CHAPTER 1079: CHAPTER 1035: MONEY EXCHANGE SETUP

The next day when Chen Xi held the alliance meeting again, the Zhen family’s host had already been replaced by Zhen Yan. It was clear that the Zhen family was ready to stand out among the ordinary. Now, it didn’t matter whether one was born of the legal wife or not. From a bloodline perspective, Zhen Yan was the closest to Zhen Yi.

"Greetings, Marquis Chen!" Zhen Yan bowed, neither servile nor overbearing. Did the Zhen family foresee that this day might come?

"Boyao, congratulations." Chen Xi cupped his hands with a smile. Zhen Yan’s age was slightly older than his, but if Zhen Yan becomes the head of the family, the Zhen family would inherit the paused titles and official position of Two Thousand Bushels.

"Marquis Chen is joking." Zhen Yan shook his head gently, but there wasn’t much worry on his face; the slight drooping of his eyelids already indicated his mood.

"Work hard. As long as you proceed steadily without touching certain taboos, the Zhen family will reach another peak under your leadership. Temporary gains and losses don’t matter; time will prove your worth." Chen Xi smiled and advised Zhen Yan.

To be honest, even without Liu Bei and Chen Xi, the current situation of the Zhen family would still secure their place among the aristocratic families, remaining one of the Five Great Merchants in the world, especially with a strong backing they now have.

"Marquis Chen is joking. I am just a nobody with no ambition. Guarding the current foundation is enough; making the Zhen family stronger is a task for future generations." Zhen Yan replied with a smile.

Chen Xi glanced at Zhen Yan. Though the Zhen family was quite tricky, they did have a proper perspective. Zhen Yan was not suited for big tasks due to a lack of daring but was extremely self-aware.

For the Zhen family, having a self-aware head of the family was more important than anything else, as they weren’t even in a start-up or pioneering phase; they just needed to maintain their legacy.

"I should be the last to arrive, right?" Chen Xi stopped questioning the matters of the Zhen family and walked slowly towards the inner hall, with Zhen Yan keeping pace beside him.

Before entering the door, Chen Xi saw Zhen Mi, who was sitting in the main position with her eyes closed, resting. However, he didn’t say anything; his face was thick enough that no head of an aristocratic family here could discern his inner thoughts.

After entering with Chen Xi, Zhen Yan sat in the second seat on the left; he wanted the first seat but couldn’t oust Yuan Shu, so he, as the host, could only sit in the second position.

When Chen Xi arrived, Zhen Mi stood up to greet him briefly and then sat back down without doing much else. Today, she didn’t need to perform any duties; she no longer needed to represent the Zhen family.

"The matters of yesterday need not be discussed today. Things need time to settle upon, so we will only discuss a few issues today. One matter is our plan to mint coins, although this matter has little to do with those present since we plan to mint Five Coin Money." Chen Xi began slowly after sitting down; the minting was just a notification.

The crowd clearly began whispering among themselves. If it was genuinely minting Five Coin Money, notifying anyone was unnecessary. Even in the Han Dynasty, minting standard-weight coins was supported rather than interfered with because Han lacked quality currency.

Chen Xi ignored them, for the minting notification wasn’t important; what mattered was the second issue.

"The second matter concerns the Money Exchange supply. You should all be aware of the convenience offered by the Money Exchange by now; large-scale transactions, whether through direct payment or barter, involve security risks and transportation difficulties." Chen Xi stated coldly.

"In Qing, Xu, Yu, Yan, and Ji regions, we shall handle this ourselves. However, we cannot conduct business with you because you lack Money Exchanges to withdraw funds," said Chen Xi with displeasure.

This problem had always existed; Wu Family’s business centered in Yizhou and Liangzhou found direct payment and transportation cumbersome, whereas business couldn’t proceed without immediate payment. Check settlement was crucial for families like Wu that lacked a presence here.

"Marquis Chen’s words are reasonable, but it’s not that we’d refuse to establish Money Exchanges, but even wealthy families like ours can’t establish a complete Money Exchange system," Wu Yuan said softly. The main concern of this alliance for the Wu Family was the Money Exchange network.

"It’s not that we can’t build them, but we can’t expand or ensure families wanting to exchange money can do so in large amounts," Wu Yuan pondered. "Similarly, I’m curious about how Marquis Chen funds such an extensive Money Exchange system when you’ve spent so much on construction."

"How I manage isn’t something Miss needs to know," Chen Xi replied with a smile. "What’s essential is knowing that, in certain cases, ten million coins spent by me could be more effective than the billions of dowries held by Miss."

Money must flow to generate economic benefits. The more industries ten million coins circulate through, the greater the value created. Credit Currency has no inherent value; it connects isolated industries, creating genuine value from these industries and the people supporting them. The Credit Currency itself is merely paper!

Though physical currency isn’t as exaggerated, it essentially differs little; money circulates around industries and returns to Chen Xi, acting as a mediator so he can harvest value periodically.

"Honestly, I wish I could teach these things to others. Unfortunately, my student and friend don’t seem talented in this area," Chen Xi casually shifted the topic.

Lul Xun, Chen Xi’s student, was excellent in internal politics and military but lacked talent in economics. Zhuge Liang, a renaissance man, had misguided economic beliefs and wasn’t suitable either, being more adept at overall coordination.

Historically, Liu Ba should have been most suited to learn these from Chen Xi, given his deep understanding of money and economics, unlike Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu, who used policy to force economic changes and focused on business internals.

Unfortunately, Liu Ba despised Liu Bei yet admired Cao Cao, repeatedly avoiding Liu Bei. Ultimately, he couldn’t escape and was cornered by Zhuge Liang, forced to solve one of Liu Bei’s biggest economic problems. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)