In August of the twenty-second year of Zhenlong's reign, Xie Danqiu finally managed to divorce Qin Yuxiu before the autumn imperial examinations and returned to the Xie family with her daughter.
Also in August of the same year, a flying dragon letter flew out of Shuojing City and was sent to every corner of Dacheng, big and small.
The Ministry of Revenue will establish Flying Silver Offices in each prefecture of Dacheng, directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, for the purpose of requisitioning silver and exchanging flying silver.
Initially, the people were very resistant to the flying silver and still mainly used the old system of silver coins for transactions.
In Shuojing City, merchants led by the Lu and Gu families took the lead in using flying silver. For the first few months, using flying silver to buy things from these merchants offered discounts not available with regular silver.
While people might claim that flying silver is beneficial to the country and its people, those who only seek to eat and stay warm wouldn't care. However, the fact that it actually saves them money greatly motivates them to use flying silver.
On the other hand, the imperial court promised that the Feiyin Bureau would always be able to exchange Feiyin for cash and real silver for the people unconditionally, at any time. If one held a large amount of real silver, one could exchange an additional tael of Feiyin for every two hundred taels of real silver.
Some bold and adventurous people cautiously exchanged some flying silver and found that, just as the Chamber of Commerce had promised, using flying silver could indeed bring considerable discounts.
If the flying silver in their hands were taken to the Flying Silver Bureau, it could indeed be exchanged for cash of the corresponding face value. In this way, the people felt reassured and no longer had any worries when using flying silver.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the imperial court and the merchants' association, more and more people are using flying silver. At first, people only cautiously exchanged small amounts of flying silver, but as more and more people used flying silver, the amount of flying silver used became larger and larger, and the scope of flying silver use gradually expanded.
Several months later, the merchants in the Chamber of Commerce stopped offering the previous discounts on flying silver, but the people still used flying silver to buy things. After all, flying silver was lightweight, compact, and much more convenient to use.
Merchants who were initially unwilling to accept flying silver saw that people were using it and realized that their businesses would be affected if they didn't accept it, so they also accepted flying silver as the currency for transactions.
The implementation of flying silver was very successful. The people went from being unwilling to accept flying silver at first to abandoning cash and using flying silver in just a few months.
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"That's true. No matter how many words you use to explain the greater good, nothing moves people as much as tangible benefits."
Gu Yaoniang sat on the second floor of Jinyu Tower, counting the silver coins in her hand. Beside her was a damp handkerchief. When her fingers couldn't separate the silver coins, she would gently wipe them with her index finger on the handkerchief, and then she could easily separate the folded silver coins.
Lu Zhaoan sat beside her, watching her intently as she counted the silver coins. With the official silver coins now issued by the court, their two families no longer used the old commercial notes when conducting business, but instead used the official silver coins.
After all, previously, commercial drafts could only be redeemed between the two companies, while flying silver was much more convenient and could be used by many more merchants.
The imperial court still used Gu family's pearl Xuan paper for its silver-flying paper, but bamboo patterns were imprinted on the paper during production, making it more resistant to counterfeiting than commercial notes.
Since acquiring the flying silver, Gu Yaoniang's hobby of playing with flying silver has changed from measuring silver to counting it.
Pearl Xuan originated from the Gu family, and Gu Yaoniang knew the nature and texture of the paper better than anyone else. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell whether a piece of Flying Silver was real or fake.
In addition, she would count the flying silver coins for fun whenever she had free time. Over time, even the manager of Jin Yu Lou could not count the flying silver coins as quickly and well as she could.
"Ordinary people don't care about national interests or family matters. In this peaceful and prosperous era, whatever can make them eat better and dress better is the best for them."
Lu Zhaoan used a fan instead of his palm to gently tap his other hand.
After counting one bundle of silver coins, Gu Yaoniang put it aside, then picked up another bundle and started counting it again without stopping.
Her eyes remained fixed on Fei Yin, a serene smile playing on her lips. Her bright, money-grubbing eyes and the smile on her lips created an eerie harmony.
Seeing cash brings joy, and seeing silver coins brings satisfaction. It's all money, and it brings joy.
Gu Yaoniang slowly and methodically counted the silver coins on the table, one by one, with a smile, and pushed them back onto the table: "Don't worry, Mr. Lu, there's no problem at all."
She bent her palm, flexing and straightening her ten fingers in turn, slightly relaxing her tired fingers. Lu Zhaoan was very observant; just as she was about to lower her fingers, he seized the opportunity and handed her the hand warmer from the corner of the table.
Thank you.
Gu Yaoniang naturally took the hand warmer and hugged it to her arms. She smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling with joy.
"The results will be released tomorrow, aren't you nervous?"
Tomorrow is the day the results of the autumn imperial examinations will be announced. Gu Pingsheng and Xie Danqiu are both participating in this year's examinations. As Gu Pingsheng's older sister and Xie Danqiu's best friend, Gu Yaoniang seems completely unaffected.
Gu Yaoniang glared at him and said, "Why am I nervous? It's not like I'm taking an exam."
The autumn imperial examination consisted of three sessions, lasting three days, with all the eating, drinking, and relieving oneself taking place in the same examination tent.
Although August wasn't the height of summer, it was still far from cool. When Gu Pingsheng came out after the exam, he looked like he'd been pulled out of swill, his stench indescribable. When Gu Yaoniang went to pick him up, Gu Pingsheng's eyes were lifeless, as if he was about to faint at any moment. Gu Yaoniang felt both heartache and disgust.
Upon arriving home, he collapsed into bed and slept for a whole day. After resting for a few days, he went back to the academy.
With the results about to be released, the academy has given students a day off early.
Lu Zhaoan looked at Gu Yaoniang's hand, which was pressed against the heater. Her ten fingers were slender and white as jade, untouched by dust. Originally, her hand was just lightly touching the heater, but after hearing his words, her knuckles turned white and she gripped it tightly.
He didn't expose him, but just shook his head and smiled without saying a word while fanning himself.
There was a slightly hurried knocking sound at the door.
Gu Yaoniang let someone in; it was Bitao, who was on her day off at the mansion.
Bitao seemed to be in a hurry, her breathing a little rapid. She caught her breath slightly before saying, "My lady, let's hurry back to the manor! An envoy has come to our house!"
Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan exchanged a glance: "Can you tell me why?"
At this time of year, the results haven't been released yet, so this isn't good news for Gu Pingsheng. Besides, the announcement of good news by angels is something only happens when someone passes the imperial examination in the spring.
But why could that be?
Bitao shook her head: "This servant does not know, nor dares to ask. But the angel has brought many gifts, so it should not be a bad thing."
Gu Yaoniang stood up, about to leave with Bitao. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and Afu appeared, panting, and said urgently, "Young Master! Quick...quick back to the manor! An imperial envoy has arrived!"
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