Even after an entire afternoon, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were still unable to figure out how to operate a bank. For example, how to monitor their subordinates and how to prevent forgeries from occurring if they were to deposit and withdraw money from another country.
In fact, the current communication conditions were even better. They could still cheat when they needed to, and they couldn't just rely on loyalty at this moment.
The two of them decided to put aside the matter of depositing and withdrawing money. Instead, they planned to open a bank to provide small loans.
After that, they started to deal with the funds. This was simple for the time being. With the two of them around, there wouldn't be any mistakes in their evaluation. However, that could be dealt with in the future. The only way to avoid risks was to intentionally lower the value of the other party's collateral. In fact, it wasn't much different from a pawnshop.
"Xiao Bao, I feel that there's a flaw in the current use of silk in Great Tang. To think that it can be used as a currency. Not only is the storage fee of silk high, it is also prone to spoilage. Silk should have depreciated as it is damaged, but due to the storage fee, it actually has to appreciate in value to match the value of the currency.
This is especially so for the imperial court. In order to guarantee the value of the silk, they actually intentionally gave 200 copper coins during the exchange, using another currency to guarantee the value of one currency. If this continues for a long time, it will be troublesome. "
Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao explained on the way to meet Niu Da and Niu Zhuang.
Zhang Xiaobao had long known about this matter, but he couldn't do anything about it. This was what the imperial court wanted to do. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Wang Juan, "There are two ways to solve this problem. First, we can report the flaws to Li Longji. He should know about it by now, but we still have to insist on it and scare him. After that, we'll think of a way to prevent counterfeiting.
In fact, there are counterfeits in any era. We can't always rely on the anti-counterfeiting technology of the currency and the user's understanding of the currency to solve this problem. We should do it from a system perspective. Of course, it's best to use electronic currency. This way, even ordinary people can avoid danger. "
"What's the other solution?" Wang Juan knew that the first solution was useless, so she asked about the second one.
Zhang Xiaobao softened his voice. "The second solution is for me to take action. Within three months, I will let Li Longji know the price of using silk as currency. Even something as durable as gold can still be used as currency, let alone silk.
Right now, the Great Tang doesn't use much silver, and it's usually used for large amounts of currency calculations and official statistics. The normal currency used is brass and silk. If I were to attack it, silk would immediately become worthless. What do you think? What's this called? It's called the throes of reform. "
"No, when the time comes, you won't just be impacting the currency itself, but the lives of the people. Whether it directly affects the money of the people or the merchants, in the end, it will all be passed on to the people.
Tell me, how many merchants will go bankrupt if you attack them? How many people started their careers? And how many people have reduced the impact of currency shocks by squeezing their own workers? You should go and attack Tubo. The Great Tang is not allowed to attack, definitely not. Don't you have a gentler method? "
Wang Juan firmly rejected Zhang Xiaobao's idea. The current currency system was already unstable, and if Zhang Xiaobao were to make a move, it would be over. There was no need to doubt if Xiao Bao could do it. It was too simple, and she could do it herself, just that the impact would be weaker.
"Then forget it, I'll think of another way. Gentle, right? The kind that moistens things silently. The problem is that the value of copper coins is too high now, and it's not the value of copper itself. After a gram of copper is made into a copper coin, the value produced can be equivalent to two grams of copper. That's why many people want to privately make copper coins.
Also, some people look similar to the copper coins now, but they try to add other things or reduce the weight. This won't do. It's not like the Song Dynasty, where copper was expensive and money was cheap. That's why many people melted the copper coins and turned them into copper to make things easier. "
Zhang Xiaobao was worried. It was all because the anti-counterfeiting technology was not up to standard. They had to first get something that others couldn't get as currency. The value of this currency was very cheap, and only this way could they reduce the impact of the currency on the market.
Wang Juan also lowered her head. After a while, she said, "Why don't we try to make alloys? It would be great if we can refine oil into plastic. We can keep this technology a secret and draw patterns on the plastic. No one knows how to make money, so we can't fake it. As long as we have enough gold, silver, and copper, we can release currency.
Once a new currency is released, what we need to consider is not the impact of the currency's value on the market, but the supervision. If the court is short of money, we can release a small amount of currency to make the currency depreciate slightly. In fact, there's no need to do that now. Only stupid people would do that.
Looking at history, all the dynasties that did that were all finished. At most, we can borrow some money to pass the time. When the time comes, we can slowly devalue it. We can't devalue it twice or twice at once. "
"Well, that's a dream. Let's first open banks everywhere, limit the amount of withdrawals, develop logistics, and let the money be sent to the place faster. When the time comes, we can cooperate with others to do business and let the upper bunks accept this currency. It's a mess. Let me think about it at night. It involves too many things."
Zhang Xiaobao really couldn't think of anything, so he put it aside for the time being.
At this time, two people came to the reception room. Niu Da and Niu Zhuang had eaten a lot. They were holding their stomachs and had a look of happiness on their faces. It was very contradictory.
He Yiwei was also holding a book and accompanying them at the side. Anyway, he had nothing to do, so he could rest wherever he went. It was a good opportunity for him to interact more with the people here and get familiar with them.
Li Linfu was also here. He went to the Fengwu Pavilion and had a meal there. He couldn't stay there anymore. He kept thinking about the Employment Assistance Fund of Boxin County and wanted to know more about the bank. He wanted to know how to get more benefits from it and how big the impact would be in the end.
"Come, take two Dashan Pills. If you eat too much next time, don't worry about it. Did you encounter something that doesn't cost you money?" Zhang Xiaobao stood at the door and noticed the situation inside. He gave an order and then said to Niu Da and Niu Zhuang.
"It's okay, it's okay. I actually had turtle soup for lunch. It's so nutritious, so I drank a little more. I also ate two more steamed buns. This turtle soup is really good. I haven't eaten it since I was young." The honest Niu Da said while rubbing his stomach.
Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. He was the one who made the turtle soup and there was still a lot left. He was going to heat it up and eat it, but he didn't expect it to be moved here. He turned his head and looked at He Yiwei.
"County Magistrate He, Lord He, do you still have the seaweed and sparerib soup I made for Xiaobei?"
"Yes, yes. I know you made it for Xiaobei. No one dares to touch it. That turtle soup is really nutritious. My body is still warm now." He Yiwei quickly replied. If there was a misunderstanding, Xiaobei would blink his big eyes and stare at him for a day.
Zhang Xiaobao thought to himself, Isn't this nonsense? Who would drink turtle soup in the summer? There's no ice basin in this house, only a fan connected to the top that doesn't turn at all. It would be strange if it's not hot.
"Niu Da, fill in this form. If you don't know how to read, I'll explain it to you one by one. Oh, since County Magistrate He is going to explain it personally, then let County Magistrate He do it."
Zhang Xiaobao retaliated against He Yiwei and brought over a set of forms. The contents were very detailed and needed to be filled in. Then he would send someone to investigate and see if he could provide interest-free loans to the other party.
The matter of the bank was not mature yet, and there was no competition. Otherwise, he would add another condition, which was that the bank had to give money to the person who borrowed it in installments. Moreover, this person or 'company' could only choose their own bank to deposit money in. That way, the local government wouldn't have to give other banks other benefits.
He Yiwei drank the soup made by Zhang Xiaobao, so he could only help. He took the set of forms and began to explain them to Niu Da and Niu Zhuang.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't care about this matter anymore. After the two of them filled in the forms, they would send someone to take a look tomorrow.
Facing Li Linfu, Zhang Xiaobao said, "I'm really sorry to have made Lord Li wait. Why don't we go to the Fengwu Pavilion for a meal?"
Li Linfu had already leaned over to look at the forms. When he heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he hesitated and said, "Okay, okay. But I also want to learn about this fund. I wonder if Registrar Zhang can give me a set of forms as well? I'll think about it carefully. Maybe it can be used in Xin Cai County."
Li Linfu didn't introduce his official position. He believed that with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's ability, they would have already investigated his eight generations of ancestors. As a neighboring county of Baoxin County, every move in Xin Cai County couldn't escape Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's eyes.
Zhang Xiaobao thought about it and felt that this kind of thing couldn't be kept secret, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go get a set. If there's anything that Lord Li doesn't know, you can ask during the meal."
Wang Juan, who had looked at Li Linfu, felt that this legendary powerful person was just so-so. She didn't see anything special about him. Moreover, everyone said that he was good-looking, but she didn't know who had such a bad view of beauty. He was just an ordinary person. He was just a bit more handsome, had a good temperament, spoke more elegantly, looked more pleasing to the eye, and acted more appropriately.
Therefore, Wang Juan didn't talk to Li Linfu at all. She just stood beside Zhang Xiaobao.
The three of them went out. Li Linfu ordered the people who came with him to find a place to rest. Then, he went to the Fengwu Pavilion again with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
The three of them found a round table. There weren't so many horizontal and vertical bars to distinguish their identities. They casually ordered two dishes and asked someone to warm a pot of wine. The three of them began to eat.
Li Linfu had just finished eating not too long ago, so he couldn't eat anything else. He just drank wine and ate some cold dishes. He didn't immediately mention Feng Changgong from Xin Cai County to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Instead, he watched the two of them eat and pondered the meaning of the table.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were starving. Thinking about things took a lot of brainpower, so they didn't stand on ceremony with Li Linfu at all. They ate without holding back, smacking their lips as they talked. One moment, they would talk about this dish, and the next moment, they would talk about that dish.
The things on the table were written very clearly. As long as one was literate and had some foundation, they could easily understand it. Therefore, Li Linfu didn't need to ask Zhang Xiaobao to understand it.
There were a total of six pages of content. After flipping through three pages, Li Linfu wanted to find a topic to talk to Zhang Xiaobao. However, seeing the two of them eating like this, he could only hold back. He was more interested in the dish that the two of them were talking about.
This couldn't be blamed on Li Linfu, because he didn't know how to cook. Occasionally, he would cook a little. It was okay for him to eat it himself. He felt that the taste was good, but when he asked others to eat it, no one said that it was good. The best comment he got was "Okay, it's edible."
At this time, when he heard the professional words of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, he was very envious. He felt that it was a pity that the two of them were officials. They should be cooks. That way, many people could eat their fill. It was a pity that he didn't get to drink the turtle soup that Zhang Xiaobao personally made in the Fengwu Pavilion today.
As for the taste, he could tell by looking at the appearance of Niu Da, Niu Zhuang, and He Yiwei after eating.
After eating until he was 60% full, Zhang Xiaobao stopped eating. He still wanted to drink some wine with them. After eating some cold dishes, he would be completely full. He let Wang Juan eat there by herself. Zhang Xiaobao poured himself a glass of wine and said to Li Linfu,
"Lord Li, are you here to ask about the cooperation of the two counties? Lord Li is good. For the sake of the people, you don't care about the fatigue and come in person. Compared to that Feng Changgong, you are much better. Humph! After offending me and Cuckoo, Feng Changgong can't expect to have a good life. Not to mention that no one will intercede for him, even if someone does. Even if it is the emperor, Cuckoo and I will ask clearly. "
When Li Linfu heard the first part of Zhang Xiaobao's words, he was very happy. He thought that he had a chance to intercede for Feng Changgong. When he heard the second part of Zhang Xiaobao's words, his burning heart became cold. It seemed that even the emperor couldn't intercede for Feng Changgong. Then, he was not as good as the emperor. If he continued, it seemed that he was deliberately looking for trouble.
Shocked, Li Linfu couldn't help but have doubts about what he was here to do. This half-grown child was not only good at calculating money, he was also good at talking. With just one sentence, he had shut him up.
Then, he looked at Wang Juan. She was still eating. She had already eaten two bowls of rice. How could she eat so much? In addition, Wang Juan didn't talk to him before. He guessed that it was impossible to make a breakthrough in this aspect.
After thinking for a while, Li Linfu nodded and said, "That's right. If it were someone else who became an official in Baoxin County, I would have given up on this idea. But since you and Wang Juan are here to become officials, if I don't consider it carefully, I would be letting down the people of Xincai County. I wonder if Registrar Zhang has any ideas to improve the lives of the people of Xincai County?"
Seeing that Li Linfu didn't mention Feng Changgong, Zhang Xiaobao didn't say anything else. He said to Li Linfu, "There is, but not now. We have to wait until the sesame and soybean plants are done, and the four workshops are fully operational. It won't hurt to talk to Lord Li first.
The so-called service industry includes catering, transportation, entertainment, medical care, and so on. Even if Lord Li doesn't come, Cuckoo and I will send a letter to Lord Li and Lord Cui in a few days. Cuckoo, where is the written plan? Show it to Lord Li. "
Wang Juan put down her chopsticks and swallowed the food in her mouth. She took out a few pieces of paper full of words from her bag and handed them to Zhang Xiaobao.
After glancing at them, Zhang Xiaobao handed the paper back. "It's from Xincai County. It's not from anywhere else. This is from Shannan East Road."
"Oh, I took the wrong one." Wang Juan took it back, glanced at it, and stuffed it back into her bag. She took out another one, looked at it, shook her head, and continued to take it.
It took a lot of effort to find one. Seeing this, Li Linfu was anxious. At the same time, he was shocked. From Zhang Xiaobao's words just now, he knew that Wang Juan had many plans in her bag.
The two of them were officials in Baoxin County. Why did they need to make so many plans for other places? If the officials of the places included in the plans knew about it, wouldn't they all come to Baoxin County? If they could get a plan and take it back, it would be a political achievement.
How could the plans made by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan be bad?
He thought that the two of them were busy and didn't have time to do other things. He didn't expect that they also made plans for many places. It was too scary.
"This, yes, this is it. It's from Xincai County. I put it in the compartment. Fortunately, I brought it with me. If I couldn't find it, I would have to go back and look through it to see if it was put together with the plan of Yiluo. There are too many plans. I don't feel tired when working on them, but it's troublesome to organize them."
Just when Li Linfu was surprised, Wang Juan finally handed a plan to Zhang Xiaobao.
Hearing Wang Juan's embarrassed words, Li Linfu, who was holding the wine, couldn't help but tremble. The wine spilled. He thought that there were enough plans in the bag, but he didn't expect that there were more. It was a waste of talent for such a person not to be the Prime Minister.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at it again and nodded. "Yes, this is it. When we go back tonight, I'll organize it with you. We'll take out all the plans in the big cabinet and have someone make a cabinet full of small squares. We'll put them in order. It's best to make them better. We have to look at the plans of the prefectures. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to find them in a mess."
After talking to Wang Juan, Zhang Xiaobao put the plan in his hand on the table and pushed it to Li Linfu. "Lord Li, it's here. When I was working on it, I just thought about it. I haven't organized it yet, and I don't have any additional plans. Take a look and see if there are any omissions. We can discuss it slowly. There's no rush. This plan is a little rough.
It's just a rough idea. "Li Linfu took the plan and began to read it page by page. It described what kind of boxed lunches would sell well at the docks of Xincai County, how to divert water to build a swimming pool, and how to provide massage facilities. It also described the suitable size of the docks. It also described the loading and unloading of goods according to the pulley blocks of the Little Luoshui Docks.
There was also how to build the road from the county center to the docks, how to build pavilions on the road, how to sell local specialties, and so on.
There were a total of 22 pages, and the words were very small. This was the rough development plan of Xincai County. It made Zhang Xiaobao feel that there were no additional plans and emergency measures, so he was too embarrassed to take it out.
Li Linfu suddenly had an idea to end his life. It even included the words to put more green onions in the boxed lunches and to put them in when the pot was ready to be served. This was because boaters often came into contact with water, and it was very cold.
If this was considered rough, then what was considered not rough? No wonder the Emperor didn't allow others to impeach the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He only allowed civil and military officials to praise Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If he had such a subordinate, he would probably do the same. What was there to be afraid of if there were some small problems? He could really be reassured when he made arrangements for things.
Li Linfu carefully put away the proposal and said to Zhang Xiaobao, "This is just Registrar Zhang helping me. I wonder if there's anything I can do to help Baoxin County?"
A proposal was a political achievement, so Li Linfu had to lower himself to return the favor.
"Cuckoo, take out the proposal for the cooperation between the two counties." Zhang Xiaobao said to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan suddenly froze and quickly rummaged through her bag. "Aiya, I didn't bring it. It should be with Jiangnan East Road. If it wasn't with Jiangnan West Road, it definitely wouldn't be with Huainan Road."
"Uh ~! Official Li, I'm sorry. I was in too much of a hurry today and didn't bring it with me. How about we discuss this cooperation tomorrow morning during breakfast? Official Li, why don't you stay here tonight? "
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Wang Juan helplessly and said to Li Linfu. Wang Juan pouted, feeling wronged.
Li Linfu's desire to find the crooked tree with a rope became stronger. He forced a smile and said, "Okay, okay. I'll stay in Fengwu Pavilion tonight. I'll go find you tomorrow morning."
"Then Cuckoo and I have to go back. Beibei's arm is broken, so it's probably time for dinner. I have to go back and warm bone soup for her. This little sister is so troublesome."
Zhang Xiaobao gulped down the wine in his cup, took a bite of the cucumber, and whimpered.
Wang Juan also drank a mouthful of soup, wiped her mouth, and stood up.
Li Linfu walked Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan out of the restaurant. Then he stood there and looked at the red clouds in the west. He felt bored and turned back to the room he was in just now.
He took out the Employment Assistance Fund form and the proposal for Xincai County and looked at them a few times. He looked up and sighed, murmuring, "How can we compete? They seem to be good at playing tricks and doing things. I have to write a letter back to Beijing and tell them not to offend Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan."
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