Prime Minister

Chapter 154, Page 153: [The Showdown]

Xu Guanlan really wanted to ask Xue Huai a question: What kind of worry does he need to have?

It's true that he was a third-rank salt transport commissioner, but he had no authority over the Yangzhou government. Otherwise, why would he have held a banquet to entertain Xue Huai and gone to great lengths to persuade him with emotion and reason? Why not just let Xue Huai rest for a while?
Whether the Shen family is good or bad has little to do with him; he just wanted to remind Xue Huai that being too upright could lead to trouble.

However, since Xue Huai had already steered the conversation toward him, Xu Guanlan couldn't ignore it, so he smiled slightly and said, "The Shen family's Guangtai Company has always been law-abiding. Even if there are one or two improprieties, I believe they have nothing to do with Shen Bingwen. It must be that the people below are ignorant."

Finally getting to the point.

Xue Huai sneered inwardly and said slowly, "I cannot agree with what you have said, Yuntai."

"Oh?"

Xu Guanlan remained calm and said, "I would like to hear your insightful opinion."

Xue Huai said, "Before leaving the capital, I assisted my master, Lord Shen, in thoroughly investigating the corruption case in the Ministry of Works. Among them was the matter of officials from the Tuntian Division colluding with officials under the Prince of Dai's Mansion to resell official land. I wonder if the Transport Commissioner has heard of this?"

Xu Guanlan felt a chill run down his spine and solemnly replied, "I have heard about it."

Xue Huai continued, "This case is one of the corruption cases within the Ministry of Works. Officials in the Prince of Dai's residence, blinded by greed, embezzled state land without the Prince's knowledge, and were severely punished by His Majesty afterward. Although this matter had nothing to do with His Majesty, His Majesty still punished them by confining them to the Prince's residence for six months. Even princes and nobles cannot escape the crime of failing to manage their subordinates, let alone a mere Shen family. Yuntai, don't you agree?"

This is why Xu Guanlan found Xue Huai difficult to deal with.

This young man comes from a noble family and has appeared before the emperor several times. He is accustomed to the demeanor of officials in the capital and is by no means the kind of young and naive person who has just entered officialdom and can be fooled with just a few words.

At that moment, he could only nod and say, "Prefect Xue is right."

If the other party brings up the Emperor of Great Yan, how can he possibly say no?
Seeing that Xue Huai had made his stance clear, Xu Guanlan simply said frankly, "I know that it has been very difficult for you, Xue Tongzhi, to inspect various places these past two months. There must have been many people trying to trip you up, especially since a peasant uprising almost broke out in Xinghua County. Chen Lun was on official business and passed through Xinghua that day. He originally intended to help you quell the situation, but when he saw the canal troops appear, he did not rashly interfere. I was also worried for you when I found out afterwards."

"The labor union is concerned about us."

Xue Huai said meaningfully, "The situation was tense that day, and I knew of Vice Envoy Chen's whereabouts. He had already left some time ago. When I see Vice Envoy Chen again, I will thank him in person."

Lou Shizong, who was practically invisible to the side, was quite tempted. He could naturally tell that Xue Huai was being sarcastic, and given his intense rivalry with Chen Lun over the past few years, he really didn't want to miss the sight of that guy with a dark expression.

Xu Guanlan glanced at Lou Shizong without showing any emotion, then said to Xue Huai, "This is a trivial matter. You have encountered many obstacles along the way, and although you have resolved them all with composure, it is inevitable that you will have accumulated a lot of resentment and may have caused some misunderstandings. Tonight, I am hosting a banquet for you, firstly to welcome you back, secondly to discuss some matters at the covenant meeting, and thirdly, to help clear up those misunderstandings at the request of others."

Xue Huai asked curiously, "I wonder who has such influence that they could actually get the Yuntai to intervene?"

“You probably haven’t met him, but I believe you’ve heard of him long ago.”

Xu Guanlan smiled gently, then gave a wink to his entourage standing not far away.

The attendant accepted the order and left, and a moment later led a person into the flower hall.

Lou Shizong could clearly sense that when Liu Fu appeared, Xue Huai suddenly exuded a mocking aura.

As Xu Guanlan said, Xue Huai had never met Liu Fu before, but he could recognize the other party's identity at a glance.

Liu Fu stood to the side and behind Xu Guanlan, diagonally opposite Xue Huai. Although he was the head of the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou, he was clearly not given a seat in this setting.

Xu Guanlan's attendants and maids obediently withdrew, leaving only four people in the hall: three sitting and one standing.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Liu Fu bowed to the three men in turn. Xu Guanlan nodded slightly, Lou Shizong smiled, but Xue Huai remained expressionless and did not respond.

Liu Fu was naturally prepared for Xue Huai's attitude. Looking at the young and handsome face of the other party, the old man couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He thought that the high-ranking officials in the central government who left in disappointment must have been deceived by this young man's age, and he had made the same mistake.

Knowing that Xue Huai was skilled in administrative affairs and experienced, he would not have made so many unnecessary arrangements. Not only did he fail to drive the other party out of Yangzhou, but he also gave him a lot of leverage.

It's too late for regrets now. Liu Fu silently composed himself, hoping that Xue Huai would agree today, even if it meant paying a considerable price.

Xu Guanlan took in Xue Huai's reaction and said calmly, "Prefect Xue, this is Liu Fu of the Liu family. There's a humorous saying about the four great families of Yangzhou, and the Liu family is undoubtedly number one. You just mentioned that the Shen family has spared no effort in benefiting their hometown, but in fact, the Liu family is even better in this regard. After all, the Shen family hasn't been around for very long, unlike the Liu family's century-old heritage. The Liu family's contributions to Yangzhou go beyond this. Even the Salt Transport Bureau under my jurisdiction relies on the strong support of the Liu family and other local powerful families in many matters."

Liu Fu said respectfully, "Your Excellency is too kind. I was merely doing my duty and do not deserve such praise."

Seeing that Xue Huai didn't respond, Xu Guanlan smiled and said, "He came to me a couple of days ago, looking stammering and terrified. I asked him several times, but he wouldn't say anything. In the end, he only asked me to introduce him to Xue Tongzhi, saying that he wanted to apologize in person." He looked at Liu Fu and said, "Now that the person in question is here, why don't you explain why you want to apologize?"

Liu Fu lowered his head slightly and said with shame, "My lord, please forgive me. I am getting old now, and I have handed over most of the family business to the younger generation and a few managers. Who would have thought that they would be so ignorant and forget my instructions? In the past two years, they have failed to control their subordinates. I am very uneasy and only ask that you, my lord, be lenient with me."

Xu Guanlan frowned and said, "Is that so? You'd better tell me the truth. What exactly are your mistakes? If it's such an outrageous act, then I can't speak up for you."

"Yes, my lord."

Liu Fu glanced at Xue Huai cautiously, then said, "In order to seize profits, several of our managers secretly colluded with Hu Qing of Yizhen County and Luo, the magistrate of Xinghua County, to bully other merchants and forcibly purchase the people's land at low prices."

"You said you..."

Xu Guanlan shook his head and said, "It's a good thing that I praised the Liu family in front of Xue Tongzhi. Even if you are not energetic now, you should not hand over all the power to those younger generation. They are young and inexperienced. If you are not there to keep an eye on them, they will inevitably be deceived."

Liu Fu bowed and said, "It is all my fault, please forgive me, sir."

Xu Guanlan waved his hand and said, "Your words are useless to me. I am only in charge of salt administration. How can I overstep my authority and interfere in the official business of Yangzhou Prefecture?"

Liu Fu understood immediately and became even more humble, saying to Xue Huai, "Lord Xue, it is truly a misfortune for my family to have such a thing happen to us, and I am ashamed of my ancestors' teachings. I dare not defend them, but I only beg you to give the Liu family a chance, considering how diligently they have served the government for so many years."

Xue Huai remained silent, his gaze fixed on the wine cup in front of him.

Seeing this, Lou Shizong said, "Liu Fu, Lord Xue has always hated evil as if it were his enemy. Since your men have done something wrong, they must pay the corresponding price, and you yourself are also to blame. However, since the matter has already happened, there should still be a chance to make amends. You can't just ask Lord Xue to be lenient with empty words."

"The Vice Envoy is right."

Liu Fu hurriedly said, "The offending shopkeeper deserves to be severely punished by the law, and I have no objection to that. In addition, I have heard that Lord Xue's inspection tour of various places has not only helped the people seek justice but also implemented many measures to benefit the people and promote commerce, such as the Rainbow Bridge in Jiangdu, the Yizhen River works, and the flood control in Xinghua. On behalf of the Liu family, I am willing to help the local government regardless of the cost. In the future, whenever Lord Xue implements any new policies, the Liu family will do its utmost."

Xu Guanlan looked at Xue Huai thoughtfully.

This young man comes from a good family and has connections and powerful backers. The Xue family has been officials for generations and has accumulated considerable wealth. It would be extremely stupid to try to entice him with bribes.

He didn't seek profit, but he certainly sought fame. This was a common problem among officials of the "pure stream" (a term referring to officials who uphold integrity and integrity). Xu Guanlan was confident that he wouldn't be wrong, so he instructed Liu Fu to cater to his desires.

As long as Xue Huai stops here and doesn't massacre the local powerful clans, the Liu family will change their previous ways and give him their full support for his policies.

Liu Fu's visit was not just on behalf of the Liu family. He also had the support of local powerful clans such as Zheng, Wang, Bai, and Ge. With such a strong backing, coupled with the relationship between Xue Huai and the Shen family, he would truly have absolute authority in Yangzhou Prefecture. The officials in the prefecture would definitely not treat him with the same perfunctory attitude they had shown to Tan Mingguang.

In short, Liu Fu is willing to admit defeat. As long as Xue Huai agrees, things will be fine for everyone from now on.

Xu Guanlan said slowly, "Prefect Xue, Liu Fu is quite sincere. In my opinion, why not let him do his best?"

Xue Huai looked up at him, his gaze calm and undisturbed.

"Old Liu is indeed very sincere."

Under the watchful eyes of the other three, Xue Huai reached out and stroked his wine cup, saying softly, "But... it seems you've come to the wrong temple."

Liu Fu was taken aback.

Xu Guanlan asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"

Xue Huai said, "Lord Xu, I am deeply grateful for your high regard for me and for hosting this banquet tonight. Actually, I just wanted to say that this old man Liu should go to Prefect Tan. After all, he is the chief official of this prefecture. Whether it is to plead for him or to make promises, it should be Prefect Tan who makes the decision. When did it become the place of a mere assistant prefect to decide?"

The room fell silent immediately.

Liu Fu secretly thought to himself, "That old mudfish Tan Mingguang never says a word that's true. His Tai Chi skills are superb. What's the point of looking for him?"
Besides, who doesn't know that you, Xue Huai, are the real person in charge of the Yangzhou government these days?

The next moment, Xue Huai stared at Liu Fu and said, word by word, "However, if you insist on getting an explanation from me, I can tell you my attitude."

"Evil will be punished, it is the justice of Heaven."

"It's not that you don't report it, the time has not come."

(End of this chapter)