Chapter 6 Convincing the Queen Mother

"The Qing family has always been worried about the country and the people, and worked hard for the great Ming Dynasty. Someone did mention the bank matter last time, but the emperor and the Ai family always believed that Yue Qing must have a proper solution. Since Prince Shancheng has made some suggestions

, the Qing family might as well come and listen, if it is indeed feasible, the emperor will definitely follow suit."

After listening to Yue Su's words, Zhang Yan responded directly.

"Prince Shancheng's suggestion is to expand banking business, such as private lending and off-site deposits and withdrawals. Nowadays, private lending mainly involves borrowing silver from pawnshops and loan sharks. The people suffer a lot. Pawns are okay, but loan sharks

But it caused many people to lose their families. If the imperial court could borrow money from banks, the people would benefit a lot. For example, in a bad harvest year, if people don’t have money to buy grain, they can use land as collateral and borrow money from banks to buy it.

The court paid a small amount of interest on the cost of growing grain. In this way, the people's urgent needs were solved, and the court also made profits. Of course, private loans are not for this purpose. Some people are doing business and lack a certain amount of capital, or the shop lacks capital turnover.

, this kind of thing must be commonplace. As long as they can take out the mortgage, the court can lend money. The purpose of depositing and withdrawing silver in different places is to facilitate private business. Businessmen need to carry a large amount of money when they go north or south. On the road

, in addition to hiring bodyguards, there is no good or bad luck. Not only that, when businessmen go to other places to do business, they may also encounter the situation of insufficient cash in hand. If the bank has the function of being able to withdraw money from other places, the above two situations will be avoided.

, it is estimated that it will soon be recognized by businessmen. If you deposit the money in the bank, when you go to withdraw the money from other places, the court can charge a fee. This fee can be set lower than the fee for hiring a bodyguard."

Yue Su talked eloquently and told the results of his and Li Yuanchen's research.

"This is indeed a good idea. Mortgage loans allow the court to earn interest, which benefits the country and the people. The court can charge a certain fee for withdrawing money from banks in other places. This also facilitates businessmen and is also a policy that benefits the country and the people. However, there are

There seem to be some disadvantages. For example, once private lending takes off, how can the court have so much money to lend to the people? When taking money from another place, it is afraid that it will be difficult to identify the authenticity of the person who takes the money, which may cause a lot of trouble.

"Zhang Yan has been in charge of the court for so many years and has seen so much of the world, and she immediately analyzed many hidden dangers.

"I have also taken into account the Queen Mother's concerns, so I dare not spread it across the country immediately. Prince Shancheng suggested that he be willing to invest in the joint establishment of Anmin Bank with the court. As a preliminary attempt, the court contributed 7 million yuan and the Li family contributed 1,000 yuan.

Three million yuan, operating profits were shared equally between both parties. The Li family had the right to operate, and the court exercised the power of supervision. It was first opened in Huguang and some state capitals, and gradually expanded. I thought that with the backing of the court and the Li family's business experience,

With the strength, there should be no risk in expanding bank operations, and I understand that the Li family would not dare to defraud the imperial court. Moreover, the Li family also promised not to engage in currency exchange business." Yue Su said calmly.

"The Li family is willing to invest 13 million yuan..." After hearing this figure, Zhang Yan was just as confused as Yue Su when they heard it. Zhang Yan knew that the Li family was rich, but she didn't expect that they were so rich.

The means of doing business are really great. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yan considered the issue of opening Anmin Bank. Businessmen have always been unable to make early profits. Since the Li family has seen this business, it seems that this business should be

There is profit and loss. There is another point, which is more important, that is, who dares to defraud the court of money. "Yue Qing, since Uncle Shancheng and his family are willing to cooperate with the court to open Anmin Bank,

We can try to jointly develop the banking industry. However, the Qing family must inform the Li family in advance. No matter what happens in the end, the court's money must not be compensated. Even if the business is lost, the seven million taels of silver must be given to the court.

Come back. Otherwise, the imperial court will confiscate his Li family to pay for it."

Zhang Yan said this, indicating that she agreed to cooperate. Although it was an overlord's clause, it was also the favor of the imperial court. Seven million taels of silver was not a small amount for the imperial court. The Ming Dynasty's annual tax revenue was only a few dollars.

, especially now that three provinces have been exempted from taxes for three years. Yue Su quickly bowed and said: "I obey your order. After I go back, I will tell the true story to Prince Shancheng. If he is still willing, then cooperate. If he is not willing, we will cooperate."

, then give up."

"That's right." Zhang Yan nodded and said, "Does the Qing family have anything else to do?"

"I have one more thing. Now that banks are open and the national treasury is much fuller than in previous years, it is the time to flex our muscles, develop and consolidate ZTE. I intend to lift the sea ban and open up the sea for overseas trade to increase the income of the country and the people.

Introducing some foreign crops and production technologies will make the Ming Dynasty more prosperous." Yue Su bowed and said.

"Contacting the sea ban..." Zhang Yan hesitated and said, "Is this okay? Will there be any adverse consequences?" Zhang Yan didn't know much about the sea ban. She only heard people say that Japanese pirates made trouble in the past.

Very powerful. But now there are no Japanese pirates anymore. She has no idea what it will be like after the sea is opened.

"I don't think there will be any serious consequences. Now that our navy is strong, even if something unexpected happens, I believe that with our strong military power, we can definitely solve it. Moreover, this time I

There is no plan to open the sea all at once. We only plan to open the port in Rizhao County first and proceed step by step. Rizhao County is not far from Dengzhou. Dengzhou has already established a navy. If something happens, the navy in Dengzhou can

Rush to the rescue in the shortest possible time to ensure that no accidents occur. Also, after the sea is opened, it will definitely bring a lot of income to the court. Whether merchants go to sea or enter the port, the court can levy heavy taxes. Wei Chen plans

, a 100% tax increase will be levied on goods going out to sea, and a 200% tax increase will be levied on goods entering the port. Overseas trade is extremely profitable, and merchants must be willing. In addition, the imperial warships can also go to sea for trade.

And protect the merchant fleet and collect protection fees from the merchants. In this way, the court will definitely increase its income every year." Yue Su said in a positive tone.

"Will there really be such a big income?" Zhang Yan asked noncommittally.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty and the Queen Mother, as soon as the port is opened, the imperial court's income will definitely increase day by day, and the situation of being unable to make ends meet will never happen again," Yue Su said.

"What the Qing family said seems reasonable, but the prohibition of the sea was decided by our ancestors. Once the sea is opened, wouldn't there be something wrong..." Zhang Yan said with some embarrassment.

"Queen Mother, what you said is wrong. During the reign of Emperor Chengzu, Emperor Chengzu sent Zheng He seven times to the Western Seas. The maritime industry of our Ming Dynasty was extremely prosperous. With the prosperity of shipping, the national treasury was also filled. Emperor Chengzu was able to spend enough money to build the Great Wall and compile the Yongle Canon.

.The sea ban in the later period was only done because of the Japanese pirates' rebellion. Now that the world is at peace and there are no Japanese pirates, it is the right time to lift the sea ban and engage in ocean trade." Yue Su said.

"That's right..." After listening to Yue Su's words, Zhang Yan suddenly felt enlightened and thought that Yue Su's words were correct. Without the Japanese pirates, there seems to be nothing wrong with opening the sea. So, Zhang Yan said again: "Yue Qing, this

Please discuss this matter with your cabinet, and if you think it is feasible, the Emperor will approve it."

"I obey the order." Yue Su bowed slightly and then said: "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I have one more thing that I would like to report to you."

"If anything happens to the Qing family, just tell me." Zhang Yan said.

"What I want to say is about the feudal king's fiefdom." Yue Su said.

"About the matter of the feudal prince's fiefdom..." Zhang Yan pondered and said, "Yes, this matter of the feudal prince's fiefdom is indeed a headache. A few days ago, King Fu returned the original letter and asked the court to return his family's land. At that time,

I just said it was slow, but it has been delayed until now. My dear, please see if you can allocate some land and return it to Prince Fu first, so as to save him from having to pay for it every three days."

It turns out that the Empress Dowager’s words about Prince Fu’s land were not discussed by Lord Yue until later. Moreover, this was still put on hold for a time limit. One and a half years had passed since the rogue bandits were wiped out, and Yue Su never mentioned returning Prince Fu’s land.

King Fu would make trouble every once in a while, and the Queen Mother would mention the matter to Yue Su again and again. Yue Su would delay it as long as he could, and has been delaying it until now.

Today, when Yue Su mentioned the land of the vassal king, Zhang Yan thought that Yue Su was talking about King Fu.

"Queen Mother, now I want to allocate some land to return to King Fu, but all the land in the world has its own owner. Once the people's land is forcibly confiscated, there might be some uproar. If there is another rebellion, the world will finally be stable.

Soon there will be chaos again. I have contacted some nobles and wanted to buy land from them and return it to King Fu, but those nobles are not willing to sell their land, so I have no choice." It is difficult for Yue Su to do so.

said.

"Yue Qing, didn't all the land in the past have owners, but weren't the ancestors and clans able to reward the land to the vassal king? Why is it now that it can no longer be done?" Zhang Yan was polite, but in her heart

Extremely unhappy.

"The thing is like this, but it is because the emperors in the past have always awarded land to the feudal kings, so that the people have no land. The people have no land to cultivate, so what do they eat? They have no choice but to take risks. In the past few years, the bandits caused chaos,

It’s not like the Emperor and the Queen Mother don’t know that if the people can afford food and clothing, will they rise up?"

"this……"

Yue Su's understatement made Zhang Yan speechless. It took her a long time to squeeze out a sentence, "This...isn't this caused by...the severe drought in the world...the loss of harvests in successive years..."

"There is a severe drought in the world and the harvest has been lost year after year. But Queen Mother, do you know how much food Li Zicheng found in Prince Fu's Mansion after breaking Luoyang? There was so much food that it can be described as piled like a mountain. Many of the food was already moldy.

, Even so, the remaining food is enough to feed Li Zicheng's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses for three years. Li Zicheng's soldiers and horses are nearly 400,000, and the food in Prince Fu's family is enough to feed 400,000 soldiers and horses for three years. How much would this be? What if it had been

, King Fu is willing to provide food to help the victims, will he end up being eaten by the bandits?" Yue Su said seriously.

"This..." Zhang Yan understood the meaning of Yue Su's words. If it weren't for the fact that the feudal prince was rich and unkind and was willing to provide food for disaster relief, the chaos would never have become so big that it was almost impossible to clean up. After pondering for a long time, Zhang Yan

Cai Dao said: "The Ai family understands what the Qing family said, but after all, Prince Fu's land was rewarded by Emperor Shenzong. It is really unreasonable not to return it to him now."

"This is what I want to say to the Emperor and the Queen Mother today. The feudal king was rich and unkind. He occupied a large amount of land and harvested a large amount of food. However, he did not step forward when the country was in crisis. As a result, his head was missing and all the food in his family was given to the bandits.

It was used as military pay. Looking back at the imperial court, the treasury was empty and rice in the capital was expensive. Even the food for the front line had to be obtained through donations and cooperation with merchants. If the imperial court had its own land, stored its own grain, and kept it in reserve year after year,

To prevent natural disasters and fully suppress food prices, will something like this happen?" Yue Su asked again.

"This...isn't it the king's land in the whole world? All the land in the world belongs to the emperor, so what's the point of having your own land?" Zhang Yan said.

"That is to say, the whole world is not the land of the royal family, but the emperor and the queen mother have not failed to see that when the bandits were in trouble, the price of food continued to rise. Even the officials struggled to buy it, and the court even needed merchants to finance the food supplied to the army. This

Can it still be called the land of the king? The land of the world is either in the hands of the feudal kings, or in the hands of the rich and landlords. Most of these people are in vain and do not work together with the court in times of national calamity.

That’s all, and you’re making a lot of money out of the national calamity. If the court continues to let it go, and if something like this happens again in a few decades, what will happen?”

Yue Su's words completely left Zhang Yan at a loss as to how to respond. He said that the whole world must be the king's territory, but when the bandits were in trouble, it was difficult for the court to get some food. The price of rice in Beijing was even higher than that of low-level officials.

Can't afford it, let alone the common people. The most annoying thing is that even the earls in the court did not stand together when the country was in crisis. They were the first to think about making the country difficult to make money. If this continues, who can guarantee that he will be a leader in the future?

What does it look like? What Yue Su said is correct, but these things have become facts and it seems impossible to change them.

"Qing family, what you said is absolutely correct, but it's like this now. These are ancestral systems, and it's impossible to change them just because they want to. Once there are changes, the world will not be in chaos." Zhang Yan said in embarrassment:

"Also, regarding the matter of King Fu's fiefdom, does the Qing family have any other options? If it is delayed any longer, the court will really be unable to justify it."

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I do have a way to solve the problem of King Fu's fiefdom. It's not just King Fu's fiefdom. I'm even thinking that if all the land of the feudal princes can be taken back, and all the food harvested in the future will go into the national treasury, then the imperial court will

From now on, we will never have trouble over food issues again," Yue Su said.

"Ah..." Zhang Yan was shocked when she heard this. She also took back all the land of the feudal kings. How could this be possible? She still had sons, and the land would be divided when the time came, and those feudal kings were all

He is a member of the clan and a relative of the emperor. How could the court do this?

"Qing family, this is absolutely impossible. Let's talk about Prince Fu first." Zhang Yan was stunned for a long time before she said these words.

"This is what I think about King Fu. Prince Fu has a total of 20,000 hectares of land. He wants the land, but the court can't get it for a while. However, if he wants money, I think the court still has the strength.

According to the land price, it will be converted into cash and compensated to him." Yue Su said.

"Discount it into cash." Zhang Yan was startled by Yue Su's words and said quickly: "Twenty thousand hectares of land, how much silver does that cost? How can the court have so much money to give him."

"I made a rough calculation and found that fifteen million taels of silver should be enough." Yue Su said confidently.

"Fifteen million taels... Yue Qing... you... didn't... today..." Zhang Yan originally wanted to say, 'You don't have a fever', but after all, Yue Su's identity is there. As the Queen Mother, why don't you say this?

Maybe she could say it out loud. She quickly changed the topic and said, "How can the imperial court get so much money?"

"As for the money, please rest assured, Queen Mother. Since I dare to raise it, I will definitely earn this money for the court. Not only can we redeem Prince Fu's land with silver, but we can also use more silver to buy it."
To be continued...