Prime Minister

Chapter 252, Section 251: [Training the Hawk]

"Guards! Guards! Did you hear me?!"

In the southwest corner of the Yangzhou government office, deep within the prison, in a cramped and damp cell, Sang Chengze, the young leader of the Canal Gang, clung to the cell door with both hands, his expression both ferocious and pathetic.

He had only been there for three days at most, and he was almost going crazy.

Sang Chengze has never experienced a day of hardship since birth; he can be described as a pampered young master.

Because he had two older brothers to support him and had no interest in vying for power in the canal gang, the entire Sang family spoiled him rotten, which fostered his arrogant and disdainful nature.

At first, Young Master Sang thought that being imprisoned in the government jail was just a formality, and that Xue Huai would definitely be unable to withstand the pressure from the canal administration and release him. Moreover, Jiang Fangzheng would also find a way to save him. However, three whole days passed, and it was as if he had been completely forgotten by everyone in this dark and damp corner.

No one interrogated him, and no one used any underhanded tactics against him. The only thing the jailer did was come once a day at noon to bring him a bowl of rice.

In Sang Chengze's view, could that be called food?
Even his dog won't eat this kind of stuff!
On the first day, he simply threw his food bowl out, and the jailer did not react at all, so Sang Chengze went hungry for a day and a night.

The next day he didn't throw away the food bowl again, but he still didn't eat the black, gooey stuff in it.

Today he finally managed to eat a small bite despite feeling nauseous.

Hunger was barely bearable, but what Sang Chengze found most unbearable was the environment. Insects could crawl out of his body and hair at any moment. For the pampered young master Sang, this was simply inhuman.

"Someone is coming!"

Sang Chengze's roar rang out again.

"What are you shouting for?"

A jailer nearing forty years old came to the cell and said coldly, "Can't you be quiet for once?"

Sang Chengze suppressed his anger and said bluntly, "Let me out!"

The jailer looked at him like he was an idiot.

Sang Chengze roared, "How dare you look at me like that? Do you know who I am?!"

"I know, he's the young master of the Grand Canal Gang."

The jailer shrugged and laughed, "What's wrong with you? You still want to massacre the Yangzhou government office? Is the Grand Canal Gang really planning a rebellion?"

"you!"

Sang Chengze wasn't entirely stupid; there were certain things he absolutely couldn't say out loud.

The jailer sneered at the sight and turned to leave.

"and many more!"

Sang Chengze took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "I'd like to trouble you to arrange a banquet at Taibai Tower for me. Just bring it in in a food box. Also, please buy me some household items. Don't worry, you won't have to spend a single penny. Go to Daningfang and find the people at the Cao Gang branch. They will not only give you the money to buy these things, but they will also give you an extra hundred taels!"

One hundred taels was certainly not a small sum, but the jailer said without hesitation, "I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible. If I help you with these things, I will be kicked out of the government office immediately, and my whole family will become the laughing stock of the neighborhood. Just stay here obediently, no one will use those underhanded methods on you. In a month or two, when the higher-ups have time to hear your case, there will be a result."

"One or two months?"

Sang Chengze stared blankly. He couldn't even stand this godforsaken place for a day. Wouldn't a month or two be the death of him?

The jailer, unfazed, said, "Your case doesn't even come close. There are plenty of major cases ahead of you waiting to be dealt with; a month or two would be considered fast. Young Master Sang, are you really stupid or just pretending? You don't think our Lord Xue is idle, do you? He meets countless people and handles countless official duties every day; how could he possibly have the time to keep an eye on you? If you ask me, just stay here and eat what you can. Don't make things difficult for yourself."

These words reached Sang Chengze's ears as the jailer had already walked away.

His eyes nearly went unfocused, eventually turning into utter despair.

At the same time, outside the government office.

A middle-aged man with a solemn expression hurried down the steps, then walked towards the end of the street, turned into a narrow alley, and boarded a carriage parked under the shade of a tree.

"Son."

He bowed slightly in greeting, cautiously looking at the thirty-year-old man whose eyes were slightly closed.

Jiang Fangzheng opened his eyes, glanced at his face, and said knowingly, "You were rejected?"

"Yes."

The middle-aged man said with shame, "I personally carried your visiting card, young master, but only met with Magistrate Zhang. He gave the same answer as before, saying that Magistrate Xue had just recovered from his illness but was too busy with official duties to meet with you. As for the case of the fight at Lan Yue Fang, Magistrate Zhang guaranteed that he would strictly follow the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty and would not favor either side. However, according to the information I have gathered, Young Master Sang and his companions are imprisoned and have not yet been interrogated."

"Ah."

Jiang Fangzheng responded calmly, appearing quite composed, a stark contrast to his furious demeanor in front of the government office that day.

The middle-aged man felt a vague sense of worry. He knew that his young master had been busy with the matter of Young Master Sang these past few days, suppressing the restlessness of the rough men of the Canal Gang and trying to find ways to plead with Xue Huai. However, to his surprise, his young master's usually invincible reputation was completely useless in Yangzhou City.

The officials in the prefectural government were fairly polite, but they kept repeating the same thing: Lord Xue is very busy, too busy to meet with Young Master Jiang. The middle-aged man was also ordered by Jiang Fangzheng to find some respected local gentry in Yangzhou, intending to ask them to mediate. However, as soon as they heard his purpose, they practically knelt down and begged him to let them go, saying that even if they had a hundred lives, they wouldn't dare to provoke Lord Xue's formidable power.

According to those people, the only local worthies in the city who can speak to Lord Xue are probably Qiao Wangshan and Shen Bingwen.

However, the middle-aged man also couldn't see the two of them.

In short, the governor's eldest son's influence is useless here.

"What do you think Xue Huai is really thinking?"

A hint of suspicion appeared on Jiang Fang's face as he slowly said, "He can't really keep Sang Chengze locked up for life, so why won't he see me or accept the way out I offer him?"

The middle-aged man didn't understand the meaning of those words.

Although he was considered one of Chiang Fang-cheng's confidants, his role was limited to taking care of Chiang's daily needs; he was not knowledgeable about other aspects of his life.

"Son."

After thinking it over carefully, the middle-aged man tentatively asked, "Young Master Sang, was the injury you caused that day intentional?"

"It wasn't intentional."

Jiang Fangzheng smiled and then said, "It just so happened that we were talking about the recent difficulties of the Canal Gang. I told him that the salt merchants of Lianghuai have now set up a salt industry association, which has a very bad influence on the Canal Gang. He couldn't help but go and cause trouble for the Qiao family. Originally, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk to Xue Huai in person and let the salt merchants and the Canal Gang sit down and talk, so as not to cause a lose-lose situation. Who knew that he would not give me the chance at all."

The middle-aged man was puzzled and increasingly unable to understand Jiang Fangzheng's thoughts. If he really wanted to quell the salt and grain transport dispute, shouldn't he have used a more friendly approach? How could he let that spendthrift Sang Chengze beat up the seventh young master of the Qiao family?

Wouldn't this exacerbate the conflict between the two sides?
"Oh, what a waste of my good intentions."

Jiang Fangzheng sighed and said to the middle-aged man, "Things have come to this point, and we can't delay any longer. Have someone inform Chief Sang and make arrangements for Magistrate Zhao to come see me tonight."

"The villain obeys your orders."

The middle-aged man knew that the Zhao Tongpan mentioned by Jiang Fangzheng was Zhao Cong, the Tongpan of Yangzhou, the Grand Canal Administration. At this moment, he had a vague premonition that if that Xue Tongzhi continued to insist on this closed-door attitude, this seemingly small case might turn into a storm.

……

Xue Huai was certainly not sick, and in fact, he had a very good appetite.

At this moment, he was in the inner hall of the government office, calmly and elegantly eating the exquisite food that Shen Qingluan had brought him, under her smiling gaze. The chefs of Shen Garden were indeed much better than the chefs of the government office.

After he put down his chopsticks, Shen Qingluan quickly handed him a towel and some tea. Yun'er and Moyun, who were standing next to him, exchanged a glance, feeling that they were being superfluous.

"Brother Huai, why won't you see that Young Master Jiang?"

After their intimate encounter on the day of the marriage proposal, the girl Xingxing could no longer hide her admiration. Especially now that only their personal maids were present, she no longer needed to pretend to be dignified.

"Because I'm very busy."

Xue Huai smiled slightly and said unhurriedly, "There are still two months until the summer tax is due. Although the weather has been good this year and the people's harvest is quite good, those who collect taxes must keep a close eye on them. If they relax even slightly, they will harm the people. This is a bad habit they have developed over the past ten years. To expect them to suddenly change their ways is undoubtedly a naive fantasy. Only through persistent admonition can they understand what the people's hard-earned money is."

Shen Qingluan agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Yes, it's true. We need to get them to do things, but we can't be too lenient. There's a lot to it."

"More than these."

Xue Huai continued, "Yangzhou is located at the hub of the Grand Canal, and the dredging and maintenance of the canal are of paramount importance. In addition, with the various new policies implemented this year, do you think I have time to deal with an arrogant and spoiled brat?"

"But……"

Shen Qingluan was slightly worried. She had already taken over part of the family business, so how could she not know the power of the Grand Canal Administration? If she offended the Jiang family and the Grand Canal Gang too much, she was afraid that there would be a lot of trouble later.

“Sang Chengze and Jiang Fangzheng came to Yangzhou to cause trouble, which shows that they came prepared. No matter what I do, they will not let it go.”

Xue Huai slowly stood up, and was about to reach out and rub Shen Qingluan's forehead when he realized there were other people present, so he withdrew his hand and smiled, "From now on, you don't need to make the trip yourself. Just let Yun'er do it for you."

Shen Qingluan, being quick-witted, also stood up and said, "Then I'll come every three days. Brother Huai, I'll go back now. You go and attend to your business."

"it is good."

Xue Huai personally escorted her to the ceremonial gate and watched her board the carriage before turning back.

Zhang Shi appeared at the opportune moment, briefly recounting Sang Chengze's reaction in prison and Jiang Fangzheng's actions over the past few days. Finally, he said earnestly, "Your Excellency, Jiang Fangzheng will probably pass the trouble to the Canal Gang next."

"As expected. Although Jiang Fangzheng tried his best to appear stupid, Jiang Jizhou shouldn't be that stupid. There are only two possibilities for the lack of response from the canal administration: either this was at Jiang Jizhou's behest, or even Jiang Jizhou doesn't know what his precious only son is doing. If it's the latter, then this matter is even more interesting."

Xue Huai paused, looked up at the lush green spring scenery in the courtyard, and slowly said, "Let Sang Chengze endure it for two more days. Keep a close eye on him. When he's about to give up, I'll interrogate him personally."

Zhang Shi solemnly replied, "Your humble servant obeys!"

(End of this chapter)