"Be careful, the things in here are more important than your lives! Move them carefully!!"
Manager Li said this viciously as he directed a group of strong men to move the goods continuously.
These boxes are very sturdy, made of the finest black iron wood. They are inflammable, indestructible by knives, and will not rot for thousands of years. Their only drawback is that they are very heavy and require special strong men to carry them.
These boxes contain the treasure banknotes that were recently acquired.
Because it was a large-scale acquisition, the price was kept very low.
As the price of Baochao gets lower and lower, this thing has become a hot potato. It will become less valuable every once in a while. A Baochao worth 10,000 today may only be worth 9,000 next month.
As the value of Baochao continues to fall, almost everyone has lost confidence in holding it and are trying to spend it as quickly as possible. No one is willing to keep a large amount in their hands, right?
This is why no matter what kind of decrees the imperial court issued, it could not stop the downward trend of Baochao.
This is actually quite impressive.
Such widespread panic did not trigger a large-scale sell-off, causing the price of Baochao to evaporate completely.
After all, it's just a decline.
If it were not the early years of the Hongwu reign, when the Ming court was at its peak of power and everything was thriving, this banknote would have long since become something worse than waste paper, and no one would have been willing to pick it up even if it had fallen on the ground.
To dare to buy up the treasure notes on a large scale under such circumstances is really a gamble.
but.
After knowing the policy direction of the court in advance, there are many people who dare to take a gamble. As long as this policy is implemented, the price of treasure notes will immediately pick up and quickly return to its original price, and it will even be more popular than spirit stones, spirit silver, and spirit gold of the same price!
These people actually knew that doing this was risky. If they were targeted by their superiors, they would most likely be in trouble, so they used a lot of connections to allow this matter to proceed smoothly in secret.
What a pity.
What they think is hidden is obviously just what they think is hidden.
Their whereabouts have long been tracked.
No matter how covertly this matter is done, it is impossible for it not to be discovered.
Purchasing Baochai at this time when the Baochai price is constantly decreasing is as conspicuous as a candle in the dark night. It will definitely cause a lot of discussion. It is only a matter of time before it is targeted.
so.
Some people simply stop hiding it.
For example, Manager Li.
Relying on his master's background, he didn't take the matter seriously at all. He went in and out through the main gate when moving or delivering goods, and put on a pretentious show.
In the eyes of Manager Li, this was no big deal.
Are there any problems with acquiring Baochao?
Who stipulated that it is not allowed to purchase Baochao?
Which legal provision prohibits the purchase of treasure notes?
They used real spirit stones to purchase the treasure notes. They didn't steal or rob, and they didn't commit any crimes. What was wrong with that?
After the strong men who came in and out had moved all the goods on the carriage into the warehouse, he turned around and wanted to leave the mansion, but was stopped by someone.
A group of gray-clad, sword-carrying guards surrounded the mansion. The leader was none other than Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At this moment, his eyes were wide open with anger, and he couldn't help sneering. His whole body exuded a brutal and manic aura.
These Jinyiwei were not wearing brocade clothes, nor did they have the standard equipment of flying fish clothes and embroidered spring swords.
The reason is very simple. Not everyone is qualified to wear the Feiyu suit. Only the third-rank officials of the Jinyiwei are qualified to wear this suit. But it is not absolute. There are also special cases where a few Jinyiwei with lower ranks are rewarded by the emperor.
The bright red dragon robe and flying fish robe were both garments bestowed by the emperor, and one could not wear them whenever one wanted.
In short, the Feiyufu is a symbol of the Jinyiwei's honor and status, and the Feiyufu can only be worn on important occasions such as sacrificial activities or when serving the emperor.
The four major robes bestowed in the Ming Dynasty were the python robe, the flying fish robe, the bullfighting robe, and the unicorn robe. The first grade was the python robe, the second grade was the flying fish robe, the third grade was the bullfighting robe, and the fourth and fifth grades were the unicorn robes.
But no matter which one it is, it is impossible to wear it in private, as it would be too conspicuous.
Therefore, most people don’t know that they are the Jinyiwei.
But you can tell from their appearance that they are not easy to mess with.
The leading warrior immediately showed a flattering smile, bent down, and asked with a smile: "My lords, what can I do for you?"
"Where did you put the boxes you just delivered? Now move them out exactly as they were!"
Mao Xiang sneered and spoke directly.
As soon as these words came out, the leader of the strong men immediately showed an embarrassment. He said helplessly: "Sir, we have no say in this matter. We are just hired strong men's servants. We are all hard-working men who practice body cultivation. How can we be qualified to decide the affairs of the adults? Moreover..."
"Nonsense!"
Mao Xiang had no patience to listen to this guy's explanation. With a flash of his knife, the head of the leading strongman rolled to the ground, and the blood from his neck spurted out like a fountain, and then he fell straight to the ground.
"How dare you delay time in front of me? You really don't know how to live or die!"
Mao Xiang sneered, then glanced at the strong men not far away and said lightly: "Either obey or die!"
These strong men looked at their leader's head in horror. They didn't even see how Mao Xiang swung his sword, and the boss's head had already rolled to the ground. This kind of strength was beyond their ability to resist.
"We will definitely follow your orders, sir!" the strong men said one after another, how could they not dare to disobey.
At this moment, the commotion here was noticed by Manager Li. Although he felt something was wrong, he still rushed over.
Manager Li asked sternly, "Do you know where this place is? Do you know who is the owner of this place?"
"Your master?" Mao Xiang said with disdain: "I know who your master is, and I know who your master's backer is, the current Xuanning Marquis Cao Tai!"
“Then how dare you...?!” Manager Li widened his eyes and asked in disbelief.
"So what if he's the Marquis of Xuanning?" Mao Xiang sneered, "We will find out how this matter is related to the Marquis of Xuanning Cao Tai. If we find evidence, even he won't be able to escape!"
Cao Tai, Marquis of Xuanning, was the son of Cao Liangchen, a general who founded the Ming Dynasty.
In his early years, Cao Liangchen gathered troops to protect his hometown, and later surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang. He served as the councilor of Jianghuai Province, the left prime minister, and the minister of Shanxi Province.
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he followed Xu Da in the Northern Expedition, conquered Dadu, and defended Tongzhou. He made outstanding contributions and was awarded the title of Marquis of Xuanning.
In the fifth year of Hongwu, Cao Liangchen once again followed the army to the north and died in battle at the Aluhun River. He was posthumously named Duke of Anguo and given the posthumous title of Zhongzhuang.
After Cao Liangchen died, his son Cao Tai inherited the title. He was very close to Lan Yu and was considered a typical prince's party member.
It was for this reason that Zhu Biao was the first to learn of the news and then accidentally told Su Che about it.
Otherwise, Su Che really wouldn't have been able to find out so quickly.
It’s not that Zhu Yuanzhang’s control has declined, but that from the very beginning, he gave a lot of power to Zhu Biao and openly supported the princelings. He didn’t worry at all that the princelings’ power would be too great and affect him.
At this moment, Manager Li heard what Mao Xiang said and widened his eyes in disbelief, "You... who are you?"
"Jinyiwei Commander Mao Xiang!"
Mao Xiang laughed, not caring at all whether he would be retaliated against or not. The Jinyiwei should just not cause trouble to others. Why should others cause trouble to them? !
His original plan was to become famous, and the Marquis of Xuanning was the perfect target!
Hearing this harsh name, Manager Li felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave and had a sense that something was wrong. But he did not want to give up just like that. If the treasures in those boxes were confiscated by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he would have no chance of surviving with such a huge loss!
Manager Li said hurriedly: "You can't do this. Even if you don't give face to Marquis Xuanning, you can't not give face to Duke Liang!"
"Moreover, both the Duke of Liang and the Marquis of Xuanning are the wings of the current crown prince. You should think carefully before you act!"
Manager Li raised the banner, hoping that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would give him some face and pretend that nothing had happened, then everything would be fine.
Who would have thought that even though Manager Li mentioned these names, Mao Xiang didn't care at all. He grinned and said, "I don't care who your background is. The Jinyiwei only follows the orders of the emperor. If you dare to stop me, I will kill you without mercy!!"
These murderous words made Manager Li completely despair. He collapsed to the ground and couldn't help muttering: "It's over... It's all over..."
…
"After investigation, it was found that Xuanning Marquis Cao Tai, his son-in-law Ouyang Lun, and the Minister of Revenue Guo Heng were all buying up banknotes on a large scale. This is the account book of their purchase of banknotes, as well as the evidence of their collusion with various wealthy businessmen, their secret protection, and their connection with each other."
Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, knelt in front of Su Che and said respectfully that the investigation into the treasure banknote purchase case in the past few days had almost turned the entire Yingtian Prefecture upside down, causing chaos in the whole place.
The officials involved were stunned when they heard the news. The court's reaction was much faster than they had imagined.
And this kind of thing is easy to find out.
The most crucial thing now is - what is the emperor’s attitude towards this case?
The answer is obvious, very bad!
The numbers of wealthy businessmen who colluded with Xuanning Marquis Cao Tai, his son-in-law Ouyang Lun, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Guo Heng, and their private purchase of banknotes were shocking. They were sure that they could make a fortune this time.
Su Che looked at the evidence carefully and was in a very good mood.
"Okay, these guys, very good."
Su Che said softly.
If it were according to Zhu Yuanzhang's character, he would probably start killing people at this moment. These parasites who are bringing disaster to the country and the people deserve to die.
But Su Che was not prepared to do that.
Kill, of course you have to kill.
But it will not lead to the extermination of the entire family, nor will it implicate countless people.
It won't even lead to a massacre!
Su Che’s thoughts were very simple.
First, kill the main culprits, then put all the treasures they bought back into the national treasury and make them all public. Then, impose a fine on them, and then send them all into exile as coolies!
Aren't they doing this for money?
Okay.
Punish them till they have nothing left but their underpants, and then deprive them of their political rights! Then exile them to a bitter and cold place!
These people love money the most. Even if you kill them, even if you skin them and stuff them with straw, it won’t be enough to scare them!
But fines are different.
Confiscating all their hard-earned property and everything under their name is not the end of the matter. They must also be exiled and forced to become the labor force for developing frontiers!
It would be such a pity to just kill them, wasting so much labor!
Su Che is kind-hearted and cannot stand the sight of blood, let alone the number of heads dropped. Dealing with it in this way is simply the best way.
A few days later.
In the imperial prison, Xuanning Marquis Cao Tai shouted unwillingly: "I am just buying up the treasure notes. What's wrong with that? What crime have I committed? Why did you arrest me?"
"Hurry up and tell Duke Liang to come and rescue me!"
"Or give a message to the prince, asking him to come and see me!"
"It's been a few days, and no one has come to see me. You can't treat a marquis like this!"
"Even if I'm guilty, you can't treat me like this. Where are the people? Where are the people? Someone come quickly!!"
Cao Ning's madness finally attracted a jailer.
The jailer couldn't help but smile when he saw the embarrassed Cao Tai in front of him. As a jailer in the Heavenly Prison, he loved to see these big shots who were once high and mighty, fall from the clouds and into the mud!
Of course, we can't offend them too much. What if they are released and make a comeback?
The jailer smiled and said, "My Lord, the court didn't send anyone to try you. It must have already determined your crime, so there is no need to try you."
"What?!" Cao Tai's eyes widened. He spoke incoherently, "Why don't you try me? I'm the Marquis of Xuanning. I'm just selling banknotes. It's just a small matter. You don't want to convict me directly!!"
The jailer smiled and continued, "You are wrong. The court has just announced your crimes. You bought the treasure notes and used the government's decrees to gain profits. This is hindering the implementation of the government's decrees and obstructing national policy. This crime is unforgivable and punishable by death!"
Hearing this, Xuanning Marquis Cao Tai suddenly panicked. He obviously realized that this matter was not simple, otherwise he would not have been arrested directly, and no one would have interrogated him for so many days.
Driven by a strong desire to survive, he shook the solid prison door and said unwillingly: "No, you can't kill me. I have a red-lettered iron ticket and a gold medal of immunity from death at home. I can avoid death! I can't be executed!"
"I can't be executed! Even if it's a capital crime!!"
The jailer listened to this and smiled and said, "Yes, you are of noble status, not an ordinary person, of course I won't execute you."
Cao Tai just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the jailer continue, "So the court said that all your property will be confiscated and you will be exiled..."
After saying this, Cao Tai's face turned black. This was more painful than killing him! !
Not only Cao Tai, but many wealthy businessmen involved in this incident were fined to the point of losing their pants. Although there was no mass killing this time, the countless fines and exile were more effective than killing people.
Because this is a murderous act!
For those who value money more than their own lives, fining them everything they have and then sending them into exile is no more torture than just a single blow!