"What do you mean? Where do the leeks come from? How to cut them? What to use to cut them?" After Cao Huachun said the three words 'cut leeks', Lu Daqi asked hurriedly.
(Leeks have been a native crop since ancient times, not an imported product.)
Cao Huachun did not answer, but asked: "Excuse me, Lord Lu, when will the leeks be harvested?"
"Of course, we should cut the chives when they are growing vigorously!"
"What if leeks are money? Who has more leeks?" Cao Huachun continued to ask.
"Gentlemen and merchants...?"
"What else?"
"The imperial court wants to plunder their property?" Lu Daqi asked cautiously.
"No, there has never been such a thing!" Cao Huachun corrected him, "It is the imperial court that is going to implement currency reform. Those who support the imperial court will not suffer any loss in property. Those who oppose the imperial court will suffer heavy losses."
“That’s why we say ‘cutting leeks’!”
So that's what happened...
Lu Daqi quickly accepted the idea of cutting leeks.
"Lord Cao, would you mind telling me His Majesty's specific strategy?" Lu Daqi asked after taking a sip of tea.
"Wait!" Cao Huachun answered neatly.
"You've said you've waited many times. What are you waiting for this time?"
"Wait for the reaction of the gentry and merchants!"
"They have already responded. According to the feedback from the Jinyiwei, the gentry and merchants in various parts of Shaanxi are trying to cope with all kinds of changes by remaining unchanged!" Lu Daqi put down his teacup and stood up. "They can afford to wait, but I can't!"
"Don't worry, Lord Lu. They will lose their composure when the time comes!" Cao Huachun said firmly.
"What if it's not chaotic?" Lu Daqi asked in a muffled voice.
"Oh," Cao Huachun sneered, "Unless all the Jinyiwei in Shaanxi are dead, they will definitely cause chaos."
“When did the chaos start?”
"When taxes are collected, that's when they start to lose their composure!"
Lu Daqi had no choice but to believe Cao Huachun's words for the time being.
Time quickly came to mid-November.
As local government warehouses opened to collect grain, the whole of Shaanxi was busy.
In the city of Xi'an.
The county government offices of Chang'an and Xianning were filled with people waiting to pay taxes.
During the Ming Dynasty, the administrative centers of Chang'an County and Xianning County were both located in the city of Xi'an. (If this is wrong, please leave a message to correct it.)
That’s not all.
The Shaanxi Provincial Administration Office and the Xi'an Prefecture Office are also here, forming a situation where the province, prefecture and county are governed in the same city.
Outside the Chang'an County Government Office, Lu Daqi, dressed in casual clothes, stood in the crowd with a group of people watching the excitement.
A group of runners shouted to the people and the tax collectors, "Those who pay taxes with silver, come to the left, and those who pay taxes with copper coins, come to the right. One tael of silver is equivalent to one thousand coins, so don't make a mistake."
After a while, the messengers shouted again: "Since no one is paying taxes with silver, those on the left should stop waiting foolishly and come to the right to help!"
After watching for a while, Lu Daqi ordered the people around him: "Go to several nearby banks and ask what the exchange rate of silver and copper is."
"Yes, sir."
Two figures flashed and disappeared into the crowd.
Soon, a messenger replied: "I have inquired about two money houses. They both have the same exchange rate. One tael of silver can be exchanged for 1,050 coins."
"How about exchanging copper coins for silver?"
"Not for now."
Another messenger came back and reported: "I inquired about two money houses. One of them can exchange one tael of silver for 1,040 coins, while the other can only exchange one tael of silver for 1,030 coins."
"How about exchanging copper coins for silver?"
“I can’t change it for now.”
Lu Daqi nodded and said, "Check again in an hour."
An hour later, news came: one tael of silver could only be exchanged for a thousand or so coins.
Lu Daqi was stunned.
The speed at which copper coins appreciated far exceeded his imagination.
In fact, it’s not Lu Daqi’s fault that he doesn’t dare to think about it, but he himself is limited by the times.
First of all, after Chongzhen announced that copper coins could be used to pay taxes, the advantage of silver in the minds of the people was greatly reduced.
Silver can be used to pay taxes, and copper coins can also be used to pay taxes. Why is silver more expensive than copper?
Secondly, the number of copper coins minted in the Ming Dynasty was not large, and after the people paid taxes, there would be a short-term copper coin shortage in the local area.
To put it bluntly, the amount of copper coins in circulation suddenly decreased, resulting in a shortage of copper coins.
Before silver coins were issued, people could break silver into pieces and get change.
Not possible now, only copper coins can be used for change.
As one thing increased while another decreased, the demand for copper coins among the people increased greatly.
After hearing the news, Lu Daqi took his men back to the Xi'an government office to wait for more news.
In a house in the city, Cao Huachun was resting with his eyes closed.
Thump thump, the sound of footsteps could be heard.
After the door opened, a Jinyiwei in plain clothes walked in: "Sir Cao, there is news from the South City that the five officials from the Li Mansion, Zhao Mansion, Zhang Mansion, Liu Mansion, and He Mansion have taken sedan chairs to Zuixianju."
Just as he finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the door again.
The Jinyiwei who came in reported: "Sir Cao, the news came from the South City that the three officials from the Chen Mansion, Yang Mansion, and Huang Mansion took a sedan chair to Zuixianju. There they met the Jinyiwei from the North City who were responsible for monitoring the Li Mansion, Zhao Mansion, etc."
"Yeah!" Cao Huachun nodded slightly.
These eight people are famous gentry in Xi'an. Not only are they famous, but they also have considerable wealth in their mansions.
They united to fight the New Deal.
"Are there any people we can find in Zuixianju?" asked Cao Huachun.
"Yes, but they had servants patrolling outside the door, so our people had no chance to eavesdrop."
"It doesn't matter," Cao Huachun smiled, "This move already shows that they are in disarray."
"What do you think they will do next?"
"It's hard to say, but the essence remains the same. No matter what they do, their goal is to prevent their family property from shrinking!"
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