PFC Chapter 383 is officially released!
Chapter 383 is officially released!
Time flies like an arrow.
Before we knew it, February had passed and the lively Spring Examination had come to an end.
After witnessing all the joys and sorrows once again, Gu Jingzhi seemed to have no emotion in his heart. Scenes like this happened every three years and there was nothing interesting to watch.
However, the ladies in the capital city never got tired of it and still walked into the busy streets to watch the parade of Jinshi scholars.
In this spring examination, Lin Yong did not rank among the top three like Gu Jingzhi, but he was still ranked high among the Jinshi candidates, and the Lin Mansion held a lively banquet.
Not to mention Gu Jingzhi, the biggest backer of the Lin family, just look at Lin Feng, the general of the imperial guards, and Lin Chong, the new upstart in the capital... many people in the court sent gifts!
Even the Eastern Palace sent a gift for Gu Jingzhi's sake.
On the second day after the Jinshi parade, the excitement had not yet died down when the Daxia Royal Bank officially opened for business. Located in the bustling center of the capital, the Royal Bank occupies a vast area.
Not only is there a six-story building serving as the headquarters of the Royal Bank, but there is also a large square underneath.
There is a high platform in the middle of the square, on which stands a tall stone tablet covered with a red cloth.
Gu Jingzhi and the prince stood on the high platform. Lin Feng led the soldiers of the city defense camp to guard around the officialdom. The people of the capital were pointing and talking at the platform.
Gu Jingzhi was reading out the new currency policies and regulations.
The people, who were originally curious, were shocked when they heard that the imperial court was going to abolish the original gold, silver and copper coins and issue new coins. Silver had been the currency that had been used for thousands of years, so how could it be abolished just like that?
Especially when they heard that the imperial court had issued a new decree that forced everyone in Daxia to refuse the new currency in any form or under any excuse, they were naturally full of disbelief.
Gold and silver are the money used by nobles, but the imperial court actually abolished them?
But when Gu Jingzhi took off the red cloth and saw the laws and regulations engraved on it, those officials and the people felt that the court was serious. After all, such a large stone tablet was nailed there and everyone could see it. If the court did not admit it afterwards, wouldn't that be contradicting itself?
In particular, the prince swore in the name of the royal family that the court would abide by all the rules of the new currency, and the entire listing ceremony was pushed to a climax.
The Spring Examination had just ended, and many scholars were watching. As for ordinary people, they naturally understood the majesty of the court laws better, especially the prince's personal guarantee, which was a kind of protection for the scholars.
The people went from initial disbelief to suspicion, and finally to eagerness to try...
Gu Jingzhi saw this scene, and he and the Crown Prince exchanged a smile. Then he said loudly, "Everyone, the court has new laws and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is guaranteeing us. There will definitely be no problems with this new currency!"
"This Marquis hereby promises that all citizens can use the new currency directly after exchanging it. If any store dares to refuse to accept the new currency, this Marquis will conduct an on-the-spot investigation and publicly execute anyone who violates this order!"
At the same time as the opening of the Daxia Royal Bank, Gu Jingzhi had arranged people to promote the new currency policy on every street in the capital. Those people were beating drums and gongs, carrying the prepared plaques of the new currency law, and advertising it throughout the capital.
Maybe some ordinary people saw it, but the vendors definitely knew about it.
As soon as Gu Jingzhi said this, the scene became chaotic again.
However, the people still did not take any action.
Seeing this, Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Our Great Xia Emperor is so kind. Within one hour before the opening of the Great Xia Royal Bank, anyone who exchanges new currency within this period will receive an additional 20% interest!"
"In other words, according to the exchange rate set by the imperial court, ten coins can be exchanged for twelve coins, but only for one hour!"
What?
The crowd suddenly became noisy!
A bolder citizen asked directly, "Sir, do you think your words are true?"
"nature!"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Not only will it count, but I'll cash it out on the spot! The bank door is right behind you, so go ahead and exchange it. I'll be guarding it right here!"
"This……"
The man looked at Gu Jingzhi, then glanced at the prince, and finally gritted his teeth and walked towards the bank door behind him. As soon as he moved, someone followed him!
When Gu Jingzhi saw this scene, a smile appeared on his lips.
These people are just ordinary people. It may not be useful to talk too much about big principles with them, but if you tell them what benefits they can get... the effect will be different.
Once the first person to try something new came out, the herd effect naturally emerged, especially since Gu Jingzhi only gave a one-hour discount, people naturally rushed to get in.
However, there were also some people who stood still. These people were all scholars.
They thought about it, and one of them stood up and said, "Sir, we are all candidates coming to the capital to take the imperial examination. I would like to ask, is this new Daxia currency applicable to the capital or to the entire Daxia?"
"Of course, it will be implemented simultaneously throughout Daxia!"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Not only in the capital, but also in the sixteen provinces of Daxia, all prefectures, and even some wealthy counties, all opened branches today. In the next three years, our Daxia Bank will gradually open branches in every county!"
"Daxia's new currency law applies nationwide! Of course, considering that it takes time for the message to reach local areas, the new currency law is currently mainly implemented in the state capitals, that is, within the state capitals where bank branches have been established!"
Daxia is not modern times, so transportation and communication are very difficult.
Right now, being able to cover dozens of cities is already the limit!
The most important thing is that the gold and silver in the national treasury are not enough. If many wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan area had not expressed their support, it would not be enough to print new coins based on the gold and silver in the national treasury.
Similar to the Jiangnan area, if those wealthy merchants had not subscribed to a lot of new currency with bills, Gu Jingzhi really would not dare to mint so many.
After all, the law is written there!
Now it has covered dozens of cities and has reached its limit, but it will not take two months for the court to inject another batch of new currency into the market!
Originally, Gu Jingzhi didn't want to expand it so much at once, but if it wasn't expanded quickly, it would become more difficult over time.
Now is the perfect time to promote the bank while the aristocratic families have just been suppressed and they dare not make any moves at the moment. With the military document issued by Dong Zhentang, the heads of local banks can mobilize certain local troops based on the time and content specified in the document to ensure that the issuance of new currency will not be hindered!
Of course, the new currency has just been issued, so it is naturally impossible to cover everything, so the new currency laws will be relatively flexible. Currently, they only regulate the state capitals where banks are operating.
As for exceeding this range... it is not illegal to settle with gold and silver!
This is not about Gu Jingzhi changing his orders every day, but about finding a relatively flexible way. Although it is inevitable that someone will take advantage of loopholes during this period, it will not be a big problem. As long as these gold and silver do not flow to places outside Daxia, even if someone takes advantage of the loopholes now, it will be corrected soon!