Prime Minister

Chapter 159, Section 158: [Iron Fist]

Tan Mingguang was not surprised by Xue Huai's confidence. From the first day the young man arrived in Yangzhou, he displayed a maturity and composure beyond his years, which was completely different from the rumored simple and straightforward nature of Lu Zhi.

However, Tan Mingguang could not be as composed as the other party.

Xue Huai is young enough and has a strong background. Even if he suffers a setback in Yangzhou, he can still make a comeback after a period of silence. Tan Mingguang, on the other hand, does not have such confidence.

He had finally managed to become the prefect of Yangzhou at the age of fifty, and once he fell from his post, there would be no chance of him getting back up. Therefore, he had to be extremely cautious.

"Although Liu Mou and Meng Jiang have been brought to justice, and some of the account books of Yutangfeng have been brought back, these alone are probably not enough to shake the foundation of the Liu family."

Tan Mingguang resigned and stopped worrying about the game. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "In the century since the founding of the dynasty, the laws have gradually become more perfect. Although the crime of collective punishment has not been completely abolished, unless it is a serious crime like treason, Liu Mou's case will not implicate the Liu family, and he will not be able to pass the review by the Ministry of Justice in the capital."

"It's natural."

Xue Huai said frankly, "I never thought of relying on a spoiled brat like Liu Mou to deal with the huge Liu family."

"That……"

Tan Mingguang pondered for a moment and said, "Why should we alert the enemy?"

This is a problem he can't figure out right now. Although he hasn't seen the detailed testimonies and evidence provided by the Hu family in Yizhen County and the group in Xinghua County, judging from Xue Huai's behavior over the past few months, the other party must have key evidence in their hands. Otherwise, he wouldn't have directly broken ties with Xu Guanlan at the Salt Bureau.

In that case, why not just take action against the Liu family directly?

At the very least, they should force the other party to hand over some key figures involved in the case, rather than a spoiled brat like Liu Mou who knows nothing.

If the Liu family refuses to budge, the government can take further action.

Xue Huai calmly countered, "Your Excellency, do you think Liu Fu and the others will simply sit and wait to die?"

"Of course not. Not to mention that Liu Fu is shrewd and cunning, even if he really underestimated you, Envoy Xu would not make such a mistake."

Tan Mingguang shook his head and said, "To be honest, I am quite ashamed. When I first took office, I was also full of ambition. However, the powerful clans, led by the Liu family, had been entrenched in this area for decades. Although your father suppressed them and prevented them from causing trouble, they were still like a centipede that dies but does not fall down. They used kinship and interests to form a large network. This network includes village heads and grain chiefs all over the prefecture, as well as small and medium-sized merchants connected to the Huai River region and the north and south of the Yangtze River. They also have powerful backers such as the Salt Commissioner and even the Governor of Jiangsu."

Xue Huai could sense the other party's helplessness and desolation, so he comforted him, saying, "Your Excellency has had a very difficult year."

"Actually, it wasn't that difficult."

Tan Mingguang chuckled self-deprecatingly, then said, “Every day I study classics and history in the back hall of the government office, or practice calligraphy and painting, while a group of subordinates take care of the affairs outside. As long as one is not born with a life of toil, this kind of life is quite leisurely. However… sometimes I think that doing this is ultimately wrong. Since I have become the official in charge of the local people, how can I ignore their suffering?”

Tan Mingguang initially treated Xue Huai and Liu Rang and others in the same way, adopting the attitude of hiding in his own little world and ignoring their rights and wrongs, because he did not believe that Xue Huai really had the ability to clean up the officialdom in Yangzhou.

As time went by, the scales in his heart kept tipping. When Xue Huai decisively resolved the crisis of the peasant uprising in Xinghua County, he knew that he could no longer hesitate. Otherwise, once the dust settled, he, the prefect of Yangzhou, would have no weight in front of Xue Huai.

His previous disclosure of Xu Guanlan and the Salt Transport Bureau's secrets to Xue Huai was a declaration of his stance, and today's confession further clarifies his determination.

Xue Huai understood and said, "Life is inevitably full of ups and downs. If it weren't for the Lord Prefect's unwavering support from beginning to end, I would have been powerless to deal with the complex situation in Yangzhou."

"My dear brother, you are too modest."

Tan Mingguang's expression softened further, and a smile appeared at the corner of his eyes: "I wonder what your next move is, my dear brother?"

"This humble official would like to wait a little longer."

Xue Huai said unhurriedly, "The other side has already made two moves. First, they incited the salt merchants to cause trouble. Second, they deliberately exposed Liu Mou and Yu Tangfeng's weaknesses to us. What do you think they will do next, Your Excellency?"

Tan Mingguang pondered for a moment and said, "Besides creating a false impression to confuse us and secretly dealing with those people and things involved, they will most likely also drag the Qiao family and the Shen family into the mess, so that they can force you to stop."

"Your Excellency is wise."

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Xu Guanlan and Liu Fu want me to become the target of everyone in Yangzhou City, so I will give them that opportunity. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. When they think I am trapped by various difficulties, I will take the central army directly."

He placed the chess piece in his hand onto the board.

At this moment, Tan Mingguang sensed an extremely sharp killing intent emanating from Xue Huai.

Xue Huai's idea seemed simple, but Tan Mingguang knew how many difficulties it contained. The salt merchants gathered outside the government office today were just a test. If Xue Huai insisted on investigating those big salt merchants who preyed on the people and colluded with the government, he would probably face one storm after another.

With this in mind, Tan Mingguang solemnly said, "Brother, go ahead and do it. I will help you withstand the pressure from above."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Xue Huai bowed respectfully, then stood up and said, "This humble official will first go and meet the fourth young master of the Liu family."

"it is good."

Tan Mingguang nodded with pleasure and then instructed, "Brother, since you have made up your mind, why not take this opportunity to formally announce to the elders of Yangzhou that the government will thoroughly investigate all the illegal activities of the local powerful families?"

"That is exactly what I was thinking."

Xue Huai smiled and agreed, then turned and strode away.

A moment later, in the main hall of the government office. Xue Huaigao sat behind his desk, with Jiang Sheng standing to his right, and Hao Shifang, a clerk from the Department of Criminal Justice, and a scribe responsible for recording things to his left. The two rows of yamen runners below the hall were his subordinates whom he had personally led on inspections of various places over the past few months.

Liu Mou was brought to the court. He saw the bailiffs standing on their long sticks, looking menacing, but he remained fearless.

As Liu Fu's most favored youngest son, Liu Mou was a veritable tyrant in Yangzhou. Even though he knew that Xue Huai was not an incompetent official like Prefect Tan Mingguang, he still did not believe that the other party could do anything to him.

"boom!"

Xue Huai slammed his gavel and solemnly asked, "Who is there in the hall?"

Liu Mou reluctantly knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble subject, Liu Mou, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

Xue Huai said in a deep voice, "Liu Mou, do you know your crime?"

Liu Mouqiang tried to remain calm and said with a stiff neck, "Your Honor, I am a law-abiding citizen and have been staying at home lately. What crime have I committed? I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly and not to believe the false accusations of a petty person."

"Upholding the law and obeying public duty?"

Xue Huai gave a mocking smile, then pulled out a file from the thick stack of documents on the table and said coldly, "Hu Qing, a local gentry from Qingshan Town, Yizhen County, has filed a complaint against you, the fourth young master of the Liu family, for your wicked deeds behind the scenes. Today, I will let you see them clearly!"

Upon hearing the name Hu Qing, Liu Mou was momentarily stunned. He looked at Xue Huai with a slightly bewildered expression, wondering why Hu Qing would report him to the authorities when he and Hu Qing were merely nodding acquaintances.
"In August of the fourteenth year of the Taihe reign, during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival in Yangzhou, you forcibly abducted Xu, the wife of Ding Chen, a merchant in the city, and took her to a painted boat on the Slender West Lake, where you committed acts of rape and humiliation! Unable to bear the humiliation, Xu committed suicide by drowning herself in the lake after you left!"

Xue Huai's voice rang in Liu Mou's ears, and the usually fearless Fourth Young Master Liu stood there dumbfounded.

He kept this extremely secret, with only a few close confidants knowing about it. Even the victim was unaware of his existence. So how did Xue Huai find out?

No... Hu Qing...

Liu Mou suddenly remembered that afterwards he had been drinking with Hu Qing's nephew, Hu Quan, the former clerk of the prefectural government, and had accidentally let slip that he had mentioned it.

The lobby was deathly silent; even the sound of everyone breathing could be clearly heard.

Xue Huai's cold gaze lingered on Liu Mou's face as he continued, "On the ninth day of the fifth month of the sixteenth year of Taihe, due to a casual remark, you secretly instructed more than ten idle thugs in the city to beat Xiao Yun, a scholar from Haimen County, to death! I have already sent men to arrest several of them, and now we have both witnesses and physical evidence!"

The color drained from Liu Mou's face, sweat trickled down his temples, and he stammered, "This humble subject...this humble subject did not..."

"Still dare to deny it?"

Xue Huai said sternly, "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it! You rely on the Liu family's wealth and disregard the laws and regulations of the Kingdom of France! These two cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Now open your eyes and see clearly how many evil deeds you have committed in the past ten years!"

He raised his hand and threw the dossier at Liu Mou's face.

Liu Mou was still in a daze. He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way. Today, he was ordered by Liu Fu to inspect the Yutangfeng headquarters. He happened to encounter the yamen runners causing trouble. Although Jiang Sheng mentioned it, Liu Mou didn't take it seriously.

He's not stupid, so of course he wouldn't get his hands dirty with blood. He always handles his affairs very cleanly, and very few people know about them.

However, at this moment in the courtroom, Xue Huai accurately revealed his past, which made Liu Mou feel as if his heart had fallen into an ice cave.

Ignoring the pain from the blow to his face, he struggled to pick up the file, and after reading it for only a short while, he began to tremble all over.

As Xue Huai said, the dossier clearly recorded most of the evil deeds he had committed over the past ten years.

Xue Huai's expression was cold and stern, but he was quite emotional. He originally thought that the secret Hu Qing was hiding was a clue to the interests of powerful families like the Liu family. He never expected that Hu Qing had actually secretly collected a lot of evidence of the illegal activities of playboys like Liu Mou.

At this moment, he suppressed his surging thoughts and solemnly said, "Liu Mou, your crimes are heinous and intolerable to the world. I hereby, in accordance with the Great Yan Law, strip you of your brocade robes, put you in shackles and chains, and immediately throw you into the death row of the Yangzhou government office under strict supervision! Once I have verified all your crimes, I will submit a report to the emperor! There will be no leniency whatsoever!"

"Your Excellency!"

Liu Mou cried out in panic, and two burly yamen runners rushed forward like tigers released from their cages. One grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the ground, while the other roughly ripped off his luxurious brocade robes on the spot.

"Ah! You dare! I am the fourth young master of the Liu family!"

Liu Mou let out a shrill scream.

"Shut up!"

The constable who arrested him slapped him hard across the face and skillfully tied his hands behind his back.

The once arrogant young master Liu Si, who used to roam freely in Yangzhou, is now as pathetic as a rooster that has been stripped of its feathers.

He was slapped so hard by the bailiffs that his vision was filled with stars. Even though his eyes were filled with venomous resentment, he finally dared not struggle or howl anymore.

Xue Huai watched this scene indifferently, then said coldly, "Take him away!"

"Here!"

The constables quickly agreed, and then the two dragged Liu Mou to the death row of the government office.

The court hearing came to an end. Xue Huai slowly stood up, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the minor official who was leaving in a hurry outside the hall. He couldn't help but smile coldly.

(End of this chapter)