Prime Minister

Chapter 124, Section 123: [Question and Answer]

A gentle river breeze dispels the restlessness in people's hearts.

Zhang Shi, accompanied by several clerks, climbed the river embankment and approached Xue Huai.

Xue Huai scrutinized his simple, dirty short clothes and joked, "Magistrate Zhang, you really are unconventional and approachable."

The county clerks standing nearby immediately tensed up.

Nowadays, officials pay attention to their appearance, speech, and judgment. Their demeanor is a very important aspect. If an imperial censor were to see Zhang Shi dressed like an ordinary citizen, he would surely be impeached.

Zhang Shi felt no fear, only surprise.

A few days ago, he received a document from the prefectural government informing him that Xue Huai was about to inspect Yizhen County. County Magistrate Lu Jing was very worried about this and repeatedly advised him to control his temper and not to offend the young Assistant Magistrate. However, he still did not take it seriously and instead forbade Lu Jing to leak the news.

Just as he had Lu Jing relay to Xue Huai, there is nothing in Yizhen County that cannot be discussed with others, and the Assistant Magistrate may see it if he wishes.

At this moment, he calmly explained, "Your Excellency, please forgive me. I need to inspect the details on both sides of the river embankment, which inevitably involves rolling around in the mud. Wearing my official robes is extremely inconvenient, and if I were to damage them, it would be even more of a headache. A new official robe now costs about fifteen taels, which is close to 30% of my annual salary."

"It's alright, I was just saying it casually."

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Magistrate Zhang, since we've come to this river embankment, why don't you accompany me for a walk?"

Zhang Shi bowed his head and said, "This humble official obeys the order."

The two walked forward, with Zhang Shi following half a step behind according to official etiquette, while the guards and clerks brought by Xue Huai followed far behind.

Xue Huai did not deny that he was very interested in the county magistrate beside him, who was over forty years old and had a bumpy career. His previous statement at the Yingyuan Night Banquet was also in the hope of attracting the attention of officials like Zhang Shi.

When they first met at Dongguan Wharf, Zhang Shi stood out among the sycophantic officials, making it hard for Xue Huai to ignore him. Furthermore, after learning more from others, Xue Huai couldn't help but regard Zhang Shi as the "Hai Rui" of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Xue Huai knew that these kinds of officials were not easy to deal with, but as long as both sides shared similar aspirations, they were the most reliable allies. Zhang Shi was a man of principle and would never act opportunistically.

However, having arrived in Yizhen County today, Xue Huai felt he should revise his views slightly.

Zhang Shi was not Hai Rui, although they were similar in some ways, but he was more cunning and calculating.

Thinking of this, Xue Huai said calmly, "Magistrate Zhang, it seems you are somewhat surprised that I found this place."

Zhang Shi did not deny it, and after a brief silence, he said, "Yes."

The reason he set up the empty city stratagem in the county government office was partly to give Xue Huai enough room to maneuver, much like the mentality of "you can do whatever you want." Xue Huai could browse through the files and archives in the county government office's archives at will, since he, as the county magistrate, would not make any obstacles.

On the other hand, he wanted to see Xue Huai's character.

Although the news coming from the prefectural city during this period seemed to prove that Xue Huai was different from the corrupt officials in the prefectural government, Zhang Shi had suffered a lot of similar hardships. For example, Han Yi, the former prefect of Yangzhou, summoned Zhang Shi to the prefectural city when he first took office, and showed him great care and concern, fulfilling all his requests.

In reality, all of his promises to Zhang Shi were lies. Even when Zhang Shi discovered the flood situation was critical and asked the government for help, Han Yi still gave perfunctory and delayed. His initial kindness to Zhang Shi was only because he knew in advance that there was a troublemaker under his command, so he used false promises to keep Zhang Shi in check. Once he gained control of the government, he no longer took Zhang Shi seriously.

Xue Huai appears different from Han Yi, after all, his reputation for integrity is known to all, and his mentor Shen Wang is also a recognized leader of the upright officials.

However, Zhang Shi was expelled from the capital that year. Despite being a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he could only remain in the position of county magistrate. This was the work of the so-called "pure stream" faction. The reason was simply that he could not stand the sanctimonious behavior of a certain "pure stream" official. This official, together with his mentor and fellow graduate, fabricated charges against him, and in the end, Zhang Shi was demoted and exiled from the capital.

Zhang Shi didn't really trust Xue Huai; he just wanted to know how the other party would react to his pretentious act.

He had anticipated that Xue Huai would act willfully, completely disregarding him as the county magistrate, and directly and drastically reorganize the county's administration.

He had also considered that Xue Huai would be furious because of his lack of manners and would send someone to bring him back and ridicule him.

He never expected that Xue Huai would go to such lengths, traveling dozens of miles without even having a sip of hot tea, to find him on the riverbank outside the city.

Therefore, Zhang Shi said, "Your Excellency, although I have not made a big fuss, I have had the county clerks arrange accommodations for you and the other officials. Why don't you go and rest for half a day?"

"No need."

Xue Huai waved his hand and said calmly, "Magistrate Zhang, I carefully reviewed your resume before setting off and understand the bitterness that has been building up in your heart. I am not here to show off my power in front of you, but to help you solve your troubles."

He had heard such words too many times before, and now he found it difficult to tell whether the other party was sincere or not, so he said frankly, "Your Excellency, I have no trouble."

Xue Huai stopped and turned to look.

The two stood on the river embankment, with the mighty and ever-flowing Yangtze River on one side and the bustling yet impoverished town of Yizhen on the other.

"No trouble?"

Xue Huai seemed to be repeating himself.

Zhang Shi's expression hardened as he met Xue Huai's scrutinizing gaze and said, "Yes, Your Excellency. This is not boasting, but since I took office as the magistrate of Yizhen County eight years ago, I dare not say that I have brought peace and prosperity to this place, but at least there has never been a wrongful conviction under my jurisdiction, and for eight years I have kept the local people in my heart as always." "Eight years as always..."

Xue Huai shifted his gaze, squinting at the river, and slowly said, "Then why are you still just a seventh-rank county magistrate?"

These words struck at Zhang Shi's deepest wound.

He lowered his head, and said with frustration and resentment, "This humble official does not know."

"really do not know?"

Xue Huai twitched the corner of his mouth and said bluntly, "Back then, you offended the protégé of the Vice Minister of Personnel, and he found a pretext to drive you out of the capital. Later, the Vice Minister of Personnel was promoted to Minister of Personnel because of the favor of Chief Minister Ning, and you had even less chance of advancement. If it weren't for the fact that you were a second-class Jinshi and worked diligently as a county magistrate, you probably would have had your official robes stripped off long ago."

Zhang remained silent.

My hands clenched unconsciously.

After a long silence, he took a deep breath and said, "Being a county magistrate isn't so bad. At least I can see the suffering of the people with my own eyes, instead of sitting high in the halls of power and treating the common people like pigs and sheep."

This statement was bold enough; Zhang Shi wouldn't have been so direct if he hadn't been provoked by Xue Huai and his emotions hadn't been stirred up.

He knew it was inappropriate as soon as he said it, but he didn't regret it. Instead, he stared at Xue Huai with a determined look.

"It's fine to say these things in front of me."

Xue Huai turned to face Zhang Shi and said softly, "If I said I could help you resolve the targeting in the capital, would you believe me?"

Zhang Shi's face showed no joy, but rather a solemn expression. He said, "This humble official believes that Your Excellency has the ability and skill to achieve this, but..."

Seeing his initial hesitation, Xue Huai pressed on, "But you don't know what price you'll have to pay?"

Zhang Shi nodded.

Xue Huai continued walking forward, and after Zhang Shi caught up, he changed the subject, saying, "Just now I said that I came here to help you solve your troubles, but you said that you have no troubles and that Yizhen County is thriving under your governance. Is that really the case? Do you know what I did in Jiangdu County a few days ago?"

"I've heard Magistrate Lu mention it before."

Zhang Shi said sincerely, "Your Excellency has eradicated the deep-seated problems in Jiangdu County with thunderous force, restoring a clear sky to the people of the county. I admire you wholeheartedly."

"It's rare to hear such praise from you."

Xue Huai smiled and then said, "Among the clerk's baggage that came with me, there are also four files related to Yizhen County."

Zhang Shi was prepared for this and said frankly, "Your Excellency, I am only the magistrate of Yizhen County, and those four files all involve the Grand Canal Administration or the Salt Administration. This is beyond my power, so I can only send the files to the prefectural government."

“I understand that these four case files are different from the situation in Jiangdu County, and the blame cannot be placed on you.”

Xue Huai walked forward with his hands behind his back and continued, "But I still have to ask you one question: apart from these problems, is there really no other hidden danger in Yizhen County?"

Zhang Shi remained silent for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."

"Just now, I took a quick look around the county town and saw brothels and taverns lined up one after another, and countless wealthy merchants coming and going. I also saw poor people dressed in rags, and there were beggars on the streets from time to time. This is only the tip of the iceberg. If it is like this in the city, one can imagine the situation in the villages and towns below."

Xue Huai stopped under a willow tree, looked at the mighty Yangtze River in front of him, and sighed: "In my opinion, Yizhen County is different from Jiangdu. You and the county officials are indeed working hard, but there are still five extremely serious problems here."

Zhang Shi's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the young magistrate's profile and asked expectantly and nervously, "Which five questions are they?"

"Consider this as a test from you, rather than a sign that you know nothing about it."

Xue Huai nodded meaningfully, then said in a deep voice, "First, land consolidation is becoming increasingly serious. Some people own tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, while others have no place to stand."

"Secondly, the dangers of floods cannot be eradicated. You personally experienced the flood last year, so you know how terrifying it is when a flood breaches a dam."

"Thirdly, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. For example, last year, Hu Qing, a salt merchant in your county, spent more than 30,000 taels of silver to marry off his daughter, while the laborers hired by the Hu family were paid only ten coins a day."

"The fourth problem was the appalling chronic disease of the canal transport system, and the fifth problem was the widespread suffering caused by the salt monopoly."

Zhang listened attentively, beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead.

Xue Huai sighed softly, turned to look at him, and said, "Magistrate Zhang, am I right?"

Zhang Shi lowered his head and said, "Your words are incisive and insightful, and I dare not argue with them, but..."

He paused for a moment, then finally said sadly, "What good is knowing?"

(End of this chapter)