Chapter 1854: The Referee Steps In

The Western Capital, Guangzheng Hall, the Hall of State Affairs.

Within the hall, Zhao Pu sat across from Prince of Jin Liu Xi, handing him a memorial report with a smile, saying: "This Jifu Circuit officialdom is quite lively!"

Liu Xi took it, flipped through it, set it down, then silently produced a memorial he had received and passed it to Zhao Pu. After Zhao Pu finished reading, Liu Xi said: "The struggle between the chief and deputy commissioners grows increasingly fierce, and it has already been brought into the open! The contradictions at the Jifu Circuit office level look quite serious—the dispute has even been brought to the central government!"

Zhao Pu and Liu Xi had each received memorials from Pan You and Li Shouyuan. Besides reporting on the current progress of tax reform in Jifu Circuit, both documents focused heavily on describing the circuit's problems and difficulties, and neither could avoid attacking and accusing the other.

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Jifu Circuit officialdom had once again fallen into open strife and covert struggle. The Pan and Li factions had shown their cards and drawn their weapons, confronting each other head-on, clashing over everything from circuit office affairs to tax reform. This kept the Jifu Circuit officialdom in turmoil—a minor incident every three days, a major one every five—continuing to this day, until even the Western Capital court was forced to pay close attention, because the Pan-Li dispute had begun to affect the broader reform effort.

This dispute, originally, should not have reached the central government. After all, matters of Jifu Circuit ought to be resolved within the circuit as much as possible—this may be the subconscious instinct of a local chief official. Otherwise, if it made too much noise, it would be hard to guarantee a good outcome, and would only invite ridicule from above.

But many things do not go as one wishes. Pan You had suppressed the contradictions below the Jifu Circuit office level, yet the fundamental contradictions were not something he could suppress just by wanting to, and Li Shouyuan was not so easy to suppress either.

All of Pan You's authority in Jifu came from the trust of his superiors and the grant of the court's institutional system—and both of these, Li Shouyuan also possessed. Pan You held first-rate administrative power in Jifu Circuit, but his ability to restrain Li Shouyuan was limited.

Defeating Li Shouyuan through the rules of the system was very difficult—especially since the man had deep backing. Most critically, Li Shouyuan had always maintained a flawless facade. From start to finish, he made one thing very clear: he firmly supported the court's major policies. What he opposed was not Pan You personally, but rather his overly aggressive and hasty approach.

As for the challenge Pan You had raised against Li Shouyuan in the office hall back then, Li Shouyuan subsequently provided an answer. He simply made an inspection tour of Yancheng County in southern Xuzhou, summoned the county office officials and local gentry for reassurance and communication, and then, half a month later, submitted a brand-new, more detailed set of land data for Yancheng County to the circuit office.

Although whether this report was comprehensive enough, and how much remained concealed, was unknown, at least in terms of results, it was far more reliable than what Pan You had previously driven through with coercive orders, and the progress was also more evident.

With this matter settled, combined with Li Hang's achievements in Yuanwu County, Zhengzhou, it was clear at a glance who was superior and who was inferior, who won people's hearts, and whose measures gained more support. Both were promoting reform—Pan You stirred up public resentment and met resistance at every turn, while Li Shouyuan proceeded smoothly with harmony above and below...

As such, Pan You naturally found himself in an awkward position. The claim of obstructing reform could not be used as a weapon against Li Shouyuan, and other means were also proving ineffective.

But Pan You was hardly the type to compromise. Li Shouyuan had made his move, and Pan You had no choice but to respond. Li Shouyuan made an issue of the land survey in Yancheng County, so Pan You likewise shifted his focus to Yancheng, verifying the results of the submitted report while also dispatching a group of people to re-inspect. And indeed, he managed to uncover some problems.

At the root of it, Li Shouyuan's reform push carried a strong conservative and compromising character. For the lands of small farmers and petty households, the survey was very thorough, but for those large households with background and connections, it was rather unclear, with many hidden ambiguities.

In the entire county, there were only five households owning more than a thousand mu of land, and none exceeded two thousand mu. Moreover, many land figures were conveniently stuck right at the new system's tiered tax thresholds of two hundred, five hundred, one thousand, and two thousand mu. Such an obvious problem—how could Pan You accept it? He attacked on the grounds that the survey data was incomplete, false, and suspected of fabrication.

To this, Li Shouyuan was also well prepared. His explanation was that some land was in the process of being transacted, with unclear property rights requiring subsequent confirmation, while other plots were said to be abandoned and fallow, producing nothing, and thus should not be included in the tax base...

Pan You naturally could not accept these evasive excuses and continued his attack. In subsequent investigations, he also discovered losses of official land and office land. The two sides fought fiercely over a single Yancheng County. As a result, land surveys elsewhere naturally slowed down, even stalling again—everyone was waiting to see the outcome of the struggle, planning to read the wind before acting.

When neither side could produce anything decisive, more authoritative support was naturally needed, and ultimately it was unavoidable that the matter be submitted to the court for central adjudication. As a key demonstration zone for tax reform, the court naturally watched closely and was well aware of the shifting winds. The reason it had not spoken earlier was to see how things developed further.

But now, with the situation having developed to this point—the chief and deputy commissioners attacking each other, the political struggle having reached an irreconcilable, either-or stage—Zhao Pu and Liu Xi both knew it was time for the central government to step in.

Glancing at Liu Xi, Zhao Pu sighed slightly: "Since ancient times, reform has inevitably invited all sorts of disputes and conflicts—this should have been foreseen. As the new system is drafted and promulgated, as reform progresses in various regions, the strife will only grow. But this is still only the first stage—merely surveying land—and already so much has happened, escalating to this point. That is somewhat unexpected. Does Your Highness think this is a problem with the new system, or a problem with the people?"

To this question, Liu Xi did not answer casually. After some thought, he spoke solemnly: "His Majesty once said that no system is perfect—one can only take its greater benefits and endure its lesser harms, while adding supervision. As for reform, problems often arise at the execution level. Looking at the Jifu Circuit matter, at least from what appears on the surface, it lies at the execution level. The two sides have conflicting opinions and deep disagreements on how to implement the new system!"

"Then does Your Highness think Pan You has more problems, or Li Shouyuan bears greater fault?" Zhao Pu asked again.

Liu Xi furrowed his brow, pondering—as if this question was not easy to answer. Seeing this, Zhao Pu smiled lightly and asked again: "What does Your Highness think of Li Shouyuan as a man?"

"Is Chancellor Zhao testing me?" Liu Xi raised an eyebrow, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly.

"I wouldn't dare!" Zhao Pu said with a calm smile: "I know Pan You fairly well. He may be controversial in governance and lacking in tactics, but he understands the court's will well and carries out new policy tasks meticulously. But this Li Shouyuan—I don't know much about him..."

There was clearly a leaning in Zhao Pu's words. Liu Xi couldn't help but glance at him, then said in a deep voice: "I don't know Li Shouyuan well either! But looking at the problems currently presented in Jifu Circuit, they are merely matters of understanding and executing the new system—they don't yet implicate the two commissioners themselves. As for the problems exposed, as chief and deputy commissioners, both bear responsibility!"

Hearing Liu Xi say this, a flicker of surprise passed through Zhao Pu's eyes. He sighed inwardly—he had long known the Prince of Jin was clever and slippery, and sure enough, he saw the problem clearly and was not quick to take a stance.

After thinking it over, Zhao Pu finally put on a serious expression and said: "The dispute in Jifu Circuit has severely impacted the advancement of tax reform and must be resolved. As for how to handle it, does Your Highness have any suggestions?"

To this, Liu Xi thought for a moment, then said calmly: "Since it is an internal contradiction, it is best resolved internally. The dispute between the two should be mediated!"

"And if mediation fails?" Zhao Pu pressed.

Liu Xi said decisively: "Then the central government will have no choice but to take decisive measures!"

Hearing this, Zhao Pu nodded and said: "Everything must prioritize tax reform. Regardless of circumstances, anyone who affects the broader reform effort will not be tolerated by the court!"

Saying this, Zhao Pu added unhurriedly: "After all, Pan You is the court-appointed chief official of Jifu Circuit and the lead general of tax reform. No matter his style, or what objections his subordinates have, they should not resort to such means of confrontation. This neither helps resolve the problem nor advances reform—it only damages the authority of the chief official and hinders the implementation of the court's reform will..."

When Zhao Pu finished these words, his stance was already very clear—he was firmly on Pan You's side. Of course, this was understandable. Pan You was, after all, the reform general Zhao Pu had pushed forward. As long as he did not commit principled errors, all other problems were minor details. As for the problems and contradictions arising during the reform process, the central government had long been prepared.

As such, as long as Zhao Pu's position as chancellor remained stable, Pan You would stand as firm as Mount Tai. Even if some setbacks occurred, the overall situation in Jifu Circuit would not undergo any fundamental change.

Clearly, some people fancied themselves clever, but in the end failed to grasp the shifting currents of the situation—their understanding of the greater trend was far too presumptuous. Of course, different positions naturally produce different actions, and under such premises, all behavior can be explained.

But men like Li Shouyuan—though they outwardly supported reform, even speaking with high-sounding words—which direction their backsides faced could hardly be hidden from the keen eyes in this hall that saw through everything.

And if they still refused to change, then the iron fist from the central government would descend without hesitation. In these matters, Zhao Pu had both the resolve and the authority.