Chapter 1849: Reform Vanguard

Over the past thirty-plus years, the seat of the Metropolitan Circuit had moved several times—from Luoyang at the start, to a brief stint in Kaifeng, then arranged by Emperor Liu to Zhengzhou, where it stayed the longest, roughly fourteen years.

In the thirteenth year of Kaibao, Emperor Liu again ordered a move, citing that Zhengzhou, being tucked in the northern part of the Metropolitan Circuit, was inconvenient for managing the prefectures to the south. The seat was relocated south to Xuzhou for more central governance, and so it remained to this day. One could say it had drifted ever farther from the Great Han's political center.

Of course, the Metropolitan Circuit's political status as the empire's premier circuit had never wavered—after all, the very name "Metropolitan" directly proclaimed its political significance.

Yet this premier circuit was not as glorious as it appeared on the surface. By regulation, the two prefectures of Luoyang and Kaifeng fell under the Metropolitan Circuit's jurisdiction. But regulations were regulations; the actual situation differed vastly.

The independence and autonomy of the two prefectures of Luoyang and Kaifeng were far too strong—the Metropolitan Circuit office was utterly unable to exercise effective restraint. Back when the seat was in the capital itself, and with a powerful chief like Duke Hui of the State, Song Yanwo, who had strong backing, it could still exert some measure of influence. But as the seat moved and Song Yanwo departed, after decades of development, the Metropolitan Circuit office had become completely incapable of meddling in the affairs of the two capital prefectures.

The territories under the two capital prefectures combined accounted for nearly half the Metropolitan Circuit's area, with over half its population, and their economic level far surpassed the rest. Excluding these two prefectures, the Metropolitan Circuit was merely an utterly ordinary circuit—its only advantage being that it "enveloped" the two capitals, sitting closer to the seat of power.

In recent years, a saying had circulated through court and country alike: better to be Governor of one of the two capitals than Administrator of the Metropolitan Circuit. This showed the circuit's awkward position—though its status was special, it was not so special as the two capital governors.

Even so, every appointment of a Metropolitan Circuit chief still stirred hearts throughout the realm. Though people often joked about it, its unique political status was universally acknowledged and watched closely.

Recently, the Metropolitan Circuit had a new chief. The proposal came from Zhao Pu, the Director of State Affairs who had twice been made chancellor. The reason was simple: to carry out the court's will on tax reform and better advance development, the Metropolitan Circuit, as the pilot region for reform, needed a chief who could better grasp the court's intent and accomplish more. The man Zhao Pu selected was Pan You, Administration Commissioner of Huaixi.

Pan You was a surrendered official from Jiangnan. In his early years he had served under the Li clan, was appreciated by Han Xizai, and was recommended by him to Li Jing, the middle lord of the Southern Tang. He had been a member of the Southern Tang's Jiangbei literati faction and a staunch supporter of the Jiangnan reform led by Han Xizai.

At that time, however, Pan You was young and low in rank. Han Xizai's reform failed under the counterattack of Jiangnan's meritorious aristocrats and gentry clans, and the Southern Tang could not escape its fate of being unified by the Great Han. In the reform—or purge—of Jiangnan's vested interests led by the Great Han court, Han Xizai finally realized his political vision, and Pan You performed well in it as well.

In his posthumous memorial after death, Han Xizai did not forget to recommend Pan You, saying he was single-minded and bold in taking responsibility. Pan You's official career advanced from there; he once served as Secretariat Drafter, participating in the court's central affairs.

However, some of Pan You's later political proposals were overly "archaic." Though they had some merit and were internally logical, they did not fit reality, and in the end Emperor Liu did not accept them.

Moreover, Pan You was solitary by nature, handled interpersonal relations extremely poorly, loved to criticize current affairs, and had offended many people. He was also extremely ugly and widely loathed. Though born in the north, his Jiangnan origins always kept a layer of distance between him and the northern-born aristocrats and officials of the court. One could say he was despised from top to bottom.

It was during Zhao Pu's early years as chancellor, when his position and power were not yet secure and he needed to cultivate supporters and gather talent, that he repeatedly shielded and promoted Pan You, giving him a foothold at court.

Pan You, however, was quite resentful, feeling his ambitions were stifled at court, and even harbored complaints that Emperor Liu had rejected his proposals. Sensing these dangerous emotions, and with Pan You himself requesting an external post, Zhao Pu decisively agreed.

In the great flood of the tenth year of Kaibao that swept the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Pan You first took over the mess in Puzhou. Three years later he was transferred to Fenzhou, then successively to Fuzhou, Liuzhou, and Huangzhou. After more than a dozen years of drifting about, he was still stuck at the rank of Prefectural Administrator, with no advancement whatsoever.

Clearly, he had been suppressed to some degree. Of course, Pan You's own personal factors weighed heavily—the man had a terrible temper and no regard for social niceties. Though single-minded in his work and fond of sticking to the facts, he simply did not fit in.

Pan You's aloof and arrogant nature was magnified in his governance. His style was harsh and unyielding, with no understanding of moderation and no willingness to use cleverer means. At every post, besides failing to get along with colleagues, he would offend a large swath of vested interests—whether sons of meritorious aristocrats, local magnates, or even common folk, anyone who fell into his hands was treated with utter impartiality and punished according to law.

Everyone helps carry the sedan chair, but Pan You, on one hand, alienated those who would carry it for him, and on the other, constantly provoked the interests of the gluttonous. How could he fare well? Had he not had some background and accumulated seniority, he would have been brought down long ago.

It was not as if no one had targeted him. But Pan You was genuinely incorruptible: his parents died early, his son died young, his daughter married far away, he never associated with relatives, kept away from women, and as for greed for wealth—that went without saying. He seemed wrapped in a turtle shell no one could bite into.

As for framing or slandering him, the political risk was too great. Pan You was a "barefoot" man—with his temperament, a trifling matter could be blown up into something bigger than heaven.

Thus, over more than a decade, as Pan You served successively in several prefectures, local officials and gentry prayed day and night for his term to end and for him to get the hell out, as if encountering a plague god. Over time, Pan You became the empire's number one lone official—and the key was, this lone official was not even appreciated by Emperor Liu. What his career prospects were like could well be imagined.

And as for his local postings, apart from the initial Puzhou and Fenzhou, they were all old, remote, poor, and backward regions. Even keeping a prefecture-level post was no easy feat.

In fact, after Zhao Pu resigned as chancellor, Pan You's political career was nearly over. A key reason he had not suffered a major blow before was that he was seen as Zhao Pu's confidant, had served at the center, and might have hidden connections.

But a person's fortunes are always unpredictable. After a wave of official discipline rectification swept the entire realm, Pan You, with his well-known record, stood unshaken without controversy—indeed, the court held him up as a model and vigorously publicized him.

At such a time, the importance of accumulated credentials became apparent. With a single decree, Pan You was directly promoted from his post in Huangzhou to Administration Commissioner of Huaixi, replacing his predecessor who had lost his head.

Having served less than a year, his benefactor-chancellor was reinstated, and the court's great tax reform came thundering in. He was then slated for the Metropolitan Circuit, becoming chief of the empire's premier circuit to lead the reform effort. Within a single year, he went from a minor "Pan of Huangzhou" to the famed Pan the Governor—a turn of fortune that truly made people gasp and their eyes pop.

Of course, this first and foremost had Emperor Liu's approval. Given his emphasis on tax reform, he would never let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry take charge of the vital Metropolitan Circuit.

There had been a period of examination beforehand. Over the past decade-plus, Pan You had undergone a transformation from empty theorizing to practical action. Though his governance was criticized as "harsh," everything followed legal statutes, with almost no arbitrary self-will. His political proposals were no longer as idealistic as before; he acted with urgency, but his thinking was clear and his goals definite—a man who dared to do things and could get them done.

Reform is a business that offends people, requiring one to withstand pressure from all sides. On this point, Pan You's qualifications clearly needed no questioning. And so Governor Pan swiftly assumed his post, and the hard times began for the bureaucrats of the Metropolitan Circuit, high and low.

In Xuzhou, at Yingchang City, within the imposing government office, Governor Pan was in a towering rage, slapping the desk and shouting sternly: "The deadline has passed! The land registers from all other prefectures and counties have arrived—why has Zhengzhou's still not come?"