Prime Minister

Chapter 254, Section 253: [Huge Sins]

"Sang Chengze!"

The jailer's cold voice rang out in the dark and damp cell, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, causing Sang Chengze, who was huddled in a pile of straw in the corner, to shudder.

He raised his head; his face, pale and haggard from being deprived of sunlight for so long, now held only fear and a suppressed sense of humiliation in his once arrogant eyes. His brocade robe was filthy and reeked of an indescribable sour stench.

"stand up!"

The jailer impatiently knocked on the cell door with his iron ruler and said, "Lord Xue wants to see you!"

"see me?"

Sang Chengze jolted upright as if pricked by a needle, his eyes flashing with a strange light: "He's finally willing to see me? What is he going to do to me? Let me out! I want to see my father! I want to see Brother Jiang! I am the young master of the Grand Canal Gang!"

"Shut up!"

The jailer shouted sternly, looking somewhat annoyed, "If you keep making noise, you'll stay here. Get up and come with me!"

Sang Chengze wanted to argue, but when he thought about his situation these past few days, all his arrogance was instantly extinguished. He struggled to get up and followed the jailer through the dark passage.

A moment later, he was led into a relatively spacious and clean room. Although the furnishings were simple, there were no torture instruments as he had imagined.

In the center of the room stood a simple wooden table and two chairs, the dim light casting an even more enigmatic shadow on the figure sitting behind it.

Sang Chengze finally met Xue Huai, whom he had been talking about repeatedly these past few days.

The rumored magistrate of Yangzhou was dressed in a dark blue casual robe, his face expressionless, showing neither anger nor sarcasm, as calm as a bottomless lake.

However, it was this calmness that made Sang Chengze feel a pressure he had never experienced before. Perhaps the torment of these past few days made him understand the principle that one has to bow one's head when under someone's roof. At that moment, he did not do anything inappropriate, but simply stood silently by the table.

"sit."

Xue Huai raised his chin, pointed to the chair opposite him, and spoke calmly and indifferently.

Sang Chengze hesitated for a moment, but finally sat down opposite Xue Huai and glanced at him.

His first impression of Xue Huai was that he was young, and his second impression was that he was handsome. He couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself, especially since Xue Huai was dirty and smelly at the moment, and had no trace of his usual dashing and noble demeanor, which made him feel extremely awkward.

“Sang Chengze, the youngest son of Sang Shichang, the leader of the Cao Gang, is twenty years old at the time. You have been spoiled since childhood and have grown up to be neither good at literature nor martial arts. Apart from your brute strength and a few mediocre skills, you are utterly useless.”

Xue Huai spoke calmly, then asked, "Am I not mistaken?"

Sang Chengze's lips moved, wanting to refute, but when the words reached his lips, he remembered that day at the gate of the branch headquarters, when he was subdued by two experts from the government office in a single exchange, and he was immediately unable to utter a single word, only able to stiffly shake his head.

"Tell me about your case."

Xue Huai then got to the point, saying calmly, "You must have heard of my deeds. Since you have shown such contempt for me and deliberately injured someone in Yangzhou, it would be unfair to your arrogant nature if I did not punish you severely according to the law."

"Lord Xue... Lord Xue, I was forced to fight back in self-defense. It was Qiao Wenxuan's attendant who was not skilled enough. You can't blame me for being too heavy-handed!"

Sang Chengze hurriedly tried to explain, but for some reason, when he met Xue Huai's calm gaze, he began to feel uneasy.

This was something he couldn't understand at all.

Even in front of Jiang Jizhou, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, he did not feel this way. However, the young sub-prefect opposite him, who appeared refined and cultured, made Sang Chengze feel a real sense of danger.

"These words were taught to you by Jiang Fangzheng, weren't they? You two are quite a match, one a reckless young master of the Grand Canal Gang, the other a self-important son of the Governor."

Xue Huai's lips curled slightly as he leisurely said, "Now I will tell you how this case will be judged."

Sang Chengze seemed not to have heard the second sentence, clearly stunned by the first one.

He had never seen a local official dare to speak of Chiang Fang-cheng in this way.

Having traveled with Jiang Fangzheng to various places, Sang Chengze was always surrounded by flattering voices. He had witnessed how prefects and assistant prefects groveled before Jiang Fangzheng, so when he heard Xue Huai's calm words, he was astonished beyond words.

He knew that Xue Huai's background was not weak. It was said that the deceased Xue Gong was a minister favored by the current emperor, and Xue Huai's mentor Shen Wang was the Minister of Works. However, in Sang Chengze's opinion, Jiang Fangzheng's father was the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and had a close relationship with the current Grand Secretary. This connection was much stronger than Xue Huai's.
As for the unpredictable and treacherous affairs within the imperial court, those were clearly secrets that Sang Chengze could not possibly know.

Xue Huai seemed oblivious to Sang Chengze's odd behavior and continued, "That day at Lan Yue Fang, you assaulted Qiao Wenxuan, causing serious injuries to his face and abdomen. At the same time, you led the Cao Gang thugs in a brawl. According to the laws of the Great Yan, as the principal offender, you are punished one degree more severely and should be sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude."

Sang Chengze finally came to his senses and turned pale upon hearing these words.

He didn't believe Xue Huaizhen would have someone beat him to death, but three years of apprenticeship meant he would have to do hard labor for three years, how could he accept that?
Before he could speak, Xue Huai continued, "Furthermore, Qiao Wangshan is a local worthy, and you openly insulted him. According to the law, this is comparable to insulting an official of the fifth rank or above. In other words, you called me an old bastard and a lackey, which, according to the law, is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane. Also, you forcibly entered the private room of the Lan Yue Pavilion and damaged a large amount of property, which is comparable to robbery in broad daylight, and according to the law, is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude." Sang Chengze looked at him in horror, shaking his head desperately, "This humble subject does not accept this!"

Why should I, as an official, need your approval to judge a case?

Xue Huai sneered and said solemnly, "Considering all the crimes mentioned above, my final punishment for you is three hundred strokes of the cane and exile for three thousand miles, with a term of six years."

Looking at Xue Huai's expressionless face, Sang Chengze realized that he was not exaggerating.

As Xue Huai said, when has a spoiled young master like him ever experienced real hardships and tribulations?

From childhood, Sang Chengze lived a life of ease, with his parents spoiling him and his two older brothers not holding it against him. When he went out, he was always surrounded by thugs from the canal gang, so he knew nothing of fear.

Most of the time, as long as he revealed his identity as the young master of the Grand Canal gang, almost no one on either side of the canal dared to offend him. Not to mention that even the only son of the Grand Canal Governor treated him like a brother, so who would dare to really offend him?

At this very moment, in front of Xue Huai, who showed no sign of anger, Sang Chengze finally felt genuine fear.

"Lord Xue... I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone to the Lan Yue Fang and shouldn't have injured those people. I apologize to you and only beg you to show mercy. My father and the Canal Gang will definitely thank you handsomely..."

Sang Chengze pleaded for mercy with great difficulty. Perhaps it was because the miserable prison life these past few days had worn away his arrogance, or perhaps it was because he realized that Xue Huaizhen didn't care about his background, and fear spread through his heart, forcing him to lower his head.

Xue Huai stared at him intently and asked, "Do you know why I've kept you locked up for so long?"

Sang Chengze shook his head.

"Because you're stupid."

If he had heard such a comment from someone in the past, Sang Chengze would have definitely exploded, but at this moment he was only stunned for a moment, and subconsciously asked back, "Stupid?"

"It's stupid."

Xue Huai's tone remained calm, as if stating a simple fact, and then he said, "You were used and you're still smug about it, thinking you're all powerful and influential. What is that if not stupidity?"

"use?"

Sang Chengze realized what was happening and said without hesitation, "Impossible, Brother Jiang isn't that kind of person!"

"Ah."

A faint mockery appeared on Xue Huai's face as he said leisurely, "It seems you're not so stupid as to be beyond redemption, and you know who's using you."

Before Sang Chengze could retort, he raised his voice slightly and said, "I ask you, did Jiang Fangzheng tell you that your sudden visit to Yangzhou to provoke the Qiao family was because the establishment of the Lianghuai Salt Industry Association had caused your shipping gang to suffer some losses, and that Qiao Wangshan, as the head of the Salt Industry Association, was the culprit responsible for the losses suffered by the shipping gang, which is why you committed such a heinous act? Was it Jiang Fangzheng who inadvertently revealed to you the situation of the Qiao family, Qiao Wenxuan's habits, and even the situation inside the Lanyue Pavilion that day?"

Sang Chengze hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Yes."

"Did the Brother Jiang you keep defending tell you that Qiao Wenxuan is Qiao Wangshan's most beloved youngest son, just like your parents' attitude towards you? Did Jiang Fangzheng tell you that Qiao Wangshan obtained this position of head of the association with my permission, and that the Qiao family is also my most important supporter in promoting the new policies in Yangzhou?"

Xue Huai leaned forward slightly, staring into Sang Chengze's eyes, and asked, word by word, "Did he tell you that when you punched me that day, you weren't hitting Qiao Wenxuan's face, nor Qiao Wangshan's or even the Qiao family's face, but rather the face of this official, the Yangzhou government, and even the imperial court?"

This series of questions struck Sang Chengze's heart like a heavy hammer.

His face grew paler, his eyes filled with confusion and fear, his breathing became rapid, and cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"You always mention the phrase 'young master of the Grand Canal Gang,' so can I assume that's the case?"

Xue Huai paused, then looked at Sang Chengze, who was drenched in sweat, and said, "The day you attacked and injured someone on the Lanyue Pavilion, it was at the behest of Sang Shichang, the leader of the Grand Canal Gang. It was because the new salt policy that I was implementing on behalf of the Emperor was affecting the interests of the Grand Canal Gang, so he had you, a spoiled brat, openly humiliate me and make me understand one thing."

Sang Chengze's hands trembled slightly involuntarily, but he forced himself to ask, "What is it?"

"What else could there be?"

Xue Huai chuckled and leaned back in his chair, saying coldly, "Chief Sang simply wants me to know that the fertile land along the banks of this thousand-mile canal is your canal gang's private territory. How dare a mere Yangzhou prefect lay his hands on it? Even those high-ranking officials in the capital, if they dare to oppose your canal gang, will definitely not have a good end."

"boom!"

Xue Huai could no longer see Sang Chengze.

The chair fell backward, and the young master of the Grand Canal Gang collapsed to the ground.

(End of this chapter)