[D11, EE] Dinner and discussion (open to Crab)

[Yasuki Masaki]

"I..." the Yasuki's voice sounds unusually uncertain this evening.

"Even with gold and iron... wouldn't it make it harder to issue coins? Although... I mean, there is probably *some* backing for our current coins... right?"

Damn, how can I not remember this now!

Exactly! How can you NOT remember this now, kid! I should never have sent Toshiyuki to study with the Hida, he would be ten times what you are!, a voice screamed inside her head.

She almost grimaced, shook her head, took a breath.

"Uh... how would the coins make their way to each land, Agasha-san?", she asked, trying to keep a straight voice despite the storm raging inside. "And the farmers... would they receive coin and use it to pay taxes?"

She shook her head slightly again. "This... might have many repercussions, I think." She still sounds somewhat uncertain, although making an effort not to.

[Agasha Yuna]

"The farmers would farm and deliver farm goods to their Lord. Be that rice or vegetables. None of that is impacted."

"The fisherman will fish and deliver fish."

"The lumberjack will chop wood and deliver wood."

"And all those laborers will receive in exchange services from their Lord - land to live on, protection, food if needed. Those folks don't need coin now, and they won't need it then."

"The Lord would trade as usual, for the materials needed for his land. If he has vegetables, he doesn't need to trade for them. If he has enough rice, he doesn't need to trade for it. He will either already have the metal to pay a metal standard, or he will trade something he has in excess for it."

"The one thing he won't have to do is set aside a portion of his rice harvest to pay up, and transport up, for taxes. He can use metal, which lasts and does not decay, and costs far less to transport up."

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"I like the idea in principle," Ryoichi said, nodding. "But I think implementing it could be quite a large effort. I would expect that lords with many rice fields, but no metals, might not be well-pleased by this idea. And as Kawagoi-san said, there may be unintended repercussions that we cannot easily foresee."

"I wonder if it would be possible to test this idea in just one province, to see if it is workable?" he speculated. "Though a lot of it depends on coining new money - I suppose that might make it hard to do in a small scale."

[Agasha Yuna]

"I like the idea in principle," Ryoichi said, nodding. "But I think implementing it could be quite a large effort. I would expect that lords with many rice fields, but no metals, might not be well-pleased by this idea. And as Kawagoi-san said, there may be unintended repercussions that we cannot easily foresee."

"I wonder if it would be possible to test this idea in just one province, to see if it is workable?" he speculated. "Though a lot of it depends on coining new money - I suppose that might make it hard to do in a small scale."

"The plan to approve the measure for implementation in three years so all have to time to adapt would also allow for a pilot test in a smaller set of lands, if there were volunteers."

"It is true that the plan is going to be the hardest sell to those with a great deal of rice and the least metal."

"You know, another interesting variant would be to permit taxes to be paid in rice or metal."

[Yasuki Masaki]

The second Yasuki in the room still seemed to be having a headache at times - although she did her best to keep her expression flat.

Serene would be asking for too much.

"But then... that is just a changd in what can be used for taxes, then?"

Her hand raises to her head, almost as if she would scratch it, but she manages to hold it halfway through.

"If *that* is the issue... I suppose, in terms of *taxes*, a motion could be made in court to set the proper amount of taxes to be paid based on a proportion of *all* of each lands' products." She shakes her head. "Although of course that is unfeasible, there would be just too much to count... *a set* of each lands' products? Say, a given percentage of all rice, other grains, fish, metals... and a longer list that would probably need some discussion. But... I think *that* could be done without any change to coinage?"

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OOC: still going wild with low roll and not well thought out solutions, but feel free to defend any of them if you like them XD

[Agasha Yuna]

Yuna considered that.

"I think that may be too complicated."

"But the imperial court could certainly set an 'equivalency standard'. This much rice, or this much gold, or this much iron. That's still pretty simple. And it actually diversifies the imperial court's holdings, which provides more options for future trade."

"There is also a strong argument from the deals at this court, at least, that the trade units are generally trading one-for-one. I can re-visit the deals approved so far and verify."

"And there could still be a future date for a transition solely to gold and iron, once the court experiences the advantage of a tax yield that cannot decay and takes less space to store."

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"I think an 'equivalency standard' would be difficult to implement," Ryoichi argued. "There are some years that the harvest is poor, so rice is dear; and others where the harvest is bountiful, so rice is plentiful. A wagonload of rice cannot be equal to the same weight in gold or silver in both those situations. There must be some way to adjust for the current market, or you will have people trying to circumvent the system."

[Agasha Yuna]

Yuna nodded, considering.

"The payment could be confirmed annually. This much rice. Or this much gold. Or this much iron. That happens now with the rice standard. The court could always ask for more or less, as it chose. Though we have seen a preference for stability from year to year."

"Oh! Now that I think about it, that too could benefit from the three year rule. Amounts are always set for the next three years running, so there is time to prepare before increases, or to adjust if a clan feels that in a certain year the iron price is more favorable than the gold price."

As they continued to discuss all that would need to be considered - a discussion Yuna clearly found fascinating and helpful, her attendants cleared the appetizer plates and set out the entree course.

There was bonito fish in a soy sauce with grated radish and grated ginger, along with seaweed and lemon.
https://ibb.co/2DVrtS2

There was salmon and salmon roe over a spinach sauce.
https://ibb.co/NdWL06R6

And a rice dish in a bright yuzu broth, garnished with pickled vegetables.
https://ibb.co/GQ6VnN5M