Prime Minister

Chapter 240, Page 239: [Striking the Mountain to Warn the Tiger]

"Brother Jingche, I also have some humble ideas about the strategy to deal with the Demon Cult. I would appreciate your consideration."

Ye Qing was thirty-two years old at the time, the youngest of the nine commanders of the Jing'an Division. He was able to gain Han Qian's appreciation and secure his position as the commander of Jiangsu, which was certainly not due to mere flattery.

Besides his superb martial arts skills, he was also quite capable in strategizing. After listening to Xue Huai's description of the situation of the Xuan Yuan Sect, he quickly came up with a preliminary plan, not because he wanted to show off in front of Xue Huai.

Xue Huai said, "Brother Ye, please speak."

“I think there is no need to deliberately cover up the problems of Jimintang anymore. In the past two months, there have been many rumors circulating, such as the government suppressing and exploiting such charitable organizations. Although the rumors have not spread widely, letting them go unchecked will easily arouse the resentment of the people.”

Seeing that Xue Huai did not object, Ye Qing continued, "Perhaps we can release some information about the demonic cults and rebels, and then sever ties between Jimintang and Xuanyuan Sect as soon as possible. This would not only quell public opinion, but also completely sever the hidden hand left by Xuanyuan Sect, preventing them from using Jimintang to incite public resentment in the future."

After a moment's thought, Xue Huai praised, "Brother Ye's suggestion is excellent. Jimintang has been distributing medicine and doing good deeds for many years. If it is suddenly shut down in the name of a heretical sect or rebel party, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the people."

"Exactly that."

Ye Qing calmly said, "My intention is for the Yangzhou government to intervene and state that the authorities have discovered that some bandits are using the name of Jimintang to commit illegal acts. In order to eradicate this evil, a thorough investigation will be conducted. Anyone in the pharmacy who is innocent can continue to operate, and the government will supervise the accounts and provide certain support to maintain its status as a public welfare pharmacy. This will also allow that Dr. Xu to see the light of day again. Her previous fake death was not intended to deceive the world, but was only to cooperate with the government in arresting the thieves."

This idea coincided with Xue Huai's.

Xue Huai had been pondering how to handle the Jimintang matter for the past few days, not only because of his promise to Xu Zhiwei, but more importantly because the existence of Jimintang itself was extremely beneficial.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Regarding the Jimintang matter, as you said, we should act swiftly and decisively, using the government's name to sever its ties with the demonic cult and restore its original nature of benefiting the people and helping the world. In addition, the Xuanyuan Cult has deeply infiltrated the official and gentry class in Jiangnan. Although Liu Ying has revealed a lot, much of the information is peripheral, and the core remains shrouded in mystery. Therefore, I think we should proceed in three steps to ensure a safe outcome."

Ye Qing solemnly replied, "I would like to hear your insights."

Xue Huai said, “First, follow Brother Ye’s plan and deal with Jimintang quickly. Only mention that the bandits have been caught using their name to commit illegal acts, without mentioning the three words ‘Xuanyuan Sect’, so as not to cause unnecessary panic and suspicion, and at the same time, to confuse the thieves hiding in the dark. At the same time, do our best to capture Hu Jiaoniang, and do not disturb Sang Shichang and Zhao Cong for the time being, but only secretly set up surveillance and closely monitor their every move.”

Ye Qing nodded in agreement.

Xue Huai continued, "The second step is to concentrate our efforts on uncovering that Scholar Meng. If I'm not mistaken, this Scholar Meng must have deep connections within the Grand Canal Administration; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move so easily between the Xuan Yuan Sect and the government. You might as well start directly with the Grand Canal Administration, paying particular attention to the advisors and staff around those high-ranking officials. Generally speaking, people of this status are best suited to do these things."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing couldn't help but secretly admire the skill of Minister Shen, who was about to enter the cabinet, for cultivating Xue Huai to this level in just a few years.

He knew that Xue Huai was exceptionally intelligent and talented, otherwise he would not have been able to achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examination at the age of sixteen. However, the trials and tribulations of officialdom could not be solved by talent alone. Without sufficient experience, it was impossible to be proficient in all aspects and handle matters with ease.

It is common knowledge that Xue Mingzhang died young. Xue Huai's current shrewdness and skill can only be attributed to Shen Wang's complete instruction; otherwise, he could not have such mature skills.

While admiring Xue Huai for having such a devoted mentor, Ye Qing readily said, "Brother Jingche's words have truly enlightened me. Don't worry, I will send people to Huai'an to gather information and uncover the true identity of that scholar Meng as soon as possible."

He didn't explicitly say that the Jing'an Division had planted spies within the Grand Canal Administration, which hadn't been used hastily before, but now it was time for them to come into play.

Faced with Ye Qing's undisguised praise, Xue Huai remained calm and modest, then said, "Based on the current clues, the Canal Gang and the Jimin Hall have a deep connection, and the key nodes of the canal transport system have been deeply infiltrated and utilized by the Demonic Cult. This level of infiltration is far beyond what a mid-level official like Zhao Cong could accomplish; there must be someone protecting him or a mastermind behind it. However, with our combined strength, it is clearly unrealistic to directly investigate the Canal Transport Office without causing a stir in the court and among the public."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing fell into deep thought.

What Xue Huai said was a very real problem. Jiang Jizhou was not Xu Guanlan. If the two of them acted rashly, the other party could submit a memorial directly to the emperor. In order to maintain the stability of the Grand Canal and the dignity of the Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, the emperor would eventually only make Xue and Ye back down, and might even reprimand them for their reckless behavior.

This is why the emperor had Han Qian relay to the two men that they must act discreetly and investigate secretly.

However, the key now is how to break the deadlock.

Xue Huai's first two moves were strategic moves on the periphery. Cutting off the connection between Jimintang and Xuanyuan Sect was for the sake of people's livelihood, while the pursuit of Hu Jiaoniang and Meng Shusheng was to follow the clues. However, the enemy wouldn't be foolish enough to wait for them to investigate.

Even Liu Ying didn't know the identities of the Ancestor and the Holy Son, which shows how cautious the other party was. It would definitely be difficult to capture Hu Jiaoniang and Meng Shusheng. At this time, the best strategy was to go straight for the central army and start from the canal transport office to turn the tide.

"Perhaps...we can give them a chance."

After a moment, Xue Huai spoke slowly, his eyes gleaming. Ye Qing asked expectantly, "What do you mean?"

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Ye, the two sides are now locked in a tug-of-war, and neither dares to give up easily. Although we cannot directly cause trouble for the Grand Canal Administration, the capture of Liu Ying and his trusted subordinates is no small matter. Those who are connected to him will surely receive the news soon. Do you think they can sleep soundly?"

"Are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole?"

Ye Qing recalled Xue Huai's methods for dealing with Liu Yi and Liu Ying. Both times, he deliberately exposed his weaknesses to lure them into a trap, and both times he achieved very good results.

"Things can only be done three times."

Xue Huai smiled faintly, clearly having guessed Ye Qing's thoughts, and then said, "Using the same methods repeatedly will fool even the dumbest person. So this time I plan to set up a long trap and see if those people have that much patience. Now, besides Liu Ying, we have fourteen other prisoners in our hands. We might as well use the name of Commander Han to escort all these prisoners to the capital."

After thinking it over carefully, Ye Qing's eyes lit up and he smiled, "The Grand Canal is a long and winding road, and there's no guarantee that something won't go wrong."

At this moment, he had fully understood Xue Huai's intention.

Neither the Xuan Yuan Sect nor the officials and gentry who colluded with them wanted these captured thieves to appear before the officials in the imperial court. Therefore, they would have to endure great torment during the process of the more than ten criminals entering the capital—either bury their heads in the sand and pretend they knew nothing, or let the criminals disappear on the Grand Canal.

Unlike Xue Huai's previous schemes, this time they don't need to worry about encountering countermeasures. After all, Xue Huai is not a god descended to earth and cannot maintain a large number of elite troops on the Grand Canal at all times to deal with unexpected events while remaining discreet.

If those people wanted to make a move, they would have plenty of time to determine if there were any ambushes around the official ship. Moreover, this matter did not necessarily require a forced assassination; sinking the official ship to create an accident would also achieve the same goal.

Thinking of this, Ye Qing asked, "What if they can really cause an accident?"

There are no truly stupid people in the imperial court.

Xue Huai calmly said, "The identities of these rebel criminals are beyond doubt, but they mysteriously met with an accident on their way to the capital, and none of them survived. Who can be fooled by the explanation of an accident? Even if it really was an accident, the official boat ran into trouble on the canal, and more than a dozen criminals died at the same time. Shouldn't the court investigate the canal transport department? At that time, even with Grand Secretary Ning's support, Jiang Jizhou will have to obediently accept the court's accountability!"

Ye Qing suddenly realized, "So the imperial court just needs a pretext!"

"A just cause will always lead to victory."

Xue Huai picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, and then said, "For those people, when these criminals board the official ships escorting them to the capital, they will be caught in a dilemma, and in the end they can only choose the lesser of two evils."

Looking at his confident expression, Ye Qing suddenly had an idea.

If the other party can really hold back and not take action against these criminals from beginning to end, will the official ship still encounter accidents?

After all... the emperor only needed a pretext to crack down on the Grand Canal transport office.

Ye Qing's lips moved, but he ultimately did not bring it up.

Xue Huai then instructed, "Brother Ye, this matter must be arranged as soon as possible. We must make those people think that you haven't been able to get the prisoners to talk yet, and that you are only doing this because you are forced to do so by Commander Han's orders. This way, they will have a more sufficient reason to take action. Also, Liu Ying should go through the motions before being quietly brought back to Yangzhou."

Ye Qingxin said happily, "Alright, I will first have the Yangzhou government office arrange official ships in the name of the Jing'an Division, and send those criminals on their way north in three days at the latest."

The two then discussed the details for a good half day. Ye Qing walked away with a brisk pace, which was completely different from his usual calm style, showing how eager he was.

Xue Huai remained seated, mentally reviewing all the arrangements to see if there were any oversights.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Shun hurriedly entered the inner hall, his face beaming with obvious joy. He bowed respectfully and said, "Young Master, someone from the capital has arrived at the dock outside the city!"

Xue Huai looked up at him.

Li Shun thought he hadn't reacted yet, so he quickly explained, "It's someone sent by the old lady to represent the Xue family at Shen Garden to propose marriage for the young master!"

(End of this chapter)