The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 555 The Gu family is very rich

"Although it has experienced several declines since then, it has been passed down to the present day, so it naturally still has some foundation!"

"However, it is indeed our family's fault to support us today, but this does not represent the intention of the entire Gu family. It is only because some treacherous villains in the family have usurped my name to do such a thing!"

"I have already brought that person to justice, and I hope Your Highness will not blame me. I apologize to Your Highness here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying burst into laughter.

"They joined forces with these rebels and even tried to attack my Great Ming. My Great Ming suffered many casualties in this battle!"

"Do you think you can just let it go with a single, empty statement?"

The head of the Gu family frowned, then smiled and said.

"How could that be? The current losses can also be attributed to my Gu family. My Gu family is willing to offer five million taels of silver and 20,000 mu of fertile land!"

"What does His Highness the Crown Prince think?"

Zhu Xiong Ying was extremely surprised to hear this. Although the information she had received indicated that the Gu family was indeed very wealthy, they were not this wealthy.

Five million taels of silver is a sum that ordinary families could not obtain. Upon closer examination, he realized that these families were always cunning and had multiple burrows, so it was impossible for them to keep all their assets in one place. Perhaps they had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth and hidden it in other places.

Matters concerning the fields are easier to handle.

The Gu family has had countless members since ancient times, and there may be other branches that also hold considerable land, but these are simply unknown to the public.

After all, the imperial court often encountered obstacles when surveying land, and it was not uncommon for local officials and landlords to collude to conceal land ownership.

Perhaps this Gu family situation is truly as described.

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and said.

"I didn't expect your Gu family to have such strength. Not bad, not bad. But with your Gu family so powerful, what reason do I have to let you go?"

"Besides, as long as everyone in your Gu family is dead, won't all these things still still be mine?"

The head of the Gu family was incredulous when he heard Zhu Xiong Ying's words. Zhu Xiong Ying's words were far beyond his expectations. He knew that these aristocratic families held a very high status among scholars, and killing even a few would have a great impact on the court. Yet this Crown Prince actually wanted to exterminate their entire clan.

Thinking about this made him feel a little flustered.

If that's the case, even if a few members of the Gu family manage to survive, they'll be on the verge of death, and it's unknown how long it will take for them to recover.

The Gu family's thousand-year heritage cannot be cut off in his hands. Thinking of this, his face turned gloomy, and he looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said.

"Your Highness, you can't say that. Our family has considerable wealth, which is unknown to anyone except the head of the family!"

"The people who are hiding these assets are extremely loyal to the Gu family, so they would never reveal this matter without my permission!"

"If we lose so much of our assets, we won't ask for anything else, we just beg His Highness the Crown Prince to give us a way to survive!"

"As long as you're willing to give us a way out, all these assets will be yours, Your Highness!"

"Let me give Your Highness a little tidbit: my Gu family has been developing since the Han Dynasty, and we have amassed a considerable fortune!" "Back in the Jin Dynasty, when the scholar-officials migrated south, it had a great impact on all the families in the land. At that time, the Wang and Xie families were the most powerful families in the world!"

"But in reality, it's only superficially bigger. Among the great families of Jiangnan, there are probably not many that can compare to my Gu family!"

"Just the assets that can be considered the Gu family's public assets, all added up, should be at least seventeen or eighteen million taels of silver. Add in the land and other things, and it's even more. Just by sparing the lives of a few people from our insignificant family, we can get so much in return. This is definitely a very worthwhile deal!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was greatly shocked. As expected of these families who had been hiding for many years, their foundation was indeed very strong.

I wonder how many such families there were in the entire Ming Dynasty. If all their wealth could be collected, it would be a great thing for the Ming Dynasty. "Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts"—the ancients were right.

Seeing Zhu Xiong Ying's expression, the head of the Gu family knew that Zhu Xiong Ying was already tempted, and then said smugly.

"Your Highness, this deal is very worthwhile. What do you think?"

"If he can do it well, I believe His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely make many contributions, and even my Gu family will be willing to follow His Highness the Crown Prince's lead in the future!"

The head of the Gu family could only promise this much, considering that their family had always focused on developing itself and rarely expressed support for any conflicts.

They have never acted so openly as the Wang and Xie families did back then; they have always developed in secrecy.

Faced with such a life-or-death crisis, they had no choice but to say such things, Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile.

"I didn't expect you to have been hiding so much. But I really have no intention of cooperating with you. I admit that what you have is very tempting, but in the end, it will all be mine!"

"Perhaps not many people know about this, but I believe it's impossible for everyone in your Gu family not to know, not to mention those who are loyal to you!"

"Do you expect me to be loyal to you generation after generation?"

"It just so happens that the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have invented several decent forms of torture. Not many people can endure these tortures. The people of your Gu family have been pampered since childhood. Do you think they can withstand these tortures?"

"I believe they will honestly confess these things when the time comes!"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Gu family's expression changed drastically.

He never expected that Zhu Xiong Ying would go to such extremes.

He looked angrily at Zhu Xiong Ying and said...

"I never imagined you could be so cruel. If this gets out, your reputation will be completely ruined, and all the loyal and righteous people in the world will surely join together to kill you!"

Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand dismissively.

"With so many troops under my command, do you think I'm afraid of you? I strongly support using extraordinary measures to deal with your Gu family. This is the only way!"

"It would be very difficult for you to die in front of me. You really think I can't deal with your family!"

"The reason we're not attacking is simply to use this opportunity to fish!"

(End of this chapter)