Chapter 576: A Sheet of Paper Is Money

Do the common folk of Weinan County rely more on the library or the workshops for their income?

The answer to this question is obvious; it must be the workshops.

Because Chen Yan has been practicing Replace Disaster with Labor from start to finish, up to now the roads of Weinan County have almost all been repaved, and the docks have been rebuilt.

So many workshops have taken in a large number of the populace.

The wages offered are all quite high.

This is the main reason the lives of Weinan County's people have improved.

Dai Zhou said gravely, "Do not fuss over short‑term gains and losses; consider the long term. The workshops of Weinan County are what you should value, not that library destined to be expanded elsewhere."

"Secondly, what is Weinan County's greatest advantage?"

"It is its position on the Wei River, the essential water route to Chang'an; its traffic is bound to be substantial!"

"Moreover, as the people become more prosperous, their purchasing power will gradually rise, so losing the attracted scholars may be a noticeable short‑term loss, but it will recover over time."

"Don't get the priorities wrong—picking up sesame seeds while discarding the watermelon."

"I understand," Li Yifu said, dawning, "You mean we should place more emphasis on the workshops and the fleets that travel the waterways?"

"Mm." Dai Zhou sighed lightly, "Chen Zian is right; the three of you should stay in Weinan County for two years, settle down, read more histories in your spare time, and reflect more."

"Let's go."

"Thank you, Uncle Dai, we will take our leave now."

After leaving Dai's residence, the three fell silent for a moment, and Zhang Wenguan hesitated, "Did we disappoint them?"

Li Yifu's usual smile vanished, and he sighed, "Isn't that obvious? We were too fixated on that group of scholars, ignoring the long‑term issues, only counting short‑term gains and losses. Lord Chen and Uncle Dai both noticed this, which is why they lament that iron does not become steel."

Dai Zhide said shamefully, "Today was a huge embarrassment; let's hurry back and not stay in Chang'an."

"Indeed, indeed."

"......"

As soon as the three had just taken their first steps away, Xu Lianyue came after them and approached Chen Yan.

"Young Master Cui deposited the aristocratic families' funds into three‑year term accounts; he said it was on your order."

Chen Yan took a light sip of tea, "Mm, I instructed it. For the next three years, this ten‑thousand‑wan of money will temporarily belong to us. First, cooperate with the Eastern Palace to expand the Money Shop, starting from Chang'an outward."

"By the way, the lending terms can be loosened a bit, and the funds can be used to invest in good trades."

"And continue building workshops in Weinan County; with more and better techniques, we can't leave them idle."

"Is this the development plan for now?" Xu Lianyue asked, puzzled.

She knew Chen Yan was an unsettled person, and now, with such a massive fortune in his hands, he surprisingly wasn't making any big moves.

That's not like Chen Yan's style.

"For now, that's it," Chen Yan nodded, "Ten‑thousand‑wan of money sounds a lot, but against the whole Tang Dynasty it's still not enough."

"Everything must proceed slowly, especially since everyone is waiting for the Imperial Examination results; we can adapt then."

"I understand." Xu Lianyue replied, then recalled something and said, "Today two Ministerial Attendants from the Ministry of Revenue arrived, wanting to mortgage the ministry's autumn harvest to borrow two million wan from the Money Shop, along with large amounts of grain and other supplies."

"How should we collect the interest?"

"Everything must follow the rules!" Chen Yan declared firmly, "From now on, whoever comes—whether the Ministry of Revenue or the Imperial Family—must adhere to the regulations!"

"Determine the interest based on the loan amount and the installment period; no need to be courteous to them."

"Oh, right, remember to collect more grain; the loaned money need not be repaid in cash, it can be repaid with an equivalent amount of grain, or even silk."

"The Money Shop can not only be a Money Shop but also a Grain Store; otherwise, if another famine occurs, having grain on hand lets us control grain prices!"

"We shouldn't profit from this, but we must not let those black‑hearted grain merchants bleed the people!"

"But… the current grain price keeps falling, and your potatoes and Champa Rice will be planted on a massive scale this year, so future grain prices will surely keep dropping. Collecting grain on a large scale at today's price is not a wise move."

"Besides silk, others don't understand its value; are we any less clear?"

"If Weinan County continues production like this, silk prices will also gradually fall; I personally think taking grain and silk is unfeasible."

"Heh…" Chen Yan smiled, "It's reasonable to think that way to some extent, but have you considered that Wujingqi is about to head to Wa Country?"

"There is a massive silver mine there that can be mined for centuries; do you think that, under the impact of all that silver, copper coins might depreciate or even become obsolete?"

Xu Lianyue was stunned.

She truly hadn't thought of that.

First, she didn't know about that silver mine; she had only occasionally heard Chen Yan mention it in conversation.

Secondly, copper coins, after so many years of development, have become widely accepted by the public; their concept is deeply ingrained.

She finds it hard to imagine copper coins continuously depreciating, even becoming worthless.

Chen Yan said calmly, "Whether it's money or grain, an excess will cause depreciation, just as abundant harvests year after year naturally lower grain prices."

"But if we control most of the money and grain, we decide their value."

"Thus we avoid cheapening grain and harming farmers, and also prevent black‑hearted grain merchants from sucking the people dry."

Speaking, Chen Yan pinched a sheet of paper on the table, "Do you see this paper? When the Money Shop grows to a certain scale, I only need to anchor this paper to copper coins and tell the people that as long as they hold this paper, they can go to any Money Shop and exchange it for an equivalent sum of money."

"Then this plain, unremarkable paper is money!"

"From now on, when people go out they will no longer use copper coins, but this paper recognized by the Money Shop!"

"Do you understand?"

"......"

Xu Lianyue stared blankly for a long time, her mind whirring countless times before she gradually grasped Chen Yan's meaning.

She swallowed hard, finding it hard to imagine trade could work this way.

The significance of the Money Shop is truly that great!

Xu Lianyue looked at the paper in Chen Yan's hand and silently asked herself whether this could actually be realized.

In the next moment, she herself gave the answer.

Sure!

Because the Money Shop is not only Chen Yan's Money Shop, but also the Imperial Family's Money Shop.

When the Money Shop spreads to every corner of the Tang Dynasty and grasps all the wealth of the world.

Everything will be decided by them!

"......"