Prime Minister.

Chapter 109, Section 108: [A Mixed Bag]

Late at night, at the Liu residence.

Inside the study in the front courtyard, Liu Rang sat in a grand chair with a gloomy expression, while several other people sat around a table.

Zheng Xuan sat opposite Liu Rang, angrily saying, "This young Master Xue is indeed no good; he changes his mind faster than flipping through a book. If I had known this would happen, why would I have invited those two delicate beauties? Not only did I waste money, but I also owe Hanbixuan and Liuxiazhou a favor. What a scoundrel!"

The four prominent families of Yangzhou—Liu, Qiao, Zheng, and Wang—were not chosen arbitrarily, but rather ranked according to their status and power.

Zheng Xuan was a direct descendant of the Zheng family. Otherwise, with his status as a seventh-rank judge, it would have been virtually impossible for him to invite Jiang Xue and Jing Yanqing to appear together. After all, it was extremely difficult for a courtesan to reach the position of courtesan queen, and she had to be proud of her status.

"is not that right?"

Wang Gui, the clerk of the grinding station on the right, sneered and said in a gloomy tone, "If he had made his stance clear from the beginning, I would have respected him as an upright man. But he pretended to be harmless, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, and then turned on everyone in the end, saying that he was using the people's hard-earned money for his own selfish desires. Why didn't he say that before he was enjoying himself? Isn't he just treating us like fools?"

The others didn't look happy either.

As Wang Gui said, they were not unaware of Xue Huai's deeds in the capital. If he had immediately adopted a businesslike attitude after disembarking, they wouldn't have had to fawn over him. Instead, they ended up being slapped hard by Xue Huai after trying to flatter him for so long.

They are all prominent figures in Yangzhou. Now Xue Huai is clearly trying to establish his authority by stepping on them. How can they swallow this insult?
Hu Quan, the clerk of the prefectural government, said in a cold voice: "According to this young Master Xue, as long as he is still in Yangzhou, we cannot even attend banquets?"

The salt merchants of Yangzhou were the wealthiest in the world. All four major clans were involved in the salt industry and had no shortage of money. It was inevitable that the sons of these families would indulge in pleasures, and banquets became a common practice, with both land and water banquets. They would sing and dance on the Slender West Lake every night. It would be unacceptable for them to spend their days in the government office with their books and documents.

"I'm afraid it's not just that."

Zheng Xuan frowned and slowly said, "Prefect Xue came tonight to give us a show of force, just to pave the way for his next move. He is known in the capital for his audacity. Relying on his father's legacy and the protection of his mentor, Minister Shen, he has always acted recklessly and without restraint."

Wang Gui couldn't help but ask, "What else does he want to do?"

"What do you say?"

Zheng Xuan sneered, saying irritably, "Didn't you hear what he said? He went from last year's floods to the people rebuilding their homes. There's a lot more to it than that. First, the river embankment needs repair and reinforcement, right? The imperial court certainly can't come up with much silver, and don't expect Magistrate Xue to impose quotas. In the end, it'll be us wealthy households who have to make up the difference. Second, settling the people requires silver, but even more so, land. You all know how much paddy field each family has consumed in the past year. Will you be willing to give it back later?"

"dream!"

Hu Quan said without hesitation, "Those fields were bought by our families with silver or grain. Why should we give them back?"

"It's no use telling me that," Zheng Xuan shrugged. "When Magistrate Xue asks you why you took advantage of the chaos, what will you say?"

Hu Quan was choked.

Although Xue Huai lacked strong support in Yangzhou, his background extended directly to the imperial palace in the capital. If he was determined to eliminate two troublemakers, even the governor of Jiangsu would probably find it difficult to forcibly stop him.

The problem is that if everyone swallows their anger, they will inevitably be defeated one by one by Xue Huai in the end.

Zheng Xuan continued, "Prefect Xue is not like Magistrate Tan. He won't be kind enough to let us live leisurely every day. Your good days are just beginning."

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly somber.

Wang Gui looked around and said to Zheng Xuan with a forced smile, "Brother Deming, tell me how we should deal with this."

"I don't have a solution for the time being."

Zheng Xuan shook his head and looked at Liu Rang, who had been silent all along, and said, "We still have to rely on Brother Bo Xun to make the decision."

Liu Rang picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip slowly, and said expressionlessly, "Xue Huai scared you like this with just a few words. In my opinion, you should try to get on the good side of this young nobleman as soon as possible. Maybe you can get on the good side of Minister Shen, the leader of the Qingliu faction, and get an official position in the capital."

Upon hearing this, everyone else immediately came to their senses.

Wang Gui's eyes lit up, and he quickly chimed in, "That's right! Although Xue Tongzhi has a powerful background, the court is now headed by Grand Secretary Ning. When will it be Minister Shen's turn to make decisions?"

Zheng Xuan also nodded and said, "That's right. If he continues to be aggressive, we will unite with the elders of Yangzhou and write a petition to the cabinet in the capital!"

The crowd's spirits lifted, but they also knew that they should not resort to such drastic measures unless absolutely necessary. If the matter reached the central authorities, they would have no choice but to let it go.

Liu Rang was well aware of this, so he calmly said, "We don't need to panic right now. Xue Huai is new here and all alone. He doesn't have three heads and six arms. Do you think he can resolve all the obstacles without making a sound?"

“Brother Boson is right.” Zheng Xuan thought for a moment and then reminded him, “But we cannot ignore the Shen family.”

Everyone was shocked.

If we're talking about rivals they hated to the core but couldn't do anything about, the Shen family would definitely be at the top of the list. Back then, the four major clans, along with other salt merchants, besieged the Shen family and were about to divide up Guangtai Company when Xue Mingzhang arrived from the capital and quickly reached a cooperation agreement with Shen Bingwen.

He helped the Shen family gain a foothold, and the Guangtai ship became his most powerful weapon, playing an unexpected role in both cracking down on hoarding and speculating and restricting salt merchants.

Although Xue Mingzhang has passed away, his only son is even more radical and sharp. The Shen family is now a completely different family, able to stand on equal footing with the four prominent Yangzhou wealthy families. With this support, Xue Huai's local connections are far stronger than Tan Mingguang's.

Wang Gui then added, "The Shen family is indeed a problem. Last year, when the Guangtai ship sailed north, that girl from the Shen family personally went to the capital. It is said that she has a very close relationship with Xue Tongzhi."

"The Shen family..."

Liu Rang pondered for a moment and said, "Shen Bingwen has not been paying attention to the turmoil in Yangzhou lately, so you don't need to worry too much."

Everyone immediately understood and, without asking further questions, tacitly agreed not to.

Liu Rang looked around at everyone and said earnestly, "Please tell your families when you get back that they should keep their children in check and not give Xue Huai the opportunity to act impulsively as a new official. Also, please remember that our goal is not to fight Xue Huai to the death. It would be best if we could live in peace. But if he insists on going his own way, we might as well be patient and wait for him to lose his temper before we can find a good opportunity to strike."

This was the expected outcome, and everyone readily agreed and took their leave.

Liu Rang rose to see him off, then composed himself and strode toward the inner quarters.

Inside the main room, an elderly man with graying temples leaned against a couch, resting with his eyes closed. He was Liu Fu, the head of the Liu family and Liu Rang's father.

"Father."

Liu Rang stepped forward and bowed.

Liu Fu slowly opened his eyes, looked at his eldest son's gloomy face, and said indifferently, "You suffered a setback in front of Xue Tongzhi?"

Liu Rang dared not defend himself, but simply recounted the events of the day in their entirety, from Xue Huai's arrival in Yangzhou to the discussions that had just taken place, without omitting any crucial details.

"You're too anxious."

The old man pondered for a moment, then gave a brief evaluation.

Liu Rang lowered his head and said, "Please enlighten me, Father."

"Prefect Xue has a powerful background and is upright in character; these are all the details I gave you. But you probably haven't noticed that he has undergone a significant change since last October."

The old man sat up, and Liu Rang quickly went forward to help him put on a soft pillow.

"Actually, I have always paid attention to Xue Gong's son. After all, he is the youngest Tan Hua Lang in the history of the dynasty. Although there is the current emperor's affection for Xue Gong, it also shows that Xue Tongzhi is exceptionally talented. However, this son had too smooth a life in his early years and never experienced setbacks. Moreover, Xue Gong passed away early, which made it difficult for him to maintain a calm and rational mindset when facing the complex reality."

Mentioning Xue Mingzhang, who had once caused the Liu family immense suffering, Liu Fu's face showed only admiration. He continued, "If things had continued as they were, Xue Tongzhi would most likely have faded into obscurity. But he suddenly had an epiphany, and his performance over the past six months has been remarkably measured and skillful. Especially during the imperial examinations, Grand Secretary Sun and Vice Minister Yue were effectively restrained by him, demonstrating his shrewdness and cunning. If you still regard him as a reckless and stubborn junior, it's inevitable that you'll suffer a setback."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rang said with remorse, "Father is right; I was too careless."

"A moment of carelessness is not a big deal, as long as you can recognize reality and not repeat the same mistake."

Liu Fu took the teacup from the maid to moisten his throat and said calmly, "Prefect Xue is different from Prefect Tan. The latter is nearly fifty years old and has long lost his ambition. He only wants to spend the last part of his official career peacefully. So you used the wealth and prosperity of Yangzhou to bind his hands and feet, and he half-heartedly went along with it. In the end, he didn't want to have a conflict with you, so as not to make a mess of things in the end. However, you shouldn't use the same methods to deal with Prefect Xue, and you shouldn't provoke him so hastily."

"Then, in Father's opinion, what should we do?"

Liu asked very sincerely.

Although the old man in front of him had never held an official position in his life, he was able to lead the Liu family to become the head of the four major families in Yangzhou. He was naturally a wise and experienced man, and Liu Rang's respect for him came from the bottom of his heart.

"Dealing with someone doesn't necessarily require using unorthodox methods; the key is to treat the root cause."

Liu Fu turned to look at him and slowly said, "Prefect Xue is young and ambitious, full of enthusiasm. He must want to make a name for himself in Yangzhou. No matter what you do, you can't stop him. Since you can't stop him, why not go with the flow and let Prefect Xue fully realize his ambitions?

Liu Rang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and looked at his father with utmost respect.

Seeing that he understood, Liu Fu nodded slightly and said, "The method is actually very simple: just the four words 'burdened by official duties' suffice."

Liu Rang bowed and said, "Father, I understand."

(End of this chapter)