Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 164 Fan Xiang Arrives
Slightly drunk, the group helped each other back to the upper dormitory of the state school.

Lu Beigu had a decent alcohol tolerance, but the mental strain of three consecutive days of exams, coupled with the effects of the alcohol, left him extremely tired. Upon returning to his private room, he almost immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, the early autumn sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on Lu Beigu's still somewhat heavy eyelids.

The slight headache and dry mouth from the hangover made him frown. Just as he was about to struggle to get up to get some water, there was a rapid, light knock at the door.

"Lu Sheng, Lu Beigu, are you there?"

It was the voice of the teaching assistant from the upper dormitory, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

Why are you looking for me at this time?

Lu Beigu's heart skipped a beat. Logically speaking, there should be no problems for the next few days after the state exam.

He instantly became much more alert, hurriedly put on an undergarment, and replied, "Yes."

He then quickly went over and opened the door.

"Lu Sheng."

The teaching assistant in the upper dormitory said, "The prefectural government has sent someone to the prefectural school to find you and ask you to go to the prefectural government office."

"Okay, let me get dressed and tidy myself up."

"Okay, hurry up."

Lu Beigu went back into the house, picked up a clean robe and changed into it. He then retied his slightly disheveled hair, but some thoughts were churning in his mind.

After the state examination, the examination hall was completely locked up, and even the state government had no right to interfere. So it was definitely not about the state examination. Moreover, Li Pan, the judge of Luzhou, was the chief examiner of the imperial examination. Although he was not responsible for grading the papers, he was still locked up in the examination hall according to the rules. He could not leave until the first day of the ninth month, which was more than ten days later. Therefore, it was definitely not Li Pan who came to him.

—What business did the prefectural government have with him?

The state school was relatively quiet in the early morning, with only a few early risers walking around in the corridors.

The teaching assistant led Lu Beigu through the corridors and courtyards without making any attempt to conceal their movements, yet no one dared to approach and disturb them.

The two walked in silence, their footsteps echoing on the bluestone path.

Once you leave the state school, you are no longer under the assistant instructor's jurisdiction; a clerk from the state government office is already waiting for you.

"Student Lu!"

"Liu the Clerk!"

Upon meeting him, he recognized Liu San, the clerk from the state government office who had previously assisted him in making the "water window".

Since they had some acquaintance, Lu Beigu simply asked, "May I ask what brings you to the prefectural government office?"

Lu Beigu was still somewhat wary. He hadn't read anything else, but hadn't he read the story of "Lin Chong mistakenly entering the White Tiger Hall" in Water Margin?

“It was Magistrate Fan who came to the prefectural office and spoke with Prefect Liu, specifically requesting to see you.”

The cool autumn breeze in the early morning completely dispelled the last trace of alcohol in Lu Beigu's body.

That's it!

This newly appointed Deputy Transport Commissioner is truly exceptional in his ability to act. Judging from this timeline, Fan Xiang should have first traveled south from Huazhou to Hanzhong, then immediately traveled through Hanzhong to Chengdu, Sichuan, and after discussing with Zhang Fangping, he went directly to Luzhou to conduct an on-site inspection of Yujingjian, an extremely important salt-producing area.

Lu Beigu thought to himself that Fan Xiang's arrival was faster than expected, which meant that he attached great importance to this trip.

In a quiet side hall behind the prefectural government office, Liu San asked Lu Beigu to wait outside while he went in first to report.

A moment later, the hall door opened, and the voice of Liu Yong, the prefect of Luzhou, came out: "Come in."

Lu Beigu straightened his clothes and stepped inside.

The room was simply furnished, with a person sitting in the main seat in the center.

This man was around fifty years old, with a lean face, slightly high cheekbones, and deep, calm eyes that seemed to see into people's hearts.

He was dressed in a plain dark-colored round-necked suit without much decoration, but his sharp and imposing presence, unlike that of ordinary civil officials, was revealed unintentionally.

At this moment, he held a celadon teacup in his hand, his gaze as deep as an ancient well, fixed on Lu Beigu, who had just entered. Apart from Fan Xiang and Liu Yong sitting to the side, there was no one else in the hall.

"Student Lu Beigu pays his respects to the Prefect and Lord Fan."

Lu Beigu dared not be negligent. He stepped forward, bowed deeply, and performed a standard student salute.

He could feel that gaze linger on him for a moment, with a scrutinizing quality.

"Zhang Xiangong showed me your 'Strategies for Defending Against the Summer Heat' and your 'Salt Law'."

Fan Xiang put down his teacup, his fingers lightly tapping on the smooth sandalwood armrest of the chair, producing a soft "tap-tap" sound.

Lu Beigu understood immediately; it was indeed about the salt administration.

His essay, "On the Trial Implementation of the Salt Tax System in Sichuan and Guanzhong," was written by combining his knowledge of later economics with his understanding of the salt law reform process in the Song Dynasty. His original intention was to register with Zhang Fangping, but he did not expect that it would attract a personal audience with Fan Xiang, who was in charge of the specific reform of the salt law in the Song Dynasty.

This efficiency, or rather, Fan Xiang's urgency about this matter, made him vaguely uneasy.

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional chirping of birds from outside the window making the atmosphere even more stagnant.

"Sit down," Fan Xiang finally spoke again, pointing to a chair to his left.

"Thank you, Lord Fan, for the seat."

Lu Beigu sat down as instructed, occupying only half of the chair, leaning slightly forward to maintain a listening posture.

Fan Xiang did not speak immediately. He picked up his teacup again, took a slow sip, and when he put the teacup down, his gaze became even sharper, piercing Lu Beigu.

"Your salt policy strategy is detailed and insightful, especially your idea of ​​setting up two types of 'salt notes,' which I find quite remarkable." He abruptly changed the subject, "However, the subsequent expansion of salt production in southern Sichuan to exchange for copper coins is not as simple as you imagine. The officials at the Yujing Salt Bureau are prone to causing trouble, and the unequal distribution of salt profits has become the root cause of unrest. Have you personally visited the Yujing Salt Bureau?"

The questioning was direct and stern, carrying an invisible pressure.

Lu Beigu even had the feeling that the other party's next sentence was, "You are a student from Luchuan, and you have never been to Yujing Salt Bureau. How do you know about the salt wells in southern Sichuan? Do you dare to make irresponsible remarks about national affairs based on hearsay?"

However, lying at this point is pointless.

"I have never been there," Lu Beigu replied honestly.

Fan Xiang nodded slightly, showing little reaction, and said, "I have already asked Prefect Liu to summon Supervisor Liang, and he will send some troops to Yujing Supervisor later."

The reason for specifically emphasizing "Please ask Prefect Liu to summon Supervisor Liang" is that there is a reason behind it.

In the Song Dynasty, the prefect, as the highest local administrative official, usually also held the post of "military commander," which was fully responsible for the military affairs of the prefecture. The duties of this post included military decision-making, allocation of provisions, and correspondence with the central government.

The purpose of this was to "control the military with civil officials," ensuring that military command was held by civil officials rather than military officials.

In addition, Luzhou is a proper frontier prefecture, and every few years it would face invasions by the Wuman or rebellions by the Liao people. The prefect of Luzhou also had greater authority to mobilize troops than other prefectures. Therefore, as long as he did not leave the prefecture, it was normal for him to order the garrison commander to make small-scale troop movements within the prefecture.

Upon hearing this, Lu Beigu was startled.

He instantly understood that Fan Xiang's core focus for this trip was not the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of the salt law itself, which Zhang Fangping had probably already discussed with him, but rather the eye of the storm that was about to be transformed into the salt law, and the place he was determined to personally inspect on this trip—the Yujing Saltworks!

Fan Xiang needs accurate and reliable intelligence to assess the true situation of Yujingjian, this powder keg, and the risk of it exploding!

Fan Xiang, on the other hand, was a civil official who had actually been on the battlefield and fought in battles, and had even faced the siege of a city by Li Yuanhao's 100,000-strong army. For him, the people of Yujingjian were not a danger at all. After all, the rebellions in the south were nothing compared to the real dangers on the northwest front. In Fan Xiang's eyes, going to Yujingjian was no different from traveling.

But why did Fan Xiang specifically tell him all this?

Lu Beigu understood almost instantly.

Knowing full well that there are tigers in the mountains, the roar of tigers is already in my ears!

Fan Xiang looked at Lu Beigu and said, "I heard from Prefect Liu that you finished the prefectural examination yesterday. If you have nothing to do, come with us."

Then, Fan Xiang's gaze remained fixed on him, awaiting his answer.

Those eyes seemed to pierce through the skin, looking directly into the cowardice deep within people's hearts.

(End of this chapter)