Prime Minister

Chapter 260, Page 259: [He only has himself to blame]

Song Yi did not leave Yangzhou.

The carriage drove straight north after leaving the government office. About fifteen minutes later, it stopped in front of another government office. This was the Yangzhou Supervisory Office of the Grain Transport Commissioner, headed by Prefect Zhao Cong. The main officials in charge were the collection and collection of grain, the dispatch and supervision of grain transport vessels, the preliminary investigation of grain transport-related cases, and the inspection of canal commercial taxes.

As Song Yi stepped down from the carriage, Zhao Cong and a man in his thirties immediately came to greet him.

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Excellency, Councilor."

"Greetings, Uncle Song."

"Prefect Zhao, there's no need for such formalities."

Song Yi first greeted Zhao Cong, then looked at Jiang Fangzheng standing to the side and said meaningfully, "Duanming, you've been a bit reckless this time. The Minister has asked me to take you back to Huai'an."

Jiang Fangzheng said with a wry smile, "Uncle Song, this is an undeserved disaster for me. Who would have thought that Lord Xue would be so stubborn and refuse to even give me a chance to meet him? I really have no choice but to trouble you to go there in person, Uncle Song."

"Is Xue Huai an ordinary official? Don't think he's easy to manipulate just because he's young. You should know that even high-ranking officials are quite wary of his methods."

Seeing that Jiang Fangzheng's expression was rather unpleasant, Song Yi changed his mind and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Zhao Cong respectfully led the way, and the three of them arrived at the main hall and took their seats. A servant served them fragrant tea and then withdrew.

Jiang Fangzheng asked with concern, "Uncle Song, is Magistrate Xue willing to release Sang Chengze?"

Upon hearing this question, and recalling the scene he had witnessed at the Yangzhou government office, Song Yi's expression became slightly strange.

That feeling of discomfort resurfaced.

Under the expectant gazes of the two, Song Yi slowly said, "Sang Chengze is unwilling to come with me."

Jiang Fangzheng asked in surprise, "Why?"

Song Yi shook his head and hesitated, "Do you think there is a medicine in this world that can drastically change a person's temperament in a short period of time?"

Jiang Fang's expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something strange. He noticed that Song Yi was not staring at him, so he forced a smile and said, "Uncle Song is joking. How could there be such a strange and unusual medicine?"

Zhao Cong then asked cautiously, "Your Excellency, did you discover anything unusual at the Yangzhou government office today?"

Song Yi sighed softly and briefly recounted Sang Chengze's changes, leaving Jiang Fangzheng and Zhao Cong completely bewildered.

Jiang Fangzheng was particularly puzzled, because he had known Sang Chengze for many years, how could he not know what kind of person the other was?
To be honest, if it weren't for the immense value of the Grand Canal Gang, Jiang Fangzheng would never have bothered associating with Sang Chengze. He would never have believed that the spoiled brat could reform himself in such a short time; it was simply the biggest joke.

Zhao Cong's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "Could it be that Magistrate Xue has some kind of leverage over Young Master Sang that's more serious than this assault incident, which is why Young Master Sang has no choice but to comply with Magistrate Xue's demands?"

Song Yi looked at Jiang Fangzheng and asked, "What do you think?"

Jiang Fangzheng thought for a moment. Sang Chengze didn't seem to have done anything that would cost him his life, but it was also possible that the kid was hiding something from him. So he slowly said, "That possibility cannot be ruled out. Uncle Song, since Xue Tongzhi won't severely punish Sang Chengze, that's enough to give Old Master Sang an explanation. As for whether Sang Chengze wants to stay in the Yangzhou government office to serve others, let him be."

Song Yi nodded. This explanation was easier for him to accept; otherwise, he would have seriously doubted that Xue Huai possessed such wicked methods of manipulating people's minds.

"There's no need to mention this matter again. He's just a spoiled brat, not worth the trouble the canal administration has gone to such lengths."

Song Yi brushed it off, then looked at Zhao Cong and said, "Sang Shichang mentioned earlier that Yangzhou salt merchants were preparing to build their own canal fleet. Have you heard any rumors about this here?"

Zhao Cong immediately sat up straight and solemnly said, "Your Excellency, this is indeed the case! Since last winter, several major merchants in Yangzhou have begun preparations to purchase ships. After the establishment of the Salt Industry Association, I learned a lot of information. The Shen and Qiao families are the leaders in this matter, and powerful merchants such as Huang, Gu, and Zhou have also expressed their support. They are currently acquiring and ordering a batch of medium-sized merchant ships."

Song Yi frowned and asked, "How far have they progressed?"

Zhao Cong said, "According to the information I have, the merchants of the Salt Industry Association have prepared at least thirty boats, which are currently moored in a waterway near the Sanhan River Wharf in the east of the city. In order to avoid suspicion, these boats are currently owned by the Guangtai Trading Company under the name of the Shen family."

Jiang Fangzheng interjected at the opportune moment: "Uncle Song, the Lianghuai Salt Association has quite the appetite. They want to bypass the Grand Canal government and gradually seize a share of the canal's commercial transport. Once they gain a foothold, relying on the immense wealth of these large salt merchants, their fleet size will inevitably expand rapidly. At that time, not only will the Grand Canal merchants' livelihoods be taken away, but the Grand Canal government's say in and commissions on the canal's commercial transport will also be severely impacted. The most frightening thing is, if merchants from other provinces follow suit, what will become of the Grand Canal government?"

Song Yi gave him a deep look, sensing that the governor's only son harbored deep resentment towards Xue Huai. However, upon further reflection, he could understand Jiang Fangzheng's mindset. After all, in the past, no local official in the Huaiyang area dared to rudely defer to him, and this time, Xue Huai's continued refusal to see him was bound to hurt Jiang Fangzheng's pride.

Moreover, Jiang Fangzheng's words were not without reason. It was one thing for the salt merchants of Lianghuai to engage in mutual assistance and mutual benefit, but if they were to meddle in the canal's commercial transport, it would be a blatant disregard for the Grand Canal Administration.

Song Yi composed himself and asked Zhao Cong, "Prefect Zhao, did those salt merchants apply to you for boat permits?"

A ship's license is a certificate issued to merchant ships for transporting basic necessities such as salt and grain.

In the past, merchants from all over the country used canal boats and did not need to worry about these things. They only needed to pay the full amount of transportation fees. But now that they want to start their own businesses, they must obtain a boat permit issued by the canal transport authority, otherwise it is considered blatant smuggling.

There is another situation where a ship license is not required. These merchants do not use their own ships to transport salt and grain, but only transport goods that are not essential necessities. They then pay commercial taxes at the customs office.

For the salt merchants of Lianghuai, their most important commodity was salt, and without a ship's license, they would be unable to move an inch.

Zhao Cong's expression was slightly strange, and he hesitated before saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, they have not yet submitted an application."

"Uncle Song, perhaps it's because they're not ready yet."

Jiang Fangzheng calmly said, "That Xue Tongzhi always plans carefully before acting. He has a deep background in the court and must want to gain support from the central government first and then put pressure on my father directly. The officials in the court may not stand on the side of the Grain Transport Commissioner. Once Xue Tongzhi gets permission, we will have no choice but to issue the boat permits, which is exactly the result that the Grain Transport Commissioner cannot accept! Uncle Song, we cannot let the salt merchants of Lianghuai prepare step by step and then try to undermine the foundation of the Grain Transport Commissioner."

Zhao Cong also said, "Your Excellency, the salt merchants of Lianghuai have not yet gained power. If we wait until their fleets grow stronger and they establish connections with merchants in various places, it will be difficult to suppress them."

Song Yi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and after a moment of contemplation, asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Zhao Cong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he said in a low voice, "My lord, please allow me to say that as long as we thoroughly investigate the merchant ships and goods of these salt industry association members, we can make them back down!"

"Be more specific."

"Yes. I have a list of members of the Lianghuai Salt Association here. From today onwards, whenever these merchants' ships are transporting goods, I will have inspectors board each ship for a thorough inspection when they enter or leave Yangzhou's various locks and docks. If their goods are even slightly non-compliant, they can be confiscated and they will be fined."

Zhao Cong, clearly well-versed in the art of creating difficulties, continued with a hint of excitement: "Right now, it is the busiest time of year on the canal. In those congested sections with heavy traffic, the ships of the Salt Association members must pass last. I can also use the pretext of temporary waterway control to directly prohibit those ships from passing. Furthermore, the main wharves on the canal must prioritize the use of official ships and grain transport vessels, followed by ships of the Salt Association and individual vessels, with the Salt Association's ships being the least desirable."

Jiang Fangzheng smiled and said, "Zhao Tongpan's plan is brilliant. The scheduling and inspection of waterways are the duties of the Canal Transport Office. Even if that Xue Tongzhi wanted to stand up for the salt merchants of Lianghuai, he would not have sufficient reason. Even if this case goes to the Emperor, the Canal Transport Office will be in the right."

"There's one more."

Zhao Cong lowered his voice and said coldly, "The Grand Canal Administration is responsible for inspecting the commercial taxes on the Grand Canal. In addition to the regular customs duties, we can add a special tax inspection for the canal transport to check whether the salt merchants' goods are completely consistent with their declarations. They have always transported a wide variety of goods in large quantities, so slight discrepancies are inevitable. As long as we find even one discrepancy, we can immediately treat it as tax evasion, impose heavy fines, and even confiscate the goods for a period of time!"

Jiang Fangzheng looked at the eager Zhao Cong and was quite satisfied.

Before Song Yi arrived in Yangzhou, he had held several secret meetings with this man, and he knew why Zhao Cong was so keen to target Xue Huai, who stood behind the Lianghuai Salt Association.

After listening to their back-and-forth, Song Yi pondered and said, "These methods are certainly useful, but I'm afraid they might provoke a rebellion among the salt merchants. You must know that salt administration reform is a major event that His Majesty attaches great importance to."

"Don't worry, Uncle Song."

Jiang Fangzheng calmly said, "This move is not intended to wipe out the salt merchants of Lianghuai, but rather to hope that they can recognize the facts. As long as they stop insisting on forming a fleet to provoke the grain transport authorities and completely give up this idea, then why should the grain transport authorities make things difficult for them?"

Song Yi nodded slightly, clearly somewhat interested.

However, the image of Sang Chengze's drastic change in appearance kept flashing through his mind, and that strange situation left him with a lingering unease.

After a brief silence, Song Yi slowly said, "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by me on my own. We must obtain Minister Jiang's consent before we can proceed. Here's what we'll do: Prefect Zhao, you can continue to gather information and make the necessary preparations. We can take action once news comes back from Huai'an. Also, some methods should not be used indiscriminately. Just let the salt merchants know the pain, but don't escalate the conflict completely, or it will be a loss."

Zhao Cong immediately stood up and said, "Your humble servant obeys!"

Jiang Fang smiled, certain that his father would agree, because Xue Huai's desire to form a fleet was absolutely a taboo subject for the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

Xue Jingche... this is trouble you brought upon yourself, you can't blame me.

(End of this chapter)