Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 169 Building a Tower on the Sand
"Supervisor Liang! Stop making baseless accusations! The salt administration has its own regulations, merchants' dealings are all governed by established rules, and the payments to officials are also made according to regulations! You dare to utter such slanderous words as 'withholding, lowering prices, and exploiting' in front of Lord Fan!"

Wang Kui suddenly turned to Fan Xiang, his voice trembling with grievance: "Lord Fan, please understand! I have served here for three years, working tirelessly day and night, fearing only that I may fail the trust placed in me by the court! Salt profits are related to the national treasury, how could I dare to neglect them? It is true that the livelihoods of the local people are difficult, but this is due to the high mountains and treacherous roads, the barren land, and the people's laziness in farming! I have repeatedly written to the prefectural government, earnestly requesting relief, but the prefectural treasury is also not full, and I am truly willing but unable to help!"

He downplayed the seriousness of the matter, blaming it on geographical conditions and the state government, but made no mention of the layers of exploitation in the distribution of salt profits.

"Humph!"

Supervisor Liang sneered, crossing his arms, and said, "Regulations? Rules? All I know is that during the turmoil two years ago, those who rushed to the front lines to seize salt warehouses and burn down kitchens weren't just newcomers! How many familiar salt-producing officials also risked their lives? Why? Because they were forced to their deaths! Supervisor Wang, ask yourself honestly, how much of your 'regulations' and 'rules' actually ended up in the salt-producing households' bowls?"

Ji Yun had previously told Lu Beigu that just two years ago, Prefect Liang accompanied Governor Liu to the mountains to persuade the enemy to surrender. As a result, Governor Liu's son was killed, and the trouble was finally quelled.

Hearing this before, Lu Beigu felt that something was wrong. The logic here was obviously not right. If someone wanted to rebel, even if it was inconvenient to directly send the Imperial Guards stationed in Luzhou to quell the rebellion, would the military and political leaders risk their lives to personally persuade them to surrender? Even if they did go to persuade them to surrender, how could Prefect Liu tolerate the fact that his son was killed?
Now, looking at Supervisor Liang unleashing his full power, everything seems to have an answer.

Those who caused trouble the year before last were not newcomers; the vast majority were already registered residents of Luzhou.

This is the only reason why Prefect Liu would risk his own safety to go deep into the mountains to persuade people to surrender. If things escalated and the imperial court investigated, it would be an extremely serious incident that would ruin everyone's future.

Only in this way can we explain why, after losing his son, Prefect Liu not only did not pursue the matter with his associates, but also remained silent about it.

During this period, Liang Dujian, who had been injured in battle, also had strong opinions about the Yujing Jian's exploitation of his familiar colleagues, which led to chaos.

Therefore, when Liang Dujian heard the phrase "fortunately, the military might deterred him," both old and new grievances welled up in his heart. Taking advantage of Fan Xiang's presence, he spoke out all the unpleasant things in his heart.

Amutu, who had been silent all along, finally raised his head.

He didn't look at Wang Kui, nor at Supervisor Liang; his cloudy eyes calmly gazed at Fan Xiang, who sat in the main seat.

He spoke slowly in a Mandarin with a heavy Liao accent, but still relatively clear, his voice low and hoarse, like rough stones rubbing together: "Lord Han official, the salt well is a gift from the mountain god, but also a shackle."

He paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words, or perhaps simply sounding awkward because he hadn't spoken Mandarin in a long time.

"The Han officials wanted salt, lots of salt. We boiled salt, the fire was very hot; the smoke was very toxic. Boiling salt all day made our eyes hurt, our throats hurt, and our bones hurt. In return, we got very little grain, not enough to eat."

His gaze swept over Wang Kui, then returned to Fan Xiang's face: "The chieftain also needs to live, and he also needs to support the old and weak in the village. We dare not break the rules of the government. But we don't have enough to eat or wear. The wild animals in the mountains are like hungry wolves, and they come to rob us. We are in a difficult situation."

Unlike Supervisor Liang, who directly blamed either side, he used the straightforward word "difficult" to lay bare the deep-rooted and intractable predicament of Yujing Bureau before Fan Xiang.

This is not just a matter of salt laws, but a deadlock where survival, oppression, and ethnic conflicts are intertwined!

Wang Kui's face turned ashen. Amutu's words, though seemingly not a direct accusation, were even more humiliating than any direct criticism.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain the "efforts of education" and the "gradual improvement," but under Fan Xiang's deep, unfathomable gaze, he couldn't utter a single word.

After listening, Fan Xiang's face remained expressionless as he slowly scanned the various expressions on the faces of the people below.

Finally, his gaze fell on Lu Beigu, who was sitting at the end of the table and listening intently.

"Student Lu," Fan Xiang's voice broke the almost suffocating silence in the hall, "you've come all this way, and you've listened to this much already. Tell me, have you seen enough?"

Have you seen enough? These three simple words carry immense weight!
Lu Beigu's heart sank suddenly.

He knew this was no casual inquiry, and he wasn't looking at the brine-drawing derricks or the boiling salt pots, but rather at the pent-up resentment of the people beneath the rising salt smoke, a resentment that could erupt at any moment like a volcano!
Lu Beigu raised his head and met Fan Xiang's gaze.

"The students saw the benefits of the salt wells: enriching the country and supporting the army, which is the lifeblood of the nation."

"The students also witnessed the hardships of salt production, with the cooks sweating profusely and their bones steaming and meat melting away."

"The students also saw that the salt resources, like a mighty river, flowed layer by layer, ultimately nourishing those on the shore, while the foundation stones that supported this mighty river, which sank to the bottom, gradually withered and were on the verge of crumbling!"

"Wang Jianfang just said 'the officials are content with their lot,' Liang Dujian said 'they were forced into it,' and the headman said 'it's not enough.' These three statements seem contradictory, but they actually point to one thing—the salt profit distribution system has become the root of the chaos in Yujing Salt Bureau! If this deadlock is not broken, even if there are good laws, it will be like building a tower on sand. Without a solid foundation, it will collapse in an instant!"

"What I see is not just the plight of one prison, but a disease of the whole world!" Lu Beigu said in a deep voice. "The reform of the salt law is not just about the improvement of the paper price, but also about how to ensure that the source of salt profits can benefit the well diggers who dig the wells! Otherwise, the smoke of Yujing Prison today may become a prairie fire tomorrow!"

After he finished speaking, the official residence fell into a deathly silence.

Wang Kui's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled, but he could no longer utter a single word in defense.

Lu Beigu's words not only exposed the festering wound in Yujing Bureau, but also elevated it to the level of a "disease of the world," making all of Lu Beigu's attempts to whitewash the situation seem pale and laughable.

A hint of surprise flashed in Amutu's cloudy eyes. He looked at the young Han scholar again, seemingly not expecting him to say such a thing.

Supervisor Liang lowered his arms and looked at Lu Beigu with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Fan Xiang did not comment on Lu Beigu's words, but simply stood up slowly.

"Supervisor Wang."

"Your humble servant is here!" Wang Kui bowed hurriedly, his voice trembling.

"I will personally go down to the well site and enter the village. You and Chief Amutu will accompany me."

Wang Kui looked troubled.

"Hmm?" Fan Xiang only uttered a single syllable.

Wang Kui immediately fell silent, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Yes! Your humble servant obeys! I will arrange it properly!"

In the civil service system of the Song Dynasty, what determined an official's attitude was never his official rank, but rather his "assignment".

Fan Xiang's previous post was as the Salt Commissioner, responsible for "supervising the production and sale of salt along the border of Shaanxi". Now, he has gone a step further and become the "Supervisor of Salt Affairs in Sichuan and Shaanxi".

At first glance, this assignment might not seem significant, but in reality, the salt production in Shaanxi and the well salt production in Sichuan combined accounted for almost 90% of the total salt production of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, although Fan Xiang, who was assigned this task, was not Wang Kui's direct superior in terms of administrative level, and Wang Kui was still managed by Liu Yong, the prefect of Luzhou, Fan Xiang was actually the person he could not afford to offend.

(End of this chapter)