heaven and earth, a chilling desolation.Li Chen's whole body was ice cold. This was the first time, in both his past and present lives, that Li Chen had faced death head-on.The threat of death was lik...Chapter 1196: The Nanguo Family, Wealthier Than a Nation

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Xu Changqing let out a sigh of relief and said gratefully.

"This Palace knows that the over thirty people caught were directly involved in this case. However, this doesn't mean those who came earlier are completely innocent. Behind the scenes, they have each received some benefits, fearing being implicated themselves. That's why they dared to come forward, appearing to plead for leniency, but actually trying to gauge This Palace's intentions and see if this matter could be resolved here."

Li Chen said expressionlessly: "The law does not punish the multitude. This matter will end here. They received a small amount of money, but since they did not personally participate in this case and only received some hush money, this palace will treat it as an advance salary for them. However, let this be a lesson."

Xu Changqing's heart skipped a beat.

Because of Li Chen's few words, he saw through the minds of a group of officials.

As if they were discussing something, Li Chen stood by and listened attentively, not missing a single word.

What is important is why the prince said these words to himself

With a thoughtful expression, Xu Changqing bowed and said: "I understand your intentions, Your Highness. I will also make sure everyone knows about your kind efforts."

"Um."

Li Chen hummed in his nose, the matter was considered completely over.

"One more thing, in the regions of the capital and the south, how many large merchants and landowners can you count" Li Chen asked.

Xu Changqing was taken aback for a moment, but still replied, "I have some impression."

“The big merchants in the capital region, after Your Highness’s purge of the four major merchant families before the year, and this case, there's basically nothing left. The vacated market has mostly been occupied by merchants from Jin and Hui, among others, but they operate legally and don't engage in any criminal activity, so it's not a big issue.”

As for the South, the three families of Chen, Wei, and Nangong have made quite a name for themselves in business. The Chen family are prominent Zhejiang merchants. The Wei family hails from the southern Fujian region. As for the Nangong family, they are native to Jinling and rose to prominence independently, not belonging to any merchant guilds like the Jiangxi, Anhui, or Zhejiang ones, yet they are incredibly powerful.

"All of the above are from the merchant's perspective."

“As for the landowners, there are many more, and most of these families are large landowners. Among them, the南宮 family is probably the strongest. During the eighth year of Emperor Da Xing's reign, the emperor ordered a nationwide census of land ownership. At that time, the南宮 family owned over 23,000 mu of land, which was recorded in the official documents. Some land not registered, plus the accumulation over so many years, the real number is probably even more exaggerated.”

Although he had long been mentally prepared for the land consolidation in feudal times, Li Chen couldn't help but be moved when he heard the number 23,000 mu.

“According to the national census conducted eight years ago, I reviewed the data and found that the average arable land per capita nationwide was only two and a third mu. Yet, the Nangong family alone possessed 23,000 mu! The total farmland in the entire capital city is only 20,000 mu, while the Nangong family controls more land than the entire city!”

Faced with Li Chen's questioning, Xu Changqing chuckled bitterly: "This is just farmland. There are countless other land deeds, shops, house deeds, and so on. The true wealth of this南宮 family can probably only be described as rich enough to rival a country."

"Okay, good."

Li Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "Since it originates from Jinling, then it must be related to King Wen."

"Go and tell Chen Tong to immediately dispatch people to Nanjing to bring the entire Nangong family to the capital. This feast needs everyone, but especially the Nangong family!"omical. Plus, the ongoing expenses for maintaining those students, while it would certainly earn Your Highness a good reputation, where will the money come from"The Eastern Palace's cost was unknown t...