novelhk Page 2520
Page 2520
The government forced merchants to borrow money; if you had any money, you had to lend it, or you could forget about doing business in the electronics industry.
Moreover, the more money you have, the more the government will pressure you to borrow money, because you are sure you have the ability to repay.
The government of the previous dynasty lent money at exorbitant interest rates, so why can't we merchants do the same now?
"What's the noise?"
An official rushed in, knocking on each cell and shouting, "As long as the loan amount isn't particularly large, we won't confiscate your property or exile you."
"A fine of three to ten times the amount of the loan as stated in the contract will be imposed."
"You lenders are all big and powerful, yet you can't even afford this small fine?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crying and screaming grew even louder.
The fines are only paid to the government; the real problem is that the contracts are void, and they can't get back the principal they lent out.
With this wave of whistleblowing, not only those who borrowed money for speculative trading came to report to the authorities, but even those scoundrels who had previously lent money at high interest rates took the opportunity to report to the authorities and default on their debts.
There are just too many people reporting the case. If things go wrong and the amount of money involved becomes "exceptionally huge," then the family will really be raided and the perpetrators exiled.
Being a merchant was difficult in the Song Dynasty, but it was even more difficult in the Ming Dynasty!
They don't seem to consider whether the government has ever fabricated major cases to harm genuine law-abiding merchants.
At this very moment, many small business owners in Tokyo are cheering and shouting "Long live!"
The idea that ancient China's financial industry was inferior to that of the West is purely a stereotype.
Let's first talk about intercity remittance. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called "flying money," in the Song Dynasty it was called "convenient exchange," and in the Ming and Qing Dynasties it was called "remittance ticket."
This is commonly known as a ticket office or ticket shop.
Specifically, regarding Zhao Yuan's Ming Dynasty, the private financial system continued from the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the city, silver shops not only offered deposit and loan services, but also sold gold and silver jewelry.
For example, Li Bangyan's father was in this business. Although he was a silversmith, he was actually a wealthy man in the area.
In rural towns and villages, there are money and rice shops and money and cloth shops where you can exchange money, rice, and cloth, and also deposit and borrow money.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, local officials deliberately cheated the people when collecting various taxes, sometimes only collecting taxes in kind and sometimes only collecting money.
For example, in the summer grain harvest, this year they might only collect silk cloth, but next year they might only collect other types of cloth.
In order to pay taxes, ordinary people had to go to money and rice shops and money and cloth shops to exchange money.
If the small shops in the towns and villages couldn't exchange the currency, they would have to go to designated shops in the county seat to exchange it, and officials and shopkeepers would take the opportunity to make a profit together.
In commercially developed areas, you also earn interest on your savings; don't assume that you have to pay a storage fee for every savings account!
There were also pawnshops, which were called Changshengku or Zhiku in the Song Dynasty.
This thing is really ruthless; it can be used to pawn not only inanimate objects but also living things such as livestock and slaves.
Furthermore, pawnshops also engaged in deposit and loan services.
……
Imperial meeting.
Today we're discussing the rectification of the national financial industry.
The high-ranking officials of the cabinet and ministries arrived one after another, drinking tea and chatting while waiting for the emperor and His Majesty to arrive.
The conference table, several meters long, was empty; everyone was waiting in the adjacent lounge.
The lounge consists of two side rooms, with tables, chairs, benches, and wooden couches shaped like sofas.
"Huh, what is this?"
Qin Hui, who had been promoted to Minister of Works, touched the fabric on the couch, carefully savoring its texture: "It should be a kind of velvet, but it seems thicker, softer, and warmer."
Chapter 3353 He's got some old skills; he's a loan shark.
Upon hearing this, the high-ranking officials all turned their attention to the chairs and beds, and covered all the furniture that could be sat on with a layer of cloth.
Fang Mengqing, the Minister of Revenue, said: "Zhangrong (velvet)."
Everyone went to touch and experience it, especially the older folks, who liked it more and more the more they touched it.
Grand Secretary Zhao Quan asked, "Where can I buy it? And how much does it cost?"
Fang Mengqing said, "The production is scarce and the price is high. The south is humid, especially Guangdong and Fujian, so bronze mirrors have to be covered with velvet mirror covers to prevent moisture."
"In the past two years, more and more cotton has been planted in the Jiangnan region, and some people have sold cotton yarn and cotton cloth to Fujian."
“The best velvet mirror covers are made in Zhangzhou. After seeing cotton yarn, a craftsman from Zhangzhou had a sudden inspiration to blend silk and cotton to make velvet.”
"So this is the kind of Zhang velvet you made?" Li Hanzhang asked.
"Not bad," Fang Mengqing nodded.
The basic craftsmanship of velvet is very ancient, dating back at least to the Western Han Dynasty in China, and even earlier to ancient Egypt in the West.
But technology is technology, and product is product.
It wasn't until the Yuan Dynasty in China that cotton became more common, and artisans naturally began using cotton yarn in ancient crafts.
By combining silk and cotton, true velvet was born!
Furthermore, with the Age of Exploration, Chinese velvet was introduced to Europe.
This stuff is even better than silk. The crowns of European kings, including the crown of the British Empire at its peak, all used velvet as the base material.
Even European writers often describe women's skin as "smooth and soft like velvet."
Fang Mengqing said, "The prefect of Zhangzhou sent this kind of velvet cloth. Although the government did not allow local areas to pay tribute, he still spent money to buy this batch of Zhangzhou velvet."
"Some of the money was paid by the royal family for private use, and some was paid by the Ministry of Revenue for public use."
"The officials also encouraged the artisans in Zhangzhou, saying that they could produce more of this kind of velvet."
Everyone understood that this type of Zhangrong velvet was a new trend, and its production was extremely limited, so even if you had money, you couldn't buy it.
Liu Jian couldn't help but ask, "At what price did the Ministry of Revenue buy it?"
Fang Mengqing said, "One tael of Zhangzhou brocade is worth twenty strings of cash."
The lounge was filled with high-ranking officials, and even they were astonished when they heard the price.
All fabrics are usually measured in "pieces".
A bolt of silk costs about two or three strings of cash.
A bolt of silk costs about three or four strings of cash.
A bolt of silk costs about four or five strings of cash.
All of the above are normal retail prices.
A single bolt of top-quality Shu brocade would cost over a hundred strings of cash.
Only the finest brocade is sold by weight, with "liang" as the unit of measurement.
Fang Mengqing said that one tael of Zhangzhou velvet costs twenty strings of cash, so it would be about two hundred strings of cash per bolt.
This thing is even more expensive than top-quality Shu brocade!
Of course, the price will definitely drop.
Because the technique is so ancient, it's not some exclusive secret.
With such an exorbitant price, someone will inevitably buy it to analyze it. As long as they are professionals, they can easily figure out how it was spun.
As production increased, prices fell, eventually becoming much cheaper than Shu brocade.
But velvet can be further improved, its brightness can be enhanced, and various patterns can be woven into it.
Even the finest velvet won't be cheaper than Shu brocade.
The group sat on the velvet carpet, stroking the fabric and chatting idly.
"Those unscrupulous merchants are really in for a world of hurt this time," Li Hanzhang said with schadenfreude.
Xiao Chu said, "Your Majesty is wise. Wang Anshi wanted to crack down on unscrupulous merchants, but ended up being dismissed from his post as prime minister."
"But His Majesty, without shedding a drop of blood, only mobilized some military supplies and subdued the wealthy merchants."
"With the Tokyo Stock Exchange, as long as the imperial court keeps a close eye on it, it won't be easy for them to monopolize it in the future."
The recent turmoil in the futures market has left the ministers bewildered.
No sane official participated in futures speculation.
They firmly believed that His Majesty would intervene, and if they followed the trend and speculated on the goods, they would lose everything if they were not careful.
Although they guessed the ending, the whole process was unexpected.
His Majesty did not use administrative power; he simply placed the order at the highest point.
Even the orders for military cloth were few and far between. After enticing retail investors to sell their orders, His Majesty's men quickly withdrew, while the market price of cloth continued its inertial plunge.
If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be "using four ounces to move a thousand pounds".
The problems that even Wang Anshi couldn't solve after being ousted from power were somehow resolved by His Majesty.
The reason is not hard to understand: Wang Anshi was facing an entire interest group.
The core of these interest groups was eliminated during the change of dynasties, and last year's major case further wiped out the remaining remnants.
To the ministers' utter surprise, His Majesty, in closing the matter, also cracked down on usury, giving countless small investors who had lost money an outlet for their frustrations.
"Alas, I'm getting old and can't keep up with His Majesty's pace," Zhai Ruwen sighed.
Actually, he's not old; he's not even sixty yet, so he could be considered a young prime minister.
However, including Zhai Ruwen, many cabinet ministers and ministers did feel that they were falling behind the times and seemed to be being pushed along by the emperor and His Majesty.
First, there was a reform in scholarship and ideas. A large number of "miscellaneous studies" were introduced into the imperial examinations, and even astronomy and geography were opened to the general public.
Chapter 3354 Velvet
Then came tariff reform, land tax reform, official service reform, and the establishment of stock exchanges...
A series of chaotic new things overwhelmed the old-style bureaucrats.
It's worth noting that when Emperor Huizong of Song promoted arithmetic and medical schools nationwide, countless officials exclaimed that it was outrageous.
These were merely basic procedures in the new Ming Dynasty.
Although medical schools have not been fully established, four medical colleges have been built in Kaifeng, Luoyang, Hangzhou, and Chengdu.
Next, we plan to set up branches in Guangzhou, Nanchang, Guizhou, Yangzhou and other places.
Zhai Ruwen, who had some medical knowledge, had also looked into the research content and curriculum of the medical school.
A microscope was enough to stun Zhai Ruwen!
He personally observed the tiny insects that were invisible to the naked eye, and after returning home, he felt that even the water he drank was dirty. From then on, he strictly forbade his family from drinking raw water.
Despite being seventy-seven years old, Xiao Chu laughed loudly and said, "Today's China is changing rapidly; I wish I were twenty years younger."
"For no other reason than to see what the Ming Dynasty can become."
Li Hanzhang said, "To recreate the Han and Tang dynasties, and surpass them!"
"Haha, indeed!" Xiao Chu laughed.
After Xiao Chu joined the cabinet, he didn't seem to have done anything significant.
However, when other cabinet ministers were unsure about many institutional, legal, or academic matters, they would consult Xiao Chu before making a decision.
As long as Xiao Chu helped review the cabinet drafts, they would generally not be sent back for redoing when they were sent to the Emperor and His Majesty.
Gradually, Xiao Chu became more like the prime minister, while Zhai Ruwen was suppressed.
However, Xiao Chu doesn't seize power. This old man has no wife or children, and he won't live much longer. What can he do if he seizes power?
"Your Majesty is here!"
……
Zhao Yuan and Wen Huanzhang chatted as they entered.