adverbs - Are there places where we can't use 'much', but 'very much' is OK?

I think there are cases when you can use very much but not much:

• I would very much like to meet him.


• *I would much like to meet him.

I don't know what grammar rule addresses this difference. This is quite bizarre for me; all very does is intensifying much, so very much should be the same as much, yet it isn't!

Why is this difference? And where exactly are these two different and where are they the same?