Chapter 1573 Extra: If we don't close the net soon, I'll become the boss (Part 2)
Do you remember the story from the thirteenth year of the Yanhuang era, when several officials in the capital were caught in a Ponzi scheme? The most devastating losses were suffered by dozens of wealthy households, who were swindled out of over five million taels of silver. Because the mastermind was a former official of the Wu Kingdom, and a twentieth-rank Marquis with the talent for deception, Shen Tang delegated the task to Wei Cheng, letting Lao Deng handle this old fellow himself.
It is now the summer of the seventeenth year of Yanhuang.
Has the Ponzi scheme been exposed?
No.
Shen Tang suspected that Wei Cheng, that old man, was shirking his duties.
Since Wei Cheng began investigating his old accomplice, the frequency of this fraudulent Marquis's offenses has decreased significantly. It's also possible that he sensed the danger and went into hiding. In any case, he hasn't been very active in the past four years. Shen Tang is extremely busy with state affairs. Without the ability to use his Holy Monarch account to cheat, he's barely managing to handle daily government affairs as a human. Where would he find the energy to catch a Ponzi scheme mastermind?
She believed that Wei Cheng would give her an explanation.
After all, Wei Sheng was her loyal follower.
What does all of the above have to do with Jiang Sheng taking his annual leave?
There really is a connection here.
After Jiang Sheng went on vacation, he originally planned to take his wife back to his ancestral home to burn incense and pay respects to his ancestors—wealth and honor without returning home is like wearing fine clothes in the dark. As a descendant, he also wanted to let his ancestors see how successful he was, and it would be even better if there were still some old acquaintances in his ancestral home who had criticized him in the past.
Lu Ji also asked him to help repair the graves of her deceased father, mother, and several brothers. She hadn't been back for years and didn't know the condition of the old graves, or if they were leaking. Jiang Sheng and his wife traveled and enjoyed a period of blissful, carefree life—no morning court assemblies that required getting up before dawn, no work that required half-hearted concentration, no incompetent teammates or formidable opponents, and no frequent brawls at court meetings that dragged him into them. It was truly wonderful.
The children have all grown up, started their own families, and moved out.
He and his wife were the only ones on the road.
Oh, and you don't have to worry about who your wife is.
Why is the master frowning?
Nothing much, just some unpleasant and upsetting things coming to mind.
Just how terrible is this situation?
In short, many years ago, one day after court, he saw his wife beckoning him to a free-fighting match on the next street. Why was his wife there? Jiang Sheng immediately recognized her and flew into a rage, ignoring his colleagues' attempts to stop him, he was about to attack Qi Shan. This was intolerable!
Since then, his wife has been frequently appearing online.
If you use this trick to challenge someone to a fight, you'll succeed every time.
Jiang Sheng: [...]
Why would he have such neurotic colleagues?
Jiang Sheng thought that staying away from his sick colleagues would bring him a moment of peace, allowing him to enjoy his honeymoon with his wife. However, he received a distressing letter instead. The letter was written by his eldest daughter-in-law, and his wife received it first. After opening the letter and glancing at it, she almost collapsed.
The letter said that the eldest son was contemplating suicide.
Jiang Sheng: [???]
He recognized every single character, so why couldn't he recognize them when they were put together? What did it mean that the boss was threatening suicide? Although, due to Jiang Sheng's status, the boss, as an ordinary person, couldn't do certain businesses or use Jiang Sheng's position to seek personal gain, he still lived a much better life than the average person, and ordinary people wouldn't dare offend him. So why would he threaten suicide?
【Madam, please don't worry, let's go and take a look first.】
Since their children grew up and moved out, the couple only saw their eldest son a few times a year on holidays, and their contact wasn't very frequent. But seeing their eldest son's dark, thin, and haggard appearance, the couple almost didn't recognize him. They hurriedly asked their eldest daughter-in-law what had happened.
When the eldest daughter-in-law saw that the two of them had arrived, she immediately felt reassured.
Then came a tearful outpouring.
After hearing the whole story, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang: [...]
[How could he believe that he'd get a dividend of 3.6 percent per year?]
The eldest daughter-in-law, though timid by nature, still tried to argue and explain to her husband: "Father, this isn't a business, it's not considered operating; we only earn interest."
She thought Jiang Sheng had misunderstood that her husband was breaking the law.
Relatives of Kangguo officials were not allowed to engage in commerce.
Jiang Shengdao: [I never said it was a business, just a 3.6% annual profit share. Is he crazy? He actually believes that?]
The eldest daughter-in-law's voice trailed off: "It wasn't very high."
Three-tenths of a percent is an annual interest rate, not a monthly interest rate.
In the past, the monthly interest rate for private lending was as high as two or three percent.
The government has been cracking down on private lending, prohibiting private individuals from engaging in usury. Even for private loans, the annual interest rate is stipulated to be below 2.4%, and anyone exceeding this amount can report it to the government, with rewards offered to whistleblowers. However, regulations are rules, and in practice, many clever tricks are used to skirt the rules. The government is constantly patching up these loopholes.
Compared to the 2-3% monthly interest rate of usurious loans, the annual dividend of 3.6% wasn't outrageously high. Jiang Sheng's eldest son was also cautious; he didn't lend out much money at first, just briefly checking the situation, and as a result, the monthly dividends were paid out on schedule.
It lasted for about half a year.
After discussing it with his wife, he added some more.
The repayments continued normally for the next three months.
Among the acquaintances I know, there are those who have been receiving dividends for even longer, some for a year and a half, and who have invested 70% of their wealth.
Jiang Sheng's eldest son, with his broader experience and having served in local government for several years, naturally knew about the infamous Jinli County official debt incident. He was always worried that the two were part of the same scheme. His friend said, "Even if it's unreliable, it doesn't matter. We are not ordinary people. If we sense something amiss, we can simply get away as soon as possible. Besides, even if Jiang Sheng's father, Duke Wen, holds a high position in the court, surely he can handle these petty villains?"
Trying to scam the son of the Duke of Wen? Are you asking for death?
Jiang Sheng's eldest son was still worried.
He hesitated and only added a little more.
His friend received more dividends than he had invested, and after hearing numerous anecdotes from his friends, he couldn't resist the temptation. His audacity grew. When the platform absconded with the money, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
[It's just a loss of money, why would you want to commit suicide?]
Jiang Sheng was furious.
The eldest daughter-in-law said, "The master has also mortgaged the house."
Besides the house, there were also some antiques and rare items obtained from the division of the family property.
When Jiang Sheng divided the family property, he took out 80% of his life savings and divided it equally among his children, ensuring each of them received their share. The remaining assets of the couple were unlikely to be received by the children—mainly because they might not outlive him.
Jiang Sheng: [We were completely fooled?]
The eldest daughter-in-law said: "There...there's more..."
Jiang Sheng: [???]
The eldest daughter-in-law stammered: "[There was also money borrowed from others.]"
She borrowed money from her parents, brothers, uncles, and aunts, and even with the highest annual interest rate allowed by local regulations, she could still make a net profit of one or two cents.
Fortune favors the bold!
He could bear the financial loss from being scammed online; he could simply swallow his pride and take his wife and children back to live off his parents. But the money he borrowed from his in-laws was a different story. Unable to withstand the immense mental pressure, and after drinking some alcohol, he contemplated suicide. If his eldest daughter-in-law hadn't sensed something amiss, things could have really gotten out of hand.
Jiang Sheng: [...]
The wretched son doesn't know that fortune can be found in danger, and he also loses it in danger.
The couple were cleaning up the mess their eldest son had made.
Jiang Sheng sighed softly: "Children are all debts."
My salary for many years, even if I don't eat or drink.
Fortunately, it wasn't at the Phoenix Court; if it were, he would have been utterly humiliated. Jiang Sheng then remembered something else: [He didn't tell his siblings about this money-making scheme, did he?]
The eldest daughter-in-law stammered, "[It hasn't happened yet.]"
Jiang Sheng didn't care what his eldest daughter-in-law meant by her stammering. After all, the children were all grown up and had their own thoughts. Before the family was divided, he could still manage things, but now that his children had separated and were no longer young, each of them had grown up and started their own families, Jiang Sheng couldn't expect them to share the same mind and heart.
He said, "This matter will be handled by the Father's Council."
Try to recover the losses before the end of the annual leave.
Otherwise, the Censorate would find out about this sooner or later, which would mean all the civil and military officials in the royal court would know, which would be tantamount to Jiang Sheng's immediate demise. He would have less confidence to argue with people in court in the future.
The eldest daughter-in-law almost burst into tears upon hearing this.
Thank you, Father.
Why are you thanking him on behalf of that unfilial son? If it weren't for you, he might be dead someday. It should be my wife and I thanking you. You should rest; I will handle this matter properly.
Life, after all, isn't a fairy tale written by a villain; things rarely go as planned, and most families are actually quite chaotic. Jiang Sheng and his wife stayed behind and first sent someone with his keepsake to collect the money, using it to pay off their eldest son's debt to his in-laws.
The mortgaged house was also redeemed.
Everything else is fine.
Jiang Sheng's skills were naturally far superior to those of his son.
Before long, they found some clues, and then they encountered an unexpected person—he and Wei Cheng looked at each other in bewilderment.
What are you doing here, my lord?
It's been two or three years since I last saw Wei Cheng. These wild marquises only hold honorary titles in the royal court, and they don't like to work on weekdays. No one can restrain them as they come and go. As long as they don't break the laws of Kang State, these old men enjoy a high degree of freedom.
Wei Cheng asked, "Why is Duke Wen here?"
Jiang Sheng: [Taking annual leave.]
Wei Cheng: [...]
Although he was just a skeleton, it didn't mean he was brainless. Who would be so secretive on their annual leave? After some probing, both sides laid their cards on the table. Wei Cheng was here on a mission; he needed to apprehend the old accomplice on the Kang Kingdom's wanted list—a conman. Upon hearing this, Jiang Sheng wanted nothing more than to facepalm or disappear into the ground: [My son has been deceived by the ruler.]
In plain terms—
My son was scammed by your old friend!
Wei Cheng: [...]
Haha, this is truly heartbreaking.
As a skeleton, Wei Cheng naturally showed no change in expression, but Jiang Sheng could still read a subtle emotion from the convulsive throbbing of the flames in his eyes—Wei Cheng was gloating.
Is Your Excellency smiling?
No, I am expressing my sympathy.
Jiang Sheng: [...]
Don't think he didn't hear the other person's strained and restrained tone!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Wei Cheng didn't dare to completely offend Jiang Sheng.
After all, Jiang Sheng was the Minister of War. Apart from lacking the power to mobilize troops during wartime, he could also oversee the selection, evaluation, appointment, dismissal, rewards, and punishments of military officers, as well as military registers, weaponry, communications, and even the formulation of regulations. The Ministry of War could also get involved in all of these matters. Jiang Sheng was not like Duke Qi Shan of Jin, whose circle of friends consisted entirely of enemies. Jiang Sheng, on the other hand, had a good relationship with the military group and had secured considerable benefits for them.
The most typical example is his head-on confrontation with the Ministry of Revenue. Xun Zhen, the stingy official of the Ministry of Revenue, has yet to take over the postal service business that belongs to the Ministry of War.
The postal service, which was run by the government, was always profitable.
Fifty percent of the profits went to the national treasury, and the remainder was handed over to the Ministry of War. The Ministry of Revenue was only responsible for supervising the use of the money, but had no right to interfere with its purpose.
Jiang Sheng used this money to create a fund to support retired soldiers of the Kangguo Army, covering a wide range of needs including financial difficulties, physical disabilities, children's education, and elderly care for their parents. Although the subsidies are not large, they can provide timely assistance in critical moments.
Because of this, military groups usually help him fight.
_(:з」∠)_
If it weren't for this, Qi Shan wouldn't have disguised himself as his wife to seduce Jiang Sheng and fight him in private; it was simply because he couldn't win in court.
Some people worry that Jiang Sheng is trying to win people's hearts.
The Censorate had many censors who had reservations about this. It was one thing to win over ordinary people, but to win over military officers? Was Jiang Sheng up to no good?
Fortunately, Shen Tang didn't seem to mind.
He even stated it openly during court assemblies—
[This is not only Minister Jiang's intention, but also mine. My people regard me as their mother; how could I not cherish my children? This action is truly excellent!]
Of course, the above is just a simple polishing.
Shen Tang's original words—
Emmm, well, you could say that while the words are rough, the principle is sound.
Wei Cheng made things convenient for Jiang Shengxing.
He promised to give Jiang Sheng some help.
For example, he shared with Jiang Sheng the intelligence he had gathered over the years in pursuit of his old accomplice. Upon reviewing it, Jiang Sheng discovered that this fraud ring operated across multiple locations, its brazenness and the staggering amount of money defrauded were truly unprecedented…
If this continues, it will surely become a major problem!
They must be eradicated!
If Jiang Sheng initially only wanted to save face and recover his son's assets, he's now fully committed to his mission: to kill the thief! Rampant fraud and social instability threaten the nation! He doesn't care if the thief is a marquis or not, he'll just do it!
Jiang Sheng rolled up his sleeves and fought against the fraudsters. With his superb skills and in cahoots with Wei Cheng, he climbed to a trusted position.
Shen Tang: "How many trusted confidants do you have?"
"Does Your Majesty still remember the incident a few years ago when several officials in the capital were swindled? They hadn't even had time to transfer the embezzled funds from that time."
"Has the embezzled money remained with Huangting?"
Jiang Sheng nodded: "Yes, it's always been here."
Even the ringleader of the scam was there.
Upon hearing this, Qin Li's face turned angry.
"Such rampant behavior? I've never heard of anything like it!"
The Kang Kingdom's court dispatched the wild 20th-rank Marquis Wei Cheng to personally pursue and capture him! The fraud ringleader not only didn't hide in the deep mountains and forests like a monkey, but instead openly stayed in the Phoenix Court? This is right under the Emperor's nose! Even the stolen money that hadn't had time to be transferred was here!
Qin Li immediately realized what the young man was trying to move.
This is an attempt to transfer embezzled funds right under Huang Ting's nose.
If it weren't for today's incident, and the fraud ring had succeeded, it would have been a slap in the face to the royal court. Even if the ringleader was a 20th-rank Marquis, this was still far too arrogant. How could Qin Li allow anyone to damage the royal court's reputation? If the royal court's reputation is damaged, over time, those with disloyal intentions in various regions will become restless, and the hard-won stability will be plunged into unnecessary danger...
Jiang Sheng: "The most urgent task is to recover the embezzled funds."
"To catch the thief, first catch the king! Recovering stolen funds will alert the enemy."
|ω`)
The number of participants in the title event post is increasing so fast! It feels like 90 spots are far from enough to go around _(:з」∠)_
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
