Prime Minister

Chapter 291, page 290: [Dawn]

"Someone is coming."

After quickly reviewing the evidence collected by Sang Chengze, Fan Dongyang said in a deep voice, "It is hereby found that Chen Bao of the Canal Gang and Dong Dachang of the Medicine Merchants have colluded with the heretical sect and rebels, gathering a crowd to cause chaos and endanger the country. Ye Qing, the Jiangsu Commander of the Jing'an Division, is hereby ordered to lead his elite troops, the Imperial Envoy's personal guards, and the officers and soldiers of the Huai'an Guard, carrying the imperial warrant signed by this Imperial Envoy, to Huai'an City immediately to arrest the relevant criminals!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

The trusted subordinates who had accompanied Fan Dongyang south received their orders and left, their footsteps hurried and forceful, disappearing into the depths of the corridor.

"Everyone."

Fan Dongyang's sharp gaze swept over the shocked or terrified faces in the hall, and he said in an unquestionable manner, "The incident happened suddenly. In order to prevent the news from leaking and the thieves from escaping, please stay at the headquarters for the night. You may leave on your own tomorrow afternoon."

Although this request was unreasonable, no one in the hall objected at that moment.

Song Yi, Wang Guangyong, Zhao Shengzhong and others turned pale, their backs soaked with cold sweat. The Zhao Cong case was not yet over, and now the high-ranking members of the Grand Canal Gang were colluding with a heretical sect. Furthermore, Dong Dachang had implicated the Governor's Office. This was no longer just a matter of losing face, but rather the very foundation of the entire Grand Canal system was being shaken!

Sang Shichang still glared angrily at his young son kneeling on the ground.

In fact, he wasn't overly fearful; on the contrary, he was genuinely relieved and even felt a sense of satisfaction.

As the law enforcement elder of the Grand Canal Gang, Chen Bao's status was second only to the gang leader Sang Shichang and the deputy gang leader Zhao Shengzhong. In addition, his close relationship with the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office made him even more powerful than Zhao Shengzhong. He had often clashed with Sang Shichang in the past.

Being able to witness the downfall of his mortal enemy must have made Sang Shichang feel very comfortable. Moreover, with the elimination of Chen Bao's faction, his influence within the canal gang will greatly increase, and he might even be able to overcome obstacles and make changes.

Furthermore, Sang Shichang had not anticipated that Chen Bao would collude with the Xuan Yuan Sect. If this hidden danger were not eliminated, it could very likely affect the entire Cao Gang in the future. From this perspective, Sang Chengze's actions actually benefited the Cao Gang.

Sang Shichang certainly didn't believe that Sang Chengze had the ability to find this evidence. It must have been Xue Huai's doing. By using Sang Chengze to uncover this secret, he would leave the entire canal transport faction speechless and unable to speak out. It was an extremely clever strategy.

At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh that his youngest son was lucky despite his foolishness, but he also knew that Sang Chengze's accusation today was tantamount to betraying the Grand Canal Administration. Therefore, he vividly portrayed a father who was furious, disappointed, and terrified, without revealing any flaws on his face.

In the corner, Jiang Fangzheng used almost all his strength to control his body. When he heard Dong Dachang's name from Sang Chengze, he was struck dumb. This was because all the benefits he received from the Xuanyuan Sect were handled through Dong Dachang. And once Dong Dachang fell into the hands of the Jing'an Division's secret agents, who knew how many shocking secrets he would reveal!

Jiang Fangzheng glanced at his father, Jiang Jizhou, whose ashen face and tense body made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave. In his thirty years of life, he had never seen his father lose his composure in public like this. It was clear that his father had remembered Dong Dachang's identity. He was the biological son of Jiang Fangzheng's wet nurse and had always considered himself Jiang Fangzheng's lackey.

Now that this lackey has become associated with the demonic cult, can Jiang Fangzheng, as the dog's master, really clear himself?

The thought that his only son might be connected to the demonic cult made Jiang Jizhou wish he could strangle him with his own hands.

Even after Fan Dongyang had the others invited to rest and then invited the three chief officials, Jiang Jizhou, Huang Chong, and Xue Huai, to the back hall for a meeting, Jiang Jizhou remained immersed in his intense anger.

The attendant served tea and then withdrew, gently closing the door to shut out all outside noise.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense. Fan Dongyang sat in the main seat, looking at Jiang Jizhou with a hint of worry.

Huang Chong, the salt commissioner of Lianghuai, sat on the right and lowered his eyes slightly, seemingly detached and resting with his eyes closed, but in reality he was processing the shock of what had just happened.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for over twenty years, witnessing countless power struggles and deceitful schemes, he still admired Xue Huai's methods. What was even more commendable was that Xue Huai did not resort to cunning and trickery. His relentless, step-by-step killing tactics were not entirely unexpected; the difficulty lay in gathering sufficient and comprehensive information beforehand, such as details of the various malpractices within the canal transport system and evidence of the crimes committed by Zhao Cong, Chen Bao, and others.

In contrast, the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office and the Grand Canal Gang were completely unprepared, and only wanted to use the fact that the Grand Canal was related to the foundation of the country to blackmail the court and the public. Naturally, they were doomed to a crushing defeat.

Upon thinking of this, Huang Chong looked at Xue Huai. The two exchanged a glance, and although they did not communicate verbally, they had already reached a consensus.

"Minister Chiang".

Fan Dongyang finally broke the suffocating silence, slowly saying, "Now that things have come to this, we both know the truth. The Zhao Cong case came first, followed by the Chen Bao and Dong Dachang case of colluding with the heretical sect. Each and every one of these cases points directly to the deep-seated problems and malpractices of the Grand Canal Administration. If I hadn't temporarily suppressed the news for the sake of the overall situation, I believe that it wouldn't have been long before memorials impeaching the officials for their lax management, dereliction of duty, and even suspected cover-ups and indulgence would have flooded the Emperor's court like snowflakes."

Jiang Jizhou suddenly looked up, his eyes as cold as knives.

Seeing this, Fan Dongyang continued, "Your Excellency, please do not be angry. I am here on imperial orders to mediate the salt and grain transport dispute. My primary task is to quell the unrest and maintain stability, not to attack and eradicate the Grain Transport Commissioner's office. However, the problems have accumulated to this point. If we do not make a firm decision to address these issues, who knows if today's Zhao Cong and Chen Bao will not become tomorrow's villains? If the Grand Canal is in chaos, it will surely backfire and harm the nation!"

After a brief silence, Jiang Jizhou said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, Zhao Cong and Chen Bao have indeed caused the Grand Canal to lose face, and I bear an inescapable responsibility for this. However, I can assure you that their connection with the heretical sect is limited to accepting bribes and providing some conveniences; they have absolutely no intention of plotting rebellion."

The implication is that while the problems with the canal transport system do exist, they are unrelated to any cults or rebel groups.

Jiang Jizhou must understand this point, otherwise he will face impeachment from officials.

Fan Dongyang remained noncommittal, calmly and bluntly stating, "Minister, crossing the line is a capital offense." Jiang Jizhou remained silent.

Even if Zhao Cong and Chen Bao were unaware that the bribes they received came from the Xuan Yuan Sect, as long as the Jing'an Division verified the matter, they would inevitably face the fate of having their families confiscated and their clans exterminated. The imperial court has always been one to rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free in such matters.

"I believe that the Minister has nothing to do with the heretical sects and rebels."

Fan Dongyang softened his tone slightly and then said, "However, the current situation is very unfavorable for the grain transport department. The minister should understand what I mean."

Jiang Jizhou understood, of course.

Zhao Cong and Chen Bao are enough to prove how deeply the Xuan Yuan Sect has infiltrated the Grand Canal system. This problem is far more serious than the corruption of officials. If he wants to quell the emperor's anger as soon as possible, the most urgent task is to first quell the salt and canal dispute, and then launch a thorough investigation of the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office.

After a long silence, Jiang Jizhou said dejectedly, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."

Fan Dongyang felt a weight lifted from his heart. He had been worried that Jiang Jizhou would go down a dark path, which would not only complicate the court situation but also greatly affect his standing in the emperor's eyes.

"In my opinion, we need to quell the salt and grain transport dispute as soon as possible."

Fan Dongyang glanced at Huang Chong and Xue Huai on his left and said unhurriedly, "The Grand Canal Administration must lift the restrictions and harassment imposed on member merchants of the Lianghuai Salt Association, especially the Qiao family's De'an and the Shen family's Guangtai. At the same time, a series of extra fees must be abolished, ensuring that the fees collected remain within 5%. Meanwhile, all merchants of the Lianghuai Salt Association must continue to rent canal boats to transport salt. As for the transportation methods of other goods, the merchants can decide for themselves."

Huang and Xue naturally had no objection to this.

Jiang Jizhou knew he had no room to refuse, after all, he still had a lot of trouble to deal with, so he could only nod and say, "What the Imperial Envoy says is very true. The Grain Transport Office guarantees that it will no longer deliberately target the salt merchants of Lianghuai."

Fan Dongyang wanted this guarantee, and smiled, "Minister, you are wise and righteous, and you put the affairs of the country first. I admire you! If this proposal is successful, you will deserve the greatest credit!"

Since words are not enough, he immediately had a peace agreement drafted. Jiang Jizhou represented the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office and Huang Chong represented the Lianghuai Salt Association. The two signed and affixed their seals to the agreement, and finally Fan Dongyang's imperial seal was affixed.

In this way, the dispute over salt and grain transport was finally able to be temporarily resolved.

Fan Dongyang's expression became increasingly relaxed, and he said calmly, "Regarding the four policies proposed by Xue Tongzhi, the first one has been achieved. The remaining three concern the regulations of the grain transport office, which are not matters for me to decide on my own. I will submit a memorial to the Emperor explaining the reasons and advantages, and present it to His Majesty for his decision. What do you all think?"

This can be considered a compromise.

While Fan Dongyang admired Xue Huai, he wouldn't rashly side with this younger man. He felt that even if the emperor wanted to investigate the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office and promote canal transport reform, he wouldn't entrust this power to the Yangzhou government and a group of merchants. Therefore, he could only offer an ambiguous opinion.

However, he would certainly show some bias in his memorials, and if the emperor ultimately decided to reform the canal transport system, he would still be credited for his role as the imperial envoy in mediating the dispute.

Jiang Jizhou had no objection; Fan Dongyang's proposal was the best outcome he could accept. Otherwise, he, as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, would lose all face—although he was already embarrassed enough, at least it hadn't become common knowledge.

He said with a hint of gratitude, "This humble official has no objection."

Huang Chong nodded in agreement.

Fan Dongyang finally looked at Xue Huai, who calmly said, "Your Excellency, regarding the policy of reforming the long-standing problems of the Grand Canal, as the one who first proposed it, I would also like to submit a memorial to Your Majesty to explain my thoughts and ideas. Is that alright?"

"Why not?"

Fan Dongyang smiled and said, "You have already been granted the bullfighting robe, and you have the authority to report to the Emperor. You do not need to ask me for permission. The Grand Canal is related to the foundation of the country, and it is precisely because of our collective wisdom and efforts that we can better eliminate long-standing problems. Minister Jiang, you can also submit a memorial to His Majesty."

Jiang Jizhou forced a smile and agreed.

Fan Dongyang then concluded the private meeting and instructed the three high-ranking officials to rest at their respective temporary residences. Fortunately, the imperial envoy's headquarters was large enough to accommodate so many people.

As Xue Huai was leaving the inner hall, he noticed that Jiang Jizhou was staring at him intently, so he politely stepped aside and said, "Minister, please."

Jiang Jizhou remained expressionless for a moment before saying softly, "Prefect Xue, only today do I realize how formidable the younger generation can be."

"You flatter me, sir."

Xue Huai smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "Minister, I noticed that your son's complexion was not very good just now. It is evident that he is thinking of your situation with all his heart. He is a truly commendable person in terms of filial piety, which is admirable."

Having said that, he stopped looking at Jiang Jizhou's face, which had instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and turned to leave side by side with Huang Chong.

(End of this chapter)