Prime Minister

Chapter 150, Page 149: [The Feast at Hongmen]

By August, Xue Huai had finally come up with a general plan for the affairs of Xinghua County.

Even though he had relatively rich experience in grassroots work in his previous life, he was still exhausted these days. This was because Luo Tong and others were only thinking about making money, and the county's official affairs were actually a mess on the surface. Now they were suspended from their duties by Xue Huai for inciting a popular uprising. The entire county government was left with only a few people, and it was all thanks to Xue Huai's subordinates that it was able to keep things running normally.

Fortunately, Tan Mingguang's reply arrived in time, accompanied by more than ten capable officials. He informed Xue Huai that the matter had been reported to the Provincial Administration Commission, and that Luo Tong and his associates would be temporarily brought back to the prefectural city for trial. Xue Huai would then make the decision regarding the affairs of Xinghua County.

On the second day of the eighth lunar month, in the inner hall of the county government office.

Wang Gui and Kong Li sat respectfully at the lower end of the table. The former was now an eighth-rank official in the government office, and the latter was a clerk in the household registration office. Although they were still insignificant figures in the officialdom, they had already gained considerable status in Yangzhou.

The two knew that this was an opportunity brought to them by Xue Huai. From Jiangdu County and Yizhen County to Xinghua County, they had followed Xue Huai and witnessed firsthand how he decisively and efficiently solved those difficulties. The balance in their hearts had already shifted without them realizing it.

"In his letter, the Prefect said that he had asked the Provincial Administration Commission to arrange officials for the county and then submit the matter to the Ministry of Personnel for review. Although this is not in accordance with the regulations, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I think the officials in the capital can understand."

Xue Huai looked at the two of them and said calmly, "The most important task for this county next is to deal with the flooding. You should be quite familiar with the regulations these days, right?"

The two nodded in agreement.

The root cause of the flooding in Xinghua County lies in its low-lying terrain and lack of drainage ditches. The backflow of water from the Huaihe River system to the north causes flooding within the county. It is impossible to completely solve the problem in the short term. This is not a problem that Xue Huai can solve by having a flash of inspiration or by referring to his previous life's experience. At present, the only way to reduce the harm of flooding is to work hard by reinforcing the dikes and digging drainage ditches.

"The Prefect asked me to make a decision on the spot, but I cannot stay here for long, so I wrote down the regulations for the management of various affairs in Xinghua County, Wang Jingli."

Xue Huai picked up a booklet from the table and handed it to Wang Gui.

Wang Gui was startled and quickly stood up to take it.

Xue Huai said, "You are a clerk in the prefectural government, and according to regulations, you can temporarily act as the county magistrate. Before the arrival of the new county magistrate appointed by the Provincial Administration Commission, I authorize you to temporarily act as the county magistrate of Xinghua."

Wang Gui couldn't help but swallow.

These past few months have felt like a dream to him. Not long ago, he and Liu Rang secretly disliked Xue Huai and were filled with hatred and resistance towards him. Who knew that he would suddenly be singled out by Xue Huai and asked to come over.

At first, Wang Gui firmly believed that Xue Huai was trying to sow discord between the Liu and Wang families by taking a different approach. However, along the way, Xue Huai never even tried to talk to him, treating him no differently than his other subordinates.

On the contrary, he himself was repeatedly moved by Xue Huai's willpower and skills. When facing those angry people, he had been genuinely worried about Xue Huai's safety.

Wang Gui felt somewhat bewildered, unable to pinpoint the root of this inner shift, but he knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He was a student of the Imperial Academy through a donation system, essentially no different from the Hu family father and son. Although he worked hard to pass the provincial examination and became a Juren, he was still at the bottom of the official hierarchy. Therefore, at nearly forty years old, he could only work in the government office and had to cling tightly to Liu Rang's coattails.

Until Xue Huai arrived, he became an experienced official without even realizing it, and now he is even able to temporarily serve as the county magistrate.

"Your Excellency."

Wang Gui struggled to control his surging emotions and said in an extremely respectful, trembling voice, "This humble servant is filled with trepidation, I fear... I fear I will fail Your Excellency's high expectations."

“You are familiar with the local customs and culture of Yangzhou, and you also know the situation of the prefectural government and various counties. No one is more suitable for this position than you right now.”

Xue Huai offered some reassurance, then changed the subject, saying, "But don't think this is an easy job. The people of Xinghua County have extreme distrust of the government, and the county has long been impoverished and plagued by problems. Managing the flood control efforts will be extremely difficult, so you should be prepared. Let me be frank: if you do a good job while you are temporarily acting as magistrate, it will be credited to you. But if you make a mistake, you won't need to go back to the prefectural office; you can go straight back to your Wang family and sell cloth."

Besides the salt industry, the Wang family's strongest businesses were weaving, dyeing, and cloth shops.

Hearing Xue Huai's less-than-friendly words, Wang Gui felt much more at ease. He smiled apologetically and said, "If I fail to live up to your expectations, I will have no face to return to the government office."

"In short, do your job conscientiously. I believe in rewarding those who make contributions and punishing those who make mistakes. As long as you can complete this task successfully, I will not treat you unfairly in the future."

Xue Huai reassured Wang Gui, and then said to Kong Li, "Kong Dianli, you will stay and temporarily serve as the county magistrate to assist Wang Jingli in fulfilling his duties. You have always been calm and reliable, and I trust you completely. I also hope that you will do your job well."

Unlike Wang Gui, Kong Li came from a humble background and had no connection with the local powerful families of Yangzhou. Moreover, he was meticulous and knowledgeable about the law, and had a thorough understanding of household affairs. This was why Xue Huai specifically asked him to stay and assist Wang Gui.

He calmly cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant obeys."

Xue Huai then gave a detailed explanation of some points to note, which the two listened to attentively. Only after Xue Huai finished speaking did they bow and take their leave. Kong Li glanced at Wang Gui, then strode away first.

This scene caught Xue Huai's eye, and he couldn't help but find it very interesting. Kong Li was clearly a man of deep thoughts and feelings; his silence and composure did not mean that he was unaware of the undercurrents at hand.

With no one else in the hall at the moment, Wang Gui no longer concealed his intentions and went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, the Wang family and the Liu family are not a united front."

Xue Huai picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and said calmly, "Sit down and let's talk."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Wang Gui sat down with one side of his buttocks against the chair and said earnestly, "Decades ago, the four families of Yangzhou were indeed able to advance and retreat together. However, the Liu family was not satisfied with being on equal footing with the other three families. They only wanted to make the other three families become their vassals. Especially after the current head of the family, Liu Fu, took power, he repeatedly crossed the unspoken boundaries between the four families. This is why the Liu family and the Qiao family broke apart."

Xue Huai looked up at him and asked, "Do you know what I want to do?"

"This humble servant dares to guess that Your Excellency plans to take action against the Liu family after returning to the prefectural city?"

Wang Gui wasn't wasting time; at least he knew that Xue Huai had gathered a lot of evidence that the Liu family had committed crimes.

Xue Huai smiled but did not answer, instead asking, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Wang Gui mustered his courage and asked, "I wonder if Your Excellency would be willing to accept the Wang family's allegiance?"

Xue Huai knew perfectly well that Wang Gui would never be so infatuated with a mere acting magistrate, and besides, how could a collateral descendant like him be qualified to represent the Wang family? So he smiled and said, "It seems that your uncle has been having a very unpleasant time with the old master of the Liu family recently."

Wang Gui smiled somewhat awkwardly.

This whole affair started because of him. Liu Fu knew that people's hearts were fickle and strongly disapproved of Wang Gui staying by Xue Huai's side. Moreover, he believed that it would not be difficult for Wang Gui to leave if he wanted to, as he had too many reasons and excuses to use. However, Wang Shilin, the head of the Wang family, dealt with this issue perfunctorily, which greatly displeased Liu Fu.

Upon hearing Xue Huai mention the head of the family, Wang Gui frankly said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, the head of the Liu family is used to having absolute authority in Yangzhou. The only people he respects are Governor Chen of this province and Transport Commissioner Xu of the Salt Transport Office. The rest are just appendages in his eyes. My uncle has always been resentful of him, but the Liu family is very powerful and has very solid official backing. We can't afford to offend them easily, so we can only pretend to be friendly with him."

Xue Huai naturally did not believe this explanation. If Wang Shilin had long intended to break away from the Liu family, why didn't he befriend the Qiao family patriarch and Shen Bingwen?
Could it be that even with the combined forces of the three families, they couldn't withstand the pressure exerted by the Liu family?
It's just that with Xue Huai's arrival and Liu Fu's several foolish moves, Wang Shilin has developed different ideas.

Xue Huai wouldn't consider Wang Gui's statement a pleasant surprise. Wang Shilin was only offering up a distant relative for now. Xue Huai would only consider accepting the Wang family's allegiance when Wang Gui could truly stand against Liu Fu.

Thinking of this, Xue Huai said calmly, "Tell your uncle that I understand his difficulties and hardships. As long as the Wang family can resolve its own problems and get those criminals to turn themselves in, I will not make things difficult for him."

"I understand."

Wang Gui didn't understand at all.

He pledged allegiance to Xue Huai as instructed by Wang Shilin, so why was the other party unmoved at all?
In the current situation, if Xue Huai wants to completely eliminate the Liu family as a poisonous weed, wouldn't the secret assistance of the Wang family increase his chances of success?

Xue Huai roughly knew Wang Gui's thoughts, but there were some things he didn't need to say to him directly. He believed that Wang Shilin, who was good at changing his mind, would understand: it was too late for the Wang family to turn back now. If Wang Shilin didn't seize the last opportunity to show enough sincerity, why should he give the Wang family a chance to turn over a new leaf?

That old man Wang was dreaming; he thought he could get his promise with just an empty check.

After Wang Gui left, Xue Huai had someone invite Yu Chengguang, the commander of the grain transport army, to come over so that he could express his gratitude to him in person. He also took out three hundred taels of his own money to treat the grain transport army brothers to wine.

Yu Chengguang naturally refused to accept it, saying that it was General Wu's military order and that they would receive a duty allowance and a raise. However, Xue Huai's attitude was extremely firm, so he had no choice but to accept the money with a smile and warmly invited Xue Huai to visit Wu Changling at the canal transport office in his spare time.

After seeing off the transport troops, Xue Huai summoned all his subordinates and repeatedly instructed Wang Gui, Kong Li, and other officials who remained in Xinghua County. Then he led the rest of the group south.

On the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, three days before the opening of this year's Salt Transport Office's reclamation ceremony, Xue Huai led his entourage to Yangzhou Prefecture.

He had just returned to the government office and hadn't even had a chance to meet Prefect Tan Mingguang when a gold-embossed invitation was delivered to him.

"To Your Excellency Xue, Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou: It is mid-autumn, and salt permits are about to be issued. I have long admired your esteemed presence but have not yet been able to visit you. Therefore, I have prepared a simple banquet at the East Garden of my humble office, hoping that Your Excellency will personally attend and we can discuss important matters together."

The seal at the bottom reads "Xu Guanlan, Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai".

(End of this chapter)