d left the room.Outside, the butler stood ready to obey any command."How much silver is left in the treasury" Li Yinhǔ asked in a low voice.The steward was taken aback for a moment before replying, "R...Chapter 519: Cautiousness

"Upon my return, I will draft some austerity measures, such as reducing unnecessary expenditures. I have previously made a rough estimate and believe that we could save the court a considerable sum each year."

But more importantly, it's open source. But there's nothing I can do about that.

Li Chen listened and glanced at Xu Changqing, saying: "Cutting spending is a thankless task. No matter which part of the budget you reduce, it will inevitably cause backlash."

Xu Changqing gritted his teeth and said, "But the treasury is empty. This is a helpless measure. Some blame, I can only bear it."

Li Chen pondered for a moment.

He was not dwelling on Xu Changqing's notoriety.

It's only natural for someone to take the blame for their master.

What he's considering is open source.

Although a large sum of money could still be made from her own wedding, that money now had a purpose: the construction of a royal academy.

This is unmovable, or else Dàntái Jìngzhī would be the first to disagree.

A person who goes back on their word should be assessed based on the situation and individuals involved.

Someone like Dantai Jing is obviously not someone you can easily fool.

"The court still needs to have the ability to make money."

Li Chen's words left Xu Changqing stunned.

In this era, people perceive the imperial court as the governing body of the world, the ultimate aspiration for scholars and students across the land.

Making money is something only the lowest and most despised members of society, those who belong to the merchant class among the four main social strata (scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants), would do.

How can the imperial court make money

Could it be business

Isn't that taking advantage of the people

Xu Changqing wore a strange expression but dared not speak.

Thinking about state-owned banks established after the founding of the nation, Li Chen's mind raced.

"Nowadays, which money houses in China are the largest What functions do they have"

Xu Changqing was caught off guard and after a long thought, he said, “The local money houses aren't that big. Being able to open branches across provinces is considered quite impressive. Currently, no money house can operate across provinces.”

“A common bank is where the common people deposit money, pawn items for loans, and store silver. After depositing silver, they can receive a bank note that can be used to withdraw silver from any branch of the bank. As for pawning, it's similar to an ordinary pawnshop with nothing special about it.”

What do you think about if the imperial court invested funds and had the Ministry of Revenue lead in building a nationwide network of money changers

Hearing this, Xu Changqing was taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse.

But he still didn't say it, because he thought, if this prince wasn't completely sure and determined, he wouldn't easily say it.

Once something is said, it's highly likely to be carried out.

Therefore, as a subordinate, it is absolutely unacceptable to directly contradict and veto.

Having thought this through, Xu Changqing spoke very tactfully: "This matter is not trivial and requires careful consideration."

"It is unheard of for the imperial court to engage in commerce. Moreover, although officials from the Ministry of Revenue are in charge of money and grain and can handle abacuses and accounts, they are probably inept at doing business."

Xu Changqing weighed his words carefully and continued, "Besides, this money-lending house doesn't make much profit. I don't know how to manage or operate it. If I do a bad job, the one who suffers is the reputation of the imperial court."

Li Chen said, "The Ministry of Finance can provide funding and participate in management, but the specific operations naturally cannot be handled by you literati. We need to find professional merchants for that. Therefore, merchants can take the lead and stand at the front, while the Ministry of Finance holds a majority stake."

Let me know if you'd like me to translate anything else!u and me, there's no need for all this."Wen Wang's attitude was kind as he said, "Back then, when my father issued an imperial decree, I was exiled from the capital to Jinling. Of all the people, I on...