Prime Minister

Chapter 156, Section 155: [Lonely and Lofty Like the Clouds and Moon]

A deathly silence spread through the flower hall, and a heavy atmosphere pressed down on everyone's chest.

"Snapped!"

A sharp crack suddenly broke the silence.

Xu Guanlan slammed the white jade wine cup in his hand to the ground, shattering it into pieces instantly. The wine mixed with the fragments splashed onto the corner of his expensive official boots and robe.

The salt commissioner, who was always particular about his dignity, had a face ashen. His usually gentle and composed eyes were now churning with anger at being thoroughly offended and a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.

"Shuzi!"

He squeezed out two words through clenched teeth, his voice sounding suppressed and distorted.

Liu Fu noticed Xu Guanlan's unusual loss of composure and a deep sense of fear quickly rose in his heart. He immediately dared not be careless and bowed, saying, "Minister Yun, please calm down! It is my incompetence that has caused you to suffer this humiliation!"

Xu Guanlan looked at the old man's hunched back and felt a surge of anger rise in his heart, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Seeing this, Lou Shizong stepped forward with a trembling voice, "Minister Yun, this young Lord Xue is so forceful, I'm afraid what will happen next..."

Xu Guanlan slowly closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

Xue Huai's sarcastic remark, "difficult to attain high office," gnawed at his reason like a venomous snake.

Tonight, he set aside his pride and took the initiative to show goodwill to Xue Huai, all for the sake of the reunification ceremony, for his own political achievements, and to give the emperor and the chief minister in the capital a satisfactory explanation so that he could have a chance to return to the central government.

The position of Minister of Revenue was his long-cherished wish after thirty years of ups and downs in his official career. Now he was only two steps away, but a junior who was not yet twenty years old created obstacles for him. How could he remain calm?

Lou Shizong and Liu Fu dared not utter a sound. They were very familiar with Xu Guanlan's temperament and knew that the envoy was on the verge of exploding. Neither of them dared to provoke him.

After a long while, Xu Guanlan opened his eyes again. The ferocious anger seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a chilling coldness. His voice was also low and sharp: "It seems that Xue Huai really has no intention of leaving any room for maneuver. Since he insists on overturning the table, then don't blame me for being unjust. Liu Fu."

Liu Fu stood with his hands at his sides, his posture even more humble than before, completely lacking the composure of the head of the four prominent families of Yangzhou. He hurriedly replied, "This humble servant is here!"

Xu Guanlan stood up, walked to the window, looked at the heavy night outside, and slowly said, "You and Zheng Boyan, Bai Xiu, Ge Huaicheng and the others should make things clear. I will give you three days to clean up all the dirty clues. Anyone who is involved with the evidence in Xue Huai's hands, if you can deal with them, shut them up forever. If it is really inconvenient to deal with them, you can send them directly to the Salt Transport Office. This is a place where Xue Huai cannot interfere."

"Yes, I understand."

Liu Fu was somewhat puzzled. The nest-recognition ceremony was only two days away. Xu Guanlan's arrangement was certainly an important matter at the moment, but wasn't he afraid that it would affect the ceremony?

Despite his confusion, Liu Fu ultimately dared not raise the question directly.

"Secondly, Tan Mingguang should have already sided with Xue Huai. This old mudfish is probably fantasizing about an old tree blossoming again. Otherwise, Xue Huai wouldn't know so much about the salt administration, and it's no wonder he was so tough tonight."

Xu Guanlan paused slightly, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his face: "How much can a prefect with only a title help him? Xue Huai's biggest reliance right now, besides the Shen family, is the local officials he's gathered together over the past few months. Now you must mobilize all available resources to sever Xue Huai's unreliable connections. For example, Wang Gui, go tell Wang Shilin that if he still wants to keep his current salt permit quota, he should abandon his petty ambitions of waiting on the sidelines, otherwise I will make him return all the wealth he's accumulated over the years."

Liu Fu naturally had no objection to this. He had also been quite dissatisfied with the Wang family recently, and immediately replied, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I guarantee I will handle it properly."

Xu Guanlan stared at him, his tone revealing a hint of murderous intent: "Aside from people like Wang Gui, for the other officials who are determined to follow Xue Huai, such as Zhang Shikongli, you need to find something to hold against their relatives. You don't need them to openly stand against Xue Huai, just keep them silent from now on."

Liu Fu felt a sense of difficulty, but he also knew that this was a critical moment and there was no room for carelessness. He lowered his head and replied, "Yes!"

"Thirdly, I don't believe the Shen family is really so clean. Even if the Shen family is virtuous and upright, we should make them too busy to even look after themselves!"

Xu Guanlan turned to look at Liu Fu and said in a deep voice, "You've been going in the wrong direction from the very beginning. Xue Huai's background, resume, and reputation are almost impeccable. How foolish of you to ignore the behemoth that is the Shen family and focus on finding Xue Huai's flaws? The Shen family is so large and powerful that it's impossible for them to be without flaws. Since Xue Huai wants to thoroughly investigate the local officials and gentry, then drag the Shen family into it and see how he makes a fair judgment!"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Liu Fu promptly offered a sincere compliment, then said, "The Shen family has been secretly providing Xue Huai with a lot of assistance. As a result, I'm afraid they will be too busy to even take care of themselves."

"Humph."

Xu Guanlan looked displeased. If these local tycoons were a little smarter, why would he need to personally intervene?

Considering Liu Fu's advanced age and respectful demeanor, Xu Guanlan did not embarrass him too much, and said quietly, "As for this last point... since Xue Huai insists on interfering in the salt administration, I will give him a chance."

These words filled the other two with doubt. Xue Huai was clearly going to thoroughly investigate the salt merchants of Lianghuai, so why was Xu Guanlan still giving him this opportunity?
"Xue Huai had only dealt with some small fry before. Even the most influential Hu family in Yizhen County was just a nobody."

Xu Guanlan's face darkened as he looked to the side and said, "Lou Shizong, tomorrow morning you should release the news that this year's salt certificate recognition ceremony will be postponed by seven days. As for the reason... Magistrate Xue of Yangzhou has many complaints about the current salt certificate system and strongly disagrees with this salt certificate recognition ceremony. Although the Magistrate of Yangzhou has no right to interfere in salt administration, Magistrate Xue is, after all, the son of Lord Xue, and has deep connections in the court. He is also the most favored disciple of the Grand Minister of Works. The Salt Transport Bureau has to carefully consider his opinion. Therefore, the salt certificate recognition ceremony can only be postponed."

Lou Shizong instantly realized that Xu Guanlan was trying to completely push Xue Huai to the opposite side of the Lianghuai salt merchants!
Liu Fu reacted quickly. He knew that Xu Guanlan was quite dissatisfied with him, so he immediately tried to make amends: "Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, we might as well spread the word that Xue Tongzhi intends to fully support the Shen family, using the blood and flesh of the Lianghuai salt merchants to nourish the Shen family's wealth!"

Xu Guanlan returned to the main seat, picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright."

Liu Fu felt much more at ease. Lou Shizong sighed inwardly, thinking how cunning Shangguan's series of schemes were. First, he cut off Xue Huai's foundation and connections, then he rendered the evidence he had useless, then he dragged the Shen family into the mire, and finally, postponing the reclamation ceremony further fueled the anger of the Lianghuai salt merchants, turning all their resistance into hostility and counterattack against Xue Huai.

Although Xue Huai's previous performance had amazed Lou Shizong, he was clear about his own position and would not have any inexplicable thoughts. He also said, "Please rest assured, Governor, I will do my job perfectly and will not let Xue Tongzhi find any flaws."

Xu Guanlan slowly sat down, showing no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, he seemed to have become several years younger. He looked at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "If you drag me down and ruin my important business, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

The two quickly expressed their agreement and made their promises.

"Just get down."

Xu Guanlan waved his hand, and Lou Shizong and Liu Fu, as if granted a pardon, immediately bowed and took their leave.

The heavy hall door closed slowly, isolating the sounds from inside and outside.

Xu Guanlan looked at the extremely lavish yet suddenly desolate feast on the table and muttered to himself, "I'd like to see just how capable you really are."

……

Only after leaving the heavily guarded Salt Transport Office, which resembled a military stronghold, did Jiang Sheng and the others' tense expressions ease slightly.

Although the Salt Transport Office was an official government agency and wouldn't be capable of such outrageous behavior, they had followed Xue Huai all the way and knew how tense the situation was in Yangzhou. They had even considered rushing into the flower hall earlier, but fortunately, Xue Huai came out safely in the end.

The city of Yangzhou in the night has a hazy beauty as the five riders travel north at a leisurely pace.

They passed through the grand and imposing gates of the government office and continued westward toward the residence of the Assistant Magistrate.

Jiang Sheng suddenly yanked on the reins, looked sharply ahead, and asked, "Who goes there!"

"Do not be nervous."

Xue Huai's slightly tired voice rang out. He looked at the carriage parked in the corner, dismounted, and walked forward. Jiang Sheng and the other four quickly followed and closely protected Xue Huai's side.

At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped down from the carriage.

Xue Huai had naturally met Shen Bingwen when he was young, and he had also met him once in the capital seven years ago when Xue Mingzhang passed away, but he was an outsider after all, and some of his impressions were not clear.

Seeing the middle-aged man's refined features in the moonlight, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, perhaps due to the subtle influence of his parents, or perhaps because of Shen Qingluan.

Shen Bingwen looked at Xue Huai with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Uncle Shi."

Xue Huai quickly stopped him, saying earnestly, "I should have gone to Shen Garden to pay my respects, but as soon as I returned to the city, I was harassed by people. Please forgive me, Uncle."

"It seems tonight's trip didn't go very well?"

Shen Bingwen did not continue with the pleasantries. Since he had waited here, he naturally knew where Xue Huai had gone and who he had met tonight.

Xue Huai nodded slightly, then said, "Please come inside and discuss this further, Uncle."

Shen Bingwen readily agreed.

This conversation lasted for more than an hour.

As Shen Bingwen was about to leave, Xue Huai said apologetically, "Uncle, once I'm done with this busy period, I will definitely visit Shen Garden in person."

"Nephew, have you made up your mind?"

Looking into Xue Huai's eyes, Shen Bingwen solemnly reminded him, "Although we have just figured out the general plan, Xu Guanlan has been in charge of the Lianghuai Salt Administration for many years, and local powerful families such as Liu and Zheng have many powerful backers. Once this step is taken, there is no turning back."

"Uncle, I dare to ask—"

Xue Huai's eyes shone brightly like stars as he smiled and said, "If your late father were standing in front of you right now, would you still ask this question?"

Shen Bingwen was slightly taken aback, then said with great satisfaction, "Very well, since you have made up your mind, the Shen family will stand with you through thick and thin!"

"Thank you, Uncle."

Xue Huai escorted Shen Bingwen to the gate of the official residence and watched the carriage disappear into the night.

He looked up and saw a bright moon hanging high in the sky, its light shining down on the world.

(End of this chapter)