Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 564 Zhu Di's Proposal! An Agreement!
Michele then looked at Zhu Di, her eyes gleaming: "Your Highness, you must have brought Ming Dynasty banknotes with you, right?"

"How much did you bring?"

“If the quantity is substantial, perhaps we can hold a grand auction in Venice to auction off the Ming Dynasty banknotes in your possession.”

"I believe that countless nobles and wealthy merchants will compete to buy them."

He was speaking with great enthusiasm when he saw that Zhu Di was already standing there, stunned.

"A priceless collectible? You've carefully kept this paper money worth only 186 coins?" Zhu Di muttered to himself, but only he could hear his own voice.

"This world is truly insane."

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zhu Di would never have believed what he was witnessing.

One hundred and eighty-six Da Ming Bao Chao (a type of paper money) was not considered a huge sum of money even by ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

An ordinary craftsman can earn that much in just a few days of hard work.

Ordinary people usually carry a few hundred coins in their pockets for emergencies.

He never imagined that in faraway Europe, there would be such a strange phenomenon as people regarding the Ming Dynasty's precious banknotes as rare treasures and even willing to spend a fortune to collect them.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhu Di quickly realized what was going on. According to Michele, this was most likely a clever "marketing" tactic employed by Zheng He during his previous missions.

Zheng He set sail earlier than Zhu Di.

Because he was tasked with exploring the world, opening up sea routes, and bringing back rare items from the Ming Dynasty through overseas trade, Zheng He's fleet was indeed loaded with all sorts of exotic treasures produced in the Ming Dynasty and set sail fully laden.

This is quite different from the fleet that Zhu Di brought to Europe this time.

Zhu Di was "exiled" to Europe for committing a crime and did not undertake any trade missions, so the ship naturally did not carry many valuable goods.

When Zheng He first set sail, people generally believed that the "barbarian" lands overseas had no dealings with the Ming Dynasty and would certainly not accept Ming Dynasty paper money.

Therefore, Zheng He did not carry a large amount of paper money when he went to sea.

At the time, this judgment seemed perfectly correct.

In Southeast Asia, the indigenous people were able to widely accept the Ming Dynasty's paper money, thanks to the active promotion by a large number of Ming merchants who went south to trade in Southeast Asia, as well as the Ming army's expeditions to Siam, Pegu and other places, which allowed the Southeast Asian countries to witness the Ming Dynasty's unparalleled military strength.

After that, the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes were widely accepted by the countries of Southeast Asia and gradually became a highly influential international currency among them.

In the Western Regions and other places, the circulation of Ming Dynasty banknotes was also gradually penetrated through the Ming Dynasty's own merchant caravans.

For other regions that do not have direct trade relations with the Ming Dynasty, it is only natural that they refuse to recognize the Ming Dynasty's paper money, as they are not affected by this.

But this is only an initial estimate.

The actual situation was quite different from what the Ming Dynasty envoys had imagined.

In relatively underdeveloped areas such as Kunlun Prefecture, the local natives were indeed not very interested in the Ming Dynasty paper money, considering it nothing more than pretty, colorful pieces of paper.

The same applies to other wild and untamed places.

But Europe is completely different.

Europe is a land of civilization, at least that's what they themselves think.

Although Europe's cultural and economic development is far inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty, it is indeed more advanced and prosperous in many aspects compared to other regions.

With a profound cultural foundation, their ability to appreciate art naturally reaches a higher level.

Those colorful Ming Dynasty banknotes, which were insignificant to the barbarians, were transformed into "divine objects" in the eyes of European nobles, with perfect craftsmanship, exquisite technology, and miraculous production.

Their enthusiasm for the Ming Dynasty's paper money was almost as fervent as their enthusiasm for the paintings of the most outstanding artists.

Zheng He must have discovered this.

However, he did not bring a large amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes with him when he went to sea, so he could not use them to make many transactions with the nobles of Europe. Therefore, he simply carefully packaged the small amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes he had and "generously" gave them as precious gifts to the top nobles of various city-states and countries in Europe.

It must be said that Zheng He's strategy was extremely brilliant.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes became synonymous with rare treasures in the eyes of Europeans.

Only the most powerful and wealthy are qualified to own them.

Zheng He also cleverly used these extremely limited Ming Dynasty banknotes to effectively consolidate relations with European nobles, paving the way for subsequent exchanges and trade.

Looking at the few slightly worn banknotes displayed in the box in front of him, Zhu Di could almost guess that this little bit of money was probably painstakingly raised by Zheng He from the crew members on board.

After all, almost none of the people who went to sea with Zheng He at that time would have deliberately carried a large amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes.

In the Ming Dynasty, people generally believed that this thing would be of no use in the unknown lands overseas.

Fortunately, Zheng He's fleet was large, and a little bit of paper money was not worth much at the time, so someone would inevitably bring it on board, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Subsequently, Zheng He collected all these precious notes, carefully packaged them, and presented them as the most valuable gifts to the European nobles who were filled with curiosity and respect for Eastern civilization.

However, Zhu Di's situation at this moment was different from Zheng He's.

When Zheng He set sail, he did not make any special preparations in this regard, so he did not carry any Ming Dynasty banknotes, and even excluded them altogether.

But Zhu Di was different; he brought dozens of boxes of paper money with him on this trip.

These banknotes were not like the banknotes in Michele's hands, which were rare collectibles displayed in boxes with only a few notes. Instead, they were thick stacks, tightly bound with rope, filling dozens of large boxes to the brim.

Originally, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi had been planning how to get the people of Europe to accept the Ming Dynasty banknotes they had brought.

The very request he was about to make to Micheletti stemmed from this.

In Zhu Di's view, the ideal outcome would be to persuade Michele to allow the Venetian Ducat gold coins and the Ming Dynasty's paper money to be exchanged at a certain value.

With the endorsement of the Venetian Ducat, the Ming Dynasty paper money would undoubtedly gain rapid acceptance among European merchants.

With the money in their hands, they can make great strides in this place and successfully implement many plans.

Of course, this was just a plan that Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi had discussed beforehand.

In short, the goal was to do everything possible to get the people of Europe to accept the Ming Dynasty's paper money.

After all, their trip was essentially a "empty city strategy".

The treasure ship they were on did not contain many truly precious and rare items from the Ming Dynasty.

Their greatest "capital" was those dozens of chests piled high with Ming Dynasty banknotes. However, Zhu Di also believed that getting the people of Europe to accept Ming Dynasty banknotes would be no easy task.

All they can do is meticulously plan and create a great deal of momentum for this. As for how far they can ultimately go, that's up to "do their best and leave the rest to fate."

However, they never expected that Europe had already "on its own" accepted the Ming Dynasty's paper money.

However, this method of acceptance was fundamentally different from what Zhu Di had envisioned.

Various thoughts raced through Zhu Di's mind.

The fact that the Ming Dynasty's paper money held such a special place in Europe was undoubtedly far beyond his expectations.

At first glance, this seems like a fantastic thing.

However, upon closer examination, this is not entirely the case.

The reason why European nobles were so eager to collect the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes was mainly due to their appreciation of the superior craftsmanship and technology of the notes.

The Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes were designed by Zhu Yunwen himself, embodying the pinnacle of technological achievement in the Ming Dynasty.

It is also a concentrated embodiment of the highest level of manufacturing technology in the Ming Dynasty.

From this perspective, it is indeed worthy of the fervent pursuit of European nobles, who regarded it as a treasure of art and technology.

But if you look at it from another perspective, it's different.

No matter how sophisticated the craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes was, in essence, it was a mass-printed coin intended for widespread circulation.

As the saying goes, "rarity makes things valuable."

Any item, once mass-produced and put into use, cannot be very expensive.

Just like mobile phones in later generations, it is the crystallization of the highest level of technology, embodying countless wisdom and innovations.

However, because it is mass-produced, mobile phones, as high-tech products, are not expensive and can be bought and owned by almost everyone.

Conversely, if there were only one mobile phone left in the world, its value would be in the tens of billions, hundreds of billions, or even trillions, making it priceless.

The same applies to the Ming Dynasty's paper money.

If the printing volume of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes was extremely limited, it is not only reasonable but also entirely justified for them to be regarded as priceless treasures.

But that's not the case!
With Zheng He's fleet successfully returning to port, the sea route between the Ming Dynasty and Europe was now open.

Furthermore, with the Ming Dynasty now implementing an open policy, it means that in the near future, a steady stream of Ming merchants will arrive at various ports in Europe, carrying all kinds of goods and the Ming Dynasty banknotes they use daily.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty banknotes, which are considered "rare treasures" by European nobles today, will inevitably be ruthlessly punctured.

When they discover that the precious paper money they revered as a "divine object" is nothing more than the paper money that ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty could easily find in their pockets, the huge psychological gap and the feeling of being fooled will undoubtedly cause a great uproar.

Zhu Di had to take this potential crisis into serious consideration.

He himself couldn't be sure how long it would take for the next group of Ming Dynasty merchants to arrive.

If the time interval is long, then everything may be alright.

By then, he would have already established himself in Europe, and even if these nobles eventually realized they had been "deceived," they would be powerless against him.

But what if these merchants arrive soon?
Then this dignified Ming Dynasty prince could instantly become a complete "liar" in the eyes of European nobles!
This will undoubtedly deal a huge blow to his reputation and may even affect his ability to establish himself in the area.

Another point is that if the amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes invested is too small, even if these banknotes can be auctioned for a high price, it will still not be of much help in solving their current predicament.

For Europe, the Ming Dynasty banknotes were not a necessity, but rather a collectible.

No matter how much hype it receives, its total value is limited.

However, if too much is invested, the value of the paper money will undoubtedly decrease.

After some consideration, Zhu Di decided to stop hiding the truth and instead tell Governor Michele frankly in order to demonstrate his sincerity and secure greater benefits in the future.

"The Great Ming Treasure Note is a currency issued by His Majesty the Emperor of our Great Ming Dynasty, just like your Ducat gold coins."

Zhu Di frankly stated, "Its production quantity is not small, so although it is exquisitely made and crafted, its value is far less than you imagine."

He stated bluntly: "In our Great Ming Dynasty, we use it as circulating currency, not as a collectible as you have described."

Michael was taken aback for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter: "Of course I know that! The Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes are of course currency in the Ming Dynasty!"

He changed his tone and said, "However, that doesn't matter."

"In Europe, it is a precious collectible."

"After all, the amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes in Europe is far too small."

"Even our Venice-issued Ducat gold coins, if there are special years and the number issued is small, will be collected by some people and can be sold for ten or a hundred times higher than their original value."

"Of course, if you bring a large number of Ming Dynasty banknotes, their collectible value will naturally decrease."

“I’m glad you’re willing to explain these things to me proactively, instead of trying to deceive me to make more profit.”

Michael looked at Zhu Di approvingly: "You truly deserve to be called a prince of the Ming Dynasty. You possess moral qualities far exceeding those of ordinary nobles, which is truly admirable."

Zhu Di smiled faintly and calmly replied, "This is the integrity that one must uphold as a person."

"The Ming Dynasty is a land of propriety and has been enlightened by the teachings of the sages. As a prince of the Ming Dynasty, I would naturally not do anything that would violate morality and shame."

"Besides, you and I are about to become in-laws, so it's even more impossible for me to deceive you."

Zhu Di's smile faded, and he said seriously, "But I do need your help with something."

Michael, holding a wine glass and beaming, said generously, "Please just say what you need. As long as it's within my power, I will definitely do my best to help."

Zhu Di smiled slightly and said, "This matter is quite simple, and it will be of great benefit to Venice."

"The sea routes between the Ming Dynasty and Europe have been opened, and we will soon begin large-scale trade. However, due to the different currencies used, this will cause great inconvenience to trade between us."

"To facilitate transactions between merchants from both sides, I hope that the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes can establish an exchange relationship with some currency in Europe."

……

(End of this chapter)