I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 227 Zhu Houzhao on the New Silver Coin

"Your Highness, why are you here? You didn't even send anyone to say hello before you came, so that I could prepare and welcome Your Highness properly." Zhang Yong hurriedly went up to Zhu Houxuan and said.

"Eunuch Zhang, there's no need to be so polite. We have known each other for many years and have been dealing with each other for many years. We are all family. Stop saying those polite words." Zhu Houxun smiled and patted Zhang Yong's shoulder.

"Your Highness, you are too polite. How could I have deserved this? I don't know why Your Highness came to the Leopard Room today?" Zhang Yong said calmly.

"I'm here to see my royal brother and talk to him about something." Zhu Houxuan said with a smile. He seldom came to the Leopard Room to visit Zhu Houzhao. It was always Zhu Houzhao who went to Nangong to find him.

"Then let's go in quickly. The emperor is studying hard in there. He will definitely be very happy to see Your Highness." Zhang Yong took the initiative to lead the way for Zhu Houxuan.

Soon Zhu Houxuan met Zhu Houzhao, who was sitting at the desk writing furiously with a look of excitement. He also noticed Zhu Houxuan's arrival.

"Brother, please wait a moment until I finish writing this paragraph." Zhu Houzhao said excitedly.

Zhu Houxuan stretched his head and saw that he was reviewing memorials, so he stopped talking.

After a while, Zhu Houzhao put down his pen and said, "It feels so good! It feels so good! I haven't cursed so freely in a long time."

"Ah?" Zhu Houxuan was stunned by this sentence, "Brother, are you only looking for memorials that can be criticized?"

Based on Zhu Houxuan's understanding of Zhu Houzhao, he could really do this.

"No way." Zhu Houzhao said aggrievedly, "I approved all the memorials just to find the ones I could criticize."

Zhu Houzhao pointed to a pile of memorials on the table.

Uh. This is more like something Zhu Houzhao would do.

"The emperor has been very diligent in his work recently, and the grand secretaries are all praising him." Zhang Yong took the initiative to defend Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao immediately showed a smug look. He had reviewed many memorials recently, but he also used red ink to scold people. Thinking of the confused look on the faces of the officials being scolded, he felt relieved.
"It seems that I have wronged my brother," Zhu Houxun said with a smile. It was he who suggested to curse more people in the memorial, but he did not expect that Zhu Houzhao would actually do so.

"It's okay, it's okay. His Royal Highness Prince of Jing is a rare guest now. His visit to my little Leopard Room really makes my little Leopard Room glorious. I wonder what His Royal Highness Prince of Jing is here for?" Zhu Houzhao said deliberately.

Zhu Houxuan directly filtered out the sarcastic content in Zhu Houzhao's words, took a wooden box from the servant behind him and said, "I came to the Leopard Room today to let my brother take a look at the newly produced batch of silver coins."

"Oh? Bring it here and let us see it," Zhu Houzhao said impatiently.

Zhu Houzhao proposed to cast his head portrait on the silver coin a year ago, and Zhu Houxuan had always taken this matter to heart. However, due to technical conditions, the cast head portrait of Zhu Houzhao had various problems, the most important of which was that it was not vivid and the character image was dull. So this year, he has been studying related technologies, experimenting with many metal ratios, and trial-making many versions of silver coins.

When Zhu Houzhao opened the wooden box, he saw several neatly arranged stacks of silver coins of various sizes inside. The largest of the silver coin had Zhu Houzhao's portrait on it.

Zhu Houzhao picked up a coin with his portrait with great interest. His profile portrait was clearly visible on the silver coin. It was cast very finely, with many subtle details, and was about 60% to 70% similar to him.

On the silver coin, he wears a winged cap, has thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and a resolute face, and looks very handsome.
Zhu Houzhao had seen many versions of his profile, and he also asked Zhu Houxuan to cast his frontal portrait on the silver coin, but the effect was too poor.
Due to the technical difficulties in metal engraving at the time, the space available for painting on the coin was small and the degree of detail was insufficient, making it difficult to draw a highly recognizable obverse portrait on the coin.

Drawing a side portrait on a coin is easier to achieve than a front portrait. The side relief portrait is more three-dimensional and more recognizable, making it much easier to recognize the subject.

This is a compromise with existing technology.

Zhu Houzhao studied it for a while and said, "Not bad, but I still prefer the one where I wear a helmet and armor."

"I know you like that version, but that version is too unrecognizable. I still recommend using this version. This version is the best choice," Zhu Houxuan persuaded.

Zhu Houzhao nodded, agreeing with Zhu Houxuan's reasoning, and then carefully observed the portrait above, his brows gradually furrowed.
"Why do I feel a little strange?" Zhu Houzhao said uncertainly, "Why do I think this avatar is much more handsome than me, and the eyes have a kind feeling, just like..."

"Just like the Buddha statues in the temple." Zhu Houxuan said suddenly.

"Yes! That's the feeling. This feeling has nothing to do with me, so it feels a bit strange." Zhu Houzhao said quickly with his eyes lighting up.

"This is a deliberate design," Zhu Houxuan said frankly, "We referred to the eyes of many Buddha statues in temples, just to make the brother's head portrait have some kind and friendly feeling."

"I don't like this design very much," Zhu Houzhao frowned, "It makes me feel a little strange, and this portrait doesn't have much majesty. I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I should be more majestic."

"Brother, I still insist on my opinion. This is the best version now." Zhu Houxuan said slowly, "The circulation of this version of silver coins will be very large, and it will be circulated throughout the country. This is the first time since the First Emperor that the emperor's portrait has been cast on the currency in China. In the past, ordinary people had no chance to know what the emperor looked like."

"Now that the common people have such a channel to see the emperor, we must fully consider and attach importance to the political influence it can bring. China has a saying since ancient times that appearance is determined by the heart. It is right for brother to want to be majestic, but majesty can easily make people feel distant. In comparison, a kind and friendly feeling can more easily narrow the distance with the people and make the people of the world feel good about brother," Zhu Houxuan explained patiently.

As Zhu Houxuan explained, Zhu Houzhao's frown gradually relaxed.
"My brother is really thoughtful! He thinks carefully and thinks long-term." Zhu Houzhao sighed.

Zhu Houxuan smiled and nodded. Although he did not study communication in his later life, having experienced the Internet age, he had a deep understanding of the saying "this is a world where looks matter".

In the future, as long as a person is good-looking, even if he is a murderer, there will be people who will feel good about him and feel sorry for him.
I'll post one chapter first, the second chapter is still not finished
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(End of this chapter)