Chapter 449 Money!
"you……"
Wei Ting felt a lump in his throat, wanting to refute but not knowing where to begin.
"What do you mean, 'you'?!"
Wei Shuyu gave the other party no chance to speak: "The seven ministries of the Ministry of Personnel are the core of the operation of the Great Tang Dynasty."
"The loss of any one department would severely damage the Tang Dynasty!"
"You intend to dismiss the Ministry of Commerce..."
"That's when the Tang Dynasty will truly be overthrown!"
Turn around...
Wei Shuyu bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, Wei Ting is attempting to undermine the core of the Tang Dynasty. His intentions are not righteous. I urge Your Majesty to dismiss him!"
"..."
The courtiers were dumbfounded.
Wei Shuyu actually impeached him.
Li Shimin felt a little sorry for Wei Ting.
Despite having the upper hand, Xiao Wei quickly regained control after only a few words.
“Wei Shuyu, we know you are eloquent.”
"But no matter how eloquent you are, if you don't give an explanation for the copper coin matter, you can't wash away the sin of sowing the seeds of disaster for the Tang Dynasty!"
Seeing that their own Imperial Censor was rendered speechless by the attack.
An attending physician immediately stepped forward...
"Um?"
Wei Shuyu turned around and gave the other person a sharp look.
The censor's heart began to race uncontrollably.
A person's name, a tree's shadow.
Wei Shuyu was also promoted from the position of Supervising Censor.
The more they understood Wei Shuyu, the more they realized how terrifying he was.
At most, they would impeach a minor official.
Wei Shuyu's official position, however, was earned through his own merits.
Even the Censorate couldn't find a reason to smear him.
Not to mention that Wei Shuyu would argue with civil and military officials at the slightest disagreement...
"Now that I'm here..."
"I will give an explanation myself, but please do not interrupt me before I finish speaking."
A simple sentence.
He wasn't as arrogant as I'd imagined, nor as sharp as he had been when facing Wei Ting.
But the oppressive atmosphere it carried caused cold sweat to seep from the palms of the censor.
"This humble official...understands." The censor bowed and then withdrew.
You've grown up!
Seeing this, Old Wei stroked his beard with satisfaction.
"His Majesty."
Wei Shuyu bowed to Li Shimin again and said, "What I am about to say is a confidential matter. Please inform all irrelevant people to leave..."
Li Shimin nodded.
"Xuanling, Xuancheng, and Maoyue remain." (Tang Jian, courtesy name Maoyue)
Li Shimin immediately said, "The rest of you should wait outside the hall for now."
"promise."
Wei Ting's expression changed several times.
Once you're ostracized from the center of power, there will be a second, a third...
But Li Shimin had spoken, so even if they were unwilling, they could only obediently obey.
"Tell me, how should we resolve the issue of the copper coins?"
After everyone had left, Li Shimin asked Wei Shuyu...
"His Majesty."
Wei Shuyu bowed and said, "Actually, I had already been considering this issue before this."
“Merchants traveling to the trading capital needed to carry large amounts of silk and copper coins each time, which was obviously extremely inconvenient.”
"And they are also easy targets for thieves."
"So I was thinking, is there anything that can replace copper coins as currency?"
Um?
Li Shimin frowned.
This is indeed a way to solve the copper shortage in the Tang Dynasty.
"Have you thought of anything yet?"
"I've got it!"
Wei Shuyu nodded: "I call it banknotes!"
What is that?
Everyone looked utterly bewildered.
"Tickets? Made of paper?" Fang Xuanling asked after thinking for a moment.
"That's right!"
Wei Shuyu nodded: "Gold notes and silver notes can both be converted into a simple receipt!"
"No, no..."
Tang Jian immediately stood up to refute: "If the imperial court issues a large number of vouchers, wouldn't prices all over the world be in chaos?"
The group nodded in agreement.
Everyone thought Wei Shuyu was being a bit delusional.
"This is naturally under the control of the imperial court."
Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "The existence of banknotes is only to stabilize the monetary economy, just like the prices of grain and salt. It's enough to keep them within a certain range."
"It still doesn't work!"
Tang Jian frowned and shook his head: "The imperial court wants to exchange a piece of paper for money from the people."
"Isn't that treating the people like fools?"
Well……
The words may be crude, but the reasoning is sound; there is indeed such a suspicion.
The group all looked at Wei Shuyu.
"Minister Tang is mistaken."
Wei Shuyu patiently explained, "The appearance of banknotes does not mean that copper coins have been abolished."
"Copper coins were still the common currency!"
"These banknotes are mainly intended for the wealthy people of the Tang Dynasty, to provide them with certain conveniences!"
These words caused the group to fall into deep thought.
"How could they believe that?" Tang Jian asked with a grave expression.
"This can't be rushed."
Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "Reputation is built up over many years."
"Once the people around them get used to using banknotes, they will naturally start using them too."
The group nodded.
This is easy to understand.
With the support of the imperial court, the people can largely accept it.
"What if someone fakes it?"
Just then, Li Shimin suddenly posed a question: "According to you, banknotes are nothing more than a piece of paper."
"If someone were to forge documents, wouldn't the Tang Dynasty's monetary system be completely thrown into chaos?"
Li Shimin's words drew frequent nods from the crowd.
Never doubt the folk's ability to copy technology.
"His Majesty."
Wei Shuyu bowed and said, "This involves the anti-counterfeiting measures for banknotes."
How to prevent counterfeiting?
Li Shimin asked instinctively.
Wei Shuyu did not answer immediately.
Instead, he took out a piece of paper and even made notes...
"Firstly, we can have portraits drawn on banknotes, painted by court painters."
"Secondly, the patterns are carved by master carvers."
"Thirdly, I will develop a watermarking technology to prevent counterfeiting."
"Fourth, the banknotes' seals were also secretly marked by master engravers."
Fifth, the banknotes are protected against counterfeiting by having the characters written by a master calligrapher with strong handwriting skills, and by leaving hidden marks.
Sixth, set up a supplementary ticket.
After saying this, Wei Shuyu put away the paper: "I would like to say..."
"If ordinary people want to imitate it, they would have to gather so many skilled craftsmen who are also familiar with the secret marks and anti-counterfeiting measures, which is extremely difficult."
Even if they figured it all out.
"These banknotes are not static either."
"We can change the banknotes every ten years!"
As Wei Shuyu recounted his story, everyone fell into deep thought.
Wei Shuyu's detailed explanation clearly indicates that he had done his homework.
"What do you gentlemen think?"
Li Shimin was undecided and asked.
"It sounds feasible, but I still feel the risks are too great!" Fang Xuanling wasn't very confident either.
"What does Maoyue think?" Li Shimin asked.
"this……"
Tang Jian pondered for a moment and replied, "As long as the anti-counterfeiting measures are in place, paper money can indeed serve as a substitute for currency."
"But I have another question..."
"Even if the common people can accept it, what about the gentry?"
Swish.
Li Shimin's expression suddenly darkened.
The aristocratic class controlled the economy of the land, and the issuance of banknotes would certainly affect their interests.
They won't allow it.
They would not allow Li Shimin to grow stronger so easily!
"This is precisely why I am requesting the dismissal of the rest of you..."
"As long as we're fast enough."
“By catching them off guard, the aristocratic families will not be able to react.”
Wei Shuyu said with a smile.
"etc……"
Fang Xuanling immediately interrupted, "What speed is fast enough?"
"Didn't you just say that gaining the people's trust requires a gradual approach?"
"That's right."
Wei Shuyu nodded: "If you're doing it all by yourself, it might take a while to build up your reputation."
"But we are the imperial court!"
Um?
The group seemed to have thought of something, but they just couldn't quite grasp that crucial point.
After Wei Shuyu's explanation, the group suddenly realized what was happening...
"Countless officials and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty."
"When salaries are distributed, apart from a fixed amount of food, the rest can be paid in cash!"
"Then the reputation is directly established?"
Holy crap.
The group of people were dumbfounded.
That's really simple and straightforward.
"What if they take the money and try to buy things outside, but no one accepts it?" Li Shimin asked.
"Perhaps I understand."
Tang Jian bowed and replied, "The imperial court can exchange them for copper coins."
"That's right!"
Wei Shuyu nodded: "Not only should we change it, but we should change it in a grand and impressive way!"
"Change them several times a day, so that the people know that banknotes can be exchanged for copper coins!"
Several people fell into deep thought.
The more I thought about it, the more feasible this banknote seemed.
"I have another question, and I would be grateful if Physician Wei could enlighten me."
As he spoke, Tang Jian cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Wei Shuyu.
In the past...
He might still have some dissatisfaction with Wei Shuyu.
A little kid, just like him, was in charge of a department in the Tang Dynasty.
It just feels disgusting no matter how I think about it.
But at this moment, he had completely regarded Wei Shuyu as a colleague of the same rank.
"Minister Tang, please speak freely," Wei Shuyu replied, bowing respectfully.
"May I ask... how can we get the people to willingly exchange their copper coins for banknotes?"
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