Prime Minister

Chapter 178, Section 177: [The younger generation is truly formidable]

Ning Heng had doubts.

Based on his understanding of the emperor, the Lianghuai salt case was indeed abhorrent, but Xu Guanlan and others had already been arrested, and the confiscated silver alone was enough to help the court overcome its difficulties. The matter could be considered closed, and further investigation would not be in line with the emperor's usual temperament.

Who doesn't know that the officials in the Salt Administration are fat and bloated?
Ning Hengzhi understood that the emperor also understood that while a number of corrupt officials had been arrested and executed in the past, those who came after were still not as clean, and continued to embezzle and break the law. This systemic corruption was extremely difficult to eradicate. In addition, in recent years the emperor had become increasingly averse to such troubles, so as long as the officials below could complete the tasks assigned by the court, some minor problems would be ignored.

In Ning Hengzhi's view, Xu Guanlan and others had indeed crossed the line this time, so they should be beheaded if they deserved to be beheaded and have their property confiscated if they deserved to be beheaded. If the investigation had to continue along the salt administration line, would the emperor really have the perseverance to clean up the bureaucracy?
However, the emperor's reaction at that moment was clearly one of displeasure.

After a moment's thought, Ning Hengzhi stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

The high-ranking officials in the hall immediately looked at him, and the surroundings seemed to quiet down considerably.

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded, saying, "Please speak freely, Grand Secretary."

"Your Majesty, the concerns raised by Minister Zheng and other officials regarding the instability of the salt administration and the difficulty in managing the national treasury are indeed true, and I wholeheartedly agree with them."

Ning Hengzhi's voice was steady and weathered, but before the core members of the Ning faction could feel reassured, he changed the subject, saying, "However, in my opinion, the Lianghuai salt administration has collapsed to this point, and can be described as rotten to the core. Xu and his cronies are merely the ringleaders. If it weren't for the powerful families of Lianghuai as their henchmen, if the clerks of the Salt Transport Bureau were willing to act as their lackeys, and if officials at all levels were to shield His Majesty's ears, how could Xu have remained hidden like a rat in a golden hole, unknown to anyone? If we only cut off his head and turn a blind eye to those who colluded with him, it would be no different from ripping out a boil and leaving a carbuncle."

Minister of Justice Wei Zheng's expression changed slightly, Minister of Rites Zheng Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of panic, and the others could hardly believe it.

They had already successfully created an atmosphere of downplaying the seriousness of the matter, and with the earnest appeal of Wang Xu, the Minister of Revenue, if Ning Hengzhi were to step forward and make the final decision, the Emperor would probably not force a thorough investigation into the Lianghuai Salt Case. Who knew that their backer would change his mind so drastically!

On the dragon throne, the emperor gave him a meaningful look, and then said, "Minister, please continue."

Ning Hengzhi, his eyes fixed straight ahead, solemnly said, “In my humble opinion, this case should be investigated. The investigation should target the corrupt officials, recover the embezzled funds, and return the money to the national treasury. Only by thoroughly investigating the long-standing problems in the salt administration, rectifying the discipline, and plugging the loopholes can we ensure a sustainable source of tax revenue. If we only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, seeking only to increase tax revenue in the short term while allowing the foundation of tax revenue to continue to erode, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse and drinking poison to quench thirst?”

When he made these remarks as the Grand Secretary, Wei Zheng, Zheng Yuan, and others naturally dared not question or criticize them; each of them felt as if they had swallowed a bitter pill.

Shen Wang seemed to be deep in thought; in fact, he was also somewhat curious as to why the emperor's state of mind had changed.

When the emperor received Xue Huai's first secret memorial, he was furious. However, as time went by, Shen Wang clearly sensed from the daily exchanges between the emperor and his ministers that the emperor's anger had gradually subsided, and he even felt some regret—regret that he should not have so hastily granted Xue Huai the power of imperial envoy. If that hothead had caused a major incident, there would definitely have been countless troubles.

At this moment, the emperor was actually biased towards Xue Huai. It is unknown what he wrote in his second memorial.

"The Grand Secretary truly deserves to be called my right-hand man."

The Emperor did not leave Ning Hengzhi standing there awkwardly. He then looked around at the assembled officials and said, "The Lianghuai salt case does indeed involve many people and certainly needs to be investigated thoroughly. However, what you gentlemen have said makes sense. If too many people are unjustly implicated, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the court and the country. How to investigate? What methods to use? These are questions that need careful consideration. Before making a final decision, I would like you to hear Xue Huai's memorial."

Ning Hengzhi's eyelids twitched slightly. He really wanted to know how Xue Huai, who was thousands of miles away, could influence the emperor's judgment with a single memorial, and even he, the chief minister who had accompanied the emperor for decades, was in a dilemma.

The tall, imposing eunuch Zhang Xian stepped forward again, spreading out Xue Huai's memorial with both hands. Skipping over the detailed case descriptions, he proclaimed loudly: "Your subject Xue Huai respectfully reports: I have been granted the position of Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou by His Majesty's grace, and later appointed Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, ordered to thoroughly investigate the salt affairs. After months of covert and overt investigations, I have uncovered a heinous case involving Xu Guanlan, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, who colluded with local powerful families to falsify salt permits, smuggle official salt, embezzle national taxes, and oppress the people. The amount of illicit silver involved exceeds ten million taels, far surpassing half of the Great Yan's annual revenue. However, my constant worry and fear is not due to the sheer amount of illicit silver, but to the deep-rooted corruption within the court and the perilous threat to the very foundation of the nation!"

After hearing this, Wei Zheng thought indignantly, "Bluster and alarmism!"

However, some people looked solemn, because Xue Huai's actions in the past two years have been extraordinary. His memorial set a high tone, and it was likely that what followed would be even more shocking.

Zhang Xian paused slightly, then continued reading: "For thousands of years, salt permits have been the lifeline controlling the flow of goods throughout the land. Treacherous officials like Xu Guanlan have been profiting from this key issue, which endangers the very foundation of the nation. I will attempt to dissect this for Your Majesty."

"The misappropriation of salt permits for private use has embezzled the national treasury! Your Majesty, after reviewing the actual production and permit records of the thirty salt fields in Lianghuai, found a shortage of 1.87 million shi (a unit of dry measure) annually. This enormous amount of official salt was intercepted and used for private purposes through falsified permit quotas, resulting in annual profits exceeding one million taels!"

"Using power as a chain, the common people are bound to a desperate situation! The Salt Transport Bureau, in collusion with local powerful families, used the salt quota to coerce small and medium-sized salt merchants into lending money at exorbitant interest rates, with annual interest rates reaching several times the principal. Nearly 70% of the more than 40 salt merchants in Yangzhou are on the verge of bankruptcy and ruin!"

"Using the guise of official salt ownership to facilitate private gain! Salt merchants who wish to obtain salt permits must first purchase permit deposit sites. Xu Guanlan and his associates colluded with wealthy merchants to establish thirty-two fictitious permit deposit sites, demanding a bribe of 100,000 taels of silver for each site. Official salt permits, which should have been clearly priced, have become a means of private sale. This is not mere embezzlement, but rather the theft of the court's power, using His Majesty's name to distribute spoils!"

"With the Party as their umbrella, the collusion between the court and the public is as deep as a net! On the day I investigated and confiscated the property of the Liu family, a major salt merchant family in Yangzhou, the Jiangsu Governor Chen Yan led his garrison without invitation, intending to obstruct my investigation of the Liu family. The depth of their collusion is alarming! Furthermore, in the Salt Transport Office, I discovered correspondence between treacherous officials such as Xu Guanlan and some high-ranking officials in the central government. The intertwined interests are shocking!"

Zhang stopped reading here.

The Wende Hall was deathly silent.

Because the emperor disliked the heat, the palace was quite cool; however, some high-ranking officials felt restless and uneasy.

Xue Huai's memorial was progressively more incisive and extremely sharp in its language. In particular, the last sentence, "correspondence," made those with guilty consciences turn pale.

While the central government was still debating whether to thoroughly investigate the case, Xue Huai had already gathered a large amount of evidence, demonstrating that this was not a question of whether to investigate or not, but rather whether the officials of Yanzhou could protect their lives and futures! Ning Hengzhi lowered his head slightly, it seemed that his guess was correct, but... did His Majesty really want to use this case as an opportunity to investigate official corruption?

The emperor turned to look at Zhang Xian and said calmly, "Read it aloud."

"The slaves obey the order."

Zhang Xian respectfully agreed, then turned to the assembled officials and continued reading: "Your subject Xue Huai humbly requests Your Majesty's wise decision—"

"Execute the ringleaders to deter the world! The evidence against Xu Guanlan, Liu Fu and other chief culprits is conclusive. Please send them to the West Market and hang their heads at the canal wharf immediately."

"Investigate the Ninefold Cult to Purge the Party! All officials who accept bribes from salt taxes, regardless of rank, shall be investigated strictly according to the law. Those who surrender themselves and return the bribes may be pardoned at the discretion of the authorities."

"The collection of salt permits is like the emperor's sword! Our founding emperor established the system of salt permits to be kept in the imperial treasury. After several adjustments, there are now many drawbacks that need to be corrected. Therefore, I propose that the Ministry of Revenue be in charge of issuing the permits, and the imperial family should send special personnel to supervise and cut off the claws of treacherous officials who are trying to seize profits!"

Ning Hengzhi maintained his previous posture, but his hands were clenched tightly in his sleeves, his heart filled with turbulent emotions!
"This kid... he has some nerve!"

Ning Hengzhi finally understood why the emperor had behaved so unusually after seeing Xue Huai's memorial. It was because Xue Huai's advice had precisely hit the emperor's sore spot!

It goes without saying that Xu Guanlan and others should be severely punished. The central government officials had no objection to this, and no one would risk offending the emperor to plead for them. The key lies in the latter two points. Investigating the embezzled silver can not only replenish the national treasury, but also deal a heavy blow to Ning Party officials. Even if Xue Huai left a loophole that could be lenient for those who surrender and return the embezzled silver, the officials involved would inevitably be stained once they took that step. In the future, it would be very likely to become a handle for their political opponents to attack them at a critical moment.

If they stubbornly refuse to hand over the silver, and Xue Huai has clearly stated that he has obtained a large amount of evidence from Xu Guanlan and others, if they refuse to be dignified, perhaps the emperor will suddenly decide to help them be dignified.

As for the issue of Xue Huai offending people because of this...

Ning Hengzhi sighed inwardly. Even without this incident, would the Ning Party officials have let Xue Huai off the hook?
The two sides had long been at odds, and after Xue Minglun was dismissed from his post, there was no possibility of easing tensions.

Of course, the decision-making power rested with the emperor, but Xue Huai's last suggestion was something the emperor simply couldn't refuse.

Since the reign of Emperor Taizong, the profits from salt and iron in the Great Yan Dynasty have been controlled by the central government, specifically the cabinet and the six ministries. Now, Xue Huai has taken the opportunity of the Lianghuai salt case to bring up the old matter again and brought up the old system of Emperor Taizu to suppress the matter, making it impossible for the important officials of the court, including Ning Hengzhi, to refuse.

Although Xue Huai's proposal only opened a door, allowing the emperor to legitimately intervene in salt administration and supervision, it was enough. At least it prevented civil officials from firmly controlling the foundation of the country from top to bottom, whereas in the past the emperor could only rely on the inner court tax supervisors to set up checkpoints on the Grand Canal to make some money.

Why do you, my esteemed ministers, remain silent?

The emperor spoke leisurely, saying slowly, "Could it be that you feel there is something wrong with Xue Huai's memorial?"

Ning Hengzhi composed himself and said with a slightly bitter expression, "Your Majesty, Xue Tongzhi has extraordinary insight, and this proposal is feasible."

"The Grand Secretary understands my heart perfectly."

The Emperor looked at him approvingly and then said, "I have heard all your suggestions, and each has its own merits. However, I think Xue Huai is right. This case cannot be dealt with perfunctorily. I have decided to let Xue Huai continue to preside over the reconstruction of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, and at the same time promote the former Assistant Prefect Huang Chong to the new Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner. As for... if anyone has taken any benefits from the Salt Administration in the past, they should go and explain to Minister Wang. As long as they truthfully return the ill-gotten gains and are not involved in the matter of Xu Guanlan and others intercepting the salt permits, I can give them another chance."

"Your Majesty is kind!"

While the courtiers praised him, some felt quite uncomfortable.

The emperor did not mention the matter of the imperial family supervising the salt administration, but everyone knew in their hearts that the emperor would not miss this opportunity.
Presumably, people from the Jing'an Bureau will soon be heading to salt bureaus across the country to audit their accounts.

The emperor slowly rose and looked at Shen Wang, the Minister of Works, with obvious appreciation in his eyes, as if to say that he had done a good job as a teacher, teaching such an excellent disciple and reminding him to always remember to be considerate of the emperor's heart.

Shen Wang understood the deeper meaning behind the Emperor's gaze. This time, Xue Huai not only brought in a large sum of money for the court, but also left an extremely deep and perfect impression on the Emperor. Moreover, he benefited greatly from this, making his path to entering the cabinet smoother.

Shen Wang was filled with emotion. He had not known the contents of Xue Huai's memorial beforehand, and now it seemed that this disciple was even more outstanding than he had imagined.

"Retreat!"

Zhang Xian shouted, and the emperor strode towards the rear hall, his steps appearing much lighter than usual.

Ning Hengzhi then walked outside, his figure appearing somewhat thin.

Gazing at the bright autumn sunlight outside the palace, the Grand Secretary narrowed his eyes, a resolute glint in them.

(End of this chapter)