Chapter 167: The Treasury-Suppressing Great Coin is Truly Very Large

Gao Qiyu and Xu Fan were both extremely professional envoys, so they addressed Philip II as King rather than Emperor. Philip II was not an Emperor—this was a very certain fact that even Philip II had to admit.

If Philip II were not a believer, he could have tried to claim the title of Emperor, but his persona was that of a devout believer and a vanguard against Protestantism, so the word "Emperor" was destined to have no connection with Philip II.

Don Huo Huan called Philip II "Emperor" because he wanted to create the illusion that the Empire on which the sun never sets held the same status as the Ming.

But Philip II was truly not an Emperor.

The two characters for "Emperor" correspond to *imperator* in Latin, meaning "triumphant general," meaning "supreme military commander," and was an honorary title for generals returning from conquest in ancient Rome.

Later, it gradually evolved into a synonym for the supreme ruler of the known world.

In fact, Gao Qiyu and Xu Fan had always believed that the word *caesar* could more accurately describe an Emperor; this word means Caesar.

In the Ming, "Emperor" is defined as: the supreme ruler of the known world, the nominal co-lord—a definition that has become so habitual that it is difficult to give up.

"Supreme ruler of the known world" is very easy to understand; it means being the co-lord of the world in the known world. Similar titles include "Heavenly Khan," "Lord of Ten Thousand Kings," and "Great Monarch of the Four Seas." "Great Monarch of the Four Seas" was the honorary title given to the Ming Emperor by vassal states when they paid tribute. During the Yongle period, the Ming had once beaten all the places it could reach into submission.

"Nominal co-lord" means that even if powerful ministers are in power, if he is the Emperor, he is the Emperor.

Cao Cao held the Emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, but Cao Cao was only the King of Wei when he died, not the Emperor. Similarly, at present, the Ming court is governed by Zhang Juzheng, and the Emperor is young; previously, it was governed by Gao Gong, Li Chunfang, Xu Jie, Yan Song, Xia Yan, and others. The Jiajing Emperor and the Longqing Emperor did not manage affairs much. Although these Senior Grand Secretaries could decide most of the Ming's affairs, the supreme ruler remained the Ming Emperor.

The third is "habitual to the point of being difficult to give up." In fact, long ago, the Central Plains dynasties had already realized that the world might be very large. "Under the vast heaven, is there any land that is not the King's? Within the borders of the earth, is there any person who is not the King's subject?" was just a beautiful and unattainable dream. When the Han envoy Zhang Qian went beyond the frontier, he had already opened the door to a new world for the Great Han. The Ming's Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, exploring the vastness of the world.

However, since they were already accustomed to calling him Emperor, they no longer bothered to quibble about why the Emperor, who "possesses the virtues of the Three Sovereigns and the achievements of the Five Emperors," was not the supreme ruler of the known world.

This definition is somewhat conflicting and contradictory, but such conflicting yet stable states are ubiquitous.

Even if the Spanish Empire is the Empire on which the sun never sets, Philip II is not an Emperor. At this time, the West has two Emperors: one is the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and the other is the Ottoman Sultan who captured Constantinople.

The Holy Roman Empire is indeed neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire, and the Ottoman Sultan is an infidel, but they are indeed Emperors. The Ottoman Sultan's imperial title is very authentic; after all, the Ottoman Sultan truly destroyed the Eastern Roman Empire and obtained the imperial throne.

Gao Qiyu continued, "Why does the King hold this mentality? To cross the ocean and attack the Ming, which is tens of thousands of miles away—have our contradictions become so intense that we must resort to arms? I am even more puzzled as to why the King has such confidence."

"I heard that your country's Regional Commander, Don Huo Huan, seemed to have been defeated by the Ottomans the year before last while competing for Tunisia. The opposing general, Uluj Ali, captured the King of Tunisia and sent him to Constantinople—oh, now it should be called Istanbul."

"The Ottoman threat is right before our eyes, yet the King wants to attack the Ming, which is tens of thousands of miles away. This is truly bizarre and incomprehensible."

Gao Qiyu's words directly poked Philip II in the lungs, bringing up Philip II's defeat.

In the second year of Wanli, Don Huo Huan was defeated in Tunisia.

The Ottoman General Uluj Ali had been defeated in the previous Battle of Lepanto. After returning, Uluj Ali bided his time and won it back in the second year of Wanli. Don Huo Huan's defeat in Tunisia was extremely unfavorable to Spain's strategy, because Don Huo Huan's defeat proved two things: first, that the Invincible Armada was not invincible; second, that Spain was not invincible.

The Strait of Tunisia divides the entire Mediterranean into two—the Eastern and Western Mediterranean—and Tunisia is the key location. Whoever holds the Tunisia region possesses the initiative in the Mediterranean. The Ottoman Kingdom's victory in the Tunisia theater allowed the Ottoman Kingdom to gain this strategic initiative in the struggle for maritime hegemony in the Mediterranean.

The defeat of Don Huo Huan, Regional Commander of the Holy League, made the entire West very uneasy.

When Philip II heard Gao Qiyu mention the defeat in the Battle of Tunisia, his complexion became even uglier. He looked at his brother; if Don Huo Huan hadn't been defeated in Tunisia, he wouldn't have been mocked by the Ming envoy like this.

The cause of the matter was stirred up by Philip II himself. He started it first, saying his army was invincible and could conquer every place he wanted to conquer, which provoked Gao Qiyu's counterattack.

And Gao Qiyu's counterattack was so sonorous and powerful that Philip II found it hard to endure, but he had to accept this humiliation. Not having won was truly not having won; arguing with the Ming envoy wouldn't solve the problem.

"Yes, the situation in Tunisia is as the envoy said, but we will definitely win it back." Philip II said some perfunctory words and no longer mentioned conquering the Ming.

"Is that so? Then I wish the King success in fulfilling his wish soon." Gao Qiyu gradually reduced his aggressiveness and began to talk to Philip II about trade between the Ming and Spain, determining some details of their mutual trade.

This trade was partially reciprocal. For example, the Ming agreed to allow the great galleons designated by Philip II to enter the Ming, so when the Ming's sailing ships arrived in Seville, they should not be blocked. The Ming had a raw silk ban, while Philip II found that he had no corresponding ban—did he want to ban silver?

This trade was also partially non-reciprocal. For example, the Ming enjoyed absolute pricing power over goods. Philip II firmly opposed this. The two sides did not reach an agreement on this matter. Gao Qiyu was not in a hurry, nor did he argue or shout; he simply skipped the topic.

When protected by a strong army, the advantage of goods is fully reflected.

It is you, Spain, that needs the Ming's commercial goods, not the Ming coming to supply you. This is a complete seller's market. Even if Philip II didn't agree on the surface, if the Ming raised the price, Spain would have to accept it.

The premise that the advantage of goods can be so willful is that the Ming must have sufficient military force to guarantee the Ming's advantage in goods.

After reaching certain results on these key issues, the atmosphere became lively.

Philip II specially set up a "China Hall" to display goods from Eastern trade: silk, porcelain, glazed glass, etc. And the painting of the Nanjing Porcelain Tower brought back by Antonio was placed in the center. Philip loved this Porcelain Tower very much.

"If possible, I hope to build such a high tower made entirely of glazed glass, but I can't do it. Huge military expenditures have already bankrupted me twice. Although I can default on these debts, there will always be unseen evil consequences quietly blooming, such as the Netherlands in the Low Countries generally resisting." When Philip II took Gao Qiyu to visit the China Hall, he looked at the Porcelain Tower, filled with a sense of yearning.

He also wanted to build one, but he didn't have enough craftsmen, or rather, he couldn't do it.

"You are a wise monarch. Your diligence is heard of even in the far-off Ming." Gao Qiyu did not stint on his praise and said with a smile. He spoke sincerely. Compared to the Ming emperors who could be called lazy, Philip II was absolutely diligent.

"Oh? Is that so? Thank you for your praise." When Philip II heard this, a look of joy appeared on his face. If he were praised for other aspects, he might think Gao Qiyu was speaking from the perspective of commercial flattery, but regarding diligence in government, even the Netherlands region, which opposed him the most, agreed with this very much.

Philip II could still distinguish between sincerity and politeness.

Philip II had to handle 2,000 official documents on his busiest day, and he spent seven hours every day on these documents. He once complained to his secretary, Maria José Rodríguez Salgado: "There are always 100,000 documents placed in front of me. After dealing with them, there will be even more the next day."

In order to reduce these cumbersome official documents, Philip II specially established several councils. Although these councils could share some of his chores, these councils were difficult to coordinate with each other and all required Philip II himself to handle them. Most importantly, many times, the resolutions reached by the councils would conflict with the King's opinions, or even be completely contrary.

To ensure that his own decisions or those of the councils were more beneficial to the Empire, Philip II would also write to governors in various places, personally asking for their opinions before making a decision.

"Is the Ming Emperor just as diligent?" Philip II asked with some curiosity. He really didn't know about the life of the Ming Emperor. Legazpi's letters did not describe the Emperor's life clearly. Legazpi truly didn't know; he didn't understand the life of the Ming Emperor, and even in the Ming, not many people knew.

Philip II's question inadvertently poked Gao Qiyu in the lungs.

Is the Ming Emperor diligent? The answer is negative.

The Jiajing Emperor did not attend court for more than twenty years, and sometimes memorials could pile up for months. The Longqing Emperor directly turned on "divine hiding" mode, handing everything over to the court officials to handle. The Ao Mountain Lantern Festival was the time when the Longqing Emperor spoke the most to foreign officials in a year.

This should have been a question Gao Qiyu couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Yes! Our Ming Emperor is also very hardworking."

"Our Majesty is only fourteen years old this year, but after getting up at the fifth watch, he begins to listen to government at the imperial gate, attend lectures, practice martial arts, farm, study agricultural books, mathematics, and calendar studies. He also writes letters to officials in various places to comfort them, especially in practicing martial arts. At fourteen, he can already draw a hard bow of sixty-three jin." Gao Qiyu spoke of the Ming Emperor's hard work, unable to help but puff out his chest.

Gao Qiyu was not clear about the Emperor's hard work and running around. After being kicked out of the Quanchu Guild Hall by Zhang Juzheng, Gao Qiyu specifically inquired about it and found out that the Ming Emperor had changed his nature and become diligent!

This diligence was so incredible, as magical as the sun rising from the west.

Gao Qiyu didn't believe it at first, but after he visited His Majesty at the Xuanwu Gate and watched His Majesty's hard work at the Baoqi Office, he could no longer question this iron-clad fact. Although this was very outrageous, it had indeed happened.

A born noble who actually knew what kind of heavy burden he carried on his shoulders and worked hard to become a scholar of great ambition and perseverance.

And now, Gao Qiyu had successfully completed the mission entrusted by the Emperor, coming to the West to see the King of Spain, presenting the state letter, and reaching several specific treaties on trade.

"So hardworking?" Philip II said with some envy, "An Emperor of the Ming who rules over a population of one hundred million, whose territory is so vast that it even exceeds the entire West—only fourteen years old, and so diligent. This is indeed the good fortune of the Empire."

Philip II was truly envious. For an heir to an empire, a helmsman of an empire, diligence is inevitable.

But his son, Don Carlos, because he was the eldest son and heir, did evil and finally turned into a reckless and lawless madman. Although Philip II kept emphasizing that his eldest son, Don Carlos, was sick, Philip II himself knew clearly that his son had gone mad because he was pampered and willful, and only after he was imprisoned.

His heir, Don Carlos, although he had united with the King's brother, Don Huo Huan, intending to subvert Philip II's rule, and even publicly criticized Philip II many times, the reason Philip II made up his mind to imprison his own son was that Don Carlos made a shoemaker eat his shoes.

Gao Qiyu and Xu Fan were next going to participate in the "Grand Tour" activity, starting from Madrid and traveling throughout the West. This Grand Tour plan included going to Lisbon, France, the Netherlands region, and England, and then going to Austria, Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and Tsarist Russia. If possible, they would also go to the Ottoman Empire.

Gao Qiyu did not intend to go to Rome to see the Pope. "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical force, disorder, and spiritual beings." Just as Philip II did not understand why the Ming Emperor did not need the canonization of the Holy See, the Ming people actually did not understand the matter of the human messenger of God canonizing a human monarch.

Not to mention Daoism and Buddhism, even in Confucianism, if the family of the Duke Yansheng, the descendant of the Master, ever produced such a thought, even breathing would be a mistake.

Gao Qiyu and Xu Fan would stay in the West for a long time, observing the local customs and conditions of various countries, recording them in books, and sending them back to the Ming. This was the second task of their mission.

In the fourth month of the fourth year of Wanli, Gao Qiyu and Xu Fan set sail again, heading for Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

And at this time, far away in the Ming, the Ming Emperor was listening to government at the imperial gate as usual. On the long table in the Wenhua Hall for the Nine Ministers' Joint Review, the position that should have been for the Minister of Personnel was empty.

Four months had passed in a flash, and Zhang Juzheng still hadn't found a suitable Minister of Personnel.

"No matter what, we must decide on a Minister of Personnel today." Zhang Juzheng's tone was slightly helpless. The candidate for Minister of Personnel was not difficult; it was extremely difficult. Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Chonggu and said, "I still nominate the Minister of Justice, Wang Chonggu, for transfer."

"Senior Grand Secretary, although I hold the post of Minister of Justice and do the work of the Ministry of Works' official factories, I am absolutely not going to be the Minister of Personnel." Wang Chonggu immediately opposed it. He himself opposed himself serving as Minister of Personnel.

From the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Personnel, if Wang Chonggu agreed, he could control the selection of all officials. It looked like a lateral transfer, but it was a real promotion, with greater power.

Wang Chonggu refused to agree because he knew his own mind. With his status, he could not get too involved in the power of appointment, even if he entered the Cabinet; he should not control the selection of officials.

The power of the Minister of Justice was neither too big nor too small—just right. Wang Chonggu was focused on making money, and entering the Cabinet was also for the sake of the official factories.

"If the Minister of Justice doesn't want to be the Minister of Personnel, it is understandable. Why not let the Censor-in-Chief Ge do it?" Wang Guoguang proposed Ge Shouli. Yang Bo was the leader of the Jin Party, Zhang Han was of the Jin Party, and Wang Chonggu was of the clan faction within the Jin Party. It would be better to let the Jin Party leader Ge Shouli continue to do it.

"I won't do it. I am old and weak, and the Ministry of Personnel is busy with official business. I can't do it. If you make me do it, I can only retire." Ge Shouli refused very clearly. The reason for Ge Shouli's refusal was very simple: the Ministry of Personnel was a busy office, and he couldn't handle it. He was old, and last time he retired, His Majesty had kindly urged him to stay, but Ge Shouli had been gradually fading out of the core of power, focusing on party building.

The Minister of Personnel was the inherent territory of the Jin Party. Whether it was Yang Bo, Gao Gong, or Zhang Han, they were all of the Jin Party, so they had to nominate a candidate from the Jin Party.

But this person could not be a radical. For example, someone like Zhang Siwei was absolutely out of the question. Zhang Han had done things in this position that truly made one's scalp tingle.

Zhu Yijun coughed lightly and said, "I said to let the teacher hold the post concurrently, but the teacher refused. Now the position of Minister of Personnel has been empty for four months, and the Ministry of Personnel is doing fine. Why not make a plaque, engrave 'Minister of Personnel' on it, and let the plaque be the Minister of Personnel?"

The young Emperor's level of humiliating people was recognized both inside and outside the Ming.

The meaning of these words was that even making a plaque the Minister of Personnel would be better than Zhang Han.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have another candidate to propose. I propose the Minister of Rites, Wan Shihe, and for the Ministry of Rites, I propose the Vice Minister of Personnel and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the *Collected Statutes of the Great Ming*, Ma Ziqiang, to be the Minister of Rites."

Don't say it, really don't say it—Wan Shihe was truly quite suitable to serve as Minister of Personnel.

Wan Shihe came from the Jin Party, Wan Shihe followed the imperial decree to "sit on the fence," Wan Shihe was not extreme, and was even excessively smooth. He was indeed an excellent candidate. This was a key position in the power struggle. Having such a person in government was not a bad thing.

At least Wan Shihe's nature of "mixing mud" would not further intensify the contradictions between the Zhang Party and the Chu Party. He followed the imperial decree to "sit on the fence," and he could visit the Quanchu, Quanjin, and Quanzhe Guild Halls.

Everyone looked at Wan Shihe. Wan Shihe pointed to himself and said, "Me? What virtue or ability do I have? I won't do it."

"I agree." Wang Chonggu was the first to agree. Anyone else sitting up there would be on a hot rack for roasting, but Wan Shihe was not. Who made Wan Shihe so smooth?

Wang Guoguang thought about it earnestly and nodded, saying, "I agree too."

Ge Shouli said with a smile, "I have no opinion."

The Minister of War, Tan Lun, thought about it again and again, and said with a smile, "Very good."

Seeing that more than half agreed, Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "What does Your Majesty think?"

"Excellent. It is decided. Let the Grand Minister of Rites be the Minister of Personnel." Zhu Yijun thought about it slightly and felt there was no problem. Ma Ziqiang had printed the *Illustrated Mirror of Emperors* for the young Emperor, and he was the Vice Minister of Personnel. His seniority was sufficient to be the Minister of Rites.

After Ma Ziqiang finished printing the *Illustrated Mirror of Emperors* for the young Emperor, he returned to his hometown to observe the mourning period, then returned to the court, held the affairs of the Imperial Clan Court, and then served as Vice Minister of Personnel. He could be considered one of the few civil officials in the Ming who was proficient in history. Against the background of Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind transforming historiography, Ma Ziqiang's learning was also fine.

It is worth noting that no one recommended Zhang Siwei.

"How can I be the Minister of Personnel for no reason?" Wan Shihe still did not give up the struggle and said very firmly, "The Minister of Revenue, Wang Guoguang, also comes from the Jin Party, and his seniority and reputation are second to none. He is a capable official of the country with both virtue and talent. I propose the Minister of Revenue, Wang Guoguang, to do it."

"Clearing the land, returning the fields, the Six Registers and One Account, the Single Whip Law—no matter which one it is, I can't find anyone to replace me. Grand Minister of Rites, what do you say?" Wang Guoguang said with a smile, "If you can find someone who can be the Minister of Revenue, it wouldn't be impossible for me to be the Minister of Personnel."

"Zhang Xueyan?" Wan Shihe asked tentatively. Zhang Xueyan's mathematics had been recognized by the court. At the very least, the fields and population of Liaodong could be sorted out by Zhang Xueyan.

Zhang Juzheng thought about it again and again and shook his head, saying, "He is in Liaodong; it is not suitable to transfer him."

Hou Yuzhao had gone to Liaodong. Zhang Xueyan could not return to the capital in the short term, and he had to watch Li Chengliang so that Li Chengliang wouldn't talk big in the capital and then change his tune upon returning, causing everything the Ming had done in Liaodong to be thrown away.

"Alright." Wan Shihe finally agreed. Isn't it just the Minister of Personnel? I haven't done it before, but can't I turn into a plaque?

Anyway, the Examination Law was already very mature—anonymizing the names on the papers, filling in the names in the register—what kind of mess could be made?

Zhang Juzheng wrote the floating ticket and sent it to the imperial presence for His Majesty to use the seal.

Zhu Yijun used the seal and said with a smile, "Grand Minister of Rites, work hard."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Wan Shihe bowed again to accept the order. He had already made up his mind: not seeking merit, but only seeking no mistakes.

Zhang Juzheng took out the second memorial and said, "The second thing is that the Earl of Ningyuan, Li Chengliang, has sent a congratulatory gift, saying that the Haixi Jurchens gave Li Chengliang a gold coin gift, which was dug up near Huining Prefecture. It is a gold coin cast by the Song Huizong, with 'Xuanhe Yuanbao' written on it. This object is extremely precious; to this day, it is the only one left."

Song Huizong cast a total of sixty-six Xuanhe Yuanbao gold coins. When the country fell and he was captured, these gold coins cast by Song Huizong were all melted down by the Jin people. This one was the only one left, which was very precious.

Li Chengliang saw such a rare thing and sent it directly to the capital as a gift.

And the reason Zhang Juzheng wanted to talk about this was because he wanted to discuss the Ming's currency law. The expansion of Yunnan's Dian copper production was already on the verge of breaking out, and the Ming's Ministry of War had finally produced silver coins that satisfied the Emperor.

Zhang Juzheng flicked his sleeves, took out a row of silver coins, laid them out one by one, and said, "This is a one-tael (37.25g), five-qian, and one-qian silver coin. This is a white copper coin. The copper coins are mixed with tin, lead, and iron. One Wanli Tongbao silver coin is equal to one thousand copper coins, a five-qian silver coin is equal to five hundred copper coins, and a one-qian silver coin is equal to one hundred copper coins."

"Your Majesty, your subject has a 'Treasury-Suppressing Great Coin' to offer," the Minister of Works, Guo Chaobin, said, bowing.

"Present it." Zhu Yijun thought the "Great Coin" would be at most the size of a palm, but he had wrongly estimated the size of this coin.

When it was presented, Zhu Yijun looked at the Great Coin the size of a cartwheel and asked, stunned, "This is a Great Coin?"

Guo Chaobin bowed and said, "Yes, this is the Treasury-Suppressing Great Coin I made. It is one chi, eight cun, and seven fen in diameter. The copper coin weighs 83 jin, 9 liang, and 8 qian; the silver coin weighs 98 jin, 7 liang, and 4 qian; and the gold coin weighs 180 jin, 2 liang, and 8 qian."

The weight of gold, silver, and copper coins of the same size increases with the increase in density. Zhu Yijun looked at the three Great Coins brought up. Treasury-suppressing naturally has the meaning of suppressing the treasury.

First of all, its most important significance is that the Ming's currency design can be fully displayed on a Great Coin of nearly two chi.

The copper coin is cast, still in its original shape—round heaven and square earth—which is convenient for the Ming people to use and carry.

As for the gold and silver coins, the square hole in the middle is removed, and they are round and rolled. This is naturally borrowing from the West's coin-casting method, and it is also the reality of practice, because rolling easily deforms the square hole in the middle, so the Ministry of Works chose a round shape when rolling.

It has complicated and exquisite patterns on it for anti-counterfeiting. The pattern chosen by the Ministry of Works is wheat ears. In the view of the Ministry of Works, His Majesty's personal establishment of the Baoqi Office is of great significance, so they directly took the implication of the Baoqi Office and used two arc-shaped wheat ears as a fill. On the front, it says "Wanli Tongbao," and on the back, it says the weight of the coin—one tael, five qian, four qian—and the specific time, "Made in the fourth year of Wanli."

If coin casting is not exquisite, it is better not to cast coins.

The significance of casting the Treasury-Suppressing Great Coin also represents the innovation of the Ming's craftsmanship, the improvement of the process from coin casting to rolling. And this improvement means that the unsightly air holes on the silver coins no longer exist, and they are shiny, durable, and wear-resistant. Most importantly, the size and weight have been standardized.

"Good, good, good!" Zhu Yijun held the silver coin about to be issued and said with a smile, "Good, good, good, very good. Minister Guo has handled affairs effectively, very good."

Zhu Yijun listened in detail to the reports from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue regarding the rolling of silver coins, issuance, and other aspects, and gave a high evaluation of the work of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Works is responsible for casting coins, and the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for issuance. The division of labor is very clear.

"Yesterday's news report: Qinglong Fortress in Daning Guard has fallen, and the Tuman Khan is coming toward Xinglin Fortress," Zhang Juzheng said with a grave expression about another matter.

The war in Daning Guard—the Ming attacked during the winter, and now that spring has arrived and all things are recovering, the enemy's mobility has begun to recover, and they have begun a counterattack against the Ming army entrenched in Daning Guard.

Moreover, the momentum of the counterattack was extremely fierce, seizing the initiative and taking Qinglong Fortress.

Everyone was worried, only the young Emperor looked relaxed. The fall of Xinglin Fortress and Qinglong Fortress was within expectations. After all, construction could not be done in winter, and just as spring arrived, the Tuman tribe began their attack.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 168 =====