"Daddy, goddaddy, what are you drawing?" The little guy stood on tiptoes and raised his head.
Li Qing picked him up and put him on his lap. He unconsciously showed a kind look and said warmly, "My godfather is designing copper coins. Do you recognize the four characters on them?"
"Zheng." Xiao Lihong pointed to one word and said, "I don't know the others."
"This one reads 'unification', this one reads 'tong', and the remaining one reads 'bao'." Li Qing was very patient, chatting with the little guy while drawing.
Children lack knowledge of the world and are curious about everything. They are possessed by "a hundred thousand whys".
Li Sin was very patient and didn't feel annoyed at all.
"Dad, don't you have copper coins? Why do you have to do it again?"
"In the past, most of the coins were made of precious coins, and relatively few copper coins were used," Li Qing said. "As for the redesign, it was for the purpose of anti-counterfeiting to prevent anyone from making fake coins."
The little guy nodded as if he understood: "Is there anyone counterfeiting those precious notes?"
"It was there at first, but then it was gone."
"why?"
"Because those who want to make counterfeit banknotes need to be beheaded, and the whole family will be beheaded." Li Qing said patiently: "It is also because our Ming Dynasty's banknotes are very good at preventing counterfeiting. The paper of the banknotes is specially made. In addition, the pictures are Anti-counterfeiting measures have been taken in all aspects such as text, seals, ink pads, and serial numbers;
For example, the same treasure banknote will be invalid if it does not have the seal of the Ming Dynasty treasure banknote, the seal of the treasure banknote lifting department, the seal of the treasure banknote printing bureau...
These seals all have secret markings, including ink and ink pad ingredients... In short, it is difficult to make counterfeit banknotes. "
Actually, there was another reason that Li Qing didn't mention.
That is due to the proliferation of precious banknotes, purchasing power is getting lower and lower, and the cost-effectiveness of counterfeit banknotes is too low.
"That's right." The little guy nodded, "If it's so difficult, why do we need to redesign the copper coins?"
Li Qing touched his head and said with a smile: "Because... treasure banknotes are not easy to preserve."
Li Qing told a lie. Political matters should not be told to the little guy.
"It's also because our Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are so big that there is enough space for anti-counterfeiting, but the same cannot be said for copper coins, and there is no way to stamp or draw pictures on them."
"Oh~ I kind of understand." The little guy nodded cutely.
Li Qing smiled and said, "Go and take a nap. When you wake up, your godfather will take you for a walk on the street."
"okay."
…
Li Qing deceived Zhu Qizhen.
Because once a large amount of copper coins flows into the market, there will definitely be a large number of people using treasure banknotes to exchange them. As a result, the private circulation of small denominations in the future will be dominated by copper coins.
The treasure banknotes will further reduce the credit value.
On the surface, this is not only a loss-making transaction, but also will push Baoqi into a desperate situation.
But this is not the case.
What Li Qing really wants to save is not the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, but the Ming Dynasty's currency.
He said that saving the treasure banknotes was to keep Zhu Qizhen in his heart. The temptation of printing banknotes was too great. As an emperor, he would never sit back and watch the banknotes lose their credibility.
Judging from the current situation, industrialization is a bit wishful thinking, but semi-industrialization can still be a luxury. As maritime trade continues, Daming's handicrafts will get better and better, capital has begun to sprout, and the future is promising.
But the prerequisite for economic prosperity is to stabilize the currency. If the currency loses its credit value, not to mention prosperity, the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos.
Having said that, from a long-term perspective, paper money is actually the best choice.
Because the imperial court could control the economy by printing and collecting Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes.
But the problem is that the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are only printed but not collected, and the emperor printed them vigorously, resulting in a continued decline in purchasing power.
Li Qing had tried to dissuade him from doing so many times. Without his persuasion, Lao Zhu would have been in trouble.
There is no way, the temptation of printing money is too great and the price is too low.
What Li Qing has to do is to increase the cost of minting money so that the emperor cannot print money unscrupulously.
~
afternoon.
Li Qingye and his wife were riding donkeys and wandering around the capital.
The donkey has grown up and can carry a large and small child effortlessly.
The little guy nestled against Li Qing's chest, holding a candied haws in one hand and a walking ball toy in the other. He was so happy that everything he looked at was novel.
It's not that the capital is more prosperous than Jinling, but that the little guy is just three years old and has almost never been out of the Duke's mansion before, so he is curious about everything.
After shopping for more than half an hour, Li Qing packed some food at the restaurant, bought extra food and wine, and two small jars of wine, and planned to have two drinks with Yu Qian in the evening.
After returning home, Li Qing took down the food and wine, and then took the little guy to Yu Qian's house as a guest.
Yu Qian's grandson is about the same age as Xiao Li Hong, and the two little people soon started playing together.
Li Qing's parenting theory was regarded as the golden rule by Yu Qian. Under the guidance of the new model, the child is very lively and cheerful, and is much more comfortable than his father at the same age.
"Sir, is this your godson?"
"Yeah." Li Qing nodded, "What's wrong?"
Yu Qian shook his head and said to himself: Why don't you give birth by yourself? Isn't it...
"What are you thinking about?"
"No, it's nothing." Yu Qian changed the subject, "I heard that the emperor wants to mint a large amount of copper coins?"
"Well, that's it." Li Qing said with a smile, "The money is not spent directly, but the people can exchange it with treasure banknotes. Don't worry, it will not cause a sharp increase in prices."
After Yu Qian heard this, he relaxed and said, "That's very good, but since this happens, people must actively exchange it. In terms of quantity...is it enough?"
"You want to say that you don't have to worry about poverty, but you have to worry about inequality, right?" Li Qing asked with a smile.
Yu Qian's expression was solemn: "It's okay if no one changes, but if... some people change and some don't, they will definitely be dissatisfied."
"First cast, and after a certain amount has been accumulated, the exchange will be gradually opened. Starting from the capital, it will radiate out from place to place." Li Qing said, "Don't worry, I have planned this for a long time."
Yu Qian nodded: "There is one more question."
"What?"
"This cost is too great, even... unbearable." Yu Qian frowned, "From the eighth year of Hongwu to the present, countless treasure banknotes have been issued. If we continue to redeem them... ten copper mines are far from enough. !”
"Thinking too much." Li Qing shook his head and said, "You definitely can't exchange it according to the original standards. In that case, the copper coins will be worthless."
"How to change it?" Yu Qian asked.
"The regular banknotes can only be exchanged for 100 Wen, no more." Li Qing said with a smile, "Even so, there will still be people rushing to exchange them."
"That's true." Yu Qian felt greatly relaxed and mused: "The imperial court can bear the sudden reduction of ten times, but does the emperor agree?"
In his impression, the little emperor was not a generous person.
~
"I don't agree, I don't agree."
In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Qizhen was excited and shook his head like a rattle, "There must be a limit. If all the treasure notes can be exchanged, how much will it cost?"
"Your Majesty, please don't get excited, just listen to me..."ωＷω.ＧoＮЬ.οrＧ
"I won't listen." Zhu Qizhen covered his ears.
Li Qing and Yu Qian were both speechless.
Zhu Qizhen was extremely angry. He had reason to be angry.
Why?
I didn’t print the banknotes alone, so why should I pay for them alone?
How many can I print?
He is dissatisfied and dissatisfied.
Yu Qian looked at Li Qing helplessly: Sir, look, I'll just say it, the emperor won't agree.
Li Qing scratched his head: "Your Majesty, as the old saying goes, it is only right that the father pays his debts to his son!"
"...Okay, okay, okay." Zhu Qizhen said with a dark face: "I also recognize the seal of the late emperor, okay?"
Li Qing frowned: "What does your Majesty mean...that the Emperor will not recognize the banknotes printed by Renzong, Taizong, and Taizu?"
In fact, Xiaopang really didn't have many seals. His reign was very short, and compared with other emperors, it was only a drop in the bucket.
But the father and son Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di have a lot of seals, especially Zhu Yuanzhang.
Before the "Five Oranges" theory came out, he was a happy person.
Although national power was on the rise at that time and did not cause inflation, it should not be said that the purchasing power of Ming Dynasty banknotes had declined sharply, and he had an unshirkable responsibility.
Zhu Di did not print too much. Li Qing alone printed tens of millions of banknotes on a large scale.
It is true that a lot of money was made from maritime trade, but the cycle of one voyage to the West was too long.
Although he brought huge profits every time, he couldn't stop Zhu Di from spending too much money.
He conquered Jiaozhi in the south, made five expeditions to Mobei, opened up the Shun River, built a new capital, and compiled the Yongle Canon.
These expenses were so large that maritime trade alone could not cover them, so he had no choice but to print money.
However, although Zhu Di was the emperor who spent the most money in history, his money was not spent on his own enjoyment, it was all for the construction of the Ming Dynasty.
Li Qing glanced sideways at Zhu Qizhen and curled his lips in contempt.
It's like the ancestors built a house, and the descendants can live in it with peace of mind, but they ignore the craftsmen who come to ask for unpaid wages.
"Your Majesty, you must admit this account!"
