Prime Minister

Chapter 148, Section 147: [The Choice]

Xue Huai looked up and saw Shen Qingluan wearing a pale yellow narrow-sleeved shirt paired with a moon-white long skirt, which made her fair skin, red lips and lively temperament even more striking.

"Not very busy."

Xue Huai gestured for her to sit down and smiled, "Have you finished dealing with things on your end?"

Three days had passed since the conflict that nearly caused a civil unrest, and Xue Huai immediately sent a message to Prefect Tan Mingguang detailing the incident.

At present, the entire Xinghua County government office is almost paralyzed. Most of the county magistrate, county assistant, registrar, clerk and clerk in each department are related to the case. Xue Huai temporarily detained them separately, while he began to thoroughly investigate their crimes and waited for Tan Mingguang's reply.

Fortunately, the officials under Xue Huai were quite capable. They maintained the normal operation of the county government under his command and had begun to formulate detailed plans for flood control projects.

Shen Qingluan was also busy. Guangtai Ship would be involved in and support the county's flood control project. In addition, a series of plans to promote business and benefit the people needed to be prepared in advance.

She frankly said, "Actually, I'm not that busy. Many details are handled by the old steward of the family. I just provide them with some suggestions."

"That's a bit of an understatement."

Over the past few days, Xue Huai has observed that Shen Qingluan is completely different in front of him and in front of others. Perhaps it is because of the dependence she had when she was young that she still is. In private, Shen Qingluan is a bit like an innocent girl when she is with him, but she is calm and meticulous when handling the affairs of the business.

"It's not an exaggeration; I've always been very self-aware."

Shen Qingluan brushed it off, then asked with concern, "Brother Huai, when do you plan to return to the prefectural city?"

Half a month ago, Xue Huai told her that the various chronic problems in Yangzhou Prefecture would not be delayed indefinitely. He needed to resolve those obstacles as soon as possible so that he could focus on developing people's livelihoods.

"It will take some more time."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Destruction is much easier than construction in this world. Luo Tong and his gang have made a complete mess of Xinghua County. No wonder the people of this county are getting worse year by year, while they are all eating their fill. You saw it yesterday too. The private property of Luo Tong that was seized in the back room of the county government alone amounted to more than 30,000 taels of silver, as well as several boxes of porcelain and calligraphy and paintings. Which one of these is not the hard-earned money of the people?"

Shen Qingluan frowned and said, "This Luo Tong deserves to die. Xinghua County is so poor, yet he managed to embezzle so much money, not even including the money he sent out to bribe officials."

"He was not only greedy, but he also made a mess of the county government's administration."

Xue Huai shook his head, looked at the stacks of files on the table, and said in a deep voice, "The fact that someone like this could hold the position of county magistrate for so many years and receive only mediocre evaluations in two major examinations shows just how corrupt the entire Yangzhou officialdom has become."

Looking at Xue Huai's solemn face, Shen Qingluan said with some worry, "Brother Huai, Luo Tong's attempt to incite a popular uprising shows that those behind him hate you to the bone. Now that you have successfully thwarted Luo Tong's conspiracy, I am worried that they will have even more insidious methods next."

"I know it well."

Xue Huai had naturally anticipated this, and then asked, "Qingluan, when will the Salt Transport Office's recognizing its 'nests' ceremony be held this time?"

Shen Qingluan replied, "The eighth day of the eighth month."

"There are still more than two weeks left."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment, then looked at Shen Qingluan and said, "I would like to ask you for a favor."

Shen Qingluan nodded quickly and said, "Go ahead."

"The matters in Xinghua County are very important, and I cannot leave for the time being. Several managers are handling the affairs of Guangtai Company, so there should be no mistakes. Therefore, I would like you to return to the prefectural city today to discuss a few arrangements with Uncle Shen."

Xue Huai said solemnly, "These things must not be known to others."

Shen Qingluan said without hesitation, "Brother Huai, don't worry, I promise I won't let the news leak out."

Half an hour later, Shen Qingluan said reluctantly, "Brother Huai, I've remembered everything. I will tell my father the truth."

Xue Huai said apologetically, "Thank you for your hard work this time."

"It's not hard."

Shen Qingluan said shrewdly, "My father said that even if Brother Huai hadn't come to Yangzhou, our Shen family and those other families would have fought each other sooner or later. So helping you now is helping our own family. Actually, if the Qiao family and the Liu family hadn't fallen out, they might have already taken action against our Shen family. Brother Huai's arrival is very timely. In the past, the power of the government was controlled by Liu Rang and others, and Prefect Tan was like... like a clay statue, completely unable to influence the situation. Now that Brother Huai has taken action, the burden on my father's shoulders has been greatly reduced."

Xue Huai was somewhat moved and said gently, "Please give my regards to Uncle Shen."

"Ah."

Shen Qingluan stood up and added, "Brother Huai, you must be careful. You must never leave someone by your side. You now have a lot of evidence against those people, so be wary of them resorting to desperate measures. This time, my father asked me to take a large number of people with me, including some very skilled experts. I want to leave fifteen people behind to protect you. They are highly skilled and familiar with the local situation. Brother Huai, please don't refuse."

"Thank you, Qingluan."

Xue Huai rose to see him off, adding, "We'll meet again in the prefectural city in a while."

Just as she was about to leave, Shen Qingluan suddenly stopped and turned to look at Xue Huai.

Xue Huai asked, "What's wrong?"

Shen Qingluan smiled and said, "Brother Huai, after this matter is settled, you must take me to eat the double sesame shortbread at Fuchunju in the prefectural city."

Xue Huai also smiled and said, "Alright, it's a deal."

……

In the Liu family mansion in Yangzhou, Liu Fu and his son Liu Rang sat solemnly, while Liu Song, looking travel-worn and exhausted, stood below.

Why would the grain transport army go south?

Liu Rang forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart and frowned, asking, "Why is General Wu helping Xue Huai?"

He originally thought that even if his plan against Xue Huai wasn't perfect, it would at least make the other party look bad. A civil unrest might not be able to ruin Xue Huai's career, but if the officials in Yangzhou and even Jiangsu attacked Xue Huai, he, as the Assistant Magistrate of Yangzhou, would have no face to stay any longer.

Unexpectedly, Xue Huai not only made preparations in advance with the help of the Shen family, but also invited the canal army from Huai'an Prefecture in the north to help, causing all the arrangements of the Salt Transport Bureau to fall through.

Liu Fu put down his teacup and said slowly, "It seems that I underestimated the connections of this Xue Tongzhi."

Previously, he thought that although Xue Huai had a powerful background, there was a saying that the emperor was far away and the heavens were high. Neither the emperor nor Shen Wang could solve Xue Huai's problems at any time. After all, Yangzhou was thousands of miles away from the capital, and it would take a long time for information to be transmitted back and forth.

Liu Rang asked, "Father, when did General Wu develop such a deep friendship with Qingliu?"

In his view, although Wu Changling, the Grand Canal Transport Commander, was at odds with Governor Jiang Jizhou and was not on the same side as Grand Secretary Ning Heng, he also had no connection with the Qingliu faction. Now, he had decisively stepped forward to help Xue Huai. Wasn't he afraid that Grand Secretary Ning would be angry because of this?
"It has nothing to do with purity."

Liu Fu thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "I recall that General Wu's father was involved in a major case back then, and he probably owed Xue Huai's father a favor at that time."

The name Xue Mingzhang seemed to possess an invisible magic, and Liu Rang subconsciously felt fear. If the other party were still alive, he wouldn't dare to target Xue Huai in the government office even if he had a hundred lives.

"There's no point in bringing up these old stories now."

Liu Fu instructed Liu Song to leave, and then fell into deep thought.

After waiting for a long time, Liu Rang couldn't help but speak up: "Father, although Liu Song did not leave Luo Tong with any solid evidence, our families have contributed too much to this matter, so it is inevitable that many loopholes will be left behind."

"It's more than that."

Liu Fu narrowed his eyes slightly and then said, "When he dealt with the Hu family in Qingshan Town, Yizhen County, he must have gotten some clues from Hu Qing, but he didn't act on them immediately. That's why I decided to take action in Xinghua County. This boy's temperament is so calm and composed, completely different from his reputation in the capital. We underestimated him after all."

"This……"

Liu Rang said with some difficulty, "Father, what should we do?"

"Don't panic."

Liu Fu calmly said, "News has been circulating in the capital for some time now that the national treasury is running a deficit this year, and the court is worried about the revenue for the second half of the year. It was because of this that Transport Commissioner Xu decided to hold the 'Recognition Conference.' As long as each of us generously contributes and satisfies the Emperor and the officials in the court, what can Xue Huai, a mere fifth-rank prefect of Yangzhou, do?"

Liu Rang understood the unspoken meaning behind his father's words. Compared to the initial plans of each family, they were now likely to cut a large chunk of flesh from his own body.

"Consider it a loss to avert disaster, and it's not certain who will lose money until the very end."

A sinister glint flashed in Liu Fu's eyes as he ordered, "Have someone prepare a cartload of gifts immediately, then go to the government office to ask for two days' leave. After that, take my personal letter to Suzhou to pay a visit to the governor."

Liu Rang dared not hesitate and quickly stood up, saying, "Yes, Father."

About half an hour later, in the back hall of the Yangzhou government office.

Huang Xibin, representing Tan Mingguang, saw off Liu Rang, who had come to ask for leave, and then quickly returned to Cunpuzhai, saying softly, "Your Excellency, such a big thing just happened in Xinghua County, and Liu Tongpan is already asking for leave. I'm afraid the Liu family is in deep trouble this time."

"Not expected."

Tan Mingguang looked at the files on the table; they were the inside story of the civil unrest in Xinghua County, sent by Xue Huai.

He closed the file and said slowly, "They failed to outmaneuver Xue Huai, so of course they need to find a way out. Liu Rang must have gone to Suzhou Prefecture to seek help from Governor Chen."

"Why doesn't Your Excellency refuse his request?"

Huang Xibin said in bewilderment, "The current situation is becoming clearer. Those people can't do anything to Magistrate Xue. On the contrary, Magistrate Xue already has a lot of evidence. If you choose to stand with Magistrate Xue now, there may be hope to clear up this mess in Yangzhou!"

"What do you know?"

Tan Mingguang sighed softly, looked up at the roof, and said quietly, "In these turbulent times, a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction."

Huang Xibin was stunned.

Tan Mingguang raised his hand and rubbed his furrowed brows. After a long while, he said, "I have spent half my life wandering and have finally reached this position. How can I compare with Xue Huai, who is only in his early twenties and has already withstood many setbacks?"

"only……"

His gaze fell on the file again, and Xue Huai's vigorous handwriting seemed to appear before his eyes. He said softly, "This prefect, who is all show and no substance, is indeed getting a bit tiresome after a while."

Huang Xibin was initially very disappointed. He followed Tan Mingguang from Huguang to Jiangsu. Although he had no hope of entering officialdom in this life, he still wanted to show his talents so that he wouldn't live a muddled life.

Upon hearing Tan Mingguang's next sentence, his expression changed drastically, and he said in a trembling voice, "Prefect..."

Tan Mingguang gave a self-deprecating laugh, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.

"Then let's be reckless this once."

(End of this chapter)