Prime Minister

Chapter 117, Section 116: [Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use]

At that moment, Liu Rang felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

He understood why Xue Huai was targeting Wang Gui. Wang Gui was his most trusted supporter in the government office, and he often relied on Wang Gui to convey his unspoken words. Now that Xue Huai had temporarily transferred Wang Gui away from the government office, he could reduce Wang Gui's influence in the government office and, on the other hand, extend his reach into the four families of Yangzhou from an unexpected angle.

The Liu, Qiao, Zheng, and Wang families have never been a united front. Not to mention the current bitter rivalry between the Liu and Qiao families, the Zheng and Wang families are not without their own agendas.

They are willing to follow the Liu family now because Liu Rang's father, Liu Fu, has a powerful backer in official circles, and also because the Liu family's foundation and strength are enough to suppress their greed.

Liu Rang never let his guard down. He knew that if the Liu family made a fatal mistake, the Zheng and Wang families would rush in to seize the Liu family's assets.

The struggles among Yangzhou's wealthy merchants were never as peaceful as the intrigues and backstabbing in officialdom; they were equally bloody and brutal, and in some ways even more ruthless and direct.

Wang Gui was not a direct descendant of the Wang family. Even though he never revealed it, Liu Rang could guess the resentment and desires he suppressed. If the temptation in front of him was great enough, he was very likely to betray his master.

Now that Xue Huai has brought Wang Gui to his side, and even openly tried to win him over, although Wang Gui's expression is calm at first, as time goes on...

Liu Rang suddenly felt a chill and looked at Xue Huai with a deep gaze.

What exactly is that entity that specializes in?
At this moment, Xue Huai named two more people, both of whom were experienced veterans in the Bureau of Experience.

He didn't even consider the heads of the various departments. People like Hu Quan, Qiao Yunshan, Xu Zhen, Huo Dian, and the clerks of the six offices were completely ignored by Xue Huai. He chose clerks like Wang Gui who were experienced and capable but not high-ranking.

Liu Rang was suddenly struck by a realization; at that moment, he finally understood Xue Huai's scheme.

From the very beginning, the other party anticipated their harassment tactics. In fact, similar situations throughout history have always been the same: subordinates who want to make things difficult for their superiors simply make a fuss about this kind of thing. After all, they cannot openly oppose their superiors. Otherwise, if Xue Huai sent a memorial to the capital, directly accusing the officials and gentry of Yangzhou of colluding to break away from the control of the court, no one would be able to escape.

However, if they can use thorny official business to restrain Xue Huai, then he will have no excuse, and even if he complains to the capital, he will only end up being ridiculed for his incompetence.

Because Xue Huai knew what they would do, he readily accepted the challenge and then, under the guise of performing his duties, adjusted the power structure of the government office—weren't Liu Rang and the others waiting to see him make a fool of himself? So he temporarily transferred a group of people away from the government office.

The key point is that Xue Huai's choice of candidates was extremely cunning.

Liu Rang forced himself to calm down and looked to the side. He saw that Wang Gui and the others did not look abnormal, but based on his understanding of them, he knew that their mentality had changed.

The reason for this is that everyone in officialdom wants to climb the ranks.

Even though these lowly clerks have little chance of becoming high-ranking officials, they can at least aspire to become senior officials such as clerks, inspectors, supervisors, and clerks of various departments.

Xue Huai is now giving them this opportunity.

Seeing that Xue Huai had selected one or two experienced clerks from each of the six departments of the government office, Liu Rang knew he could not remain silent, so he stood up and said with a smile, "Your Excellency."

Xue Huai looked at him calmly: "What is it?"

Liu Rang considered carefully and said, "Your Excellency, please forgive me. I absolutely support your decision. However, the manpower of the government office is already tight. Now that Your Excellency has transferred so many people at once, I'm afraid it will affect the normal operation of the government office."

"I recall the prefect saying something different just now, didn't I?"

To everyone's surprise, Xue Huai changed his previous gentle and friendly demeanor. He frowned slightly and said, "I have only transferred one or two clerks from various departments and offices. Your superiors and other senior officials are still here, and the Prefect is still in charge of the government office. Does the government office not function properly without these few people? Prefect Liu, you were so sure that you would support me in my work. Now that the special department has just been established, you are going to hold me back?"

Liu Rang was speechless.

He really couldn't understand how this scholar, who had passed the imperial examination with the third-highest rank, could turn on him so easily, just like those old officials, without caring about his reputation.
It's said that those upright officials in the court are the most concerned with their reputation, and that they will maintain a hollow facade of decorum even if they know they are at a disadvantage.
The hall was completely silent. Hu Quan and the others did want to support Liu Rang, but Xue Huai looked unfriendly, and they were worried that the situation would get out of control, so they could only lower their heads and remain silent.

Liu Rang forced a smile and said, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. How could I, a humble official, dare to act in such a manner?"

"There is no best."

Xue Huai's expression remained cold and stern as he said solemnly, "Prefect Liu, I know you have the big picture in mind, but you must not underestimate yourself! I believe in your and your colleagues' abilities. Before I took office in Yangzhou, you had already managed the region to a great degree. Now, I will follow the example of the Prefect and will not interfere with your duties. I will only allocate some manpower to help the people solve their problems. Will this cause the prefectural government to stagnate?"

Everyone quickly expressed their absolute opposition. They understood Xue Huai's implication: if they dared to continue arguing, Xue Huai would ask whether the officials in charge of the government office were the chief officials or the clerks like Wang Gui.

If it's the latter, then what use are these officials?
It would be better to step down and give way to a more capable person as soon as possible. I believe Wang Gui and others will definitely not back down.

This restrained threat made Liu Rang's face turn red, and the judge Zheng Xuan beside him was in no better shape.

Xue Huai looked around at everyone and said earnestly, "Gentlemen, you all presented these twenty-odd files all at once. This was actually a problem you should have solved yourselves. I accepted your request out of consideration for your dedication to the people and to help you share these difficulties. Regardless of our official ranks, since I am willing to work together, you should all cooperate. Otherwise..."

It's nothing more than a tactic used from a moral high ground. If they can use it, why can't Xue Huai? Do they really think of him as a greenhorn?

Liu Rang took a deep breath, bowed his head dejectedly, and said, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I dare not fail to serve you wholeheartedly!"

After him, the rest all bowed and said, "We are willing to serve you, Your Excellency!" "Not to serve this official, but to serve the court and share the burdens of the emperor."

Xue Huai calmly corrected their wording, and then said, "In short, I will not change the normal operation of the government office for the time being. You can continue to do your work as usual. I will take them to investigate and solve the problems you have submitted one by one. The Prefect will continue to be in charge of the government office. If you have any difficulties during this period, you can go to the Prefect for a decision."

The crowd replied in unison, "We obey!"

Xue Huai nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the three people standing below him.

Sensing the gaze of the magistrate, the head of the third shift in the prefectural government office involuntarily tensed up.

Xue Huai calmly sized up the three men, his gaze finally settling on Tao Dachun, the head of the fast class, and said gently, "Head of the class, Tao."

Tao Dachun swallowed hard and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant is here."

Xue Huai said, "Please select twelve constables from the fast-track squad to accompany me to various counties to handle government affairs. I have the following requirements: first, these constables must not be older than twenty-six; second, they must not be from the prefectural city; and third, they must not be from wealthy families. Can you meet these requirements?"

As soon as Tao Dachun showed hesitation, Xue Huai said in a deep voice, "If you can't do it, I will have someone else do it."

Tao Dachun hurriedly replied, "Your Excellency, this humble servant can do it!"

"That's good."

Xue Huai withdrew his gaze, turned around and walked to the table, saying to everyone, "Except for those I specifically named to stay, everyone else can go back to their duties."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Regardless of Liu Rang and the others' feelings at that moment, they could only bow and take their leave.

There were more than ten people in the hall, among whom Wang Gui stood out.

Xue Huai sat back down and, without giving these clerks a long speech, simply gave them an unquestionable instruction: "You may now go home and pack your belongings. For the next month or two, you will accompany me to various counties within the territory. Tomorrow at 7:45 AM, I will be waiting for you outside the government office. If anyone fails to appear on time, it will be considered as a voluntary resignation from their post in the government office."

Everyone tensed up and bowed respectfully, saying, "We humbly obey Your Excellency's command!"

……

The back hall, Cunpu Studio.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

Huang Xibin strode inside, his face filled with disbelief.

Tan Mingguang looked up at him and asked, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"

Huang Xibin tried his best to calm his excitement and briefly recounted what the clerk had said about what had happened in the Tongzhi Hall.

"Your Excellency, Magistrate Xue's actions are truly unexpected!"

Huang Xibin's voice trembled slightly, revealing the intense turmoil in his emotions.

After listening, Tan Mingguang couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth in the room.

His expression shifted constantly, sometimes showing excitement, sometimes filled with emotion, before finally stopping and saying, "What a brilliant example of using an open strategy to defeat an open strategy!"

Huang Xibin stepped forward and asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?"

Tan Mingguang said with deep emotion, "Liu Rang and the others used the pretext of seeking help to push those thorny official matters onto Xue Huai, clearly intending to put him in a dilemma. If he stood idly by, it would damage the prestige of the Assistant Magistrate; if he intervened, he might get mired in a quagmire. Xue Huai was obviously aware of this, so he used a move of going with the flow and undermining the cause. On the surface, he was forced to take on these troubles, but in reality, he used the establishment of a special department as a pretext to divide the officials under the prefectural government!"

Huang Xibin suddenly realized, "That's right. Xue Tongzhi's move not only silenced the gossips but also made Wang Gui and his group of clerks greedy, so the government office was no longer a monolithic entity. He actually stirred up this murky water, and he did so by using the situation against him. He was truly shrewd!"

"This third-ranked scholar is truly..."

Tan Mingguang looked out the window, his tranquil state of mind stirred once more, and he couldn't help but murmur in praise: "Unyielding in the face of great adversity!"

……

……

(Three chapters today, 10-1, 9 chapters still owed.)
(End of this chapter)