Chapter 92 Do you really think so?
As the crown prince, Zhu Biao sometimes thought more deeply than Zhu Yuanzhang, but he was not as steady as Zhu Yuanzhang.
Just like now, it was obvious that Old Zhu and he saw through the essence of the problem Zhu Chong mentioned almost at the same time. Old Zhu said no, but Zhu Biao blurted out the answer.
"Second brother, this thing can be done. As long as we do this, those vassal states will definitely do their best to win over our Ming Dynasty in exchange for a large amount of treasure banknotes."
"In this way, the gold, silver, and copper coins in their treasury will flow continuously into our Ming Dynasty treasury, until, until..."
At the end, Zhu Biao himself didn't know how to describe it, but Old Zhu remained calm. Seeing his elder brother scratching his head, Zhu Chong smiled and added.
"Until all the gold, silver, and copper coins in their treasuries, and even the gold, silver, and copper mines in their countries, have been exchanged for our treasure notes, and all the vassal states will only use our Ming treasure notes for transactions!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly after hearing this. He looked at Zhu Chong in front of him with admiration, his heart filled with pride.
This is our son. Even though he is a bastard, any idea he comes up with can make future generations benefit from it!
"No!" Suddenly, Zhu Biao seemed to have thought of something and grabbed Zhu Chong's robe anxiously.
"Second Brother, you just said that the treasure notes are linked to the reserve funds. If there is no equivalent amount of reserve funds to prepare for possible exchange, the dangers of the treasure notes will still exist."
"If the treasure notes become common currency in those vassal states and they don't have reserves of gold, silver, or copper coins to exchange them for, they will still depreciate. Wouldn't that mean..."
"Brother." Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong couldn't help but smile bitterly. He first glanced at Old Zhu and found that Old Zhu was already smiling. He suddenly felt confident and began to explain to Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
"As I just said, the issuance of treasure notes is definitely risky and requires oversight by a dedicated imperial court."
"The reserve fund is only a precaution. The purpose of the Ming Dynasty issuing treasure notes to vassal states is to reduce the risk of domestic treasure notes. The gold, silver and copper coins in their treasuries will become the reserve funds in our treasury. In this way, the risk of our domestic treasure notes will be reduced!"
"No, I'm not talking about the Ming Dynasty. I'm talking about the vassal states!" Zhu Biao was a bit stubborn. "They gave all their gold, silver and copper coins to the Ming Dynasty. They have no reserves of their own. If their domestic banknotes are exchanged in large quantities or depreciated, wouldn't it be..."
"Brother!" Zhu Chong interrupted Zhu Biao angrily, "What you said to me is completely different. Everything I said is based on the interests of the Ming Dynasty!"
"I am a Ming Dynasty person. Of course, I must prioritize the interests of the Ming Dynasty. As for those vassal states, they have their own talents. If they can't see it themselves, that's their own bad luck. What does this have to do with the Ming Dynasty?"
"How can you say that?" Zhu Biao's eyes widened. "They are a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and subjects of the Ming Dynasty. How can you scheme against them and watch them suffer?"
"Brother!" Zhu Chong emphasized, "What I just said was the view of an ordinary citizen of the Ming Dynasty. If you ask me to look at this issue from your perspective or His Majesty's, aren't you making it difficult for me?"
"Then I'll ask you to put yourself in my shoes, in my father's shoes. Is there any way you could have prevented something like that from happening?"
Zhu Biao's words made Zhu Chong feel a chill. He had already seen that Old Zhu, who had already sat back behind the dragon table, had lost the excitement on his face and was staring at Zhu Biao with displeasure, but the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was completely unaware of it.
Zhu Biao secretly cursed Zhu Biao as a fool in his heart, but he could not ignore his elder brother who was "compassionate about the world and the people". He could only adopt a righteous and stern attitude and "speak impassionedly" to Zhu Biao.
"Brother, that's what you said! We're just assuming it, it's not real!"
"As the Celestial Empire, the Ming Dynasty will naturally not sit idly by when a vassal state is in danger. We, the Ming Dynasty, may not have anything else, but we will always have responsibility and accountability."
After hearing what Zhu Chong said, Zhu Biao's anger finally subsided a lot. Then he realized that what he had just said should not have been said in front of Zhu.
So when he noticed Lao Zhu's ugly face, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and his expression became a little embarrassed.
Of course, Old Zhu noticed the prince's embarrassment, but he still had a stern face. He was in a bad mood and didn't want to pay attention to the prince, so naturally he would not care about the prince's inner feelings.
Zhu Yuanzhang was so excited after hearing this that he even saw that all the treasuries of the countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty had become his. However, after hearing the prince's call, it was as if he saw those treasuries flying back. It would be strange if Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood!
Because of this, Old Zhu expressed great concern about Zhu Chong's next words.
Zhu Chong continued, "Those vassal states may claim to be subjects of the Ming Dynasty, but they are, after all, independent nations. The Ming Dynasty adheres to the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. Regarding the issue of the vassal states' banknotes, the most we can do is express concern and sympathy."
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao listened very carefully, even though they were in a bad mood. But Zhu Chong finished speaking suddenly, and they were a little overwhelmed.
After all, old people are more experienced. Old Zhu quickly figured out the key point of Zhu Chong's words and smiled with satisfaction again.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao, in his unwavering spirit, asked, "That's it? That's all? That's all?"
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this is all I have to say. The treasure notes involve the fate of the nation, and I am overstepping my bounds by saying so much. Furthermore, these are only my personal opinions. If anything is inappropriate, please forgive me, Your Majesty, Your Highness!"
"No..." Zhu Biao became anxious when he heard this. He wanted to ask more questions, but was interrupted by Old Zhu's heavy cough.
Zhu Biao shuddered again. Old Zhu's cough was obviously a warning, which made Zhu Biao's heart skip a beat. He knew that he had talked too much today.
When Old Zhu saw that the prince stopped talking, he felt relieved, then looked at Zhu Chong and pondered.
After a long while, Lao Zhu asked, "Second Brother, do you want to come back and work for the court?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao was overjoyed. After talking for so long, they finally got to the main point. This was also his original intention, so he immediately winked at Zhu Chong.
Zhu Chong smiled secretly in his heart, but pretended to be helpless on his face and knelt on the ground reluctantly.
"Your Majesty, I was young and impulsive. I offended you earlier. Your Majesty is kind and has shown me mercy. I dare not expect anything more. I only ask Your Majesty not to be angry with me again."
When Zhu Biao heard what Zhu Chong said, he became very anxious. In his opinion, wasn't this just pushing away an opportunity that was right in front of him?
After hearing what Zhu Chong said, Old Zhu put on a playful smile, "You kid, do you really think so?"
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