Usury is the fastest way to make money.

In fact, it has long been no secret among the noble class.

You just need to show your identity and people will naturally offer you stocks.

There is no need for anything else, just deal with it when something goes wrong.

The circle in the capital is not big, but it is not small either.

There aren't that many people who can reach this level.

Those who lend money at high interest rates below, if they have any connection with those above, will become unscrupulous.

These things are no longer a secret, and most people are very clear about them.

Those who do usury business all know the rules, and they will not easily provoke those who they cannot afford to offend.

Only when we can control something will we force it.

Among them, the main victims are actually businessmen.

The capital is so big, and ordinary people can only have a little money. Those who get rich overnight or suddenly make a windfall are the targets of these people.

There are also those who are addicted to gambling and stay in the casino without wanting to move, and just take the money.

Of course, if you really offend someone you shouldn't have offended, it's normal to apologize and let it go.

It is so easy and convenient to make money that many dignitaries have this idea.

What does the life and death of ordinary people and lowly businessmen have to do with them?

When one person makes money, the second person who sees it will naturally want to make money too.

Thus, inexplicably, a huge network of relationships was established.

"Jiang Li, tell me, is there anyone in our court who has not engaged in the usury business?"

Zhu Ying looked at the list of the two eunuchs and suddenly laughed.

It is natural that eunuchs prefer money.

There is no eunuch in history who is not greedy for money.

They no longer have any other desires, even power has to take a backseat to money.

This has a lot to do with the fact that they grew up in poor families. Those from well-off families would not be sent to the palace to become eunuchs.

I was afraid of being poor when I was young, and I had no desire between men and women, so naturally I focused all my attention on money.

Loyalty is loyalty, but does it conflict with greed for money? It seems not.

In this eunuch circle, if you want to climb up, how can you do so without some money to show your filial piety?

To put it another way, the two most powerful eunuchs in the palace have also joined in the usury business.

So what about the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

When Jiang Li heard this, cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead and hesitation and struggle flashed in his eyes.

He didn't know whether he should tell the truth or choose to hide it.

In just half a breath, Jiang Li knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, I am also involved in this."

Zhu Ying put down the file in his hand, looked at Jiang Li who was kneeling on the ground, and asked, "Is it dealt with?"

Jiang Li nodded: "They have all been dealt with by me."

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "He was quite quick to act. He deserves to be the leader of the Imperial Guard."

"I thought you would lie to me, but I didn't expect you to be so honest."

Jiang Li broke out in a cold sweat.

In fact, he did have the idea of ​​hiding it just now.

He has already handled the aftermath of this matter very cleanly.

Those who had contact with him and did usury for him were all killed in prison at the first opportunity.

From the perspective of ordinary people, it seems that with so many people involved, it seems that the law cannot hold everyone accountable.

But who is in power now? It’s Emperor Hongwu.

How could Jiang Li not know what Your Majesty is best at?

That is killing!

If there is one, kill one; if there are a hundred, kill a hundred.

Be it a thousand people or ten thousand people.

It’s all killing!

No matter who you are or what your status is, as long as you affect the interests of the royal family, you will be killed.

The three major cases mentioned above include the assassination case of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Which one killed less?

All who are involved must die.

No one knows how many people are implicated.

Some people didn't even understand what was going on, but they were still implicated.

Precisely because he knew the situation clearly, and Jiang Li couldn't gamble with his own life, he decided to get rid of all the people first.

However, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked him the question just now, he knew that he could no longer hide it.

So I finally chose to give an honest answer.

"I dare not."

Jiang Lin's head hit the cold floor, making a thumping sound.

No matter how high your status is, you are nothing but an ant in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Just one sentence could kill him right now.

"Get up. I didn't say what I was going to do to you."

"But you should tell me about this incident. Who are the people behind this? How could they be so bold and arrogant?"

Zhu Ying asked curiously.

Logically speaking, the military officers and nobles of the Ming Dynasty should all know the old man's temper. If they commit a crime, who can get any benefit from the old man?

Not to mention the most low-level method of causing trouble. Even Zhu Ying felt puzzled when he heard the news.

Theoretically, in such a situation, anyone with a smart mind would give up the usury business.

After all, for the nobles and military officers, although the usury business is good, it is not all about it. No one is willing to go against the court for usury.

Now that the Ming Dynasty's economy is growing rapidly, there are actually many ways to make money. Coupled with the salary reform, life is not as hard as before.

Who came up with this?

After hearing these words, Jiang Li's face turned pale and bitter.

"Your Highness, there is no mastermind behind this matter. It was completely done by those merchants who were doing the usury business."

"They thought that if they made a big fuss, those of us who were involved would find a way to protect them, so after discussing it privately, they came up with this."

"When I first heard about this, I didn't expect them to be so bold."

"People like the criminals, although they also have a share in the loan sharking, they don't usually ask about the affairs here. Usually, when the time comes, they will send the money up on their own."

"Most of the nobles, although they are the ones who receive their share of the profits, it is not worth dealing with them on a normal basis. They are all low-class people, and it would be disrespectful to say a few words to them."

"In some noble houses, the only thing they do is look at the accounts, and it's basically the housekeepers and servants who are in charge of the coordination."

"When this matter got out of hand, everyone was in a panic, and many people came to the guilty minister, hoping to get away with it."

Jiang Li confessed everything in one go.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very understanding and can see through even the slightest lie.

As a member of the Imperial Guard, especially the commander of the Imperial Guard, what is the most important thing?

It’s not that I’m afraid of making mistakes, but my loyalty is being questioned.

Once there is a problem with loyalty, it means that you won’t be able to do the job for long.

He is the personal bodyguard beside His Majesty, and most of the dirty work, big and small, is done by him personally.

Even if one loses his official position, he must save his life.

Which emperor would allow someone who knew his own flaws to leave his side and survive?

The current situation may not seem serious, but as long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has the slightest crisis of trust, it will mean a crisis of death.

At this time, Jiang Li was extremely nervous.

Zhu Ying glanced at the list on the table, but did not reach out to take it. He asked again, "Your name is definitely not on the list. I don't think you are that stupid."

"But why did you write down Liu and Guo Zhong's names as well? Aren't you afraid of exposing them and implicating you?"

Jiang Li smiled bitterly and replied, "Your Highness, as for the usury issue, almost all the officials with some connections in the palace are involved in it."

"If I don't write about the two eunuchs, then I can't write about anyone else. I can only not write about the entire palace."

"But if this continues, too many people will be involved. If the other public security departments or the Five Cities Military Departments conduct a random interrogation, everything will be revealed."

"I have to write this."

At this point, Jiang Li paused for a moment, kowtowed and said, "My name is actually at the end of this file."

Jiang Li is a smart man.

He knew that it would be impossible to get rid of the Jinyiwei in such a big event.

The Jinyiwei couldn't be removed, and he couldn't say that he was clean, so it would be better to surrender himself, which was better than committing the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Your Majesty would rather take his head than let his wife, children and family be implicated.

Being in the position of Jinyiwei commander, there is no way to guarantee a long life. He saw clearly how the previous Jinyiwei commander died.

In some ways, he has done many things better than his predecessor and made Your Majesty more satisfied.

But this position is like a knife, a knife that kills people for Your Majesty.

When too many people are killed and the impact becomes serious, they will naturally be replaced.

At least he was now very clear that although the former Jinyiwei commander Mao Xiang was executed by His Majesty to appease public anger, his wife and children were still living relatively well, and his hereditary titles were still retained.

Mao Xiang's son is now a captain in the Jinyiwei, and I am quite nice to him.

This is a heritage and also an example.

If one day he is pushed out and loses his head for some reason, his wife and children will be taken care of by the next commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In a way, this is also a hidden rule.

Zhu Ying turned around, picked up the file and flipped to the back.

Sure enough, Jiang Li’s name was on the list.

Wow, he actually wrote himself on the list. No wonder he could become the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. With this level of loyalty, he is truly trustworthy.

"Get up, you really surprised me on this point."

He was able to put himself in jail even though he knew he was guilty, and he just said it so aggressively. Zhu Ying certainly wouldn't say anything about punishing him on purpose.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Jiang Li straightened his official hat, bowed, and stood up.

Zhu Ying said: "I believe you and I also believe what you said."

"Anyway, the incident has already happened. Since it has nothing to do with you guys, there's no need to make a big fuss about it."

"Let's just burn this file later. I'll talk to Grandpa about it."

"You should give a good talk to those nobles who participated in this and ask them to clean up their mess. There are many ways to make money in a legitimate way now. There is no need to leave yourself with any trouble. If they are really investigated one day, who can escape?"

"As for those who are causing trouble, no matter where they come from, those who deserve to be killed should be killed, and those whose properties should be confiscated should have their properties confiscated."

"After lending money at high interest rates for so many years, you must be wealthy. Doing these unethical businesses is really damaging your virtue."

"The whereabouts of the money have been carefully traced, and nothing has been missed. Also, tell your brothers to not get too excited and not touch anything they shouldn't touch."

"When all the money is in place, I will use it to do something practical for the people, which can be regarded as a reward to the Ming Dynasty."

Jiang Li quickly bowed and saluted: "I, your humble servant, respectfully obey the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

This storm in the capital is truly a farce.

Zhu Ying thought someone was making trouble inside, but he didn't expect that the problem came from below.

You are so brave.

In fact, if you think about it, you can understand that not everyone can see the situation clearly.

Perhaps they thought that they could drag many officials into the water, even the eunuchs, concubines, princes and grandchildren in the palace, and even princes from all walks of life.

At first glance, this network of relationships is really huge.

Strictly speaking, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was involved in all of them.

Jiang Li did not mention the treasury, and Zhu Ying did not ask, but it is clear that it must be a large portion.

The Imperial Treasury was the emperor's personal piggy bank, and was usually managed by eunuchs.

Zhu Yuanzhang would never count the accounts every day, nor would he care how much money there was in the treasury. Whenever he needed to spend money, he would take it from here.

The eunuchs in charge of the treasury also tried to find ways to get money everywhere.

Of course, there is no way to avoid the issue of usury.

The situation is different now. The Ming Royal Bank has taken over all the usury transactions and made it a monopoly business.

It will also ruin other people's way of making money.

But as an emperor, as long as he has it, no one can come and snatch it away.

The money you robbed me of is my life.

No matter how much money you have, if you’re dead, you’ll have nothing to spend it on.

After receiving instructions from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Jiang Lin became ruthless.

First, he explained to the nobles involved, and then the sword fell.

All the nobles applauded.

Those who were constantly arrested and imprisoned for lending money at high interest rates still arrogantly thought that someone outside would come to rescue them.

Little did they know that the people outside were trying their best to kill them first so as to silence them.