Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Zhu Biao: "Money shop? Silver bills?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "What are money shops and banknotes? And what is this national chain you mentioned?"

Two more unheard-of words appeared, and Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao showed puzzled expressions on their faces again.

Seeing this, Wei Wu did not keep the secret and explained directly:

"The earliest money shops appeared during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. They were initially private institutions that facilitated the exchange of silver and copper coins for ordinary people."

"However, as time went by, the business of the money house became more and more diverse, and gradually evolved into the bank of my time."

"The function of a bank is very simple, which is to deposit and withdraw money. They can even provide cross-regional withdrawal services."

"For example, if you deposited 100 strings of banknotes in the Yingtianfu Bank, you could then go to Yangzhou and withdraw the money from the bank."

Wei Wu had just finished speaking when Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but ask a question.

"Withdrawing money across regions? How can we do that? We can't ask the depositor to carry the bank's account book with them!"

Hearing this, Wei Wu smiled and shook his head, then continued:

"Of course, I can't give the bank's account books to others. In fact, there's no need to bring account books or anything like that."

"No account books needed? How would the bank in Yangzhou City know that this person had deposited 100 strings of banknotes in the bank in Yingtian Prefecture?"

"Mr. Zhu, you are being blinded by a single leaf. Why do you insist on having an account book? Isn't a voucher enough?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Wei Wu's words, his expression was stunned, but he quickly came to his senses.

"The so-called voucher is the silver note you mentioned? But if the voucher is lost, wouldn't the depositor lose everything?"

"Also, if the banknotes are counterfeited in large quantities by someone with ulterior motives, then the bank will be the one to lose all its money."

Hearing this, Wei Wu sighed lightly and could only continue to explain:

"Uncle Zhu, have you forgotten your treasure notes? Silver notes and treasure notes are both money, just with a larger denomination."

"If someone accidentally loses their banknotes, would you be responsible for compensating them for their losses?"

"It's the same with banknotes. If you accidentally lost them, you're the one responsible. What does that have to do with the bank?"

In fact, Wei Wu’s meaning is very simple, just like you have a hundred yuan in your hand and accidentally lose it.

The only thing you can do is to consider yourself unlucky. Can you ask the bank that issued the currency to compensate for your losses?

So after finishing his speech, Wei Wu emphasized the role of money shops to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Uncle Zhu, the money house only provides convenience for merchants, making it more convenient for them to trade in different places."

"For example, you brought ten carts of goods from Yingtian Prefecture to Peking, and after selling them, you made a profit of ten thousand taels of silver."

"But this ten thousand taels of silver would require several large wooden boxes. It would not only be troublesome and time-consuming to carry, but there would also be risks on the way."

"But if you exchange this silver for banknotes in Peking, you can keep it close to your body and then rush back to Yingtianfu as fast as you can."

"Even after he comes back, he doesn't need to exchange it for silver. He can directly use silver notes to purchase goods. Anyway, my Daming Money Bank can exchange it at any time."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he felt that it was indeed true. When it comes to money, if you lose it, it is your own responsibility.

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, Wei Wu spoke again and continued:

"As for the counterfeiting you mentioned, isn't the treasure note you promote also a form of certificate? And there are many holders of it in the world."

"You've issued so many treasure notes. Has anyone counterfeited them? As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet!"

It has to be said that although the anti-counterfeiting technology in the Ming Dynasty was not as good as it is today, it was indeed not easy to forge.

The first problem is paper. The paper used to print treasure notes is special paper with a complicated production process, making it difficult for ordinary people to imitate.