In the pavilion on the second floor of the Taiping Canteen, Qiu Ming said to Sanlang: "This is the canteen specially built by the Yamen for the industrial zone. People who have no food to eat can come here. The cheapest meal is eight coins, which is extremely cheap. .”
Sanlang was surprised: "Why is the food so cheap? For eight cents, you can't get anything out there."
Qiu Mingdao: "The simplest thing is that a bowl of plain noodles costs eight cents, which is enough to ensure that you are full. The government here does not collect taxes, but it was specially built to provide convenience for the factories in the industrial zone. Of course, if you want to eat well, this There is also food and wine inside."
While they were talking, the boy came over and bowed.
Qiu Mingdao: "My friends and I haven't seen each other for a long time, so I'll have two glasses of wine today. Here's a plate of Mushu meat, a plate of Sixi meatballs, a plate of mushrooms and vegetables, and a green onion and egg soup. A bottle of your wine, preferably chilled. Some."
The boy agreed and went quickly.
Sanlang said: "I have spent money on my brother today. If I have time another day, I will treat you to a drink."
Qiu Mingdao: "Brother, why do you need to say this? This is a canteen, and all the food is convenient and cheap. Most of their dishes are fried in big pots and served on plates, so the prices are not expensive. Compared with outside If you get up, the price of a normal restaurant will be twice as expensive."
Saburo turned around and looked around. The outside is covered with glass, the windows everywhere are bright and clean, and the attic is also bright. This kind of environment cannot be compared to smaller restaurants. The price is so cheap, I don’t know how to make money.
In just a blink of an eye, all the food and drinks were served. Wulang refused to drink, so Qiu Ming ordered another plate of steamed buns.
After drinking two glasses of wine, Sanlang asked: "Brother, how do you feel about being an official now? I heard that the current monthly salary for officials is really quite a lot. I don't know if it is true. From Xining During the 1980s, the Recruitment Law was implemented and officials were given salaries. Not many years later, many officials still had no money to pay. Judging from the current situation, they should all be paid, right?"
Qiu Ming smiled and said: "Look at the current situation, is it possible not to pay? If no money is paid, how can this industrial zone be run? Which official will sit there and answer your questions? Officials have money to pay. , you will be able to work with peace of mind. Otherwise, those who come to do business should not say they are exempt from tax, but should respect the officials first before doing anything. Otherwise, no one will help you with things!"
"That's right." Saburo nodded. "I wonder how much money you have per month now?"
Qiu Mingdao: "For ordinary officials, the minimum is three guan, which is enough money. Those of us who have gone to several schools, usually start from 5 guan per month. Although the money is not much, it is enough to support our family."
Sanlang said: "Five strings a month is enough to support the family!"
The income of people in the Song Dynasty was generally a hundred coins a day, which could support a family. However, it is usually called Shengmo, which is seventy-seven cents. In rare cases, it is enough money. Under Wang Xiaolie's rule, the provinces were gradually abolished, and everyone was given enough money. Coupled with stable prices and sufficient goods, small families are encouraged, and three dollars a month is enough to support a family. Five dollars a month is considered an upper-middle income, equivalent to the middle class in later generations.
Qiu Ming said: "Well, it's just to support the family. Fortunately, the ranks of officials were increased last year, and it is not as difficult as before to be promoted to custodian or Kongmu. And as long as you do well and do well in school, you will definitely be promoted. Go up. Being an official is also a job."
The two of them drank wine while talking about their recent encounters. Sanlang took a steamed bun and gnawed it, picking up a piece of food with chopsticks from time to time and ignoring them.
After eating for a while, Qiu Ming felt a little drunk. He said to Sanlang: "In a few days, a new school will be opened in Xiangyang City. Those of us who are good officials will be selected to study for another year or two. I heard that excellent officials will generally be promoted to the rank of official. Oshi, I don’t have many days to work here. If you want to start a business, it’s best to finish it within a month or two. After time passes, I won’t be able to help.”
Sanlang said: "Okay, okay, I understand. Then you have been in school and come out, aren't you an official?"
Qiu Ming said: "How can it be so easy? With all the new things in recent years, many people have doubts. People like me have a better chance. But it is still more difficult to become an official. Our governor has made it clear that no favors will be allowed in the future. If you want to be an official, you must either be a Jinshi or learn it in school. If you don't allow grace, how many officials will you lose in a year? If you learn it in school, your chances of becoming an official will naturally be greater."
Saburo asked: "What's the difference between a high-level Jinshi and one learned in school?"
Qiu Mingdao: "Everything is a preliminary decision, and I can't say for sure. However, the future should be different. Those who are Jinshi will naturally be promoted quickly. Those who come from school will be much worse. In the past, the rules of the imperial court were that those who were Jinshi were promoted quickly. Different."
Saburo nodded. How could Saburo figure this out? But it has nothing to do with him and I am too lazy to care about him.
Qiu Mingdao: "In the future, not only officials will have to evade, but also officials with a slightly higher rank will have to evade. For example, if you are a custodian, you have to go to a neighboring state. If you move forward at a lower level, you are not allowed to do so in your own county. . Many things will be different in the future, who knows what they will be like?"
After saying that, Qiu Ming looked out the window, looking a little melancholy.
Looking at Qiu Ming's appearance, Sanlang was also a little lost. Yes, everything will be different in the future. Who knows what it will be like? This change not only affects common people like myself, but officials are also affected even more.
In the past two years, under Wang Xiaolie's rule, agricultural harvests were bumper, industry and commerce developed, taxes were reduced, and society was unprecedentedly prosperous. Everyone made money, and they all praised Wang Xiaolie. When this situation occurs, for Wang Xiaolie, danger and opportunity coexist.
If the economy continues to develop like it has in the past two years and people make more and more money, it will naturally be a good thing for Wang Xiaolie. The prestige will become higher and higher, even to the point of being indestructible. Once the economy declines and affects people's lives, people's evaluation of Wang Xiaolie will completely reverse. At that time, everything was difficult to handle.
Wang Xiaolie is not a god, and there is no way to conjure money out of thin air. In the past two years, economic development has relied on massive investment. These costs have just been invested, and we don’t know how many years or months it will take to get them back. It is simply impossible to make money from them. Coupled with large-scale tax cuts, government revenue suddenly dropped significantly. Everyone likes tax cuts, but reduced fiscal revenue is a headache for the government.
This situation can be maintained only by printing money.
Wang Xiaolie's initial plan was to print millions of dollars and slowly build up the bank. Who would have thought that Xiangyang Huizi is exquisitely printed and extremely difficult to forge. More importantly, the currency's value is strong. As long as you have some money in hand, you can go to the bank to exchange copper coins. With Huizi, you can buy almost all kinds of goods in Xiangyang, and the prices are not high. Merchants quickly accepted Xiangyang Huizi, and the circulation far exceeded estimates.
Now Xiangyang Huizi is used throughout half of the world. In the Song Dynasty, Jinghu Road and Huainan Road all passed through Xiangyang Huizi. Even Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as Sichuan and Sichuan, Xiangyang Huizi began to flow smoothly. To a certain extent, the current Xiangyang Huizi has a similar function to copper coins.
The copper smelting industry in the Southern Song Dynasty was greatly reduced, and there was an extreme shortage of copper coins. The emergence of Xiangyang Huizi filled the gap in copper coins, and the market was far larger than Wang Xiaolie imagined. Due to the stable currency value, Xiangyang Huizi quickly occupied the markets of other Huizi and Jiaozi, and even began to occupy the gold and silver market. And because the face value of Huizi is small, it is convenient for daily transactions, and it is also crowding out the market of copper coins for daily use.
In the north, Xiangyang Huizi has also begun to pass through Jingxi and Shaanxi roads, the southern part of Hedong Road, and some parts of Jingdong Road. Even the area used by Xiangyang Huizi was larger than the territory ruled by Liu Yu.
It’s not that no one has thought about restricting Xiangyang Huizi. But the people did not care about the government ban and used it more and more. There are even officials from the border areas who want to learn from Xiangyang Huizi. Especially in the Sichuan and Sichuan areas, Zhang Jun's subordinates imitated Xiangyang Huizi and printed several kinds of Jiaozi. Unfortunately, the value depreciated so quickly that merchants simply refused to acknowledge it after it was printed. Unless there are discounts and discounts, and the government enforces them, it will be difficult for Sichuan-Sichuan Jiaozi to spend money.
As banknotes, maintaining the stability of Huizi's currency value is actually a science. Wang Xiaolie used copper coins to make his own huizi. First, he ensured that the huizi would not depreciate in value to the copper coins. Then through the bank, the money multiplier is used to expand the amount, which is far beyond what others can match. Another point is that Xiangyang's industry and commerce have developed rapidly in the past two years, and the goods provided ensure Xiangyang Huizi's purchasing power.
Wang Xiaolie knows very well that he has been able to develop smoothly in the past two years because the scarcity of private currency has provided him with opportunities. But this opportunity is not stable and will not always be like this. If you keep printing money, you must ensure that market demand exceeds the speed at which you can print money. Many national debts in later generations took this form. Once the national debt is sold, it will no longer be repaid. What is more likely is that in a few years, social currency will no longer be scarce. At that time, printing money will cause inflation, and it will actually be impossible to print more money.
For Wang Xiaolie, these few years have been a good opportunity. Print as many huizi as possible within the allowed range. And try to spend the printed time effectively. Whether it is government-run industry and commerce or industrial zones, it is Huahuizi's method.
