Prime Minister

Chapter 272, Section 271: [Telepathy]

As time went by, the winds of Jiangnan eventually reached the capital.

The Imperial Palace, by the Taiye Pond.

Emperor Jiang Chen of the Great Yan sat in an octagonal pavilion with upturned eaves. Zeng Min, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Zhang Xian, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, stood respectfully to his side. Both of them had an expression of indifference, as if they could not hear what Han Qian was saying two steps away.

As the Commander of the Jing'an Division, Han Qian bore the heavy responsibility of being the emperor's eyes and ears. He had countless matters to handle, including supervising the officials in the court, taking care of the princes and nobles, and reporting important local conditions to the emperor in person. Therefore, he entered the palace very frequently.

Even so, Han Qian remained as solemn as ever in front of the emperor, seemingly unaware of his status as a favorite of the emperor.

After listening to Han Qian's account of several recent cases involving officials in the capital, the Emperor asked noncommittally, "Is Yun'an still in Hangzhou?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Han Qian bowed his head and replied, "Princess Yun'an is filial and devout. She personally recited scriptures and prayed for the Empress Dowager at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, and made a great vow before the Buddha to hand-copy one hundred copies of the Classic of Filial Piety. I estimate that the princess will probably set off to return to the capital in July."

"It's no wonder I've favored her so much."

The emperor smiled and asked, "When she passed through Yangzhou on her way south, did she secretly leave the fleet and stay in Yangzhou for a few days?"

Zeng Min and Zhang Xian, who were not far away, lowered their heads even further.

If they had a choice, they would certainly prefer to be deaf at this moment. After all, the longer they stayed in the palace, the more these two chief eunuchs understood the principle that the fewer secrets, the safer they were.

Han Qian replied without hesitation, “Your Majesty, the princess did indeed do so, but it was at the request of Xue Huai, the Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou. At that time, the rebels of the sorcerer sect intended to cause trouble, and Assistant Prefect Xue laid a tight net inside and outside the city, but he was short-handed, so he asked the guards of the princess’s residence to help. After those criminals were captured, the princess immediately went south to join the fleet and did not delay her journey.”

"Ah."

The emperor gave a faint reply and turned to look at the gently rippling lake.

Empress Wei and Consort Liu both mentioned Jiang Li's marriage, and when he decided to let Shen Wang enter the palace, he also gave Jiang Li the opportunity to choose for herself.

If Jiang Li had accepted back then, he would have issued an imperial decree to grant Xue Huai and Jiang Li their marriage. However, that girl gave up the marriage that was within her grasp.

Now that the Xue and Shen families are engaged, and Xue Huai has reported the engagement to the Ministry of Personnel, the Emperor cannot forcibly separate this perfect couple.

Even at this point, the emperor could still grant Xue Huai the blessing of having two wives with a single imperial decree. However, this was not a good thing for Xue Huai. Not to mention how Shen Qingluan, as a merchant's daughter, could be on equal footing with a princess of the imperial family, the fact that Xue Huai was already engaged to a princess would be extremely detrimental to his reputation.

Moreover, judging from Jiang Li's behavior, she seems to only have simple admiration for Xue Huai, without any romantic feelings.

The emperor hesitated. He didn't care whether the young couple were in love, but he had high hopes for Xue Huai and couldn't force him to marry someone he didn't love. That would obviously be a losing proposition.

It seems... we still have to wait until Jiang Li returns to the capital and let those two in the harem figure out her thoughts.

"Your Majesty, there is another matter in Jiangnan these past two months, concerning the Grand Canal Transport Office and the Lianghuai Salt Merchants Association."

Han Qian spoke slowly and deliberately, recounting the details of the salt and grain transport dispute.

Zeng Min's head ached from listening to this. He thought to himself that Xue Tongzhi was really a troublemaker. Last year, he dealt with a bunch of corrupt officials in the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office, and this year he turned his attention to the Grand Canal Transport Office. In the more than 100-year history of the Great Yan, there had never been such a troublesome young official.
In fact, Zeng Min did not question Xue Huai's original intention, because the exploitation and plunder of private merchants by the Grand Canal Administration and the Grand Canal Gang was an obvious fact. In addition to enduring the exploitation by the Grand Canal Administration, the salt merchants of Lianghuai also had to face the bullying of the Grand Canal Gang. Sooner or later, they would rise up in resistance.

The problem was that the Grand Canal Administration was far too important. The safety of the Grand Canal was related to the safety of the capital and even the nine border garrisons. The seriousness of this matter was far greater than that of investigating the Lianghuai Salt Case.

Most importantly... In recent years, the emperor has become increasingly displeased with his ministers stirring up trouble. If the national treasury hadn't been so strained, he wouldn't have tolerated the successive large-scale conflicts between Shen Wang and his apprentice Xue Huai.

Han Qian's account was impartial and tried his best to restore the truth of the Jiangnan incident. He explained in great detail why the Lianghuai salt merchants cut off their share of the grain transport commission and reduced the proportion of grain transport boats they rented, why the grain transport authorities targeted and suppressed the salt merchants' cargo ships, and even the recent escalation of hostility between the two sides.

The emperor was very satisfied with Han Qian, but very dissatisfied with the officials in Jiangnan.

The only thing that comforted him was that both sides were still relatively restrained. Xue Huai did not instigate the salt merchants to confront the Grand Canal Administration, and Jiang Jizhou did not use any further forceful means to coerce the salt merchants into submission. The struggle between the two sides was kept within a relatively safe range.

Otherwise, if they were to engage in a major conflict, causing widespread resentment and panic in the Jiangnan region, a crucial area for taxation, the emperor would certainly not be as calm as he is now.

After Han Qian finished speaking, the emperor pondered for a moment and then asked, "What is your opinion on this matter?"

This is a very rare situation. The emperor usually does not ask Han Qian about his views on specific government affairs, which also shows the emotional fluctuations he was experiencing at this moment.

Han Qian lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the root of this matter lies in interests. The Lianghuai Salt Association wants to reduce its unnecessary expenditures, but the Grand Canal Administration cannot make an exception for them alone. Therefore, it is difficult to say who is right and who is wrong."

The emperor nodded slightly.

In fact, as long as both sides can maintain sufficient restraint and avoid triggering large-scale local unrest, it is not a bad thing for the emperor.

Whether he used Xue Huai to warn the Grand Canal Administration and the Ning Party, or to make the Qingliu faction realize the situation and behave themselves, he could act as a mediator. This was the way of the emperor to "make his ministers contend." However, the emperor had some concerns because Xue Huai was not so honest. Judging from his past performance, he always tried to achieve the greatest possible result.

In other words, the idea that the turmoil in Jiangnan could be controlled is just an illusion. No one can be sure when the lid will be lifted, leading to a huge uproar.

At this moment, the emperor couldn't help but recall Shen Wang's memorial to the throne.

A guess suddenly popped into his mind.

Perhaps the master and apprentice had already discussed it privately, with Shen Wang going first to advise the emperor to try to reform the canal transport system and to set Yangzhou as a pilot city.

Before the emperor gave a clear answer, Xue Huai, who was far away in Jiangnan, cooperated with his mentor to instigate a dispute between the salt merchants of Lianghuai and the canal transport authorities. At this time, Shen Wang once again suggested that as long as Xue Huai presented a memorial at the right time, the two of them could complete a tacit cooperation.

At that time, faced with the threats to the important Jiangnan region, it seemed that the emperor had no choice but to grant Shen Wang's request.

"hehe."

A summer breeze was blowing in the pavilion. The emperor's sudden chuckle made the two chief eunuchs shudder and dare not make the slightest move. Only Han Qian stood there like a wooden stake.

The emperor gazed intently at the lake and said calmly, "This matter will be put on hold for now. I understand."

Han Qian bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

……

The following day, after the morning court session, Shen Wang, the Minister of Works, was kept behind by the emperor for a private audience.

In the imperial study, the emperor sat behind his desk, looking up at Shen Wangqing's gaunt face with a complex expression.

He knew, of course, that Shen Wang was not the pedantic official who blindly pursued integrity that people thought he was. From the process of his investigation into the corruption case in the Ministry of Works when he was ordered to do so, it could be seen that Shen Wang was not lacking in the skills of officialdom. However, compared to Xue Minglun and others, he always had a bottom line and principles that were higher than the standard. This was the reason why the emperor valued him and wanted to let him enter the cabinet.

However, if Shen Wang and Xue Huai secretly conspire and do not hesitate to incite the salt and grain transport dispute in order to achieve their goals, they will offend the emperor's wrath—how can a subject use such scheming against the monarch?
"Shen Qing."

The Emperor's tone was as calm as ever, even carrying a faint smile: "You must already know the results of the court's decision?"

After Sun Yan requested to retire, the cabinet had four Grand Secretaries, so it was natural to need to add one. The final candidates were Zheng Yuan, Minister of Rites, and Shen Wang, Minister of Works.

In the recent grand election, Shen Wang received far more votes than Zheng Yuan, making his entry into the cabinet a certainty.

Shen Wang calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I am aware of the situation."

"I plan to inform the central government departments and local governments of your entry into the cabinet in a couple of days."

The emperor seemed full of expectation, then changed the subject and asked, "Minister Shen, are you aware of the dispute over the salt and grain transport in Jiangnan?"

Shen Wang raised his head to meet the emperor's gaze and said frankly, "I have heard about it."

He was, after all, the Minister of Works, and the Ministry of Works was in charge of all the waterway projects in the country. If he said he knew nothing about the affairs of the Grand Canal Transport Office, it would be clear that he was deliberately deceiving the emperor.

The Emperor was not surprised by his answer, and then said with feeling, "I have always found it difficult to make a decision on the matter of reforming the canal transport system, as you said. The canal transport system has many accumulated problems, which has caused great uproar among the people."

However, Shen Wang did not follow up with his suggestion. Instead, he said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, the reason I made this suggestion is that the Grand Canal Administration and the Grand Canal Gang can still maintain a semblance of stability. But now that a dispute has arisen, I think we should wait until things calm down before making a decision, so as not to cause panic among the local people."

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly; this answer was completely unexpected.

Just then, Zeng Min bowed and entered, reporting, "Your Majesty, a secret report has arrived from eight hundred li south of the Yangtze River!"

The emperor couldn't help but look at Shen Wang. If his deduction was correct, this should be Xue Huai's secret report. The master and disciple, separated by thousands of miles, completed a wonderful collaboration in front of him.

Perhaps Shen Wang was waiting for this memorial to arrive before making his move.

The emperor shifted his gaze, looking at Zeng Min without revealing his expression, and asked, "Who sent this secret report?"

Zeng Min lowered his head and said with utmost respect, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial from Jiang Jizhou, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner. It is marked with the words 'Directly Presented Before the Emperor,' and was sent directly from the Office of Transmission to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The Imperial Study was completely silent.

Zeng Min did not receive a response from the emperor for a long time, so he cautiously raised his head and saw the emperor's gloomy face.

It was as if dark clouds were pressing down on the city.

(End of this chapter)