The Royal Central Bank attracted merchants and ordinary people to exchange their silver for copper coins at a price of one tael of silver for seven hundred coins. In just one day, the bank consumed 230,000 copper coins.
The next day, the trend became even more intense. Before the bank opened, there was already a crowd of people queuing up. After the bank opened, people crowded in and started to rush.
Jiangdongmen Central Bank was the first to be overwhelmed. After cashing out another 50,000 copper coins, it closed its store an hour in advance. This gave speculative businessmen a sense of security:
The court didn't have much copper money...
Outside Jinchuan Gate, there is a small farmyard.
Huang Jiuer looked at the dishes on the table and sighed.
When Mrs. Liu saw this, she asked, "Son, something went wrong at the factory? Why are you so depressed when you get home?"
Huang Jiuer put down his chopsticks and said to Mrs. Liu: "Mother, the factory errands are going well. It's just that the emperor's good intentions were ruined by many businessmen. The copper shortage has not only not been solved, but has become more serious."
"Why?"
Ms. Liu asked puzzledly.
Hua Niang saw that Huang Jiuer was so angry that he was breathless, so she made a bowl of soup and explained to Mrs. Liu: "Isn't there a copper shortage at the moment? Silver is cheap and copper is expensive. The emperor opened a central bank in order to stabilize silver and copper. , I heard rumors from outside that five banks have exchanged more than 300,000 copper coins in the past two days, but in the evening, when my daughter-in-law came back to buy vegetables, copper was more expensive again, and 600 copper coins outside can be exchanged for one tael of silver."
"Why?"
Mrs. Liu looked confused.
Huang Jiuer stood up, with an angry muffled voice in his throat, and said: "It's not like those officials and businessmen, seeing that there is profit to be found, hold on to the copper coins and hoard them at home. No matter how much money is exchanged in the bank, they will all be exchanged. After covering it up, the copper shortage will become more and more serious. I'm afraid that in a few days, five hundred copper coins will be exchanged for one or two silver coins."
Mrs. Liu understood after hearing this, took two mouthfuls of porridge, and said to Huang Jiuer: "Sit down, Hua Niang, we have all our money with you, how many silver taels and copper coins are left?"
The flower girl walked to the side room, took out a small wooden box, opened it and said: "Mom, all the savings over the years are here, including two kilograms of earned money, a total of twenty-eight taels of silver, eighteen strings of money." .As for the copper coins, they were buried under the bed and the pot. There should be about thirty coins."
Mrs. Liu took a deep look at Hua Niang. She had been frugal over the years, met a good emperor, and raised the salary for the craftsmen, so the family had some foundation.
"Dig out all the copper coins, clean them, and send them to the bank tomorrow to exchange them for silver."
Liu said seriously.
"Ah, this is absolutely impossible." Hua Niang looked a little ugly and hurriedly advised: "Now these copper coins are sent to the bank. Although we can exchange more than forty taels of silver, it seems that we are making a profit, but in fact we are losing. Wait a little longer. These thirty copper coins can be worth sixty taels of silver..."
Mrs. Liu threw her chopsticks and shouted sternly: "What have I said about this family? I can't control how other people treat the emperor, but our family is favored by the emperor. Since the emperor needs copper coins, then we will send them to him!"
"But if we send it in, it's just a drop in the bucket, and it will be cashed in by the merchants in the blink of an eye..."
The flower girl explained bitterly.
Mrs. Liu stood up and said with a calm face: "As a human being, you must repay kindness!"
Hua Niang knew how to be grateful, but she just exchanged all the copper coins for silver, which was a huge loss.
Huang Jiuer nodded slightly
He nodded and said to Hua Niang: "Mother is right, the emperor's kindness to us is as deep as the ocean. Erjin has entered the Zhonghua Bookstore and became a steward. In February, he also went to the Capital Junior College. Huang Ying is now at In the palace, I almost enjoy the treatment of a princess. Sheep have the kindness of kneeling to breastfeed, and crows have the kindness of feeding back. Even though our family is a common people, we should also know how to be grateful."
Hua Niang sighed, walked out, brought a shovel, and said to Huang Erjin: "In that case, you can add some clothes and go to the queue first. I will find someone to pick it up for you at dawn."
"good."
Huang Jiuer knew that there were many people outside the bank. If he went there after dawn, he didn't know how long the queue would be. After arranging for his mother to rest early, he was ready to go out and saw his eldest son Huang Erjin.
Huang Erjin looked at his family and grinned: "I still have five copper coins here..."
Outside Tongji Gate, there is the Central Bank.
Li Laosan started to work, looked at the closed door of the bank not far away, kicked the two wooden boxes under his feet, and said to his son Li Sheng: "If it's cold, just go home. I can still move this little copper coin." .”
Li Sheng wiped his hands, covered his face, and the robe on his shoulders rustled, and said: "I can't sleep well at home, so I might as well wait here. Father, the store in Jiangdongmen has been closed. You Can the bank still be able to resist?"
Li Laosan stamped his feet and said: "It's the emperor's business whether you can bear it or not. It's our business whether we come or not. Children, remember, do your own thing and stop thinking. If you do your own thing well, the Ming Dynasty will truly become a prosperous age."
"In ten years, and in another ten years, we will surely reach a prosperous age."
Li Sheng smiled.
Li Laosan spat and said, "You know nonsense."
"Father, these are not the words of a child, but the words of Yang Shiqi, the Imperial Academy's sacrificial wine."
Li Sheng pulled out the big shot.
Li Laosan rolled his eyes at Li Sheng and said: "What's the matter with the sacrificial wine? Can you believe what he says? I asked you to follow me to build the road. It would be better for you to go to the Imperial College to listen. You don't know who is guarding the Imperial College." Are you blind? Why did you let you in so casually? What knowledge did you overhear?"
"Father, that's not eavesdropping, it's listening, just through a window. As for knowledge..." Li Sheng laughed, pointed at the bank, and said: "Father, have you never heard of such a bank? Save money. It’s called savings, and interest is paid back.”
Li Laosan nodded and said, "This is the first time I heard about it."
Li Sheng recalled the lesson he had heard and said eloquently: "This kind of bank was not the first to be created in the Ming Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, "Wei Liao Zi·Zhi Ben Pian" recorded that if the people had nothing to do, they would have savings. At that time, people did not have banks, and those who saved were It was not money, but rice stored in the storage room. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the currency was unified and people had more money, so they began to have the habit of saving money, so there was a lot of money."
"Pocket full? What is that?"
Li Laosan has never heard of this word.
Li Sheng explained: "It is said in "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes" that when the pot is full, it uses earth as a container to store money; it has the ability to enter the orifice but not to leave the orifice, and when it is full, it is thrown into it. It is a special type of earthen jar, which is used to store money when it is full. After that, the money could only be taken out if it was broken into pieces. In the Tang Dynasty, there were more merchants and more transactions. In addition, copper coins were heavy and heavy. One piece of money weighed six kilograms and four taels. It would be difficult to carry something worth ten kilograms on your back. exhausted?"
"So, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, cabinet shops appeared, where merchants could deposit money
When you enter the cabinet shop, the cabinet shop charges a certain rent. When the counter shop has money, it will also lend money to merchants. "
Li Laosan didn't understand anything about "Wei Liaozi Zhiben Pian" or "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes", but seeing his son's energetic and knowledgeable appearance, he listened with pleasure. When he heard the cabinet, he added: "This store is a bank, right?"
Li Sheng shook his head slightly and said: "Father, the cabinet shop is a type of bank, but it is different from the central bank in front of us. The cabinet bank eats both ends, and there are fees for depositing money and fees for borrowing money. It is similar to the central bank. Yes, it was a counter-office that appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty. The counter-office 'used official money to recruit people to pledge their income', which is the same as the central bank's deposit interest..."
Li Laosan nodded, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a harsh voice:
"It's still possible for an auditor to have a future. Isn't it a shame to be a scholar?" Li Jiu carried the burden, swaying through the crowd, squeezing a way out, and said to Li Sheng, "Guess, how much money did uncle bring?"
Li Laosan kicked Li Jiu and said, "Only your son is allowed to go to Youzhou Terrace all day long, but my child is not allowed to show off? How much money do you have to pay back, and how many pieces of cloth are there in the house? Does my child know?"
Li Sheng put his hands in his sleeves and hid aside. When Uncle Li Jiu came, he couldn't speak for himself.
Seeing Uncle Li Jiu carrying a box, it goes without saying that it must be copper coins.
This is the human heart.
Businessmen and officials took the silver coins to exchange copper coins from the banks. Only some common people took the few copper coins to exchange the silver coins. Their original intention was just to be grateful.
The emperor gave children the opportunity to study and gave everyone the opportunity to make money. In the winter, he even installed new stoves and purchased coal for free for some elderly and weak families.
In the history books, only during the prosperous Song Dynasty did the people of the capital receive such treatment. But for people in the Song Dynasty, it was only within the city. No one would care if they froze to death outside the city.
"Reincarnation Paradise"
In the Ming Dynasty where I lived, the court did not look down on the victims, but provided relief with work, giving everyone a chance to start a new life.
The emperor made several private visits incognito, caring about the sufferings of the people, and allowed the victims who came to the capital not only to stand still, but also to live a good life. Isn't this a wise emperor?
At present, someone is bullying the emperor. Although the family does not have much copper money, they still have to use it to support the emperor. This is a matter of attitude and stance.
Li Sheng glanced at the two boxes under Uncle Li Jiu's pole. There seemed to be a lot of money. In actual terms, it was probably only ten coins. This should be all the savings of his family.
The first ray of light broke through the darkness and tore out the dawn.
Tongjimen Central Bank slowly opened its door. Eight clerks each guarded a table. Seven of them were responsible for exchanging silver and copper banknotes. Only one clerk was responsible for calculating statistics, verifying procedures, and issuing waist badges, ordering them to come. Backyard delivery silver and copper.
The clerk Huang Zhong picked up his pen and prepared to record it. Without raising his head, he asked directly: "How much silver do you have, and how many coppers are you going to exchange for it?"
Li Laosan pulled Li Sheng to the front, and Li Sheng said helplessly: "We have fifteen copper coins here, which we are going to deposit and exchange for silver."
"Okay, fifteen silver coins can be exchanged for...what? Do you want to deposit copper coins?"
Huang Zhong raised his head and looked at Li Sheng in surprise. He stood up and looked at the wooden box behind him, and couldn't help but remind him: "Have you thought clearly? Although fifteen copper coins can be exchanged for twenty-one taels of silver, but at the moment copper coins Silver is expensive and silver is cheap. Under the copper shortage, copper coins will become more valuable..."
