"Things that are scarce are valuable. Expensive things can become currency and a unit of measurement."
Su Jing said lightly: "But expensiveness is only one of the factors. In the history of currency development, there have been precious materials other than gold and silver used as currency, but they were eventually eliminated, so there are other reasons."
Zhu Fan raised his hand and said: "Mr. Su just mentioned when describing the four stages of currency development. Currency substitutes such as shells and cloth are easy to damage and difficult to preserve. The characteristic of gold and silver is that it is easy to preserve and cannot be damaged. .”
"Yes, let's leave the gold and silver there, it will still be like that even after a few years."
Zhu Qing echoed.
They are both the sons of Zhu Yuanzhang, and they have seen a lot of gold, silver and jewelry since they were young.
"Yes, King Jin listened very carefully. The nature of gold and silver is stable, and it is not easy to change after long-term storage. As a currency, stability is a very important characteristic."
Su Jing nodded, very satisfied with Zhu Xi's answer. Even Zhu Xi was thinking much faster than before.
This kind of class is interesting to teach.
"So, in addition to high value and stable properties, what other qualities does gold and silver have that allow it to serve as currency? Can you think about it again?"
Su Jing continued to ask.
This stumped Zhu Di and the others, and they were all puzzled.
"Stupid!"
On the other hand, Lao Zhu outside cursed softly: "You haven't seen it yet. Gold and silver can be cast. Money must have uniform specifications so that it can be used conveniently."
I have to say that Lao Zhu, as the emperor, is really learning all the time.
"Students don't know, please ask Mr. Su to clarify their doubts."
Several people asked Su Jing for advice.
Su Jing smiled and said: "The currencies you see, whether they are gold, silver or copper coins, are all uniform in weight or shape. Isn't this an important feature of gold and silver being used as currency?"
"I see, Mr. Su, I understand. Money must be of unified standards to be useful. Just like Qin Shi Huang immediately established weights and measures after he unified the six kingdoms and unified the world. Currency is something that everyone in the world needs to use. Standards Naturally, it must be unified, so that money can be used universally whether in the capital of the Ming Dynasty or in the frontiers."
Zhu Di said excitedly that he liked marching and fighting, and he knew a lot about the various regulations during marching and fighting, so he naturally responded.
Su Jing nodded and said: "What King Yan said is right. Money must be of uniform specifications before it can be used. As a general equivalent, currency has general characteristics. Gold and silver are of high value, stable in nature, and can be cast into uniform specifications. Naturally, it became the currency of choice.”
"However, because the quantity of gold and silver is too scarce and the value is too high, it is not so convenient to exchange some low-price goods, so there will also be currencies such as copper coins and iron coins, but they can all be called For coinage.”
"At the stage of minting coins, a very interesting phenomenon will occur. I wonder if you have noticed it."
"For example, when a silver ingot made by the government is fifty taels, it must be weighed at fifty taels when it is first released. But after a long period of use, such as two or three years later, the fifty taels of silver ingot will be weighed again. In fact, there will be some slight loss, and if it takes longer, the loss will be more, but usually, this silver ingot is still fifty taels when it is traded, and its value will not shrink. Do you know why?"
Another question. After Su Jing finished speaking, she calmly took a sip of water, and then said: "Think about it slowly, we are not in a hurry in this class."
The few people sitting nodded and thought seriously.
"They are all fifty taels of silver ingots. They must be fifty taels. Do you need to explain why? Su Jing, you must be deliberately making things difficult for others."
Lao Zhu muttered softly, seeming to be a little dissatisfied with Su Jing's lecture.
At this time, outside the Prince's Mansion, Liu Bowen hurried over.
Yes, it was Lao Zhu who called him here.
Su Jing mentioned Jiaozi in her lecture. Lao Zhu originally thought about asking someone to check it, but then he thought, it would be most convenient to go directly to Liu Bowen.
After all, Liu Bowen was very knowledgeable and talented, and the humanoid search tool was much faster than looking up books.
Moreover, Liu Bowen has always been interested in Su Jing's classes.
Soon, Liu Bowen arrived next to Lao Zhu, outside the prince's study.
"I pay homage to Your Majesty."
Liu Bowen didn't know anything about it yet. He was summoned suddenly and still in the Prince's Mansion. He was really confused.
"Keep your voice down, Bowen!"
Lao Zhu immediately booed Liu Bowen.
"Yes Yes!"
Liu Bowen nodded immediately, and after a moment, he roughly knew the current situation.
Su Jing was teaching the prince and the vassal kings, Lao Zhu was eavesdropping, and now he needed some answers.
"I understand, I will tell you everything I know."
Liu Bowen immediately assured Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Bowen, do you know what Jiaozi is?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Bowen directly, now is Su Jing's rest time, so she must hurry up.
"Jiaozi?"
Liu Bowen was confused, then shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, please speak clearly."
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed a little dissatisfied and said: "It is a folk treasure banknote produced by local merchants in Sichuan and Chongqing during the Northern Song Dynasty. Later, an official named Zhang Yong transferred it from the private sector to the imperial court."
When the name of the person was mentioned, Liu Bowen immediately reacted: "Your Majesty is talking about Zhang Yong, the Minister of Rites during the Zhenzong period of the Song Dynasty. I know this person a little bit. He has indeed done similar things."
"He once served as the magistrate of Yizhou. This Jiaozi should be something he asked 16 wealthy merchants to run at that time. Later, the Northern Song Dynasty court established Jiaozi Wu in Yizhou, and that's probably what happened."
After listening to Liu Bowen's words, Lao Zhu frowned: "This kid Su Jing knows quite a lot."
"Your Majesty, is Mr. Su talking about Jiaozi now?"
Liu Bowen asked curiously.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Absolutely. Anyway, it's all about money. You will understand after listening for a while."
Lao Zhu knew Liu Bowen's mind and didn't intend to explain too much.
Anyway, everyone is here, and you will understand after listening.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Bowen immediately bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and thanked him.
Liu Bowen was really happy to be able to listen to Su Jing's class.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately hissed: "Keep your voice down."
Liu Bowen quickly shut up and nodded, saying no more words.
At this moment, Su Jing's breath was almost relieved. He looked at Zhu Biao and others and said with a smile: "How about it, do you have any ideas?"
Zhu Biao raised his hand and said: "Master Su, students think that since this silver has been made to order, its value has been determined when it is minted, so even if there is some slight loss, everyone will recognize it."
Zhu Ming said: "Mr. Su, I think everyone is just looking for convenience. The fifty taels of silver are a little short, and it will be troublesome to settle the accounts. It is better to treat it as fifty taels and continue to use it for convenience." "
Zhu Fan said: "Mr. Su, I thought this was a convention and everyone was used to it."
…
Several people finished their statements respectively.
Su Jing nodded slightly and said: "What you said all makes sense, but you didn't talk about the core idea. For example, everyone recognizes the customization that the prince said. Why do you recognize it? There is also the convenience that King Qin said. You may not know that among the people, There is also privately minted silver, and private silver has to be weighed to determine its quality. Even if it’s a little less, it’s still less, but it’s not as convenient as official silver.”
At this time, Zhu Di raised his hand, and Su Jing immediately motioned for him to speak.
Zhu Di said: "Mr. Su, I understand, because official silver is minted by the court, so the people recognize it."
"Okay! What King Yan said is very good!"
Su Jing said: "Official silver was cast by the imperial court. Whether it was the Song Dynasty or the Yuan Dynasty, the casting of official silver was very strict. Every batch of official silver came out of the warehouse, and the nameplate carried the names of pedestrians, warehouses, scales, and silver inspection warehouses. If there are any problems with the job records of casting supervisors and the like, they will be investigated, and this is the basis for people’s identification.”
"As for private silver, neither the quality nor the appearance can be guaranteed, and naturally no one can believe it. In order to identify private silver, people use various methods, from observing silver to observing texture and pores, and even calculating the density of silver to determine The fineness of the silver, etc.”
"In the final analysis, it is the imperial court that allows the official silver to be recognized by the people even if it is slightly damaged. This extends the concept that the value of currency is not only derived from the currency itself, but also determined by the organization or institution that issues the currency. .”
"In the Ming Dynasty, it was the court of the Ming Dynasty that decided. Now let's go back to the original topic, which is the treasure banknotes that the Ming Dynasty will issue."
"You should all know what the raw materials for making treasure banknotes are."
Su Jing paused for a moment, and then continued: "To put it bluntly, treasure money is a kind of paper with anti-counterfeiting marks and denominations printed on it. Now can you tell me why paper can be turned into currency?"
"Why?"
Lao Zhu outside said subconsciously.
Liu Bowen replied: "I believe that the reason why the treasure banknotes can become currency is because they were issued by the Ming Dynasty and represent the Ming Dynasty. This is a guarantee of credibility. The Ming Dynasty came first, and then there are the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly and said: "Yes, this is what Su Jing wants to say, but although this matter is reasonable, it should be like this. I want to issue treasure banknotes, so it should be right."
"Your Majesty, did Mr. Su mention the pros and cons of issuing treasure banknotes to Your Majesty?"
Liu Bowen immediately sensed something was wrong and asked Zhu Yuanzhang immediately.
Zhu Yuanzhang replied: "I mentioned it a few times, but I didn't say much. I just said that I still need to be cautious about the issuance of treasure banknotes. How to be cautious? Su Jing didn't mention it at all."
Liu Bowen's face darkened and he said: "Your Majesty, what Mr. Su said must be true. I think that the issue of the treasure notes can be postponed."
"Um?"
Lao Zhu's expression changed, and he looked at Liu Bowen and said: "Liu Bowen, do you know that I have been thinking about the issuance of treasure banknotes for a long time. Now with just a few words, you want me to listen to Su Jing and put it on hold? Are you a little agitated? I think too highly of Su Jing."
Liu Bowen replied: "Your Majesty, I trust Mr. Su. Mr. Su never makes mistakes. Perhaps after your Majesty and I listen to Mr. Su's class today, you may understand why."
Now Liu Bowen's trust in Su Jing is completely unconditional.
Once this wise man is conquered, his trust will not be shaken at all.
"snort."
Lao Zhu snorted softly and said: "Then I really want to listen and see if it is what you said."
In the study room.
"Mr. Su, isn't it true that treasure banknotes can become currency? Because they are issued by the imperial court, and the people believe in the imperial court, the paper becomes money."
Zhu Xi said with a smile.
Su Jing nodded and said: "The King of Qin is becoming more and more agile in thinking. Only when the people trust the court can they trust the treasure banknotes. This is good."
"I would like to extend the summary. People believe in the issuer of treasure banknotes, which turns paper into money, just like when Jiaozi first appeared, it was just a result of mutual trust between merchants."
"The core is trust! Of course, there are many sources of trust. There may be conflicts of interest between businessmen, but when it comes to the court, it is proof of strength. I won't go into too much detail."
Zhu Xi was very happy to be praised by Su Jing, and the smile appeared on his face unconsciously.
"Mr. Su, is there any problem with the issuance of Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes? Isn't the current Ming Dynasty court enough to make the people trust it?"
Zhu Di asked Su Jing.
Su Jing looked at Zhu Di and said with a smile: "Why did His Highness King Yan say this? When did I say that there was a problem with the issuance of treasure banknotes?"
Zhu Di replied: "I just think Mr. Su said so much just to point out the problem of the issuance of Ming Dynasty banknotes. I don't know why."
What a great intuition!
Su Jing sighed in her heart and said calmly: "If there are any problems, you have to think about it yourself. Let's continue talking about the issue of banknotes."
"In fact, from coinage to paper money, this can be called a leap, a major leap, and the significance is so huge that I can't describe it in words."
"Compared with metal coins, paper money is lighter. After being circulated on a large scale, it can promote the circulation of commodities and greatly facilitate the development of commercial activities, thus promoting economic development, enhancing national strength, improving people's living standards, etc."
…
When it came to the benefits of banknotes, Su Jing kept talking non-stop.
Zhu Biao and others listened carefully and recorded.
Lao Zhu outside couldn't help but said: "This kid Su Jing obviously knows the many benefits of banknotes, but he even gave me eye drops. I really don't know what he thinks!"
"Originally, I didn't want to buy any treasure banknotes so early. Didn't I consider that the treasure banknotes can promote business and improve economic development."
Listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's complaints, Liu Bowen didn't say a word.
But he also understood in his heart that Zhu Yuanzhang really listened to the Ming Dynasty issues that Su Jing mentioned before.
The policy of supporting agriculture remains the same, but there is no such resistance to commercial activities as before.
At the same time, the economic base determines the superstructure and must be kept in mind. The purpose of issuing treasure banknotes is to promote economic development.
Now Zhu Yuanzhang doesn't trust Su Jing at all.
(End of chapter)
