Prime Minister.

Chapter 286, page 285: [Coming in droves]

As soon as Song Yi returned to the Supervisory Office, Jiang Fangzheng, who was staying there, immediately came to greet him.

He looked behind Song Yi and asked with a slightly puzzled expression, "Uncle Song, where is Magistrate Zhao?"

Song Yi remained silent and went straight to his study. After dismissing everyone around him, he looked at Jiang Fangzheng, who had a blank expression, and said in a deep voice, "Duanming, you have been staying in Yangzhou for some time and have been in close contact with Zhao Cong. Have you noticed anything amiss with him?"

Jiang Fangzheng felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that something serious must have happened. He then shook his head and said, "Zhao Tongpan is an honest man. He is bound to face many temptations in his position, but as far as I know, he has never done anything particularly heinous."

"Duty?"

Song Yi sneered and gritted his teeth, saying, "Then do you know that he has deposited over 300,000 taels of silver in banks and money shops across the country, and all sorts of treasures under his name total more than 100,000 taels!"

Jiang Fangzheng was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

Based on his understanding of Song Yi, unless something earth-shattering happened, this elder would never lose his composure like this.

After a brief silence, Jiang Fangzheng asked anxiously, "Uncle Song, what exactly happened?"

Song Yi was still furious. He had lost face at the Imperial Commissioner's headquarters today. This had nothing to do with whether the salt and grain transport dispute could be resolved smoothly. Rather, it was because he, as the second most powerful official in the Grain Transport Commissioner's Office after Jiang Jizhou, was completely unaware of his subordinate's audacious behavior and even treated Zhao Cong as the representative of the Grain Transport Commissioner's Office, allowing him to speak righteously and eloquently in front of Fan Dongyang, Huang Chong, Xue Huai, and others.

If Ye Qing hadn't directly reported the matter to the imperial court, and if Fan Dongyang hadn't chosen to suppress it temporarily for the sake of the overall situation, all the officials in the canal administration would have faced public condemnation.

After a long while, Song Yi managed to calm down and briefly recounted Zhao Cong's crimes, leaving Jiang Fangzheng dumbfounded.

"Uncle Song, is this really true?"

A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Fangzheng's eyes, and he said, "Prefect Zhao is always cautious, how could he be so unwise? Could this be a trap set by those salt merchants?"

"Framed?"

Song Yi did not notice the subtle change in Jiang Fangzheng's expression. He said angrily, "Ye Qing of the Jing'an Division personally came forward, and there are witnesses and physical evidence. Zhao Cong, as an official of the imperial court, actually colluded with the heretical sect and rebels, using the power he held to open doors for them. This is simply a disgrace to the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office!"

Jiang Fangzheng was startled by Song Yi's sudden outburst of anger, his face paling slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Uncle Song, please calm down. I just find this matter too outrageous. How dare Zhao Cong be so audacious? Where does he place the laws of the court? Where does he place the reputation of our grain transport office?"

Song Yi sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, and said slowly, "Face? Today at the Imperial Envoy's headquarters, the face of the Grain Transport Office has been torn off and thrown to the ground by that fool Zhao Cong. The Imperial Envoy has made it clear that if this case is made public, everyone in the Grain Transport Office will be put on the spot. The long-standing problems in the grain transport system are an open secret. If the court thoroughly investigates the Grain Transport Office because of Zhao Cong's case, how can we withstand such a storm?"

Jiang Fangzheng's heart pounded, and he said with a somber expression, "Uncle Song, the most important thing right now is to inform my father about this matter and invite him to Yangzhou. Perhaps the Imperial Envoy will put this matter aside for my father's sake."

"That's all."

Song Yi sighed heavily and said, "You should immediately write a letter and tell the minister everything that happened today."

"Okay, nephew will take care of it right away."

Jiang Fangzheng bowed and took his leave.

As he stepped out of the study, his expression quickly turned grim.

In fact, he had known about Zhao Cong's relationship with the Xuan Yuan Sect for a long time.

This matter is somewhat complicated. Jiang Fangzheng obtained an official position and a nominal sixth-rank title through the favor of Jiang Jizhou. However, he himself was mediocre in talent and ability and could not enter officialdom through the proper path of the imperial examination. Furthermore, due to the rules of the court, he could not serve as an official in the Grand Canal Administration. He could only rely on his status as a member of the Grand Canal Administration to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the Huaiyang area.

As the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet." Six years ago, during a visit to a brothel, Jiang Fangzheng was attracted by a stunningly beautiful woman and gradually fell into her trap of tenderness.

At first, Jiang Fangzheng was unaware of the true nature of this secret organization and regarded them only as wealthy merchants who wanted something from the common people. Therefore, he gladly accepted their flattery and obsequiousness.

He could squander and enjoy all the resources provided by the other party, from countless gold and silver treasures to beautiful women at will, and the only price he needed to pay was to occasionally provide the other party with some official information.

It wasn't until two years ago that he learned the other party was the Xuan Yuan Sect, which was hiding behind Jimin Hall. By then, he was already deeply involved and unable to sever ties with them.

Even if he had the courage to cut his own arm to save his life, as long as those people spread the word about the collusion between the two sides, the Jiang family would definitely not have a good ending. Therefore, he could only reluctantly become a worshipper of the Xuan Yuan Sect.

In the past few months, he has been stirring up trouble in Yangzhou, targeting Xue Huai and the Lianghuai Salt Association, all because of the request from the mysterious and unpredictable holy son of the Xuan Yuan Sect. At the same time, he learned from the other party about the business dealings between Zhao Cong and Liu Ying.

However, Zhao Cong was unaware that the eldest son of the governor's mansion, like himself, had secretly boarded the Xuan Yuan Sect's pirate ship.

"Xue Huai...you deserve to die."

Jiang Fang was silently reciting a sentence in his mind when he returned to his residence, his expression extremely ferocious.

……

In the side hall of the imperial envoy's residence.

Fan Dongyang and Xue Huai sat facing each other, with no one else present.

"Jing Che".

Fan Dongyang addressed Xue Huai by his courtesy name as usual, but asked in a slightly complicated tone, "You knew all along that Zhao Cong had a problem?"

Although he was unaware of the specific details of the Jimintang and Xuanyuanjiao case, he knew that it had occurred within Yangzhou's borders, and that the Jing'an Division could not possibly have completely bypassed the Yangzhou prefectural government to investigate it. He was not entirely unaware that the Jing'an Division had previously escorted those imperial prisoners to the capital, an event that had caused quite a stir.

In short, Ye Qing's timely appearance today is most likely related to Xue Huai.

"Yes."

Xue Huai readily admitted, and then said, "Your Excellency, in investigating the salt case and the subsequent Jimintang case, I did discover some clues pointing to Zhao Cong's collusion with the heretical sect. However, the clues were scattered and the evidence was not solid, and it involved high-ranking officials of the Grand Canal. I dared not act on my own initiative, and I was also afraid of alerting the enemy. Today's situation is actually because Zhao Cong relied on the Grand Canal's support and jumped to the forefront himself. It is the duty of Commander Ye to present irrefutable evidence at the right time, and it is also the justice of heaven."

His words were impeccable, acknowledging his knowledge while emphasizing that it was the Jing'an Division's decision, further highlighting Zhao Cong's self-inflicted punishment and the inescapable reach of justice.

Fan Dongyang stared at Xue Huai for a moment, trying to see through the young man's thoughts, but all he saw was a calm and reserved face, without a trace of emotion.

"Since you already knew that Zhao Cong had acted improperly, why didn't you report it directly to the court instead of going through such a roundabout way?"

Fan Dongyang pointed out the most unreasonable aspect of this matter in one sentence.

Zhao Cong held a high position in the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office. If Xue Huai wanted the court to rectify and investigate the Grand Canal, he only needed to join forces with the Jing'an Division to report the case to the central government. At that time, no matter what the emperor thought, he would send people to thoroughly investigate the Grand Canal Commissioner's Office.

In this way, whether Xue Huai wanted to seek justice for the salt merchants of Lianghuai or to promote the reform of the canal transport, he could achieve his goal more easily, rather than going through such a great deal of trouble as he is now.

After a moment's thought, Xue Huai calmly said, "Chief Censor, the grain transport cannot be disrupted."

These five simple words gave Fan Dongyang a jolt.

He looked at Xue Huai as if they were meeting for the first time.

That thousand-mile-long canal is crucial to the stability of the capital region and the nine border areas. If the court and the public were to learn that high-ranking officials in the canal administration were colluding with rebels, it would inevitably stir up a huge upheaval.

Countless people in the imperial court are eyeing the lucrative grain of the Grand Canal transport system, but they lack the opportunity to intervene. Once the Grand Canal Administration makes a mistake like Zhao Cong's, countless people will use it as an excuse to launch a massive attack on the administration, hoping to gain a share of the profits.

Upon realizing this, Fan Dongyang gained a deeper understanding of Xue Huai's calmness and restraint.

Xue Huai had one more reason he didn't mention.

The emperor absolutely did not want to see such a scene, so he could only devise a roundabout plan to promote the reform of the canal transport system at the lowest possible cost.

"Ugh."

Fan Dongyang sighed softly and said slowly, "You've given me another difficult problem."

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Censor. The Zhao Cong case is like a festering sore that has burst open. Although it is painful, it is an opportunity to scrape the bone to remove the poison and get to the root of the problem."

Fan Dongyang did not reply.

He got up and walked to the window, gazing at the clear sky outside, his thoughts churning.

This matter is becoming increasingly complicated. Jiang Jizhou will certainly not admit that Zhao Cong's actions are related to the Grand Canal Administration. At the same time, the Xuan Yuan Sect, which is hiding in the shadows, may also resort to desperate measures. The situation in Jiangnan is turbulent, which is undoubtedly an extremely dangerous matter.

However, Xue Huai was right. The corruption within the Grand Canal Administration was appalling and had reached a point where it absolutely had to be rectified.

"That's all."

Fan Dongyang turned to Xue Huai and said solemnly, "I will immediately report this matter to His Majesty in secret. If you have any further plans, you must discuss them with me in advance."

Xue Huai felt reassured and stood up to bow, saying, "I will obey the Grand Censor's order."

……

It is located on the outskirts of Zhenjiang Prefecture, south of Yangzhou, across the river.

A spacious and sturdy carriage traveled smoothly along the official road, accompanied by dozens of valiant knights as guards.

Inside the carriage, Princess Jiang Li of Yun'an, dressed in casual clothes, leaned against a soft pillow and said leisurely, "Second Madam, how many more days until we arrive in Yangzhou?"

Su Erniang said gently, "Your Highness, there are at most three more days."

"Three days..."

Jiang Li smiled slightly, a strange glint in her eyes: "I should be able to make it to that big show."

The prayer for the Empress Dowager has been completed. Princess Fengli set off from Hangzhou to return north nine days ago. Originally, Jiang Li was going to travel north by boat, but four days ago she received news from Yangzhou and immediately decided to take her guards and speed up the journey north by land.

Looking at the smile on Jiang Li's face, Su Erniang asked with some curiosity, "Your Highness, what exactly does Xue Tongzhi want to do?"

"How could I have guessed?"

Jiang Li reached out and smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear, saying meaningfully, "No matter what he wants to do, I will protect him."

(End of this chapter)