Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Seeing the heavy door slowly closing behind them with a dull sound, the salt merchants looked at each other in surprise and confusion.

What's going on? Wasn't everything going smoothly and harmonious just now?

Emperor Chongzhen praised them profusely, even painting a magnificent blueprint for them at the end. The huge pie seemed to be right before their eyes, emitting an alluring glow. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, they were locked up in this room. This sudden change left them in a state of confusion, as if they were lost in a fog.

When these people heard Emperor Chongzhen mention the national debt, they couldn't help but feel a touch of disdain. They thought, "Isn't this so-called national debt just another way to demand money?" They had assumed that since Emperor Chongzhen had been talking for so long, they might as well just give him some money to get by. But they had never expected the former emperor to act so unconventionally. What was his real purpose behind closing the door?

"My dear bosses, let me first explain to you how to purchase the national debt and what are the benefits," Wang Wan'er, who was dressed in men's clothing, was inexplicably excited at this moment.

Although the idea of ​​national debt was first proposed by Emperor Chongzhen, it was her hard work that carefully built it from scratch and made it a reality.

Emperor Chongzhen merely put forward a concept, but she was in charge of all subsequent planning, preparation, and improvement matters.

But she also knew very well that the most core and crucial element of national debt was the country's credit. And the Ming Dynasty, which had experienced many ups and downs, with internal and external troubles, was lacking precisely this.

Therefore, when she was nervous and anxiously expressed her worries and concerns to Emperor Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen just smiled indifferently. That smile seemed to contain endless depth and confidence, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.

What she hadn't expected was that Emperor Chongzhen would actually place this crucial matter in her sole charge. This sudden trust and responsibility filled Wang Wan'er with overwhelming excitement.

Wang Wan'er is well aware of her abilities and talents. In the business world, she possesses keen insights and unique perspectives. However, she also understands that in today's world, being a woman comes with many limitations.

If her father hadn't doted on her and allowed her to dabble in business, she would likely have been trapped in the inner mansion, cut off from the excitement of the outside world. Even if she had the opportunity to engage in some business affairs in the future, she would probably be confined to the small world of the inner mansion, unable to fully display her talents and ambitions like she does now.

She had spent quite a bit of time with Emperor Chongzhen during this period, and she discovered that the Emperor had no problem with women appearing in public, and that he valued her abilities more.

This made Wang Wan'er realize that she might be able to do a job that she truly loves in the future, and be able to create value for the Ming Dynasty and herself with her own wisdom and hard work in this ever-changing situation!

Standing before her today were some of the wealthiest people in Yangzhou City. Once upon a time, they had seemed so distant and unattainable to her. But now, she stood before them, chatting with them. This feeling, to her, felt like a fantastical dream, unreal.

At this moment, she could stand here and tell these big salt merchants in detail about the national debt that embodied her hard work and expectations, and she felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment in her heart.

"What's there to talk about? Isn't it just finding different ways to ask for money?" Wang Wan'er had just opened her mouth when a voice came from below, the tone full of dissatisfaction and resistance.

"Master, these government bonds aren't simply asking for money; they're lending it," Wang Wan'er said softly yet clearly, a faint smile still plastered on her face. "Furthermore, they're not free; they carry interest. Most importantly, these government bonds not only earn interest, but are also freely tradable on the market. They're a guaranteed investment..."

"Huh? Aren't you Wang Wan'er?" Zhang Yongyi, the head of the Zhang family, suddenly recognized Wang Wan'er, and this discovery made him furious. If it weren't for her, he wondered how he would have lost the million taels of silver.

"I... I'm not..." Wang Wan'er felt a little uneasy when she was recognized in person, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.

"What do you mean by not? I would recognize you even if you turned into ashes." Zhang Yongyi's eyes widened and he shouted, "Why are you here?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Just as Wang Wan'er was nervously at a loss, her mind blank, Zhu Ge, who had been silently accompanying her, spoke up. His voice was low and majestic, and he said in an unquestionable tone, "How can you recognize Lord Wang casually? If you dare to harass Lord Wang again, don't blame me for being rude."

"Ah... yes, yes, I recognized the wrong person," Zhang Yongyi's heart trembled suddenly, and then he suddenly came to his senses. He realized that Wang Wan'er was now a favorite of the emperor, deeply trusted and respected by the emperor. His impulsive behavior just now might have angered the emperor. The thought of this made him sweat.

"Lord Wang has just explained the national debt matter in detail to everyone. We invited all of you here today to give you a chance to make a fortune. This is a gift from His Majesty." Zhu Ge's face was as cold as ice. His eyes swept over the salt merchants and he said coldly, "If you have no questions, the subscription for this national debt will begin now."

Zhu Ge was utterly disgusted with these bloated salt merchants. He saw them as incredibly wealthy, possessing immense wealth, yet, in the face of national crisis, they were unwilling to release it. He simply sent troops to confiscate their possessions, just as he had done with the Wang family, who had seized nearly ten million taels of silver. If all these salt merchants were confiscated, the resulting wealth would be even more staggering, at least tens of millions of taels. If this wealth were confiscated and made public, it would be enough to finance anything Emperor Chongzhen desired.

But Emperor Chongzhen firmly forbade him to do so. The Wang family was confiscated and executed for their heinous crime of attempting to assassinate the emperor. The Shen and Zhang families were only slightly affected because of their connection to the Wang family. The Ming court must act with integrity and openness, and must not engage in shortsighted and unjust actions such as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Otherwise, it would lose the trust of the people and the support of the people.

"I'll pay fifty thousand taels." Zhang Yongyi knew in his heart that this matter would be difficult to resolve, so he had no choice but to speak.

"You, the Zhang family of Puzhou, have such a huge fortune, and you are offering 50,000 taels. Are you treating a beggar like this?" Zhu Ge glared and shouted angrily.

"General, it's not that my Zhang family is reluctant to pay. It's simply that we've already paid a million taels of fine silver. While my family is quite wealthy, after all this trouble, we simply can't afford much more," Zhang Yongyi said with a bitter face, beginning to whine about his poverty. "But if your Excellency is dissatisfied, my Zhang family can still come up with more by tightening their belts... I'll buy another 30,000 taels, for a total of 80,000 taels. How do you think?"

"Hmph!" Although Zhu Ge still felt somewhat dissatisfied, he also understood that if he pushed too hard at this moment, it would be counterproductive. These salt merchants had been in the business world their entire lives and were all very shrewd. If they were pushed too hard, they would definitely come up with various ways to deal with it, and the situation would only become more difficult.

"Sir Wang, why don't you give us some time? We merchants can work this out together." Seeing this, Liang Wenbing knew that today's matter wouldn't be easily resolved. He didn't dare to offend Zhu Ge, so he forced a smile and turned to Wang Wan'er.

"Okay, then you guys discuss it first. We'll go out and wait," Wang Wan'er and Zhu Ge looked at each other, then turned around and slowly walked out of the room.

"How is it? Is it not going well?" Emperor Chongzhen was sitting leisurely and sipping tea. When he saw Wang Wan'er come out, he asked softly with a faint smile on his face.

"I really don't know what these people are thinking. This is obviously a good thing, why do these people act like they want to kill them?" Wang Wan'er pouted and said with a look of annoyance on her face.

"I told you that these people would not be in a hurry to buy, but you didn't believe me." Emperor Chongzhen smiled and shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness and deep insight into the world.

"But this is indeed a good thing," Wang Wan'er said with a puzzled look on her face. "You see, our government bonds pay interest. They can hide their money at home, but it won't grow out of thin air. But by buying government bonds, they can get additional, relatively stable economic returns. And I also told them that government bonds can be freely sold and transferred, and can even be used as collateral for loans. If they really need funds urgently, they can use government bonds to quickly get cash. Where can they find such a good thing? What are they thinking?"

"You only see the benefits of national debt, but ignore its fundamental purpose." Emperor Chongzhen sighed slightly and said earnestly, "These people have been in the business world their entire lives. How could they not see the benefits?"

"Then...why are they unwilling to do so?" Wang Wan'er asked with a puzzled look on her face and eyes full of confusion.

"The issuance of national debt is based on national credit," Emperor Chongzhen pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "But now we are facing internal and external troubles, the situation is turbulent, and the regime could change or fall into chaos at any time. Once the regime changes, the new regime is very likely to not recognize the national debt issued by the old regime. In this case, the national debt they purchased may become worthless. It's not that they don't recognize the national debt, but they have no confidence in me... in the future of the Ming Dynasty..."