The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

"Here you go!"

When Zhou Peigong was asked to choose a general, he agreed.

Seeing that Liu Mu had nothing to say, the seven ministers were about to bow and take their leave when a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

Zhao Fengnian peeked halfway in from outside the door, his face showing an expression of someone who had been holding back for a long time and could no longer contain himself. He quickly walked to Liu Mu, knelt down, and held a red lacquered wooden box in his hands, raising it high above his head.

"Your Majesty, the goldsmiths and silversmiths from the Ministry of Works are already waiting outside the palace. The three coins have been finalized; please review them."

Liu Mu was about to stand up when he heard this, so he sat back down. He glanced at Zhao Fengnian, then at the red lacquered wooden box, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"I have waited for more than three months, and I have finally come out."

"pass!"

Zhao Fengnian responded and jogged out. A moment later, he led the goldsmiths in. The old craftsman in charge was surnamed Sun. He was a hereditary coin minting craftsman of the Ming Dynasty. He looked to be almost seventy years old. His hair was so white that not a single black hair remained, but his hands were very steady. He was carrying a larger black lacquered wooden tray covered with bright yellow silk.

The other three craftsmen carried a small bronze anvil and several iron molds for prototyping, placed them at the corner of the hall, and knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Liu Mu beckoned, and Zhao Fengnian placed the red lacquered wooden box on the imperial desk and opened the lid.

As soon as the box was opened, three stacks of new coins were neatly arranged inside: one stack of gold coins, one stack of silver coins, and one stack of copper coins, each piled together.

Liu Mu first picked up a gold coin. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, a little larger than an old gold coin, with fine serrations along the edge. He twirled it between his fingers. On the front was a character "壹" (one) in clerical script, its strokes thick and deeply engraved. Below it was a line of smaller characters: "Great Han Empire 1889".

Turning it over, the back features a gilded human head, wearing the twelve tassels of an emperor's hat, with a thin face, broad jaw, and slightly upturned eyes.

It must be said that the craftsmanship is truly remarkable; it is possible to achieve an eight-tenths resemblance to his work by hand.

"Tsk." Pan Feng couldn't help but lean forward and say, "Your Majesty, this looks even more energetic than you do."

Liu Mu glanced at him sideways.

"Pan Feng, how am I supposed to understand what you're saying?"

"What I mean is that the portrait on this gold coin perfectly captures Your Majesty's heroic spirit. It's excellent," Pan Feng quickly changed the subject, suppressing a smile.

Liu Mu ignored him and handed the gold coin to Li Guangdi next to him. The Minister of Revenue looked at it over and over, and then took out a Western gold coin from his sleeve and compared it.

The new gold coin in front of me is even shinier. The serrated edge alone would make it impossible for more than 90% of gold-scraping craftsmen to work on it. If there is any missing part, it is considered damaged, and the imperial court will only buy it back at 70% of the price, which would really be a loss.

"Master Sun," Liu Mu gestured with his chin toward the kneeling old craftsman, "stand up and speak. Is this coin truly, as I said, nine parts gold and one part silver and copper?"

Master Sun stood up, not daring to look up at the emperor, but only staring at the gold coins on the imperial desk: "Your Majesty, they are indeed nine-tenths gold, half silver, and half copper. Nine-tenths gold is too soft to be pressed into a serrated pattern; you can even make a mark on the coin with your fingernail."

"After adding this silver and copper, the hardness is just right. When it is dropped on the ground, it makes a clanging sound without cracking or breaking. The Mint tried several formulas, and this one is the most stable and has the most accurate color."

"Moreover, in addition to the serrated edges, there is also a hidden mark engraved around the edge of the coin to prevent counterfeiting. It can only be seen with a magnifying glass, and counterfeiters simply cannot imitate it."

As he spoke, he took out a magnifying glass from his tool bag and handed it to Liu Mu with both hands. Liu Mu took it and examined the edge of the gold coin carefully.

Sure enough, there was a ring of extremely fine lines, which were eight seal characters: “Received the mandate from Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous”. The characters were only half the size of a sesame seed, but they were carved meticulously and were clearly visible when magnified.

"These eight characters are hidden in the crevices of the edge; they're present on every gold coin, but not on silver or copper coins. Only gold coins have them." Master Sun said, his tone tinged with satisfaction with his craftsmanship. "Anyone who wants to forge a gold coin would have enough time to work on these eight characters for a year."

Liu Mu put down the magnifying glass and picked up a silver coin with great interest. The silver coin was almost identical in specifications to the gold coin, being 90% silver and 10% copper. The obverse also featured the character "壹" in clerical script, while the reverse bore his portrait.

The difference is that the silver coin only has simple serrations and no edge markings. The color is also better. The newly minted silver coin has a light blue luster. Liu Mu stroked his own portrait on the coin with his finger.

Zhou Peigong suddenly chuckled. Liu Mu turned to look at him. "Peigong, what are you laughing at?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Peigong cupped his hands and said, "I was thinking that in the future, the copper coins that the common people use in their daily lives will also bear Your Majesty's portrait. Whether they are eating, buying vegetables, hiring a carriage, visiting kilns, or shopping," he immediately corrected himself, "they will all be using Your Majesty's face. Your Majesty's face will be the most valuable thing in the Han Dynasty in the future."

Liu Mu chuckled, but it was a laugh born of anger. "I'll sew that mouth of yours shut sooner or later."

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he picked up another copper coin. The copper coin was a whole size smaller than the gold and silver coins. Its diameter was only the width of a thumb. The portrait printed on it was somewhat blurry, and the details were blurred into a mess. The eyebrows and eyes were still visible, but the twelve tassels had been blurred into a single line.

However, Liu Mu didn't think it was a bad thing. Copper coins were what ordinary people used every day, and they would handle them countless times a day. If they were printed too finely, they would be easy to wear out. Something that was good enough was fine.

But Zhou Peigong's words about "browsing the shops" still lingered in the hall. He thought for a moment and then turned the copper coin over to look at it again.

The front features the character "壹" in clerical script, with "大汉帝国一八八九" below it. The back also features a portrait of himself, though it's a bit blurred, the outline is still visible and not unrecognizable.

"Li Guangdi!" Liu Mu put the copper coins back into the box. "Tell me, how do we exchange these?"

Li Guangdi took a step forward, clearly having memorized the exchange system perfectly.

"One gold coin is worth ten silver coins, and one silver coin is worth one thousand copper coins. That is to say, one gold coin is worth ten thousand copper coins. As for the specific price, it depends on the market."

He paused, then added a more explicit statement: "However, the imperial court's method of exchanging gold and silver is fixed at one tael of gold for ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver for one thousand copper coins, just like before. The only difference is that the loose silver and copper coins have been replaced with standardized coins, which are more convenient for counting and harder to counterfeit."

Liu Mu nodded. One tael of gold is exchanged for ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver is exchanged for one thousand coins. This exchange rate has not changed much in the Central Plains. The people have been using it for thousands of years and are used to it. The Ministry of Revenue does not need to make any tricks in this regard. What is being exchanged is currency, not price. Making the currency more exquisite and harder to counterfeit is enough.

Liu Mu was about to close the wooden box when he suddenly stopped, turned the gold coin in his hand over to the back, and looked down at his own portrait.

The image of himself on the gold coin was far too dashing—his cheeks were thinner, his eyes were upturned, and he looked much more heroic than in real life. He reached out and touched his chin, then handed the gold coin to Zhou Peigong beside him.

"Pei Gong, tell me the truth, I really don't look like this, do I?"