Prime Minister

Chapter 169, Section 168: [Gathering]

The government office gates were wide open, and dozens of armed guards filed out, their menacing aura soaring into the sky.

The dozens of wealthy men below showed no intention of retreating.

Eight days ago, they came here to see Xue Huai, but Xue Huai shut them down with a few words. They also witnessed the government officials arresting Liu Mou, so they were frightened and scattered.

However, as time went by, the reclamation ceremony was nowhere in sight, and the time to repay the money they had borrowed was fast approaching. If they did not receive the salt permits as a discount, they would have to use their ancestral property and assets to settle the debt.

For these small and medium-sized salt merchants, their ancestral property and business were the foundation upon which their entire family depended for survival. They could not afford to lose these things, so even if Xue Huai was a fierce and ruthless man, they had to demand an explanation today.

Under the solemn gaze of the crowd, Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang stepped forward together, followed by a group of officials and attendants.

The two stood at the edge of the steps, and Tan Mingguang spoke first: "What are your requests for gathering here today?"

"Greetings, Your Excellency and Your Excellency."

The wealthy gentry had not yet lost their minds. After exchanging greetings, one of them said impatiently, "Lord Xue, we beg you to give us a way to live!"

"Please have mercy, sir!"

"Lord Xue, please have mercy and save us!"

"The entire city of Yangzhou is in a state of panic right now, and a large number of businesses have closed down today. If this continues, there will be a major upheaval!"

These people did not take any extreme actions, and their words were extremely sincere. However, even Jiang Sheng could see that if Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang could not give a reasonable response later, the wealthy people's earnest pleas would turn into a raging fire of despair.

Tan Mingguang gave Xue Huai a wink, signaling him to step in and appease him.

Xue Huai did not refuse for long. He stepped forward and looked at the crowd, saying, "Please calm down, everyone. With so many people and so many opinions, I really can't understand the reason. Could someone step forward to speak on our behalf?"

This demand was reasonable, and the wealthy merchants quieted down for the time being. A salt merchant named Xu Deshun stepped forward and said, "Lord Xue, we are all law-abiding salt merchants from this area. When we learned that the Salt Transport Office was going to hold a salt distribution meeting, we almost emptied our pockets and borrowed money to apply for salt permits. Who knew that the meeting would be held indefinitely and the ownership of the salt permits would be delayed for so long? The IOUs we signed to raise money can't wait any longer. This is going to kill us!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and finally burst into tears, saying, "Does Your Excellency really intend to watch our ancestral property, spanning dozens of families, vanish into nothingness, with wives and children torn apart and families destroyed?"

Xue Huai glanced at everyone and frowned slightly, saying, "I understand. You don't have enough cash on hand, so you borrowed money from your ancestral property to apply for salt permits. Now the Salt Transport Office's reclamation meeting has been postponed again and again, and the salt permits are nowhere to be seen. You are now facing the predicament of your borrowed money coming due."

"Your Excellency's insight is truly remarkable!"

Xu Deshun said with a worried expression, "This humble subject is not ignorant of etiquette, and knows that the Salt Recognition Conference is managed by the Salt Transport Bureau and has nothing to do with Your Excellency or the Prefect. However, the Salt Transport Bureau has already stated that it is because Lord Xue interfered in the salt administration and mistreated the salt merchants that this year's Salt Recognition Conference could not be held smoothly. This humble subject humbly begs Lord Xue to show leniency and allow us to overcome this difficulty. I will never forget your great kindness!"

"Please, Lord Xue, show mercy! We will never forget your great kindness!"

Dozens of people pleaded in unison, creating a rather impressive scene.

Xue Huai raised his hand and said calmly, "If these words of yours were to spread, the court would think that I, Xue Huai, have overstepped my authority and acted recklessly. But you should know what the actual situation is."

This short sentence made the salt merchants look embarrassed and uneasy.

They were well aware, of course, that Xue Huai had not actually interfered with the salt administration; he was merely investigating illegal activities by officials and gentry within the scope of his authority, and it just so happened that those few large salt merchants were among them.

In other words, they were the tools used by the Salt Transport Bureau and those major salt merchants to deal with Xue Huai, but what good is knowing all this?

Ultimately, it was beyond their control.

"Enough, there's no point in saying more. I know you have no intention of causing trouble."

Xue Huai shook his head and said loudly, "I ask you one more question: Is the fact that so many businesses in Yangzhou are closed today related to you?"

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Xue Huai couldn't help but let out two cold laughs.

Xu Deshun could only say with shame, "Lord Xue, I have no choice but to close down all my branches to minimize the losses. We are about to lose our ancestral business."

The others echoed his sentiments.

"I understand your difficulties."

Seeing the complex expressions of guilt and sorrow on most of the salt merchants' faces, Xue Huai changed the subject, saying, "Just now, the Prefect and I discussed the matter. Given the current panic and difficult situation in the city, we decided to invite prominent figures from Yangzhou's business community to gather at Yingyuan Garden to discuss how to resolve the current problems. Since you are here, I don't need to send anyone to inform you."

When these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in surprise.

They originally thought there were only two possible outcomes today: either Xue Huai would maintain his tough stance and continue to thoroughly investigate the illegal activities of the local powerful families, without caring about their lives or deaths.

Secondly, in order to maintain stability in Yangzhou and ensure that the lives of the people were not affected, Xue Huai took a step back and temporarily stopped the investigation of the major clans. In this way, the merchants could resume business and the clan recognition ceremony could be held as soon as possible, which would be a win-win situation for everyone.

They never expected that Xue Huai would once again take an unconventional approach, actually bringing together the best of Yangzhou's business community.

The film studio? That's the Liu family's property.

Could it be that this young magistrate has finally succumbed to pressure from all sides and is about to make peace with the powerful Liu family?
Regardless of their thoughts, Xue Huai had already pointed out a path, and they had no choice but to accept it; they couldn't continue to stubbornly resist outside the government office.

Led by several clerks, dozens of salt merchants left the government office and headed east.

At this moment, Tan Mingguang's advisor, Huang Xibin, rushed over and reported, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, the matter with Yingyuan has been settled. In addition, as arranged by Your Excellency, I have already sent invitations to various prominent families in the area, inviting them to gather at Yingyuan."

Tan Mingguang asked with great interest, "The Film Studio didn't refuse?"

Huang Xibin glanced cautiously at Xue Huai beside him and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, although Yingyuan is the property of the Liu family, it has always been open to the public. Even if they had the audacity, they would not dare to openly refuse the government's request."

Tan Mingguang smiled, then turned to Xue Huai and said, "Brother, please?"

"Please, Your Excellency."

Xue Huai stepped aside to let him pass, and as he turned around, he gave the man in his thirties a look, which the man understood and nodded in agreement.

The film studio is not far from the government office; it can be reached by crossing two streets.

Xue Huai chose this location for two reasons: firstly, the Shadow Garden has a spacious hall that can accommodate one or two hundred people without feeling crowded; secondly, the Shadow Garden is one of the Liu family's properties, and this location might lead some people to make the wrong judgment, such as Xue Huai intending to settle things peacefully.

As expected, prominent figures in the Lianghuai business community, such as Zheng Boyan, Bai Xiu, Ge Huaicheng, Wang Shilin, and Huang Dezhong, arrived one after another. On the surface, they were extremely respectful to Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang, as if the actions of those salt merchants gathering outside the government office had nothing to do with them, and the strike by merchants in Yangzhou was not their arrangement.

The fact that Qiao Wangshan, who always kept to himself, appeared at Ying Shan Hall caused Zheng Boyan and the others to frown slightly.

Ever since the Qiao family and the Liu family broke ties, Qiao Wangshan has never been kind to Liu Fu or even Zheng Boyan and others, and they have clashed with each other in private.

"This humble subject, Qiao Wangshan, pays his respects to Your Excellency and Your Excellency."

Qiao Wangshan wore a respectful smile on his old face, and his body was clearly still very healthy.

Tan Mingguang smiled and said, "Uncle Qiao, there's no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."

Qiao Wangshan accepted the order and didn't glance at Zheng Boyan and the others once.

Behind him appeared a man in his thirties. He quickly approached Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang and said respectfully, "This humble citizen, Liu Xu, pays his respects to you two gentlemen. My father is unable to go out due to illness, and I hope you will forgive him."

Although the Shadow Garden was owned by the Liu family, and Xue Huai was unlikely to make a big fuss on such an occasion, Liu Fu still did not want to take any risks and only sent his third son, Liu Xu, who was in charge of managing various businesses in the family, to attend the meeting.

Xue Huai looked up and saw that Liu Fu's sons were all different. The eldest son, Liu Rang, always put on airs and made a show of himself, while the youngest son, Liu Mou, was a typical playboy. The Liu Xu in front of him, on the other hand, seemed like a well-rounded and easygoing merchant.

I've heard that Liu Fu's second son, Liu Yi, is a ruthless character who lives on the edge of a knife; I must be careful and not let him get away.

Xue Huai suppressed his thoughts and said calmly, "Young Master Liu, please take a seat as well."

"Thank you, sir."

Liu Xu bowed respectfully and then walked to his seat, flanked by Qiao Wangshan and Zheng Boyan.

About an incense stick later, the Ying Shan Hall was filled with wealthy merchants. Of the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou, only two were absent: Liu Fu and Shen Bingwen.

Needless to say, the former is still imprisoned in the Salt Transport Office, so naturally no one from the Shen family came.

Tan Mingguang coughed lightly, and the hall gradually quieted down. He said gently, "I received an urgent report early this morning that nearly half of the shops in the city are closed, and the people are talking about it. Various rumors are rampant. This situation cannot continue for too long, otherwise the city will inevitably descend into chaos. Therefore, I have invited you gentlemen here mainly to ask why this has happened."

No one answered.

Zheng Boyan, Liu Xu, and the others kept their eyes down and remained silent in response to Tan Mingguang's question.

This is clearly a silent protest.

Qiao Wangshan sat calmly on the ground. This matter had nothing to do with the Qiao family. All of the Qiao family's shops were operating normally today, and because many of their competitors were closed, their business was much better than usual.

However, he knew in his heart that Tan Mingguang's concerns were reasonable. If this situation continued, it would inevitably cause prices in the city to soar and frequent disturbances in the streets.

Seeing that no one answered, Tan Mingguang called out, "Old Zheng, why is your shop closed for no reason?"

"What's wrong with you?"

A look of grief and indignation appeared in Zheng Boyan's eyes as he stared intently at Xue Huai and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, my son Zheng Xuan has been detained in the government office without any reason, and there is still no clear explanation. The children in my family are in a state of fear and anxiety, and how can they have the mind to run the business!"

"This humble citizen dares not question the government's decision, but at least has the right to make arrangements for his own business. Since a certain official has made it clear that he is targeting the Zheng family, it's better if the business doesn't open!"

(End of this chapter)