Prime Minister

Chapter 175, Section 174: [Clearing the Clouds to Reveal the Sun]

The first day of the ninth month in the nineteenth year of the Taihe era.

The Yangzhou Salt and Grain Transport Commissioner's Office, officially established by imperial decree, was headed by Xue Huai, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai and Imperial Commissioner. Wu Changling, the General of the Grain Transport Army, Shi Daoan, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangsu, Tan Mingguang, the Prefect of Yangzhou, and Huang Chong, the Assistant Prefect of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner, were responsible for assistance. The Jiangsu Provincial Censor and the Jing'an Commissioner were responsible for full supervision.

The affairs of the Bureau of Clean Governance were numerous and complex. Xue Huai divided them into three main parts. The first and most important was the salt administration corruption case, which he and Huang Chong were responsible for. The second was the illegal activities of the four powerful clans of Liu, Zheng, Bai and Ge, which Tan Mingguang was mainly responsible for. The third was the investigation of corrupt officials at the prefectural and county levels, such as Liu Rang, Zheng Xuan and Luo Tong, which was handled by the personnel of the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

Through the interrogation of Xu Guanlan and others, Xue Huai found the most crucial original records of salt permit allocation, tax revenue flow, and saltworks supply ledgers from the mountain of archives of the Salt Transport Bureau. After detailed calculation, he came to a very accurate conclusion: there was a terrifying gap between the actual annual salt production of the thirty saltworks in Lianghuai and the amount of salt permits issued.

In short, with the support of Lou Shizong and Chen Lun, Xu Guanlan colluded with Liu Fu, Zheng Boyan, Bai Xiu and Ge Huaicheng, major salt merchants in Lianghuai, to circulate the intercepted official salt into the private market by falsely reporting the quotas. Every year, he directly profited one million taels of silver without the knowledge of the imperial court!
These people were insatiable. Even though they intercepted more than 30% of the official salt for their own pockets, they still skimmed profits from the salt tax reported to the court.

In fact, the emperor and the officials in the court all knew that they had shady dealings, but they just didn't investigate. If Xue Huai hadn't secretly reported their despicable act of intercepting them to the emperor, Xu Guanlan would probably still be able to hold his position as salt commissioner.

Ye Qing, the commander of the Jing'an Division, has managed to maintain a calm demeanor for the past two days, but in reality, his heart is in turmoil.

After preliminary investigation, it was found that Xu Guanlan alone had embezzled nearly five million taels of silver. If the embezzled funds of salt transport officials such as Chen Lun and Lou Shizong are added, the amount is close to seven million taels of silver, which is more than 40% of the annual tax revenue of the Great Yan Dynasty!

He was certainly aware of the current state of the court. It was said that Wang Xu, the Minister of Revenue, was almost turning his hair white with worry, and the Emperor was also in a bad mood lately. As long as news from Yangzhou reached the capital, it would surely cause a stir in the court and among the people.

Thinking of this, Ye Qing couldn't help but look up at Xue Huai, who was talking eloquently in the hall. He was quite impressed. This young deputy prefect had achieved such amazing political achievements in just half a year since he came to Yangzhou. He was afraid that he would be able to return to the central government soon.

"My lords, we have already verified the details of the major corruption case in the Salt Transport Bureau, and we will soon draft a memorial to be sent to the capital for His Majesty's judgment. Next, I would like to talk about the issue of the four powerful families of Liu, Zheng, Bai, and Ge. My personal suggestion is to distinguish between the master and servant, clarify the culpability, punish past mistakes to prevent future ones, and nurture them instead of killing them."

As soon as Xue Huai uttered these words, the expressions of the ministers in the hall varied.

Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Shi Daoan frowned slightly. He was a veteran judicial official and was more accustomed to severely punishing those with conclusive evidence according to the law. However, although Xue Huai's official rank was low, he was an imperial envoy personally appointed by the emperor to investigate the case and had more say at the moment. So he said calmly, "Imperial Envoy Xue may elaborate."

"First of all, the main culprits must be punished and the ringleaders must be brought to justice."

Xue Huai unfolded a thick register and slowly said, "Liu Fu, Zheng Boyan, Bai Xiu, and Ge Huaicheng, as the heads of the four major clans, have long colluded with Xu Guanlan and others. They are the culprits who manipulated prices, smuggled government salt, embezzled national taxes, and oppressed the people. Their crimes, as well as those of their direct descendants who participated in core decision-making, are clear and unforgivable. They should be severely punished according to the Great Yan Law, and their family property should be confiscated and added to the national treasury!"

Everyone agreed with this, and Shi Daoan nodded slightly. If the ringleader was not severely punished, it would not appease public anger or uphold discipline.

Seeing this, Xue Huai continued, "For those who assisted in the crime, or those who knew about it but did not report it but were not core members, as well as those who were family members but were not directly involved in the aforementioned serious crimes, they should be punished instead of imprisoned and given a way out."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xue Huai changed the subject, saying, "These people are not entirely without business acumen. If they are all thrown into prison or exiled, their tens of thousands of dependent laborers and employees will suddenly lose their livelihoods, which could lead to civil unrest. Therefore, my suggestion is to forcibly divide the family property, breaking up the four families' excessively large businesses and distributing them to each branch. Those who commit minor offenses will need to pay a huge sum of money as atonement. This would be enough to severely damage their vitality and remove their monopoly capital, but it would preserve their basic business operation capabilities. This measure may turn harm into benefit."

"What a brilliant way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage!"

Shi Daoan finally couldn't help but speak. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Imperial Envoy Xue is a wise and prudent ruler. Using fines to atone for crimes instead of implicating the entire family can replenish the national treasury without completely destroying the commercial foundation of Yangzhou. I quite agree with this approach. However, is such leniency detrimental to the dignity of the court? Although those family members are not the main culprits, they have also benefited from the family's illegal profits and may not be entirely innocent!"

“What the provincial judge said is very true.”

Xue Huai remained composed and calmly stated, “The ransom money is by no means lenient; rather, it is a combination of severe economic punishment and social restrictions. Its amount will be set at the very edge of what they can bear, causing their family wealth to shrink dramatically, and the immense wealth accumulated over generations to collapse in an instant. This pain is far more profound than imprisonment. As for the dignity of the court, I believe that decisiveness in killing is dignity, and clear and just punishment is dignity, but adapting to the times, learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones, reshaping order, and benefiting the people are higher levels of dignity. If indiscriminately implicating others leads to the paralysis of commerce, soaring prices, and the loss of livelihood for the people, that would be the greatest damage to the court.”

Shi Daoan pondered for a moment, then praised, "Your Excellency's insight is excellent. Legal principles are not without human sentiment, and they must also adapt to the times. This approach is indeed a wise one."

He had a good relationship with Xue Mingzhang in the past, and now he was even closer to Shen Wang. Therefore, after receiving Xue Huai's letter for help last time, he did not hesitate to lend a helping hand. However, this did not mean that he had any high regard for Xue Huai himself. This time, Xue Huai's swift and decisive crackdown on the long-standing problems in Lianghuai impressed him. At this moment, his insightful analysis amazed him even more—destruction is easy, but cleanup is difficult. As long as one has the imperial sword, it is only a matter of time before those corrupt officials are investigated and punished. However, how to deal with the mess afterward, rather than just focusing on the gold and silver treasures in the treasury, is a greater test of the leader's ability and vision.

All the other officials in the hall looked at Xue Huai with admiration. Tan Mingguang felt no jealousy at all. He felt more and more that his previous decision was the wisest choice he had ever made. Not only had he made a contribution through this major case, but more importantly, he was now on the same boat as Xue Huai.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Honor."

Xue Huai smiled slightly and said unhurriedly, "In this case, those small and medium-sized merchants, shopkeepers and clerks, and even the lowest-level salt workers, canal workers and salt producers who depend on the Salt Transport Bureau and the four powerful clans are the most fundamental force maintaining stability in Yangzhou. In the past, they were either coerced or deceived, or they were just trying to make a living and were merely tools used by those officials and gentry. Therefore, I believe that we should focus on appeasement when dealing with them. What do you gentlemen think?"

Tan Mingguang's heart stirred, and he immediately stated, "What the Imperial Envoy says is quite right. The Yangzhou Prefectural Government will immediately take over the management of the industries that originally belonged to the four major clans but were related to people's livelihoods, such as grain shops, salt shops, canal transport warehouses, and tool workshops, to ensure their smooth operation. Those who provide clues and confess the illegal activities of officials and gentry will be rewarded as appropriate, so as to ensure that the local area can return to normal order as soon as possible."

Huang Chong, the Assistant Commissioner of the Salt Transport Bureau, also spoke up, saying, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will rebuild the Salt Transport Bureau's operational system as soon as possible, and examine the duties of all grassroots officials, salt field ambassadors, and clerks. Those who are guilty will be dismissed, while those with blemishes but not serious crimes and who are familiar with the business can be retained for observation under a strict guarantee and supervision system. I will definitely ensure the basic smooth operation of salt release, salt field production, and salt tax collection."

"What you two gentlemen said hit the nail on the head. I have drafted a set of regulations these days and would like to ask you all to take a look."

Xue Huai turned his head to look, and Li Shun immediately brought up the drafts that had been prepared in advance and handed them to Shi Daoan, Wu Changling, Tan Mingguang, Huang Chong and Ye Qing respectively.

The group carefully reviewed the document, which consisted of five parts. The first part was the proposed punishment for the ringleaders, including Xu Guanlan, Chen Lun, Lou Shizong, Liu Fu, and Zheng Boyan, as well as the punitive measures for the other involved personnel. They needed to draft preliminary opinions for this part before submitting it to the Emperor for final decision and the relevant court officials for review.

Secondly, there were arrangements for local lawless powerful families, including forced division of property and redemption with silver, which served as an opportunity to reshape the atmosphere and foundation of Yangzhou's commerce.

Thirdly, there is the restructuring and cleanup of the Salt Transport Bureau, including establishing rules and regulations, strictly controlling the quota, selecting talent and eliminating corruption, and providing relief to those in need.

As the Salt Administration Inspector of Lianghuai, Xue Huai's opinions were perfectly legitimate, and Huang Chong naturally had no objections. Moreover, he gained a deeper understanding of Xue Huai's abilities, which could be glimpsed from this well-reasoned article alone.

Fourthly, the task was to eliminate remaining threats, including salt smugglers who harmed salt producers, bandits who roamed the countryside, and escaped members of the Salt Transport Bureau and several powerful clans. This task was mainly carried out by the canal transport army and the patrol inspection bureau, with the Jing'an Bureau responsible for providing intelligence.

The last item is ensuring people's livelihood, which Xue Huai believes is the top priority for subsequent work.

After everyone read it carefully, they all showed expressions of admiration, and then began a heated discussion about all the details.

The closed-door meeting of the Bureau of Investigation and Censorship lasted from morning till night, until nightfall, when the ministers finally left, exhausted yet full of ambition.

After seeing everyone off, Xue Huai turned around and stood under the eaves, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, and slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"Young Master, there's always more to do, you must take care of your health."

Li Shun approached and spoke with great concern.

"It doesn't matter."

Xue Huai wasn't made of iron, so of course he would feel tired, but he couldn't rest right now because there was still one most important thing to do: finish writing the memorial to be sent to the capital.

He returned to his room, sat by the window, and calmly picked up his brush to write.

Previously, he had thoroughly provoked the emperor's anger with the sentence "How wealthy are the merchants! You cannot compare!" in that secret memorial. Next, he would use this memorial to extinguish the Ning Party's ambition to fight back and drive the last nail into the coffin of Xu Guanlan and others!
(End of this chapter)