Prime Minister

Chapter 161, Page 160: [Heaven's Justice is Profound]

The atmosphere inside the Tongzhi Hall was extremely somber.

Those clerks had various connections with the local powerful families of Yangzhou, and their backgrounds were not exactly clean, so Liu Rang gained their support as soon as he opened his mouth.

The group came to resign for two reasons: first, to put pressure on Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang; and second, to take the opportunity to leave the government office and avoid being caught by Xue Huai.

However, they did not expect Xue Huai's response to be so decisive and ruthless.

Seeing Qi Qingshi and his men blocking their way, the group of clerks felt both absurd and horrified.

Liu Rang gestured for the others not to panic, then looked coldly at Xue Huai and said, "Lord Xue, what do you intend to do?"

"Wasn't what we, the official, said clear enough?"

Xue Huai said calmly, "Prefect Liu, Magistrate Zheng, and everyone present, I have received more than seventy secret letters in the past few months, all of which are accusations against you for your various illegal acts. Even if you do not resign today, I will initiate an investigation into you."

"Your Excellency is mistaken!"

Liu Rang said in a deep voice, "As the Vice Prefect of Yangzhou, I am a proper official appointed by the imperial court. All matters concerning my departure, retention, and accountability are decided by the Ministry of Personnel of the imperial court. Although you are my superior, you have no right to detain and interrogate me and others!"

Zheng Xuan immediately chimed in, "That's right, Lord Xue has no right to do this! If you insist on going your own way, we will definitely impeach you for abusing your power and overstepping your bounds!"

The others also realized that, "That's right, no matter how powerful Xue Huai's background is, he still has to act according to the rules of the imperial court. Do you really think he can control everything in Yangzhou?"

"Liu Tongpan is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Xue Huai remained calm and said, "I have never said that I would detain you. I only ask that you stay in the government office for the time being and cooperate with some simple questions."

"I'm sorry, but I obey!"

Liu Rangqiang suppressed his anger and said, word by word, "Lord Xue, since you took office, I have always treated you with the utmost respect, but that is not the reason for your reckless behavior!"

"respect?"

Xue Huai narrowed his eyes slightly, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Does the respect that Prefect Liu speaks of mean that when I first arrived in Yangzhou, you ordered courtesans to seduce me with their beauty? Or does it mean that because I did not collude with you, you found dozens of difficult official tasks to try to overwhelm me?"

Liu Rang coldly replied, "This humble servant had no such intention. Lord Xue, if you wish to frame me, you will always find a pretext!"

Xue Huai remained noncommittal, then changed the subject, saying, "Presumably Prefect Liu is already aware of your younger brother Liu Mou's situation. Why are you so indifferent to it, and even want to resign at this time?"

Liu Rang replied without hesitation, “If my younger brother has committed any wrongdoing, Lord Xue can investigate and punish him according to the law. As for me, I should recuse myself from any involvement. May I ask what is wrong with that?”

"It makes sense."

Xue Huai had been waiting for these words, and immediately nodded, saying, "In that case, Prefect Liu must not leave the government office. Liu Mou's misdeeds in recent years are countless. If it weren't for your protection as his elder brother who works in the government office, how could so many aggrieved people have nowhere to turn for help? A small portion of the accusations I have received involve your illegal activities with Liu Mou, so you must stay in the government office to be questioned."

"This is nothing but an excuse for Lord Xue to frame me!"

Now that things had come to this, Liu Rang had no intention of playing along with Xue Huai any longer. He sneered, "Lord Xue, you can continue playing these tricks, but I won't play along anymore! Let's go!"

Zheng Xuan quickly echoed, and the others also mustered their courage, not believing that Xue Huai would really dare to order an attack.

Jiang Sheng looked at Xue Huai. He was more experienced than Qi Qingshi and the others, and knew that these government officials were not bluffing. At least the other party's resignation process was not completed, and he still held an official position.

Even though Xue Huai was their superior, he could not treat them arbitrarily, as this would violate a major taboo in officialdom.

"Step aside!"

Liu Rang stared at Qi Qingshi, who stood in his way like a javelin, and said fiercely, "Detaining an official of the imperial court? Do you want to die?!"

"What's all this commotion about?"

A calm and composed voice came from outside, followed by Tan Mingguang, the prefect of Yangzhou, walking in with measured steps, followed by Huang Xibin and several attendants.

"Your Excellency, you've come at the perfect time!"

Liu Rang took a deep breath, raised his hand and pointed at Xue Huai angrily, saying, "Lord Xue has gone mad!"

"Prefect Liu, be careful what you say!"

Tan Mingguang glanced at the situation and rebuked, "How dare you, a subordinate, be so insolent?"

Upon hearing this, not only Zheng Xuan and the others were stunned, but even Liu Rang showed an expression of disbelief. Since arriving in Yangzhou, the fourth-rank prefect had been extremely obedient to his subordinates, especially Liu Rang, and had never refused his suggestions in public, let alone reprimanded Liu Rang in public like this.

Although Tan Mingguang's attitude had been ambiguous lately, Liu Rang felt that he wouldn't completely side with Xue Huai, but was more likely trying to play both sides. At this moment, he could only suppress his anger, lower his head, and admit his mistake, saying, "This humble servant spoke without thinking, please forgive me, Your Excellency and the Prefect. Your Excellency, we came here today specifically to resign from our posts, but Lord Xue has fabricated charges against us and is actually trying to detain us in the prefectural office. This is a serious violation of the court's rules, please, Your Excellency, do justice for us!"

Tan Mingguang said slowly, "Fabricating charges? Prefect Liu, are you saying that I am in cahoots with Vice Prefect Xue to frame you people?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Liu Rang looked up at Tan Mingguang, his hands trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Tan Mingguang's attitude was very clear: he not only knew that Xue Huai planned to take action against these people, but he was also willing to support Xue Huai in doing so!

Despite his seemingly ineffective position as prefect, if he were willing to side with Xue Huai, the two leaders could indeed decide the fate of the officials under his jurisdiction.

Liu Rang was in a state of utter confusion. He couldn't understand why Tan Mingguang dared to do this. Hadn't he considered that if Shen Wang in the capital lost power and Xue Huai lost his biggest backer, the Jiangsu governor and the Lianghuai salt commissioner would have plenty of ways to deal with Xue Huai, and how would Tan Mingguang handle the situation then?
Isn't he most concerned with protecting himself? Why is he so resolute now?

Liu Rang still refused to give up the struggle, and he said with some difficulty, "Your Excellency, this is against the rules."

"What rules?"

Tan Mingguang said in a deep voice, "As the Prefect of Yangzhou, I have sufficient evidence to accuse you of corruption, bribery, and collusion to obstruct the investigation! Therefore, I hereby suspend you from your duties immediately, and Assistant Prefect Xue will conduct a preliminary interrogation of you. If you can explain yourselves clearly and clear yourselves of the suspicion, you may leave. If you cannot explain yourselves clearly, then I will have to trouble you to stay in the prefectural office for a while longer!"

"Fu Zun!"

Liu Rang raised his voice, almost ferociously, and said, "Even if you have the right to conduct preliminary questioning of us, you have no right to restrict our personal freedom. This is an abuse of power! Do you think the court will allow you to act recklessly like this? Your Excellency has worked hard for thirty years to reach your current position. Don't be fooled. One wrong step could lead to eternal regret!"

"Liu Rang!"

Tan Mingguang shouted sharply, staring at the officials in front of him, and said in a cold voice: "Over the years, you have manipulated your power and colluded with each other, turning such a prosperous Yangzhou Prefecture into a mess that has angered both gods and men! I have been watching your actions for more than a year and have long wanted to bring you to justice! Now you still dare to act so arrogantly here? Do you really think the law of the land is just a decoration? Today I am telling you clearly, you will not leave this government office!"

"Don't say I executed you without warning; I'll make sure you never even think about it!"

"As early as half a month ago, Magistrate Xue and I jointly submitted a report to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, sending him evidence of the crimes of you corrupt officials!"

"I and Xue Tongzhi have received instructions from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to conduct a preliminary investigation of you. All procedures are reasonable and legal. Even if you take this case to the capital, I will not be afraid in the slightest!"

Perhaps because he had been holding back for too long, Tan Mingguang's sharp words poured out like a machine gun, leaving Liu Rang and the others stunned on the spot.

"The Provincial Inspector..."

Liu Rang's face turned pale, and he suddenly turned to look at Xue Huai.

His young and handsome face remained calm.

According to the official system of the Great Yan Dynasty, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was in charge of criminal cases and impeachments in a province and had the power to supervise officials at all levels within the province. Officials like Liu Rang and Zheng Xuan had to be dealt with by the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, so there was no problem with the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner authorizing Tan Mingguang and Xue Huai to investigate.

However, in general, the provincial inspector would not easily delegate power, and Tan Mingguang obviously did not have such connections.

Liu Rang recalled the general resume of Shi Daoan, the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, who seemed to have once served as the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Dali Temple!
He suddenly realized that although he couldn't confirm whether Shi Daoan had been Xue Mingzhang's subordinate during his tenure at the Dali Temple, Xue Huai had managed to obtain a warrant from Shi Daoan without anyone noticing, which meant that the two were clearly not just casual acquaintances.

Given Xue Huai's age and experience, it's absolutely impossible for him to have established a deep personal relationship with Shi Daoan. There's only one possibility: this is the network of connections that Xue Mingzhang left him!

It's laughable that he and those behind him kept a close eye on Shen Wang, even sending people to the capital to investigate Shen Wang's every move, without ever considering what kind of person Xue Mingzhang, who had passed away many years ago, was. Even though there weren't many officials who had received favors from him, each of them was an extremely powerful figure.

For example, Wu Changling, the former commander of the Grand Canal, and Shi Daoan, the current provincial inspector of Jiangsu.

"Lord Xue is indeed a man of great skill."

Liu Rang's face was ashen. Xue Huai, with Tan Mingguang's full support and Shi Daoan's authorization, could openly trap them in the government office.

Zheng Xuan and the others looked bewildered, but they managed to stay rational and refrain from doing anything shameful.

"Liu Rang, you have been bullying others in Yangzhou for too long, so long that you have forgotten that it was the imperial court that gave you your official positions. Now I will make you pay the price for your evil deeds over the years."

Xue Huai stepped forward, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd: "That night at the Salt Bureau, I said something to Liu Fu: 'Evil will be punished, it's just the way things are; retribution may be delayed, but it will come.' I'll give you the same to you today. And there's another thing—"

He paused slightly, then his words were sharp as a knife: "Those who prey on the people should be executed!"

(End of this chapter)