The first poisonous scholar in Daxia, starting from the abdication of the prime minister

Chapter 338 Emperor Xia: Is life getting more and more difficult?

"What? Are you quitting again?"

Emperor Xia had a look of displeasure on his face. He tapped Gu Jingzhi's memorial and said, "Do you think anyone else besides you can understand what's written here?"

Uh……

Gu Jingzhi was a little amused and said, "Your Majesty, you misunderstood me!"

"What I mean is that this copper mine cannot be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, or in other words, the matter of coinage cannot be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue!"

"Oh?"

Emperor Xia frowned and said, "Apart from you, no one else would be able to do this, let alone understand it. What else can we do if we don't assign it to the Ministry of Revenue?"

"I believe that this currency system covers too many areas. If it is assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, it would be equivalent to giving the Ministry the right to mint coins. It is fine for me to be in charge at the moment, but what about the future?"

Gu Jingzhi explained slowly, "I believe that such a major undertaking as coinage cannot be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue just because I am the only one who can do it, or because it involves money!"

"The Ministry of Revenue can take over the power of issuance, but it cannot take over the power of minting! Moreover, to avoid future problems, I believe that minting and issuing should not only be separated, but also supervised by each other!"

"Based on this, I have come up with a plan. That is to establish two new government offices in the imperial court!"

"New Yamen?"

Xia Di immediately became interested. He smiled and said, "Then tell me about it!"

Gu Jingzhi said, "The first one is, of course, the right to mint coins. This right can only be established by establishing a separate government office, and personnel can be drawn from the Ministry of Works! This government office will be responsible for all matters related to coinage. Not only that, even within this new government office, the powers must be completely clearly defined!"

"For example, the copper mining department, the gold and copper smelting department, the currency minting department, the anti-counterfeiting technology department, and the currency acceptance department, etc..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia frowned and said, "Gu Qing, such detailed divisions, isn't this too much?"

Gu Jingzhi shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this is a matter of national destiny. Currency technology must not be controlled by the same group of people. This is especially true of gold and copper smelting and anti-counterfeiting technology, which are the core of currency. If these are controlled by others, it may lead to currency flooding!"

"Therefore, I have completely divided the process of minting coins to prevent anyone from directly stealing the secrets!"

"In addition, the rules for coinage must also follow strict procedures. I believe that not only should there be strict laws, but even after the currency is successfully issued, every coinage must be approved by the court. Only when it complies with the provisions of the law can the court issue an order to mint coins in designated batches!"

"This……"

Emperor Xia frowned subconsciously.

It would have been fine if Gu Jingzhi had set up various systems to decentralize power in the minting department, but even the emperor had to obtain approval from the court before minting coins could be implemented.

As a feudal emperor, he subconsciously opposed it.

However, when the words came to his lips, he said lightly: "Give me a reason!"

Gu Jingzhi's move was tantamount to restricting the imperial power, so how could he easily agree? However, after thinking about it, he realized that doing so would not benefit Gu Jingzhi, so he thought he should give Gu Jingzhi a chance to explain.

Gu Jingzhi remained calm and unafraid. He said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember when I first returned to Beijing and told Your Majesty about the monetary policy based on gold and silver?"

Emperor Xia frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I remember that you did this to prevent currency from flooding and causing price fluctuations!"

"exactly!"

"Your Majesty, you are the founding emperor of the country. Even the Crown Prince was taught by you. You are a good emperor who cares for the people. But do you think that future emperors of Great Xia can be like you?"

Gu Jingzhi bowed and said, "Even if I offend Your Majesty today, I must explain this first! Throughout the dynasties, there has never been a situation where there were always wise rulers. We, the people of later generations, can only use history as a mirror. Even if our Great Xia really has wise rulers for generations, we must be on guard!"

"The benefits and harms of currency are no less significant than those of government. On the contrary... the slightest fluctuation in currency can, at best, cause price fluctuations and suffering for the people, and at worst, destroy a nation's destiny!"

"I beg Your Majesty to give me your advice, otherwise I will never dare to start a new monetary policy!"

Gu Jingzhi's face was full of sincerity, and Emperor Xia was also full of worry when he heard it. He was not angry about what Gu Jingzhi said, but the royal power could not be easily shaken.

He asked, "Gu Qing, currency volatility can destroy a nation's destiny... It's not that I don't believe it, but you need to convince me!"

"This……"

Gu Jingzhi frowned slightly, he still thought it was too simple.

I originally thought that this move would cut off the foundation of the aristocratic family and Emperor Xia would not object, but I didn't expect it to get stuck here.

He thought for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty, I remember telling you about something before. It was about aristocratic families privately minting coins and putting them on the market, causing a flood of copper coins!"

"I simply wish to inform Your Majesty that, compared to their treasonous violation of national law, I believe their actions, which have led to the devaluation of copper coins, are far more serious!"

Emperor Xia was shocked when he heard this.

He later asked the Internal Guards to verify the example that Gu Jingzhi had given him, and it was indeed as Gu Jingzhi said!

Emperor Xia looked a little embarrassed!

Gu Jingzhi continued, "Your Majesty, if the imperial court mints coins when it runs out of money, what's the difference between that and the noble families minting coins privately? The two are just switching who does what, making the illegal become legal!"

"However, the harm this matter itself brings remains unchanged. Your Majesty, accepting my advice, has resolved to reform the currency for the sake of the stability of the Great Xia Empire. If the imperial court cannot strictly adhere to these laws, then what is the point of reform?"

"Although the people are not smart, they are not fools. When they find that the steamed buns that once cost one cent have now become two cents, and their income has not increased, they are afraid that the situation after the reform will return to the same situation as before!"

"And this isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is... this move will severely damage the prestige of the imperial court. How will the imperial court then convince the people to trust it?"

"..."

Emperor Xia was silent!

Centralization of power is certainly important to him, but if the consequence is turmoil in Daxia, it is not the result he wants!

He thought for a moment and sighed, "Well, let's do it just as you say!"

After hearing this, Gu Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, the purpose of his proposal was to prevent incompetent rulers from making mistakes, or emperors who had no knowledge of economics from making mistakes.

It is not uncommon to do good things with bad intentions. If the direction is wrong, the harder you try, the more serious the consequences will be.

After Gu Jingzhi's persuasion, Emperor Xia finally let go of his grievances and said, "Your Majesty, Gu, has devoted your wholehearted devotion to the Great Xia Empire. As the Emperor, how could I possibly let you down?"

"Well, I agree to this matter! I will establish ancestral precepts and require future generations to follow them. Gu Qing, you can rest assured!"

Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise! However, it should not only be written in the royal ancestral precepts, but also clearly stipulated in the law!"

Emperor Xia: “…”

Good boy, your life is getting more and more chaotic!

He rolled his eyes: "Gu Qing, please tell me the rest first..."