Prime Minister

Chapter 273, Section 272: [Contending for Supremacy]

Inside the Imperial Study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, but Zeng Min felt a chill suddenly rise from the depths of her heart.

Recalling what he had seen and heard at Taiye Pond yesterday, Zeng Min realized that the memorial in his hand was a hot potato. He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He should have known better than to only try to appear diligent in front of the emperor. He should have had Zhang Xian present this secret memorial.

However, he still couldn't understand why His Majesty reacted this way to Jiang Jizhou's secret memorial.

Logically speaking, as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner of the second rank, Jiang Jizhou, even though he had a close relationship with the Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, was still an absolute close minister of the emperor and had the right to speak directly to the emperor at any time.

Now that the dispute over salt and grain transport in Jiangnan is intensifying, isn't Jiang Jizhou's submission of this matter to the Emperor a sign of loyalty?
Zeng Min was in a state of confusion, so he could only carefully place the memorial on the imperial desk and then respectfully step aside.

Shen Wang also noticed the emperor's emotional change, and after a little thought, he roughly understood the reason.

Today, the emperor has firmly grasped the power of the court, but compared with his diligent governance more than a decade ago, he now hopes that the powerful ministers can share the emperor's burdens and avoid bringing troubles to the emperor's attention.

Take the salt and grain transport dispute as an example. What the emperor wanted to see was the final result, rather than either side making the conflict public. Once the memorial was submitted, whether it was written by Xue Huai or Jiang Jizhou, the emperor would need to give a clear answer, since the grain transport was related to the foundation of the country.

Perhaps in Jiang Jizhou's view, it was the duty of a loyal minister to keep the emperor informed of the people's sentiments. The problem was that the emperor had two sets of eyes and ears—the Jing'an Division and the inner court—and was not easily deceived by those below him. As the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Jiang Jizhou's proper duty was to handle the dispute properly and then present the whole story to the emperor. This was what he should truly be doing.

In fact, Shen Wang and Xue Huai had corresponded several months ago. Xue Huai's initial plan was to have his teacher test the emperor's attitude first, and then he would have the Salt Merchants Association voluntarily withdraw from the Grand Canal Administration. After the Grand Canal Administration and the Grand Canal Gang took action, he would submit a memorial to the emperor explaining the advantages and disadvantages, thereby promoting the pilot reform of the Grand Canal.

However, after careful consideration, Shen Wang revised the latter part of Xue Huai's plan, which was to wait for the Grand Canal Administration to expose the matter without violating the laws of the court, and then strike back later.

Behind the imperial desk, the emperor's deep gaze fell upon the memorial marked "presented directly before the emperor."

He knew what Jiang Jizhou had written inside without even opening it.

“Summon Ning Hengzhi, Ouyang Hui, Zheng Yuan, Cai Zhang, Fang Jian, Wang Xu, Wei Zheng, and Fan Dongyang to an audience.”

The emperor's tone was not loud, but rather solemn.

Zeng Min quickly bowed in agreement and left with small, quick steps.

The emperor still did not open the memorial, but looked up at Shen Wang and asked, "Minister Shen, what is your opinion on the salt and grain transport dispute?"

Shen Wang knew this question was difficult to answer.

The Emperor's arrangements just now show that the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary, a Left Censor-in-Chief, four Ministers, and a Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief were all summoned at the same time. Such a scene is rare and is enough to show the importance the Emperor attaches to this matter.

After a moment's thought, Shen Wang replied, "Your Majesty's inquiry has prompted me to speak frankly. The salt and grain transport dispute appears to be a case of salt merchants from Lianghuai forming associations to resist taxes and grain transport authorities enforcing the law impartially, but in reality, there are turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface."

What is an undercurrent?

"Your Majesty, my previous proposals for reforming the grain transport system were not unfounded. The grain transport authorities wielded excessive power, almost becoming an independent kingdom. Clerks and runners used the guise of inspections to exploit the people, imposing numerous exorbitant taxes and levies, causing long-standing suffering for merchants. The actions of the Salt Merchants Association merely lifted a corner of this century-old problem, allowing Your Majesty to glimpse what lay beneath the surface. Minister Jiang's memorial will undoubtedly detail the salt merchants' resistance, but he may not be willing to reveal the reason for their resistance—it was because the exploitation was too excessive and they could no longer tolerate it."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression remained unchanged; he merely tapped his fingertips lightly on the imperial desk.

Seeing this, Shen Wang said no more.

Some things should be said only when they are said to be unfathomable. If he speaks up for Xue Huai, it may have the opposite effect.

The emperor did not pursue the matter further.

A long silence fell over the imperial study, as the emperor and his minister each harbored their own thoughts.

After a long while, Zeng Min returned, and a group of high-ranking officials and ministers filed into the Imperial Study.

The Emperor's cold gaze swept over the crowd, and he slowly said, "Today, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner Jiang Jizhou has submitted a memorial to the Emperor concerning the dispute over salt and grain transport in Jiangnan. Zeng Min, read this memorial aloud to all of you."

"The slaves obey the order."

Zeng Min stepped forward, picked up the memorial, and read it aloud in as steady a tone as possible.

When he read the passage about Jiang Jizhou's impeachment of Xue Huai for instigating the salt merchants of Lianghuai to form a society and resisting the inspection of the Grand Canal transport authorities, which led to the obstruction of Grand Canal trade and the boiling public resentment that nearly caused riots, the important officials in the imperial study all felt a chill. The emperor took in everyone's reactions and then said expressionlessly, "Let's discuss it."

After a brief silence, Wei Zheng, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the Grand Canal is the lifeblood of the nation, concerning the safety of the capital region, and cannot be taken lightly. Xue Huai, as a local magistrate, instead of trying to reconcile the merchants and commoners, has condoned and even incited salt merchants to form associations to oppose the Grand Canal authorities. His actions, at best, disturb the local area, and at worst, shake the foundations of the nation. I believe that Xue Huai should be severely reprimanded, ordered to immediately disband the salt merchants' association, and to restrain the salt merchants from resuming the old practices of Grand Canal transport. If he disobeys, he should be severely punished as a warning to others!”

As a well-known key member of the Ning Party, it was almost expected by the Emperor that he would be the first to step forward and impeach Xue Huai at this time.

The emperor remained noncommittal, glancing at Shen Wang as if it were unintentional.

His attitude was not hard to guess. He was very dissatisfied with Jiang Jizhou's memorial, but whether the pilot reform of the canal transport could be carried out depended on whether Shen Wang could persuade these important officials.

Shen Wang understood the situation, so he stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I wholeheartedly agree with Minister Wei’s assessment of the importance of the Grand Canal transport. However, I fear that Governor Jiang’s memorial is biased. As far as I know, the Lianghuai Salt Association was established by salt merchants to regulate their trade and promote mutual benefit. It was not instigated by Xue Huai to oppose the Grand Canal transport authorities. At its inception, it also registered with the Salt Transport Office and the Yangzhou Prefecture Government, which aligns with the court’s policy of encouraging trade. How can there be any claim of inciting resistance?”

Seeing that Wei Zheng had been subtly challenged, Minister of Rites Zheng Yuan retorted without hesitation: "Prefect Xue is a protégé of Minister Shen, so it is not surprising that you defend him. However, Xue Huai has always acted boldly, and now he has stirred up the salt and grain transport dispute, causing unrest in Jiangnan. Is his behavior truly out of public interest, or is he eager to achieve quick success and gain fame? Now that the Salt Association's actions have provoked a backlash from the Grain Transport Commissioner, and Governor-General Jiang has directly criticized them, it is even more evident that Prefect Xue is acting recklessly and disregarding the overall situation. If the court continues to tolerate this, I fear that Jiangnan will never have peace!"

This old minister was nearly sixty years old and originally had a good chance of entering the cabinet, but because of Shen Wang's rise, he ultimately lost his only chance in this life.

In the past, he would not have been so biased towards the Ning faction, but Shen Wang had thwarted his ambition to join the cabinet, which is why he directly attacked Xue Huai.

Shen Wang was well aware of this, but he did not become overly agitated. Instead, he calmly replied, "I cannot agree with what Lord Zheng has said. Xue Huai is commendable for his sharpness, but he also knows his limits. In Yangzhou, whether it was the reform of the salt administration or this dispute over the salt and grain transport, he followed the law without overstepping any boundaries. As for the relationship between his students and old friends, if I remember correctly, Minister Zheng and Governor Jiang passed the imperial examination in the same year?"

Zheng Yuan frowned slightly.

He and Jiang Jizhou were indeed in the same year of the imperial examination, but their relationship was not close and they had not had much contact in the past. He had just implied that Shen Wang was acting out of self-interest. If he were to forcefully defend his relationship with Jiang Jizhou now, it would inevitably displease the emperor.

At this moment, Wang Xu, the Minister of Revenue, who was usually indifferent to matters that did not concern him, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, esteemed officials, the Grand Canal is vital to tax revenue, and Jiangnan is a crucial area for finance; we cannot afford to be careless. For over a hundred years, the Grand Canal Administration and the canal merchants have never had any trouble. Now, the conflict between the salt and canal merchants is like fire and water, which is definitely not a good thing for the nation. The root cause is that the Salt Merchants Association, with the support of Vice Magistrate Xue, is forcibly resisting the Grand Canal Administration. This trend must not be allowed to continue; we must restore order to the Grand Canal as soon as possible!"

The emperor looked meaningfully at this god of wealth who was in charge of the Great Yan treasury.

Wei Zheng's attitude was within his expectations, and Zheng Yuan's hostility towards Xue Huai was also understandable. He just hadn't expected the Ministry of Revenue to also make such a clear statement.

On second thought, the stability of the canal transport directly affected the operation of the Ministry of Revenue. Although Wang Xu was not a member of the Ning Party, he did not want to see problems with the Grand Canal. If the summer taxes and autumn grain could not be delivered to the warehouse on time, he, the Minister of Revenue, would be the one to suffer.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was exceptionally solemn.

The emperor turned his gaze to Shen Wang, and the two exchanged a glance. The emperor seemed to be saying, "Now you should know why I didn't grant your request before."

Shen Wang certainly knew, or rather, he had long anticipated this scene.

The interests involved in the Grand Canal transport were far-reaching, and the long-standing problems in the Grand Canal government were not the fault of just one or two people. This was different from the corruption in the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office, which was only one of the eleven salt offices of the Great Yan Dynasty. Moreover, Xu Guanlan and others had offended the emperor, so being investigated was an inevitable result.

Of the three who have already expressed their opinions, Wei Zheng is acting out of a desire to protect his Ning Party colleagues, Zheng Yuan is acting out of personal grudges, and Wang Xu is acting out of consideration for the Ministry of Revenue's finances. Regardless of their initial intentions, their statements are at least righteous and respectable, and it would be difficult for Shen Wang to refute them one by one.

This is the difficulty of doing things in the imperial court. Even the emperor cannot force a decision that most people oppose. Otherwise, he would not have waited for Xue Huai to expose the Lianghuai salt case before letting his trusted advisors intervene in the salt administration.

Seeing that Shen Wang was struggling alone, an old minister suddenly stepped forward.

After a long period of silence, the Second Grand Secretary Ouyang Hui stepped forward, bowed to the Emperor, and then said sincerely, "Your Majesty, I have a question."

The emperor said calmly, "Please speak freely, my dear minister."

Ouyang Hui bowed slightly and sighed, “I do not understand why the salt merchants of Lianghuai would go to such lengths to avoid the Grand Canal, even at the cost of increased expenses. Governor Jiang’s memorial only mentions that Xue Tongzhi instigated the merchants, but avoids mentioning whether the Grand Canal authorities conducted excessive inspections, discriminatory treatment, or even framed and detained ships. If there were no such pressure, why would the salt merchants seek out such trouble? If we simply blame Xue Tongzhi and the Lianghuai salt merchants while allowing the Grand Canal authorities to abuse their power, it would not be fair and would be difficult to convince the public. I hope Your Majesty will investigate this matter carefully!”

These words were like a sharp steel knife, mercilessly piercing the hearts of Wei Zheng and the others.

A somber atmosphere suddenly filled the imperial study.

Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, who had remained silent throughout, turned his head and met Ouyang Hui's aged eyes.

The latter remained expressionless, but a surge of pleasure welled up inside him.

(End of this chapter)