Prime Minister

Chapter 152, Page 151: [First Encounter]

The following day, at the Salt Transport Office.

Jiang Sheng, Hu Yan, Cen Fu, and Qi Qingshi, the four guards, were quite surprised to see a government office that resembled a fortress for the first time.

Xue Huai looked at everyone and said, "This is an important salt-producing area, so it's only natural that it's heavily guarded. There's no need to be too surprised."

Jiang Sheng said in a low voice, "Young Master, I'm afraid today's banquet will be anything but pleasant."

"It's alright, the Salt Transport Office is not a bandit stronghold."

Xue Huai smiled faintly, looked up and saw several officials standing under the Gongji Gate to greet him. The leader was over forty years old, with a dignified appearance, and wearing the official robes of a fifth-rank official.

The Lianghuai Salt Transport Office has two deputy envoys. Xue Huai had dealt with Chen Lun before, and their relationship was not pleasant. Therefore, Xu Guanlan sent another deputy envoy, Lou Shizong, today. This arrangement shows Xu Guanlan's attitude.

"Lord Xue, I have long admired your name. Today I have the honor of meeting you. You are indeed as beautiful as an orchid and a jade tree, with an exceptional demeanor."

Lou Shizong cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "I am Lou Shizong, and I have come to welcome you on the orders of Yuntai."

"Lord Lou, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise."

Xue Huai returned the greeting and said, "I have long heard that Lord Lou has been in charge of the salt administration for many years, and his tax collection is as clear as a mirror. In the past, he rectified the salt administration of Lianghuai, which not only benefited merchants and the people, but also enriched the border areas. The court and the public all praised your integrity and uprightness."

Lou Shizong naturally didn't take these polite words seriously, but Xue Huai's gentle attitude reassured him, so he immediately extended a warm invitation.

In an atmosphere of perfect harmony, Xue Huai walked deep into the Salt Transport Office, closely followed by Jiang Sheng and the other three, to which Lou Shizong had no objection.

Upon arriving at the main hall of the East Garden, Xue Huai finally met Xu Guanlan, the legendary and unfathomable salt transport commissioner.

"Your humble servant Xue Huai pays his respects to the Transport Commissioner."

Xue Huai bowed respectfully in accordance with official etiquette, displaying neither arrogance nor servility.

Xu Guanlan's expression was warm as he raised his hand and said, "Prefect Xue, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down."

Since this is the first time the two have met, it is only natural that they will not start a banquet immediately. It is more appropriate to exchange pleasantries to get to know each other better.

Xu Guanlan sat in the main seat, Xue Huai sat to the left, and Lou Shizong sat in the lower seat.

Xu Guanlan observed Xue Huai without showing any emotion. Even though he knew Xue Huai's age beforehand, he still couldn't help but feel a bit emotional upon seeing him in person.

The nineteen-year-old Assistant Magistrate of Yangzhou was the son of a renowned and upright official, and he himself was a top scholar in the imperial examination. After serving in the Hanlin Academy for three years, he was transferred to an important post outside the capital, indicating a bright future ahead of him.

As long as Xue Huai doesn't make any serious mistakes, even if he doesn't achieve much in the decades to come, he still has a great chance of entering the cabinet.

Xu Guanlan was certainly a little jealous, but he understood that it was not good to make enemies with such a promising and upright junior. If it weren't for the fact that this clan recognition meeting was related to whether he could return to the central government, he really would not want to provoke Xue Huai. His previous tacit approval of the local powerful clans to deal with Xue Huai was also a helpless move.

In his view, he and Xue Huai were like opposite banks of the same river, and it would be best if they never saw each other again.

After Xue Huai took his seat, he took the initiative to speak: "This humble official should have taken the initiative to visit Yuntai, but since taking office, I have been busy with many matters. I hope Yuntai will understand."

There are so many complicated matters...

Xu Guanlan naturally understood the other party's unspoken meaning. He smiled calmly and said, "Prefect Xue, there is no need to concern yourself with these formalities. I have heard about your actions since you arrived in Yangzhou. I can't help but admire how formidable you are. It is truly a blessing for the people of Yangzhou to have met such an upright official as you."

He hosted the banquet today hoping to reach some tacit exchange with Xue Huai. As long as the situation remains under control, he will not deliberately put on airs as a superior.

When that time really came, Xu Guanlan thought that his official title as Salt Commissioner might not be enough to keep this junior with such a powerful background in check.

Therefore, he could only observe calmly and then cater to their preferences, and would not break off relations unless absolutely necessary.

"You flatter me too much."

Xue Huai was as clear-headed as a mirror. Thanks to the dossier that Tan Mingguang had sent yesterday, he had read it all night and gained a very deep understanding of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office and Xu Guanlan in front of him.

This government office is by no means a clean and honest place; on the contrary, it is full of loopholes and flaws, and any censor could dig up a lot of evidence of crimes.

However, in recent years, the salt administration has been a taboo subject from top to bottom because it can provide the court with a large amount of salt tax. In addition to the fixed annual income, each time a new salt deposit is added by a major salt transport agency, a huge sum of money is sent to the court to alleviate the court's financial difficulties.

Xu Guanlan was not an honest official either. The entire Xu clan benefited from him, but there were very few impeachments against him in the court because he had the ability to extract large sums of money from the salt merchants.

He was a capable minister in the eyes of the emperor and the chief minister.

So even though Xue Huai gathered evidence of illegal activities by local powerful families through his inspections, Xu Guanlan remained calm. In his view, these things were really nothing. Every family has a few unworthy descendants, so why make a big fuss about them?
Xu Guanlan looked at Xue Huai's calm face and smiled, "How could that be an overstatement? Prefect Tan is mature and prudent, but he lacks vigor and is inevitably hesitant. Now your arrival makes up for his shortcomings, and it can be called a perfect match. With two people in charge of Yangzhou, the government will surely be efficient and the people will live in peace and prosperity."

Given his rank of third grade, such a comment was naturally not presumptuous. Xue Huai bowed slightly, avoiding accepting Xu Guanlan's praise, and said only, "Your Excellency is learned and benevolent, and I am merely doing some menial tasks and filling in gaps under his protection. The ills of Yangzhou did not arise overnight. To truly achieve peace and prosperity, as Yuntai said, we need unity from top to bottom and a gradual approach."

"Step by step..."

Xu Guanlan gently stroked the teacup, the blue-and-white porcelain lid making a very slight clinking sound against the rim of the cup, which was particularly clear in the quiet hall.

His gaze fell on Xue Huai's face, and he said calmly, "Prefect Xue is well-versed in the ways of governance. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; you can't rush it. The same applies to the salt administration. If you are not careful, the price of salt will fluctuate, making it difficult for merchants. Salt producers will flee, making it difficult to collect taxes. It's like pulling one thread and affecting the whole body."

Xue Huai remained composed, picked up the white jade porcelain cup in front of him, took a small sip, and then said, "What Yuntai said is absolutely right. The salt customs are crucial to the national economy and people's livelihood, affecting the livelihoods of millions of salt workers, and are a pillar of tax revenue in Jiangnan, just like the granaries of Jiangdu, the Yizhen dike project, and even the affairs of Xinghua—"

He paused slightly, revealing a hint of helplessness at just the right moment, "This is not what I wished for, but the situation forced me to do it. At its core, it is nothing more than some unscrupulous people who are blinded by greed, who have broken the rules and hurt the people's hearts. If we do not deal with them in time, they may backfire and affect the integrity of the government within our territory. As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dike is breached by an ant hole. If one day we alarm the court and it conducts a thorough investigation, I am afraid that would be inappropriate."

A glint of light flashed in Xu Guanlan's eyes, which quickly disappeared before returning to its gentle state.

"Prefect Xue was concerned about the overall situation and had a far-sighted approach to matters."

Following his words, Xu Guanlan sighed slightly and said, "There are many local officials and gentry, and it is inevitable that there are both good and bad ones. Some people take advantage of the government's monopoly to carry out monopolistic exploitation, or even take the opportunity to curry favor with officials for personal gain. The likes of Luo Tong from Xinghua are just the tip of the iceberg. It is a blessing for the local area that Prefect Xue was able to set things right."

Upon hearing this, Xue Huai praised, "Your Excellency is insightful. While people like Luo Tong certainly deserve to die, the local gentry's greed and lack of benevolence should also be thoroughly investigated."

Xu Guanlan smiled faintly, his tone becoming increasingly gentle, as if an elder were earnestly instructing a promising junior: "It is the profit-seeking nature of merchants that makes it common for them to rely on local officials for shortcuts. As long as they operate honestly and pay taxes according to the law, it is not entirely without benefit to the people and the country. While drastic measures can serve as a warning to others, acting too hastily may damage the foundation and cause unrest among the people. For example, with this 'nest recognition' conference approaching, the most important thing is stability. Magistrate Xue, don't you agree?"

Xue Huai sneered inwardly.

Xu Guanlan clearly wanted to downplay the incident and make it disappear, whitewashing the illegal actions of the local powerful families, led by the Liu family, as a "convenient and easy way out," characterizing Xue Huai's inspection tour as a crackdown, and then bringing up the "nest recognition meeting" as a pretext.

Xue Huai did not directly answer yes or no. He looked calmly at the other party and slowly said, "Salt merchants are indeed the foundation of the salt tax of the imperial court. However, in my humble opinion, the law and fairness should not be taken lightly. If all merchants could be like the Shen family of Guangtai, who are law-abiding and benefit the country and the people, then the salt industry and the country would be fortunate."

The relationship between the Xue and Shen families could not be kept secret, let alone by Xu Guanlan, who had been involved in the salt administration for many years.

At this moment, Xue Huai simply brought up the Shen family directly, simply to tell this transport commissioner that while the stability of the salt administration was important, Yangzhou was not only home to four powerful clans.

Xu Guanlan fell silent.

He wasn't afraid of Xue Huai's straightforward nature, but he didn't want to face such a sharp and insidious remark.

Sitting in his position, there are many things he can't say easily, otherwise he'll just be asking for trouble.

Seeing that the other party did not respond, Xue Huai said sincerely, "I have come here for two reasons: first, to listen to the teachings of the Salt Commissioner, and second, to ask the Salt Commissioner for advice on how to handle the salt diversion matter more properly. How can we alleviate the urgent need for national funds while preventing problems from escalating and avoiding the collusion between people like Luo Tong and local powerful figures who would profit from the situation and squander the imperial favor? The Salt Commissioner is the head of the salt affairs and controls the overall situation. With your rich experience, the Salt Commissioner must have insightful opinions. I am new here and would like to hear your detailed advice."

Lou Shizong hadn't said a word from beginning to end, and now his heart sank.

This young Prefect Xue was indeed no ordinary person.

In fact, aside from the vague formalities, the main point of their previous conversation was the word "stability".

Xu Guanlan sought stability; at least until the commune recognition ceremony concluded smoothly, he did not want any major turmoil to occur in the Yangzhou officialdom. Compared to the large sum of money urgently needed by the imperial court, everything else had to take a back seat.

Xue Huai's attitude was very clear: he believed that both aspects should be addressed firmly. He did not deny the importance of the salt administration, but there were countless salt merchants in the country. Did the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office have to close down without the support of a few?

That's why he threw the question back to Xu Guanlan, wanting to ask him about the public and private interests of this transport official.

Lou Shizong slowly picked up his teacup, and soon a clerk quietly entered and whispered a few words in his ear.

Lou Shizong immediately stood up and apologized to Xu Guanlan and Xue Huai, saying, "Lord Yuntai and Lord Xue, there is an important official document in the front office that needs to be verified and archived immediately. I need to leave for a while."

Xu Guanlan nodded slightly: "Official business is important, Vice Envoy Lou, go immediately."

After Lou Shizong left, only Xu Guanlan and Xue Huai remained in the hall, making the atmosphere seem more private.

Xu Guanlan smoothly changed the subject, no longer dwelling on those sharp points, as if forgetting Xue Huai's earlier question: "As expected of Xue Wensu, Xue Tongzhi is a descendant of the same lineage, and his impartiality is passed down through generations. Xue was a famous minister of his generation, known for his integrity and uprightness. I had long admired his name when I was in Zhejiang. It is a pity that he was so talented, which is truly regrettable."

Xue Huai knew why Xu Guanlan wanted to change the subject; it was simply because he had touched on the core of today's banquet, and the other party was unwilling to reveal his hand so early.

Thinking of this, a hint of remembrance and respect appeared in his eyes, and he sighed, "I lost my father at a young age and was unable to enjoy his company, which is a lifelong regret. I only wish to uphold my late father's wishes with my humble self and live up to the trust placed in me by the court."

Xu Guanlan knew that what followed was not a good thing, so he could only ask, "What were Lord Xue's last wishes?"

Xue Huai's tone remained calm as he looked directly into Xu Guanlan's eyes, his sharp edge revealing itself unintentionally: "My late father's entire life revolved around the four words 'the suffering of the common people.'"

Those seemingly ordinary four words were like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Xu Guanlan's heart.

(End of this chapter)