Chapter 367 You... are very good.
Jiang Yu straightened up and watched Consort Su's departing figure. Even though she was no longer young, she was still slender and graceful. Jiang Yu really wanted to know whether the Crown Prince was the son of the Prince of Lingnan or the Emperor.
"The Duke of Chu"
The eunuch's voice pulled Jiang Yu back to reality, and she walked towards the imperial study. Inside, she saw the emperor sitting behind his desk, reading memorials. She lifted her robe, knelt, and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
The emperor did not raise his head, his gaze still fixed on the memorial, but he said, "Rise."
Jiang Yu stood up, and only then did the emperor raise his head to look at her. "Sit down."
Jiang Yu did not sit down, but instead took out two memorials and presented them with both hands. Zhao Fuquan, upon seeing them, went over, took the memorials, and handed them to the emperor. The emperor took them, opened them, and after quickly reading them, asked, "Issuing paper money?"
Jiang Yu lowered his eyes to look at the cloud patterns on the floor tiles and said in a clear and steady voice, "Your Majesty, that is right. Although the national treasury has abundant reserves of hard currencies such as gold, silver and copper, the amount of money circulating among the people is still insufficient. Especially in years of disaster or when there is military campaign in the border areas, when transporting grain and supplies, carrying a large amount of copper coins is not only cumbersome but also easy to attract bandits, and the transportation cost is also very high."
She looked up at the emperor and said, “If paper money is issued, based on the national treasury reserves, and printed and distributed uniformly by the court, it will solve the problem of the shortage of raw materials for minting coins, and facilitate merchants to travel and trade. One piece of paper money can be worth a hundred strings of copper coins, and merchants will no longer be burdened by baggage. Market transactions will also be more active.”
“More importantly,” Jiang Yu leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more solemn, “when the imperial court allocates military funds and disaster relief funds, paper money is convenient for counting and carrying, saving many loopholes for exploitation and deduction. I have already calculated that as long as the number of banknotes printed is strictly controlled, special personnel are assigned to manage the banknotes, and old banknotes are collected and replaced with new ones regularly, the problem of excessive issuance can be avoided. If this policy can be implemented, it will be a long-term benefit to both the country and the people.”
The emperor remained silent after hearing this. Although it was the first time he had heard of paper money, he could easily tell that it would be much more convenient to use than the current copper coins and gold and silver. However, replacing gold and silver with paper money was not a simple matter; it would involve many factors. If things went wrong, it could even lead to unrest.
At this moment, Jiang Yu's calm voice rang out again, "The matter of paper money is my idea, and it can only be implemented after the reform of the money shops is completed. But if Your Majesty thinks it is acceptable, we can start preparations now."
The emperor nodded. "Currency is a major issue concerning people's livelihood. Allow me to discuss it with my ministers before making a decision."
Jiang Yu cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."
The emperor looked at Jiang Yu with admiration, "Minister Jiang, you are very thoughtful."
The emperor put down the memorial in his hand, tapped his fingertip lightly on the table, and made no attempt to hide his approval in his eyes. "In this world, the most precious thing is that someone is willing to step out of the paperwork in front of them and think about the long-term interests of the court and the people. You... are very good."
At this moment, the emperor was once again grateful that he had agreed to let Jiang Yu enter the court, otherwise the court would not be in such a favorable situation now.
"Your Majesty, Prince Rui, Prince An, and Marquis Chengen have arrived." A eunuch came in to report. The emperor waved for them to come in, and then said to Jiang Yu, "I have summoned you here today to discuss the matter of going to Lingnan again."
At this moment, Prince Rui and his two companions entered, bowed to the Emperor, and sat down to the side. Prince Rui's gaze subtly swept over Jiang Yu. Today, she was dressed in an official robe and wore a black gauze hat, exuding an air of noble elegance. It was only a pity that the sleeves of her robe obscured whether she was wearing the bracelet he had given her.
When Jiang Yu looked up, their eyes met. Prince Rui, like a student caught red-handed, immediately looked away and even straightened his back to hide his embarrassment. A smile involuntarily appeared in Jiang Yu's eyes.
"I have summoned you here today to discuss the matter of going to Lingnan again," the emperor said, explaining the purpose of his summons.
This expedition to Lingnan was clandestine but extremely dangerous; a single misstep could result in the annihilation of the entire army. The emperor and his ministers discussed the details in detail until they were certain the entire plan was foolproof before concluding.
Even the most meticulously planned schemes can go wrong and encounter unexpected problems during implementation. What they are doing now is simply taking precautions against all conceivable contingencies.
After the discussion concluded, the Emperor kept Prince An behind, while Jiang Yu, Prince Rui, and Marquis Chengen departed. Once Jiang Yu and the others left the Imperial Study, the Emperor told Prince An, "Keep an eye on the Grand Tutor's residence."
Prince An looked puzzled, but immediately replied, "Yes."
Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to ask the reason, the emperor was pleased and took the initiative to explain, "Consort Su wants Grand Tutor Yan's eldest granddaughter to be the Crown Princess."
With just this one sentence, Prince An understood that the emperor wanted to know if Grand Tutor Yan had already colluded with the Earl of Qingshan's mansion and the Prime Minister.
"Your subject will take care of it immediately."
The emperor waved him away, then lowered his head to continue reading the memorials. In truth, anyone who has ever been emperor knows how difficult it is to hold that position.
The dragon throne was cold; only when you sat on it did you realize how many sleepless nights lay beneath the aura of supreme power. In the court, civil officials needed to maintain balance, military generals needed to be appeased, and members of the imperial family and nobility each had their own calculations; the slightest misstep could lead to factional strife and infighting.
In rural areas, disaster relief is needed for floods and droughts, and grain taxes and corvée labor must be carefully considered. A single decree issued by the government concerns the livelihoods of millions of people, and no mistakes can be tolerated.
Jiang Yu, Prince Rui, and Marquis Chengen walked out of the palace together. On the way, Marquis Chengen walked between Jiang Yu and Prince Rui, discussing firearms with them.
After leaving the palace gate, Marquis Chengen bid farewell to the two men, walked to his horse and was about to mount it when he saw Duke of Chu and Prince Rui standing together and talking not far away.
The distance between the two men and their behavior were normal, but he felt that the atmosphere between them was somewhat different. Thinking that he had been standing between them the whole time, Marquis Chengen suddenly felt that he had been in their way.
But as soon as the feeling arose, he suppressed it. He glanced at the two men again, then mounted his horse and rode away. He thought it must be because the Duke of Chu and Prince Rui were both so handsome that they were too pleasing to the eye standing together, which gave him that feeling.
...........
Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Jiang Yu and Prince Rui was indeed somewhat "strange." Jiang Yu had accepted the bracelet, which Prince Rui assumed meant she had accepted him. However, the lack of direct confirmation made him very uneasy, and he hadn't slept well all night.
Now that the person was right in front of him, Prince Rui didn't know how to ask. He rambled on for a while, but still couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted to say.
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