Prime Minister

Chapter 11 011 [The Curtain]

Judging solely from the factions within the imperial court, the Qingliu faction and the Ning faction are definitely not on the same page.

Xue Minglun was the right-hand man of Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, while Xue Huai was a student of Shen Wang. Such identities destined them to be in an opposing relationship.

But in Xue Huai's view now, this is probably just the original owner's one-sided judgment.

Looking back, Xue Minglun had actually been showing him goodwill all along. Two years ago, when he became the youngest third-place scholar in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, Xue Minglun publicly declared: "This is a fine steed in my family."

For more than a year afterward, even though Xue Huai continued to target members of the Ning Party, Xue Minglun never changed his attitude. On the contrary, he often restrained his followers, telling them not to bother with his hot-blooded young nephew.

Otherwise, Xue Huai's situation would certainly be even more difficult.

To this day, Xue Minglun remains steadfast in his view that Xue Huai is a talented but overly individualistic junior in the clan, and he will definitely lend a hand whenever he can.

"Sit down and talk."

Xue Minglun's attitude became increasingly amiable. At this moment, he no longer needed to be cryptic and spoke frankly: "Jingche, I know you greatly admire your father and have aspired to be like him since childhood. However, you have strayed somewhat from the right path these past two years. While Mingzhang is indeed known for his integrity and uprightness, he is not a rigid or stubborn person. On the contrary, he knows how to adapt to circumstances and use gentleness to overcome rigidity. For example, when he was in Yangzhou, he single-handedly supported the wealthy Shen family. Later, when he was cracking down on those salt merchants, the Shen family contributed greatly."

The Shen family of Yangzhou?

A blurry figure suddenly appeared in Xue Huai's mind, but perhaps because of the long time that had passed, he couldn't recall the details for a moment.

Xue Minglun continued earnestly, "The first principle of being an official is to protect oneself. Preserving oneself is the foundation for realizing one's ambitions. Sometimes, taking a roundabout approach is perfectly acceptable."

Xue Huai composed himself and said sincerely, "I will keep your wise words in mind."

Xue Minglun looked pleased.

Actually, he had something on his mind: if Xue Huai hadn't gone through a life-or-death experience and truly changed his way of doing things, he wouldn't have asked Xu Cheng to wait for him at Dayongfang today.

After all, people's patience is always limited.

Previously, Xue Minglun had tolerated Xue Huai's eccentric nature many times because of Xue Mingzhang's influence and because Xue Huai possessed genuine talent and was favored by the emperor. However, Xue Huai repeatedly resisted his favors, making the matter almost a public spectacle. Even Cui Shi's intervention could not persuade him.

Even the most well-mannered Xue Minglun would still hold a grudge.

Fortunately, Xue Huai finally came to his senses, especially after his reasoned and well-founded counterattack at the Hanlin Academy today, and his calm and composed demeanor after entering the Minister's residence, which greatly changed Xue Minglun's opinion of him.

"Back to the Yangzhou corruption case, before you came, I had already ordered someone to extract useful information from the old files at the Ministry of Works. You can take it home and study it carefully later. If there are any unclear parts, you can also ask your mother."

Xue Minglun returned the favor, this being his way of repaying Xue Huai for calling him "uncle" earlier, and then asked, "Where do you think we should start?"

Xue Huai thought for a moment and asked, "Uncle, what exactly did Physician Gu impeach my father for?"

Xue Minglun said, “I haven’t seen Gu Heng’s memorial, but judging from His Majesty’s questioning, Gu Heng mainly raised two accusations. The first is that during the construction of the Yangzhou riverside dike ten years ago, the amount of stone used was 30% less than expected. The tricky part is that Mingzhang had personally noted that the stone was reduced by 30% to save manpower. However, the account books show that the Yangzhou riverside dike clearly used the full amount of stone at that time.”

Reduce stone material by 30%...

This is a very obvious case of cutting corners.

No wonder Gu Heng dared to speak frankly to the emperor, and no wonder the emperor was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, disregarding the past relationship between Gu Heng and Xue Mingzhang.

Xue Minglun observed the change in Xue Huai's expression and continued, "Secondly, after comparing the account books of Yangzhou Prefecture and the Liangjiang River Conservancy Office, Gu Heng discovered that there were problems with the amount of money in many transactions. He reasonably suspected that the Yangzhou Prefecture Office had embezzled money, pointing the finger directly at your father."

Xue Huai said in a deep voice, "Could the account books have been tampered with?"

Xue Minglun shook his head and said, "Gu Heng wouldn't be that stupid. Most importantly, he doesn't have the means. The old files stored in the Ministry of Works all have special markings and marks. Even I and the two vice ministers couldn't do it without being noticed."

Xue Huai fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he spoke, "Thank you for your help, Uncle."

Although Xue Minglun was curious whether Xue Huai had a solution, he did not press the matter further, as the case was far more complicated than Xue Huai had described.

Perhaps the corruption case is just a trigger; someone wants to stir up trouble in the court. Before this person reveals their true colors, the truly powerful figures who can influence the situation will not easily step forward.

"Since you're willing to call me uncle, thanking me would be too formal."

Xue Minglun reminded him, "Minister Shen is insightful and has been able to outwit very few people in recent years. Since you are his disciple, you don't need to hide anything when you encounter trouble. You can tell him everything that has happened in the past few days and let him help you analyze the situation." Xue Huai's heart stirred; the implication of his uncle was quite clear.

He didn't mind Xue Huai telling Shen Wang about today's conversation.

Meeting Xue Huai's probing gaze, Xue Minglun said meaningfully, "Jing Che, do you think that Minister Shen and I are sworn enemies who will never see each other again?"

Xue Huai considered carefully and said, "There are indeed similar rumors circulating in the streets."

"Most people are like people looking at flowers through a fog; how can they distinguish the truth from falsehood in rumors?" Xue Minglun said with a sigh. "I served in the same court as Vice Minister Shen, and it is perfectly normal for us to have some differences in political views. In essence, we are no different. We are both loyal to the country and the emperor, and we strive for the well-being of the people. Even if we have conflicts, we can laugh them off. Now that you have realized this, don't be like those ordinary people who only see right and wrong."

"I will relay my uncle's words to my teacher as truthfully as possible."

Xue Minglun laughed heartily and said noncommittally, "Whatever you say."

Through the subtle changes in his expression, Xue Huai finally confirmed the other person's thoughts.

Xue Minglun mainly wanted to do three things during today's in-depth conversation: first, to continue to win him over as before; second, to hope that he could solve the corruption case through his own abilities; and third, to use him as a bridge to temporarily ease the relationship with Shen Wang, the Vice Minister of Rites.

Xue Minglun glanced out the window and smiled, "It's getting late, why don't you stay for a simple home-cooked meal?"

Xue Huai stood up and said, "I came in a hurry today, so I shouldn't be too presumptuous. I will come to visit you and your wife another day."

"Alright."

Xue Minglun nodded, knowing that Xue Huai had no intention of lingering and that he had to find a way to turn the situation around before the officials could, so he did not insist on keeping him.

He stood up and walked to Xue Huai, patted the young man's arm, and said gently, "It's all up to you, there's no need to worry. If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime."

"Yes, uncle."

Xue Huai agreed.

Just as he was about to leave, Xue Minglun suddenly said, "Princess Yun'an is straightforward and capable, and she prefers to be direct. Since she saved your life, you should thank her sincerely. There's no need to wait for an auspicious day; it would be best to visit her directly if you have the time."

Xue Huai was suspicious; this was the second time the other party had mentioned Jiang Li.

At that moment, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him: Xue Minglun was very caring towards him, and seemed to be a kind elder. Was it because of Shen Wang, or did he genuinely appreciate his talent?
Or perhaps... this old bureaucrat sensed something amiss and thought he and Jiang Li had some kind of close relationship, which is why he was acting so eagerly?
Judging from the current emperor's favor towards Jiang Li, any man in this world who could become Princess Yun'an's consort would definitely rise to the top—the Great Yan Dynasty has never had a rule that consorts could not hold office, and in its more than 100-year history, there have been many exceptionally talented consorts who have made outstanding contributions.

Recalling the scene of meeting Jiang Li at Qinglu Villa, Xue Huai quickly calmed down. This gigolo was not easy to come by, and subduing that nobleman would be as difficult as climbing to heaven, no less difficult than struggling in the officialdom.

If that's the case, why bother making things difficult for yourself?

There was no need to tell Xue Minglun these things, so he said ambiguously, "Uncle is right. I will find an opportunity to meet Princess Yun'an to thank her in person."

Xue Minglun nodded and said, "That would be best. I'll have Xu Cheng escort you out of the mansion. He'll give you a partial copy of the old archives. Also, come and visit whenever you have time."

Xue Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with such old bureaucrats was really exhausting; it was much easier to get along with someone like Chen Quan.

He bowed and took his leave, then turned and departed.

A moment later, Xue Minglun lightly stroked the rim of the official kiln celadon cup with his fingertips, the remaining tea gleaming coldly in the twilight.

He got up and went to the back room, took out a copy of "Yingzao Fashi" from the antique shelf, and picked up a document from three years ago, "Memorial on the Reform of the Salt Transport Law," which was tucked between the pages. The five characters in red ink at the beginning of the scroll, "To be reviewed by the Ministry of Works," were stained as if blood.

"What a clever and elaborate scheme..."

Xue Minglun's expression was cold and stern as he slowly said, "Using Gu Heng as a knife, borrowing Wei Zheng to set off firecrackers, and finally using the Xue family's fire to burn down the foundation of my Ministry of Works, is truly a brilliant scheme. Your abacus beads are even more efficient than those of the Ministry of Revenue's accountants, and you can also hide them without a trace. This cunning is admirable."

"As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Since you insist on dragging Qingliu down with you, I will grant your wish and use Xue Huai's hand to help you stir up this monstrous wave. When the reefs appear on the shore, let's see whose boat will be smashed to pieces first."

"I only hope that you can still sit firmly at the bow of the ship when the time comes, and not end up as a stray dog."

Xue Minglun gave a silent, cold laugh, put the book "Yingzao Fashi" back in its place, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)