Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan immediately became energetic.
In order to go to bed early, Qin Yuan stopped asking questions and went straight to the point.
"My lady, don't underestimate currency."
“In our history, all development started with the foundation of currency.”
"I believe that currency can more accurately reflect the social conditions of the time than the records in some contemporary historical books."
"Is that so?" Yan Jiaoran was half-believing and half-doubting, but did not argue.
Yan Jiaoran thought about the issue of grain being withheld by corrupt officials during tax collection for several days but made no progress.
From a practical point of view, the practice of embezzling taxes and grain has been an eradication since ancient times.
Even if she kills a lot of people like her father Yan Aotian, what does it matter?
She was still greedy, and even became more reckless when she ascended the throne.
After all, it is public property. I don’t feel bad if it is wasted or embezzled.
It's not your own, so what's so special about it?
This kind of official malpractice has existed for thousands of years, and there has been no good solution.
She really wanted to hear what Qin Yuan, this bastard, could say by starting with a currency that had nothing to do with her.
Yan Jiaoran was very curious.
Can this bastard Qin Yuan come up with another amazing strategy like the previous one of "distributing labor service according to land area"?
All I heard was Qin Yuan confidently say, "If we want to solve the problem of grain being withheld by officials, the solution is actually very simple."
“Just don’t collect the grain.”
Yan Jiaoran was startled and blurted out, "If we don't collect grain as tax, then what should we collect?"
After she finished speaking, she thought of the currency Qin Yuan had just mentioned and asked uncertainly.
"You don't want to accept copper coins, do you? Wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"
Before Qin Yuan could speak, Yan Jiaoran continued.
"That's definitely not possible!"
"Even the people of the Great Zhou sold their grain and exchanged it for copper coins to pay taxes."
"But during the autumn harvest, the price will definitely be low. Even if you pay the full tax, the remaining money will be used to buy back the food you worked so hard to grow when you can't make it through the winter or when something unexpected happens at home. The price will definitely be higher."
"After all this, don't the people still suffer?"
"It would be better to just collect the grain directly. Using copper coins to collect taxes is definitely not acceptable."
Qin Yuan shook his head and said directly: "It's very simple, use silver, silver monetization!"
As he was extremely sleepy, Qin Yuan did not have the patience to wait for Yan Jiaoran's answer and said directly:
"Ma'am, I know what you want to say."
"For example, the silver production in the Great Zhou is very small."
"Besides, the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded only thirty years ago, and the amount of silver in the private sector is extremely insufficient. Moreover, most of it is concentrated in the hands of the powerful and wealthy, leaving little in the hands of ordinary people."
"Also, whether you're buying and selling grain with silver, or exchanging it for copper coins first and then buying and selling grain, you'll encounter the price difference you just mentioned."
"This will only increase the burden on the people."
"Your husband and I are very clear about these issues. Don't worry, just listen to me and I will explain them slowly."
"Let the bullets fly for a while."
Qin Yuan paused, as if to catch his breath, and then continued, "I made silver the main currency of the Great Zhou based on comprehensive considerations."
"First of all, silver has obvious advantages. It is corrosion-resistant and easy to preserve, and its soft texture makes it easy to cut and cast."
“Although the reserves are smaller than copper, they are far greater than gold.”
“You can use broken silver as small-denomination currency, and you can use silver ingots for large-value transactions.”
"Also, at the border, our trade with the Xiongnu also uses gold and silver as currency."
"The Xiongnu also mostly used only gold, silver, and jewelry, not copper coins. This shows that on the grasslands, and even in the countries west of the grasslands, gold and silver were recognized, not copper coins."
"Besides, since Your Majesty has adopted my strategy of great voyages, it's only a matter of time before the vassal kings rush to sail to the Western Ocean. Sooner or later, copper coins will have to be replaced by silver."
"Instead of doing this, it is better to take the initiative to change."
Yan Jiaoran seemed to understand something, but quickly came to her senses.
"Husband, that's not right!"
"What's wrong?" Qin Yuan asked with a smile, as if he had already expected Yan Jiaoran's reaction.
"Even if the Great Zhou uses silver as its main currency, the stock and reserves of silver in the Great Zhou are not enough!"
After a brief recollection, Yan Jiaoran repeated Zhang Jiangling's words while thinking about them:
"The silver mines of the Great Zhou Dynasty are mainly concentrated in two locations, one in southern Zhejiang and the other in northern Fujian. They are very difficult to mine, the amount of silver produced is not high, and the quality is not very good."
"And the production is very limited. Last year, only 20,000 taels of silver were handed over."
"It's far from meeting the needs of the entire Great Zhou!"
Qin Yuan nodded, "My lady, you are right."
"As I mentioned earlier, firstly, the silver production in the Great Zhou is very small. Secondly, the Great Zhou has only been established for thirty years, and the silver reserves among the people are insufficient. It is basically concentrated in the hands of the powerful, and the common people don't have much at all."
"But at the end of the day, there's really only one problem."
"—Insufficient silver."
Yan Jiaoran couldn't help but twitch her lips when she heard that.
Isn't this the meaning of 'listening to your words is like listening to your words'?
This bastard, will he not be unable to think of a way out and start fooling people, trying to confuse himself and get away with it?
Don’t even think about it!
Today, either I admit defeat or you bow down to me!
Fight until death!
As if sensing Yan Jiaoran's murderous gaze, Qin Yuan hurriedly said, "My lady, if I tell you..."
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