After finishing the morning court session, Zhu Yunying strode towards the Wuying Hall. As the emperor, it wasn't that everything was settled after the morning court session. The so-called "managing countless affairs daily" clearly didn't mean that one person could handle everything in the courtroom.

It's quite obvious that Zhu Yunying had a lot to do. After attending the morning court session, he had to go to the Wuying Hall to review memorials. This was what Zhu Yunying was supposed to do, and this routine was indeed something he was used to.

Even Zhu Yunying admired Zhu Yuanzhang quite a bit, because Zhu Yuanzhang was incredibly diligent in his duties in the past, he really worked himself to the bone.

The so-called morning court was nothing compared to the afternoon and evening court sessions. With the terrifying boss Zhu leading the way, his employees had to work even harder. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the so-called "anti-involution" was nonexistent; there were only people even more arduous than corporate slaves.

Upon arriving at the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunying plopped down, and before he could even catch his breath, a mountain of memorials was handed to him. Or perhaps Zhu Yunying already had many memorials on his desk, but some matters simply needed to be addressed first.

He should just do what an emperor should do, something Zhu Yunying was quite adept at.

Zhu Yunying glanced at Wang Chengen and said, "Send an edict to the Director of the Imperial Observatory."

The Imperial Observatory was not merely responsible for observing celestial phenomena, calculating solar terms, and formulating calendars. In fact, similar officials and institutions existed as early as the Qin and Han dynasties, though at that time they were called Taichang and were under the control of the Grand Astrologer.

The so-called Imperial Observatory was actually renamed during the Ming Dynasty; during the Yuan Dynasty, it was the Bureau of Astronomy. The Liao Dynasty called it the Directorate of Astronomy, and the Jin Dynasty called it the Imperial Observatory. Even the Ming Dynasty initially used the Imperial Observatory before changing it to the Imperial Observatory.

After the Director of the Imperial Observatory arrived, Zhu Yunying said, "Remember to start working on the calendar and determining the four seasons, so as not to delay the spring plowing next year."

This is something an emperor should do. Even though Zhu Yunying seemed to value the 'market economy,' he never forgot that we were still an agrarian civilization. For the Ming Dynasty, only more land and more grain could ensure a more stable foundation.

Zhu Yunying then said again, "Prepare several auspicious times, and we should prepare to confer the title of king within the year."

This was a major event; sometimes, even emperors would choose an auspicious day for their ascension to the throne. For example, Zhu Yunying's ascension was meticulously planned. This was only because Zhu Yunying voluntarily abdicated; otherwise, some emperors wouldn't have been so particular about their ascensions.

As for the investiture of the crown prince, of course, the timing needed to be chosen. The Ming Dynasty's investiture of princes also clearly required careful timing.

All of this was beyond doubt, and the Imperial Observatory was already preparing. They needed to start selecting and calculating auspicious days, so that the emperor would have more options.

Zhu Yunying was relatively 'rule-abiding'. Although he didn't pay much attention to so-called 'celestial phenomena' and didn't think that any unusual signs meant the emperor was morally deficient or were auspicious omens, he still needed to choose an auspicious day.

After the Imperial Observatory left, Yu Xin, the Minister of Revenue, arrived at the Wuying Hall by imperial decree.

Zhu Yunying looked at Yu Xin and asked, "Is there any problem with the bank?"

Yu Xin immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the bank has withdrawn 870,000 taels of silver and deposited 110,000 taels of silver."

Look, this is what they call a 'loss-making business'; over 700,000 taels of silver have been lost. However, Zhu Yunying didn't have much of an opinion on this matter; in fact, one could say he was quite understanding.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems that our Great Ming still has quite a few wealthy families. They are either skilled at making money or have a very deep financial foundation. Such numbers are not so easy to come by."

For ordinary families, a few dozen taels of silver was enough to make ends meet. A thousand taels of silver was considered a comfortable life. But now, it's just a drop in the ocean; these are only five banks, yet they've already exchanged nearly nine hundred thousand taels of silver.

However, Joo Yoon-young didn't care much about this, because it was a pretty good sign.

“That’s a good thing too. I remember when the bank first opened, most people didn’t believe in it, and it was mostly members of the imperial family and military officers who deposited money.” Zhu Yunying laughed, then said to Yu Xin, “Now, how much money is being deposited by ordinary people?”

Yu Xin immediately perked up and said, "Your Majesty, many ordinary people are now depositing silver. Although it's only a few taels or tens of taels, it's still a good thing."

This is indeed good news, a very positive sign. Some ordinary wealthy households may be making large deposits or withdrawals. However, the banks of the Ming Dynasty cannot only serve these people. The real money of ordinary people is what truly matters.

Ultimately, it all comes down to small savings. Ordinary families make up the majority of these savings, and they have the most real money.

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "As for the banks, we estimate that they will need to prepare for the imperial court to bail them out within two or three years."

Yu Xin was naturally aware of the emperor's warning. He even thought the emperor was rather optimistic, and that for the next ten years or so, the court might have to keep covering losses and continue to engage in some 'unprofitable business'.

However, this matter must be persisted with unless a major event occurs that proves the bank is completely inoperable. Or, if Emperor Engels suddenly dies and the new emperor abolishes the bank despite enormous resistance, only then might the situation be changed.

Otherwise, for a long time to come, banks will basically be operating at a loss. Currently, banks don't have much business, and most of it is losing money. Furthermore, the cost of printing paper money is considerable.

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