Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 174 New Law
The night passed.

The worst did not happen; under the control of the Imperial Guards, the entire Yujing Bureau remained relatively peaceful.

On the second day at noon, Amutu returned with his men, followed by seven or eight equally elderly chieftains and village elders dressed in traditional Liao clothing.

The Liao people stood stiffly to one side, with a natural sense of distance.

Soon, another group of people were escorted in by armored soldiers. This group consisted of the minor officials involved in the case. Wang Kui and these officials huddled on the other side as if they had lost their parents, which made the main hall of the government office seem a bit crowded.

Their psychological defenses were already fragile after being isolated and interrogated. They were afraid of being betrayed by their companions and losing their usefulness, so someone was quickly broken through. Once one person was broken through and used to cross-examine key confessions, the rest lost the will to resist.

An uneasy atmosphere filled the air, along with a heavy sense of impending doom.

Fan Xiang did not look at the evidence, nor did he immediately pay attention to Wang Kui and Amutu.

"Everyone's here."

Fan Xiang spoke directly: "I, Fan Xiang, have been ordered to oversee the salt administration in Sichuan and Shaanxi. I have gathered you all here today for one matter."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Reform the salt laws! Reform the salt laws of the Yujing Salt Administration!"

This resounding opening statement made Wang Kui tremble and lower his head even further. The chieftains and village elders brought by Amutu looked at each other, their eyes filled with even greater surprise and doubt.

Fan Xiang didn't give them much time to process the information and went straight to the point.

"Effective immediately, the new law will be implemented by the Yujing Supervisor!"

"Firstly, a 'Zhebo Office' was established in Yujing to specifically manage salt tax!"

The so-called "Zhebowu" refers to the local salt administration agencies established in Yongxing, Fengxiang and other places during the Qingli period. These agencies were directly under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments and were the brainchild of Zhang Fangping and Fan Xiang. During the Song-Xia War, they played a significant role in procuring provisions and supplies for the Song army and in logistics transportation. After the war, they were responsible for prohibiting merchants from Shaanxi from privately smuggling salt into areas south of Hanzhong and forcing merchants to pay money to the court in exchange for salt smuggling qualifications.

"Secondly, all the wages earned by the salt-boiling workers, regardless of whether they were Han or Liao, were paid in 'salt notes' by the salt-making department!"

Fan Xiang picked up a sample of a "salt note" stamped with a bright red official seal and still wet ink, and showed it to everyone.

The denomination and serial number were clearly printed on it; it was the salt paper money that Fan Xiang had previously overseen and that circulated in Shaanxi.

"Soon afterward, with this note, you can exchange it for copper coins at any time in Zhebo! You can also exchange it for rice, cloth, salt certificates, and even ironware, oxen, and other goods at market prices! The choice is yours!"

The reason for telling these things to these familiar village chiefs is that the familiar villagers are natives who grew up near Yujing Saltworks. Due to geographical reasons, they have difficulty making a living in other ways besides their ancestral salt-making skills. Most of the salt-making workers in Yujing Saltworks are familiar villagers whose families live in the mountains. Ordinary Han people would not come here to make salt if they could go to the Yangtze River to pull boats.

Therefore, the "more than 1,600 registered salt workers and about 7,000 family members" mentioned by Wang Kui earlier largely overlaps with the "about 3,000 households of Liao people who are registered and managed in the mountains and forests near the salt fields." The salt workers worked in the salt fields, and their families lived in the Liao villages in the mountains. Other Liao people who did not work in the salt fields engaged in farming, hunting, and gathering to make a living.

Because most of the people who contribute are familiar with the local people, no matter what new laws are implemented, these familiar leaders and village elders cannot be bypassed.

"Cash? Rice? Cloth? Ironware?"

An old village chief couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice in the Liao language, but was immediately stopped by Amutu's eyes. However, all the Liao chiefs looked incredulous.

This is a world apart from the system of "exchanging salt for grain, with prices set by officials and deductions at every level" that had exploited them for decades!

"Thirdly, when issuing salt certificates, each person shall sign and sign the certificate, and the certificate shall be directly paid to the salt workers. No one shall deduct, withhold, or add extra charges from the certificate! Anyone who violates this rule shall be punished for embezzlement!"

The last sentence resounded like a thunderclap within the official residence!
The core channels through which the officials of the Yujing Supervisory Bureau had painstakingly cultivated and exploited the system for many years—the layers upon layers of "official prices," "additional charges," and "fees"—were instantly and completely severed by this new law!

The very foundation upon which they relied for their exploitation was uprooted!
At this moment, Wang Kui, who was already on the verge of collapse, was utterly despondent. His body went limp and he collapsed to the ground with a "thud." His crotch was instantly soaked, and he had lost control of his bladder.

"Drag it!"

Liang, the military supervisor, shouted sternly. Two armored soldiers immediately stepped forward and dragged the limp, incontinent, and foul-smelling Wang Kui away from the main hall like a dead dog.

On the other side, Amutu and other chieftains also frowned. This new law was good, and it could help the cooks get the wages they deserved and improve their lives, but it also weakened the Liao people's clan's say in the distribution of benefits.

This made their faces turn extremely ugly instantly, and several chieftains instinctively wanted to voice their objections.

However, when Fan Xiang's gaze swept over them, the decisive and ruthless aura in his eyes made them swallow back the objections that were on the tip of their tongues!

They recalled the horrific scene of Wang Kui being dragged away, and even more so, they remembered Amutu mentioning the solemn oath that this Han official had sworn to all the saltworkers at the edge of the salt field!

This Han official wasn't discussing things with them; he was making an announcement!

It is using absolute authority and iron-fisted methods to forcibly reshape the rules of the Yujing Bureau!
Their expressions shifted and changed, but ultimately, under Fan Xiang's powerful aura and Liang Dujian's menacing gaze with his sword drawn, they fell silent.

Amutu's hunched back seemed to have bent even more. He was the first to slowly lower his head and uttered something in a hoarse Liao language, probably to indicate his obedience.

Seeing this, the other chieftains also lowered their heads, no longer daring to show any displeasure.

Subsequently, the new law was announced to everyone in the saltworks.

Dressed in a scarlet robe and wearing a turban with outstretched legs, Fan Xiang, with a solemn expression and an imposing presence, personally made the announcement under the protection of armored soldiers.

The young cook who had been wielding a shovel to beat someone yesterday was completely stunned when he heard about the contents of the new law.

For the first time, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes, which had once burned only with hatred.

He boiled salt all day, working himself to the bone, enduring smoke and fire, being whipped and scolded. In the past, he could only receive a little bit of coarse rice, which was not even enough to fill his stomach!

Can you exchange salt certificates for money now? For grain? For cloth? For ironware?!
The enormous, unprecedented shock made him feel dizzy, like suddenly seeing a glimmer of light from a dark abyss!
Only after confirming with his companions and personally witnessing the officials who had once oppressed them being taken away did he realize that this was not a dream!

The young cook named Yan Sang opened his mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word. Then his knees buckled, and he knelt down straight in the direction of Fan Xiang!
It wasn't forced, but rather a heartfelt respect that couldn't be expressed in words.

Then, scalding tears, mixed with the soot on his face, surged out like two muddy ravines breaking open under his eyes!

The Liao people and kitchen servants behind him, though not as intensely reacting as Yan Sang, all had bloodshot eyes.

For them, Fan Xiang's new law was nothing short of a life-saving rain!
Lu Beigu stood beside Fan Xiang, watching this extremely impactful scene.

After the announcement, in the afternoon, Fan Xiang personally escorted Lu Beigu out of the city.

"Take care, Master Fan! I bid you farewell!"

"Go ahead," Fan Xiang waved his hand. "If you pass the imperial examination and get a quota, have the prefectural government send me a message."

Lu Beigu nodded and turned to walk towards the people who were already waiting for him outside the city gate.

A squad of armored soldiers, accompanied by several sturdy mules carrying simple packs, were already on standby.

Lu Beigu mounted a donkey and took one last look at the figure in the crimson robe who looked exceptionally tall in the sunlight.

"Thank you for your help, let's go!"

With the clatter of hooves, he stepped onto the Jingtan Road again, escorted by soldiers.

They came with fear, but returned with hope.

The mountain road winds its way through layers of forests and peaks.

Lu Bei looked back at Yujingjian, which was gradually disappearing into the mountains. Its iconic thick smoke was still rising. He tightened his grip on the reins and turned his gaze toward Luzhou.

The results of the state exams should be out soon, right?
(End of this chapter)