It won’t be long before there’s a younger child running and playing as happily and freely as this one, right?
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, no one was watching Li Chengcheng, so he was having a lot of fun shaking the prism.
Huh? Yeah! This baby can actually turn sunlight into a rainbow! Li Chengcheng chuckled, picked up Xiaobai, who was spinning around at his feet, and gave him a big kiss.
I learned it just by secretly watching the emperor play with it once. I am so smart.
You silly cat, you can't even recognize yourself in the mirror. Li Chengcheng rubbed Xiaobai's big head hard, feeling full of superiority.
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It is almost late autumn in the north, but in the south of the Yangtze River, there are still birds singing and flowers blooming, without a trace of bleakness.
Crabs, rice wine, Dongpo pork, sweet-scented osmanthus lotus root, plus a bowl of refreshing boiled dried bean curd, Li Dan and Yan Siqi leaned against the window and drank together, feeling carefree and relaxed.
"You are getting better and better at eating." Yan Siqi couldn't help but admire him. These seemingly simple dishes were all famous in Jiangnan, and the combinations were also very exquisite.
Li Dan chuckled, took a sip of rice wine, and said, "Rice wine goes well with crab meat; the meat is even more delicious." He looked out the window and sighed, "The beautiful scenery of Jiangnan is even more captivating!"
Yan Siqi also sighed. When he was in Japan, he never dreamed that he would be in such a situation. Now, the biggest feeling he has is that he is at peace.
Making money, however, didn't seem so important anymore. It didn't matter how much, as long as I didn't lose money, I was happy. And besides, I had never lost money.
"Dongfan is such a great place!" Yan Siqi swallowed his Dongpo pork and said, "When I have some free time, I'll stay there for a while. Going into the mountains with a few good friends, hunting, and drinking around the fire is such a delight."
Li Dan chuckled and said, "I estimate that in another year, the people below will be able to hold up the main responsibility and perform their duties to the satisfaction of the emperor. By then, I will find a good place and enjoy a leisurely life."
Yan Siqi nodded and said, "We basically don't need to worry about maritime trade. However, we need to help Your Majesty with the bank we're going to open next year and the change of currency from the liang tael to the yuan."
Transporting grain to Liaojitai, selling mirrors, silk, porcelain, sugar, and tea in Japan, and then buying back copper and saltpeter, is both profitable and a sign of the emperor's will.
Li Dan and Yan Siqi don't have to do all these things themselves, they can just leave it to Li Guozhu, Yang Tiansheng and others.
Li Dan sipped his rice wine gently and said slowly, "Your Majesty has little regard for Jiangnan merchants. He opened a bank and issued silver coins primarily to guard against them. I don't think he's overly concerned."
"The thing Your Majesty is worried about—" Yan Siqi scratched his head, then remembered the new term and said, "A bank run is unlikely. But we still want to be prepared for the worst."
Looking at Li Dan, Yan Siqi said, "If we pool the financial resources of the maritime merchants and mint more silver coins, can the merchants from Jiangnan still compete with us?"
It would be difficult to calculate the exact amount of silver available to ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty simply by looking at the amount circulating in the market, as the practice of individuals hoarding gold, silver, and even copper coins was a deeply ingrained custom.
If the bank's credibility is really to be damaged, the Jiangnan merchants will spend huge sums of money to exchange silver and silver coins, which is indeed a move that must be guarded against.
Li Dan nodded with a smile and said, "So, you and I should write to His Majesty, requesting that a mint be built in Shanghai or Nanjing to save on round-trip transportation costs. This way, we will be able to gain more support from the maritime merchants."
Yan Siqi agreed and said, "This request is reasonable and for the good of the court. Your Majesty will probably agree."
Li Dan raised his glass to toast each other, and the two glasses clinked together, representing that a consensus had been reached.
After drinking and eating meat, the relationship between the two seemed much closer and more harmonious.
"And the Dutch," Li Dan reminded Yan Siqi. "Your Majesty is deeply disgusted and somewhat wary of them. But if the Dutch dare to threaten you with force, Your Majesty will definitely go to war with them."
Yan Siqi stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, "We've already agreed to trade, but the Dutch are still not satisfied?"
"Satisfied?" Li Dan shook his head and said, "More than a decade ago, they occupied Penghu not just for trade, but to establish a foothold in the East China Sea like the Portuguese. This is different from establishing a trading post."
"Stationing troops and mooring ships? This is truly unacceptable." Yan Siqi narrowed his eyes and laughed heartily. "With only a dozen ships and a few thousand soldiers, how dare the Red Haired Barbarians go to war with the Ming Dynasty?"
Li Dan didn't smile. His expression was quite serious. He said in a deep voice, "You just said we should be prepared for any eventuality. The red-haired barbarians may have fewer ships and fewer soldiers, but we can't underestimate them."
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