Prime Minister

Chapter 186 Chapter 185 [Events in Life]

Shen Garden in Yangzhou.

After a warm and harmonious luncheon, Madam Du led Shen Qingluan back to the inner courtyard.

She noticed that her daughter was acting strangely during the meal. Even though she hadn't drunk any alcohol, she seemed slightly tipsy.

As soon as they entered the house, Madam Du asked curiously, "Luan'er, what did you and Jing Che talk about earlier?"

"Mother, we didn't say anything..."

Shen Qingluan hesitated, a hint of shyness and joy appearing in her eyes.

"Still shy in front of your mother?"

Madam Du pulled her hand and sat her down, saying readily, "Have you made things clear?"

"No."

Shen Qingluan was indeed quite bold, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to enter the capital alone. She was also clear and decisive in front of Xue Huai. However, she was still just an unmarried girl. It would be unconventional for her to openly discuss marriage with Xue Huai. Therefore, she whispered, "Brother Xue gave me a hairpin and told me that he remembered what happened back then. Some memories will always be remembered."

"Hairpin?"

Du was overjoyed and pondered, "Luan'er, Jingche has made a promise to you. I just don't know when he will send someone to propose marriage. Alas, if I had known this would happen, I should have arranged your marriage back then. Now that Madam Cui is far away in the capital, such an important matter definitely requires her consent. It will take at least two or three months for the message to travel back and forth. Moreover, Jingche has made such a great contribution this time, he may not be able to stay in Yangzhou for long."

Shen Qingluan wasn't worried about this. She was a year younger than Xue Huai, and getting married in two years wouldn't be considered shocking. However, she had another concern in her mind.

Mrs. Du quickly noticed that her daughter's mood was off and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Shen Qingluan hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered her courage and said, "Mother, I've heard that it's difficult for a merchant's daughter to become a first wife. Brother Xue is a scholar from a distinguished family, and now he's enjoying a successful official career. If he comes to the Shen family to propose marriage, won't it attract criticism from outsiders?"

This is a very real problem.

It is true that the Shen family is wealthy, but no scholar has ever been able to enter the imperial court. Shen Bingwen's two illegitimate sons, Shen Yuanjing and Shen Shaoheng, are quite talented, and Shen Yuanjing has already passed the county-level examination. However, even if they pass the provincial-level examination, it will be several years later.

Given Xue Huai's current official rank of fifth grade, marrying a merchant's daughter is indeed within the bounds of the law, but it will certainly affect his reputation as a man of integrity.

Not to mention that he is favored by the emperor. If the emperor continues to promote him, Shen Qingluan will face even more criticism if she marries him.

Madam Du sighed softly, took Shen Qingluan's hand and said, "Silly girl, don't worry. Your father has been thinking about this for a long time. As long as you two are in love, the family will definitely let you get married in a grand and glorious way."

"My father?"

Shen Qingluan was slightly taken aback, and then a strong sense of anticipation rose in her heart.

On the other side, in the study.

Xue Huai and Shen Bingwen sat facing each other, sipping tea and chatting.

The afternoon sun shone through the carved window lattice into the room, casting dappled gold spots on the smooth floor tiles.

Shen Bingwen sat upright in a rosewood chair, personally serving Xue Huai Lion Peak Dragon Well tea. His movements were fluid and graceful, displaying the elegance of a Confucian merchant.

"Jing Che".

He put down the delicate porcelain teapot and slowly said, "According to what you said earlier, this year's nest-adoption ceremony will be canceled?"

Xue Huai bowed slightly and said, "Yes. The stolen silver seized from Xu Guanlan and others' homes this time amounted to nearly three million taels, and those land deeds and treasures were also of considerable value. In addition, the redemption silver paid by powerful families such as Liu Zheng brought the total to nearly eight million taels, which should be enough to help the court overcome the silver shortage. According to Xu Guanlan's confession, this salt reclamation meeting was actually a fabrication by him. If it had been held as scheduled, it would have probably ruined a large number of small and medium-sized salt merchants."

"That's fine, let's take this opportunity to rectify the salt administration."

Shen Bingwen smiled slightly, his appreciation for Xue Huai growing even stronger.

He has always believed that while cleaning up official corruption is admirable, how to handle the aftermath is an even more profound art, and Xue Huai's recent actions demonstrate his talent in this area.

With the support of Tan Mingguang, Xue Huai systematically implemented a series of measures to benefit the people, including selecting officials, stabilizing people's livelihoods, curbing prices, encouraging agriculture, and developing water conservancy. Under their governance, Yangzhou Prefecture showed a thriving trend.

“Speaking of salt administration, I happen to have something to discuss with my uncle.”

Xue Huai briefly recounted some of the topics he had discussed with Xu Guanlan that day, and then sincerely said, "The salt administration in Lianghuai is currently in dire need of reconstruction, and the Salt Law Circuit is about to be established. The power of the Salt Transport Office will be reduced compared to the past. In addition, with the implementation of many new policies, it is inevitable that salt merchants will be worried. In fact, Xu Guanlan is right about one thing: the salt administration is one of the foundations of the Great Yan Kingdom, and Lianghuai is of paramount importance. It cannot withstand too much turmoil."

Shen Bingwen, understanding the implied meaning, pondered for a moment and said, "So you want to establish a salt merchants' association?"

"Correct."

Xue Huai explained, “The Salt Commission is a bridge between the government and the salt merchants. It can serve as a channel for communication between the government and the merchants and can also mediate ordinary disputes among the salt merchants, preventing excessive government interference. In the past, the power of the Salt Transport Office was not checked, which led to officials taking whatever they wanted from the salt merchants. This situation naturally made it easy for collusion between officials and merchants to occur.”

Shen Bingwen pondered for a moment and said carefully, "This move is indeed effective, but aren't you worried that the mastermind of this salt association will become like Liu Fu over time? They can collude with the salt commissioners while cultivating their cronies within the salt association, and they might become too powerful to handle later." "Uncle has a keen eye."

Xue Huai gave a thumbs up, then said confidently, "I believe there is no law that is immutable for all time. The key lies in whether a complete set of rules can be established at the beginning and whether they can be revised in a timely manner. Based on this, I have long had ideas for the charter of the Salt Association. First, the head of the association shall serve a term of two years and shall not be eligible for re-election. In addition to the head of the association, fifteen members shall be elected. Members shall be re-elected every two years, based on the performance and contributions of the salt merchants during this period. The election shall be conducted anonymously by all members, and the Salt Transport Bureau and the Salt Law Bureau shall review the results."

Shen Bingwen's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Running water never stagnates, and a frequently used door hinge never rusts."

Xue Huai added, “The Salt Law Commission will send special personnel to the Salt Commission to supervise and audit the accounts, without interfering with the daily operations of the salt merchants. In addition, at the end of each year, twenty or thirty representatives of salt workers and salt producers will be selected to attend the audit, and they have the right to raise questions.”

The Salt Society is a new thing, and Shen Bingwen can roughly imagine what role it will play in the future, but at the moment he is more interested in Xue Huai's true intentions.

After a moment, he smiled and asked, "Does Jing Che perhaps want me to be the first head of the association?"

Xue Huai also smiled and asked, "Uncle, would you be willing to come out of seclusion?"

“Of course I would, but I have a more suitable candidate.”

Shen Bingwen's reply surprised Xue Huai. He thought for a moment and asked, "Uncle, are you referring to Old Master Qiao Wangshan?"

"Ah."

Shen Bingwen responded and then explained, “Three of the four major families in Yangzhou have already left. As you said, beneath the current calm surface, the local merchants are still uneasy, fearing that you will continue to drastically damage their foundations. This concern will be difficult to eradicate in a short time. Qiao Wangshan’s qualifications are even higher than Liu Fu’s. If you want to stabilize the situation, he is undoubtedly a more suitable candidate than me. In terms of reputation, connections, and qualifications, he is better than me. Letting him serve as the first head of the association will be twice as effective with half the effort.”

Xue Huai couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

From his perspective, Shen Bingwen was clearly more trustworthy. Although Qiao Wangshan's previous performance was not bad, Xue Huai always felt that the old man was hiding too many secrets and was not an open-minded person.

However, Shen Bingwen's view also makes sense. The Shen family is ultimately a rising star, and it lacks the foundation that Qiao Wangshan has.

"I will discuss this matter further with Magistrate Huang and Prefect Tan."

Xue Huai left some room for maneuver, but this answer indicated that he was inclined to accept Shen Bingwen's proposal.

"As it should be."

Shen Bingwen smiled and brushed it off, then changed the subject, saying, "Jing Che, I also have something I'd like to ask for your opinion on."

Xue Huai's heart stirred, and he nodded, saying, "Uncle, please speak freely."

"As you probably know, when you took office in Yangzhou, I was stranded in Hangzhou for some reason. At that time, I discussed with several important figures from the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce the matter of going overseas to explore trade routes. After thinking about it carefully, I felt that this matter should probably be put on hold for the time being."

Shen Bingwen took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Maritime trade requires a huge initial investment and involves too many uncertain risks. For example, the Great Yan navy is lax in its military preparedness, pirates are rampant at sea, and Japanese pirates are colluding with each other. In recent years, merchant ships from Fujian and Guangdong have been frequently attacked, resulting in heavy losses. Considering these reasons, it is not advisable for the Shen family to take risks at present. In addition, I am preparing to do something big."

Xue Huai then asked, "What is it?"

Shen Bingwen stroked the teacup with his palm and said frankly, "In recent years, the court has been facing a shortage of silver. I plan to have Guangtai Company assist in the transportation of grain and donate a batch of military supplies for the troops in the nine border regions to the court."

Xue Huai was startled.

Shen Bingwen's move was entirely a case of spending money to make a name for himself, and the amount he invested was not small. Otherwise, how could such a small amount possibly move the officials in the court and the emperor in the palace?

The key point is that it is difficult for him to gain any substantial benefits from doing so. The emperor and the court are unlikely to bestow supreme favors upon the Shen family because of his righteous deeds. At most, they will give the Shen family a verbal reward, such as the title of "righteous merchant," just like Dou Xian, the Jiangsu Provincial Governor.

Yi Shang...

Xue Huai suddenly realized that Shen Bingwen had used his family fortune to obtain such a title, just to give Shen Qingluan some confidence.

"uncle--"

"Jing Che, listen to me first."

Shen Bingwen said earnestly, "Since the matter of going to sea has been temporarily put on hold, the focus of Guangtai's operations will remain within the territory of Great Yan. If we can receive commendation from the imperial court, it will greatly benefit Guangtai's future expansion. Previously, Luan'er took the initiative to open a branch in the capital and has already established a foothold. So I can follow her lead and add fuel to the fire."

He never mentioned his children, but this courage deeply moved Xue Huai.

He stopped trying to dissuade him and nodded, saying, "Uncle, don't worry. I will write to the teacher and ask him to help you with this matter. I will also make sure that the money donated by the Shen family doesn't end up in the pockets of corrupt officials."

Shen Bingwen smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Xue Huai sighed inwardly, thinking that this was probably the way parents love their children and plan far ahead for them.

At that moment, Shen Qingluan's bright face appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile with emotion.

It seems... he needs to write to his mother, who is far away in the capital, as soon as possible to finalize the marriage agreement between the two families.

(End of this chapter)