Sun Qian came prepared. He brought a brush and paper with him. Someone beside him also brought ink and inkstone, as though waiting for Wang Chong's explanation.
Wang Chong looked at Sun Qian, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.
Jinyuan notes was a question he mentioned at the end of the report he passed to the Holy Emperor. Wang Chong had long noticed that when he was buying and selling the Hyderabad ores and auctioning the WuZi Steel Sword, the prices of the items reached hundreds of thousands of gold taels. Based on his calculations, the total weight of the notes reached hundreds of thousands of kilograms.
The density of gold was high, such that even hundreds of thousands of kilograms of gold wouldn't be large in size. But it was still inconvenient.
Once it involved large-scale, large-scale transactions, it would have a serious impact on the economy.
Not only that, with his advantage as a person from the future, Wang Chong acutely sensed the dangers and problems behind the 'gold standard'.
Gold was limited.
If the mining of gold couldn't keep up with the development of the economy, it would severely restrict the economy. In other words, there wasn't enough 'money'. In Wang Chong's memories from another time-space continuum, when there wasn't enough gold and silver, they would excavate large amounts of iron and copper ores to forge large amounts of copper coins.
The disparity in the quantity of gold, silver, and copper coins would result in chaos in the currency system. Today, one tael of silver could be exchanged for a hundred copper coins. Tomorrow, it might turn into a hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty, or even more.
This, in turn, contributed to the instability of the society.
And in some dynasties, due to 'insufficient money', the central government would hand over the coinage to the local governments, and the local governments would privately create their own currency.
Furthermore, it wasn't just the Central Continent. The problem of currency existed everywhere. In the other time-space continuum where Wang Chong was born, even the powerful and developed 'American Kingdom' couldn't help but call upon the world to establish the 'Bretton Woods System'.
In the end, he managed to decouple the relationship between currency and gold in one go.
The main reason was that the gold standard would severely restrict the economy.
Even the powerful 'American Kingdom' was restricted by the 'gold standard', needless to say, other countries.
The Central Plains was currently welcoming its strongest era in history, and the Tang dynasty was flourishing and prosperous. After Wang Chong came into contact with it and participated in such a large transaction, he immediately sensed the crisis hidden under the calm surface of the Tang dynasty.
This was also the reason why Wang Chong mentioned the 'currency issue' in his memorial.
Using the reputation of the country as a guarantee, the Jinyuan Note was issued and the Jinyuan Note was linked to gold. The first step was to allow people to freely exchange for gold. This way, once the initial confidence of the people was established, they would be able to issue Jinyuan notes on a large scale and completely replace gold.
In the future, he could gradually dilute the gold content in the jinyuan notes. Once everyone had gotten used to the Jinyuan Notes, they would be able to release the restrictions on the Jinyuan Notes being exchanged for gold.
Gold would be completely withdrawn from the economic activities of society and placed under the custody of the Empire. In this way, the jinyuan notes could still be used to purchase gold, and the price would remain the same.
Through this method, it would be more convenient for large transactions involving gold. Secondly, the empire could completely break free from the shackles of "gold mining", and the economy would become more developed.
The 'currency system' was the foundation of social stability. Only with a stable currency could the society be stable. This was Wang Chong's suggestion.
Wang Chong had only mentioned it in passing. He didn't expect the Holy Emperor to pay much heed to it. After all, in a feudal society, it was impossible for such a concept to be accepted, let alone implemented.
Just that, Wang Chong didn't expect the Holy Emperor to listen to his suggestion. On top of that, he even sent the influential Lord Sun Qian, who was in charge of the finances of the royal court, to the imperial prison to question him.
"So, this is the true motive behind Eunuch Gao's trip."
Wang Chong looked at Sun Qian as his heart pounded furiously. In that instant, he seemed to have understood something.
"Lord, feel free to ask me any questions you have. I'll do my best to cooperate with you. "
Wang Chong sat on the floor and said solemnly.
Sun Qian nodded and began asking about every single matter in detail. His questions were extremely detailed, such as how to make the jinyuan notes, what materials should be used, how to issue them, where to issue them, how much to issue them … There were also many other miscellaneous questions, some of which even Wang Chong hadn't thought of before.
This left Wang Chong impressed by the meticulousness of these officials. Perhaps their thinking might be lacking, but when it came to handling specific matters, they were extremely meticulous and meticulous.
For a simple question regarding the jinyuan notes, Wang Chong only wrote a few hundred words on it. Yet, Sun Qian spent more than four hours on it, writing more than two hundred pages of seven to eight thousand words.
"Gongzi Wang, thank you. I'll bring this matter to the royal court and discuss it with the other officials. "
Sun Qian's face was still as impassive as before, but Wang Chong noticed that his tone was much more polite than before, and his eyes were much gentler as well.
"Lord Sun, you're being too polite!"
Wang Chong smiled.
Sun Qian nodded, and he left the imperial prison with a thick stack of papers.
…
In the dead of the night, in the Four Quarters Embassy, a single lantern was lit.
"Father!"
Wang Gen bowed respectfully. This was the first time he had seen his old man in the past few days.
"Sit!"
The old master stretched out his hand and knocked on the seat beside him. Wang Gen nodded and sat down beside him.
"Are you still thinking about Chong-er's matter?"
The old master asked impassively.
"Yes! Tomorrow is the day of the sentencing, and I haven't been able to fall asleep. "
Wang Gen said.
Unlike the kidnapping of a commoner, the matter Wang Chong had committed this time was no small matter. With so many Hu generals demanding for Wang Chong's death, even Wang Gen felt powerless.
"Hehe, don't worry. Chong-er will be fine. "
The old master smiled faintly. Surprisingly, he wasn't as nervous as Wang Gen.
"Ah!"
Tomorrow would be the day of the verdict. Initially, Wang Gen had intended to have his old master submit a memorial to persuade the Holy Emperor. In the Wang Clan, only he had this ability.
But hearing the old master's words, Wang Gen found himself at a loss for words.
"Father, are you serious?"
Wang Gen said agitatedly as he subconsciously grabbed his father's hand.
"Hehe, you don't have to worry about him. The fact that this child was chosen by the Holy Emperor was also his good fortune. In the future, with this fortuitous encounter, even if I'm no longer around, I'll be able to help you. Our Wang Clan doesn't have to worry about losing the Emperor's favor. "
Duke Jiu smiled.
"Ah?"
Wang Gen stared blankly at his father, his mind unable to process the situation. Wang Chong was locked up in the dungeon, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.
Moreover, with so many Hu generals opposing his execution, it was unknown whether Wang Chong would be fine the next day. But the old man actually said that this was Wang Chong's good fortune?
What was going on?
Even though Wang Gen had been in the royal court for many years, he was still unable to react to Duke Jiu's words.
"Do you still not understand? By locking Chong-er in the dungeon, His Majesty is protecting him. He isn't punishing him. Think about it carefully. When did Wang Chong get locked up? It was precisely when Chong-er's memorial infuriated the Hu, but the matter didn't reach its peak.
"Furthermore, if His Majesty didn't lock Chong-er in the dungeon. Do you think that you would still be able to sit here quietly? "
Duke Jiu said calmly. His eyes shone with wisdom and insight, as though he had seen through the ways of the world.
Seated in his seat, Wang Gen was stunned.
When Wang Chong was locked up in the dungeon, all he could think of was a way to save him. He didn't think that there would be such a twist.
Instinctively, Wang Gen felt that his father's words weren't without reason.
On the second day after Wang Chong was locked up, the matter spiraled out of control. If Wang Chong hadn't been locked up in the dungeon, the Wang Clan would have long been thrown into a huge mess.
Every day, there would be countless people knocking down the gates of the Wang Clan to question them.
But it was precisely because Wang Chong was locked up in the dungeon that the Wang Clan managed to avoid the eye of the storm. On top of that, it also caused the entire royal court to be filled with sympathy for Wang Chong.
This was one of the reasons why so many Han generals stood up for Wang Chong. If Wang Chong hadn't been locked up, it would have been impossible for him to achieve such an effect.
The situation might turn out to be even worse for Wang Chong than it was now.
"It's a blessing for Chong-er to be locked up in the dungeon. It'll be beneficial to him in the future. To receive the grace of the emperor, this was something that many people couldn't even dream of even if they were to contribute greatly to the country. However, it wasn't wise for too many people to know of this matter. Otherwise, it would be a disaster instead of a blessing. That's why I've been refusing to meet you all for the past few days. "
Duke Jiu said calmly.
"I see."
Wang Chong heaved a long sigh of relief. The doubts that had plagued him for the past few days had finally been resolved. It was no wonder why his father had been avoiding him all this while. It was no wonder why his father chose to remain silent on such a huge matter despite the Hu's demand for Wang Chong's death.
Even though he found it hard to believe, he knew that his father wouldn't lie on such a matter.
"Hehe, go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow will be the day when the Holy Emperor announces his verdict. If I'm not wrong, that person from the Yao Clan should be submitting a memorial in support of Chong-er tomorrow morning. "
Duke Jiu stroked his beard with a smile.
"Ah! How could this be? "
Wang Gen abruptly lifted his head in shock.
Duke Jiu chuckled, but he didn't explain this time.
…
The moon set, and the sun rose. Finally, it was time for everyone's attention.
Regardless of whether it was the Hu by the borders, the Han generals of the Tang dynasty, or the officials of the royal court, everyone was looking forward to the verdict of the Holy Emperor.
To most people, this wasn't just a matter of Wang Chong's life or death. It involved the authority and standing of the Hu and Han generals in the Tang dynasty.
"By the decree of the heavens, the emperor declares:
The regional commanders system will continue to be implemented. Regardless of whether it's Hu or Han, they will be able to assume the position. After the royal court has agreed on it, it will be officially implemented! As for Wang Chong, even though the memorial he wrote was biased, it wasn't without merit. The proposal of the jinyuan note is beneficial to the country and the people. Thus, he will be spared from death.
However, to serve as a warning to others, he will be sentenced to three months of imprisonment! End of the decree. "
News of the decree shook the world. Regardless of whether it was Hu or Han, everyone cheered. To the Hu, it was a huge improvement that the regional commanders system wasn't abolished. On top of that, a Hu could be appointed as a regional commander.
This also showed how highly the royal court regarded the Hu generals.
And to the Han generals, even though so many Hu generals requested for Wang Chong's death, he was only sentenced to three months of imprisonment. This was a huge victory for them.
More importantly, the regional commanders system and the strategy of 'utilizing Hu' were only left with the 'regional commanders system' and the strategy of 'utilizing Hu'.
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