Prime Minister

Chapter 191, Section 190: [An Old Tree Blossoms]

Yangzhou, Dongguan Wharf.

Box after box of tightly sealed gold and silver was loaded onto official ships, and officials from the transport army, the Jing'an Division, and the Censorate formed an airtight joint supervision.

Under the shade of the pavilion, Fan Dongyang, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and Imperial Commissioner, bid farewell to the officials who came to see him off, while Wu Changling, the General of the Grain Transport Army, pulled Xue Huai aside and whispered something to him.

"How did those two boys do?"

Wu Changling was asking about Bai Cong and Yue Zhenshan, the personal guards he had given to Xue Huai. Both of them were twenty-four or twenty-five years old and had practiced martial arts since childhood. After joining the army, they were selected by Wu Changling with his discerning eye and personally trained by him for many years.

Xue Huai thought for a moment and replied, "They are very composed."

Wu Changling nodded and said, "It's good that they're steady. I was worried they'd cause you trouble."

Xue Huai also laughed and said, "How could that be? The soldiers that Uncle Wu has trained are naturally the best. I think it's a waste of their talents to have them follow me."

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

Wu Changling raised his hand and patted his shoulder lightly, saying in a low voice, "I think Fan Dongyang is very satisfied with you on this trip. After he returns to the capital, he should report back to His Majesty truthfully, and you should be promoted soon. At your age, you have already entered the ranks of the fourth grade, which is better than most officials in the court. It is a blessing for those two lads to follow you."

Promotion?

Xue Huai hadn't considered this issue yet. In fact, he hoped to stay in Yangzhou for a while longer. The Salt Commission had only just been established, and the reform of the Lianghuai Salt Administration was only in its initial stage. The phenomenon of officials being forgotten after leaving office was too common, and he didn't want to see his hard work go to waste.

Wu Changling roughly guessed his thoughts and said gently, "You can't bear to leave Yangzhou?"

Xue Huai said frankly, "It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, it's just that I want to see it through to the end."

"That's true."

Wu Changling's eyes darted around, and he smiled slightly, "Why don't I tell your teacher when I get to the capital?"

This time, he will personally lead troops to escort Fan Dongyang and his party to the capital. After all, nearly ten million taels of stolen silver will be handed over to the national treasury, which is more than half of the annual revenue of the Great Yan. No mistakes can be made on the way. Therefore, the emperor also issued an edict to Wu Changling, ordering him to personally lead three thousand elite troops to accompany and protect them.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Wu."

Xue Huai's heart stirred, and he said softly, "Uncle Wu will surely be rewarded for his trip to the capital to meet the Emperor this time."

Wu Changling immediately beamed with joy and said with deep emotion, "Thanks to Jing Che for helping me out, otherwise I don't know how long I would have been harassed by that old white face Jiang Jizhou. This time, thanks to your ability, I was able to show my face in front of His Majesty."

These words are sincere and heartfelt, revealing the immense anger harbored by this second-rank military commander.

Xue Huai didn't have a good solution to this either.

The Great Yan had been established for 120 years, and the surrounding barbarians had long since submitted. The northern Tartars were no longer a threat and were seen by the officials in the court as nothing more than a minor nuisance.

As external threats decrease, military officers will fall far behind civil officials in status, a trend that no one can change.

Take the Grand Canal Transport Office as an example. Both Governor-General Jiang Jizhou and General Wu Changling were of the second rank, but the vast majority of canal affairs were decided by Jiang Jizhou. Wu Changling could only manage the internal affairs of the canal transport army, and he was also subject to Jiang Jizhou's control.

In particular, Jiang Jizhou was a staunch supporter of Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, and most local officials dared not offend Ning Hengzhi's authority. In the past, when Jiang and Wu appeared together, others would always respect Jiang Jizhou as the leader, which made Wu Changling feel depressed and helpless.

It wasn't until this time, with the help of Xue Huai's investigation into the Lianghuai salt case, that Wu Changling received several secret edicts from the emperor, showing that he was clearly favored by the emperor. Now he was going to the capital to meet the emperor in person. As long as he had the emperor's favor, why should he care about Jiang Jizhou's suppression in the future?
"Uncle Wu, the capital is not like the provinces. The censors are watching us all the time, so you have to be careful."

Xue Huai kindly reminded him that he didn't want Wu Changling to develop a reckless and unruly personality from spending so many years in the army, and to offend too many people in the capital, a place teeming with powerful and influential people.

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Wu Changling smiled calmly and said, "I have Yu Chengguang stationed in Yangzhou with two thousand soldiers. If you encounter any major trouble, you can go directly to him."

This can be seen as a reciprocation of kindness, and also as evidence that the two are becoming increasingly close.

Xue Huai naturally wouldn't refuse and immediately cupped his hands in thanks.

At this time, Fan Dongyang had already bid farewell to everyone and was preparing to board the ship. This close minister of the emperor did not discuss private matters with Xue Huai in public. He had already obtained a satisfactory reply from Xue Huai on behalf of the emperor, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment, leaving everything unsaid.

The imperial envoy's ship sailed north along the Grand Canal, while Shi Dao'an, the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, returned to Nanjing with his officials. Thus, the sensational Lianghuai salt scandal that had gripped the entire Great Yan Dynasty finally came to a close.

Inside the government office, the lingering scent of pine soot ink mingled with the winter sunlight streaming in through the windows, dispelling the invisible pressure from days of busy official duties.

Tan Mingguang personally poured Xue Huai a cup of hot tea, his brows showing a rare sense of relief and vitality after being relieved of a heavy burden.

"It feels like a lifetime ago, Jing Che!"

Tan Mingguang sighed and sat down behind the large rosewood desk. His fingers unconsciously stroked the smooth surface of the desk, as if confirming the power he had regained. He slowly said, "With the salt case settled, Yangzhou can finally return to peace. All that was unbearable to recall before, it was all thanks to you who stood firm in the face of adversity."

Xue Huai bowed slightly and smiled, "Your Excellency is too kind. The salt case was solved thanks to the concerted efforts of everyone. If Your Excellency had not been in charge of stabilizing the situation, resisting external pressures and comforting the people, I would have been like a rootless duckweed, no matter how many methods I had. Now that the storm has passed and the sky has cleared, it is time for Your Excellency to revitalize Yangzhou."

Upon hearing this, Tan Mingguang's smile deepened. Looking at the intelligent and courageous young man before him, who always adhered to the duties of a subordinate, he was even more satisfied. He then took out a document that had been prepared in advance from his desk and pushed it in front of Xue Huai, saying, "Jing Che, take a look at this."

Xue Huai took it and saw that it was a rather detailed "Outline for the Implementation of the New Policies in Yangzhou Prefecture".

“After this case, three or four out of ten officials at the prefectural and county levels in Yangzhou were dismissed.”

Tan Mingguang said solemnly, “The first priority is to fill the vacancies. I have already reported to Lord Dou of the Provincial Administration Commission that I intend to openly select virtuous and capable individuals from among the clerks who have been rated as excellent in the past years in this prefecture, as well as from among the poor but well-educated students of good character in Yangzhou Prefecture. This matter must be handled with rigor and fairness to prevent nepotism. Jing Che, as the Assistant Prefect of this prefecture, it is also your duty to supervise the administration of officials. Therefore, I ask you to keep a close eye on the selection process to ensure fairness.”

Xue Huai nodded and said, "This humble official has no choice but to take on this responsibility."

Tan Mingguang looked pleased and continued, “Although the salt case has been resolved, the turmoil in the business world and the suffering of the people’s livelihood remain. Therefore, I have decided to implement three policies, which are detailed in the outline. Jing Che may wish to take a closer look.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Huai turned his gaze back to the document in his hand.

Tan Mingguang's proposed three policies were to reduce taxes and corvée labor, reopen the canal trade, stabilize prices, and protect people's livelihoods. These were not vague or empty words; each policy had very detailed provisions. It is evident that he had not wasted the past two years and had been thinking about how to govern Yangzhou. However, he had been unable to implement his policies due to the constraints imposed by local officials and gentry.

After carefully reading through the documents and pondering for a moment, Xue Huai nodded and said, "Your Excellency's three policies are to the point. Smooth trade along the Grand Canal and stable market prices are guarantees for the successful implementation of the new salt permit system. Reducing commercial taxes and simplifying customs procedures are also very important, as they can reassure merchants and the people. Regarding state-run rice shops, I have a supplementary suggestion: some of the grain and medicinal herbs produced by confiscated shops and estates can be imported into state-run channels at a fair price through the Salt Commission. This would make the best use of resources and further reduce the burden on the treasury."

"wonderful!"

Tan Mingguang's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Making the best use of resources is a win-win situation. This matter can be handled by the government's workshop in conjunction with the salt commission."

Xue Huai smiled and agreed, feeling quite pleased.

The effects of the salt council will gradually become apparent, and all salt merchants will benefit from it. If anyone attempts to share the profits in the future, it will naturally provoke a united front of resistance from everyone, not even the salt transport commissioner.

On the other side, Tan Mingguang became increasingly excited and said with feeling, "Yangzhou's wealth does not lie entirely in salt and grain transport, but also in mulberry, hemp, fishing and rice. I have decided to take advantage of this winter's off-season for farming to have the prefectural government organize river works to dredge the silt and reinforce the main irrigation canals and river embankments within the prefecture and county, especially the key sections that connect to Shaobo Lake in the north and Guazhou Ferry in the south. This matter can be modeled after your measures in Xinghua County, recruiting local able-bodied men and some grain transport workers and salt producers, and distributing rice, grain and salt money on a daily basis as work-for-relief."

Xue Huai replied, “The construction of water conservancy projects is a long-term endeavor. I will communicate with Transport Commissioner Huang to properly arrange the rotation of salt-making households, ensuring that the dike construction and salt administration are carried out without any delay. In addition, the list of salt-making households has been reorganized, and some of them are able to be used for nearby water conservancy projects. The Salt Commissioner will supervise the work and pay them double the standard salt-making fee, which will increase their income and also alleviate the government’s labor shortage.”

Tan Mingguang smiled and said, "Jingche's thinking is thorough, and this method is exactly what I wanted. It is also a sign of the court's consideration that the salt-making households can have other ways to increase their income besides boiling salt. In addition, with the end of the year approaching, I would like to issue an order to the prefecture and its seven counties to take a portion of the silver confiscated in the past and use it to purchase rice, grain and cotton clothing for all registered orphans, widows, disabled and poor households in the territory. What do you think, Jingche?"

Xue Huai knew that Tan Mingguang had been holding back for the past two years. Now that corrupt officials had been wiped out and the emperor had granted special permission for Yangzhou Prefecture to leave hundreds of thousands of taels of embezzled silver to be deposited into the treasury, Tan Mingguang was rich and powerful, and it was the perfect time for him to make great strides.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "This is excellent. In addition, I suggest that Your Excellency send instructors and tutors from each county to organize local students to explain and interpret the new salt administration regulations, commercial tax reductions and exemptions, new canal customs policies, and the essentials of performance evaluation for officials in villages, towns, and markets. This will allow the benefits of the new policies to reach every corner of the country and thus stabilize people's hearts."

Upon hearing this, Tan Mingguang closed the scroll, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness, and said with delight, "That's excellent."

The sunlight streaming through the window is perfect, dividing the desk in two: one half bright, the other half in the shadow of the display shelf.

Tan Mingguang sat at the boundary between light and shadow, looking at the composed and ambitious young man in front of him, his heart filled with excitement and expectation.

He poured himself a full cup of tea, then refilled Xue Huai's, before solemnly raising his cup and saying, "Jingche, this new policy outline may seem complex, but it is in fact a plan for the revitalization of Yangzhou. I know you bear heavy responsibilities, and the salt administration is a complex and multifaceted affair, but Yangzhou is ultimately a unified entity. The implementation of this new policy is primarily the responsibility of the prefectural government, but it also depends on your constant correction and rectification. Let us work together to govern, to live up to His Majesty's trust, and to fulfill the people's high expectations. What do you say?"

Xue Huai said solemnly, "This humble official will certainly live up to Your Excellency's expectations!"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

After finishing their business, Tan Mingguang was about to further strengthen their relationship when Xue Huai put down his teacup and casually posed a question.

"Has Your Excellency ever heard of Jimintang?"

(End of this chapter)