Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Jiang Xinghuo obviously also saw Yang Shiqi and Zhu Zhanji, but at this time in public, they were both wearing casual clothes, so it was not easy to reveal their identities.

Zhu Zhanji was smart and simply called "Sir" to resolve the brief shock and embarrassment.

Yu Qian broke away from Jiang Xinghuo's hand and ran forward, walking with Zhu Zhanji. Jiang Xinghuo also patted Yang Shiqi on the shoulder.

"Brother Shiqi also came to see the salt content of banknotes?"

"exactly."

Yang Shiqi nodded in response, but didn't say anything more.

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said, "It just so happens that I have a rest today. The four of us will have lunch together later."

Yang Shiqi instinctively wanted to refuse, but Zhu Zhanji tugged on his clothes and had no choice but to agree.

There were many government-run restaurants along the Qinhuai River, but there were also many private restaurants. Jiang Xinghuo didn't intend to be extravagant, so he found a nearby tavern and walked in.

"What are the guests eating?" The waiters in the shop are all very discerning. Seeing how well-dressed they were, they immediately came out to welcome them.

Well, according to the morals and customs of this era, it is difficult for children to even eat at the table, let alone order food. Even if Zhu Zhanji is the emperor's grandson, he is still Jiang Xinghuo's student, and he has no right to make noise in front of Jiang Xinghuo. , so the right to order naturally came to Jiang Xinghuo.

The menu was quite simple. Jiang Xinghuo flipped through it, pointed at a few of the dishes and said, "That's it, and a pot of tea."

The store clerk nodded and said, "Okay! Please wait!"

Jiang Xinghuo turned to look at Yang Shiqi. Seeing that his face was calm and he seemed to be wandering, he asked, "Brother Shiqi, what did you see today?"

"The bank is quite abiding by the rules. It's probably okay to add salt to the banknotes, but..."

"It doesn't matter."

Yang Shiqi sat upright and thought for a moment before whispering: "We need to increase efforts to add salt to the banknotes. What should we do if the actual salt price among the people drops because of this? And for these Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes recycled by the banknotes, the Ming Bank should It can't be put on the market again, right? Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be in vain, but if the Imperial Master uses this method to pay 2.1 million taels of business tax, I'm afraid the gain will outweigh the loss."

What Yang Shiqi said was not polite. In fact, this was also the common view among the government and the public. Although Jiang Xinghuo had no obligation to explain to him, seeing that Zhu Zhanji was also very curious, he patiently answered the two questions for him.

"The treasure banknotes returned with salt in the banknotes are all used to reshape the currency value of the treasure banknotes. Naturally, they are not included in the commercial tax of 2.1 million taels. This has nothing to do with the commercial tax. As for how to use this money, Daming Bank is Those who have other plans will not directly put it back into the market, but they will affect the market in another way." Jiang Xinghuo said slowly when he looked around and saw no one around.

This aroused Yang Shiqi's interest, and he asked in a low voice: "May I ask the Imperial Master, what is this other method?"

"I guess you just met that small bank."

"yes."

"In Nanjing, there are currently hundreds of legally registered banks serving a population of one million in Nanjing. These banks vary in size, but without exception, they are all supervised by Daming Bank."

Zhu Zhanji and Yu Qian were also curious. Jiang Xinghuo briefly explained the operating principles of the Ming Dynasty's financial system. It was also the only feasible financial system that Jiang Xinghuo could establish in this era.

"The bank currently has two main business dealings with Daming Bank."

"The first is the loan reserve, which is equivalent to the 'deposit' given by commercial banks to Daming Bank, that is, it is handed over to Daming Bank according to the scale of bank loans. In order to prevent financial speculation and effectively control risks, the ratio of this money is relatively High, usually 20%.”

What I want to say here is that the reason why there is no deposit reserve is because in this era, no one has the habit of depositing money. Even if there are similar financial services, they charge a lot of fees. If you deposit money with me, you will Gotta pay.

What has been developed more among the private sector is loan services, which is the usury industry in which dignitaries and dignitaries were actively involved in the past.

But Jiang Xinghuo is very clear about the consequences of this kind of thing if it is not controlled. He does not want to accompany the Ming Dynasty into the era of industrial revolution and directly cause a financial crisis. Economic development will always be accompanied by bubbles. This is absolutely It can be avoided, but it can be controlled, but it is still necessary to control it and nip it in the bud, and do not be blindly optimistic.

On the one hand, they struck hard at the underground loan shark industry with high interest rates, leading to immediate prison sentences; on the other hand, they used loan reserves to control and gradually standardize the loans of commercial banks.

"The second is the bank lending market. If loan reserves control the outflow of money in commercial banks, then the bank lending market controls the inflow of money in commercial banks. This is a trading place between Ming banks and banks. Currently, The headquarters of Da Ming Bank is open regularly every five days. Now only banks borrow money from Da Ming Bank, and the interest rate for borrowing money, that is, the lending rate, is adjusted by Da Ming Bank based on different market conditions."

In fact, the lending market is the bank's operation process. If the remittance and remittance of deposits and loans cause a temporary shortage or excess of funds, the excess can be used to make up for the deficiency, adjust the reserve, and obtain a balance of funds. Jiang Xinghuo considered what if Different banks used to lend money to each other, and occasionally they could do so privately, but establishing it in the form of a system would bring about a lot of problems. The current experience, management capabilities, and manpower of Daming Bank are not enough to deal with it, so it is simply not possible. Opening up mutual lending between commercial banks only opened up the lending market for Da Ming Bank to borrow money from banks.

This kind of lending is naturally a loan with interest on a daily basis, and its term can be as short as five days, as long as one month, and as long as three months.

Daming Bank can also relax or tighten monetary policy by adjusting lending rates, and then achieve control over the financial market.

The advantages of the financial system designed by Jiang Xinghuo for Daming are obvious.

With the existence of the central bank, the originally disorderly and primitive financial market was immediately integrated. At the same time, the wildly growing loan sharking industry was completely attacked and went underground without daring to show its face.

Businessmen who did business in the Ming Dynasty knew not to go against the government, especially under the emperor like Nanjing. How could he twist his arm past his thigh? Since you can make money legally and steadily, in fact, unless you are crazy about money or have other special reasons, almost no one engages in loan sharking anymore.

The money used by Da Ming Bank to lend money to commercial banks is actually the loan reserves deposited by commercial banks in Da Ming Bank.

I have to say that there is an advantage in the era of feudal imperial power. As long as the court issues policies and does not harm the fundamental interests of merchants, merchants are indeed very cooperative.

So is anyone paying less in loan reserves? Yes, but not much.

On the one hand, the books must be checked regularly, and on the other hand, Jin Yiwei is not a vegetarian.

Moreover, the size of the market is so large that it is all about competition. Once someone is particularly unruly, peers in commercial banks will report to each other.

Therefore, out of selfish motives, there will definitely be banks that conceal part of the loan size, but the concealment will definitely not be very large, because now the commercial bank industry has just been established and has been standardized.

"So the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes recycled by the banknotes are actually placed in the Ming Dynasty Bank and can be left alone, or they can be used as money lent to commercial banks and returned to the market?"

"good."

The dishes were gradually served, and when it was time to eat, there were more and more people in the tavern. It was not convenient for them to talk anymore, but Yang Shiqi was quite worried about eating this meal.

Yang Shiqi thought to himself: "Jiang Xinghuo's ability in financial management has been unparalleled by few people throughout the ages. This one-in and one-out plan, using the power of the court, has clearly rectified the bank industry, and it doesn't even need to be used." Spending a penny on your own actually plays a role in regulating the market. They say this person is an immortal who came to the world, but now it seems that he is really talented."

In fact, except for Xie Jin, who has reconciled with himself and completely admitted that he is not Jiang Xinghuo's opponent, the attitude of others in the cabinet towards Jiang Xinghuo is due to Yang Shiqi's complex and tangled psychology.

On the one hand, they are indeed the proud talents cultivated by the education system of this era, and they are young heroes destined to be extremely popular in the future. On the other hand, when faced with Jiang Xinghuo, who almost said "the future belongs to you" but was younger than them, he felt somewhat unconvinced.

But just being unconvinced is obviously useless.

Because Jiang Xinghuo's ability and knowledge are unmatched by any of them. This gap is not something that can be said with words, but can be seen.

If that's the case, that's it. In this world, there are always super geniuses above geniuses.

But this super genius has stood on the opposite side of them from a temple standpoint, and is constantly destroying the traditional political logic they uphold, and is profoundly transforming it in a slow, determined, and unstoppable way. Ming society.

Seeing everything around you begin to change in a direction that you don't want to change is the most despairing thing.

After eating, Yu Qian and Zhu Zhanji looked at each other.

The two of them are similar in age and have huge differences in status. There is no disagreement in the main hall on weekdays, but you have to say how compatible they are. Yu Qian has a precocious mind and finds these brats bored to death, while Zhu Zhanji is an adult. In front of me, I am well-behaved and sensible, but I have a competitive temperament among my classmates, so I don't get along very well.

Yang Shiqi coughed lightly and said, "Go back later?"

Going back, of course, is to the mansion of the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi.

But Yang Shiqi took a break from bathing today, while the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi never took a bath. Zhu Zhanji rarely came out for a walk, so naturally he was unwilling to go back.

Zhu Zhanji was stunned for a moment, and then said: "My father hasn't come back yet. It will probably take some time. Why don't you two gentlemen take you on a tour of the Qinhuai River?"

After finishing speaking, Zhu Zhanji glanced at Yang Shiqi and Jiang Xinghuo guiltily.

"That's fine."

Jiang Xinghuo currently has four errands in the Presidential Reform Affairs Office, Daming Bank, Daming Administrative College, and Daming Royal Military Academy. He doesn't have many opportunities to take a break, and it seems that Yu Qian hasn't been out to play much since he came to Nanjing. Of course, we must cherish today.

The four of them visited the Qinhuai River together, bought a lot of snacks along the way, and overcame the Ming Emperor's curse of being easily soluble in water. They rowed around Mochou Lake. The two children had a great time. Yang Shiqi seemed to be interested in Jiang Xinghuo during the conversation. There has been a certain change in attitude.

It's late autumn now, and it gets dark early, so when the sun sets, they disperse.

Zhu Zhanji was quite reluctant to leave, but he still returned to his boring home under the protection of his guards.

——————

"Father, I'm back!"

The rules in Zhu Gaochi's house are not strict, and Zhu Zhanji is Zhu Gaochi's favorite. Even if he usually speaks louder, no one will scold him for violating the rules.

The person who answered him was not Zhu Gaochi, but his imperial grandfather, Zhu Di.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi were sitting in the room when they heard a childish voice outside. He felt better and said with a smile: "Little monkey cub, do you still know to come back?"

Zhu Zhanji's lips curled up slightly and he quickly walked into the courtyard.

Although he didn't know why the emperor didn't stay in the palace and came to his home instead, he would never miss the opportunity to show off in front of the emperor.

The study room was very spacious and clean, with many books placed there. Zhu Zhanji walked straight towards the half-open door.

Zhu Di watched the door being pushed open, revealing a handsome face. This was his great grandson, which made him very happy.

Although he always gets angry when he sees his sons and wants to kick them, he still loves his grandchildren, especially Zhu Zhanji.

"Grandpa Huang, why did you come here today? My grandson hasn't seen you for several days."

Zhu Zhanji's tone was a bit coquettish, and Zhu Di couldn't help laughing. He sat on his lap, hugged Zhu Zhanji and said, "The state affairs have been busy these days, but I have kept you waiting for a long time, eh?"

"My father is like this too. Every time he promises to take me out to play, he always says he is busy..."

Zhu Zhanji calmly sent an assist.

"Yes, yes, your father is the most incompetent."

Zhu Gaochi laughed and said, "Let's go have a meal quickly, otherwise your mother will be talking about it again."

Zhu Gaochi obviously didn't want to say anything more on this issue. It was okay for children to talk, but it was not necessary for him. After all, Zhu Di must have seen his hard work. It would be a bit boring to say this to ask for credit. .

Zhu Di took Zhu Zhanji's hand and walked to the dining room. Sure enough, he saw the table full of dishes, all delicious and delicious, making people's index fingers excited.

"Your mother made it with her own hands."

"Wow, mother is so amazing!"

Zhu Zhanji was amazed, his eyes filled with exaggerated appreciation and admiration.

Zhu Di smiled, pulled him into a chair and sat down.

"Little glutton, hurry up and try the delicious food your mother prepared for you!"

Zhu Di picked up a piece of braised fish and handed it to Zhu Zhanji's mouth. The latter took a bite obediently, and a bright smile immediately broke out on his face.

Although Zhu Zhanji was young, he was handsome in appearance, lively, cheerful, sensible and filial. Zhu Di was very satisfied, so what he said to him was more favorable than others. At this time, he remembered what he had just said and asked : "Then you went out to play today?"

Logically speaking, royals should not talk while eating, but this was the early Ming Dynasty, and it was not in the palace. Like the common people, three generations of a family gathered together to have a meal, so they didn't care so much about the silence of eating.

Zhu Zhanji replied: "Yes, I visited the Qinhuai River and Mochou Lake with Mr. Jiang and Mr. Yang."

"Oh? Then you have quite a lot of face." Zhu Di said thoughtfully.

Zhu Zhanji told everything that happened during the day.

Zhu Di listened patiently. Although he was very busy, he was still more concerned about the education of future generations, especially Zhu Zhanji. Otherwise, he would not have arranged so many famous teachers for Zhu Zhanji. Zhu Di always felt that he could teach a smart person A filial grandson is a very important thing to him.

"Guoshi's bank did a good job. Not only did it not use the user's money, but it used these banks to manage the money in an orderly manner. Although I didn't go to the private market to see it in person, I heard the news. Now the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes It is no longer the almost useless paper it was a year ago, the value of the currency has gradually recovered, and people have gradually begun to use it again."

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaochi and said: "Boss, you have to learn this. You see, the Imperial Master always establishes rules and uses systems when doing things. Just like in the case of Daming Bank, as long as the rules and regulations are in place, no matter what happens in the future, Who is doing it? It’s all done in this way. This is the way to govern a country if you don’t waste things because of others. If everything depends on one person, how can it be done?”

For a moment, Zhu Gaochi couldn't figure out whether his father had a deeper meaning in referring to Jiang Xinghuo as he thought, or whether he was simply telling him that there should be rules in cabinet work.

But no matter what, Zhu Gaochi could only nod in agreement.

Seeing the boss's submissive look, Zhu Di didn't know whether he really didn't understand, or whether he understood and was pretending to be stupid. In short, he was a little angry.

Yes, Zhu Di always felt that he was angry when he saw the honest and honest eldest son, wanted to take action when he saw the stupid second eldest brother, and wanted to talk about the silent third eldest son. Only when he saw his eldest grandson, he couldn't help but beat him. Happy in heart and eyes.

"This is the first year that the imperial examination method has been implemented. Now the Chinese New Year is coming in two months. As for the Minister of Civil Affairs, you have to urge him to prepare in advance."

"The good news just came back from Annan today. Li Jinglong has captured Shenglongfu, the eastern capital, and the Hu family and his son have surrendered. Hu Yuancheng still has hundreds of thousands of troops on the Furiang River, but the overall situation should be decided now. The battle is simple. Things will be difficult after the war. You also need to tell the National Advisor about the temporary permission for cross-border salt sales between Guangdong and Guangxi. The salt affairs will be rectified and arranged together. If the wartime special order is approved, it can also be used as a permanent division. "

"In this battle, merchants transported logistics supplies by sea, and they really contributed a lot. They also sold goods to Japan, Annam, Champa and other countries to collect customs duties. They were a new source of revenue for the imperial court. Sea bans like this would do more harm than good. Waiting for Jin Yuzi After the Shenfa Temple has drafted the Heavenly Constitution Amendment Law of the Ming Dynasty, it will be officially abolished."

The meal went on without stopping. Zhu Di gave Zhu Gaochi many instructions, and Zhu Gaochi wrote them down one by one.

After eating, Zhu Di was left alone to take Zhu Zhanji for a walk to eat.

In the back garden, Zhu Zhanji was thoughtful: "Grandpa Huang, do you think I will become as powerful as Mr. Jiang when I grow up and study hard now?"

He blinked his round eyes and stared at Zhu Di seriously.

Zhu Di shook his head: "Well..."

"Grandpa Huang, tell me." Zhu Zhanji's voice rose.

Zhu Di laughed and said: "You little monkey, I'm afraid you have to work hard in this life. You have to know that no one in this world has the talent and learning of a national teacher. Such people generally only exist in legends. If you have to dig deeper, then Maybe your great-grandfather Liu Bowen, who was sincere in his days, had some similar abilities."

"Oh." Zhu Zhanji looked a little regretful.

"But you don't have to be depressed. To be an emperor, you don't need to have the most outstanding talents in the world. What an emperor needs is exactly the opposite of what a minister needs."

Zhu Zhanji raised his head: "Grandpa Huang, why is this happening?"

"Emperor Gao, Taizu of the Han Dynasty, once said: I am not as good as Zhang Liang in strategizing and winning a decisive victory thousands of miles away; I am not as good as Xiao He in controlling the country, pacifying the people, paying and providing food, and never cutting off the food supply; I am not as good as Xiao He in fighting with millions of people. We must win, we must attack, and I am not as good as Han Xin.”

"But you need to know the last sentence."

Zhu Di smiled and said: "These three are all outstanding people. I can use them. This is why I conquer the world."

"Your father can handle government affairs, your second uncle can lead troops to fight, your third uncle can do espionage, the old monk can make suggestions, and the imperial advisor can manage finances and reform laws. As an emperor, do you have to be able to handle government affairs and lead troops to fight? Do you still need to be able to master espionage and strategy, and finally be able to manage finances and make reforms? Impossible; then if your subordinates are better than you in any way, will you be jealous? It's also impossible."

Zhu Di said sincerely: "Being a good emperor does not rely on talent, but on perseverance and wisdom. Both of these are indispensable, and if you want to have both of them and carry them forward, you must make sacrifices that are difficult for ordinary people to do. Do you understand the hard work you have endured?”

Zhu Zhanji seemed to understand something. He didn't understand what perseverance and wisdom it took to be an emperor.

"For example, your great-great-grandfather. Since he came to the throne, your great-great-grandfather has been studying non-stop, reviewing memorials, and dealing with government affairs for a long time every day in order not to be deceived by the people below. A great emperor is often not a matter of a few years, but one who has to be diligent every day for more than ten years or decades. This kind of diligence is actually perseverance. Which wise emperor in history did not rely on perseverance to achieve success like this? How about firmly controlling the government?"

Although Zhu Zhanji was smart, he was obviously confused when it came to this topic. He asked in a low voice: "But Grandpa Huang is not immersed in government affairs every day like Grandpa."

"Your great grandfather, I am." Zhu Di pointed to his face, "Like your great great grandfather, but your great great grandfather, I don't have as hard a life as your great great grandfather. Although I have encountered many ups and downs along the way, but Looking at the current situation, does it seem like there is something wrong? Your Majesty, I am in good health with no illness or disaster. Apart from sleeping, eating, practicing martial arts and handling government affairs, there is nothing else to do every day. My Majesty, I will live for another thirty years. ! Do you think delegating power is not wisdom?”

Zhu Zhanji understood, but not completely.

Zhu Di didn't care whether he understood it or not. On the contrary, it was like a staged understanding and summary of his new career since he took the throne for more than a year.

"When you are an emperor, the greatest wisdom is to know clearly what to catch, what to keep an eye on, and what to let go."

Zhu Zhanji said tentatively: "So the emperor is holding on to soldiers and horses, focusing on government affairs, and letting go of finances."

"Yes."

Zhu Di praised: "Why is Liu Bang not worried about Zhang Liang who comes up with ideas, nor is he worried about Xiao He who has enough soldiers and food, but is he worried about Han Xin who has more soldiers? The reason is that Han Xin is also capable of being his emperor. Don't think that he is. It’s a joke, most of Liu Bang’s world was conquered by Han Xin, and even before the decisive battle, he was granted the title of King of Qi to stand side by side with him, the King of Han.”

"It's true that you have to spend money to fight, but from ancient times to the present, no businessman has been able to achieve success. Things in this world are not determined by money, so if you become an emperor in the future, you must also know that money is very important. It is very important to the court and to individuals, but it is by no means the most important. The most important thing is the army. Your great-grandfather seems to be immersed in government affairs all day long, but you have to know that your great-grandfather is firmly attached to the army. Damn it, he grabbed soldiers and horses with one hand and government affairs with the other, which made the Ming Dynasty as stable as Mount Tai. Hu Weiyong later seemed to have all the power and took over most of the government affairs, but in the end he was just slapped to death by your great-grandfather. , it’s because Hu Weiyong has never truly held military power, do you understand?”

Zhu Di completed his summary of the new stage of his career and felt a lot more comfortable. He took Zhu Zhanji's hand and said.

"As for you, Grandpa Huang hopes that you will be safe and prosperous and live a long life."

Zhu Zhanji showed a confident expression: "I will definitely live as long as Grandpa Huang!"

Zhu Di laughed loudly, squatted down and patted Zhu Zhanji on the shoulder: "Tomorrow morning, I will get up early and go to the palace to say hello to your grandma. Remember, my grandson is absolutely not allowed to be late. .”

Zhu Di knew that the child stayed in bed, so he said so.

Zhu Zhanji nodded heavily, showing a look of resignation: "Grandpa Huang, don't worry, your grandson will not be late."

Zhu Di touched Zhu Zhanji's head again, smiled and left, returning to the palace.

Zhu Zhanji stood there, watching Zhu Di walk away, and then sighed.

He always felt that what Grandpa Huang said was wrong, but he couldn't tell.

Under the tide of the times, many things appeared in the Ming Dynasty that were contrary to what could be judged by past historical experience. All these things seemed to be different from the distant Han Dynasty.

And in the Duke Rongguo's mansion not far away, the owner of this mansion finally returned from a long trip.

The first thing the old monk did when he came back from the north was to ask Yuan Gong for a fortune telling.

"In the ninth line of the ninth lunar month, don't use the hidden dragon, hide the front and guard the clumsy."

However, at this moment, there was obviously no earthquake, but something suddenly went wrong with the hexagram.

Yao Guangxiao frowned and said: "The hexagram is messed up. It's not the Qianlong hexagram. It will happen again."

Yuan Gong rarely saw this kind of situation, so he solemnly made another hexagram.

"Shocks are like thunder, and a gentleman uses fear to cultivate his province."

Yao Guangxiao looked at the hexagram and seemed to have some understanding: "A gentleman is always wary and trembling, and dare not be lazy; now seeing the wrath of heaven, he is afraid of the power of thunder, so he cultivates himself and examines his own mistakes. Therefore, it is said that 'a gentleman cultivates with fear' .”

"Strange, why was everything so chaotic just now?" Yuan Gong was still confused.

After hearing the news, Jiang Xinghuo couldn't find anyone anywhere. When he arrived at the quiet room, he opened the door and entered. Seeing this situation, he was surprised and asked, "What superstitious activities are you doing?"