Prime Minister

Chapter 114, Section 113: [Small Tricks]

The sixth day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of the Taihe reign.

Yangzhou Prefectural Government Office, Tongzhi Hall.

Today is Xue Huai's first day officially taking charge of government affairs. Tan Mingguang summoned the officials of the prefectural government early in the morning and announced his decision in public.

When everyone heard that Tan Mingguang had relinquished his power, they were shocked, but they also felt that it was not surprising for the Prefect to do such a thing.

Before Xue Huai arrived, Tan Mingguang already had this easygoing and indifferent attitude. Although he always held the decision-making power as the prefect, the specific affairs were basically handled by the officials under the prefectural government. As long as there were no obvious oversights or mistakes, he would not pursue or interfere too much.

Now that Xue Huai is the rightful second-in-command with a powerful background, it is only natural that Tan Mingguang would entrust him with important responsibilities. He himself can enjoy a leisurely life, since he is not greedy for power and is happy to study classics and history in the back hall of the government office.

"Colleagues, Xue Tongzhi is known throughout the court and the public for his integrity and uprightness. The Emperor has also personally praised him on many occasions. It is truly our good fortune that he has taken up his post in Yangzhou."

Tan Mingguang became unusually serious, looked around at everyone and said: "I hope that you will remember your original aspirations for officialdom, do your best to cooperate with and obey Magistrate Xue, work together to handle all government affairs, so that the people of Yangzhou can live and work in peace and contentment, and strive to become one of the best among the more than one hundred prefectures of the Great Yan!"

"I will obey Your Excellency's orders!"

Everyone, including Xue Huai, responded in unison.

Tan Mingguang looked at Xue Huai and said, "Brother Jingche, I'll leave this to you. If you encounter any problems, you can come to the back hall to find me."

Xue Huai cupped his hands and said, "This humble official will certainly do his utmost."

Tan Mingguang nodded slightly, then got up and left with his staff.

The atmosphere in the hall was slightly somber at this moment.

Xue Huai sat down in the main seat. On the table were several thick volumes, namely the Yellow Register, White Register, and Fish Scale Register of the eighteenth year of Taihe in Yangzhou Prefecture. He had spent the past two days studying these archives.

A group of subordinate officials sat below the hall, with Liu Rang, the prefectural judge, at the head of the left side, followed by Hu Quan, the clerk, Qiao Yunshan, the clerk of the three departments of personnel, household registration and rites.

On the right, Zheng Xuan, the judicial officer, is in charge, followed by Xu Zhen, the prison warden Huo Dian, the clerks of the three departments of military, criminal and public works, and the heads of the three shifts of the prefectural government.

"Please don't be so formal."

Xue Huai remained calm as he addressed the crowd, saying, "It's said that a new official makes a strong first impression, and this seems to have become a common practice in officialdom. It inevitably leads to anxiety and a lack of focus on handling government affairs, with people only thinking about how to deal with their superiors' criticisms. Today, I'd like to be frank with you all. For the time being, the affairs of the Yangzhou government will follow the old procedures. If there are any oversights, we will address them on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, you need not worry; just do your best in your work."

Everyone smiled obsequiously, and praise poured in.

They certainly wouldn't think that way, after all, one shouldn't fall into the same trap twice.

If it weren't for the commotion at Yingyuan that night, they might have reluctantly believed that Xue Huai, like Tan Mingguang, wouldn't easily resort to violence.

However, most of the officials present had witnessed the banquet that night and Xue Huai's swift and decisive change of heart. They knew that this Assistant Magistrate was not as easy to fool as the Prefect. Don't be fooled by his calm and composed demeanor now; if you believed his lies, you might suffer the consequences in the next moment.

Xue Huai took in everyone's reactions.

He didn't pay much attention to Liu Rang, the prefect. His deep conversation with Shen Qingluan that day had given him insight into the root of Yangzhou's chronic problems. Now that he had a clear objective, he naturally wouldn't make any moves that might alert the enemy.

Zheng Xuan, seated at the head of the right, began, “Yangzhou was hit by a flood last year, and everyone in the government was very worried. Fortunately, Prefect Tan stabilized the situation, which allowed us to find a direction to work towards amidst the myriad problems. Now that you have taken office in Yangzhou, I am even more excited and believe that under your leadership, we will be able to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to government affairs.”

Everyone agreed.

Zheng Xuan's expression was respectful, showing no sign of his dissatisfaction with Xue Huai.

At the banquet in Yingyuan, Zheng Xuan, who was in charge of the whole process, was undoubtedly the most frustrated person. He felt that he had done his best, personally taking care of everything from the beauties accompanying him to every dish on the table. He never expected that Xue Huai would completely disregard his reputation and make him a laughing stock in the neighborhood.

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Lord Zheng is too kind. I am new here and need everyone's assistance and support."

Zheng Xuan quickly agreed, then looked slightly troubled: "This humble servant is in charge of criminal matters and should not trouble Your Excellency. However, I have recently encountered a very difficult case. I have racked my brains but have not been able to find a solution. I beg Your Excellency to lend a hand."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Xue Huai looked at Zheng Xuan's sincere and humble expression and smiled coldly to himself.

He asked calmly, "What case is so thorny? Lord Zheng, please tell me in detail."

Under the watchful eyes of his subordinates, Zheng Xuan said with shame, "Your Excellency, this case arose from a joint complaint filed by twenty-five households in the southeastern suburbs of Jiangdu County. They accused Wang Dong, a wealthy local resident, of forcibly seizing their land and converting their fertile fields into his own mulberry fields. They also accused the Jiangdu County government of accepting bribes from the Wang family and making a wrongful judgment. I ordered someone to go to Jiangdu County to investigate thoroughly and found that Wang Dong did not forcibly seize the land, but rather purchased the paddy fields and converted them into mulberry fields, with all the necessary procedures in place."

Xue Huai said calmly, "Since all the procedures are in place, why is it difficult to make a decision?"

"Your Excellency, please allow me to report."

Zheng Xuan stated: "The original owner sued the Wang family for not paying the price difference when purchasing the land, but the Wang family presented evidence that the land was of inferior quality. However, the original owner later appealed, claiming that the land was of superior quality. According to the fish-scale register of the Jiangdu County government, the land was indeed of inferior quality, but it was only recorded in the seventh year of the Taihe era. The original owner gathered more than a hundred people to prove that after more than ten years of cultivation and nurturing, the land had become of superior quality. Naturally, the Wang family refused to accept this, and they only recognized the fish-scale register of the county government. Both sides held their own opinions and could not reach an agreement, and both had witnesses and evidence, so this case was difficult to determine."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and asked, "Where is the case file?" Zheng Xuan quickly replied, "This humble servant has prepared it. Please take a look, Your Excellency."

He got up, took a thick file, and handed it to Xue Huai.

Xue Huai did not examine the file immediately. Instead, he placed it on the table and looked at everyone, asking, "Do any of you have similar difficult political matters to address?"

These words made Liu Rang wary.

Since receiving his father's teachings that night, he quickly adjusted his mindset and changed his strategy. Since it was not advisable to openly oppose Xue Huai, he would use legitimate means to force this ill-intentioned prefect to give in.

The so-called legitimate methods were the forte of these officials, and they originally intended to use them against Tan Mingguang. However, after Tan Mingguang took office in Yangzhou, he kept a low profile, rendering their prepared methods useless.

Yangzhou is a vast region with a large population and thriving commerce. Countless problems arise every day. Even though the county governments below share most of the administrative affairs, there are still many things that need to be resolved by the prefectural government.

As Zheng Xuan said, which of the officials present did not have dozens of unsolved cases in their hands?

Since Xue Huai wants to take a completely different path from Tan Mingguang, then let him first solve the problems faced by his subordinates.

Liu Rang had a thorough understanding of Xue Huai's life. He knew that Xue Huai was of noble birth and had a powerful background, but local government affairs were completely different from those in the capital.

Xue Huai's success in the capital, thanks to the emperor's favor and Shen Wang's help, does not mean that he has the experience and ability to solve practical problems. In the end, he is just a rising star in the officialdom at the age of nineteen. Without more than ten years of hard work and experience, how could he deal with these difficult problems?
However, Xue Huai's attitude at this moment was a bit strange, as if he had expected today's scene. Liu Rang became more and more vigilant and suppressed his impulse, deciding to observe the other party's movements from the sidelines.

The other officials had already been informed by Liu Rang and Zheng Xuan, so they had little to worry about. When Xue Huai took the initiative to ask, they poured out their grievances and presented the problem to Xue Huai.

Following closely behind, Hu Quan reported on the excessive assessment of grain losses last year and the dispute over salt tax exemption.

The clerk of the Criminal Division reported the theft of the unique copy of the Diamond Sutra from Daming Temple and the drowning of seventeen river workers in Yizhen County.

The clerk of the Department of Rites reported a dispute over the printing of primers for the prefectural school and a problem with the repair of the student dormitories, requesting Xue Huai to determine the responsibility.

The clerk of the Household Department reported a dispute over the pricing of old rice in the official granary and requested Xue Huai to make a decision.

……

The hall erupted in noise as everyone jostled for the documents, and more and more files piled up on Xue Huai's desk.

After more than half an hour, the noise in the hall gradually subsided. More than twenty problems were now facing Xue Huai, covering many aspects such as land, criminal law, public security, workshops, taxes, education, warehousing, canal transport, and salt administration.

The expressions of the officials present revealed that while they intended to make things difficult for Xue Huai, they also found it genuinely challenging to resolve these lingering problems.

In fact, government offices all over the world have many similar problems. It's just that everyone is good at delaying tactics. If the parties involved have connections or can offer certain benefits, they might do their best. Otherwise, they can only shelve the matter and wait for the next person to come.

Now, Xue Huai is that latecomer.

Winning over the masses is certainly not that simple. Whether it's Liu Rang and others with ulterior motives, or the centrists who are not deliberately targeting Xue Huai, whatever their initial intentions, if Xue Huai cannot demonstrate sufficient ability, relying solely on the official title of Assistant Magistrate and the vague support of Tan Mingguang, it will be extremely difficult to make his subordinates follow his lead.

Xue Huai looked at the files on the table and roughly calculated in his mind that solving just one difficult problem would take quite a while.

These officials probably thought that it would take him at least one or two years to finish dealing with these government affairs, and by then he would not have the energy to carry out sweeping reforms.
He calmly looked at the officials who were eagerly waiting and said with composure, "I came to Yangzhou to share weal and woe with you all, so it is my duty to help you solve your problems."

Upon hearing this, everyone was somewhat dazed.

Does this mean Magistrate Xue has agreed to help them?

Does this young benefactor even know what kind of problem he is facing?
At this moment, they didn't know whether to praise Xue Huai for his courage and responsibility or to mock him for his ignorance and fearlessness.

Liu Rang's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately praised, "Your Excellency's consideration for his subordinates is truly a blessing for us. Please rest assured, Your Excellency, we will absolutely not dare to slack off and will do our best to complete our duties. However, these difficult administrative matters..."

"Just hand it over to me."

Xue Huai smiled slightly, stood up and said, "Leave the files here, everyone go back to your duties."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

The group quickly bowed in respect, then left with strange feelings.

The hall quieted down. Li Shun approached and said worriedly, "Young Master, these people are clearly trying to make things difficult for you. How long will it take to finish all these cases?"

"Their actions are perfectly legitimate. Now that I hold the position of Assistant Prefect, I naturally need to take over the administrative matters that my subordinates cannot handle. Otherwise, how can I command them in the future?"

Xue Huai remained calm, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes: "I've experienced this kind of tactic before."

(End of this chapter)