Chapter 533

"Can such a complex matter really be solved so simply?" Zhu Yijun said with some uncertainty. This is a major event that has led to the widespread deficit of local treasuries in the country, and it is a major problem of systematic corruption.

How could it be solved so simply?

Wang Chonggu said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this is not simple at all. The complexity of the treasury being hollowed out is actually all based on covering up the truth. The key is to find the final beneficiary, that is, who the silver actually flowed to."

If only simple means are needed to find the final beneficiary, then the treasury being hollowed out means that it can also be held accountable. Whoever benefits will bear the responsibility, ultimately alleviating this chaos.

Using Great Construction Projects to create debts that should not exist, using debt transfer to constantly confuse the line of sight, creating fog to cover up the truth, a final beneficiary hidden under the water can exert pressure to make the local government recognize the existence of these debts, ultimately completing the "eating one fish twice" scheme.

Debts that should not exist are caused by layering of bidding and subcontracting. At this time, they have already eaten once.

The debt is finally transferred to a beneficiary. At this time, it is the second time they eat. And the diners who eat the fish twice are often the same group of people, or even more clearly, most of the time it is the same person.

Wang Chonggu didn't actually explain it clearly and thoroughly. In fact, this is the inevitable result of the "master-disciple system," just like the case of the 700,000 *mu* of official land in Baoding Prefecture being occupied. The one who ate the big share was Fan Yingqi, the Jin person on whom the Jin Party of the Great Ming pinned high hopes.

Only by simply not allowing debt transfer can the final beneficiary no longer hide under the water, meaning they must take the risk of exposure to take this bite. Once the incident occurs, it will be noticed by the imperial court, and then the Great Ming Divine Sword will surely arrive.

"Your Majesty, this looks very simple, but it is actually very difficult, because before this, there was no possibility of doing these things at all." Wang Chonggu corrected the Emperor's "simple" twice. In the environment of the 11th year of Wanli, this matter is simple, but in the Jiajing and Longqing periods, this matter would not have had a beginning at all.

Because the people responsible for decision-making were the diners who ate the fish twice. To oppose corruption by doing this?

Are you asking him to oppose himself? Even Gao Gong could only ensure that he was clean; he couldn't even oppose the corruption of the Jin Party. Hence Hai Rui is invincible in some situations and useless in others. He is an invincible Divine Sword, especially in the matter of opposing corruption and catching greed, but the previous environment destined that Hence Hai Rui's Divine Sword could not be unsheathed.

The political situation that can allow Hence Hai Rui to unsheathe his sword is absolutely extremely clear. At least anti-corruption is a topic that can be mentioned and implemented.

Many major problems that seem to be collapsing the sky now were not urgent or pressing at all more than ten years ago, because there were more important problems waiting to be solved.

"Then let's add a restriction on debt transfer to Chief Censor Hai's memorial. Government debt cannot be bought or sold." Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and accepted Wang Chonggu's statement. This is silver. Every time it passes through hands, it will produce reasonable wear and tear. If named debt is transferred, it will bear the risk of being cheated.

Some time ago, during the imperial examinations in the capital, the capital's officials arrested a large number of brokers. Nine out of ten of these brokers were big liars. The moment named debt could not be bought or sold, the liars seemed to have found a new business growth path, which is guarantee.

Liars lie, mainly by daring to say and daring to believe, which is truly a two-way rush.

In this way, by prohibiting layering of bidding at the front end to reduce the creation of non-existent debts by local governments, and by prohibiting the buying and selling of debt at the back end to stop the cashing out of debt, exerting force from two aspects allows local treasuries to stay away from the occupation of monsters and ghosts.

In the past, Zhu Yijun thought that the hollowing out of the treasury was mainly caused by petty corruption, such as the clerks filling their own pockets and secretly moving things out of the treasury. When the superiors checked, they would burn the old accounts once with a fire dragon. But Zhu Yijun learned from Wang Chonggu that the local treasury of the Great Ming was hollowed out like this.

"Actually, the most critical thing is the Engineering Corps. If the imperial court does not have a team for Great Construction Projects, this kind of thing will happen. Clearly, the imperial court bid for B to be responsible for this case, but after tossing and turning, it was finally K who was responsible. For a 2 million Great Construction Project, maybe this K only used 200,000 to bid for construction. It's no wonder that something goes wrong." Wang Chonggu still strongly advocated and sold his Engineering Corps system.

In Wang Chonggu's view, maintaining the project quality of Great Construction Projects and issuing labor remuneration for poor people are the two most urgent things.

Wang Chonggu further explained, "There is no beginning, so there is no need to worry too much. Admittedly, the Engineering Corps is by no means a panacea that works every time, nor does such a thing exist, but having it is better than not having it."

It is not a panacea that works every time, but it can be used as a very important tool in the toolbox for alleviating contradictions.

"Good." Zhu Yijun naturally understood this.

After ending the discussion with Wang Chonggu, Zhu Yijun thought carefully and took over many corruption files from the Censorate. After careful reading, Zhu Yijun really found the trick. The phenomenon Wang Chonggu said was real. Some Great Construction Projects, such as the cost of repairing the city in the three borders, were clearly abnormal. The imperial court gave 10,000 silver, but a garrison actually needed 100,000 silver to repair, and then the local government began to have a deficit.

Who exactly was the deficit in the hands of? There was no way to investigate. It was not that the Embroidered Uniform Guards were not powerful, but that the investigation volume was too large, and investigating cases in the local area had even greater resistance. The officials of the Great Ming also gave the Ming Emperor a good lesson on what is filling one's own pockets and what is damaging the public to enrich the private.

Zhu Yijun began his day of grinding and opened the memorial to start reviewing.

A censor submitted a memorial, asking a question, that is, the overall direction of the Great Ming's government decrees now makes him unable to understand. The overall direction of the Great Ming is still mainly to settle the poor and blame the local squires and gentry. To put it more ugly, it is to kill the rich to help the poor. Admittedly, there are indeed many problems with the meat-eaters, but what is the reason for this choice?

What is the difference between this and killing the goose that lays the golden eggs? Without the leadership of the squires and gentry, do the poor have enough wealth to invest in various projects, allowing the Great Ming to complete reform and the implementation of new policies?

Zhu Yijun thought about it and approved the memorial:

Zhang Juzheng's one-element autocracy will not work, because Zhu Yijun is really already very busy. The set of Taizu Gao Emperor, Zhu Yijun really can't do it. That thing is fatal.

The memorials of the court officials are varied, but on the whole, they are mainly about things. The memorials that were idle and asked for peace were gradually reduced after being severely reprimanded by Zhu Yijun. From the memorials without punctuation at the beginning, they became memorials with punctuation, and there are more and more vernacular memorials. These are all the Emperor's requirements.

Punctuation is to prevent ambiguity, and vernacular is to make the Emperor's reading easy and simple. Everything is for more efficient administration.

The Ministry of Revenue received Xu Wei's memorial and was truly eye-opening about the impact of overseas circulating *baochao* on Japan. Limited *baochao* could actually be successfully implemented overseas, and it also had certain positive significance, which was truly unexpected by the Ministry of Revenue. On the other hand, it also corroborated a point of view, that is, the Great Ming is really too free.

The flooding of Great Ming *baochao*, in addition to the imperial court's excessive issuance, the biggest hidden danger is the private printing by imperial relatives and military ministers. During the Hongwu period, cases of private issuance of *baochao* often could not be investigated because they involved figures the Emperor did not want to blame. The Embroidered Uniform Guards, who were completely obedient to the Emperor, had to stop.

Therefore, the meat-eaters who privately printed currency or privately cast copper coins in the early days of the country often sought shelter from imperial relatives and military ministers.

There is a widespread existence of private casting of copper coins among the people. The Great Ming is really too free. Even private casting of copper coins and private printing of *baochao* will not be beheaded. If this is not freedom, what is it?

"Grand Minister!" Zhang Xueyan walked in with excitement, hurried to Wang Guoguang, put a handful of hemp silk in front of Wang Guoguang, and said extremely excitedly, "I found a good thing!"

"Be calm. You are the Junior Minister, the hall official of the Ministry of Revenue. What kind of system is it to be so reckless? My Great Ming's dignified second-rank official is so happy, which is not in line with etiquette." Wang Guoguang taught him a lesson, picked up the hemp silk in his hand, and asked, "What is this?"

"Abaca." Zhang Xueyan said with a smile, "It is often used for weaving, and mostly used for making ship cables and anchor ropes. Of course, for the Ministry of Revenue, its most important role is for papermaking. The paper is very wear-resistant, and while it is less likely to be damaged, it can also play a role in anti-counterfeiting."

"Anti-counterfeiting role?" Wang Guoguang frowned and asked.

Zhang Xueyan said extremely excitedly, "Because abaca papermaking can only be done by the imperial court now, and large quantities of abaca can only be obtained by the imperial court! Abaca paper is the best anti-counterfeiting."

Abaca is called Manila hemp. This plant is not everywhere in Manila. The survival conditions are not harsh, but currently, it is only planted in parts of Luzon, mainly used for ship production. And abaca used for papermaking is the result of the Ministry of Revenue's exploration of currency law.

The Ministry of Revenue has been looking for a hemp material that is difficult to obtain, high strength, corrosion-resistant, mold-resistant, and wrinkle-resistant to make paper for printing banknotes. And now it has been found by the Ministry of Revenue. Making paper with abaca is the biggest threshold for private printing of *baochao*.

The first is that raw materials are hard to come by.

Abaca is divided into two types: green stem and red stem. Among them, green stem has the highest yield and best quality, but it is difficult to introduce. In the second year of Wanli, when the Luzon Viceroy's Office was established, it noticed the specialty of this raw material, because cables need to use this kind of hemp material. Yin Zhengmao began to introduce it to Guangzhou and Hainan Qiongzhou.

In the third year of Wanli, it was 200 *mu* of land. Red stem abaca was successfully introduced, but green stem failed. Green stem abaca is mainly intolerant to pests, and it is somewhat unacclimatized to the local water and soil. It is always prone to diseases and pests, and it dies in large areas at every turn.

Therefore, abaca can only rely on imports from Luzon to the hinterland. This is the first difficulty. If you want to get abaca, you must open up all the joints from Luzon to the Great Ming to buy abaca. This is to increase the threshold for private printing. Moreover, the planting of green stem abaca is mainly concentrated near Manila, and all abaca gardens are in the hands of the Viceroy's Office.

The second is the formula. If you want to make abaca paper clean and white, you need to work hard. Hemp paper usually has exposed fibers. The Great Ming Ministry of Revenue improved the craftsmanship, such as using pure alkali instead of plant ash, using white clay instead of sunlight bleaching, limestone to increase ink adsorption, and using flying bottom knife pulping machines instead of traditional pestle pounding. The improvement of these techniques is an extremely confidential formula for every step.

If I try to get hemp paper, it is extremely difficult technically. Coupled with anti-counterfeiting ink, etc., the cost of production after research and development might be more expensive than the paper money made, which is not worth the loss. Most importantly, it will also carry the risk of beheading.

"Good thing! Good thing!" Wang Guoguang looked at the group of abaca thread in his hand, and then looked at the abaca paper that had already been made. The slightly yellow and green paper was very clean, without the roughness of traditional hemp paper. There was also the trial-produced Great Ming *baochao*, which made Wang Guoguang sigh repeatedly and show joy. Wang Guoguang, who had just asked Zhang Xueyan to be calm, became restless instead.

Zhang Xueyan looked left and right and whispered, "This is 10% abaca paper, and this is 30% abaca paper. Grand Minister, give it a flick."

10% abaca paper is crisper, but after flicking it a few times, there were obvious creases. And 30% abaca paper didn't sound so obvious when flicked, but there were no creases.

"The paper of the circulating *baochao* has 20% abaca." Zhang Xueyan picked up the trial-produced paper money in his hand and whispered, "The sound is crisp and it is fold-resistant."

Anti-counterfeiting will also become simple. You can hear it with one flick. The sound is crisp and fold-resistant. 20% abaca is the result of continuous testing.

"Go find the Emperor!" Wang Guoguang picked up the *baochao* box on the table and went to Tonghe Palace impatiently. He was more anxious than Zhang Xueyan. Cultivation? What is that? Is it that important?

When Zhu Yijun was approached by Wang Guoguang, he was also very surprised. For the upgrade of paper money from cotton paper to abaca paper, Zhu Yijun himself affirmed the efforts of the Ministry of Revenue.

"The Great Ming is not suitable for implementing *baochao*. The preparation is insufficient." Zhu Yijun said, "The anchor in the Ministry of Revenue's 'Memorial on Currency Anchor' is not sufficient."

"It's just overseas implementation." Wang Guoguang said very confidently, "Make the scale first, the craftsmanship will become more and more mature, and the industrial chain will become rich."

"Does Japan deserve to use abaca paper money? It's not bad to give them some toilet paper." Zhu Yijun said very unhappily. Japan doesn't deserve it. Asking for their silver is giving them face, letting them fulfill their filial piety! Give them a chance to fulfill their filial piety, and they must learn to be grateful!

"It's not for Japan, it's for Luzon. It's still overseas circulating *baochao*." Wang Guoguang said hurriedly. There are 100 million *guan* of paper money for Japan, which can be used for a long, long time.

"Oh, that's about the same." Zhu Yijun heard that the Ministry of Revenue intended to expand the *baochao* pilot, and only then did he seriously consider it. Using good currency for Japan is really a waste, but using it for Luzon is just right.

Luzon also has a currency shortage.

Luzon has copper, and there are 11 large copper mountains, but Luzon is still short of copper because Luzon's copper has all been given to the Great Ming. The Great Ming's siphon effect on gold, silver, and copper is really too strong, so strong that the two teeth (Spain and Portugal) far away in the West are absorbing silver by the Great Ming.

The Great Ming has a currency shortage. Under the product advantage, Luzon's precious metals will flow into the Great Ming. Even the Great Britain, which has completed the first industrial revolution, has been in a trade deficit with the Qing Dynasty for a long time, and silver has flowed into the Qing Dynasty.

"Large denominations harm the people. The face value should not be about 100 *wen*." Zhu Yijun gave specific instructions on Luzon's currency law. The face value should not be too large. Large face value means a lot of seigniorage. Luzon is developing toward the direction of counties. Excessive seigniorage is exploitation, it is knocking bones and sucking marrow.

Zhu Yijun set a face value of 100 *wen* instead of one *guan*. A small amount of good paper money that is difficult to counterfeit is conducive to economic development. This is a truth that has been practiced in Japan, but a large amount of disorderly, shoddy bad money is fatal to the economy.

"There must be preparation. Luzon's currency law must be a redeemable currency, preferably silver and red copper." Zhu Yijun further imposed restrictions. It cannot be made into the rotten appearance of Great Ming *baochao*, otherwise it will be extremely difficult for the Great Ming to implement circulating *baochao* in the hinterland.

The political status and treatment of Luzon and Japan in the Ming court are completely different, and even worlds apart. The Great Ming can use non-redeemable currency to cruelly exploit Japan, but doing so to Luzon is pushing Luzon further and further away.

As for the anchor, Luzon is not short of it. The Guangzhou Shipping Department and the Yuegang Shipping Department have a large number of merchant ships going there every year, and the goods are extremely sufficient.

Before, Luzon's copper material entered the Ming, converted into *tongbao* and imperial silver coins. Luzon did not take away these currencies but exchanged them for goods at the Shipping Department and returned to Luzon.

Now there is one more choice, that is, you can also exchange for Great Ming overseas circulating *baochao* and return to Luzon.

Unlike Japan's bad money, the imperial court gave the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office 100 million *guan*, and didn't care at all whether Japan could accept so much *baochao*, and didn't care about the life or death of the Japanese.

But Luzon's exchange of money has preparation, and there is an anchor. The imperial court must never say that *baochao* is not currency, otherwise Luzon will inevitably be centrifugal. Similarly, limit the circulation quantity of *baochao* in Luzon, starting from the source.

If the Luzon Viceroy's Office can print money independently, doesn't it mean that the Viceroy's Office is plotting rebellion? The right to issue paper money must be in the capital.

After Zhu Yijun and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue had extremely in-depth and effective communication, Zhu Yijun decided to write a letter to ask for the opinion of the National Surname Lord (Zheng Chenggong) first, and the Great Ming side would make preparations first.

"Your Majesty, I am worried... *baochao* will flow back. I am not worried about Japan's *baochao*. Everyone knows that Japan's circulating *baochao* has no preparation, but Luzon's *baochao* is likely to flow back to the Great Ming." Wang Guoguang said with great worry.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Great Ming *baochao* is not recognized. Who will spend the backflow of *baochao*?"

Zhu Yijun naturally knows how serious the Great Ming's currency shortage is, and naturally knows why Wang Guoguang is so worried about the backflow of *baochao*. Once a large-scale backflow occurs, the Luzon Viceroy's Office will actually have the function of performing issuance, which is the loss of the Ministry of Revenue's power and the destruction of the Great Ming's monetary policy.

Luzon Viceroy's Office: Broken, I became the Great Ming Central Bank!

But, Great Ming *baochao* has no credibility at all, it is generally not recognized, and even the Great Ming Emperor is black-eyed and spread-handed about the rottenness of *baochao*, and has no way at all.

"Salt vouchers can be used as money. Once Luzon circulates *baochao*, with preparation and an anchor, I am afraid that *baochao* will really flow back to the Great Ming, and it is a large-scale backflow." Wang Guoguang argued strongly.

Things are different now. The Ming imperial court now has credibility.

Not only does it have it, but because the Emperor's credibility is incomparably firm, the imperial court's credibility is now rising with the tide.

Not only among the people, but in the officialdom, foreign officials who take up local posts usually regard the imperial court and the Emperor as a whole, so the Emperor's credibility is equal to the imperial court's credibility in the eyes of most people.

Luzon's circulating *baochao* will inevitably flow back. This is Wang Guoguang's judgment as the Grand Minister. The Great Ming is really too short of currency. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, the currency law has failed repeatedly, but every time it is issued, it can last for a period of time.

The Great Ming's siphon of precious metals is essentially a siphon of currency. Wang Guoguang, as the Grand Minister, knows this very well. He is reminding the Emperor. We must prevent the backflow of *baochao*.

"Indeed." Zhu Yijun was stunned and said, "We cannot prohibit Luzon *baochao* from entering the customs, otherwise it means that the Great Ming has abandoned Luzon, and it is using *baochao* to make a last profit from Luzon."

"Let me think slowly." Zhu Yijun frowned. Everything in the world seems to be like this. It is hard to solve one problem, and then two more problems emerge.

The anti-counterfeiting and durability of *baochao* have finally been partially solved, and issuance has become a problem.

The backflow of *baochao* is a problem that the imperial court must think about.

Zhu Yijun thought for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "So it is a pilot. If the backflow of *baochao* really causes very bad effects, then the imperial court will come forward to redeem all the *baochao*."

Zhang Xueyan whispered, "It can't be redeemed, Your Majesty. The more it is redeemed, the more it rises. Unless the imperial court redeems it at an equal or high price, paper money has its convenience. In large-scale transactions, a deal may be between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of silver. Bai Yin that is too heavy is not very convenient. This is also the reason why the Minxin Bureau and the Kowloon Post House can conduct acceptance and exchange business."

The more the imperial court redeems *baochao*, the more it proves the value of *baochao*. Then, more convenient *baochao* will become the priority currency to be hoarded. This is not the love of the brothel, you can buy it if you want, and sell it if you want.

Redemption is impossible. Only changing money is just for show.

"Reasonable." Zhu Yijun was silenced.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Issuance is a brand-new challenge for the Ministry of Revenue. However, facing this challenge, we must find the key problem. The most important thing for the imperial court is to ensure that the quantity of paper money will not be excessively issued, and secondly, to ensure that *baochao* will not be stolen or privately printed. If these two points can be done well, the backflow of *baochao* is not a problem. The Great Ming will eventually implement the currency law."

The more silver flows in, the more silver is lacking. This absurd logic holds true when the Great Ming is developing rapidly.

Bai Yin is ultimately limited. Currency cannot be supplied stably and sufficiently, so goods lack channels to circulate. Even if it occupies the large silver mountains of Peru, it is not enough for the Great Ming, which needs countless currencies for rapid development.

It will eventually reach the step of currency law. This requires more silver, more goods, stronger national strength, and a healthier society.

"The Second Grand Secretary talked about the deficit of the treasury. How do the two hall officials of the Ministry of Revenue view what the Second Grand Secretary said?" Zhu Yijun took out Hence Hai Rui's memorial and Wang Chonggu's supplementary opinions.

After Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan finished reading, they both frowned and discussed with each other before saying, "So, the treasury was hollowed out like this. I only had guesses before, but I never expected that it would operate like this."

The hall officials of the Ministry of Revenue also stopped at the level of petty corruption and fire dragon burning the warehouse regarding the deficit of the treasury. They did not expect that the local government of the Great Ming would hollow out the treasury like this. It is not to blame them. They have no experience in being corrupt officials. Wang Guoguang was originally a Jin Party member. He was originally a person who was cautious and independent, and never went with the Jin people, so he didn't know the details.

This kind of play, if the person involved doesn't talk about it, it's really hard to understand. The key is the cover-up of multiple transfers of debt.

"This solution is feasible." Wang Guoguang could only say that Wang Chonggu really wanted to leave a name in history, rather than being scolded by people pointing at his spine whenever he was mentioned. As long as you talk about it, you can't solve it.

"Calculate the time. Captain Liu Ji led the Great Ming Ocean Trading fleet. It should have arrived in the Mughal country now, and will return to the Great Ming in three months." Zhu Yijun talked about the progress of the Great Ming Ocean Trading fleet. According to the plan, it should return to Songjiang Prefecture in June.

If this time is successful, the five major ocean trading companies will finally live up to their names and become true ocean trading companies. Thanks to the good relationship between the Great Ming and Spain and Portugal, the Great Ming's ships can trade around the world instead of returning to a certain place.

In the spring of the 11th year of Wanli, in the third month of fireworks, the entire North China Plain was shrouded in the romance of spring, and the highly anticipated Beijing-Kaifeng Expressway finally began construction. In the direction of the capital, the imperial court formed two Engineering Corps, constructing in multiple sections from north to south, while in the direction of Henan, four Engineering Corps were allocated to construct in multiple sections from south to north.

When the project was in full swing, the anti-corruption and anti-greed rules for Great Construction Projects led by Hence Hai Rui came out, published on the front page of the *Di Bao*. Some bureaucrats who were preparing to show their skills in the Great Construction Project of the Beijing-Kaifeng Expressway were furious after reading the rules! They were directly broken.

When did Hence Hai Rui, a thick-browed and big-eyed upright official, become so familiar with the tricks in the Great Construction Projects! And he made so many targeted regulations. While cursing, they also noticed that something was wrong. Is this something Hence Hai Rui could do?

Hence Hai Rui's visit to Wang Chonggu was not hidden from anyone, so things soon became clear. Wang Chonggu is the whetstone of the Great Ming Divine Sword!

Hence Hai Rui's Divine Sword was already sharp enough. After being unsheathed, it had been beheading corrupt officials. Now Wang Chonggu felt that this Divine Sword was not sharp enough and polished it well!

The cheap scholars have no way to scold Hence Hai Rui, so they can only find a new target, that is, the Great Ming Second Grand Secretary Wang Chonggu!

The budding trend of this wind just blew a little bit and immediately came to an abrupt end. The monster book titled "Romantic Anecdotes of Pure Scholars and Famous Confucian Scholars" once again set off a huge wave in the capital!