Moreover, even if only five banks are currently operating, once the trial runs are successful and sufficient experience is accumulated, banks will be established in prefectures and counties. At least in the prefectures and counties, preparations should begin, as this is part of the plan.

“The bank is currently experiencing losses, which is to be expected,” Zhu Yunying said to Yu Xin. “The bank is ultimately under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, so we can’t just look at the profits. You must be aware of these things.”

This really hit Yu Xin right in the heart. The development of banking business was nothing new to him; he had experienced it many times before.

Many people assume the Ministry of Revenue is wealthy, but there are far more expenses to be made. As for making money, the Ministry of Revenue is practically oblivious to it; it's too busy with many other matters to even think about making money.

So this is nothing at all; the Ministry of Revenue can't expect to make money; it has to keep losing money. The banks, on the other hand, will also continue to lose money.

Looking at Yu Xin, Zhu Yunying asked with a smile, "The bank has been implementing this for a while now, what's the discussion going on?"

Just thinking about Yu Xin's personality, Zhu Yunying continued, "Don't just say nice things. You know my personality. Good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease, and honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial to conduct. I'm not the type to not listen to bad things."

Praise is certainly nice to hear, but if you want to accomplish something, you need to listen to different opinions; this is the kind of magnanimity an emperor should have. Zhu Yunying considered himself to be fairly good; he was able to accept some less-than-ideal viewpoints.

This effectively blocked Yu Xin's escape route. Perhaps he won't only express the most extreme views, but he also won't only say nice things anymore.

Yu Xin thought for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, there are still quite a few people in the court and among the public who have doubts about the banks."

Zhu Yunying was not surprised by this viewpoint at all, and said, "Is it about taking profits from the people, or something like not practicing benevolent governance?"

Yu Xin was now embarrassed as well, having naturally heard quite a few similar comments. One could even say the emperor was being rather tactful, for he knew there were far worse voices, practically swearing at him.

In some people's eyes, a bank's deposit business is simply taking away their livelihood. Money shops have existed before. When others deposit money in money shops, they have to pay storage fees. But the banks in the Ming Dynasty are different; they actually have to pay interest, which is like taking away their livelihood.

For many people, this means taking away their livelihood, because it's difficult to start a business like a money exchange without financial resources and connections.

On the other hand, there's the bank's loan business, which is practically lending money.

Loan sharking is an old business. Although the government's banks don't charge particularly high interest rates, others feel that charging interest is tantamount to robbing them.

Furthermore, bank loans involve rigorous investigations. Without sufficient guarantors and collateral, you can basically forget about getting a loan.

Moreover, banks often tend to undervalue assets during assessments. Some even tried to make a quick buck, only to discover, tragically, that their cleverness backfired, as the banks have connections to the imperial court.

At that point, some government departments would step in and the government would forcibly seize the property. As a result, some people suffered the loss of their families and lives.

Initially, they planned to borrow money for a life of extravagance and then default on the loan, but they soon realized they were overthinking it. The imperial court, of course, wouldn't give these people any chance to be clever; after all, the banks had official backing.

So seeing the 'miserable state' of some people, while not exactly causing widespread resentment, has certainly sparked some controversy.

To be honest, Zhu Yunying didn't really care about these criticisms. Ultimately, it's because he wouldn't abandon the correct approach over such trivial matters. The inconvenience of a very few is insignificant, as long as the majority benefits.

Besides, would you stop farming just because you hear cicadas chirping?

Impossible, that's simply impossible. Zhu Yunying really doesn't care about a few unfriendly voices. Besides, some people may seem to be in a bad situation now, but that's just their own cleverness making them a laughingstock.

Zhu Yunying understood some things, and Yu Xin naturally understood them very well as well, so there was nothing more to say. They would simply do what needed to be done; a few minor detours were really nothing to worry about.

With a capable and competent Minister of Revenue, Zhu Yunying could naturally feel much more at ease.

Ultimately, however, it was because the Ming Dynasty's finances were improving. If it weren't for the fact that there was money in the national treasury, and that the Ming Dynasty's finances were healthy with a large influx of silver, Zhu Yunying would not have been so at ease.

Just like Yu Xin, he had no need to worry or be anxious about the bank losing 700,000 taels of silver in just two months. Not only could the imperial treasury provide further support, but the existence of banks had also solved many problems.

Ultimately, this was the implementation of paper money in the Ming Dynasty, as the emergence of banks led to further market acceptance.

Therefore, there's no need to focus solely on the current cash shortage in banks, let alone the Ministry of Revenue; the imperial court is in the same boat. They need to consider the bigger picture, not just a single city or region—that's clearly not the attitude everyone should have.

Having received positive feedback, Zhu Yunying let Yu Xin leave, offering only a few words of encouragement. Zhu Yunying was generally generous to her employees, always providing encouragement where it was due.

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