Prime Minister

Chapter 136, Section 135: Watching the Tide

Yangzhou, Yunsi Street.

The Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office was located here.

At the north and south ends of the street, there were encircling gates: Gongji Gate to the north, Yingxun Gate to the south, and Binyang Gate to the east. The three gates were connected by high walls, forming a barbican that protected the Salt Transport Office.

The outer walls of the government office were built with blue bricks, glued with glutinous rice juice and lime, and reinforced with densely planted wooden piles at the bottom. The gate tower was more than three zhang high, as imposing as a fortress.

The main gate is a three-bay entrance hall, with a black lacquered plaque above the door bearing the six characters "Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office". A pair of stone lions stand guard in front of the gate, their eyes glaring and manes curled, their paws resting on embroidered balls, exuding a majestic and solemn aura.

The Salt Transport Commissioner was a high-ranking official of the third rank, higher than the Yangzhou Prefect, who was of the fourth rank. Therefore, the Salt Transport Commissioner's office was of a higher standard and structure than the Yangzhou Prefectural Office.

After entering the gate, the interior of the government office is roughly divided into three areas. The first is the administrative area with the main hall of the Salt Transport Commissioner as its core. The second is the duty room and residence of the subordinate officials such as the Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Judge. The third is the confidential and forbidden area in the backyard, where the inner residence of the Salt Transport Commissioner is hidden. The courtyard has a pond with fresh water from the Little Qinhuai River, and there are also Taihu stones stacked to create a landscape, which is quite elegant.

In the main hall, a middle-aged official sat in the main seat. Behind him hung a plaque that read "Important Salt Administration Area". He had a dignified beard, deep-set eyes, wore a silk brocade robe, and had a silver plaque with cloud and wild goose patterns hanging from his waist.

He was Xu Guanlan, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, courtesy name Zhonghong, a native of Suzhou Prefecture, and was forty-eight years old at the time.

In the 24th year of the reign of the late emperor, during the imperial examination, Xu Guanlan passed the second-class Jinshi examination. He subsequently served as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy, a principal official in the Shandong Provincial Department of Revenue, a salt commissioner in Zhejiang, and an assistant prefect of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office. In the 13th year of the reign of the late emperor, he was promoted to salt transport commissioner of Lianghuai.

Aside from his initial years at the Hanlin Academy, Xu Guanlan spent most of his life dealing with salt administration. Under his management, the Lianghuai salt fields flourished and are now approaching 40% of the salt tax revenue of the Great Yan Dynasty. He has made great contributions and there are rumors in the court that he is very likely to achieve even greater success.

Although his future was bright and he was the highest-ranking official in Yangzhou, Xu Guanlan was different from the usual arrogant salt officials. He was used to living a secluded life and rarely participated in banquets hosted by salt merchants.

Even so, no one dared to underestimate this transport commissioner who was in charge of the Lianghuai salt fields. The various tricks of the salt merchants could not be hidden from his eyes. Back when he was still the Salt Transport Assistant Commissioner, he had already subdued a group of big salt merchants such as Liu, Qiao, Zheng, and Wang.

"...Your Excellency, I tried everything I could to persuade you, but Magistrate Xue still refused to budge, so I had to return empty-handed. I apologize for this failure and ask for your punishment."

To the left of the lower seat, Vice Envoy Chen Lun was extremely respectful and apprehensive, a stark contrast to his arrogant demeanor in front of Xue Huai.

Xu Guanlan gently stirred the tea leaves floating in the cup with the lid of his teacup, and after a long while, he said, "Why did you order the abduction of people in front of Magistrate Xue?"

Chen Lun's face stiffened, and he said cautiously, "I was afraid of failing your trust, so I lost my composure in my excitement."

Xu Guanlan looked up at him, but his calm gaze made Chen Lun feel uneasy. He slowly said, "Then why retreat in the face of battle?"

“At that time…at that time, Magistrate Xue used himself as a shield, and I really dared not harm him.”

Beads of sweat appeared on Chen Lun's forehead, and his voice became hoarse.

"Before you left, I told you that the purpose of this trip was to test Xue Tongzhi's background. The life and death of the Hu family was not important. But you have obviously forgotten my instructions."

Xu Guanlan put down his teacup and said calmly, "Compared to you, Zhao Cong was much more shrewd. He didn't come out with a tough attitude and left himself plenty of room to maneuver, so he left in the end with a calm and collected demeanor. You, on the other hand, were arrogant at first and obsequious at the end, making a complete fool of yourself and disgracing the Salt Transport Bureau."

Chen Lun could no longer sit still. He stood up and apologized, saying, "This humble servant is foolish and has failed to live up to your expectations, sir!"

What's the point of saying these polite words now?

Xu Guanlan glanced at Liu Fu, who was sitting upright on the right below him, and then said, "Go down and reflect on your actions."

"I humble my position and take orders."

Chen Lun bowed and took his leave with a face full of guilt.

The hall was very quiet. Liu Fu said respectfully, "Your Excellency, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on Vice Envoy Chen. No one expected that Assistant Magistrate Xue would be so upright, not even giving face to the Salt Transport Bureau. He is truly an anomaly in officialdom."

Xu Guanlan chuckled and looked at the old man, saying, "It's not surprising that others wouldn't think of this, but you wouldn't either?"

Liu Fu's prepared remarks suddenly caught in his throat.

He understood that Xu Guanlan was giving him a warning. When Hu Quan came to him for help, he used the favors he had accumulated over the years to ask Chen Lun and Zhao Cong to step forward, hoping that they could save the Hu family father and son. Even if they couldn't save them, at least it would make these two powerful government offices antagonize Xue Huai.

Xu Guanlan's statement at that moment was a warning to him that he should put away such petty thoughts.

Although Liu Fu was somewhat embarrassed, he was not afraid, because Xu Guanlan could not have discovered it afterward. Since he knew the intricacies of the matter, he still sent Chen Lun to make the trip, which meant that he would not sit at the same table as Xue Huai.

Thinking of this, Liu Fu smiled apologetically and said, "I don't know much about Magistrate Xue." Xu Guanlan did not expose him on the spot, but changed the subject and said, "This home-recognition meeting is very important, and each of you should be prepared."

Liu Fu knew exactly where the key lay. According to the news sent back from the Yangzhou Guild Hall in the capital, as well as the snippets he heard from the Jiangsu governor, it seemed that the emperor was not very satisfied with the current Minister of Revenue. Although he would not easily take action against the Ministry of Revenue within two or three years, the trend had at least been revealed.

Whether Xu Guanlan can return to the central leadership and advance further will be extremely important in the next two years.

If he can achieve even greater and more outstanding political achievements, he may use the important position of Provincial Administration Commissioner as a stepping stone, and after a brief transfer to the position of Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, seek the position of Minister of Revenue.

For Xu Guanlan, who came from a second-class family, becoming the Minister of Revenue was the most practical ultimate goal he had achieved after decades of ups and downs in his official career.

Although there was no unspoken rule in the Great Yan that only those who achieved the highest rank could enter the cabinet, Xu Guanlan had spent half his life immersed in the salt administration and lacked experience as a local or central government official. The difficulty of entering the cabinet was simply too great. Compared with officials like Shen Wang, who were on the standard path to becoming a high-ranking and promising prime minister, Xu Guanlan had no advantage whatsoever. Therefore, he rationally and clearly chose another path.

The achievements of the Salt Commissioner can be summarized simply as how much tax revenue he could contribute to the national treasury and how well he could win over the officials in the imperial court. In short, as long as there was enough money, Xu Guanlan's achievements would be more outstanding.

The Salt Procurement Conference was a prime example. The Salt Transport Bureau would put up the newly opened salt fields for salt merchants to bid on, and they could recoup huge sums of money in one go. For instance, at the Salt Procurement Conference in the fifteenth year of the Taihe reign, the Salt Transport Bureau received 2.3 million taels of silver, which greatly alleviated the national treasury's financial difficulties. Xu Guanlan was thus awarded a commendation by the emperor.

Liu Fu pondered for a moment and said, "I have already spoken with the Zheng, Wang, Bai and the other five families. They will definitely do their best to support this housing acquisition conference and ensure that the average price will not be lower than in previous years. However, the Shen family... it seems that they are unwilling to put in much effort this time."

In response to Liu Fu's blatant attempt to undermine him, Xu Guanlan simply said, "If the Shen family is unwilling to contribute, then you will have to shoulder more of the burden."

Liu Fu was not surprised by the other party's reaction. He had not expected Xu Guanlan to fly into a rage at the Shen family over a single sentence. He only wanted to sow the seeds of cause and effect so that when the Shen family got involved in the future, Xu Guanlan would remember today's conversation.

He replied without hesitation, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, each of us will do our utmost this time."

Xu Guanlan took a sip of fragrant tea and looked at Liu Fu, asking, "Has the Hu family left any hidden dangers?"

Liu Fu had been waiting for these words all day, and he hesitated slightly before saying, "There shouldn't be too many hidden dangers."

"should?"

"Your Excellency, please forgive me. The Hu family has been responsible for distributing salt permits for many years and has not been exposed to the core secrets. At most, they have some minor flaws, which should not pose a threat. Therefore, I did not risk everything to rescue them earlier, mainly because I did not want to offend Magistrate Xue. After all, the most important event recently is the reunification ceremony."

Liu Fu hesitated slightly, "However... I dare not evade or make excuses in front of you, sir. If the Hu family has indeed discovered some secrets, then this will be quite troublesome."

Xu Guanlan remained silent, raising his hand to gently tap the table.

Seeing this, Liu Fu said, "There is another matter. I think that Xue Tongzhi and Tan Fuzun are completely different. He probably had his eyes on the salt administration when he came to Yangzhou. In fact, the responsibilities of a Tongzhi include supervising the salt administration."

Xu Guanlan's deep gaze fell on Liu Fu's face, and he asked, "What do you want to say?"

Liu Fu hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke frankly: "Sir, this salt-recognition ceremony is different from the past. I am worried that Xue Tongzhi will interfere. Although he himself is not familiar with the details of salt administration, his relationship with the Shen family is extraordinary. If the two join forces, given Xue Tongzhi's background and connections in the capital, coupled with the Shen family's understanding of this industry, I am afraid that unexpected situations may arise."

Xu Guanlan naturally didn't have a good impression of Xue Huai, but in his position, he often couldn't act solely based on personal preferences, unless the other party might threaten his fundamental interests.

After a moment, he said in a measured tone, “The Salt Transport Office is independent of the local government. The Yangzhou government has no jurisdiction over me, and vice versa. I cannot interfere in the affairs of the Yangzhou government. In short, as long as the Salt Recognition Conference is held as scheduled, you must do your best to eliminate any potential problems. As for the specific details of the preliminary work, you major salt merchants can go and discuss them with Chen Lun.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Fu understood that Xu Guanlan had not made any promises on the surface, but in reality, he had tacitly approved of some of his ideas.

He stood up and said respectfully, "I understand."

Xu Guanlan nodded slightly, then stood up, and Liu Fu quickly bowed and took his leave.

Stepping out of the main hall, Liu Fu finally straightened his back.

For someone his age, spending half an hour subservient to others is torture, but he showed no signs of fatigue on his face; on the contrary, his deep eyes shone with a sharp light.

He only wanted Xu Guanlan's tacit approval for this trip, and that would be enough.

"Prefect Xue, I hope you like the gift I've carefully prepared for you..."

Liu Fu muttered to himself, then walked forward with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)