It is common knowledge that Emperor Qianlong of the Great Qing was a connoisseur of usury. One-third of all pawnshops and money shops in the Capital were owned by the Emperor himself; when princesses were married off to Mongolia, they were invariably gifted a pawnshop as part of their dowry.
His clientele, aside from the officials serving in his court, consisted of the wealthy. The common man was simply beneath his notice.
In Yangzhou, the clients of the Hengli Money Shop were strictly of two types: salt merchants and officials. If the Hengli Money Shop in Beijing was the headquarters, the one in Yangzhou was but a branch; other branches were scattered throughout affluent regions such as Jiangning and Hangzhou.
Chapter 106