"Your designs disappoint me. Where have you placed the realm of our Great Ming? Where have you placed His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Ming? I have emphasized repeatedly that they must embody the boundlessness of our Great Ming realm and reflect the successive sovereigns of Great Ming..."
At the Paper Money Bureau, this government office that had risen to prominence once more, Wang Yan berated everyone present, looking thoroughly exasperated by their failure to meet expectations.
Lu Fang stepped in to ease matters for the others. "County Magistrate Wang, don't be so hasty. Things have to be done bit by bit; you can't grow fat in one bite. Just tell them what needs changing. Keep revising it little by little, and eventually you'll get the design you want."
Only then did Wang Yan rein himself in and begin studying the new designs with the others.
Naturally, his purpose in speaking that way was not dissatisfaction with the other designs, but rather to demonstrate his loyalty to the Emperor. After all, Lu Fang was here. If he stressed it a few more times, Lu Fang would report it to Jiajing when he returned, and Jiajing would be pleased as well, knowing that his capable subordinate was constantly thinking of His Majesty. Respect had to be shown in public, and even more so in private.
There were three essentials to making currency: materials, design, and anti-counterfeiting.
The materials had to ensure that the banknotes were durable and tough, waterproof and stain-resistant, and not easily damaged. Anti-counterfeiting naturally meant making them difficult to forge while allowing people to easily identify counterfeit notes. That depended on both the materials and the design.
The design was even more crucial. After all, this was something people would use, so attention had to be paid to