The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

The emperor merely glanced at the silver notes and waved his hand.

“My dear minister, you are doing your job for me in Longmen and you need funds. These silver notes will be left to you, my dear minister, Wang Zhi.”

Eunuch Wang then presented the silver notes back to Qiao Yelan.

Qiao Yelan bowed and put the silver notes away.

That's the rule.

Why could even a suspicious emperor get along so well with Qiao Yelan? Because all of Qiao Yelan's actions made the emperor feel that his power was respected.

This is exactly the emotion that suspicious superiors most want to feel.

"Your Majesty, during this trip out of the capital, in addition to shutting down the Wangji Trading Company, I also investigated the business environment of Longmen and had a meeting with Wei Yanwu, the governor of Longmen. I believe that there is great potential in Longmen trade."

The emperor's spirits lifted; this was what he was truly concerned about.

“Dragon Gate is the gateway connecting the Great Yan with the Western world. In previous years, Ursus was aggressive and the Witch King Herhunzoren was tyrannical, so the trade route between the East and the West was cut off. Now, Ursus is too busy to take care of itself and Herhunzoren has died suddenly in the palace - this is the best time to reopen this trade route.”

"Please speak freely, my dear minister."

"I believe that if we continue to rely solely on regional supervision to collect taxes as in the past, it will inevitably lead to rampant smuggling. In that case, it would be better if the Imperial Household Department could also directly enter this trade route and bring the revenue directly into Your Majesty's inner treasury through trading, which would be more direct."

The emperor hesitated at this moment.

"With the reopening of trade routes and the prosperity of commerce, various businesses will inevitably re-enter the market. If the Imperial Household Department also gets involved, it will inevitably be impeached by the censors for competing with the people for profit—this is the late emperor's ancestral instruction, and even I cannot forcibly suppress it."

To put it bluntly, it's about wanting to make money but being too ashamed to do it.

However, Qiao Yelan was not surprised at all.

It's good that you can't bring yourself to do it; that's exactly what I want you to do.

"If that's the case...then I have an even bolder idea."

"Oh? Speak quickly, my dear minister."

"Your Majesty knows that even today, pure gold is the general equivalent in international trade. However, trading directly with pure gold is inconvenient for small transactions, and counterfeit and inferior pure gold is rampant. In order to protect the value of their own currencies, countries have maintained sufficient rationality in large-scale purchases of pure gold."

Qiao Yelan is finally about to reveal his biggest plan.

"Therefore, there is an urgent need for a universal paper currency on the continent of Terra to serve as a general equivalent for trade between countries—just as the Great Yan Dynasty chose to use silver notes instead of copper coins, which led to a great development in trade. Today, the countries of Terra have sufficient productivity, but they are limited by the lack of a good means of trade."

"Therefore, if Longmen were to issue a new currency that could be exchanged with the currencies of other countries at this time, it would surely ignite the trade desires between countries, and the issuer, Great Yan, would certainly be able to reap the most lucrative slice of the pie."

See the picture poorly.

This time, the emperor did not show either ecstatic joy or bewilderment; instead, he hesitated.

He knew the economic vitality that had emerged in the Great Yan after silver notes replaced copper coins. In fact, it was precisely this substitution that allowed the Great Yan to remain at its peak, a feat that even Ursus at its zenith dared not claim to have truly mastered.

The problem is—he doesn't understand this.

Moreover, the location of Longmen was too sensitive for the emperor.

After all, it was currency issued by Longmen. If the goal was to make money, Wei Yanwu would inevitably get a share. The emperor knew that no matter what was done, Wei Yanwu would get a share. The problem was that he couldn't figure out the plan, so he didn't know how much Wei Yanwu would get.

Qiao Yelan's previous actions had indeed brought the emperor's trust in him to its peak, but faced with such a major move, and a situation that the emperor was completely unaware of, his inherently suspicious nature would once again take over his thinking.

In other words, he had to start worrying about whether Qiao Yelan would give him complete financial control—after all, there was the precedent of Cai Yan.

"This matter needs further consideration—let's try some Yuanxiao first."

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."

Qiao Yelan did not continue to persuade him, but instead knew when to stop and calmly picked up the bowl of glutinous rice balls that were already edible.

He scooped up a glutinous rice ball with a spoon and put it in his mouth. The temperature was just right. Biting through the slightly chewy exterior, the black sesame filling that flowed out inside made his mouth water. It was sweet but not greasy, and with a hint of the unique aroma of dried cinnamon, it was irresistible.

When the emperor begins to suspect you, every word you say only deepens that suspicion and makes things worse.

Therefore, there is no need to speak at this point; let the emperor think about it and verify it himself.

After all, given His Majesty's current manpower, the only one who can understand economic issues, explain the pros and cons to him, and also keep Qiao Yelan in check to prevent him from becoming too powerful—

Besides our beloved Minister of Revenue, Lord Chen Fan, who controls the purse strings of the Great Yan Dynasty, who else could it be?

Lord Chen, he is quite a "clever man".

Qiao Yelan squinted her eyes, savoring this long-lost taste.

The Grand Tutor thought that Xiao Cai was doing a good job, and there was a reason for that—after all, if this guy surnamed Qiao really sat in that position, even if he stepped down himself, he might not be able to take the court back from the emperor.

--------------------------------------------

"Your humble servant, Chen Fan, Minister of Revenue, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The emperor waved his hand, and Eunuch Zheng dismissed the other eunuchs, leaving only Chen Fan and the emperor in the imperial study.

"The reason I summoned you to the palace before the start of court on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month is because there is something I would like to hear your opinion on."

"Your Majesty, I am terrified. If Your Majesty has any questions, I will answer them without reservation."

"Someone told me that trade between the nations of Terra has ceased because of the lack of a common paper currency. Is this true?"

Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief—as long as they weren't settling scores with him, he could ask whatever he wanted.

He thought for a moment. The emperor's questions were strange and brief, and he couldn't figure out what the emperor was asking. He might as well just follow the emperor's questions and continue talking.

“Your Majesty, this makes a lot of sense. Currently, the currencies circulating in various countries have all changed from gold and silver coins to paper money, while gold and silver are stored in the central banks of each country. Therefore, there has always been a huge obstacle to the exchange of currencies between countries.”

“Currently, cross-border trade still mainly involves transporting goods, selling them on both sides, and then purchasing them separately. This method is costly, time-consuming, and risky. Therefore, most merchants are unwilling to engage in cross-border trade.”

Is it possible for such a currency to emerge?

The emperor pressed for more information.

Chen Fan had figured something out at this point—the emperor wouldn't ask about this for no reason; it was simply that after he handed over the Wangji Trading Company, the emperor saw the potential of Longmen's foreign trade and was therefore interested.

However, this angle is quite tricky. Does His Majesty actually have such an understanding of economics?

Yes, there is.

Chen Fan's position as Minister of Revenue was not given lightly; he earned it through his own abilities, making him fundamentally different from Gao Cheng.

"If a major power takes the lead, and several surrounding countries are willing to respond, and the leading country is willing to relinquish control of the currency, instead opting for multi-country co-management—at least nominally—then issuance becomes possible."

The emperor's eyes lit up. This was basically consistent with what Qiao Yelan had said in the document he had given him earlier—in other words, it wasn't just one person who knew about this.

That would be much easier to handle.

"In Terra today, how many countries can take the lead?"

Is this a sign that I'm falling for someone?

Chen Fan blinked.

"Your Majesty—in the present Terra, only our Great Yan has the right to do so."

"Oh? Why can't you see that?"

"There are three basic conditions for leading the issuance of such a universal currency: first, it must have sufficient military strength to intimidate its neighbors; second, it must have abundant resources; and third, its domestic economy must be operating smoothly."

Chen Fan spoke eloquently.

"Looking at the world, Ursus' decades of militarism have brought its domestic economy to the brink of collapse; the politics of Letania and Victoria are fragmented and cannot be united to form sufficient power; Casimir and Iberia have both had their national fortunes cut short and have not yet shown any signs of recovery; and Colombia and Bolívar have only been established for a few decades, and their internal affairs have not yet been fully explored, let alone any talk of transnational expansion."

"At this time, only our Great Yan has such national strength to carry out such a groundbreaking feat."

At this point, even Chen Fan himself was surprised.

You wouldn't know unless you looked closely. It seems like the whole of Terra is in such a mess, except for Great Yan, which has always been blessed with good weather and abundant harvests. It's true that only Great Yan has the qualifications and ability to do this.

What about pyroxene?

"A remarkable feat... Does Minister Chen also believe that this matter has great potential?"

"There is definitely great potential! At this time, the political situation in various countries around the world is changing rapidly, and it is precisely the time when people are eager for cross-border trade. If our Great Yan can stand up now and promote a paper currency that is recognized by all countries, it will mean that our Great Yan has grasped the pricing power of everything in the world - this is the foundation for all ages!"

Seeing that the emperor seemed hesitant, Chen Fan actually wanted to push the matter forward.

What a joke! Others may not know how much money he can make from this, but surely he, as the Minister of Revenue, knows?

The whole "Wang Ji Trading Company" smuggling scheme and war-related plundering to get rich is nonsense—what can be done faster than printing money and robbing others?

Chapter Ninety-Nine is all about idleness.

"Then, in Minister Chen's opinion, how should this be carried out?"

The emperor still did not express his attitude clearly, but instead asked Chen Fan if there was any way to resolve the issue.

"This matter is of utmost importance and involves many aspects. Therefore, even an old minister like myself needs to be fully prepared in order to give Your Majesty a detailed answer. If Your Majesty does not mind, I would like to return to my residence first and prepare for a few days. I will surely be able to give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer."

"Minister Chen, how many days do you need to prepare?"

"Three days, three days is enough."

Chen Fan said with great confidence.

"Alright, I'll give you three days. After three days, I'll need to know your plan."

"I accept the decree."