If the Ming Dynasty's currency system considers itself to be the second most complex in history, then no other dynasty dares to claim to be the first.
The second time Liu Jin was slapped in the face was over the coin reform.
In the old system of the Ming Dynasty, the coins minted by the Ministry of Industry were put into the Taicang and Si Yao treasury, while the customs duties coins from various places were put into the Si Yao treasury.
There are tens of millions of coins in the Key Treasury, which is managed by Pang Li, the eunuch who holds the seal. The Prime Minister is responsible for managing, writing, writing, and overseeing the work. There is no fixed number of supervisors. The autumn grain of the Beijing Guard Army is supplied by the Key Treasury, and seven hundred coins are used as one tael of silver.
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Pang Li was a general of Liu Jin's line. In the first year of Zhengde, Li Dongyang wanted to get rid of him, so he asked for inspection and erosion, which meant that he wanted to catch Liu and Pang in their sore feet. At that time, Wang Hao was still the elder of the pavilion, so he took advantage of the situation and offered to general Pang Li.
All grains were settled in silver.
In the Ming Dynasty, the salary was three cents of silver and seven cents of money. In the eyes of the two elders, this was a royal way and a conspiracy. Eunuch Pang would have to shed his skin even if he did not die. Jiao Fang was unable to withstand four punches with both hands and was beaten.
The two of them fought so hard that they could not protect Eunuch Pang.
In the end, it was Zhu Houzhao who fully supported Liu Jin and defeated Li and Wang's offensive.
So Pang Li suggested: "Since the Hongzhi period, the money has been transferred to the transportation treasury. There is a shortage of money and payment will not be given. Please follow the old Chenghua system and collect both money and money."
This was a blatant attempt to make money from it, but Zhu Houzhao didn't understand economics at the time and was fooled by Boss Liu and others into agreeing.
Last month, Boss Liu felt that the small troubles were not enough, so he decided to use the remaining coins in the Taicang to pay salaries to hundreds of officials, at a rate of ten cents, nine cents for one silver, and made countless money from it.
Admiral Zhang Yongzhang couldn't stand it any longer. He discussed with the other eunuch bosses and said to Zhu Shou: Your Majesty, Old Liu is too greedy. If we make one tael of silver, he can make at least a hundred taels! And in
The money in the treasury under his management is in chaos. Among the counterfeit coins, substandard coins, and bad coins circulating in the market, five out of ten coins are related to Lao Liu! If this continues, you will destroy your empire!
The palace is only so big, and the money is all taken care of by the eunuchs. Who doesn't know about the chores in someone's house?
When Zhu Shou saw that all the eunuch bosses said this, he became suspicious. He was an otaku, and Zhu Houzhao was a dissolute military maniac. Neither of them understood economics, but they didn't understand it, which didn't mean that no one else did.
So he first called Liu Ji, the new Minister of Household Affairs. Xiao Liu was Lao Liu's best confidant. Hearing the emperor's call, he rushed over.
In Zhu Shou's opinion, no matter how bad a person is, he must have several brushes to become a minister?
But he guessed wrong. Liu Ji was a first-class writer, but when it came to coins, his eyes darkened, and he replied with a sad face: "I don't know."
Zhu Shou grabbed the paperweight on the dragon case, threw it on Liu Ji, and said angrily: "Get out!"
Mr. Liu, who was waiting on the side, quickly smoothed things over: "If I recommend someone, this old slave will definitely be able to clear up the sage's confusion."
Admiral Zhang Yongzhang also said immediately: "My little ancestor, the old slave also recommended someone who is proficient in the art of coins."
Zhu Shou looked at the two eunuch bosses who looked like fighting cocks, and remained silent for a moment with a smile but not a smile, and then said: "Instruct the recommended people to make ancestral coins, mother coins and coins. I will cast Zhengde Tongbao!"
Boss Liu and Admiral Zhang were both stunned: The Zhengde gold and silver coins made a few days ago are still collecting dust in the inner treasury. Little ancestor, what are you going to do?
According to the official history, there was no money minted during the Zhengde period. The Zhengde Tongbao circulated in later generations were all coins for winning. As mentioned earlier, money for winning means being tired of winning. It was used to suppress evil and avoid disasters, to celebrate and pray for blessings, and to curse and harm others. Legend has it that
Wearing Zhengde money, otakus can get beautiful girls, pregnant women can give birth to boys, and they will definitely win in gambling, and so on. They can be said to be good companions for traveling at home and killing people.
Before Zhengde, there were four kinds of circulating coins in the Ming Dynasty: Hongwu Tongbao, Yongle Tongbao, Xuande Tongbao and Hongzhi Tongbao. The casting technology at that time was not high. When casting coins, the casters would add lead, tin and other substances. If they added too much,
Coins that are dull in color and rough in outline are called bad coins….
As time went by, more and more bad coins were counterfeited, which blocked good coins from circulation. All the bad coins circulating in the Ming Dynasty market were bad coins, so that after Zhu Shou opened the sea, bad coins actually became the most popular currency.
The second largest commodity after textiles.
Zhu Shou's coin minting task had just been assigned. Within a few days, he heard a murder case reported from the Ministry of Revenue: a ninth-grade ambassador named Wang Qinian injured Zhou Ren, the sixth-grade chief, and the latter died of serious injuries!
Logically speaking, such a trivial matter should not reach Zhu Shou's ears. Basically, the person who died was not a high-ranking official of third rank or above, so Zhu Shou would not care about it.
However, the backgrounds of these two people are somewhat special: Wang Qinian, the ninth-rank ambassador of the Ministry of Revenue's stolen goods and punishment, and behind him stands Admiral Zhang Yongzhang; Zhou Ren, a top three Jinshi in the Yichou Division in the 18th year of Hongzhi, and a Qing official in Yunnan, the Ministry of Revenue
The sixth-rank chief of Sizheng, behind him stood Liu Jin and Eunuch Liu.
How did these two heavyweight players with vastly different levels come to fight together?
Chen Jing, the expert eunuch who was responsible for reporting the matter, explained: The difference between the two men was the amount of lead mixed in.
Wang Qinian was recommended by Zhang Yong as an expert in "clearing coins", while Zhou Ren was recommended by Boss Liu as a "confused person".
Only then did Zhu Shou understand the connection and asked, "Where is Wang Qinian?"
Chen Jing smiled bitterly: "He was imprisoned by Eunuch Liu. After the news of Zhou Ren's death came out, I'm afraid he also died of illness."
Zhu Shou understood that death from illness was just an official wording and what Admiral Chen meant, so Wang Qinian might have been tortured to death by Old Liu.
Although Xiao Chen holds great power, he is a junior in the palace after all. Out of human nature, it is impossible to knock Old Liu unconscious with a stick, not to mention that Boss Liu's holy family has not declined, so it is not the time to beat down a lost dog.
Zhu Shou thought for a while and then ordered: "Announce this person's appearance!"
For Zhu Shou, he didn't know Chen Jing very well, but Zhu Houzhao knew this eunuch very well. The two grew up together and had a tacit understanding of each other's every move.
Who owns the Jin Yiwei? It’s not Old Liu or Shi Wenyi, but Gao Delin who has just joined Chen Jing’s sect. Ever since he was personally summoned by Zhu Shou, Gao Tongzhi has never put Boss Liu and Commander Shi Du under his control.
In my eyes, I usually walk sideways in the Jinyiwei, so I am nicknamed "Little Governor".
Therefore, there is no need to guess whether Wang Qinian will live or die.
Zhu Shou was surrounded by countless eunuchs and maids at all times, with countless spies, among whom Boss Liu had the most people.
What Chen Jing said just now was just to tell Lao Liu: You and I are not on the same team, and cheating you is just to show your attitude.
Lao Liu had nothing to do with Xiao Chen's slap in the face. There was no distinction between the Eight Tigers and the Three Little Tigers. Who would be favored and who would be disappointed depended on Zhu Shou's mood.
So in front of Liu Jin and other eunuch bosses, the "murderer" Wang Qinian walked up to Zhu Shou openly and openly, holding the newly minted Zhengde Tongbao in his hand.
Boss Liu stared at Zhang Yong and Ma Yongcheng, blood spurting from his heart: You bastards!
Zhang and Ma looked at each other and sneered: "To each other."
Without the support of the other eunuch bosses, Chen Jing would not have been able to bring this matter to Zhu Shou, because it would not benefit him. The essence of politics is exchange, and only the eunuch bosses have made certain concessions in their interests.
, Admiral Chen would rush to the front line and make this murder case a credit.
Zhu Shou took the Zhengde Tongbao presented by Wang Qinian and looked at it carefully. Except for the new points, it was no different from other copper coins.
"What's so wonderful about it?" Zhu Shou pointed to the money-making part.
Generally, when minting money and presenting it to the emperor, three different sets of coins will be prepared. One set is ancestral money, used for archiving; one set is mother money, used for making molds; and one set is made money, used for actual circulation.…
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The three sets of money are different in size, font and casting process.
"This is money on a gold back!" Wang Qinian met the emperor for the first time, but he was not timid and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please look at its back. It looks like gold coating, so it is called gold back."
Zhu Shou did not understand coins, let alone the real gold-backed money, which was cast by his cousin Jiajing who had great luck. Moreover, the money painted on the back was not real gold. According to "Tiangong Kaiwu", the four fires
Copper (i.e., refining four times) is cast into gold-backed coins, and two-fire copper (i.e., refining twice) is cast into fire-lacquered coins.
In the Ming Dynasty, lead was cheap and copper was expensive. Coins made privately were made with half lead and half copper. When thrown on a stone, the sound was like wood and stone. This was a bad coin. Good coins, usually nine copper, nine lead and one, were thrown on the ground and contained gold and iron.
Voices.
Jinbeiqian was the most famous good coin in the Ming Dynasty, but its fate was also the most tragic. Decades after its appearance, it was driven out of the market by bad coins and has since become a profit-making tool for profiteers or collectors.
Our warehouse goods.
Jinbeiqian, which appeared more than ten years in advance, is shining brightly in Wang Qinian's hands, and it seems that the future is bright.
Compared with Jin Beiqian, Wang Qi was very poor in age. He had ordinary facial features, short stature, and was extremely strong. Looking from a distance from the dragon chair, Zhu Shou looked like a mahjong tile standing in front of the palace.
中. Among all the rich and handsome men in the court, he is an anomaly. No wonder he is still a small ninth-grade ambassador at the age of over forty.
"Why did you beat Zhou Ren to death?" Since he couldn't read coins, Zhu Shou wanted to know more about this ugly little official.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak." Wang Qinian kowtowed and replied with fear and fear: "Zhou Ren was a domineering man. He was known as the Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain in the household department. He would curse at every turn, and when he encountered
He liked to hit officials with sticks when they saw him displeased. When I argued with him that day, I was hit on the head with a stick by him and almost died on the spot. I finally fought back and escaped with my life."
Zhu Shou asked in a deep voice: "There is a difference between high and low. In my opinion, you don't understand the inferiority of others!"
Wang Qinian was not an idiot. Seeing that the emperor wanted to excuse himself, he immediately hit the snake and put it on the stick. He kowtowed again and said: "Long live, I was so angry that I violated the rules of the court and was willing to be punished. However, this is a treasure of righteousness."
Never leave anything to others to supervise."
When Zhu Shou saw the mahjong official blinking his eyes and moving his eyebrows wildly when he spoke, he couldn't help but want to laugh, but he was concerned about his status as emperor, so he had to hold it back and asked, "Why did you say that?"
"Long live Mingjian, I wonder if the coins minted by me have ever caught my eye?"
"I'm so relieved!" Although Zhu Shou couldn't understand good or bad, he also knew the word "pretending to be 13".
"Long live you know, Hongzhi Tongbao, how much money does it cost to exchange for one tael of official silver?"
From the 16th year of Hongzhi to the 2nd year of Zhengde, the two capitals and various provincial finance bureaus began to mint Hongzhi Tongbao. Each article was customized to weigh one cent and two cents. The format was small flat coins and the back was bare.
Zhu Shou hesitated: "One thousand?"
All his money knowledge came from Zhu Houzhao's memory. According to what the Prodigal Emperor knew, it seemed that one thousand coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver.
Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, Wang Qinian said: "No!"
All the civil servants and eunuchs in the audience were shocked: Is this square-shaped official impatient? The emperor had just absolved him of the crime of wounding, but he actually dared to question the emperor's decision.
In the Ming Dynasty, whatever the emperor said was what it was. Let alone one tael of silver or one thousand yuan, even if Zhu Shou said one tael of silver or one penny, no one would dare to say otherwise to his face.
Boss Liu glanced at Admiral Zhang, who had a gloomy face, and was secretly happy: Look at the talents you have introduced, they are really worthless, it is embarrassing and embarrassing.