Chapter 246

The Embroidered Uniform Guards originally stationed outside the Suqiaojia Sect had also withdrawn one after another.

Only Su Qiao remained in the courtyard, sizing up everything before his eyes.

The Baochao Tijusi Sect?

Such an important official post, and in Great Ming it's only Fifth Rank, Junior Grade?!

At this thought.

Su Qiao's eyes couldn't help but gradually narrow.

Who would have thought that a guy who could stare himself cross-eyed over trading funds could climb his way up to the central bank's level!

The next morning at dawn.

Su Qiao silently changed into a full set of official robes.

He then hailed a sedan chair on the street, sat inside it, and headed for the Baochao Tijusi Sect yamen.

Only Su Qiao didn't know.

Behind his sedan chair, two Embroidered Uniform Guards had already set their sights on him, afraid of missing any single word or deed of his.

The Baochao Tijusi Sect falls under the Ministry of Revenue.

But judging from the name, it's called the Tijusi Sect rather than the Qinglisi Sect, which shows that the Baochao Tijusi Sect has a certain degree of autonomy when facing the various senior officials of the Ministry of Revenue.

In other words.

The Baochao Tijusi Sect is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, but in reality it is a yamen that used to be directly administered by the former Secretariat.

And now, with the position of Chancellor dismissed and the Secretariat abolished.

The Baochao Tijusi Sect is practically a yamen left to run itself.

Before long.

Su Qiao arrived at the Baochao Tijusi Sect.

The moment he stepped into the Baochao Tijusi Sect, he immediately saw several men dressed as craftsmen standing in the yamen's courtyard, fiddling with something.

Su Qiao looked at the few men in the courtyard in confusion and asked

"Who are you people?"

Hearing Su Qiao's words, the few "craftsmen" in the courtyard turned their heads around in confusion.

After clearly seeing the official robe on Su Qiao's body.

They suddenly remembered that yesterday someone from the Zhi Society had apparently informed them that a new Tiju would be coming to take up the post today!

The few men dropped to their knees with a thud.

"This humble official deserves ten thousand deaths! Please forgive us, my lord!"

Su Qiao's brows knit tightly as he slowly walked up to the men and asked in confusion

"What on earth are you... doing?"

The few "craftsmen" exchanged glances, and with fear and trepidation pulled out a few carved printing blocks from behind them.

"My lord, this humble official was only driven by the need to make a living, so I took on some private work from outside, helping bookshops print some books to supplement the household!"

"What books?"

"My lord, please look, these are all books by sages and worthies!"

Su Qiao immediately froze on the spot.

What kind of loving-the-job spirit is this?

You guard Great Ming's money-printing machine, and all you dare to print is a few books to supplement the household?!

And they're all books by sages and worthies! Three.

145. Zhu Yuanzhang: How is Su Qiao doing? Jiang Huan: Lord Su set the treasury on fire.

The Baochao Tijusi Sect.

It seems this yamen is one specifically responsible for "creating something out of nothing."

But Old Zhu is no fool either.

The printing of every single Baochao note.

Must go through the Ministry of Revenue, the Tijusi Sect, and verification by the palace eunuchs before it can be put into storage and "take effect."

One or two notes might still be managed.

But the problem with this whole thing lies right here.

Great Ming Baochao notes come in only six denominations: one guan and one to five hundred wen.

But as for Baochao notes themselves.

At present in Great Ming, they're only used for those large-amount transactions.

Ordinary small peddlers don't accept Baochao notes at all.

No matter how highly you praise Baochao notes, they can't possibly be as practical as copper coins.

Copper coins are nice and heavy, they give a real sense of security.

Rather than risk having the Embroidered Uniform Guards raid their homes, and every day produce just one or two Great Ming Baochao notes to accumulate bit by bit.

The craftsmen of this Tijusi Sect decisively chose another path to wealth.

—Moonlighting.

Su Qiao looked at these subordinates before him, caught between tears and laughter.

He couldn't help but sigh

"Enough."

"You all carry on with your work."

The various assistant officials of the Tijusi Sect seemed as though they hadn't heard clearly.

He looked at Su Qiao in disbelief and asked,

"My lord, what did you say?"

Su Qiao waved his hand impatiently and said,

"You go on printing yours; just do not touch the official ink for the later batches."

The officials before him immediately nodded repeatedly and said,

"My lord, you are not angry?"

Su Qiao plopped down onto the main hall's dais, casually lifted a bowl of water, and drank it heartily,

"Why should I be angry?"

"Is that later ink mine?"

The group of officials shook their heads vigorously.

Su Qiao continued asking,

"Do I pay your salaries?"

The group of officials shook their heads vigorously again.

Su Qiao looked at the few before him as if seeing fools, spread his hands, and said,

"Then isn't that settled? Whether you do it or not, what does it have to do with me?"

Hearing Su Qiao's words,

those few officials could not help but doubt their very lives.

It seemed

there was nothing wrong with it!

This was not Su Qiao's business after all.

Although something felt strange,

these officials soon accepted it.

The Bureau of Paper Currency was itself a cold seat that could not get any colder.

After all, it was simply a Viceroy Yamen that did pure labor.

Moreover, it had no prestige whatsoever.

It was merely using templates to print.

Delivering the paper currency the Son of Heaven required on schedule was all that was needed.

To be honest, such work could be handled by the Inner Court; if Old Zhu did not look down on Eunuchs from the bottom of his heart, this matter might well have been placed under the Eunuchs' management.

Precisely because there was no hope for promotion, the position of Director of the Bureau of Paper Currency had remained vacant for a long time.