"Money is light and things are heavy...Does that mean money will become less and less valuable?"
"Yes, whether it is copper coins or silver, we will face this situation!" said the gentleman Li Pu seriously.
The gentry did not believe this statement at first and shook their heads and chuckled.
After a while, they all stopped smiling.
After a while, everyone frowned at the same time.
Guanzhong is already poor, and if a large amount of supplies flow out, the local prices can be imagined.
"This...what should we do?" someone panicked.
"Everyone, please be patient!" The gentleman Zhao Ling, who had been silent for a while, also stood up.
Although he was very dissatisfied with Li Pu's behavior of stealing the limelight, he very much agreed with his point of view.
"I have a plan that will help you all get through this disaster and make a lot of money!"
"What is the solution?"
“Hoarding!”
"But... we can't seem to do it alone."
Zhao Ling raised his lips and said, "Don't worry. Once someone starts this kind of thing, there will be countless people who will follow suit! Especially those profiteers, they have already raised the prices and made a lot of money long before we started hoarding goods!"
"If the imperial court investigates this..." someone asked worriedly.
"What's the harm if the court finds out?" Zhao Ling snorted coldly, "We didn't force anyone to buy or sell. We just stockpiled when prices were low and sold when prices were high! If doing so is a crime, then there would be no good businessmen in the world."
Everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
After discussing this topic, they turned their attention back to the wine table.
"Come on, let's eat and chat, or the food and drinks will get cold!"
"I toast to Brother Zhao!"
"I toast to Brother Li!"
"Let's have a drink together, everyone?"
"Okay, cheers!"
After drinking for a while, someone said, "It's too boring to drink like this. How about getting some singing girls to sing?"
"Okay, find a few more dancers to dance!"
"Okay, okay, arrange it quickly."
With the help of money, geishas and dancers soon arrived at the scene.
As they clinked glasses and exchanged cups, the sound of the stringed instrument rang out alone, and the clothes fluttered in the wind.
call--
The wind was howling outside and large flakes of snow were falling from the sky.
There was singing and dancing in the house. The drunken gentry dropped their disguised modesty and touched the graceful women.
......
At the end of November, Lu Daqi, the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, received good news and bad news.
The good news is that the progress of autumn grain collection is astonishingly fast!
In just half a month, 65% of the autumn grain in the whole of Shaanxi has been harvested!
In previous years, only 20% to 30% could be harvested in the first half of the month!
The reason why this year is fast is because of the people.
They were afraid that the court would regret using copper coins to collect taxes, so they paid the taxes in full as soon as possible.
The bad news is that prices in all parts of Shaanxi have risen slightly.
Although the increase is not obvious, the signs are there and are likely to intensify.
"Someone, go and invite Lord Cao and tell him that I have something important to discuss with him!" Lu Daqi decided to drag Cao Huachun into the water.
Currency reform is not his job alone, and he cannot accomplish it alone.
The responsibility that should be shirked must be pushed, and it must be pushed without hesitation. The person who should be dragged into the water must also be dragged into the water in time, forcing the other party to help.
Behind Cao Huachun was the Ming Emperor Chongzhen.
With Cao Huachun around, he would be able to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Quarter of an hour later, Cao Huachun finally arrived.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Cao!" In order to show his importance, Lu Daqi personally went to the gate of the mansion to greet him.
Cao Huachun was an old fox in the officialdom and he knew that Lu Daqi had no good intentions when he came to him.
However, he did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he bowed deeply to Lu Daqi and followed him into the government office.
After they sat down, Lu Daqi talked about official business first: "By the middle of the twelfth lunar month at the latest, all the taxes in Shaanxi will be paid. Your Majesty's order is to have the Daming Bank exchange the collected copper coins for silver. I wonder if Lord Cao has the silver ready?"
"It's ready!" Cao Huachun patted his chest and assured: "Two million silver coins, no more, no less!"
"That's good!" Lu Daqi breathed a sigh of relief.
Taxation is the court's top priority. If you do this well, everything else will be easy. If you don't do this well, everything else will be in vain.
"There is something I need to tell Lord Cao in advance." Lu Daqi pretended to be profound.
"Master Lu, please speak!"
“Shaanxi may see another civil uprising.”
"Ah...?" Cao Huachun deliberately acted surprised.
He stood up with his eyes wide open and his mouth open, a hoarse sound coming out of his throat.
"The gentry and merchants in Shaanxi not only did not exchange the silver in their hands for silver coins, but also hoarded various materials. According to the news from various places, Shaanxi has already shown a trend of valuing materials over money." Lu Daqi began to explain: "The people don't have much money to begin with. When their money is exhausted, that will be the day of the Shaanxi uprising!"
"Oh..." Cao Huachun put away his surprised expression and responded casually.
"Lord Cao doesn't seem to care about this matter." Lu Daqi asked with a frown.
"I am just a small banker, why should I care about such things? On the contrary, Lord Lu, as the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, should prevent such things from happening."
Lu Daqi smiled faintly: "You are sent by His Majesty, and you are in charge of the local Jinyiwei. If a civil uprising occurs, none of us can escape."
Cao Huachun remained unmoved and continued to pretend to be deaf and dumb.
The two practiced Tai Chi for a while, and Cao Huachun revealed his true colors: "Da Ming Money House has exchanged 300,000 silver coins. According to the previous agreement, the money house should share 1.5 cents of profit for each silver coin. 300,000 coins is 4,500 taels. When does Lord Lu plan to pay it?"
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