A strange man in the Ming Dynasty hid his private money in wood carvings for 600 years, skillfully concealing it from two generations of collectors
Traditionally, men hide some of their possessions after marriage, the so-called"Private money"。Whether modern or ancient, poor or rich, men have this habit almost all. Even in ancient times, when men were dominant, the influence of women could not be ignored. Many historical figures have also been subjected to"The wife is strict"impact. Therefore, in ancient times, men were also afraid of their wives.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was a very special way for a person to keep his private money. He carefully selected a wood carving, which was a beautifully crafted Arhat head. He carved out a secret place in the sculpture, hid the private money there, and then sealed it off so that it was difficult to be discovered.
Over time, the Arhat head drifted along the tide of history, changing hands several times before finally falling into the hands of an Australian collector. The collector could not see the mystery of the opaque dynasty, but he appreciated the artistic value of the Luohan head.
He brought Arhat's head to the auction to prepare**. However, before the auction, a secret was discovered during a routine inspection. The Arhat head is actually empty, and there are things hidden inside.
The truth about this hidden object surprises everyone, and everyone wants to know the secrets inside. After careful inspection by the experts, the mechanism at the bottom was found. It turns out that this Arhat head sculpture is not only a beautiful work of art, but also a cleverly designed treasure hiding place.
After obtaining the consent of the collector, the experts carefully and meticulously solved the mystery of the Arhat wood carving head. After the mystery was revealed, everyone was surprised to find that the wood carvings were not filled with jewelry or ** as people usually imagine, but the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes.
The concept of paper money originated in the Song Dynasty in China, and it was originally a way for large lenders to keep accounts, but eventually paper money began to be officially issued. Daming treasure banknotes"It was the currency of the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, and the denominations ranged from one hundred wen to one penny.
According to the currency conversion at that time, the consistent coupon was equivalent to one tael**, which is about 1,000 yuan today. However, because the Ming Dynasty did not understand the economy, it printed too much money, which caused serious inflation. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the value of paper money had dropped to 1 cent.
Hidden in the wood carvings is one of the largest Ming Dynasty treasure notes. Due to the fragility of banknotes, not many banknotes have survived for hundreds of years. However, because this Da Ming banknote was placed in a relatively stable environment in the wood carving, it has not been worn out for more than 600 years.
Six hundred years later, when this precious banknote reappeared, it was already worth more than it was worth at face value. Daming banknotes are very scarce, so the value of this ancient banknote far exceeds the value of the wood carving of the head of the Arhat.
After detailed evaluation and research by experts, it was found that the custodian of this note was most likely a merchant who lived in the early Ming Dynasty. Since Ming banknotes have depreciated since they were printed, there is no need to preserve later banknotes. Moreover, the person who kept such a large amount of treasury bills must have been a person of great status.
The reason for keeping this Treasury note may be his private money. Although men were supreme in ancient societies, there were exceptions. It is also possible that the treasure money is the pocket money of a child of a large family, or it is bribe money hidden by politicians to avoid censorship.
However, history drowned out many stories, and the true story of this wooden statue can only be left to the imagination. Now, we only have one piece of art and the story of that era it represents.
In those distant times, social rules prevented women from having an independent economic status, so they had to rely on men for their livelihoods. In such unequal situations, women save their private money for a rainy day.
However, the society of the time did not allow women to own private money. If discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable. Today it is hard to imagine that family disputes cannot be resolved through reconciliation and that dishonesty can lead to eviction from the home.
When it comes to ill-gotten gains, one might think that this is only the case for women of lower social status. But in fact, even the emperor had his own money bag. You may be asking yourself:"Why does the emperor need his own money?Doesn't he hold all the wealth of the country in his hands?
In the past, the treasury was managed by a dedicated minister, and every expenditure was strictly controlled. If the emperor wanted to build a palace or go on a long journey, he would usually get a group of ministers to dissuade him. Even if the ministers finally agreed to the emperor's expenses, they would have to go through a complicated approval process, and by the time the emperor got his approval, he might have lost interest.
Therefore, there have been emperors of all dynasties"Small vaults", called in the Song Dynasty"Sealed storage", known in the Ming Dynasty"Inner library"。The funds in the small treasury could be at the discretion of the emperor, regardless of the actions or promises of the ministers. In this way, the emperor had more freedom to meet his personal needs.
During this period, a banknote in the treasury of the Ming Dynasty survived 600 years of wind and rain, passed through the hands of two modern collectors, and slept in a wood carving, which has not yet been found. This cannot but make people admire the skill of the carver.
With the advent of modern society and the gradual equality of the status of men and women, women have gained independent economic status, and most of the family's property is in their hands. Private money has also become a skill unique to men.