Prime Minister

Chapter 112.111 [Splendid]

Shen Garden is different from Ying Garden, or rather, it is different from all the Yangzhou gardens that Xue Huai knew.

Famous gardens in Yangzhou blend the characteristics of both the north and south, emphasizing brightness, spaciousness, and opulence. Take the Yingyuan Garden, which Xue Huai saw yesterday, as an example. The entire garden borrows the scenery of mountains and water to create a tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle, much like the scenic parks Xue Huai had seen in his previous life.

Suzhou's famous gardens excel at revealing grandeur in small details, with an understated elegance as their foundation. They do not deliberately pursue a grand and imposing style, but rather create a refined and elegant atmosphere through exquisite craftsmanship.

Just like the Shen Garden that Xue Huai sees now.

Along the way, one sees white walls and black tiles surrounding the area, moon gates leading the way, corridors providing transitions, rainbow bridges adding a finishing touch, and Yungang stacked stones complementing the scenery, with ingenuity evident everywhere.

Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan walked side by side, with their maids and servants following at a distance.

As they walked, Shen Qingluan introduced the scenery of the garden to Xue Huai, such as the carved windows, the stories behind the plaques, and the brick carvings.

Her dignified and elegant demeanor was impeccable, and anyone who saw her would praise her as a lady of high birth. At first, Xue Huai was a little curious, but then he gradually became immersed in Shen Qingluan's melodious voice.

Upon arriving at the Bamboo Shadow Pavilion, a waterside retreat, Shen Qingluan invited Xue Huai inside for a short rest. As she entered, she subtly gave Yun'er a meaningful look, and the latter, understanding the signal, instructed everyone else to stop outside the pavilion, allowing only her to enter and serve him.

The pavilion is half-built over the water, with a screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl and painted with lacquer, and a plaque that reads "A Beautiful Place with Bamboo Shadows" hanging on it. Outside the window, banana trees provide shade.

A gentle breeze blows, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

Xue Huai walked to the window, when suddenly a clear laugh rang out behind him.

He turned his head and saw the girl walking towards him, her bright eyes fixed on him, and she said in a clear voice, "Brother Huai!"

It was clear that Shen Qingluan was deliberately suppressing certain emotions today; otherwise, she might have shouted them out as soon as they met.

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Qingluan, it's been half a year. How have you been?"

"I'm very good."

Shen Qingluan invited Xue Huai to sit down, then sat at the table and looked at him, saying, "Brother Huai, what about you? Was it very dangerous at the examination hall that time?"

Upon seeing this, Yun'er served fragrant tea and then quietly withdrew.

Xue Huai took a sip of tea and, under Shen Qingluan's expectant gaze, briefly recounted the events at the examination hall, omitting the parts about the Crown Prince and Jiang Li.

"Brother Huai, you are really amazing."

Shen Qingluan showed genuine admiration on her face, and then said, "In the past, people said that you only had a lot of courage and acted erratically. Now let them ask themselves, who could skillfully navigate between the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Vice Minister of Rites in such a complicated situation and achieve such a fair result at the lowest cost? Even a woman like me who is not good at officialdom can see how dangerous Brother Huai's situation was at that time. One wrong step and he could become a knife in someone else's hand."

"Is it really that powerful?"

Xue Huai looked at her curiously.

Shen Qingluan nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course! I didn't know the details of this matter before. After hearing Brother Huai explain it to me from beginning to end today, I realized how difficult it is to accomplish something. You must figure out the positions of Grand Secretary Sun and Vice Minister Yue, as well as the demands and fears of the forces behind them. In particular, you must take into account the Emperor's will represented by that Chief Censor Fan. Dealing with just one force is a headache, let alone having to consider all aspects."

She paused slightly and sighed, "If I were in Brother Huai's position, I'm afraid I would be completely in the dark and be tricked without even realizing it."

Xue Huai was charmed by her charming expression and teased her, "That's not necessarily true. I've heard that Qingluan has become quite famous in the past two years and is attracting a lot of attention in Jiangnan. Not only can you help Uncle Shen audit the accounts of the business, but you have also had the foresight to extend the reach of Guangtai Company to the Zhejiang area. Some people think that you have surpassed your father and will surely inherit Uncle Shen's mantle in the future."

Shen Qingluan smiled and said softly, "So... Brother Huai is also paying attention to my news?"

"Ok?"

Xue Huai was slightly taken aback. It seemed that the point of his words was not here.

Looking into the girl's eager eyes, he nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Ever since you left the capital, I've had people keep an eye out for news about you."

At this moment, Shen Qingluan suddenly felt all her worries disappear.

She had previously mentioned to her mother, Madam Du, that she would never doubt Xue Huai's character, but as he rose through the ranks, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

In this era, scholarship was ultimately the highest virtue. If Xue Huai's upward trajectory remained unchanged, the gap between him and her would only widen further according to the traditional social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. When Xue Huai was merely a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, Shen Qingluan, as the legitimate daughter of Shen Bingwen, and given the long-standing friendship between their families, considered herself a suitable match. However, after only half a year apart, Xue Huai had transformed into the Assistant Magistrate of Yangzhou, a powerful and influential figure in the region.

Even her parents had to bow to Xue Huai when they met him. Although Xue Huai was by no means a frivolous person, the difference between officials and commoners was still an indisputable fact.

At this very moment, she heard a positive answer from Xue Huai. Although it wasn't a vow or any other kind of promise, it was enough to calm her secretly anxious heart.

With her distracting thoughts gone, Shen Qingluan no longer clung to the idea of ​​securing her gains and changed the subject, asking, "Brother Huai, what are your specific plans for coming to Yangzhou this time?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."

Xue Huai then said, "Please explain the general situation in Yangzhou to me, Sister Qingluan."

"It seems that Brother Huai was quite unhappy with the arrangements those people made at the film studio last night."

Shen Qingluan smiled and said, "Actually, a similar situation happened once half a year ago. At that time, Prefect Tan was newly appointed, and the officials of the prefectural government held a banquet at Yingyuan. There were countless delicacies from all over the country, and several beautiful women were also present. It is said that Prefect Tan did not refuse, and later he gradually fell into the huge net woven by the local powerful families. Brother Huai should have seen last night that Prefect Tan's words sometimes carried less weight than that of the Liu family's magistrate."

With no one else in the room and in front of Xue Huai, her words were naturally extremely direct and bold, essentially because she didn't want Xue Huai to make a misjudgment.

Xue Huai nodded and said, "That's true."

That being said, he did not believe that Tan Mingguang was truly powerless to fight back.

Judging from his decisive act of relinquishing power, this Prefect was not blind to the situation or being led by the nose; his various decisions were ultimately choices made out of helplessness.

With no powerful backers above and no supporters below, Tan Mingguang was parachuted into Yangzhou with only two or three loyal advisors by his side. How could he possibly shake up the local powerful clans and gentry who were closely united?

If he were twenty or thirty years younger, he might have had the courage to go all in, but now that he is nearly fifty, he naturally seeks stability.

Shen Qingluan knew what Xue Huai wanted to know, so she continued, "Brother Huai, if you look closely at the Yangzhou officialdom, there are three types of people. The first type are officials who rely on the support of local wealthy gentry, such as Liu Rang, the prefectural magistrate; Zheng Xuan, the judge; Hu Quan, the clerk; and Li Chunjiu, the magistrate of Jiangdu. They are deeply entrenched and interconnected, and a single move can have far-reaching consequences, so they are not easy to disturb. The Liu family is implicitly the head of these people. Brother Huai, you should pay special attention to Liu Fu, the head of the Liu family. My father said that this old man Liu is shrewd and experienced, and he has a close relationship with the governor of Jiangsu. He is an extremely difficult person to deal with."

"Okay, I've got it. Anything else?"

"The second group is the self-preservation faction, such as... that Prefect Tan. Most of them are outsiders who came to Yangzhou to serve as officials. They have no connections in the local area and are strictly guarded by the local officials, making it difficult to find an opportunity to break the deadlock. As time goes by, some people choose to stay out of it, while others actively seek to join the local officials. Even if they can't get back much power, at least they can make a fortune by relying on the wealth of Yangzhou."

A look of disgust flashed in Shen Qingluan's eyes, and she continued, "The last faction has the fewest members. They are officials who genuinely want to do something practical for the people of Yangzhou. However, due to various constraints and difficulties, it is extremely difficult for them to do anything."

At this moment, Xue Huai suddenly recalled Zhang Shi, the magistrate of Yizhen County, whom he had met at Dongguan Wharf yesterday.

Then Shen Qingluan said heavily, "I heard my father mention that Magistrate Yizhen Zhang was quite ambitious, but unfortunately he was facing a self-contained government office, and his subordinates all had their own agendas. Before the river dike breached last year, he came to the government office to see the former prefect Han Yi and asked the government office to organize laborers to reinforce the dike. In the end, Han Yi refused, saying it would waste the people's manpower. Later, the river dike did indeed breach, and the people suffered heavy losses."

"Han Yi will not have a good ending."

Xue Huai came from the capital and was naturally aware of the political climate in the court, so his words were somewhat comforting to Shen Qingluan.

Composing herself, she continued to introduce Xue Huai: "Brother Huai, besides our Shen family, there are four other prominent families in Yangzhou: the Liu, Qiao, Zheng, and Wang families. In addition, there are the salt merchants like the Ge, Bai, and Zhao families. Over the years, my father has been fighting with them, and neither side can gain the upper hand. Actually, that group isn't a monolithic entity. As far as I know, the Liu and Qiao families had a very fierce conflict five years ago, which even escalated to the provincial administration. The situation was eventually resolved, but the two families have never spoken to each other since. It is precisely because of their internal discord that our Shen family has been able to grow and prosper."

Xue Huai immediately understood.

The information provided by Shen Qingluan was crucial, and the complex situation in Yangzhou Prefecture gradually became clearer to him.

From officialdom to the general public, he has a multitude of problems to solve, but he can at least be certain of one thing: not everyone is satisfied with the status quo. Therefore, his statement at the film studio last night will surely have some effect once it is spread.

With this in mind, Xue Huai looked at Shen Qingluan with great interest and asked, "Qingluan, where do you think I should start?"

This was certainly not a test; Shen Qingluan felt it was a sign of his trust in her, so she said earnestly, "Brother Huai, I think you might not need to rush into sweeping reforms, because the problems in Yangzhou cannot be solved by simply dealing with a few officials. Rather than letting those people be forced to band together, it would be better to seize the opportunity to capture the ringleader!"

"You mean... the Liu family?"

Xue Huai was slightly surprised that the girl's thoughts coincided with his.

Shen Qingluan nodded and said, "Yes, it's the Liu family. As long as Brother Huai can take down their family, the other major clans will be no threat and will surely scatter like monkeys when the tree falls!"

(End of this chapter)