bank?
Li Shimin was stunned when he heard this, and wondered why they didn't call them the Gold Shop and the Copper Shop.
It's important to know that copper was the primary currency in circulation during the Tang Dynasty.
Furthermore, gold is far more valuable than silver, so wouldn't it be more impressive to use gold in a shop?
What is not widely known is that silver flowed into China on a large scale during the Ming Dynasty. Before the Ming Dynasty, silver was a scarce commodity in China and could not be used as legal tender.
It wasn't until the Ming Dynasty's Age of Exploration, with its large influx of foreign silver, that silver became the dominant form of currency.
Therefore, financial institutions in later generations were collectively referred to as banks.
Li Jue was completely unaware of Li Shimin's ulterior motives and remained engrossed in his own self-indulgence, continuing to explain the functions of the bank to Li Shimin.
In fact, it was during the search and confiscation of Zhaoguo Temple that Li Jue discovered that Zhaoguo Temple already possessed the rudiments of an ancient bank, which gave rise to the idea of establishing a bank in the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin listened for a long time, but still felt that the matter was of great importance and dared not act rashly. He immediately passed the question on to his ministers for extensive discussion.
Changsun Wuji was the first to see the value of banks. He was one of the most brilliant financial geniuses in the Tang Dynasty, so he naturally knew the importance of banks in the future development of society.
He was very unhappy because he had just been scolded by Li Shimin, so he kept quiet.
Comparatively, Ma Zhou and his group were a bit slower, but they also quickly discovered the bank's problems.
"Your Highness, you just said that merchants only need a piece of paper to withdraw money elsewhere. I would like to ask you, how is this piece of paper protected against counterfeiting? How can you guarantee that it cannot be forged?"
"Also, what kind of documents are needed for depositing money? Can anyone deposit or withdraw money?"
"Wouldn't this make bribery and accepting bribes much easier? You wouldn't need to carry large amounts of cash like you do now; you could just carry a piece of paper?"
Finally, how is the depositors' information processed?
"If officials' bank accounts can be checked at any time, wouldn't that make everyone in the Tang Dynasty feel insecure and afraid to deposit their money in banks?"
Ma Zhou truly lived up to his reputation as a renowned prime minister during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, discovering numerous flaws in the banking system in such a short time.
Li Jue had absolute confidence in the anti-counterfeiting features of banknotes. As long as he wanted to research them, he could always find paper and ink that the Tang Dynasty people could not imitate.
However, he didn't actually have any good solutions to the latter two questions raised by Ma Zhou.
After all, nothing is without its drawbacks; the existence of banks has indeed fostered corruption. But then again, the absence of banks hasn't stopped people from being greedy.
As for the last point, it touched upon Li Jue's blind spot in knowledge.
After all, in the dynasty he lived in, personal information was leaked like a sieve, so who really cared about the information security of ordinary people?
"this……"
"Lord Ma, let's brainstorm together..."
Seeing this, Li Shimin suddenly smiled. He never expected that the clever and cunning Li Jue would also have a day when he was at a disadvantage.
"Ma Zhou, think it over carefully again. What else is wrong with this matter? Submit a report to me tomorrow!"
"promise!"
"You should all go back and think carefully about what problems my grandson's bank proposal has. We'll discuss it again in three days!"
"promise!"
The crowd quickly withdrew, leaving only Li Jue and Li Er staring at each other in the vast hall.
"You got what you deserved, didn't you?"
"hey-hey!"
"Let me tell you, my court is full of talented people, many of whom are smarter and stronger than you!"
Li Jue truly learned a lesson this time. His pride in his knowledge of later generations was completely outmatched in the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, many things were not things that the ancients couldn't think of, but rather things they didn't have the opportunity to use.
If the Tang Dynasty needed a bank, it would have invented one long ago.
Zhaoguo Temple is a perfect example!
"Grandpa, banks are indeed very necessary. If managed well, they can not only promote the commercial prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, but also generate a great deal of money for the royal family!"
Li Shimin frowned slightly upon hearing this, as he had always disliked Li Jue's excessive pursuit of money.
"Grandson, we are the emperor!"
"The most important thing for an emperor is to control the power over the world. As long as you have power, it is very easy to acquire wealth!"
"Don't put the cart before the horse!"
Li Jue nodded upon hearing this.
"yes!"
"Your grandson will gladly accept your instruction!"
While the two were chatting, Liu Rengui suddenly barged in.
"Your Highness, we have found the person you are looking for!"
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue immediately abandoned Li Er and ran out, leaving Li Er with a wry smile.
That's just how that kid is; he gets upset whenever you criticize him.
"What did you say? That person has been found?"
"Your Highness, you drew the portrait based on the pharmacy clerk's drawing!"
"A Goguryeo person?"
"yes!"
"Take me to see him...no, bring him here to see me!"
"promise!"
Before long, Xiong Tong of Goguryeo was brought to the Hundred Cavalry Commandery, along with a corpse.
"Your Highness, Xiong Feng resisted arrest and was killed. We only captured his younger brother, Xiong Tong!"
"Xiong Tong?"
"What a strange name!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui stepped forward and said.
"Your Highness, who knows what their names are? Xiong Tong is just a transliteration by this humble servant..."
Li Jue nodded upon hearing this.
"Well translated!"
"By the way, can he understand Tang language?"
"Your Highness, he should be able to understand a little bit!"
"Then ask him what he came to the Tang Dynasty for, why he wanted to buy arsenic, and whether he knows the two farmers who died tragically in Chang'an County!"
"promise!"
Liu Rengui interrogated Xiong Tong on the spot outside the main hall and took drastic measures against him.
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