Prime Minister

Chapter 166, 165 [The Reverse Scale]

Outside the Wende Hall in the Imperial City.

"Minister Shen."

Ning Hengzhi looked at Shen Wang with a calm gaze, a hint of envy flashing through his mind.

People often say that he was the most powerful chief minister in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty. Relying on the emperor's favor and trust, his disciples and followers were spread throughout the central government and local areas, and no one dared to refute the name of the Ning Party.

Before he knew it, he was fifty-seven years old, and in three more years he would be sixty. Shen Wang in front of him was only forty-six years old, a full eleven years younger than him, and was just one step away from entering the cabinet.

"Motosuke."

Although there had been a dispute in front of the emperor just now, at Shen Wang's level, his composure had long since reached a state of perfection, and he would not show the slightest coldness on his face.

"How about you accompany this old man on this journey?"

Ning Hengzhi wore a smile and had a warm demeanor.

Shen Wangyi smiled and said, "It is my honor, Your Excellency."

The two walked side by side, with palace eunuchs following at a distance, not daring to approach and disturb them.

The early autumn afternoon sun poured down, casting dappled shadows on the blue bricks of the ground, with only the steady, almost silent sound of footsteps all around.

Ning Hengzhi looked towards the layered glazed tile roofs of the palace in the distance, his tone gentle and composed: "Minister Shen, although we each held our own opinions before the Emperor, we were both thinking of the country and sharing the burdens of the Emperor. His Majesty's wise mind will make the decision. As important ministers assisting the Emperor, we should value harmony and work together wholeheartedly."

Shen Wang tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, and agreed, "What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right, and I wholeheartedly agree. The court should seek common ground while respecting differences. Selecting talents for the country is like nurturing a fine tree; it requires careful protection as well as pruning and straightening. Jing Che may be impetuous in his youth, but his sincerity is evident to all, and the problems he has corrected are not unfounded."

Sincerity is indeed rare.

Ning Hengzhi looked ahead, his voice deep and mellow, and continued, “However, governing a country cannot be achieved with mere courage. Yangzhou is a crucial salt and grain transport hub; a single move here can have far-reaching consequences. I’m sure Minister Shen understands this principle better than I do. The salt permit system is vital to the court’s finances and is also linked to the provisions for the nine border regions and the relief efforts for river works. A salt requisition meeting has dragged on for so long that morale is low and the government is struggling to manage the situation. Can the whole situation be summed up with just the word ‘bad’?”

Shen Wang understood the Grand Secretary's intentions.

On the surface, Ning Hengzhi still wanted him to persuade Xue Huai to temporarily stop investigating the local powerful families in Yangzhou so that the Salt Transport Office could hold a meeting to identify their ancestral homes as soon as possible. In reality, he was just testing Shen Wang's attitude in order to deduce the contents of Xue Huai's secret report.

Shen Wang's smile remained unchanged, and his calm tone still contained strength as he slowly said, "Prime Minister, the salt administration's long-standing problems are indeed like a chronic illness. Treating it with strong medicine might damage its vitality. However, if we are afraid of disturbing the fish in the pond, we allow the giant crocodiles to occupy the bottom of the water, devouring fish and shrimp and eroding the banks. In time, the pond water will rot and the dikes will collapse. Those affected will not only be the fish in the pond. As for the recognizing the nests meeting... I believe that if we can cleanse the filth and turbidity before the meeting, the salt administration may become clearer and smoother. As the saying goes, the pure will remain pure, and the turbid must be cleansed."

Ning Hengzhi slowed his pace slightly, glancing sideways at Shen Wang, his eyes as deep as an ancient well: "The difficulty in distinguishing between right and wrong lies in how to define it. If the person holding the ruler is too demanding, and many suspect the neighbor of stealing the axe, then fairness will be lost, and innocent people will be harmed. The thoroughfares of commerce are essential for people's livelihood and tax revenue. Once suspicion arises and everyone feels insecure, the trade routes will be blocked and the tax base will be shaken. This is not Xue Huai's fault alone, but a loss that the court will inevitably have to bear."

Shen Wang met Ning Hengzhi's gaze, his expression becoming increasingly frank: "Your Excellency, I am but a humble official, and I believe that the foundation of the imperial tax system should be based on lawful business operations and fair taxation, rather than relying on certain monopolistic and exploitative giants. Allowing those corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants to grow in power is the root cause of the erosion of the imperial tax system's foundation. Didn't Your Excellency and I both see the predicament that Minister Wang was facing in court?"

Ning Hengzhi remained silent for a moment.

Shen Wang's response was measured and flawless, leaving no room for error from beginning to end.

The towering red walls on both sides of the palace road cast heavy shadows under the sunlight, just like Ning Hengzhi's mood at this moment.

When he spoke again, there was a hint of weariness in his voice: "Minister Shen's words are thought-provoking; it seems I was being too attached to appearances."

Shen Wang humbly replied, "You flatter me, Your Excellency."

"You are exceptionally talented and have won His Majesty's favor. It seems that you will soon be able to join the cabinet and assist in governing."

Ning Hengzhi smiled faintly, then earnestly said, "The position of Grand Secretary requires not only the talent to manage the affairs of the world, but also the wisdom to harmonize the affairs of state. His Majesty has high expectations of you. I hope you will keep your distance and not fail His Majesty's grace, nor fail the vast land of this court."

Hearing these words, which were veiled in barbs, Shen Wang showed a hint of gratitude, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Grand Secretary. I will remember it from the bottom of my heart."

As the Grand Secretary, it was not inappropriate for the other party to give him, a junior, such advice in person. As for the three-point admonition in his words, Shen Wang would not lose his composure.

Although Ning Hengzhi held great power, the decision of whether Shen Wang could enter the cabinet ultimately rested with the emperor.

Therefore, Shen Wang had no need to indulge in a moment of verbal sparring.

Watching Shen Wang calmly turn and leave, Ning Hengzhi's smile slowly faded, and a trace of coldness and solemnity flashed deep in his eyes.

He glanced back at the heavily guarded palace, and the gloom in his heart deepened.

Regardless of what Xue Huai wrote in his secret memorial, the fact remains that the emperor's attitude underwent a fundamental change.

"It seems... I need to make plans soon."

The old man muttered to himself as he walked alone.

……

Inside the Imperial Study, Han Qian, the Commander of the Jing'an Division, who had rushed over, bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The emperor sat behind his desk, with Xue Huai's secret memorial still lying in front of him.

"Flat body."

The emperor looked coldly at Han Qian and slowly asked, "How many spies does the Jing'an Division have in Jiangsu?"

Han Qian, with a blank expression, replied meticulously, "Your Majesty, the Jing'an Division has one commander, four clerks, and forty-seven captains within Jiangsu Province, as well as more than two hundred peripheral personnel."

"Nearly three hundred people..."

The emperor's tone was icy as he said, word by word, "I've spent a fortune supporting so many people, yet they're not even as good as Xue Huai, who's only been in Yangzhou for half a year? Is this the job you've done!"

He slammed his hand on the table in anger.

Zeng Min, who was standing nearby, immediately fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Han Qian bowed and said, "I do not know what Your Majesty is referring to. Please allow me to explain."

The emperor picked up the secret memorial and threw it in front of Han Qian, saying in a deep voice, "Read it yourself!"

"The minister obeys the order."

Han Qian picked up the memorial and read it calmly. He saw that Xue Huai first briefly described his experiences and how he dealt with them after arriving in Yangzhou. In the middle section, he began to focus on the people's livelihood and the current situation of salt transport in Yangzhou. Finally, he focused on the collusion between the Salt Transport Office and the big salt merchants of Lianghuai.

Several points are particularly important. First, Xu Guanlan forcibly postponed the salt merchant recognition ceremony in order to protect those unscrupulous salt merchants. Second, the Salt Transport Office, the Grand Canal Administration, and the salt merchants colluded to embezzle the imperial salt tax and line their own pockets.

Han Qian was able to remain calm after seeing this because these things were not actually secrets.

The emperor was not unaware of the greed of those officials and wealthy merchants. The Jing'an Division had submitted secret reports on this matter many times in the past. However, the Lianghuai Salt Transport Division had delivered outstanding results, contributing large sums of silver to the court every year. Therefore, the emperor turned a blind eye. If it were someone else, they might be even more greedy than Xu Guanlan, and their abilities might not even match Xu Guanlan's.

Han Qian's gaze shifted to the last few paragraphs of the letter, and in an instant, he was deeply shaken, finally understanding the reason for the emperor's wrath.

"His Majesty--"

Han Qian had barely opened his mouth when the Emperor interrupted him, saying through gritted teeth, "I don't want to hear your explanation!"

Before his two trusted confidants, Zeng Min and Han Qian, the emperor finally lost some of his aloof and majestic air, and gained a more human touch. His face was ashen as he said, "I just want to know, where did those heartless bastards get such audacity! The thirty salt fields in Lianghuai produce at least five million shi of salt a year, but the Salt Transport Office only reported a quota of three million eight hundred thousand shi last year. Tell me, where did the remaining million shi go!"

Salt permit quotas were directly related to salt taxes. The imperial court determined salt taxes based on these quotas. Selling salt privately without a permit was tantamount to circumventing the imperial court, and the Salt Transport Bureau sold smuggled salt on its own.

Zeng Min was greatly alarmed. If this matter were verified, it would likely be the biggest case in the salt administration of this dynasty.

Han Qian remained silent.

This was indeed a dereliction of duty by the Jing'an Division. The problem was that his subordinates were not gods. How could a mere three hundred people, who were supposed to monitor the entire Jiangsu officialdom, possibly know the secrets of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Division and hundreds of large and small salt merchants and hundreds of thousands of salt producers?
As for why Xue Huai was able to find out these things in less than half a year, firstly, these were just his estimated and calculated data, and secondly, he had the full support of large salt merchants like the Shen and Qiao families, which was something that the subordinates of the Jing'an Division could not match.

In the emperor's fury, Han Qian dared not defend himself and could only bow his head and admit his guilt.

"Did you see what those damned salt merchants were saying?"

The emperor pointed to the secret memorial in Han Qian's hand and said with resentment, "How wealthy Shang is! You cannot compare to him!"

He has never been completely intolerant of corrupt officials. As long as they work diligently and fulfill their duties without ruining the court's plans, he can tolerate them temporarily, such as Xue Minglun and the group of officials in the Ministry of Works.

Corrupt officials can never be completely eliminated. The emperor understood this principle as early as the eleventh year of the Taihe era, but this did not mean that he could tolerate his officials acting with impunity.

Han Qian understood this principle as well, and immediately declared, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Yangzhou immediately, even to the death."

"By the time you arrive in Yangzhou, it will be too late."

The Emperor, barely managing to calm himself, said coldly, "How dare they embezzle my silver like this! I will make them return every single penny. Immediately issue a secret edict to Xue Huai, appointing him as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and granting him special permission to mobilize local manpower from Jing'an Division. In addition, issue another secret edict to Wu Changling, ordering him to cooperate with Xue Huai's actions, and allowing him to mobilize the grain transport troops as needed, without prior approval for any force of less than a thousand men."

Han Qian's heart tightened, and he solemnly replied, "Your subject obeys the decree. Your subject guarantees that the decree will be delivered within five days."

The emperor slowly stood up, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and said, word by word, "Tell Xue Huai that as long as he can handle this task well and find out the truth about the salt case clearly, I will allow him to act as he sees fit."

"Those traitors who have no ruler or father, not a single one shall be spared!"

(End of this chapter)