Emperor Wende was very happy that the big problem of brass shortage had been solved.
The more he looked at Gu Jiu, the more he liked him.
Liu Zhao had a good eye. He was able to pick out the then unknown Gu Jiu at first sight among so many ladies.
Hahaha……
Emperor Wende laughed triumphantly.
He was the father of Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao was capable, which meant that his father was also capable. Otherwise, Liu Zhao would not have been born.
Emperor Wende stroked his beautiful beard, feeling very happy.
My daughter-in-law is very capable!
The son was just okay with it. Although sometimes he really wanted to stuff Liu Zhao back into his mother's belly and reshape him.
You have to give me some reward.
If merits are not rewarded, then the rewards and punishments are unclear and it is difficult to convince the people.
From now on, the people below will become passive and lazy and refuse to work hard.
But what kind of reward should I give?
The rewards should be more particular.
We can’t let anyone know that the idea of the mining license was proposed by Gu Jiu.
Women's interference in state affairs is likely to cause controversy.
Chang En is indeed the most trusted confidant of Emperor Wende.
He quietly reminded Emperor Wende, "Your Majesty, sweet potatoes!"
Yes, yes, sweet potato.
Last year, Gu Jiu presented sweet potatoes, and Emperor Wende promised a generous reward.
However, because it concerns the people's livelihood, the matter of sweet potatoes must be handled with caution. Therefore, Emperor Wende decided to confirm the sweet potato output with his own eyes before discussing the reward.
But later I was too busy and no one reminded me, so I forgot about it.
The sweet potatoes planted in Huangzhuang had a bumper harvest this year.
The average yield per mu reached 750 kilograms.
The yield per mu of some good farmland reached 900 jin, which was only 100 jin away from the 1,000 jin per mu that Gu Jiu had mentioned.
If the seeds continue to be improved, it is not impossible to produce 1,000 kilograms per mu.
Even in the most barren land, the sweet potato yield per mu can reach more than 500 kilograms.
This is God-sent food!
Sweet potatoes are also easy to store and can be kept until the next summer harvest.
With high-yield sweet potatoes, they can save lives when faced with natural disasters, man-made calamities, or years of famine!
Ordinary people are easily satisfied.
As long as they have enough to eat, they will not become bandits or join those ambitious people in rebellion.
It is no exaggeration to say that with sweet potatoes, this God-given food, the number of rebels among the people can be reduced by half.
Emperor Wende burst into laughter. "Hahahaha... I still remember that last year you presented me with sweet potato seeds, saying they could yield 800 catties per mu. However, you clearly underestimated the yield. This year, the imperial farm has fertile fields, and the sweet potato yield has reached 900 catties per mu. I saw it with my own eyes. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of the Imperial Household both said that if we continue to cultivate good seeds, in a few years, yielding 1,000 catties per mu will definitely be a problem."
The Minister of the Imperial Household understood the hint and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Sweet potatoes are truly a gift from heaven. Madam Zhao presented sweet potato seeds, which have become a high-yielding crop for the court. This is a great achievement."
Emperor Wende pointed at Gu Jiu and laughed, saying, "I will reward you handsomely."
Gu Jiu: "..." It's not easy. Even a stingy person like Emperor Wende is willing to give her a reward. It's so rare!
Emperor Wende was rarely generous, so what reward would he give her?
Emperor Wende asked Gu Jiu, "What reward do you want?"
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "I can't think of any reward to ask for right now. Why don't you let your father make the decision?"
She knew the rules, so how could she ask for something directly? Especially when she was in front of the stingy Emperor Wende.
If she really asked for a reward, Emperor Wende would probably be unhappy again.
For people who have a strong desire for control and love to hold grudges, sometimes a small detail or a word can make the other person hold a grudge.
Gu Jiu really didn't take the reward seriously.
Emperor Wende said cheerfully, "Since you have no idea, I will make the decision for you. Your reward will be..."
Everyone pricked up their ears, wondering what reward the stingy Emperor Wende would give to Gu Jiu.
However, Emperor Wende changed the subject, laughed heartily, and said, "I'll keep it a secret for now, and have someone deliver the reward to the palace another day!"
cut!
What a mysterious trick, it's meaningless.
Gu Jiu deeply despised Emperor Wende. His stinginess remained the same. Even if the Ministry of Revenue could balance its budget in the future, he couldn't expect Emperor Wende to be generous.
Emperor Wende also seemed a little embarrassed.
He really hadn't figured out what to reward Gu Jiu with.
If it were Liu Zhao, Emperor Wende would not be so embarrassed.
If you are my own son, not beating him is a reward.
How can I give you a proper reward? You must be joking.
"Don't worry, my eldest daughter-in-law, I will definitely give you the reward I promised you. Go back and wait for news."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "My daughter-in-law obeys your command!"
Apart from despising Emperor Wende, she really didn't care at all and left Xingqing Palace first.
The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and people a few steps away could hardly see clearly.
Qingzhu served Gu Jiu, put on a cloak, put on a hat, and held a brass hand warmer.
"Ma'am, please don't get cold."
Qingzhu grumbled, "It's snowing so heavily, it looks like it will continue for another day or two. The New Year is almost here, I wonder if it will have any impact."
Gu Jiu said, "There will definitely be some impact. Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, so this is also a good omen. It's just a minor impact, and we can overcome it."
Walking in the wind and snow is quite interesting.
Even the usually depressing palace now looked a little more pleasing.
"Madam Zhao, please wait a moment!"
Gu Jiu stopped, turned around, and laughed.
"The old ancestor has come out too. Meet the third uncle!"
Gu Zhixin, the Minister of the Imperial Household, coughed lightly and said, "The Marquis' Mansion is holding a banquet on the third day of the first lunar month. You must come if you have time. The old lady has always been thinking about you."
Gu Jiu's eyebrows curved, "I will definitely be free on the third day of the New Year. I will go to the Marquis' Mansion for a drink then. Please ask my uncle to give my regards to the old lady and the old Marquis."
Gu Zhixin laughed, "I'll definitely bring your greetings. I'm glad you can make it on the third day! You guys continue chatting, I'll be leaving first."
Gu Zhixin was very satisfied to get Gu Jiu's promise to visit the Marquis' Mansion on the third day of the first lunar month.
Knowing that the Shaofu Household Commander had something to say to Gu Jiu, he was tactful and left first.
After the people had gone far away, the Shaofu Household Commander invited Gu Jiu, "Let's leave the palace together?"
Gu Jiu nodded with a smile, "Listen to the ancestors."
The Shaofu Household Manager sighed, "I'm relying on you to save me again this time. I often wonder what I would have done without you. I'm afraid I would have been driven away long ago."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I've already said it, there's no need to be polite with me, Old Ancestor. Besides, without the strong support of Old Ancestor, the things like the South City Gate and the cement road are just castles in the air and nothing will be accomplished."
"Hahaha... then I won't be polite with you."
"That's just the way it should be!"
"But there is one thing I want to hear from you."
Gu Jiu blinked and asked with a smile, "I wonder what the ancestor wants to know?"
The Minister of the Imperial Household considered this for a moment, "Is there really no other way to suppress the private minting of coins other than increasing the number of official coins?"
Gu Jiu looked up at the sky. Heavy snow was falling. After taking a few steps, a thin layer of snow had accumulated on his body.
She smiled mischievously, "Has the ancestor ever seen a silver coin?"
"Silver coins? Could it be coins made of silver?"
Gu Jiu answered irrelevantly, "Old Ancestor, why don't you think about it first, what is the ultimate goal of the Shaofu Bank?"
The Shaofu household official frowned.
Gu Jiu waited a moment before answering for him: "The ultimate goal of the Shaofu Bank is to use gold and silver as the base currency and issue silver notes throughout the world. Silver notes will completely replace copper coins and silver. This is the ultimate goal of the Shaofu Bank's development.
Issuing large quantities of official copper coins was merely a short-term measure of monetary control. As long as the silver notes issued by the Shaofu Bank established unshakable credibility throughout the country, including in Xiliang and Beirong, how many people would still use heavy and inconvenient copper coins and silver when traveling?
Ultimately, as long as the silver notes issued by the Shaofu Bank can be freely exchanged anywhere and at any time, privately minted coins will be completely defeated and completely withdrawn from the market."
The Shaofu Household Manager opened his mouth wide and was speechless for a moment.
Snowflakes fell and floated into my mouth.
The Shaofu Household Manager took a mouthful of snow. It was white and tasteless.
He took a deep breath, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed out.
He couldn't hide his excitement. "Can silver notes really replace gold, silver, and copper coins and become accepted throughout the world?"
Gu Jiu laughed, "As long as our ancestors firmly believe, there will definitely be such a day."
The Shaofu Household Supervisor had a new question: "Once people are used to using silver notes, won't gold, silver, and copper coins become useless? What should we do then?"
Gu Jiu's expression was more serious than ever before. "Ancestor, you misunderstood. The issuance of silver notes must be based on sufficient gold and silver reserves. Without gold and silver reserves, issuing silver notes out of thin air is just hooliganism and a plunder of the assets of the common people. If you play like this, the court will be finished sooner or later.
The credit of silver notes is based on sufficient gold and silver reserves. Only with a 10,000 tael silver reserve can 20,000 taels of silver notes be issued. Only with a 10,000 tael gold reserve can 200,000 taels of silver notes be issued. Every silver note must be backed by actual gold and silver reserves. Otherwise, I think it would be better to maintain gold, silver, and copper coins as the circulating currency.
The Shaofu Household Manager immediately understood the meaning of Gu Jiu's words.
Having no gold and silver reserves and issuing silver notes indiscriminately are all hooliganism.
This move is also to prevent those in power from becoming desperate and trying all kinds of methods to issue silver bills indiscriminately, disrupting the market and bringing disaster to the people and the world.
The Shaofu Household Secretary asked again, "What will we do with all that brass if copper coins are no longer needed one day?"
Gu Jiu smiled mysteriously, "I'll find a way when the time comes!"
"What method?"
"I'm keeping it a secret for you, so please be patient and wait."
"I hope the day you mentioned will come soon! I hope I can live to see that day."
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