Prime Minister

Chapter 288, Section 287: [Wishful Thinking]

On June 29, the second consultation meeting on the salt and grain transport dispute was held at the Imperial Envoy's residence.

Compared to the initial discussions six days ago, the air in the main hall today felt like solidified mercury, so heavy it was suffocating.

Imperial Commissioner Fan Dongyang sat in the main seat, his expression solemn, his gaze sweeping over every face present.

On the lower left, Huang Chong, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and Xue Huai, the Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou, sat side by side, with four representatives of the Salt Merchants Association behind them: Qiao Wangshan, Shen Bingwen, Wang Shilin, and Huang Dezhong.

On the right, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner Jiang Jizhou looked gloomy, as if shrouded in an unyielding cloud.

Sitting beside him were Song Yi, the councilor in charge of grain transport, and Wang Guangyong, the councilor in charge of escorting grain. Behind them were Sang Shichang, the leader of the grain transport gang, Zhao Shengzhong, the deputy leader, and Wang Kui, the leader of the Yangzhou branch.

Although Jiang Fangzheng held no official position, he stood behind his father at this moment, but his eyes were unfocused and he no longer had the arrogance of the past.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fan Dongyang spoke first: "Gentlemen, the dispute over salt and grain transport has dragged on for a long time, and has seriously affected the smooth flow of the grain transport system and the stability of Huaiyang and other places. I have come south to mediate on the Emperor's orders, not to listen to your verbal sparring, but to resolve the dispute, quell the storm, restore order to the Grand Canal, and give justice to the merchants and people."

This opening statement was clearly more serious than his attitude during the initial negotiations.

Everyone waited with utmost respect.

Fan Dongyang's gaze swept over Jiang Jizhou and Xue Huai, and he continued, "I have thoroughly investigated the matter and know that the root of the dispute lies in the fact that both sides feel their own interests have been harmed, leading to a growing resentment. The purpose of today's meeting is only one: to agree on the rules and regulations to maintain the overall situation! If the dispute drags on, causing turmoil in the Jiangnan region, a key area for tax revenue, and blockages in the Grand Canal, resulting in insufficient supplies of grain and provisions in the northern frontier, who among you can bear such a heavy responsibility that shakes the foundation of the nation?"

He did not deliberately mention the Zhao Cong case, but the words "shaking the foundation of the country" struck the hearts of everyone in the Grand Canal faction like an invisible whip.

Jiang Jizhou's face grew even uglier, and Song Yi and the others' eyes flickered uncertainly.

They could all understand Fan Dongyang's unspoken meaning: the Zhao Cong case was irrefutable evidence of the deep-seated problems in the canal transport system. If the salt and canal dispute dragged on any longer and the truth was revealed, no one would have an easy time.

Jiang Jizhou coughed lightly, and Song Yi stood up and bowed to Fan Dongyang, saying, "Your words, Imperial Envoy, are truly thought-provoking. The entire Grain Transport Office is also deeply aware of the seriousness of the situation and is willing to make concrete efforts to quell the dispute. After repeated deliberations by Your Excellency and us, the Grain Transport Office is willing to make the following concessions, which we request Your Excellency and all of you to consider."

All eyes were on Song Yi.

Fan Dongyang nodded and said, "Please speak, Councilor Song."

Song Yi slowly said, "Firstly, effective immediately, the three miscellaneous fees that member merchants of the Lianghuai Salt Association had to pay in the past—the pilotage fee, the mooring fee, and the towrope fee—will be abolished. These three fees are indeed unreasonable, and their abolition will reduce the transportation costs for salt merchants' ships and cargo."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Wangshan and the others did not show much joy on their faces.

Although these three miscellaneous fees sound impressive, the actual amount is relatively limited. They are more symbolic charges reflecting a privilege and are far from comparable to the largest sums of money given as gifts or filial piety money.

Song Yi glanced at Xue Huai sitting opposite him and continued, "Secondly, the normal rental ratio of grain transport vessels by the merchants under the Salt Association must be restored. The Salt Association must promise that, except in special circumstances, at least 70% of the goods transported by its merchants must be carried out by renting grain transport vessels designated or approved by the Grain Transport Commissioner. The Grand Canal is the lifeline of the nation. The idle capacity of the grain transport vessels not only wastes national funds but also causes countless people who rely on the canal for their livelihood to suffer hardship and displacement. This is a fundamental task for maintaining the grain transport system. I hope that the officials of the Salt Association will understand the plight of the people and consider the overall situation."

The second point is the core intention of the canal transport officials' visit today—to demand that salt merchants restore the proportion of canal boats they rent, in order to guarantee the livelihood of the canal transport guild and the lower-level clerks.

However, the so-called 70% ratio is almost equivalent to requiring salt merchants to completely return to the old system, and the vague expression "ships designated or approved by the canal administration" still gave the canal gangs a lot of room to maneuver.

Song Yi looked at Fan Dongyang and said, "Your Excellency, this is the greatest concession the Grand Canal has made after careful consideration to quell the unrest. The cancellation of the three miscellaneous fees demonstrates the Grand Canal's sincerity, and the Salt Association's resumption of canal boat rentals is fundamental to ensuring the stability of the Grand Canal and the livelihoods of the canal workers. As long as the Salt Association accepts this proposal, the Grand Canal promises to treat everyone equally from now on and will never take any actions to target or obstruct us."

For the leaders of the Grand Canal system, this was a small benefit they were forced to relinquish under the immense pressure of the Zhao Cong case, in an attempt to preserve the Grand Canal's absolute control over the canal.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Qiao Wangshan and Shen Bingwen exchanged a glance, clearly finding Song Yi's proposed conditions unacceptable.

The cancellation of those three miscellaneous fees by the Grand Canal Administration was barely a substitute for the real expense. Song Yi didn't even mention the money for gifts and tributes, which accounted for the bulk of the expenses. This shows that if it weren't for the pressure brought about by the Zhao Cong case, the Grand Canal Administration would not have wanted to give up any benefits at all.

Perhaps in their view, the rules on the canal have been the same for thousands of years, so why should they give way to these merchants?
If it weren't for Xue Huai and the Lianghuai Salt Transport Bureau standing behind them, and if Fan Dongyang hadn't come with the imperial edict, Jiang Jizhou wouldn't have even given these salt merchants a chance to negotiate face-to-face.

They're just a bunch of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. What right do they have to stand opposite him, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner?

Fan Dongyang certainly understood the intricacies of the situation, but he could not show any obvious bias on this occasion. After all, he was representing the emperor at this moment, and the emperor's attitude toward the salt and grain transport dispute was not a top secret, at least Jiang Jizhou knew very well.

Therefore, he looked to his left and asked, "Envoy Huang, Assistant Magistrate Xue, what are your thoughts on the proposal from the Grain Transport Commissioner?" Huang Chong still appeared detached and slightly raised his hand to signal Xue Huai to speak on behalf of the Commissioner.

Xue Huai slowly stood up, bowed to Fan Dongyang and Jiang Jizhou respectively, and said calmly, "Your Excellency, Minister Jiang, and esteemed officials, the Grain Transport Commission is willing to cancel three miscellaneous fees, and I, on behalf of the salt merchants of Lianghuai, thank you in advance. However, the Grain Transport Commission's proposal to restore the old system of 70% rent is something the Salt Association cannot comply with, and I, Xue, also dare not agree that this is the best way to settle the dispute."

Jiang Jizhou's brows furrowed instantly as he coldly glanced at the young yet composed Yangzhou Tongzhi across from him.

Facing Jiang Jizhou's cold gaze, Xue Huai calmly said, "The dispute over salt and grain transport is not a recent phenomenon. Its root cause is not the salt merchants' petty squabbles, but rather the long-standing problems accumulated along the Grand Canal, rampant extra-legal exploitation, inconsistent inspection standards, and unclear division of responsibilities! Abolishing the three miscellaneous fees may alleviate the immediate pain, but restoring the old system is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. If responsibilities are not clarified, in the future, the grain transport authorities will again use inspections as a pretext to create difficulties, or the grain transport gangs will again demand various miscellaneous fees under the guise of escorting ships. Will the salt and grain transport disputes reignite? If this cycle continues, how can the Grand Canal ever have peace?"

"Xue Tongzhi!"

Song Yi raised his voice slightly and said in a deep voice, "The Grand Canal has already yielded to this extent, what more do you want? Do you really want to completely sever the Grand Canal and let the salt merchants form their own fleet?"

The following sentence can be considered the fuse that ignited this dispute over salt and grain transport.

Initially, Jiang Jizhou did not intend to take drastic action against the severance of ties with the Lianghuai Salt Association. However, when Song Yi learned from Zhao Cong that several large merchants were secretly purchasing ships and verified the information, this matter touched a nerve with Jiang Jizhou.

He originally thought that the salt merchants wanted to reduce the exploitation by the Grand Canal Administration by severing ties with the salt merchants. This was not an unacceptable thing. As long as the salt merchants knew when to stop, the Grand Canal Administration could loosen its grip a little, such as the cancellation of the three miscellaneous fees that Song Yi just mentioned.

However, the salt merchants wanted to form their own fleet and completely abandon the Grand Canal government and the canal gangs, which was something Jiang Jizhou could not tolerate. That's why he asked Song Yi to teach the salt merchants a lesson.

Unexpectedly, under Xue Huai's instigation and encouragement, the salt merchants not only did not back down, but united to resist, which led to the subsequent salt and grain transport dispute.

At this moment, Xue Huai looked at Song Yi and said calmly and powerfully, "Councilor Song, what I say is by no means alarmist. On the contrary, it is precisely for the long-term stability of the Grand Canal that I dare to speak here! Your Excellency, Minister Jiang, I am not very capable, but I have four suggestions for resolving this dispute. I hope you will correct me."

Fan Dongyang then said, "Prefect Xue, please speak freely."

Xue Huai glanced around at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Jiang Jizhou's face. He spoke calmly and slowly: "Firstly, the Salt Association should be properly named and its responsibilities limited to self-discipline, communication of business information, and assistance in times of emergency. This is in accordance with His Majesty's benevolent intention to benefit merchants and the people. The Salt Association must not obstruct the normal law enforcement of the Grain Transport Commissioner, nor should the Commissioner's Office make things difficult or discriminate against the Salt Administration without cause. In this way, the new Salt Administration Law will be implemented smoothly, truly a brilliant and benevolent policy, a good plan tacitly approved by His Majesty."

The leaders of the canal transport faction did not voice their opposition, because this was within their expectations; Xue Huai would certainly use this opportunity to solidify the legal status of the Salt Association.

Xue Huai continued, "Secondly, we should establish a charter for inspection. I suggest that the Imperial Commissioner preside over the meeting, summoning officials from the Grand Canal Administration, Salt Administration, Prefectural Administration, Salt Association, and Grand Canal Guild to discuss the 'Regulations for the Inspection of Navigation in the Yangzhou Section of the Grand Canal,' ensuring that inspections are conducted in a measured manner, penalties are based on evidence, and appeals are handled appropriately. This will shift the power from the shadows to the light, transforming the private interests of clerks into public tools. When merchants and the people know that there is a law to follow, disputes will naturally cease."

Jiang Jizhou frowned. He knew, of course, that Xue Huai's suggestion was to put shackles on the Grand Canal Commissioner's office. The problem was, how could he possibly accept such conditions?

Or rather, what virtue or ability did Xue Huai possess, and what capital did he have to force the canal administration to bow down?
Do they really think they can do whatever they want just because they have the Zhao Cong case in their hands?

Jiang Jizhou took a deep breath and did not immediately express his opposition, and Song Yi and the others did not speak rashly upon seeing this.

Xue Huai looked around at everyone and continued, "Thirdly, we must reform the century-old malpractices and completely abolish all the exploitative charges against the Lianghuai Salt Association, such as 'gift money, filial piety money,' 'water diversion money,' 'shore money,' and 'towrope money.' The actual needs of the canal administration for annual river repairs and maintenance can be calculated based on actual costs and either included in regular taxes or set as fixed fees. The amounts of these charges must be engraved on stone tablets and displayed at all river sluices and ferries, so that merchants and traders pay taxes according to regulations, and clerks and laborers have no way to embezzle funds."

The atmosphere inside the hall was almost frozen.

The salt association representatives were naturally delighted with Xue Huai's suggestion, while the officials of the canal transport office and the leaders of the canal transport gangs looked extremely grim.

If all of Xue Huai's points are implemented, where will they find any more profit to make in the future?
Jiang Jizhou reached for his teacup, looked up at Xue Huai, and said expressionlessly, "What's the other one?"

Facing his scrutiny, Xue Huai calmly said, "Fourth, guide the canal transport guilds onto the right track. Their tasks of water diversion, escorting, and pulling boats should be brought under the supervision of the government. Their duties, performance standards, and remuneration should be clearly defined, so that even the most humble laborers can benefit from the government's rule, and the strength of the common people can be governed by the law. In this way, all the thousands of canal workers who rely on the canal for their livelihood can earn a decent living through their physical labor, avoid being coerced into illegal activities, and be able to live a legitimate life."

Jiang Jizhou asked, "Has Magistrate Xue finished speaking?"

Xue Huai nodded and said, "Your Excellency, the four policies I proposed have been carefully considered and repeatedly deliberated. I only hope that the dispute over salt and grain transport will be resolved as soon as possible, and that the Grand Canal will be unobstructed and prosperous, thus adding strength to the longevity of our Great Yan Kingdom."

"As expected of Magistrate Xue, your insight is truly remarkable. My trip today has been worthwhile, however—"

Jiang Jizhou paused for a moment, then slowly put down his teacup under the tense gazes of everyone. A mocking smile appeared on his lips as he coldly uttered a sentence.

"In the end, it's just theoretical talk and wishful thinking!"

(End of this chapter)