Rule over Ming Dynasty

After the Lantern Festival, the flavor of the New Year has obviously faded away.

However, the issuance of national bonds is still continuing, and it is also the most important thing for the Ming Dynasty at present.

The subscription by the officials of the Liubu Yamen set a good example. Later, Mrs. Gaoming and other upper-level people followed suit, and the total subscription number of national debt easily exceeded the [-] mark in one fell swoop.

Gold and silver are still in short supply during the Ming Dynasty. Overseas gold and silver have not poured into China on a large scale, so the overall amount of gold and silver is far less exaggerated than that of the later dynasties.

Nowadays, the government bonds issued by the imperial court have raised 100 million silver in such a short period of time, which is already a very good result, and can even be said to be half of the success.

Of course, in this booming fundraising event, there were also some unharmonious factors.

Although officials in the Ming Dynasty were afraid of redundancy, the Xunqi group was responsible for the iron rice bowl, so they had the capital not to buy it. This time, the Xunqi group was not active in this subscription wave.

Through layer upon layer of marriages, the nobles and relatives have become a Wuhun group. After Duke Ding was demoted and Duke Cheng went crazy, even if the British Duke Zhang Mao is dismissed from his post at home, he is still the leader of the entire Beijing Wuhun group. Leader.

"The storm overseas is so big. No one knows what changes will happen this year. We should keep the money in our own hands!" Zhang Mao also expressed his views after convening a group of relatives.

Seeing Zhang Mao's statement and adhering to the agreement of advancing and retreating together, Wu'anhou and other nobles decided not to participate in the national debt subscription, leaving Zhu Youtang to worry about the national debt.

After Zhang Ming sent the people away, he looked worried and said: "Dad, the emperor now only wants to raise funds through national debts. Isn't it appropriate for us to do this?"

"Is there any law that stipulates that Wu Xun must subscribe to national bonds?" Zhang Mao frowned slightly, as if he was not afraid of hot water.

Zhang Ming knew it was definitely not the case, but he also realized that his father's position had changed: "Although it is not the case, I am worried that the one in the palace will resent our British government!"

"Our British government has fallen into this situation. Isn't it resentful enough? I heard that Concubine Shao wants to arrange a marriage for Prince Xing. Please think about this matter and see which girl is suitable!" Zhang Mao glanced at himself son, and then the conversation changed to something more serious.

Zhang Ming vaguely felt that there might be big changes this year, so he immediately raised his hands in a polite manner and said: "My child takes orders!"

"Go! If you have nothing to do on weekdays, go to Prince Xing's Mansion for a walk!" Zhang Mao closed his eyes slightly and raised his hand gently.

He originally planned to listen to music for the rest of his life, but his grandson Zhang Lun was in danger on the way to Luzon, and there has been no news from the personnel sent out, which made him full of resentment.

If the emperor hadn't pushed for the opening of the sea, if the emperor hadn't insisted on digging for gold overseas, how could his grandson have suffered such an accident this time?

That's why, although he knew he couldn't express his resentment, he didn't intend to actively participate in the subscription, and even silently prepared to do something.

Zhang Ming's premonition of big changes this year became stronger. After respectfully handing over his hand, he turned around and prepared to go directly to Prince Xing's Mansion.

Under the call of British Prime Minister Zhang Mao, relatives in the capital were not enthusiastic about subscribing to national debt, which made the subscription of national debt seem to have rolled up to a high mountain.

"It seems that the funds for gold mining in Luzon will have to come from other places!"

"What else can we do now? I think the court is probably going to raise taxes!"

"In fact, it is understandable to raise taxes. Taxes are too low and are not conducive to young people's struggle!"

……

Faced with a decline in the tide of government bond subscriptions, many people expected that the Ministry of Accounts could only sell 15 government bonds at most, and the court would eventually choose to raise taxes on the people.

Just when everyone was feeling depressed, something unexpected happened.

"The Ministry of Finance just revealed that there are only the last 14 pieces left!"

"What? How is this possible? Why are there suddenly more than half a million missing?!"

"It is said that a huge order suddenly appeared, and [-] orders were taken at once!"

……

Just when everyone thought that the subscription of national debt had reached a bottleneck, Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared and spent a total of 50 taels in one fell swoop.

In fact, there have always been hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the capital, and many families were already extremely wealthy when the Ming Dynasty was founded.After so many years of lending, his wealth has continued to grow.

There are more people in the capital who can get 50 taels at once than they can count on both hands. Some big families have wealth far beyond imagination, and can even directly solve the national debt of 300 million taels by themselves.

Just being able to show it is one thing, but since ancient times there has been a warning about "don't reveal your wealth."

Now openly revealing one's wealth will not only become the target of today's Holy Emperor, but will also become a stepping stone for Ke Dao Dialect Officer to rise to the top.

Just like this, when they learned that someone had received 50 taels, everyone was not shocked by his financial resources, but rather surprised by this person's irrational behavior.

"Who?"

"you guess!"

"not……"

"you guessed right!"

"...I haven't guessed yet!"

A large subscriber of 50 taels appeared. Although the people at the bottom did not know it, it soon became an open secret among the upper levels.

However, after learning about the person who subscribed for 50 taels, many people sighed.

In the north of the city, in front of the Royal Cloth Store, several carts slowly stopped at the door.

"Shopkeeper Sun, the goods have arrived!"

"Here we come! Quickly notify the accounting office to count and put it into storage!"

Liu Ying has the arrogance of a thirteenth mother. Nowadays, more and more women are working with her in weaving, and she has even recruited a group of apprentices, so that her team is getting bigger and bigger.

Now we can only hire people to push carts to collect the woven cotton from door to door, and then escort the carts to deliver the cotton here, and finally complete this checkout.

Shopkeeper Sun had more and more dealings with Liu Ying, and he liked this woman who was serious about her work, so he asked the waiter to notify the accountant and arrange manpower to unload the goods.

Shopkeeper Li from the Royal Bank next door had just put a noble lady on a sedan chair and left. He came over to bask in the sun with shopkeeper Sun and said, "I thought I had subscribed for a lot of the bejeweled Mrs. Gaoming just now, but in the end I only got three treasury bonds! "

"So you can't judge people by their appearance. Maybe the next person is wearing cotton clothes and ends up subscribing for [-] tickets at once!" Shopkeeper Sun directed his men to carry cotton cloth and also had a chat with Shopkeeper Li.

"Shopkeeper Li, my little girl Liu Ying, may I excuse you!" Liu Ying, who was about to enter the store, noticed the lack of communication here and said politely.

Shopkeeper Li hid his hands in his sleeves. He looked up at the energetic woman in front of him and said, "I know you! When I first came here, I heard shopkeeper Sun say that you are capable. What's the matter?"

"You just mentioned the national debt. I wonder if we ordinary people can subscribe to it?" Liu Ying has been hearing other people talking about the national debt for a while, and she can't help but be a little more curious.

Shopkeeper Li was slightly startled at first, then nodded seriously: "Of course you can, there is no distinction between high and low in subscribing to national bonds! It's just that one national bond is equivalent to ten taels of silver, and if it is converted into cloth notes, it also costs three cloth notes. This is not cheap. !”

"Ten taels is indeed a lot. How do you calculate the expiration date?" Liu Ying nodded in agreement, but continued to inquire.

Shopkeeper Li is a warm-hearted person, and he explained: "One cent interest! If you spend 11 taels of silver to subscribe for a national bond now, it will be [-] taels by this time next year. If you spend ten cloth coupons, next year this time At that time, it was just eleven cloth tickets, which is much more cost-effective than keeping it at home." "I understand this. If we subscribe now, will we get a voucher or a national bond note?" Liu Ying was still a little confused, so she asked His own doubts.

Shopkeeper Li knew that the woman in front of him must be someone who knew about national debt, so he smiled and explained: "If you subscribe for more than ten bills, you can register it at the Royal Bank. If you lose the receipt, you can also withdraw it in person at the Royal Bank. If there are less than ten, you can only get bearer treasury bonds, and you will be given the same type of treasury bonds, and our bank will recognize the votes but not the person."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Li, for informing me!" Liu Ying realized that this was similar to the situation of handing out tickets, so she thanked him immediately.

Shopkeeper Li watched Liu Ying turn and leave, shook her head gently and sighed: "This woman seems to want to share the country's worries, but it is difficult for ordinary people to get [-] taels of silver for a national debt! "

"Since His Majesty came to the throne, not only has he never raised taxes, but he has also reduced taxes for the people in disguise by clearing the land. He has also lowered the prices of salt and cotton. Nowadays, many people grow cotton and make some money. You don't have to just focus on it. Just like the dignitaries above, ordinary people may not be able to subscribe for a national bond!" Shopkeeper Sun came from an out-and-out lower-class background and seemed to be very serious in his warning.

He comes from a down-to-earth background, but he knows that ordinary people have always been willing to break a copper plate in half and have always had a tradition of saving.

Now that we have met a good monarch who is rare in a century, it not only reduces the people's expenses, but also increases their income, causing many people to save a little money one after another.

That's why the hard-working people are actually potential customers now. They may not be unable to contribute to the court and are tied to the country's interests in mining the Luzon gold mines.

"People who have a lot of money only spend money to subscribe for one or two national bonds. How can ordinary people spend their money to subscribe? Don't be kidding me!" Shopkeeper Li looked at the sedan that had disappeared and looked disapproving.

But at this time, Liu Ying came back: "Shopkeeper Li, I just discussed with my sisters, and the cloth tickets and cash on me are only enough to subscribe for ten tickets, so please give us ten tickets first, and we will try again in the afternoon. Come and subscribe!”

"Ten?" Shopkeeper Li suddenly stared in disbelief when he heard this amount.

Shopkeeper Sun watched this scene from the side, with a smile on his lips. He already knew all this.

Thanks to the good policies of the imperial court, although these weaver girls have been working day and night, they have also made a lot of money. It is more than enough for each of them to subscribe for one national bond.

Liu Ying was stunned and asked nervously: "Didn't you just say that ordinary people can subscribe? Is ten too many?"

"No, not much, you have to subscribe... Haha, a few of you, please come in!" Shopkeeper Li recovered from the shock, and then put on a smile to greet the guests.

Liu Ying's face looked a little embarrassed. She asked Shopkeeper Li to wait for a moment, and then turned to look at Shopkeeper Sun who was watching the show next to her.

By this time, the number had been counted.

Shopkeeper Sun settled the account very happily and then handed the money to Liu Ying.

Liu Ying took a few women to the Royal Bank next door, and gave the money she had to shopkeeper Li, and finally exchanged it for ten exquisitely designed treasury bonds.

"This is a national debt bill. It's so beautifully painted!"

"Not only is it beautiful, this ticket also has a fragrance!"

"Okay, keep them all well, and you'll have one or two more next year!"

"I just heard that it might be possible to convert it into gold when it expires next year, so wouldn't I be able to get a gold bracelet?"

"People have already emphasized that the gold mine needs to be mined smoothly and enough gold is brought back, otherwise the gold will not be redeemed!"

……

After Liu Ying came out of it, she distributed the corresponding national debts to her companions, but when faced with her companions' fantasies, she was forcefully dragged back to reality.

The Royal Cloth Shop provided them with a livelihood, and now the Royal Bank allowed them to enjoy interest and even exchange for gold, making them feel like they were dreaming.

"I looked at the gold ore that the young master brought back from a distance. They are really beautiful!"

"I also saw it that day. If I could have a piece of gold ore, I would be willing to die!"

"The gold mine has been found. The imperial court only needs to build bridges and pave roads to mine gold. I believe the imperial court will transport the gold back before the end of the year!"

"I really hope that one year will come soon. I don't want anything else. I want gold from Luzon. Then I will give my daughter a pair of gold locks!!"

……

These women all have a kind of innocence and looseness, but they believe that the court's gold mining will be smooth sailing. They have begun to think about gold, and even hope that the time will come soon.

Liu Ying shook her head gently, but she also had expectations in her heart.

There are no secrets among women, let alone gold. This matter quickly spread throughout the circle of female weavers, and these women flocked to the place as if they heard about the price reduction of goods.

"I subscribe for one!"

"I subscribe for one!"

"I subscribe for two!"

……

In the afternoon, Royal Bank became a hot-shopping place for women. A group of women surrounded the entire store, and the women who got the national debt screamed with excitement.

Although shopkeeper Sun had known that these weaver girls had some savings, when he saw such a crazy scene at the entrance of the Royal Cloth Store, the corner of his mouth could not help but twitch violently several times.

That night, the exhausted shopkeeper Li conducted an inventory and found that a total of two thousand copies were sold today.

But things were not over yet. Although the number of female weavers dropped sharply on the second day, ordinary people ushered in a rush to buy.

"I subscribe for one!"

"I subscribe for one!"

"I subscribe for two!"

……

Although ordinary people subscribed in small amounts, their base was too large to support them. Thousands of copies were sold in just one morning. This sales speed was terrifying.

Facing the endless stream of people, Shopkeeper Li finally couldn't help but ask one of the people: "You... aren't you worried that the court will not honor its obligations?"

In fact, his family's financial situation is pretty good, and he has a few hundred taels of silver in his family, but this time he only dared to subscribe for two, and he slept very poorly that day.

"Which traitor dares to interfere with this?" Faced with Shopkeeper Li's question, Old Man Li immediately blew his beard and asked.

Before Shopkeeper Li could answer, an old man behind him echoed: "Yes, if any treacherous official dares to make such a suggestion, the emperor will definitely chop off his head!"

This……

Shopkeeper Li discovered that these people were not worried about the same thing as him. He had been worried about the emperor's breach of contract from beginning to end, while these people focused on the civil and military ministers and never seemed to worry that the emperor would change his mind. generally.

Perhaps, before everyone knew it, the emperor had already walked out of the hearts of ordinary people, so that the people now did not doubt that the emperor would breach the contract.

With an emperor who loves his people so much and people who support him so much, why can't the Ming Dynasty worry about being on top of the world? (End of chapter)