Chapter 1865: The Bag Chancellor

Wang You was no ordinary man—he had made his name early, and in terms of seniority, he ranked above even the powerful chancellor Zhao Pu. However, his official career truly took off only after serving the Han, starting as a county clerk, then holding posts in the capital, then being sent out to the provinces, steadily and solidly rising step by step to become a regional magnate.

Of course, like many ministers, although Wang You had made contributions during the Qianyou era, it was only after entering the Kaibao years that he truly soared. The Qianyou era was, after all, the age of the founding heroes and veteran retainers.

Moreover, Wang You was, after Lu Duoxun, another leader of the northwestern bureaucracy and the literati. Of course, Wang You was not as aggressive and overbearing as Lu Duoxun; his temperament was more acceptable to others. With Lu Duoxun's fate as a warning, in recent years Wang You had been very restrained in governance and conduct, maintaining a relatively low profile.

However, from his post in Binzhou onward, Wang You served in the northwest for over twenty years, holding essentially every position above prefectural governor, and had served in all four northwestern circuits. Whether in terms of time or résumé, Wang You surpassed Lu Duoxun—only his record was not as conspicuous as Lu Duoxun's.

But at Wang You's level of status, some things were beyond his control. With Lu Duoxun's downfall, Wang You had no choice but to take up the banner of the northwestern faction, becoming the leading figure of an important political force.

The northwest was somewhat peculiar. Although economically it was no longer the heartland of the Great Han, politically and militarily it still enjoyed a special status. Over the past twenty years, the court's defense focus had always been on the northeast, Monan, and the northwest—but in the past ten years, it had shifted entirely to the northwest.

To put it bluntly, whether the northwest was stable or not concerned the safety of the entire realm. And the northwest seemed especially suited to producing political strongmen or leaders. The northwestern bureaucrats were also accustomed to having someone who could provide shelter and lead them forward—from Lu Duoxun to Wang You, and now to Hexi Administration Commissioner Wang Ming, and even that political star in Yulin, Zhang Qixian.

For the northwestern bureaucrats, Wang You's death was an enormous loss—it meant that the highest level had once again lost its spokesman. In recent years, affected by the Lu case, the envoy mission case, and the Yulin rebellion, the northwest had been repeatedly purged by the court from top to bottom, its vitality severely damaged. The northwestern bureaucrats were living "very bitter" lives.

Last year, Emperor Liu had transferred Wang You to the capital to succeed Wang Zhe as Finance Commissioner—there was undoubtedly an intention to placate the northwestern officialdom, after all, the blows had already been harsh enough.

For the court, Wang You's death was equally momentous. He was the chief comptroller. In the great policy of tax reform, the Finance Bureau was clearly the busiest and most vital department in the central government, and Wang You was the key figure executing the reforms. His death would inevitably have some negative impact on the reforms.

Of course, under the Great Han's mature system, operations would not be affected by any single person's departure. The court suspended audiences for three days, yet all affairs continued to be arranged in an orderly manner. That was, after all, merely a formality—even when Emperor Liu resumed handling affairs, formal court sessions were rarely held.

The most critical question was: after Wang You, who could succeed as Finance Commissioner? Among the many departments of the Great Han's central government, the Finance Bureau was the second most powerful department after the Ministry of Personnel, and its status had always been lofty.

Although the Ministry of Personnel was called the "Heavenly Office" and had always been the first among all departments, because it held the power over personnel and organization, its waters were deep and murky. It was often constrained by the Hall of State Affairs, with various forces interwoven—the Heavenly Office was not easy to run.

The Finance Bureau, by contrast, had gradually formed its own system, and its administrative autonomy had steadily strengthened. No matter how the court's political situation changed, the Finance Commissioner had always been one of the top three chancellors in the Hall of State Affairs.

And with the unfolding of tax reform, riding that reform wind, the Finance Bureau's authority was further reinforced, and the Finance Commissioner's status naturally rose day by day, showing a trend of becoming the third carriage of the court after the Hall of State Affairs and the Bureau of Military Affairs.

Such a department—combining power, prestige, profit, and such vital importance—naturally drew fierce competition among the Great Han's high officials. Everyone with any qualification began to make their moves.

To become Finance Commissioner, one needed at least three qualities. First, sufficient seniority and prestige—without these two, everything else was useless; second, sufficient ability—this was a matter of opinion; third, youth and vigor with ample energy—the Finance Bureau had seen three senior officials change in succession within a little over a year: Shen Yilun grown old, Wang Zhe dismissed, Wang You deceased. The new chief comptroller needed to provide a certain measure of stability, ensuring the Finance Bureau's continued stability for a sufficient period.

Counting them over, the candidates were limited to a certain range, and among them, the most competitive was naturally Vice Director of the Secretariat Zhao Kuangyi. Since Zhao Pu's return as chancellor, combined with some obscure reasons, Zhao Kuangyi's days had been very difficult—one could describe them as deeply dejected.

At the same time, without Zhao Kuangyin's backing and protection, Zhao Kuangyi had to be more careful and cautious. Over the past year, he had kept an extremely low profile. However, this period of biding his time was broken when the Finance Commissioner position fell vacant.

Wang You's death from illness showed Zhao Kuangyi that the court was shifting, and he saw the Finance Commissioner position as an excellent opportunity to break the deadlock. Once he secured this position, he would not only regain real power but also further cement his standing at court.

Therefore, in the contest for Finance Commissioner, Zhao Kuangyi was extremely proactive—on one hand drawing the Crown Prince as an ally, and on the other even willing to bow his head to Zhao Pu, hoping to gain his support.

However, on such an important post, Crown Prince Liu Yang was also very cautious. He affirmed Zhao Kuangyi's talent and his zeal for serving the court, but he did not easily take a stance.

As for Zhao Pu, that old fox, he could see through Zhao Kuangyi's intentions at a glance, yet his attitude remained ambiguous. In fact, for Zhao Pu, who became Finance Commissioner did not matter—none could affect his position. Even Zhao Kuangyi was the same: he could suppress this man in the Hall of State Affairs, and in the Finance Bureau, likewise.

And from the perspective of tax reform, with Zhao Kuangyi's shrewdness and competence, having him preside over fiscal work would be advantageous. Since his trip through the capital circuit, Zhao Kuangyi had already stamped himself with the label of "reformer," and starting with the Zhao family, he actively cooperated with the implementation of the new system—even without reservation, with no thought or action of tax evasion, registering all land truthfully in the ledgers.

However, even so, Zhao Pu had no intention of speaking up for Zhao Kuangyi. He had nothing to ask of Zhao Kuangyi, and what Zhao Kuangyi could offer Zhao Pu was of limited value. Therefore, in the discussion over the Finance Commissioner post, the candidate list was ultimately submitted to Emperor Liu for his imperial approval.

And as for Zhao Kuangyi's aggressiveness, Emperor Liu saw through it clearly. Naturally, he would not grant his wish—he struck down the submitted list one by one. His reason to Zhao Kuangyi was that he lacked experience in fiscal work and was better suited to remaining in the Hall of State Affairs assisting with governance.

This was naturally a pretext. Zhao Kuangyi had risen step by step from the localities, familiar with all manner of affairs, including fiscal work. In the final analysis, Emperor Liu simply did not want to hand the Finance Commissioner post to Zhao Kuangyi.

And the person Emperor Liu selected was someone somewhat unexpected yet within expectation: Salt and Iron Commissioner Han Hui.

Han Hui was the son of Duke of Henei Han Tong. His background needed no discussion—he was also the first jinshi among the second-generation meritorious nobles. He had entered officialdom during the Qianyou years, but what truly caught Emperor Liu's eye was during the Qianyou northern expedition, when he served as Fiscal Commissioner for the Youzhou field headquarters, supplying provisions to the front lines. During the fierce Han–Liao battle at Nankou, he even organized men to provide support—his performance was undeniably outstanding.

From then on, Han Hui's future was unstoppable. He served as Minister of War in the central government and held the three posts of Administration, Surveillance, and Fiscal Commissioner in the provinces. In secret, Emperor Liu regarded him as reserve talent for the chancellorship.

Now, Han Hui, in his fifties, was in the golden period of his political career. He was mature in every aspect, and his promotion was a matter of course. Having endured for so long, it was his turn.

In fact, when Emperor Liu had originally let Han Tong retire, one very important consideration was that he intended to use Han Hui. Father and son serving at court together was not an unspoken rule, but father and son both heading departments was forbidden by regulation.

And shortly after Han Tong stepped down, Han Hui was transferred to the capital to serve as Deputy Finance Commissioner and concurrent Salt and Iron Commissioner. This preparatory arrangement was quite obvious. In fact, many people could see it, including Zhao Kuangyi, who had been actively contending.

Therefore, when the final result came out, the reaction at court was not strong. Han Hui becoming Finance Commissioner had nothing worth attacking. It was just that those whose calculations had come to naught could not help but feel disappointed.

And so, at the beginning of the twenty-fifth year of Kaibao, the Great Han welcomed a new chief comptroller. Because Han Hui was hunchbacked, he was jokingly called the "Bag Chancellor."