Prime Minister

Chapter 180, Page 179: [A Single Inch Transforms into Thousands of Threads]

Yangzhou, the Salt Transport Office.

In the west courtyard, a row of low houses, once used for storing miscellaneous items, now served as the prison for salt officials such as Xu Guanlan, Lou Shizong, and Chen Lun, guarded by the Jing'an Division Captain and Xue Huai's personal guards. In addition, local notorious clansmen like Liu Fu and Zheng Boyan were imprisoned and interrogated by the Yangzhou prefectural government, while corrupt officials such as Liu Rang, Zheng Xuan, and Luo Tong were transferred to the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commission.

In the cramped room in the center, Xu Guanlan, the once high-ranking Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, sat blankly, seemingly oblivious to Xue Huai, who had walked in dressed in ordinary clothes.

In less than half a month, Xu Guanlan became old and dejected, with sunken eyes, a bluish complexion, and an aura of death emanating from his entire body.

Xue Huai pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him, calmly saying, "Envoy Xu."

The emperor's decree had not yet reached Yangzhou, and Xue Huai had no right to strip Xu Guanlan of his official position. He was merely using his authority as an imperial envoy to detain and interrogate him. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with his title, but it inevitably sounded sarcastic to Xu Guanlan.

He raised his gloomy eyes to look at the young man in his prime opposite him, and his lips moved to utter two words: "What is it?"

Xue Huai gestured to the clerk beside him to begin taking notes, and then said, "Envoy, please don't misunderstand. I'm not here today for an interrogation, but rather to ask you some questions."

"consult?"

Xu Guanlan repeated the two words, his voice like a dull knife slicing through iron and stone.

At this moment, his eyes were slightly unfocused, and then he let out a shrill laugh. He barely managed to stop laughing and stared at Xue Huai, saying, "Imperial Envoy Xue is wise and cunning, and his mind is as deep as the sea. He has played everyone with ease. Why would he need to ask me, a prisoner, for advice? In fact, you don't need to be so hypocritical. I know that when you are riding high, you need other people's misfortunes to make you look bad. So you can openly laugh at me. There is no need to beat around the bush like this."

Xue Huai listened quietly to him finish speaking, picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then said, "As you said, the entire Lianghuai region is now praising my achievements. I can hear flattery anytime, anywhere. One more or one less makes no difference to me."

Xu Guanlan's breathing suddenly became heavy.

Despite his seemingly cheerful words, the deepest wound in his heart still lingers, especially after seeing Xue Huai, the intense pain tearing at his very core.

Just thinking about that day on Jinxiu Street when he suddenly heard the news that Tan Mingguang had led the canal troops into the government office would drive him to the brink of madness.

"roll!"

Xu Guanlan's eyes reddened, and he squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.

Now that he knew he was definitely not going to survive, he naturally didn't want to show any weakness in front of Xue Huai.

Xue Huai raised his hand to stop Jiang Sheng behind him, not caring at all about Xu Guanlan's reaction, and continued calmly, "Envoy Xu, I'm here today to talk to you about how to reform the salt administration in Lianghuai."

His unyielding attitude left Xu Guanlan feeling depressed, and that remark struck him as even stranger.

After a brief silence, Xu Guanlan scoffed, "Salt administration reform? Talk to you about that?"

The implication was that Xue Huai, being an outsider, was not qualified to discuss such topics with him.

Salt administration is one of the foundations of the Great Yan state, encompassing hundreds and thousands of affairs. Without immersing oneself in this field for more than a decade, one cannot truly grasp its intricacies. This is entirely different from wielding the Emperor's sword to investigate corrupt officials.

"His Majesty has appointed me as the Salt Administration Inspector of Lianghuai. I will also be involved in the reconstruction of the salt administration. Therefore, I have some ideas that I need to consult with Transport Commissioner Xu."

Xue Huai paused slightly, then said calmly, “You are an insatiable corrupt official. Countless people have lost their families because of you. You could never atone for your sins even if you died a hundred times. But no one can deny your ability to handle the salt administration. From the day you left the Hanlin Academy, you have been studying the salt administration for almost twenty years. So I wanted to come and ask you for advice.”

He spoke with such seriousness, but Xu Guanlan found it utterly absurd.

"You want to make a deal with me?"

Xu Guanlan tried his best to maintain an indifferent demeanor, but his slightly trembling voice betrayed his true thoughts.

"trade?"

Xue Huai shook his head and said frankly, "It's not a transaction, just a simple request for advice."

Xu Guanlan's newly burgeoning hope was shattered again, and he almost cursed Xue Huai. He barely suppressed his anger and said, "What makes you think I'd be interested in chatting with you?"

"This is not idle talk, but a very important matter."

Xue Huai corrected him again, then continued on his own: "The Lianghuai Salt Transport Office is the head of the salt offices of the Great Yan, but as you can see from this case, the Salt Transport Office itself has too much power, making it very easy for corruption and bribery to occur. Therefore, in my previous memorial to His Majesty, I mentioned that from this day forward, a Lianghuai Salt Commissioner should be established, with a rank parallel to the Salt Transport Office, not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, but personally appointed by His Majesty. In short, from now on, the court will strengthen its supervision of the Salt Commissioner, rather than relying solely on a single Salt Inspector."

Xu Guanlan gave a cold laugh and said sarcastically, "No wonder His Majesty values ​​you so much. You are truly a loyal minister who understands the Emperor's heart."

Having spent nearly twenty years in the salt trade, he immediately saw through the deeper meaning behind Xue Huai's actions.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor would not have agreed to Xue Huai's sweeping reforms of the salt administration, not because he distrusted him, but because the salt tax was too important, and any unrest would affect the very foundation of the state. However, Xue Huai cleverly used imperial power to suppress the civil service group, allowing the emperor to directly intervene in the lucrative profits of the salt administration. How could the emperor not be tempted?
In Xu Guanlan's view, Xue Huai's behavior of currying favor with the emperor was no different from that of a sycophant, lacking any integrity of a scholar-official.

"The purpose of establishing the Salt Law Commissioner was not only to supervise the Salt Transport Bureau; I also have some extended ideas."

Xue Huai completely ignored Xu Guanlan's sarcasm and continued, "First, I want to abolish the hereditary right of salt merchants to obtain salt permits and replace it with government-supervised sales and purchases based on permits. Simply put, the Salt Commissioner will print three-part salt permits, specifying the quantity, salt field, price, and expiration date. Each party—the Salt Transport Office, the salt field, and the salt merchant—will hold one copy, thereby breaking the monopoly of powerful families on salt permits." Xu Guanlan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Xue Huai's strategy, though seemingly simple, actually severed the Salt Transport Bureau's power at its root, while simultaneously imposing certain restrictions on large salt merchants.

"Of course, this doesn't mean anyone can get involved in the sale of government-issued salt. I would suggest that the Salt Transport Bureau establish entry requirements for salt merchants, requiring them to meet certain qualifications before applying for salt tickets. Furthermore, the qualifications of salt merchants should be reviewed every three or five years, and officials' relatives should be strictly prohibited from operating salt businesses. After abolishing the hereditary right of salt merchants to obtain salt permits, the original system of general merchants will no longer exist. Therefore, a Salt Merchants Association can be established, with a head elected annually by compliant salt merchants for a two-year term that cannot be renewed. The association will only be responsible for coordinating disputes among salt merchants and will not have the right to interfere with the allocation of salt tickets."

Xue Huai said sincerely, "I know this cannot completely eliminate the phenomenon of collusion between officials and businessmen, but compared to the previously almost open exchanges of interests, it can at least have some effect. What do you think, Envoy Xu?"

Xu Guanlan remained silent for a long time.

He looked up at Xue Huai again, the hostility in his eyes lessening considerably, and slowly said, "How can you guarantee that the Salt Transport Bureau will no longer collude with major salt merchants to forge false accounts?"

"Strictly examine the accounts and conduct annual audits."

Xue Huai responded quickly, then explained: "In my plan, each salt field will have its own dedicated salt tax treasury, with a special person appointed by the Salt Commissioner to be stationed at the field to audit it, in order to prevent the tax revenue from being embezzled. At the same time, we will follow the land tax collection method and implement a rolling order system, that is, salt merchants must pay their taxes at the salt field within seven days after purchasing a ticket. If they fail to pay within the time limit, the salt ticket will be invalidated and the deposit will be confiscated. In addition, the Salt Transport Office, the Salt Commissioner, and the Ministry of Revenue will each keep three sets of ledgers for salt production, sales, and tax revenue, and the three offices will audit them at the end of the year."

Xu Guanlan sighed for some reason and said, "I suggest adding a three-stage review system for officials leaving office. Before leaving office, officials of the Salt Transport Office and the Salt Law Office should go through three review procedures: audit of the salt inventory tax, verification of salt permit invoices, and hearings on the statements of salt merchants. Only after confirming that there are no irregularities can they be transferred or promoted."

"Great!"

Xue Huai praised without reservation, and said solemnly, "The governor's words hit the nail on the head. If there is such a system, coupled with the supervision procedures during the term of office of officials, it should be able to effectively reverse the bad practices of the salt administration."

Xu Guanlan ignored the young man's praise and said with slight impatience, "Tell me your other ideas as well, don't waste time."

"it is good."

Xue Huai smiled slightly, and then began to explain in detail, covering five areas: the salt administration system, the fiscal and tax collection system, the rectification of the salt merchant industry, strengthening people's livelihood protection, and supporting safeguard measures.

Xu Guanlan was deeply shocked. Although Xue Huai's strategy was not particularly novel, his meticulous consideration was beyond what one would expect from someone so young. Even Xu Guanlan, a veteran official who had been immersed in salt administration for twenty years, might not have been as thorough as Xue Huai.

His expression grew increasingly calm, and he offered many invaluable and experienced suggestions regarding Xue Huai's proposal.

The conversation lasted for more than an hour. By the time Xue Huai finished his final summary, the clerk beside him had been replaced by a third person, as the two previous clerks were too sore from wrist pain to continue.

"You should organize this record and give it to Huang Tongzhi immediately. He should gather the officials of the Salt Bureau to discuss it carefully and try not to leave any omissions. Then Huang Tongzhi and I will jointly submit it to His Majesty for His Majesty's decision."

Xue Huai instructed the clerk, then turned to Xu Guanlan and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Envoy. To express my gratitude, I will have someone change your room, and I will try my best to meet your needs in the future."

Xu Guanlan remained silent.

Seeing this, Xue Huai took his leave. Just as he was about to step out of the room, he suddenly heard Xu Guanlan's voice.

"Xue Huai".

He stopped and looked at the other person.

Xu Guanlan slowly stood up, gazed at Xue Huai, who was almost thirty years younger than him, and said with some difficulty, "I am not as good as you."

Xue Huai thought for a moment. He was already very familiar with Xu Guanlan's life and resume. When Xu Guanlan first left the capital, he was not the corrupt official he is today. He once had the ambition to govern the country and benefit the people. When he served as the salt commissioner in Zhejiang, he fought against corrupt officials with integrity.

Thinking of this, Xue Huai sighed and then said earnestly, "Envoy Xu, I hope you won't regret this in your next life."

"it is good."

Xu Guanlan took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "No need to see me out."

Xue Huai said no more and strode away.

Xu Guanlan watched him leave, and after a long while, he slowly walked to the bedside. Without giving the Jing'an Division Captain in the room another glance, he lay down on the cold, hard bed.

He squinted slightly, as if recalling the ups and downs of his life.

The reason he changed his attitude and provided a lot of help to Xue Huai earlier was not because he hoped to get a chance to survive, but because he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar look on Xue Huai's face.

He is familiar because he once was, but unfamiliar because he is no longer.

"In the end, it was all just a pipe dream..."

Xu Guanlan muttered to himself, then gave a bitter smile.

(End of this chapter)