??Chapter 255 Stamps
??In the early spring of February of the 11th year of Wanli, the Tongzhou River had not yet completely melted, but business travelers from all over the country had already begun to rush around on horses and mules.
??On the official level this year, a "green man" will pass by every now and then - the Ming Dynasty's postman. They rode horses or drove carts to deliver letters and goods to all parts of the world according to the different levels of payment paid by customers.
??Of course, this reward is not paid to them personally, but paid to the post offices in various places through the "stamps" purchased by the people who send things, and the post offices distribute them according to the regulations set by the post office department.
??In the capital, there is a beautifully printed ink-colored orchid stamp on a white background, with a minimum value of thirty yuan. This shows that sending letters is still a pleasure for the rich. Of course, depending on the distance of the journey, the various stamps issued by the Post Office Department also have high or low face values, making it easier for people to pay. The one sent to Bago, Myanmar, is remarkable. A large gold-backed four-clawed dragon ticket is worth ten taels of silver.
??Once small-denomination stamps are issued, some people treat them as general equivalents and put them on the market. The face value of this thing is fair, because you can buy this stamp at any post office for thirty cents.
??The Post Administration Department did not discover at first that the small-denomination stamps were being circulated as copper coins. They were shocked when the Jinyiwei reported the situation to the emperor and the emperor asked. After some research, the Post Office reported to Zhengshitang that it doesn't matter, the dosage is very small.
??Comrade Cifu Wang Guoguang saw the title book of the Post Administration Department and said: The merchant collects a lot of stamps, so he must find a way to exchange the stamps for money, and the stamp collector cannot pay according to the face value of the stamps, usually one One hundred and forty-four cents buy four pieces, and twenty-eight cents and a half for one piece. After these stamp collectors bought the stamps, they sold them to those who came to buy stamps and mail them at the post office for twenty-nine cents - earning half a cent of hard-earned money for each stamp, and those who bought stamps from scalpers saved a penny.
??Therefore, the entire stamp trading market is very small. After all, there are only so many people who buy stamps and send letters. Moreover, there are very few people who use stamps as money. Merchants treat thirty-cent stamps as twenty-eight-and-a-half cents. Who suffers this loss for no reason. They probably used the stamps because they didn’t have enough money, so——please don’t worry, Your Majesty.
??The emperor can rest assured! You bastard! Wang Guoguang withdrew the memorial and called Wang Zhigao, the minister of post administration, to the political hall and laughed at him.
??"Brother, this memorial from your post government department is a typical example of people who don't know how to count: the government charges one and three cents to exchange for silver, and the general fee for gold shops in silver shops is six cents. This year, one tael of official silver in the capital is exchanged for seven hundred and fifty cents. Ten coins, I took the scraps of silver and copper coins to your postal office to exchange them for stamps. I first saved forty-five coins in fire money. Then I spent it with twenty-five stamps, and lost thirty-seven and a half coins - one tael of silver net. Earn seven and a half cents! Your memorial says the trading volume is small, but that means not many people know the news!"
??Wang Zhigao’s eyes were full of circles after hearing Wang Guangguang’s calculation. He cupped his hands and smiled bitterly: "Mr. Shu'an was laughed at, but we still sell stamps for thirty cents each. Whose money did he earn from these seven and a half cents?"
??Wang Guoguang stared at Wang Zhigao with big eyes, thinking to himself, if you weren't the Prime Minister's relative, I would have laughed out loud. After enduring it for a long time by drinking tea, Fang replied: "Brother Gaoruo, you have been fighting in various places for half your life, so it is normal for you not to understand the economic accounts: the seven and a half cents of money wasted on the imperial court, and your Post Office Department will collect it." The scraps of silver will not be melted into official silver in the future?"
??Wang Zhigao suddenly got on the line and said: "Then the imperial court is still making a lot of money. Although I don't know the printing cost of this stamp, it is definitely cheaper than copper coins. If they are willing to exchange the money for stamps, then let's exchange it."
??Wang Guoguang couldn't laugh or cry after hearing this. He pointed at Wang Zhigao and said, "Oh, I can't explain it to you." Seeing the eager expression on Wang Zhigao's face, he had no choice but to continue explaining: "If you sell stamps and write letters, There are only so many people, who does the stamp dealer go to to change money? If he also uses stamps as money, wouldn't the stamps be the same as the precious banknotes? Haha, huh? Huh?"
??At the end of the explanation, Wang Guoguang was confused. These stamps are not precious banknotes. There are really equivalent silver and copper coins in the Post Office. They were all spent by ordinary people who wanted to save money and fire when they bought the stamps. If the Post Office agreed to the stamp dealers, they would Then change it to silver and copper coins. Let me rub it. What is this? New banknotes?
??When he thought of this section, Wang Guoguang immediately became energetic as if he had been smeared with divine oil. He said to Wang Zhigao: "Brother Gai Ruo, please take this memorial back first. This matter is too big. I have to talk to the Prime Minister immediately. I think I will have another meeting in front of the imperial court."
??Wang Zhigao saw that Wang Guoguang was also half jealous, and he curled his lips inwardly and asked: "Shu'an Gong, how can I correct this question book? I have to give the emperor a reply."
Wang Guoguang's mind was full of various calculations at this time. Hearing this, he said: "No rush, no rush. I am in charge of your department, and the emperor must ask me first - this matter is big, big." He said, standing up and going to find Zhang Juzheng.
??Wang Zhigao agreed and left the political hall on his own to return to the post government department. Wang Guoguang trotted away and went to Zhang Juzheng's office to look for him. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Wei Chao. When the Wei Dynasty saw Wang Guoguang arriving, he hurriedly bowed and saluted and said: "Ask the assistant minister, please go and report later."
??The emperor had no reason not to see Wang Guoguang. Before Wei Chao came out, Wang Guoguang heard the emperor calling him from inside the house.
?? Wang Guoguang hurriedly went in to pay homage. After getting up, he immediately said: "I didn't expect that the emperor was here. But just in time, I thought of a good way to solve the money shortage!"
??......
??When the emperor returned to the inner palace from the Political Affairs Hall, Kunning Palace was brightly lit again. Because Zhu Yijun became ruthless one day a year ago, Empress Zhuang became pregnant again. In order to put her in a good mood, Zhu Yijun also intends to spend more time with her recently.
??Empress Zhuang continued to be in a good mood. When Zhu Yijun came back, she handed over a letter and said: "This is a letter to you from a king of Europe. It was sent through the Christian Mission. Princess Leping is visiting her mother today, so she sent it to you by the way."
??Zhu Yijun opened it and asked, "Has this letter been translated?"
Empress Zhuang nodded and said: "Xu Guangqi found someone to translate it. It is said that it is not Latin."
??Zhu Yijun smiled when he opened the letter: "Jia'er, the decoration of the palace in Tangshan has been completed - let's go to the hot springs in two days?"
??Zhuang Jingjia was overjoyed. Although they have been married for more than five years, they still kissed Zhu Yijun on the cheek shyly. After the kiss, he ran out of words and asked, "Who is this letter from?"
??Zhu Yijun looked at the signature first and was surprised. Then he said to Queen Zhuang, "It's a letter from the King of England."
??"By Divine Providence, Elizabeth, Queen of England, France and Ireland, Guardian of the Faith, pays homage to the great, mighty and invincible Emperor of the Ming Dynasty: The person who presents this letter is John Newbury, a loyal subject of our country. travel to various parts of your country with your permission.
??The reason why he can do this difficult thing is that he fully believes in Your Majesty's generosity and kindness, and believes that after experiencing some dangers, he will be able to receive His Majesty's lenient reception. Moreover, this trip will not cause any harm to your country and will be beneficial to your people. Since he has no doubts about this, he is even more willing to prepare for this trip that will be beneficial to us.
??We believe that the benefits derived from mutual trade by the kings of our Western countries can be obtained by Your Majesty and all the people who are subordinate to Your Majesty. This benefit lies in exporting what we have in abundance and importing what we need. We believe that we are naturally in need of each other, and we must help each other. We hope that your Majesty will agree to this, and my subjects cannot help but make such an attempt.
??If Your Majesty can facilitate this, and grant us safe passage, and grant us such other privileges as we greatly need in the commerce of your subjects, then Your Majesty will do what a most noble and benevolent King can do, and we shall never forget Your Majesty. of achievements. We very much hope that your Majesty's great kindness will grant our request, and when your Majesty's kindness extends to us and our neighbors, we will strive to repay your Majesty's kindness. May God bless your majesty.
??Written in Greenwich Palace, 1583, after the birth of Jesus, in the 25th year of our reign. "
