The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 809 The Counterfeit Money Incident (Part 2)

In the afternoon, a hundred guards surrounded a Persian shop in Liren City. The soldiers rushed in and soon brought out three Sogdian merchants.

The three of them were the foreign merchants who used counterfeit money at Qingfeng Restaurant. They were frequent diners at Qingfeng Restaurant and some of the other customers recognized them.

The three Sogdian merchants were taken back to the Inner Guard, and the interrogation results were quickly obtained. General Wang Lingfeng reported to Shi Xiaozhen: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, we thoroughly searched the three men's belongings and found only three counterfeit silver coins. The remaining four hundred or so coins were genuine. According to their confession, they were gem merchants. The day before yesterday, someone came to buy gems and gave them more than one hundred silver coins, eighteen of which were counterfeit. They decided to spend them at a restaurant, but they were caught."

"Who used counterfeit money to buy their jewels? Has anyone confessed?"

"Reporting to the Commander, they said their customers are all from major jewelry shops in Luoyang. They usually deliver the goods to their shops, but this is the first time they've seen a customer who bought their gems. He's a middle-aged man with a local Luoyang accent. He bought three high-quality gems that he can cash out at any time."

Sima Juan, the Imperial Guard standing nearby, said, "This man uses a mixed method to spend counterfeit money, choosing high-value items that are easy to disguise. However, this method is relatively slow, and the frequent transactions make it easy to give himself away."

Shi Xiaozhen nodded. "Currently, gold and silver coins are only issued in Luoyang and Chang'an. Other places may not recognize them. I estimate that all the counterfeit silver coins are in Luoyang and Chang'an. We must keep a close eye on them and seize them as soon as they show up."

Sima Juan laughed and said, "Perhaps we can use the money incident to destroy the counterfeit money ring in one fell swoop. I think this is very likely."

"It is indeed very possible. Counterfeiting copper coins is very covert and widely distributed, but silver coins are different."

But things often don't go as planned.

The following day, the Kyoto Morning Post published a front-page headline about the counterfeit money incident, while also teaching the public how to distinguish them by weight and recommending the official weighing scale.

In a short time, the sales of balances skyrocketed, with thousands sold in just a few days. Within two months, shops in Luoyang and Chang'an, as well as many wealthy households, were equipped with weighing balances.

Counterfeit money also suddenly disappeared from the market.

As November approached, a heavy snow fell. On the sixth floor of the Dragon Scale Palace's Upper Pavilion, Emperor Xiao Xia, Empress Cui Yu, and several concubines sat in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling glass window, sipping rich hot milk tea while admiring the beautiful snow-covered scenery outside.

No one spoke, quietly appreciating this scene they had never experienced before. The interplay of warmth and cold filled their hearts with awe.

Just then, Consort Li Yilan blurted out, quite inappropriately, "Is Your Majesty thinking of those poor people struggling in the cold winter?"

Although the statement was not wrong, it was too jarring. Empress Cui Yu's face darkened, and she looked at Li Yilan with displeasure. The other concubines also glared at her angrily.

Li Yilan is Li Yuan's youngest daughter. She was only sixteen years old when she entered the palace last year and is only seventeen this year. From last year to this year, the emperor has visited her only five or six times. In addition, she has a rather aloof personality and her parents are far away overseas, so she has always been quite self-pitying and has no friends in the palace.

She herself didn't know why, but in a moment of impulse, she couldn't bring herself to say that extremely jarring thing.

Once the words were out of her mouth, she realized the grave mistake she had made and immediately got up and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Xiao Xia stared at her for a moment and said, "I believe your intentions are good, but you should be more mindful of the occasion when you speak in the future. You may leave now!"

Several palace maids stepped forward and ushered Li Yilan away. Cui Yu also felt somewhat disappointed, so he said to the others, "Let's end our tea here for today. Everyone, please go back!"

Everyone got up to take their leave, leaving only Cui Yu and Xiao Xia in front of the large window.

Cui Yu said apologetically, "Her emotions have been a bit unstable these past few days. She's still a bit young, so please don't take it to heart, husband."

Xiao Xia said calmly, "If she misses her parents, I can send her to Ceylon."

"Husband, please don't do this. She's too ashamed to face her parents and might jump into the sea halfway there."

"Doesn't she have any friends in the palace?"

Cui Yu shook her head. "She has a rather withdrawn personality and basically doesn't interact with others. Her father was a failure, so she might be a little insecure."

"This won't do. If this goes on for too long, she'll develop mental problems. Arrange for her to go to Baiyun Hall to learn how to cultivate and make medicine. Giving her something to do will help." "Your Majesty, I understand!"

As night fell, Li Yilan sat alone in her room, weeping. Although the Empress came to comfort her, she was still saddened and filled with longing for her parents and family.

At this moment, a palace official knelt and bowed below the hall, saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence!"

Li Yilan was startled and quickly stood up to ask, "Where is His Majesty?"

"In the inner study!"

Li Yilan didn't have time to put on makeup, so she wrapped herself in a thick cloak and, accompanied by two trusted palace maids, took a carriage to the Emperor's study.

Before long, she arrived at the inner study. Just as she was about to get out of the car, a hand firmly supported her.

When Li Yilan looked up, she was surprised to see that her husband was helping her out of the carriage. Her nose tingled, and tears almost fell.

Xiao Xia simply picked her up and carried her to his study. Li Yilan buried her face in her husband's arms and sobbed softly.

Entering the warm study, Xiao Xia put her down, and the palace maid quickly stepped forward to take off her cloak.

"Sit down!" Xiao Xia pointed to the soft couch next to her.

Li Yilan felt ashamed and knelt down to apologize, saying, "Your Majesty, I dared not speak recklessly today and disturb everyone's enjoyment!"

Xiao Xia waved his hand, dismissing the palace maids, before speaking softly, "I said that the statement itself is not wrong, but it depends on the occasion. For example, you can say it now!"

Li Yilan shook her head, "Your Majesty, I was momentarily confused and spoke nonsense. Please forgive me!"

Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "I know that your father visits poor families every winter, but I enjoy the warmth of winter with my family in the palace. You feel it's unfair that your father worked so hard but lost to me. Tell me the truth, is that what you think?"

"A little bit!"

Xiao Xia picked up the newspaper from the table, flipped to the last section on people's livelihood, and showed it to her. "This is the newspaper from the day before yesterday. Take a look at this!"

Xiao Xia pointed to one of the columns and said, "This is a notice from the salt shop. Coarse cloth is now available. Do you understand what that means?"

Li Yilan gently shook her head. Xiao Xia said, "This is the Three Coarse Items Plan that I started implementing last year. It provides poor families with coarse cloth, coarse grains, and coarse salt. They are sold in salt shops and are very cheap. For example, coarse grains are wheat bran and soybean husks. They are usually used to feed horses, but people can also eat them. They cost five coins per dou. Coarse cloth is the kind of coarse hemp cloth woven from hemp ropes. It is very rough. It costs ten coins per bolt. Coarse salt is unfiltered salt. It is salty and bitter. It costs twenty coins per jin. These Three Coarse Items are sold in salt shops in every county of the Sui Dynasty. Ordinary people are unwilling to touch them. Not only can they not eat them, but they will also be laughed at."

But the poorest families, such as those where both parents have died and a boy is raising several younger siblings, even if he does odd jobs like emptying slag, emptying chamber pots, or running errands, the three or four hundred coins he earns a month are enough to support himself and his siblings. They can even rent the cheapest government-subsidized room. Although their food, clothing, and housing are not decent and they might be laughed at, at least they survive.

Although winter is cold, they can get through it by wearing thick hemp clothes, burning unburnt coal ash in the stove, and boiling hot soup in the earthenware pot on top.

Last year, no one in Luoyang died of cold or hunger. The elderly were provided with basic necessities and coal briquettes by the government. Providing relief to the elderly and children was part of the performance evaluation for every official. I said, it doesn't matter how well they do; as long as no one starves or freezes to death, their evaluation will be considered good.

Xiao Xia took a deep breath and said to Li Yilan, "What your father did, I am also doing, just in a different way. Do you understand?"

Li Yilan's face was already covered in tears as she sobbed, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!"

Xiao Xia helped her up and let her sit on his lap. He wiped away her tears and said, "I've been too busy with state affairs and have neglected you a bit. Tonight you can sleep in my study and I'll comfort you. Tomorrow, Consort Shu will take you to Baiyun Palace. You can learn how to grow and make medicine, and then your life will have meaning."

Li Yilan nodded gently, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely study hard."

(End of this chapter)