duzhizhusi last year and prepared to produce and issue Baochao, many officials have felt heavy in their hearts.

Their salaries are not high to begin with. According to the current emperor's temperament, he will definitely use treasure notes to pay their salaries after they are produced.

Anyone who has experienced the Yuan Dynasty knows how deceptive this thing is.

This means that their salaries, which are already low, will become even lower.

At this time, since Prime Minister Hu personally went to see the emperor with the treasure notes, it means that the treasure notes are made very well and will probably be approved by the emperor.

Next, a large amount of banknotes will be printed.

The sword that had been hanging above their heads for a long time was finally about to be cut down. They did not feel a long sigh of relief, but only a heavy heart.

……

Inside the Ministry of Revenue, Minister of Revenue Liu Xin had a sarcastic look on his face.

Zhu Yuanzhang, this guy, only cared about the immediate interests and dared to use the treasure notes.

He thinks the Ming Dynasty lasted too long!

Zhu Yuanzhang was hypocritical. He used to say "Long live the people", "I want to be good to the people", and "I hate corrupt officials", but all of his words were lies.

No matter how good their words are, they will be very cruel when they use the treasure notes to oppress the people!
His plundering is much worse than the corruption of officials.

However, that's fine.

In this way, they will feel more at ease when they try to gain benefits.

You are the emperor, and you have done such a thing. There is nothing wrong with us using some means to supplement the family income, right?

It would be best if Zhu Yuanzhang, who knew nothing, was on guard against officials like beggars, and quickly destroyed the Ming Dynasty.

Let the Yuan Dynasty in the north come back and rule the world again.

When the Yuan ruler is on the throne, those are the truly good days, and they are the real officials.

Get whatever you want.

You just need to deal with government affairs casually every day.

Unlike Zhu Yuanzhang, that bastard, he didn't respect officials at all and didn't give them any dignity or privileges.

There are only three days of vacation in the whole year, and people are treated like mules every day.

Being an official in the Yuan Dynasty, the government affairs handled in ten years were not as much as what we handle in one year now!
……

"Your Majesty, the Treasure Banknote Administration has produced new banknotes. I think they are quite good, so I have personally brought them to you for your review."

In the Wuying Hall, Hu Weiyong looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a happy expression and said.

As he said this, he handed the treasure banknotes in his hand to Eunuch Wang, who presented them to the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang reached out to take it, his eyes falling on the largest banknote.

The six characters "Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao" were printed on the top, and the denomination of "one Guan" was printed on the top middle part, with a pattern of ten strings of copper coins below.

On both sides are the seal characters "Da Ming Bao Chao" and "Tian Xia Tong Xing" respectively.

There is a note at the bottom, which reads: The Secretariat has approved the printing of Ming Dynasty treasure notes, which are to be used alongside copper coins. Anyone who forges counterfeit will be beheaded, and anyone who informs the police will be rewarded with 250 taels of silver, and the criminal's property will also be given back. This was on February 14, the eighth year of Hongwu.

The paper used for the treasure notes is high-quality mulberry paper, which feels very comfortable in the hand and is very exquisite overall.

Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that this was the first edition of treasure notes he issued in his previous life.

In my previous life, when I saw this version of treasure banknotes, I felt so happy.

I held it in my hand, looked at it over and over again, and was reluctant to put it down.

He also rewarded the people from the Baochao Duzhisi and Hu Weiyong who showed him the treasure notes.

Then he ordered the Baochao Administration Office to work at full capacity to produce Baochao.

I will issue the currency law here.

A month later, the first round of treasure notes was issued in the Ming Dynasty.

How good I felt at that time!

Once the Baochao was issued, the serious money shortage problem in the Ming Dynasty was greatly alleviated.

With money in hand, the government can do many things.

When people had money, the circulation of goods accelerated and all industries began to prosper.

The entire Ming Dynasty was getting better at a speed visible to the naked eye.

However, there was also a big pitfall with the emergence of treasure notes.

At that time, I was not completely ignorant of the dangers brought about by issuing treasure notes.

After all, there is the lesson of the Yuan Dynasty.

But on the one hand, the country was short of money, and on the other hand, he had thought too simply about the treasure notes and was too confident.

He felt that with his own abilities, he could avoid the situation where the treasure notes became worthless.

Later, when he realized that the Baochao began to depreciate, he responded by suspending the printing of new banknotes.

During the Hongwu reign, although the Baochao currency depreciated, it was not that outrageous.

By the year of his death in the 31st year of Hongwu, that is, 23 years after the Baochao was issued, one Guanchao could still be exchanged for nearly 700 copper coins.

What really caused the rapid depreciation of Baochao was the four years when the beast Zhu Yunwen was in power, and the years when the fourth prince was emperor.

The uncontrolled and excessive issuance of banknotes has ruined the treasure notes...

I suffered a great loss from this in my previous life. When I came into contact with some relevant financial knowledge in modern times, I realized how crude my approach was in my previous life.

Only then did I realize how complicated finance is and how many complexities it has.

I must not repeat the same mistakes I made in my previous life...

After handing the treasure notes to Zhu Yuanzhang, Hu Weiyong didn't say much, but he felt very happy.

As the prime minister in charge of all government affairs, he naturally knew about the problem of Ming Dynasty's lack of money.

I also know that the emperor is very concerned about the treasure notes.

He was eager to issue treasure notes as soon as possible to solve the problem of money shortage.

That's why I came to deliver the treasure notes in person as soon as possible.

The purpose was to please the emperor and change his opinion of himself.

Ever since he failed to kill Liu Bowen last time and got himself into trouble, Hu Weiyong has been very honest in front of the emperor.

And wanted to find some way to mend the mess that had been caused.

In his opinion, this newly produced treasure banknote is the best opportunity.

When the emperor saw this, he would definitely be in a good mood and would praise himself.

"This banknote is really well made. It's very exquisite. It's far superior to the previous ones. It takes a lot of effort."

While his thoughts were racing, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke.

Hu Weiyong was delighted and felt a little proud when he heard this.

This matter is exactly as I thought.

"It's all thanks to your guidance, Senior."

Hu Weiyong said with a happy expression.

"With these exquisite banknotes, we can now prepare for printing and distribution. The problem of money shortage in the Ming Dynasty will be solved in one fell swoop!
This is a blessing for the country and a blessing for all the people!"

"It may not necessarily be a blessing for the country or the people, but it may also lead to the people crying and the country being in turmoil."

Um? ! !
The smile on Hu Weiyong's face froze instantly, and the rest of the nice words were stuck in his throat.

How come this matter is completely different from what I imagined?

Why did the emperor suddenly become like this?
Are you trying to flatter the horse yourself?
"Prime Minister Hu, don't print these banknotes for now. Wait a minute."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was not aware that he had said something shocking, looked at Hu Weiyong and gave him orders in a calm tone.

It was like he was talking about something that was taken for granted and not worth mentioning.

Hu Weiyong suppressed his confusion and astonishment, quickly adjusted his mood, and responded.

Then he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said cautiously: "It's just that if we don't print and issue treasure notes, how will we solve the problem of lack of money?"

The Ming Dynasty is currently facing a serious shortage of money, which is caused by a variety of reasons.

One is that the Yuan Dynasty court saw that the situation was hopeless. After Zhu Yuanzhang pacified the south, he vowed to march north with great momentum. Feeling that he was unstoppable, he simply chose to run away.

This gave them ample time to pack up their valuables. Furthermore, most people knew that if they left, they might never come back, so they acted particularly ruthlessly.

They dug deep into the ground and looted everything, even the gold on the bodies of the Buddha and the Taoist priests was taken away.

A large amount of gold, silver and treasures were brought to the grassland by the exiled court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

The second is the southwest, which is rich in copper and has not yet been recovered and is controlled by King Liang of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

The third is that after experiencing the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, all industries were in decline, and not only was there a serious loss of population, but also of money.

Fourthly, the emerging Ming Dynasty has stabilized and is recovering rapidly, and the demand for money has also increased rapidly.

These main reasons, plus some other less important but equally real reasons, have led to the current shortage of money in the Ming Dynasty.

And this matter is also very difficult to resolve.

Whether it is to destroy the King of Liang in the southwest, seize the copper mines to mint a large amount of coins, or march into the Northern Yuan Dynasty court to destroy it in one fell swoop and take back the numerous gold, silver and treasures.

These are not things that can be accomplished overnight.

And to achieve this, a lot of money and food support is needed.

If the problem of money shortage is not solved, many things will not go smoothly.

The problem of money shortage has in fact affected many aspects of the Ming Dynasty and restricted its development.

This was also because the emperor had just set his sights on the treasure notes.

After working hard for half a year, we finally came up with the right treasure notes that can be issued on a large scale, but the emperor suddenly called a halt!

What exactly is this operation?
The emperor is having a hard time?
If we don’t issue treasure notes, where does the money come from? Does it just appear out of thin air?

"There will always be money."

Zhu Yuanzhang said aloud.

Hu Weiyong rolled his eyes secretly when he heard this. Isn't this pure bullshit?

There will definitely be money, for example, the money will be coming after the summer grain is harvested.

But hasn’t the fundamental problem been solved yet?

He wanted to see what other solutions this emperor, who was always impulsive, could come up with to solve the problem of money shortage.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not talking nonsense as Hu Weiyong thought.

He also considered how to make money.

For example, abolishing the maritime ban, re-establishing the Maritime Customs Office, and developing foreign trade.

For example, conquer Japan and bring places like Iwami Silver Mine back to the Ming Dynasty.

These are all good solutions to the money shortage.

However, these things, like destroying the King of Liang of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, recovering the southwest, and using the rich copper mines there to mint coins, are all things that are far from enough to quench immediate thirst.

So, now we can only think of another way.

“How much money is left now?”

"After fully compensating the laborers in Zhongdu, there was still less than 300,000 strings of cash left.

After deducting daily expenses and some money and food sent to the border, we can only last until the end of March at most, and then we will be completely out of money.

Summer taxes will only start to be collected in June, and the earliest batch of money and grain will not be delivered to Yingtian until after the middle of June..."

The Secretariat is above the Six Ministries. As the only prime minister in the Secretariat, Hu Weiyong has absolute power and has the right to inquire about many matters.

He was also very clear about the situation of the Ministry of Revenue, and when the emperor asked him questions, he answered fluently.

According to the original budget, the money left by the court was actually sufficient.

Not only is it enough, but there is also a little surplus.

But after the incident in Zhongdu City, the emperor spent too much money to compensate the numerous laborers in Zhongdu City.

This resulted in a significant gap in finances.

"In other words, based on this calculation, we need at least 250,000 strings of cash to survive this famine?"

"Almost. With 250,000 strings of cash and a bit of belt-tightening, this period of time won't be a problem.

We can successfully hold on until summer tax revenue comes in.”

According to what Hu Weiyong had thought before, one of the important reasons why the emperor dared to spend so lavishly on labor in Zhongdu City was that he knew that the Baochao Duzhusi would soon prepare the treasure banknotes.

The issuance of treasure notes will begin soon.

Printing money is much faster than making money through taxation and other means.

As long as the treasure notes are issued, this gap will not be a problem at all.

Who would have thought that the emperor would mess around and unexpectedly stop issuing treasure notes...

Isn’t this causing trouble for yourself?

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and fell into deep thought.

Twenty-five thousand strings of cash is not a lot, but it is stuck at this critical moment.

It has to be resolved.

But...which method should I use to solve it?

Zhu Yuanzhang weighed the pros and cons of several solutions in his mind and was speechless for a while.

“Sir, how about… temporarily stopping the immigration matter?

In this case, the money is basically enough.”

Seeing that the emperor was distressed about this, as the prime minister, Hu Weiyong naturally had to act as a caring and thoughtful person and say what the emperor was reluctant to say.

This was the most feasible thing he felt after rapid thought.

Immigration is a long-term and continuous task. There are too many barren areas in the north, and it cannot be completed overnight.

And now the emperor gives a little more to the immigrant people.

This has led to this becoming a major item of fiscal expenditure.

And it’s an ongoing expense.

Now that there is a financial shortfall, it is not impossible to put this matter on hold for a while to allow the court to catch its breath.

Considering all aspects, this has the least impact and is a price that can be paid.

However, the only difficult thing is that this emperor, who was born a cowherd, always likes to talk about the people.

It has been said more than once before that migrating to sparsely populated areas in the heart of the Central Plains, such as the north, is a long-term plan that must be done well.

Now that I've encountered trouble and am stuck here, I can't lose face.

So at this time, as the prime minister, I need to be very sensible.

"Immigration is a long-term plan, extremely important, and cannot be stopped for a moment. It seems that it will only stop for three or four months, which is not too long.

But it will at least result in 50,000 fewer people migrating.

Fifty thousand people can develop a lot of things.

Migrating during this period will not delay the people from arriving in the new place, so they can quickly cultivate the land and grow some food, thus ensuring their food supply in the future."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head decisively.

“What the superiors said is true, but this is only a temporary expedient.

There will be some impact, but it won’t be that big.”

Hu Weiyong continued to persuade.

This is something that is difficult to explain and is obviously contrary to the emperor's previous statement. The emperor will definitely not agree to it outright.

I refused and declined three times!
Only after persuading him several times did the emperor finally go along with it and reluctantly agree.

He still understands this.

"I'm telling the truth. Immigration cannot be delayed, let alone for a mere 250,000 strings of cash.

Immigration cannot stop, and the standards for immigrant resettlement cannot be lowered either.

Everything remains the same!
Hu Xiang, what I told you is true. I am not trying to give in. I am not that kind of person.

Hu Weiyong, who was trying to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang, suddenly shut up before he could say anything else.

Did I misunderstand again?
What happened to the emperor?
Why have you been doing things unconventionally lately?
Is it so difficult to please?

Hu Weiyong, who had always been confident, lost his confidence and couldn't help but doubt his life.

"I was mistaken. I will definitely follow the orders of my superiors and keep a close eye on the people below to ensure that they do not make any mistakes in this matter!"

Hu Weiyong immediately expressed his position in a deep voice with a very firm attitude.

"But...how can we fill this financial gap?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "There is no need to rush. Let's find a way. It will definitely not delay the important matter."

After receiving the emperor's approval, Hu Weiyong did not say any more about this matter.

Soon we will leave Wuying Palace...

Hu Weiyong returned to the Secretariat, entered his own public housing, and sat down in front of the mahogany desk. When he came back, he smiled and nodded to the people who greeted him, but suddenly slapped the mahogany desk!

However, when his palm was about to touch the table, he suddenly withdrew his strength, and only a sound of medium volume was heard.

This is because they are worried that the noise will be heard by others.

Hu Weiyong sat here for a long time with a gloomy expression, then suddenly smiled, full of sarcasm.

He wanted to think about how Zhu Yuanzhang could fill the gap of 250,000 strings of cash!
But don’t let the hole get bigger and bigger. It would be funny if they finally choose to issue treasure notes or suspend immigration!

……

"Hahaha……"

At the Baochao Tizhudusi, Zhao Ding came to a place where there was no one, and he could no longer hold back his laughter, feeling particularly cheerful.

All the depression in my chest disappeared.

Let this bastard Hu Weiyong be so inhumane as to steal his own achievements and go to the emperor to report his achievements!
Now you're hitting the horse's hoof directly. Do you feel better?
There is no wiser person than the Supreme Being!
However, Zhao Ding's happiness soon disappeared because someone came from the emperor's place and brought news that the treasure notes would continue to be revised.

Today's treasure notes are too large and inconvenient to carry, so they need to be significantly reduced in size. The largest denomination one-guan treasure note is changed to five inches long and two inches wide.

The other denominations of banknotes will also be reduced.

Apart from these, there is no need to change the rest of the patterns.

It has been revised many times. What else can Zhao Ding, who wants to vomit after all the changes, say?
The only thing left is to start losing hair.

Fortunately, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong suffered another loss in this incident, which brought him great comfort.

When the other officials learned that the emperor had postponed the printing of treasure notes, they were surprised, but many of them couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

They can suffer less losses.

Minister of Revenue Liu Xin was obviously a little surprised, but after the surprise, he did not have much other reaction.

Baochao will eventually be printed, and as soon as it is printed, those fatal problems will arise and cannot be solved at all.

It doesn't mean that we can just postpone the publication.

At this time, he also learned from Hu Weiyong about the emperor's attitude towards the gap of 250,000 strings of silver, and he could not help sneering in his heart.

Wait and see what "clever" method the emperor can come up with to make up for it.

It’s not that he looks down on the emperor, it’s just that the emperor’s financial level is so low that it makes people want to laugh.

However, it was precisely because the emperor was messing around with the finances that he, the Minister of Revenue, was able to thrive in a financial system riddled with holes...

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't keep them waiting for long. Three days later, he came up with his own solution...

(End of this chapter)