Prime Minister

Chapter 190, Page 189: [The Saintess's Day Trip]

Night falls in the study of the inner residence of Jimintang.

Xu Zhiwei sat by the window, with a thin booklet in front of her containing information about Xue Huai that Liu Ying had collected.

The story begins with Xue Huai's participation in the imperial examination. As the youngest Tan Hua in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, he entered the Hanlin Academy at the age of sixteen, which has always been a source of pride. However, the annotations left by Liu Ying on the academy are somewhat jarring.

In Liu Ying's view, without the connections and support left by Xue Mingzhang, how could Xue Huai have created the miracle of passing six trials in a year and rising from a commoner to the third-ranked scholar?

Even his teacher Shen Wang couldn't do that, so could Xue Huai's talent and ability be higher than that leader of the Qingliu faction?

Ultimately, this is nothing more than the common practice of granting public office to private individuals.

Xu Zhiwei did not disagree with Liu Ying's assertion, but she also did not believe that Xue Huai was able to achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examination entirely through opportunism and back channels, because she had read the poem about plum blossoms and knew that Xue Huai was indeed a person of outstanding talent.

As for Xue Huai's experiences after entering officialdom, Xu Zhiwei did not find any obvious problems.

The night outside the window was cold and desolate, with a crescent moon hanging alone in the darkness, adding to the sense of loneliness and bleakness.

Recalling what she had seen during the day, Xu Zhiwei frowned slightly.

In fact, the moment Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan stepped into Jimin Hall, she learned of their identities from the steward.

She had been silently observing Xue Huai.

He was a young man with a very deep mind. She couldn't fathom his true nature through such a brief encounter, but she could confirm that the pity in Xue Huai's eyes when he looked at the poor people was genuine.

Is this person truly the wicked, seemingly loyal but actually treacherous villain that my aunt described?
"Knowing the subtle."

A middle-aged man's voice rang out from outside the door.

Xu Zhiwei turned her head and stood up, saying, "Uncle Li, you're back."

The middle-aged man was named Li Cong, one of the two experts sent by Liu Ying to protect her. He also had another identity as the Cleansing Dust Steward.

From the time Xu Zhiwei could remember, Li Cong had been by Liu Ying's side. When Xu Zhiwei started practicing medicine outside, Liu Ying put Li Cong in charge of her safety.

Li Cong smiled slightly and said gently, "I heard that Xue Huai went to Jimintang today, and I was worried that this was not a coincidence, so I went out to find out more."

Xu Zhiwei personally poured him tea and handed it to him, asking, "Is it a coincidence?"

"should be."

Li Cong sat down and said with a relaxed expression, "Xue Huai and that noble young lady from the Shen family of Guangtai Company have a close relationship. The two of them were strolling around the city today and happened to come across the vicinity of Jimintang. Zhiwei, this is an unexpected surprise for us. We were originally thinking about how to let you appear in front of Xue Huai naturally, but we didn't expect him to come to us on his own. Moreover, your response was perfect. You must have left a very deep impression on him."

Xu Zhiwei remained silent.

In fact, she wasn't bluffing when she prescribed that medicine. Xue Huai's body did indeed have the hidden danger of being too tired. And she didn't do this to take the opportunity to get closer to him. She simply didn't want to owe him a favor of one hundred taels.

Her trip to Yangzhou was on Liu Ying's orders to find an opportunity to poison Xue Huai, but she also genuinely wanted to help the poor people. The one hundred taels Xue Huai gave her could buy a lot of medicinal herbs, so of course she had to repay this favor.

Li Cong was already used to Xu Zhiwei's aloof nature. Unless the topic was related to medicine, Xu Zhiwei was usually like this. So he said to himself, "No wonder Aunt Liu said you were born with the qualities of a saint. Your luck alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"Uncle Li."

Xu Zhiwei ignored his praise and frowned slightly, saying, "Do you really think Xue Huai is a bad person?"

Li Cong secretly sighed that Liu Ying truly understood this gifted woman in front of her, having anticipated her question long ago.

Liu Ying's reason for killing Xue Huai was certainly not the reason she gave Xu Zhiwei.

As a deeply hidden Jingchen steward and one of Liu Ying's confidants, Li Cong could roughly guess the reason why Liu Ying arranged for Xu Zhiwei to take action. One reason was related to an incident from more than ten years ago, and the other was related to their grand plan.

If the Ning faction collapses in the court and is replaced by officials like Shen Wang and Xue Huai, then no matter how much they scheme, it will all be in vain. In addition, considering the grudges from the past, Liu Ying must kill Xue Huai.

However, Xu Zhiwei could not know these inside stories, so Li Cong's face showed a heavy expression, and he sighed softly: "Zhiwei, Aunt Liu often said that you are as pure as glass and does not want you to be tainted by the ugliness of people's hearts, but the world is so treacherous that there are some things I have to tell you."

Xu Zhiwei nodded and said, "I would like to hear the details."

Li Cong glanced at the deep night outside the window and slowly said, "You've already seen the notices posted by the Yangzhou government. Xue Huai has won widespread praise for his investigation of the Lianghuai salt case, and people are calling him Xue Qingtian (a paragon of justice). But do you know how much he profited from this case?"

"He reported the amount to the court as eight million taels, but corrupt officials like Xu Guanlan have been entrenched in the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office for many years. The land deeds and house deeds alone are worth millions of taels. Add to that the gold, silver and treasures, and it's worth far more than ten million. Not to mention the powerful families of Lianghuai, such as Liu, Zheng, Bai and Ge, who have accumulated their wealth for nearly a hundred years, and now they are all under his control!"

"Of course, Xue Huai wouldn't openly line his own pockets like Xu Guanlan. He simply distributed large amounts of embezzled silver to officials at various levels to win people's hearts and build his reputation! If he really cared about the people, shouldn't he have taken out that embezzled silver and distributed it to the poor?"

Li Cong's tone was not loud, but his face was full of murderous intent.

Xu Zhiwei pondered for a moment, then asked, "Uncle Li, is there any evidence to support your claim?"

"These things are not difficult to deduce; the key is whether one is willing to look for clues."

Li Cong shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Xue Huai pretends to be compassionate in front of the common people, plays the role of a loyal minister in front of the emperor, and is seen as a young talent by the upright officials. But every time he strikes in secret, he is cutting off old vines and weaving a huge net of power that belongs only to him. This kind of person will stop at nothing to climb up the social ladder and will not care about the lives of others. Take this salt case for example, how many salt producers, canal workers and small merchants have been affected? You have been in Yangzhou for more than a month, so you should know about this."

Xu Zhiwei remained silent.

She treated the sick at the Jimintang clinic every day, hearing glimpses of the human condition from them. Indeed, as Li Cong had said, since Xue Huai took office in Yangzhou, the area had been plunged into continuous turmoil, with hardly a peaceful day. But…

Li Cong probably couldn't guess how the common people talked about Xue Huai; the Yangzhou Tongzhi they spoke of was the most upright and virtuous official in the land.

Which Xue Huai is the real Xue Huai?

Xu Zhiwei suddenly felt a little annoyed.

Although she was an orphan without the protection of her parents, she grew up under Liu Ying's care, and her life for those nineteen years was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

Before she turned seventeen, she studied medicine with Liu Ying and other elders in the school. In the past two years, she has focused on treating patients. Liu Ying has taken care of everything else for her, so she doesn't need to worry about anything.

"Uncle Li, I'd like to rest for a day."

After a long silence, Xu Zhiwei made this request.

Li Cong's heart stirred, and he smiled kindly, "Of course you can. In the past month or so you have treated dozens of people, and your reputation as a divine doctor is gradually spreading. You only need an opportunity to win Xue Huai's trust, but this matter requires careful planning and cannot be rushed. You can rest for a few more days."

Xu Zhiwei gently shook her head and said, "Only one day. I heard that the day after tomorrow is the day when Xu Guanlan and other treacherous officials will be brought to justice, so I want to go to the execution ground to take a look."

Not wanting to arouse her suspicion, Li Cong readily agreed, "Okay, I'll arrange it."

Xu Zhiwei thanked her softly.

She didn't know why she made such a request, and even when she was standing in the crowded street, her mind was still in turmoil.

As if two voices were arguing in the darkness, one made her believe her aunt's judgment: dealing with a cunning and wicked man like Xue Huai was not a good idea; sending him on his way as soon as possible with a few drops of ink rain was the right thing to do.

Another argument is that this is a disregard for human life. Xue Huai has clearly done so many good things for the people. The fact that he investigated so many corrupt officials in Yangzhou is enough to prove his character. How could such a person harm the common people?
Xu Zhiwei's hands, hidden in her sleeves, gradually clenched. She took a deep breath and looked up at the distant high platform.

Surrounded by Li Cong and his trusted men to prevent Xu Zhiwei from being disturbed, she could concentrate fully on watching the execution.

She saw Xue Huai.

The young Yangzhou magistrate sat side by side with several high-ranking officials. Although Xu Zhiwei couldn't see his face clearly, he could feel how much the people loved him from the cheers of the crowd below.

The execution begins.

Xu Guanlan, Chen Lun, Lou Shizong, Liu Fu, Zheng Boyan and others were brought up to the platform one by one. After their identities were verified, they were taken to the edge of the platform, where officials from the government office loudly read out their charges.

Because of the distance, Xu Zhiwei could not hear clearly to begin with, and it was quickly drowned out by the angry shouts of the people.

As the executioner's blade fell, head after head rolled off, and the cries of the people, a mixture of crying and laughter, echoed throughout the market.

The area around the execution ground was teeming with people, a cacophony of voices, like a boiling pot of soup.

The strong stench of blood lingered in the dry, cold winter air, yet it did nothing to drown out the boisterous voices of the crowd.

Every time a treacherous head falls, it stirs up a tsunami of cheers, curses, and even wailing of joy.

Xu Zhiwei has never been afraid of bloodshed, having seen countless wounds in her past medical practice, but the impact of this execution concerning justice far exceeded her expectations.

She saw an old man with a hunched back, supported by a strong young man, kneeling and kowtowing in the direction of the execution platform.

She saw a group of poor kitchen workers dressed in coarse cloth and short clothes, patting each other on the shoulder, crying and laughing.

She saw a woman dressed in a faded white dress, holding a timid child clutching the hem of his mother's clothes in her arms, bowing and thanking Xue Huai and the others who were sitting on the high platform.

She also caught a glimpse of a child holding up a piece of cloth with the words "Xue Qingtian" written crookedly on it. The child's innocent gaze was completely different from the fanaticism she had seen in the eyes of the believers since she was a child; it was pure admiration and gratitude.

Her heartstrings were being pulled repeatedly.

Li Cong was filled with mixed emotions. He couldn't help but lean closer and whisper, "Zhiwei, did you see that? That's Xue Huai's brilliance. He directs the people's anger towards a specific target and then portrays himself as a savior. The people's hearts are like water, manipulated by him. He has embezzled countless amounts of the spoils confiscated from corrupt officials and powerful figures, yet he still manages to win such overwhelming support. His heart is truly despicable."

Xu Zhiwei remained silent.

The whispers of Li Cong in her ear mingled with the cheers of the crowd below, stirring up a storm in her heart.

She had an almost instinctive trust in Liu Ying, and it was an undeniable fact that her aunt had dedicated herself to helping the poor for so many years, but what she was seeing now...

Those eyes that rekindled their hope for a livelihood because of Xue Huai's investigation into corruption were genuine.

The voices that wept loudly as the wicked were brought to justice, pouring out years of pent-up grief and indignation, were genuine.

The woman's eyes, filled with a mixture of sorrow and joy, and her deep gratitude, were genuine.

Xu Zhiwei pursed her lips tightly, her hands unconsciously clenching in her sleeves, her nails digging deep into her palms without her even noticing.

She gazed at the figure on the distant platform, her eyes filled with complex emotions, confusion clinging to her like vines, and a thought quietly echoed in her mind.

"Which is the true way to heal and save lives: saving the lives of thousands of people or taking the life of one person?"

(End of this chapter)