Chapter 181 He Expected It Again
Inside the Fengning Palace, the two were playing chess again.
"Today in the imperial court, someone once again submitted a memorial accusing Prince Heng, Qin Mo."
"Oh! What is the matter that Prince Heng has been accused of? Has His Majesty made a ruling?"
Wang Yushi knelt on one side of the chessboard, reaching out to place a piece. Both her emotions and her movements exuded composure.
"The coins minted by the officials have flowed into the interior of the Great Xia, causing the market value of officially minted copper coins to plummet, and the people are suffering terribly." Emperor Zhaowu spoke as he placed his chess pieces, his composure as profound as a deep well.
"I...have seen those copper coins before. The saintly figure on the north side is very beautiful. Saint Luna has been missing for more than ten years. His Highness Prince Heng misses his mother dearly and minted coins to commemorate her. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"I have also seen those copper coins. They are exquisitely crafted and completely different from the privately minted coins of the past. If the people are allowed to exchange them, it may cause the official copper coins to lose their prestige."
"I'm afraid the Prince of Changle will lose his prestige! What are his intentions in clinging to the mint?"
Princes were allowed to mint their own coins, but most of the copper mines in the Great Xia Dynasty were controlled by the Royal Mint. When the royal family granted fiefdoms, any region that might have copper mines would not be granted. Moreover, the Royal Mint's technology was always at the forefront of the world, so while there were princes in history who minted coins, they all ended up losing their entire dynasty as a memento.
Qin Mo's machine-made copper coins were completely legal, but their designs were too beautiful, catching the mint off guard. They had no choice but to use their influence in the imperial court to preemptively curb the influx of copper coins from high-ranking officials.
"Although the Mint is not under our control, it is a real royal property, only jointly managed by several elders. This is an ancestral rule, so Yu Shi, don't talk nonsense."
Currency is of paramount importance to a country. In the history of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were several major upheavals caused by currency. In order to amass wealth, the emperors drastically reduced the copper content of copper coins, and some even directly replaced copper coins with iron coins, which aroused great dissatisfaction among the people.
After deliberation, the royal family reached an agreement that the emperor would not directly interfere with the mint, but rather that a highly respected person appointed by the royal family would jointly manage the mint, with both parties supervising each other and ensuring that no one would use counterfeit coins for personal gain. The current head of the mint is Prince Qin Jian of Chang Le.
"Your Majesty's words are inappropriate. It is true that there are ancestral rules, but it is customary for senior officials to retire whenever a new emperor ascends the throne. Qin Jian has been in charge of the mint for nearly sixty years and has made enough money. Changing the ratio of copper to lead from seven parts to three parts to six parts to four parts, does he really think everyone else is a fool?"
Wang Yushi spoke excitedly, and when she placed her piece, her movements were a bit too large. A corner of her slender foot, which was covered by her bright red Hanfu, was revealed, and her red socks were as bright as blood, catching Emperor Zhaowu's eye.
Emperor Zhaowu's heart skipped a beat, a rare occurrence. His hand, holding a chess piece, froze in mid-air, as if he could hardly believe his own unusual behavior.
After a long while, the chess piece was placed, and Emperor Zhaowu once again became as steady as a mountain. His heart did skip a beat, but it was only a skipped beat.
"Although the Imperial Uncle is known as 'Chang Le', he is extremely determined. If the copper coins minted by Prince Heng really appear in large quantities in the Great Xia, I'm afraid... something bad will happen."
Emperor Zhaowu casually placed his chess pieces, completely ignoring the precarious situation his black pieces were in. He had no interest in the game; he was simply waiting, waiting for Wang Yushi to make her move.
Emperor Zhaowu had known Wang Yushi for many years and understood this resilient girl very well. The more he suppressed her, the stronger her resistance would be. Now that Qin Mo was an important business partner of Wang Yushi, she would never tolerate it.
"Since Your Majesty feels that Prince Heng's actions are inappropriate, just issue an edict ordering him not to mint coins."
Emperor Zhaowu paused for a moment before continuing to place the black pieces in his hand. He had clearly not expected Wang Yushi to respond in this way, rendering his prepared words of advice useless.
“The Prince of Heng’s minting of coins does not violate the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, so I cannot issue an imperial decree. However, I cannot harm the harmony of the royal family. The Empress has business dealings with the Prince of Heng. Could we discuss with him a solution that satisfies both sides?”
Wang Yushi's moves were once again calm and composed, gradually decimating Emperor Zhaowu's black pieces until Emperor Zhaowu had no choice but to concede defeat. Only then did she say, "Your Majesty may issue a decree that privately minted coins may only be collected and not bought, sold, or circulated."
"There are still quite a few privately minted coins left over from past dynasties. If I were to issue this decree, I'm afraid it would cause controversy." Emperor Zhaowu shook his head, still feeling it was inappropriate.
"Then I'll write a letter to that prince, instructing him to use the coins he mints for spending in foreign lands like Japan and Korea, and never bring them to the mainland, shall I?" Wang Yushi raised her eyebrows, finally transforming them into those spirited phoenix eyes.
"Oh! That's a good idea. The Queen is indeed extremely clever."
Emperor Zhaowu, seemingly oblivious to the dissatisfaction in Danfengyan's words, smiled and nodded in agreement, quite pleased.
"What should be done if those foreign merchants bring Da Yuan copper coins into Great Xia?"
"That has nothing to do with Prince Heng. The Great Xia Dynasty is a superior nation, a land of propriety and etiquette. As for foreign countries, I will pardon them!"
Emperor Zhaowu waved his hand magnanimously, stood up, and walked briskly out of the hall. Today he lost the game of chess, but won against Qin Mo. Wang Yushi was forced to withdraw the copper coins from the Great Xia mainland according to her own wishes.
Wang Yushi watched Emperor Zhaowu's retreating figure, her teeth itching as she cursed, "You guessed it again! Such a talented man, yet you didn't come to help me. How hateful... how infuriating!"
The copper coins of the Great Xia Dynasty held a status in the surrounding countries that Emperor Zhaowu could not have imagined. In short, the copper coins of the Great Xia Dynasty were the universal currency and hard currency throughout the East. Many wealthy people from foreign countries would accumulate some copper coins of the Great Xia Dynasty to reflect their rich status.
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