"Brother, how should I and Prince Ning repay this huge debt of more than 20 million yuan?"
In the Shanghai Commercial Market, in the Shijian Hall, Zhu Cixiang, who had just promised to lend 10 million taels to Zhu Cijiong and the Emperor of Xingwuyuan, seemed to have heard an extremely ridiculous question. His eyes widened and he stared blankly at the man in Tang Dynasty costumes. Xingzi Taishang Emperor.
His Salt Bank has been open for more than seven years, and this is the first time he has encountered this kind of supreme debtor who intends to repay the money when he borrows money - the kind of debtor who becomes an emperor, a khan, or an emperor. Don’t they all only consider borrowing and not paying back?
Of course, Zhu Cihong would not do a loss-making business easily... Even though Emperor Chongzhen, an old man, owed Zhu Cixi hundreds of millions, he had no intention of paying it back. But Zhu Cixiang, the "best creditor", still provided Zhu Youjian with high-quality "helping to pay off debts" service! It doesn't matter if Chongzhen doesn't want to, Zhu Cixiang can help him find money to pay off his debts. There is no need to repay the principal, just interest payments every year.
Zhu Cihong's method of helping was not complicated. In fact, he helped Zhu Youjian manage the country's salt industry, finance, and commercial taxes in the prosperous southeastern region.
Now Emperor Chongzhen, a prodigal saint, owed a huge debt of more than 350 million taels to his filial son Cihong! Calculating interest at an average annual interest rate of 7.5%, you only need to pay more than 26 million taels of interest every year to sustain it.
Of course, the interest of more than 26 million taels did not require Zhu Youjianshang's brains. Everything was taken care of by the filial creditor. Zhu Youjian just needs to delegate power... The first power he delegated was the management of the salt industry. This is where the Salt Bank came from!
The second power he let go was the government and financial power of Jiangsu Province... Although Zhu Cihong didn't know when he would ascend the throne and become emperor, he was already a king in Jiangsu.
With the power of Jiangsu, Zhu Cixiang can build the Salt Bank into a bank of banks - the Salt Bank does not lend to ordinary small businessmen and ordinary people, the Salt Bank only lends to the court, commercial banks, banks, pawnshops, Large commercial banks lend money and also take their deposits.
Later, Zhu Cixiang continued to lend money to Emperor Chongzhen and obtained the management rights of the national finance...including the right to mint coins and the management rights of the household department and internal money deposits!
Using these powers, Zhu Cixiang established the "Chartered Wanxing Association", which was actually a license issuance office for interbank lending centers, exchange settlement banks, commercial banks, banks, and pawnshops.
Only by joining this association and obtaining a license issued by the association can you legally open a commercial bank, bank, or pawn shop—and the license levels of commercial banks, banks, and pawn shops are different.
The way to obtain these licenses is to deposit a deposit at the Salt Merchant Bank and accept the account review of the Wanxing Association. In addition, a "membership fee" must be paid to the Chartered Wanxing Association every year based on the size of the business and the number of semicolons.
Seigniorage, interest on deposits, membership dues from the Wanxing Guild, commercial taxes from Jiangsu Province, and national salt taxes will all be used to pay interest on the huge sum of money owed by Chongzhen.
Therefore, Zhu Cixiang, a filial creditor, did not collect debts from Chongzhen at all, and did not need Chongzhen to repay the money... Of course, the same method was used to deal with the debts of his good brother Zhu Cijiong and his good sister-in-law Xingzi.
"Brother and sister, what do you mean..." Zhu Cixiang asked uncertainly, "Are you really planning to repay the more than 20 million?"
This time it was Xingzi's turn to be stunned. Is this what the moneylender said? Listening to what he means, don't you plan to let yourself and Cijiong pay back the money?
"It is natural to repay debts..." Xingzi said, "As the Supreme Emperor, I can't not repay debts. It's just that the country I lead is barren and narrow, and it is really difficult to repay more than 2,000 yuan." The huge debt of ten thousand taels is why we ask this question."
Well, he is also an honest emperor...how rare!
Zhu Cixiang asked with a smile: "Brother and sister, these words of yours are probably not what the third brother asked you to say... He lent me so much money and he has no intention of paying it back!"
They are really brothers, they can even guess this!
"Then you are still willing to lend it to him?" Xingzi was moved... Who said the most ruthless emperor's family? This is clearly a family where the father is kind, the son is filial, and the brothers are respectful!
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "He must have also said that the issue of how he wants to repay the money is my consideration, not his."
"Yes, that's what he said..." Xingzi's face turned red, feeling ashamed for "King Lai" Zhu Cijiong, and he felt a little ashamed.
Zhu Cixiang looked at the ashamed Emperor and asked gently: "Brother and sister, what are you still worried about? Leave everything to me!"
Is this okay?
Xingzi looked at Zhu Cihong and said to himself: Will you lose your entire family by lending money like this?
"Brother," Emperor Xingzi said to Zhu Cihong with renewed vigor, "If you don't explain clearly how I and Prince Ning should repay the money, how can I dare to borrow another huge debt of tens of millions from you? ?”
Why are you, a woman, so arrogant?
Zhu Cixiang smiled bitterly and nodded, "Okay, let me tell you... It is of course impossible for you and the third child to repay the debt of more than 20 million yuan. But it is impossible for Japan to repay it. It’s easy. Only one reform is needed, and Japan can gain profits of more than 20 million taels.”
"A reform? To what?"
"Reform the currency system!" Zhu Cihong said, "As long as Japan's three-standard currency system of gold, silver, and copper is changed to the silver standard, we can generate tens of millions of taels of profits. If you and Lao San can take half of it, It’s enough to repay the huge debt.”
Xingzi looked at Zhu Cixi blankly, not understanding what he was talking about?
Zhu Cixi had no choice but to explain patiently: "Now all over the world, including the Ming Dynasty, the price ratio of gold and silver is one to fifteen. Only Japan's national silver is expensive and gold is cheap. One tael of gold can only be exchanged for five taels of silver. Moreover, Japan's domestic gold stock is not small, and its output is relatively large... The annual output of gold is about 40,000 taels, and the stock of gold is about millions of taels. If you and Lao San can recover 2 million taels of gold first , and then push the gold price to the same level as the world, there will be a profit of 20 million taels.
In the process of overthrowing the shogunate and revitalizing the empire, you and Lao San should not have much difficulty in collecting 2 million taels of gold from feudal lords and wealthy merchants from various places, right? "
"But... we have no capital!" Emperor Koiko shook his head, "According to the exchange price of 5 taels of silver for 1 tael of gold, it would cost 10 million taels of silver to exchange for 2 million taels of gold."
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "Brothers and sisters don't have to worry about the capital. The Salt Bank can lend another one tael of silver coins to the younger brother, sister and the third child to redeem gold... You only need to deposit the gold you redeemed." Just enter the Salt Bank Japan Branch."
"Japan branch of Salt Bank?" Emperor Koiko Taishang was stunned. "Does Salt Bank have a Japanese branch?"
"Not yet," Zhu Cixiang said, "but it will be available soon."
Zhu Cixiang smiled and asked a little Huangmen waiting at the side, "Go to Concubine Bai to get a pack of Xingwu silver coins."
The so-called Xingwu silver coin is one tael of silver coin specially made by the Mint Bureau of the Salt Bank for Zhu Cijiong and Emperor Xingwuyuan. The appearance, weight, and silver content are exactly the same as the Chongzhen One Liang Silver, except that the words "Xingwu Ginza" are replaced on the surface of the silver coin.
Holding a silver coin that was a bit poorly made (there were no machine-made silver coins these days, and the castability of silver was not very good, so the silver coins were relatively poorly made) and looked at it for a while, Emperor Xingwuyuan looked at the words on it and asked: "Xingwu Ginza? What is this for?"
"Of course Xingwu Ginza is for you and Lao San to mint coins," Zhu Cihong said, "It is equivalent to the Tokugawa family's Ginza and Gold Zao... I don't think you and Lao San will continue to mint coins. Leave it to the Tokugawa family's royal merchants, the Daikoku Tsune family and the Goto family, right?"
"If you don't give it to them, who can you give it to?" asked the Emperor of Xingwuyuan.
"We can entrust it to the Salt Bank first," Zhu Cixiang said. "After Japan is completely pacified, wouldn't it be enough to openly recruit businessmen who can devote themselves to the Japanese court to preside over Xingwu Ginza?"
Emperor Xing'er was still embarrassed and said to Zhu Cihong: "Then it will be hard on you all the people of the Salt Bank."
Zhu Cixiang smiled and waved his hand: "No hard work, no hard work, we are all our own people, so we should help."
"Thank you so much..." Emperor Xingnu was so touched!
The Ming Dynasty was indeed a country of etiquette where the father was kind, the son was filial, and the brothers, friends, and brothers were respectful. Japan should learn from the Ming Dynasty in the future.
