The coins produced by the system weren’t free.
Every one of them required a manufacturing cost.
There were four denominations.
The smallest was the gray ten-cent note, followed by the red one-yuan note, the green ten-yuan note, and the purplish-red one-hundred-yuan note.
There were four denominations in total, and the reverse side of every note depicted landscapes of mountains and rivers.
The ten-cent note featured an aerial view of Taoyuan Village as it had been planned.
The one-yuan note showed a vast and majestic city from above.
The ten-yuan note featured a map.
And the one-hundred-yuan note depicted a sphere whose surface had been cut away, revealing the inside.
For example, Jinyi’s wages for ten days amounted to two hundred and forty yuan.
That meant two one-hundred-yuan notes and four ten-yuan notes.
Jinyi explained:
“Lord Zhao put these paper notes into circulation simply to make things more convenient for everyone. For now, they’re tied to copper coins: one copper coin is equal to ten cents.”
“Paying wages with paper money is much more convenient. It’s also easier to carry around and use when buying things. Of course, if anyone feels uneasy about it, they can go straight to the bank and exchange the notes for copper coins or silver.”
“We’re not forcing anyone to use them. Everyone can use whichever form of money they prefer.”
“From now on, you’ll collect your wages from our chief financial officer, Jinxiu.”
“We need to set an example and start using the banknotes ourselves.”
“All right. We’ve assigned all the responsibilities. If you run into any problems, you can come to me at any time. Now go take care of your duties.”
“Meeting adjourned.”
The monetary system was extremely important.
Not only could it make things more convenient for everyone, but it also served a much greater purpose.
If used properly, the profits it could generate would be on an entirely different level from what he could make from Immortal’s Liquor alone.
The three girls left the committee office together.
Several carriages were waiting outside.
“Jinwen, Jinyuan, see you tonight.”
Jinxiu climbed into one of the carriages and said to the boy holding the reins,
“Xiao Jiu, let’s go to the bank.”
“All right, Big Sister Jinxiu.”
Zhao Jiu straightened up and began driving the carriage.
A carriage cost around ten liang of silver, and naturally, the Zhao family could afford to keep them.
In fact, they had several.
The three families of Sun, Wang, and Li who had previously lived at the residence had already moved out.
More than ten girls now lived in the central courtyard.
Some had been purchased by Jinyi, while most were daughters of village families who had been sent there to work as servants.
The four girls—Jinyi, Jinxiu, Jinwen, and Jinyuan—had originally been little servants purchased by Lord Zhao.
And now, the heights they had reached were plain for everyone to see.
Jinyi would never believe that none of the families whose daughters were working as servants had any ulterior motives.
However, most of those schemes would probably come to nothing.
Jinyi was wary of servants who still had parents and relatives.
She trusted those who, like herself, had been purchased and had miserable pasts somewhat more.
Even so, she wouldn’t allow them to freely enter the inner courtyard.
If anyone broke the rules, they would simply be expelled.
During this time, two girls had already been dismissed from the residence.
And if anyone did something even more serious, such as trying to seduce Lord Zhao or something along those lines, their entire family would have to leave.
Or perhaps it had happened, and she simply didn’t know about it?
Jinyi still trusted Lord Zhao.
If Lord Zhao were a lecherous man, then with the fortune he possessed now, he would probably already have so many concubines that there wouldn’t even be room for them all in the residence.
The front courtyard was the temporary living quarters for the young men Jinyi had gathered.
They all still lived in the large compound at the back, but some of the older boys took turns working at the residence.
For example, running errands or helping the girls drive the carriages.
All of them would eventually become part of the Zhao family’s future foundation.
They couldn’t isolate themselves from society.
What the Zhao family lacked wasn’t a bunch of big, strong idiots who only knew how to follow orders.
…
From that point onward, everyone working for the Zhao family and Taoyuan Village would receive their wages in banknotes.
The introduction of paper currency caused a few minor disturbances at first.
A small number of people didn’t trust it.
But most accepted it.
Or rather, they didn’t actually trust the piece of paper itself.
They trusted Lord Zhao.
The value of paper money came from trust.
Once that trust was gone, the notes wouldn’t even be worth using as toilet paper.
The use of the currency wasn’t mandatory.
A small group of people who refused to accept the notes took them to the bank to exchange them.
Once they saw that the notes could be exchanged without any problems, the brief commotion quickly died down.
…
At the entrance to Taoyuan Village, a carriage slowly made its way forward, led by a coachman.
Four minor officials in black robes followed behind it.
Within the administrative system, a seventh-rank official served as a county magistrate.
The three elders of a township were ninth-rank officials, while subordinate clerks had no official rank.
The highest-ranking official in a locality was one of the Three Elders.
They were responsible for the education and customs of the local population, though in reality, their primary duty was collecting taxes.
The Three Elders were usually wealthy landowners and respected members of the local gentry.
Naturally, they had to be appointed by a higher authority.
In most cases, the position was held for life unless they died, became incapacitated, or offended someone above them.
The Three Elders received no salary.
Anyone qualified for such a position was already wealthy; what they wanted was prestige and certain privileges.
“Sir, we’ve arrived at Taoyuan Village.”
The old man dozing inside the carriage opened his cloudy eyes.
He pulled aside the curtain and took a look outside, only to be startled.
Clean, orderly two-story buildings stretched as far as the eye could see.
For a moment, he thought he had returned to Qingniu.
However, there weren’t nearly as many people in the streets as there were in Qingniu.
The roads weren’t as run-down either.
“Is this really Taoyuan Village? Are you sure we didn’t take a wrong turn?”
His companion wasn’t entirely certain either.
The place didn’t look much like the village he had imagined.
But it didn’t seem as though they had somehow arrived in another township either.
It was as if something was missing.
And it was.
There were people missing.
A normal township wouldn’t have so few inhabitants.
There were simply far too few people in the streets.
“Sir, look at that stone over there. It really does say ‘Taoyuan Village.'”
“Oh, then we’re in the right place. Let’s go in and find out who’s in charge here. Could it be that grain merchant they say came from out of town?”
“Yes, sir.”
The man holding the reins continued forward.
They traveled halfway down the street before finally encountering a few people and several open shops.
There were stores selling liquor, grain, cloth, meat, and prepared food on both sides of the street.
There was even an establishment with a sign that read Inn.
But the two buildings that stood out the most were three stories tall, one floor higher than the others, and their facades were considerably larger as well.
One had a huge sign that read:
Taoyuan Village Bank.
The other had an equally large sign:
Taoyuan Village Commercial Street Leasing Center.
“Sir, what are that bank and leasing center for?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside and have a look.”
Elder Wu, one of the township’s Three Elders, climbed down from the carriage and approached the entrance of the leasing center.
A slightly older young man dressed in a simple gray linen robe quickly came forward to greet him.
Although he wore ordinary clothes, there wasn’t a single worn-out part to be seen.
They were clean and neatly arranged, with a simple yet elegant design.
The young man also radiated an unusual sense of energy and vitality.
“Good morning, sir. Are you looking to rent a shop, or is there something else I can help you with?”
“I’ve never been here before, so I came in to see what you do here.”
“Then allow me to explain. Any vacant storefront on this street is available for rent, and the first three months are rent-free.”
“Sir, I can tell at a glance that you come from a wealthy family. I’m sure you don’t mind paying a little rent, but no one complains about having a little extra money in their pocket, right?”
“How about we talk about renting a storefront? And if you haven’t decided what kind of business would be suitable here, we can recommend one for you as well.”
“Taoyuan Village is just beginning to develop. The population keeps growing, wages here are quite high, and the spending potential is enormous. The future is looking very promising!”
Elder Wu thought the young man wasn’t very old, but he certainly had a silver tongue.
He was also very good at carrying on a conversation.
So he continued chatting with him.
Quite some time passed before he finally left.
He had walked out of the building, but he had left behind one liang of silver.
He had rented a small storefront.
Although the first three months were rent-free, the young man had been right: the deposit served as security for both parties and formalized the agreement.
That said, he still had no idea what kind of business he would open there.