Prime Minister

Chapter 181, Section 180: Thoughts on an Autumn Night

Night fell at the residence of the Assistant Magistrate.

After bathing and changing his clothes, Xue Huai returned to his study and sat by the window, reflecting on the gains and losses he had experienced during this tumultuous period.

The corruption within the Lianghuai Salt Transport Bureau has been eradicated, and large-scale corruption cases are unlikely to recur in the next few years.

His memorial will surely impress the emperor, so he may be relieved of his imperial envoy duties, but his position as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai will be temporarily retained, and Huang Chong should be able to smoothly take over as the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai.

Thinking of Huang Chong, Xue Huai couldn't help but recall the noble young woman in the capital.

Previously, thanks to Wu Changling's reminder and several face-to-face verbal probings, Xue Huai had basically confirmed that Huang Chong was Jiang Li's man.

This puzzled him somewhat.

It's not surprising that Jiang Li is familiar with the secrets of the imperial court, and it's also common for her to be able to influence the attitudes of high-ranking officials like the Minister of Revenue. After all, she is Princess Yun'an, who is favored by the emperor, and she has a good relationship with all the adult princes, including the crown prince, which gives her considerable influence in the capital.

But how can her arms reach so far?
Huang Chong was completely different from Lu Zhixuan, the Imperial Inspector of Jiangsu. The latter was just a newcomer to the officialdom, a seventh-rank official. Perhaps by chance, he had received favors from Jiang Li and therefore wanted to do things for her. However, Huang Chong was a fourth-rank official, the Assistant Director of the Salt Transport Office, and had been away from the capital for seven or eight years.

Xue Huai remembered that Jiang Li was seventeen years old at the time, which means that Jiang Li was only about ten years old when Huang Chong was in the capital. Even if she was favored, she was still just a young girl.

Moreover, judging from Huang Chong's extremely tolerant and resilient performance over the years, he is by no means an official who can be won over or bought with small favors and petty benefits. How could Jiang Li, who is thousands of miles away, possibly recruit him for her own use?

This shows that Jiang Li's strength far exceeds Xue Huai's expectations. However, even if the emperor and princes dote on her, this orphan who lost her parents at a young age, it is unlikely that they would secretly help her cultivate confidants, unless...

Xue Huai's eyes lit up; he had finally touched upon Jiang Li's deepest secret.

He got up and put a piece of paper covered with writing into the furnace. He felt much more relaxed. At least for now, Huang Chong seemed trustworthy and could help Xue Huai rebuild the Lianghuai Salt Administration.

After a deep discussion with Xu Guanlan, Xue Huai had drafted a petition on salt management and jointly submitted it to the emperor with Huang Chong. They were just waiting for the emperor's approval so that the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office could serve as a pilot project for the eleven salt offices of the Great Yan Dynasty, and carry out a thorough reform from top to bottom.

As the paper in the furnace turned to ashes, Xue Huai's mind calmed down.

For him, the most important thing right now is to do his job well. Yangzhou is in dire need of rectification and calming down after this salt scandal.

With a multitude of matters to attend to, Xue Huai wrote furiously, and a series of regulations appeared on the paper, covering all aspects of local governance, commerce, and people's livelihood.

Before we knew it, the night had grown even deeper.

A clear, crisp voice rang out from outside the door: "Young Master."

"Come in."

Xue Huai put down his brush and turned to look. He saw the graceful Mo Yun walking in carrying a tray.

Since arriving in Yangzhou, Mo Yun has been living in this official residence, while Xue Huai has not returned often, especially when he was inspecting various counties, he did not return to the prefectural city for two whole months.

If it were a maid with lofty ambitions, she would inevitably feel melancholy because of this. After all, judging from the arrangement made by the mistress of the house, Cui, the fact that she was able to accompany Xue Huai all the way south to serve him personally contained certain implications.

Wealthy families often had the custom of arranging maids to serve as concubines, mainly to let their young masters know about matters between men and women. This usually happened when the young master was around fifteen years old. Xue Huai was in the three-year mourning period at that age, and later he participated in the imperial examinations and entered officialdom. Cui Shi never got a suitable opportunity.

Before this trip to Jiangnan, Cui specifically sought out Mo Yun and promised that as long as she could take good care of Xue Huai, she would give her the position of a concubine in the future.

For Mo Yun, this was certainly an opportunity to change her destiny.

However, since taking office, Xue Huai has been completely focused on official business. When he returns, he is either writing furiously at his desk or deep in thought, and he rarely has contact with her, let alone discuss anything else.

Although Mo Yun harbored some expectations, she also knew that Xue Huai was ambitious and far-sighted, and was by no means someone who indulged in romantic feelings. Therefore, she dared not reveal her thoughts in the slightest, nor did she dare to act rashly.

As she carried the freshly stewed ginseng soup into the study, seeing him rarely putting aside his official duties, Mo Yun felt a slight joy, but even more so, a sense of nervousness.

"It's late. Young master, you must be tired after a long day. Have a bowl of ginseng soup to warm yourself up."

She gently placed the tray on the corner of the desk, her already beautiful face softened even more under the lamplight.

Xue Huai calmly looked up and saw Mo Yun dressed in a light blue maid's uniform, with a slender figure and lowered eyes. However, the gentle temperament she had developed since childhood by Cui Shi's side was very much in harmony with the night in Jiangnan.

The air seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Xue Huai was not an ignorant young man. Although he had important matters on his mind, he could still sense the subtle flow of energy in this quiet space.

"troubled you."

Xue Huai spoke gently, taking the bowl of ginseng soup at just the right temperature. He then asked with rare concern, "I've been very busy with official duties these past six months and haven't had much time to take care of things here. I wonder if you're settling in well? If you need anything, just tell someone to buy it for you."

Mo Yun's heart warmed, and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. I'm perfectly fine. It's my honor to be able to serve you and take care of your daily needs. It's just that you have a heavy workload and often stay up late. I worry about you and regret that I can't share your burden." Xue Huai slowly sipped his soup, watching the concern and shyness in Mo Yun's eyes through the rising steam.

She has always been well-behaved and not the kind of person who causes trouble. Although she has always lived in a secluded mansion, she has always taken care of everything properly whenever Xue Huai returns here.

A sense of exhaustion crept in. The high pressure and scheming of the past few months, and the emptiness after everything had settled down, were strangely soothed by the warm soup and the woman's shy concern.

He recalled how, before leaving the capital, his mother, Madam Cui, held his hand and gently instructed him, "Huai'er, you've always been stubborn, focusing all your attention on the classics. Now that you're older, I know you have your own ambitions, but you also need someone who cares for you. Moyun is steady and sensible, a good child. The journey to Jiangnan is long and arduous, so having her take care of you will put my mind at ease."

At that time, he only vaguely agreed, his mind was entirely focused on his future and ambitions.

"Young Master?" Mo Yun called softly when she saw him holding the soup bowl as if lost in thought.

Xue Huai snapped out of his daze and handed the empty bowl back to her: "The soup was very good, thank you for your thoughtfulness."

"If you like it, that's good."

Mo Yun smiled and took the soup bowl. At this moment, Xue Huai noticed a small needle mark on her fingertip, which she had probably accidentally pricked while doing needlework that evening.

"Ink Charm".

Xue Huai's voice was calm and gentle, yet carried a rare focus.

"This servant is here."

Mo Yun's heart skipped a beat. She felt that this call was different from usual. Instinctively, she straightened up, not daring to look at him, but she couldn't help but raise her eyes.

Xue Huai's gaze fell clearly on her, scrutinizing her and carrying a hint of almost imperceptible complexity: "You're nineteen this year, aren't you?"

Mo Yun blushed slightly. She knew that at this age, she was not considered young among maids. In many families, if a head maid reached this age, her master would arrange for her to be given a title if she was not sent out to marry. So she only dared to lower her head and respond.

Xue Huai said slowly, "You are the same age as me and have been in my family for seven or eight years. You have been working at home since you were a child. Although the Xue family never mistreats its servants, your hard work over the years is evident to all. Now you have traveled all the way south to Yangzhou with me to help me with trivial matters in this unfamiliar place. Thank you for your hard work."

"No...it's not hard work. Serving the young master is my blessing."

Mo Yun's voice trembled slightly, and she struggled to control herself for a moment.

The study was so quiet that only the occasional soft popping of the candle flame could be heard.

Xue Huai paused for a moment, then asked calmly and clearly, "Before leaving the capital this time, did your mother say anything to you?"

These simple words, falling into Mo Yun's ears, were like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, creating huge ripples. She felt a "boom" in her mind and instantly understood Xue Huai's meaning. A strong sense of shyness rushed into her heart, making her face burn as if it were on fire. Her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, and her body became so stiff that she could not move.

In her panic, Mo Yun looked up at Xue Huai and met his deep, dark eyes. His gaze was not much different from usual, except that it had a hint of gentle kindness.

She hurriedly lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "The old lady instructed me to take good care of the young master."

Looking at her flustered and nervous expression, Xue Huai couldn't help but soften his heart. In fact, he had grown accustomed to having such a caring and thoughtful maid by his side who never entertained any improper thoughts. So he softened his tone and asked, "Do you want to stay in the Xue family?"

This "stay" is certainly not a temporary stay.

Mo Yun's heart pounded wildly. She suppressed her panic and embarrassment, curtsied, and replied in as calm a voice as possible, "If young master does not mind, this servant is willing."

"it is good."

Xue Huai didn't press the matter further. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I will be visiting my elders at Shen Garden the day after tomorrow. Please prepare a gift list for me. Also... from now on, you can stay in the outer room of my bedroom."

"Yes, young master, I guarantee I will take care of it."

Mo Yun quickly bowed and took her leave, turning and leaving swiftly, her steps slightly unsteady.

Her slender figure disappeared by the door, her footsteps faded into the distance, and Xue Huai was left alone in the study once again.

The candlelight flickered, casting its light on the nanmu desk piled high with documents.

The night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, carrying the moist scent of the grass and trees in the courtyard, gently brushing against the still-wet draft of the charter on the table.

Xue Huai's gaze fell again on the vigorous handwriting, which contained detailed rules for evaluating official conduct, revisions to the land tax register, and the schedule for river dredging.

He suppressed the slight ripples in his heart caused by the brief moment of tenderness, his expression returning to its cold and composed state. He picked up his brush again, dipped it in ink, and wrote four large characters at the beginning of the scroll.

New policies in Yangzhou.

(End of this chapter)