"Did I hear correctly? The court not only isn't collecting taxes but is actually giving money to the common people?"
"Exactly! It's like that Prince of Hejian said before, immigrants are exempt from taxes for three years after settling!"
"What are you guys planning to do?"
"What else can we do? Since we can't go back anyway, and the court values us so much, we have to work hard!"
"Right, we're only seventh-rank now and we receive ten coins a month. If we get promoted later, won't it be even more?"
"I just don't know if the court's people will distribute this money, or if it will be given to us to then distribute to the people."
"What are you thinking? Do you dare to touch this money?"
"Haven't you seen the things those people are holding? Those aren't just firewood sticks. As long as they flick their fingers, I guarantee you'll die a very thorough death!"
~~~
There were all sorts of things said by the civilian officials below, but most people were quite satisfied with this particular policy.
Fang Er watched them with a smile, raising his hand to signal them to quiet down.
After all eyes were once again focused on him, he slowly spoke.
"I have already heard from others about everything you have done before, and you have done a very good job!"
"Of course, it's unavoidable that there are some who try to take advantage of the situation!"
"In about ten days, the first batch of officials sent by the court will arrive. At that time, you will undergo an assessment. The capable will be promoted, and the mediocre will be demoted."
"Anyone who is dismissed will be barred from holding office for three generations!"
"At that time, don't blame me for not warning you in advance!"
After a round of warnings, he had the civilian officials taken away.
As soon as they left, Li Ji arrived with a group of his trusted subordinates. Li Xiaogong and Cheng Yaojin, having nothing else to do, also came to join the fun.
"Anzhi brother, what is this?"
Li Ji pointed at the departing civilian officials and asked confusedly.
"You all take a look at this."
Fang Er said, tossing out a handful of coins. He then explained his plans to everyone.
After hearing his explanation, Cheng Yaojin weighed the silver coin in his hand, then unreliably put it to his mouth and took a bite. After confirming it was hard, he exclaimed in surprise.
"Wait a moment, this thing isn't silver? It's made from the aluminum ingots refined in Shenyang with some other things added?"
Fang Er smiled and nodded at him. "This item is a new service offered by the bank."
As he spoke, he signaled Wang Xuance to take the irrelevant personnel away, and then continued.
"Everyone, the cost of each of these coins is about seven copper coins."
"Hiss~" Cheng Yaojin gasped at the words.
Zhang Gongjin stared at the coin in his hand in shock and exclaimed, "Damn! Brother, aren't you too greedy?!"
Cheng Yaojin instantly turned his head, staring unhappily at him. "Bah, if you think your money is too hot to handle, then give me your share of the dividends!"
Zhang Gongjin suddenly realized that he, this scoundrel, was also a shareholder in the Great Tang Royal Bank!
Therefore, the bank making money meant he was making money!
He quickly apologized to Fang Er with a smile. "Hehehehe, I'm just a rough fellow and don't understand all these intricacies. Just make all the decisions, brother."
Qin Qiong, however, frowned. "This item is not silver, yet it is being distributed to the people as money. If the people find out in the future, it will ultimately be a hidden danger."
Fang Er smiled and shook his head. "Not so, not so."
"The reason copper coins are the preferred choice for coinage is mainly due to their low mining output, but their uses are extremely wide."
"Bronze mirrors, armor, decorations, ritual vessels, and so on and so forth."
"From the common people to the imperial palace, copper plays a very important role."
"It is precisely for this reason that copper is used as currency."
"At the same time, silver and gold are also used for similar reasons, and because their mining output is even lower, merchants use them as currency above copper coins in large transactions."
"But in a certain sense, whether it's copper coins, silver, or gold, their monetary attribute is something that people have forcibly endowed upon them over thousands of years."
"Just like the cowrie shells from a thousand years ago, or the iron coins that have appeared in the past, they are all the same."
"Currency is simply a balanced weight with unified value that people can use for circulation in their daily lives."
"I plan to set up an American branch here. After the people receive the coins, they can exchange them for copper coins at any time if they need to."
"This way, it will be enough for them to see the value of the coins clearly."
"Moreover, these silver coins cannot be easily counterfeited like copper coins. Even if someone can counterfeit them, the cost will be much higher than their actual value."
After this long discourse, Qin Qiong's furrowed brow finally relaxed. "Since you have already considered everything, why not try it out for a period of time?"
Li Ji stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, I knew it. Anzhi always knows what he's doing. We just need to collect the money and leave the rest to Anzhi to handle."
"Oh, the statue on this is actually the Emperor!" Yuchi Jingde exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the design on the front of the silver coin.
"That's right, and the Emperor's portrait is so finely and realistically made. Truly good craftsmanship, a good silver coin!" Zhang Gongjin also kept nodding his head.
Niu Jinda seemed to have thought of something, his eyes gleaming as he suggested to the others, "Hey, brother, what do you say we make a batch with our own portraits on them? Even if they can't be circulated, they can be kept as souvenirs!"
Fang Er: ???
Good heavens, they're thinking of adding to it!
They're already preparing to develop commemorative coins!
"Hmm, I think it's feasible!" Cheng Yaojin nodded repeatedly.
"If we can carve our portraits onto the coins, wouldn't that be another way to be remembered in history?" Yuchi Jingde stroked his chin, lost in thought.
These things were not a problem for Fang Er. He could make a batch of Lingyan Pavilion commemorative coins later. By the time these fellows kicked the bucket, he would definitely make a profit without loss!
hiahiahiahia~~~
He wondered if his idea, if it got out, would result in him being beaten like a dog.
After dispelling the doubts in everyone's minds, the subordinates brought by Li Ji were called over. Fang Er personally taught them how to use the stamping machine to produce silver coins.
When he came from Shenyang, he had specifically visited an iron mine and brought all the materials from Tan Zong's inventory.
Although not much, there were still several tons. Each silver coin used about 9 grams of material, enough to produce hundreds of thousands of silver coins.
And subsequent artisans would arrive soon. Once they arrived, they could continue to mint more silver coins while mining various minerals.
Since the money wouldn't be distributed until a month later, there was still time.