Prime Minister

Chapter 135 Chapter 134 [Looking North]

Early June, Yizhen County.

The case of the Hu family in Qingshan Town has come to a temporary end. Xue Huai sent someone to deliver the case file to the prefectural city for Tan Mingguang to review. Accompanying the file was a memorial he had personally written, which was to be submitted to the court in the form of a joint petition signed by Tan Mingguang.

He needed the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy to strip the Hu family father and son of their academic titles before he could proceed with their sentencing.

Since almost all the people in charge of the Hu family had been arrested, Xue Huai ordered Hu Qing's two nephews to temporarily maintain order at Qingshan Wharf. As for the other businesses of the Hu family, they had all been seized and would be dealt with after the case was closed.

As the sun rose high in the sky, a group of people walked slowly along the river embankment in the southwest of the county town.

Xue Huai and Zhang Shi walked side by side in front, followed by more than ten wealthy local gentry.

Ever since that day on the high platform in front of the Hu family mansion, when they witnessed the Hu family father and son being consumed by the anger of the people, and saw the usually arrogant and domineering salt transport official slink away, these wealthy gentlemen have not slept well lately, fearing that if they close their eyes, the officials will kick open the gate and Xue Huai will drag them to the county government gate for a public trial.

They have been trying their best to make amends. On the one hand, they have given strict orders to their children that anyone who dares to misbehave outside will have their legs broken. On the other hand, they are trying to make up for their past misdeeds towards the people and use money and smiles to win their forgiveness.

Even so, they remained uneasy, after all, it was clearly impossible to make up for the mistakes they had made over the years in just a few days.

This morning, the county yamen runners came to their door, nearly scaring them half to death. Only when the runners said that Magistrate Xue and Magistrate Zhang had something to discuss did they cautiously come to this river embankment.

"The Yangtze River should not flood this year."

Looking at the vast and magnificent river, Xue Huai was moved to speak.

Zhang Shi nodded and said, "Yes, Your Excellency. Based on past experience, if the river water suddenly becomes turbid and the riverbed churns up sand, a flood is very likely to occur. Now the river water is as usual, and there is no news of heavy rain upstream, so this year should be stable and worry-free."

Xue Huai stopped and looked at the wealthy gentlemen who followed him closely. He sighed and said, "I still remember the seventh year of Taihe. The water level of the Yangtze River suddenly rose wildly. My father was worried about the safety of the people and did not return home for two or three months. At that time, I was only seven years old and did not understand the suffering of the people. I even complained about my father. Now I feel extremely guilty."

The wealthy gentry dared not respond. Seeing this, Zhang Shi said, "The people of Yangzhou will never forget the kindness of Lord Xue Wensu. In particular, Yizhen County has been able to avoid floods for ten years, which is truly due to Lord Xue's efforts. Your Excellency need not blame yourself. If Lord Xue's spirit in heaven could see what you have done, he would surely be pleased that there are successors."

"Sigh, ten years..."

Xue Huai sighed, “My late father exhausted all his efforts, but he could only ensure the peace and stability of the people in this area for ten years. It is hateful that those corrupt officials colluded with unscrupulous merchants, who did not think about properly maintaining and repairing the river embankment, but only about enriching themselves, which led to the people of Yangzhou suffering from floods again last year.”

Zhang Shi fell silent.

Last year, he had already discovered the abnormality of the river and the hidden dangers of the dikes. He went to the prefectural city for help more than once, but each time he returned empty-handed. Afterwards, he also tried to gather evidence to bypass the prefectural government and appeal to the provincial administration. Unfortunately, his loyal advisor fell into the water and died without a complete body. The evidence was also submerged in the raging flood.

"Magistrate Zhang."

"The subordinate is here."

"I have heard your explanation of the three strategies for flood control and I quite agree with your ideas. I will fully support you."

Xue Huai glanced at the wealthy gentlemen and said gently, "I wonder what difficulties you have. You can tell me all of them today, and I will do my best to help you."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

Zhang Shiwen, understanding the implied meaning, then recounted his discussion with Xue Huai during their first meeting. He then said with some difficulty, “Your Excellency, I am quite knowledgeable about water conservancy, and our county has many skilled craftsmen. The only thing we lack is money. Whether it's reinforcing the riverbanks, dredging the canal, or diverting water, all of this requires a large investment. I previously consulted Prefect Tan, who strongly agreed with the plan, but the prefectural government doesn't have much money to spare. Prefect Tan said he has already submitted a petition to the Provincial Administration Commission, but there has been no further response so far.”

"This difficulty is indeed not easy to solve."

Xue Huai frowned slightly and said, "It's a pity that the Hu family father and son's official titles need to be removed by the central government, otherwise I could deal with the Hu family's ill-gotten gains right now."

These words struck the hearts of the wealthy gentlemen like a thunderbolt.

Immediately, someone stepped forward and said cautiously, "Lord Xue, this humble subject has something to say."

Xue Huai nodded and said, "Please speak freely."

The man smiled obsequiously and said, "I was deeply impressed by what you two gentlemen said and I admire your compassion for the people. I am willing to donate three thousand taels of silver to the county government for the purpose of river works."

Xue Huai praised, "This gentleman is indeed of noble character and integrity. May I ask your honorable name?"

The man quickly replied, "My humble name is Xu Jing."

"Old Master Xu, on behalf of the people of Yangzhou, I thank you for your generous donation."

Xue Huai smiled and said, "However, please don't force yourself. Neither I nor Magistrate Zhang intend to do anything against your will today."

"No, no, no." Xu Jing quickly shook his head and said with a sigh, "This is all from the heart of this humble person, and it is entirely a spontaneous act by this humble person."

"So good."

Xue Huai offered a few words of encouragement to the other party, then looked at Zhang Shi and said, "Magistrate Zhang, the county government must issue a public notice and award a reward for such a good deed as Elder Xu. In addition, the funds for river works must be used for their designated purpose, and no one is allowed to profit from them. If any of your subordinates cause problems, don't blame me for punishing you as well."

Zhang Shi replied without hesitation, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, if I fail to ensure that the funds are used for their intended purpose, I am willing to accept the full punishment!"

He was extremely confident that, as long as it didn't involve special entities like the Salt Transport Office or the Grand Canal Transport Office, he would have no problem controlling his officials.

As for the reward Xue Huai mentioned, it's even simpler: just have someone send a plaque to the Xu family.

Hearing their exchange, Xu Jing finally felt relieved. No matter what Xue Huai said, he believed that he could only feel at ease if he donated the silver to the county government.

The others, of course, weren't so oblivious, and they quickly rushed to donate their money for the river works.

Two thousand taels from this family, one thousand taels from that family, and even the smallest amount was eight hundred taels. In just a short while, Yizhen County raised twenty-four thousand taels of silver for river works.

Zhang Shi's feelings at this moment were hard to describe. He had served as the magistrate of Yizhen County for nearly eight years, and almost every year he had been worried about money. However, Xue Huai had come to Yizhen County for less than a month and had already fulfilled his long-cherished wish.

With this money, he was finally able to undertake large-scale repairs to the river defenses, freeing the people under his jurisdiction from the constant fear of floods.

For this reason, the wealthy gentry of Yizhen County finally saw a warm smile on Magistrate Zhang's usually cold face.

After a while of noise, they realized that Xue Huai and Zhang Shi still had things to discuss, so they bowed and took their leave.

When Zhang Shi was alone by his side, Xue Huai's smile gradually faded, leaving only a solemn expression.

Zhang Shi snapped out of his surprise and excitement, looked at Xue Huai's face, and asked cautiously, "Does Your Excellency think this is too lenient on them?"

The silver donated by these wealthy gentlemen was actually "protection money," and Zhang Shi was well aware of this. Accepting the money meant he couldn't force them into making things difficult; it was essentially a transaction.

"It's not exactly cheap."

Xue Huai slowly said, "I asked you before whether these wealthy gentlemen were truly wicked. You said that although they had made minor mistakes, they were different from the Hu family, so I was willing to give them a chance. However... I hope you remember one thing: this kind of method cannot be used often. It's not that those wealthy gentlemen are unwilling, but people's bottom line will gradually decrease. If you take their money today, you will subconsciously take this shortcut when you encounter difficulties in the future."

In his past life, he had seen many talented peers, but because they did not wake up in time, they eventually fell into the abyss step by step.

He had high hopes for Zhang Shi and didn't want him to go astray, which is why he intentionally reminded him.

Zhang Shi's eyes cleared instantly, and he solemnly said, "This humble official understands, please rest assured, Your Excellency."

"This is just a temporary measure. I can't stay in Yizhen for too long. The river works are in urgent need of repair. If I miss this year's opportunity, I'll regret it if the floods are severe next year. So I'll raise money in this way."

Xue Huai turned to look at Zhang Shi and said seriously, "According to our previous discussion, the repair of the water conservancy in Yizhen County is the most urgent task and your primary task for the next year. Zhang Shi, I entrust this matter to you. As long as you can do it perfectly, I guarantee you will make even greater progress."

Zhang Shi said solemnly, "This humble official will certainly not fail Your Excellency's high expectations."

"That's good."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Those people have already abandoned the Hu family. Once the Ministry of Rites' reply arrives, you can convict the Hu family members according to the law. By the way, Hu Qing's two nephews did not participate in any illegal activities. When the time comes, you can take stock of some of the Hu family's clean assets and return them to them to make a living."

"Your Majesty, take your orders."

Zhang Shi agreed, knowing that it was time to part ways, and said with a hint of worry, "Your Excellency, this time you had a falling out with the Salt Transport Bureau because of your handling of the Hu family. I'm afraid the Canal Transport Bureau will also be dissatisfied with you. In addition, there are powerful families in the prefectural city who have interests in the Hu family. I'm afraid they won't swallow their anger."

"worry about me?"

Xue Huai smiled faintly and said calmly, "From the day I set foot on Yangzhou territory, these people have been secretly plotting how to deal with me. I am just going along with their wishes. Some want to lure me into a trap, while others want to wait for me to come. There are indeed many dangers ahead, but for me, these are all necessary steps."

Zhang Shi was infected by his heroic spirit and laughed, "These few clowns are certainly no match for you, Your Excellency. I will see you off here and hope to follow you in the future and serve you faithfully."

At this point, he finally stopped hiding his intentions and spoke frankly about his decision.

Looking at his resolute face, Xue Huai nodded and said, "It is my honor."

He then looked to the north and saw a clear sky and vast land.

(End of this chapter)