Prime Minister

Chapter 289, Section 288: [The World is Tumultuous]

When Jiang Jizhou dismissed Xue Huai's four suggestions as mere empty talk, the officials of the Grand Canal and the leaders of the Grand Canal gangs, who had been suppressing their emotions for a long time, suddenly had the confidence to vent their frustrations.

"Master Xue!"

Zhao Shengzhong, the deputy leader of the canal gang, was the first to stand up and said in a deep voice, "You sit in the high hall of the government office, do you know how cold the water on the canal is? How strong the wind is? With a casual remark that it will be placed under the supervision of the government, you want to cut off the livelihood of tens of thousands of my brothers? Are those manual labor jobs of diverting water, escorting ships, and pulling ropes something that those government officials with their pens can do? You are trying to force us to our deaths!"

Xue Huai had anticipated this situation. Of the four policies he proposed, the first one clarified the legitimacy of the Salt Association, while the other three were aimed at undermining the profit-making of the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office and the Grand Canal Gang. How could these people continue to sit calmly and patiently?

He calmly sat back down, looked up at the other man, and said, “Vice Chief Zhao, please calm down. The supervision I proposed is to establish regulations and standardize fees, so that thousands of canal workers can obtain their due compensation fairly and openly based on their strength and ability. How can you say that they were forced to their deaths?”

Zhao Shengzhong sneered, his tone sarcastic: "Lord Xue, you make it sound so easy! The Grand Canal stretches for thousands of miles, its water conditions change in an instant, and bandits appear unpredictably. How can the risks be contained by a few rules on paper? The brothers of the canal guild earn their money through hard work, risking their lives. If you abolish it with a single word, you will cut off the very foundation for the canal guild to maintain its manpower. Who will maintain order on the Grand Canal? If trouble arises in the future, will you personally go to quell it?"

Xue Huai said calmly, "Risks should be compensated with reasonable rewards, not by adding layers of hidden charges. My point about establishing clear rules for rewards is precisely to clarify what constitutes reasonable compensation and what constitutes illegal extortion. Does Vice Chief Zhao think this is inappropriate?"

Zhao Shengzhong choked, and subconsciously looked at the gang leader Sang Shichang sitting next to him.

For many years, the canal gangs relied on the canal for their livelihood. The lower-level members could barely make ends meet, while the middle and upper-level members were the ones who truly enjoyed wealth and luxury. Their economic source was the large number of members who exploited merchants and people from all over the country by creating various pretexts on the canal.

The money was divided into three equal parts. The largest part was naturally handed over to the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office, the next largest part was divided among the managers of the canal gang, and the smallest part was given to the lower-level gang members.

The reason this set of rules could be maintained for decades was twofold: firstly, the close collusion between the high-ranking members of the canal gang and the officials of the canal administration; and secondly, the fact that the lower-ranking members had no right to know.

If we follow Xue Huai's suggestion, in the future, in addition to winning over the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office, the canal gangs will also have to accept the supervision of local governments, and all services on the docks and canals will be clearly priced. Wouldn't that directly undermine their foundation?

Zhao Shengzhong was anxious, hoping that the gang leader would step forward.

Sang Shichang was not unaware of the meaning behind Zhao Shengzhong's gaze, but his feelings at that moment were very complicated.

He recalled what his youngest son, Sang Chengze, had said: "What if Xue Huai wins?"
Originally, Sang Shichang did not believe that Xue Huai had any hope of winning the salt and grain transport dispute, but the outbreak of the Zhao Cong case made him realize that Xue Huai still had many trump cards in his hand, and the words that Sang Chengze had conveyed for Xue Huai earlier made him even more conflicted.

Even today, the Grand Canal Gang is riddled with internal conflicts. Although Sang Shichang is the leader of the gang, he cannot have absolute authority. Even if he wants to change the status quo of the Grand Canal Gang, he is powerless to do so unless a powerful external force intervenes.

Most importantly, he had to consider whether the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office, as his backing, could remain steadfast.

As far as he knew, the Ning faction and the Qingliu faction in the court were fighting fiercely, and Shen Wang, the Minister of Works, had already entered the cabinet and was still concurrently in charge of the Ministry of Works, which was enough to show the emperor's high regard for him.

In addition, the waning faction of the Second Grand Secretary was not to be outdone. Although they were not on the same page as the Qingliu faction, the Second Grand Secretary Ouyang harbored deep resentment towards the Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, and had already caused several disputes in the past two months.

Given this overall situation, even if the Ning Party does not completely lose power, what if Jiang Jizhou gets involved in the power struggle and the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office faces a major purge? What will become of the Grand Canal Gang then?
Based on these considerations, Sang Shichang was unwilling to openly antagonize Xue Huai, so he turned to Song Yi, who was not far away, hoping that this Councilor Song could advocate for the Grand Canal Gang.

Xue Huai took in Sang Shichang's reaction and immediately made a plan in his mind.

Song Yichong nodded slightly to Sang Shichang, then looked at Xue Huai and said, "Lord Xue, empty talk will ruin the country."

Xue Huai calmly replied, "I would appreciate your guidance, Your Excellency."

Song Yi snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "Your four policies sound grand, but they are full of flaws. You place the Salt Association on the same level as the Grain Transport Commissioner, but you don't realize that merchants are inherently profit-driven. If their powers and responsibilities are infinitely increased, they will inevitably interfere in politics and resist the law in the future! In addition, the Grain Transport Commissioner's power of inspection is a public instrument. How can merchants be allowed to interfere and participate? If this precedent is set, where will you place the dignity of the imperial court?"

Facing his piercing gaze, Xue Huai calmly said, "Has Councilor Song not heard of the importance of pooling wisdom from all sides? I have already stated clearly that this matter should be presided over by the Imperial Envoy, with the Grain Transport Office and the Salt Administration jointly discussing it. As for the Yangzhou Prefecture Office and the Lianghuai Salt Association, they are merely providing some suggestions to help you distinguish right from wrong. Councilor Song's conclusion that the Salt Association is coveting public resources is far too alarmist."

This wasn't the first time Song Yi had witnessed Xue Huai's eloquence, and he knew he had a heavy responsibility to bear today. Seeing that Xue Huai had no flaws, he changed the subject, saying, "Even so, I must criticize you. Your wishes are beautiful, but too naive. Take the matter of the fees, for example. Prefect Xue, you only want to abolish them, but do you know how much the canal costs to maintain each year? How much is allocated by the imperial court and local treasuries? Without the subsidies of the fees, how can the canal be maintained? Does the imperial court have to increase taxes on the people, thus putting the emperor in an unjust position?"

"Your Excellency, why are you misinterpreting my meaning?"

Xue Huai glanced around at everyone, finally turning to Fan Dongyang and saying, "Your Excellency, what I have opposed from beginning to end are those exploitative practices disguised under various pretexts. If the fees collected by the canal administration were truly used for official business, why are the accounts unclear? Why is public resentment boiling over? What I request to abolish are not illegal fees, but the ills of exploitation!" Song Yi's face darkened, and before Fan Dongyang could express his agreement with Xue Huai's words, he immediately retorted, "Xue Tongzhi, please be careful with your words! The affairs of the Grand Canal are numerous and complex, far beyond the mere paperwork of a prefecture. How can we maintain them without sufficient manpower? The meager fees are enough for those people to support their families, which is a last resort! You speak of abolishing them so easily, but how will thousands of officials make a living? Xue Tongzhi might as well ask the officials at the prefectural and county levels of Yangzhou if they are willing to serve without compensation?"

Xue Huai remained unmoved and solemnly said, "Your Excellency, the expenses of the grain transport office are covered by the national treasury. However, exploiting merchants and the people to support redundant officials is not a matter of necessity, but rather a deeply ingrained habit of embezzlement! My suggestion is to clarify the regulations and set clear fees, which is the best way to solve this problem. If we continue with old practices and condone illegality, that will be the real source of disaster that shakes the foundation of the country!"

Upon hearing this, Song Yi's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Insolence! You, a mere prefectural magistrate, dare to make irresponsible remarks about the national policy of grain transport and slander the important government office! Do you have any evidence to support your claim of embezzlement? If not, it is slander!"

Xue Huai's eyes flashed like lightning, and he also spoke loudly: "Councilor Song, the Zhao Cong case is a stark reminder of what can happen. This villain colluded with the heretical sect to embezzle huge sums of money. Isn't this lining his own pocket? The corruption in the grain transport office is not something I am making lightly; the evidence is irrefutable! The new regulations I propose are precisely to eliminate such scourges!"

Song Yi was speechless for a moment, his face turning ashen.

The two exchanged barbs, sparks flying, and the atmosphere in the hall had reached a tense breaking point.

Fan Dongyang glanced at the clerk writing furiously in the corner, and he suddenly understood why Xue Huai had gone through such a long and complicated process, intentionally using the negotiations between the salt and grain transport authorities to stir up so much controversy.

Perhaps only by witnessing these disputes firsthand could the emperor and officials in the capital gain a direct understanding of the problems that had accumulated over the past century in the Grand Canal transport system. If Xue Huai had submitted a memorial from the beginning, bringing the matter to the court for discussion, it would have ultimately become nothing more than empty talk and factional strife.

Based on this, Fan Dongyang did not interrupt, but quietly observed everyone's reactions.

The hall was deathly silent.

Song Yi was rendered speechless by Xue Huai's relentless rebuttals, especially since the Zhao Cong case was an unavoidable stain on the current administration, and Song Yi had to avoid the topic.

As he racked his brains for a solution, Jiang Fangzheng, standing behind Jiang Jizhou, spoke up in a sinister tone: "It is common knowledge that Lord Xue cares deeply about the salt merchants. But why are you so devoted to advocating for the Salt Association, even at the cost of shaking the century-old foundation of the Grand Canal? Is this out of public interest or do you have other motives? The more than one hundred merchants of the Lianghuai Salt Association now follow Lord Xue's lead. This prestige is truly astonishing."

These words were extremely malicious, directly pointing the finger at Xue Huai's motives and implying that he was forming cliques and cultivating power, and that his behavior had exceeded the bounds of an official's duty and might even threaten the court's control over Jiangnan.

Wang Guangyong, the transport commissioner of the Grand Canal, also stepped forward and said coldly, "It is understandable that Lord Xue is fighting for the profits of the salt merchants, but how can the profits of the salt merchants be compared with the fate of the nation? You are disregarding the millions of people along the Grand Canal for your own selfish interests. Isn't this just profiteering and bringing disaster to the country and its people?"

"Exactly!"

Zhao Shengzhong immediately chimed in, indignantly saying, "You salt merchants are incredibly wealthy. Losing a few percent in transport fees is just a drop in the ocean, but the minor officials, laborers, and boatmen along the canal will starve to death without this money and grain! Lord Xue, your four policies only enrich the salt merchants while causing millions of poor people to starve!"

Upon hearing such remarks, Fan Dongyang frowned. These people clearly couldn't refute Xue Huai on the right ground; they could only attack him based on his character and motives.

But he still didn't speak, instead looking thoughtfully at Xue Huai, who had instantly become the target of everyone's criticism.

"hehe."

Xue Huai chuckled expressionlessly. He slowly scanned Song Yi, Jiang Fangzheng, Wang Guangyong, Zhao Shengzhong, and the others, and said in a deep voice, "What a fine example of having ulterior motives! What a scourge to the country and its people!"

"Zhao Cong colluded with the evil cult to embezzle huge sums of money and exploit merchants and the people to enrich himself. Have you ever thought about the foundation of the nation?"

"The extra-legal fees along the canal are as numerous as hairs on a cow, extorting money from merchants to fill their private coffers. Have you ever thought of the common people?"

"You keep talking about the thousands of canal workers and boatmen, yet they can't even earn enough to support their families. Have you ever considered the fairness of this situation?"

"You treat the canal as your private property, and those who rely on the canal for a living as a tool for profit. You are not satisfied with squeezing them dry. Have you ever thought about the law?"

Xue Huai's words were like knives, piercing the faces of the group opposite him until they turned ashen.

He slowly stood up and said, word by word, "In my opinion, what you all really care about is that the silver in your pockets has decreased by a few taels!"

(End of this chapter)