Chapter 155: The Serpent's Tail

In the second hall of the Yangzhou prefectural office, Shi Bangyao, as the imperial commissioner, sat in the seat of honor, with Chen Qiyu seated at the first seat on the right to keep him company. Below him sat the chief officials of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Superintendency—the salt censors, vice transport commissioners, assistant prefects, and salt depot superintendents. Yangzhou Prefect Liu Zuo sat at the first seat on the left in his capacity as the local chief official, with the prefectural vice prefect and assistant prefect below him as subordinate officers.

Shi Bangyao, seated in the place of honor, swept the assembled officials with a stern gaze before speaking in a deep voice: "This official has come to Yangzhou by imperial decree, originally for the matter of the Huai salt tax. Unfortunately, this official has happened to learn that someone in Yangzhou prefecture has dared to secretly incite the people to gather, seeking to coerce the court with public opinion and obstruct the lawful reform of Huai salt! This act is no different from openly defying the court! This official warns all of you seated here—if any of you have participated in plotting this gathering of the people, withdraw from it at once. If not, do not blame this official for being merciless!"

Everyone in the Salt Transport Superintendency, including Song Sizhang, sensed that the court intended to move against them, yet they still harbored illusions in their hearts. They felt the court would handle matters selectively and would not sweep everyone up as it had with the Huai'an Salt Depot Superintendency. So despite their unease, they had no choice but to steel themselves and come to pay respects to the imperial commissioner. Moreover, many secretly supported the salt merchants' actions, hoping this popular disturbance could successfully beat back the hand the court had stretched out.

Only the absence of Transport Commissioner Hu Tinglu puzzled them. They had heard that Lord Hu had gone to Nanjing on official business, though for what purpose none knew—most likely he had gone to seek connections and favors.

As for the Yangzhou prefectural officials, they had long known of the actions of Cheng Fang and his ilk. They normally associated closely with the salt merchants. If a popular disturbance truly broke out, these men would ostensibly send yamen runners to control the situation, but in reality they would adopt a policy of laissez-faire.

The clerks, constables, and runners in the various levels of government offices had more or less all received benefits from the salt merchants. Who would exert themselves to oppose those who supplied their interests? Sending them out to suppress a popular disturbance was like throwing a meat bun at a dog—it would never come back. Under their deliberate indulgence, the whole situation only became even more uncontrollable.

As for Shi Bangyao's warning, Liu Zuo and the others could not have cared less. So what if you're an imperial commissioner? You have no evidence proving we were involved. We are all court-appointed officials; naturally we stand on the same side as the court.

Chen Qiyu, meanwhile, adopted an attitude of complete non-involvement.

He could have been the protagonist in handling this incident, but the imperial commissioner's arrival had stolen his role. On this matter, he would offer no further counsel—he would simply stand by coldly and watch how the commissioner handled things.

Liu Zuo, with a solemn expression, clasped his hands and said: "Your Excellency, where could you have heard such rumors! Within Yangzhou city the people are at peace, the markets remain prosperous as ever, and there is no gathering of lawless elements! Whoever spread this rumor—who knows what their intentions are? I beg Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly!"

Before leaving the capital, Shi Bangyao had been granted a private audience with the Chongzhen Emperor. The Emperor had briefly informed him of the collusion between the salt merchants and the local government, warning him to be prepared for difficulties on this mission.

Liu Zuo's words indeed confirmed the Emperor's warning. Although he disliked the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he believed they would never speak falsely. From Liu Zuo's words and actions, one could see that Jianghuai was not the court's Jianghuai—it was the salt merchants' Jianghuai.

Shi Bangyao had no intention of engaging in a battle of words with him. He resolved to attend to the real business first—to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys.

He suddenly roared: "Men! Seize the entire staff of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Superintendency!"

A group of Embroidered Uniform Guard officers surged up from below the hall with ropes in hand. Before those concerned could react, they darted swiftly to the side where Chen Qiyu sat, dragged Song Sizhang and the others from their seats, knocked off their black gauze hats, tore open their belts, stripped off their official robes to reveal the moon-white undergarments beneath, and then bound them cleanly and efficiently with ropes.

All of this was accomplished before the stunned eyes of the Yangzhou prefectural officials, taking only a few dozen breaths' time.

They had long noticed the Embroidered Uniform Guard below the hall and had assumed the Emperor had specially sent them to bolster the commissioner's authority—never imagining they were there to make arrests.

Song Sizhang, his hands bound behind his back and hair disheveled, shouted at Shi Bangyao: "Your Excellency! What crime have we committed? The Lianghuai Superintendency turns over several hundred thousand taels of salt tax every year! All of this comes from our ceaseless toil day and night! Is this the reward for those who benefit the court, while those who merely occupy their posts without doing anything still sit in high positions? This official refuses to accept it!"

Shi Bangyao sneered: "You keep claiming you benefit the court! But this official knows that what you truly seek is far more private gain! Men, take them all down from the hall and escort them to the prefectural prison for proper custody!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard officers, two to a team, quickly hoisted up the several convicted officials and hurried down from the hall, heading straight for the Yangzhou prefectural prison on one side.

Chen Qiyu had long anticipated all of this. He also knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was surely already beginning to seize and search the convicted officials' family property, so he felt no surprise at what had happened.

The Emperor lacks money; you happen to have money—and money that rightfully belongs to the court at that. Why wouldn't they find an excuse to take it back rather than leave it for your benefit?

The Yangzhou prefectural officials had been startled by the scene just now. Although they knew the current Emperor had reactivated the depots and guards and had handled several major cases in the north, they had always felt such things were far too distant from them—that they could never happen in Jiangnan, where the court's authority was weak. Never did they imagine this terrifying scene would suddenly occur right beside them. Only now did they realize they were still court officials, and this was still the Great Ming's realm—if the court truly struck hard, they would have not the slightest power to resist.

Liu Zuo forced himself to remain calm, clasped his hands, and asked: "Your Excellency, what was the meaning of that just now? What crimes have the Lianghuai Superintendency staff committed? Why mobilize the depots and guards?"

Shi Bangyao said with a grave expression: "The Lianghuai Superintendency from top to bottom is steeped in corruption, colluding with salt merchants to embezzle public funds. At a time when the court is in dire straits, they still refuse to stop—this is truly seeking their own destruction! This case was personally decreed by His Majesty, and together with the Huai'an Salt Depot Superintendency case, it forms a single nest of corruption. The court's severe punishment serves as a warning to all court officials: in all matters, the court's interests must come first. Those who pervert the law for private gain and refuse to repent will all meet this very end!"

Liu Zuo and the others had lost their earlier composed expressions. They all lowered their heads, hearts filled with dread, afraid the court would take the opportunity to implicate them—after all, no one's seat was entirely clean.

Chen Qiyu clasped his hands and spoke: "Lord Shi, may I ask—since the Lianghuai Salt Transport Superintendency has been taken down, how should the Huai salt be operated from here on? Who will control such substantial profits?"

Shi Bangyao returned the salute with clasped hands: "Since Lord Chen took charge of grain transport, you have been diligent in your duties, conscientious and responsible. His Majesty and the Grand Secretaries alike have nothing but praise for you! His Majesty has already reached a decision on the salt matter: from this day forward, the Great Ming Salt Transport Superintendencies shall be abolished, the salt certificate and salt tax systems shall be eliminated, and the court shall purchase salt directly from the salt-producing households. All salt shall be sold at fixed prices set by the court's salt yards, and anyone may take salt and sell it!"

At these words, the Yangzhou officials, whose minds had been elsewhere, were all greatly startled. Those with quick minds immediately realized: the popular disturbance the salt merchants had been plotting had likely become a laughingstock.

What the salt merchants feared was someone directly smashing their golden rice bowl. But the court's final approach could be considered the height of magnanimity—the court was merely using this method to profit from Huai salt rather than monopolizing it entirely. The salt merchants would still be able to sell salt for profit as before.

The court would use money to purchase the salt produced by the salt households, then mark up the price and sell it to the salt merchants. In this way, all the profits that had previously arisen from the salt certificate and salt tax systems would become fully transparent. No matter which government office took charge of this matter in the future, none would be able to extract private gain from it.

The salt households would certainly welcome such a measure. From now on, no matter how much they produced, the court would pay cash at the fixed price for all of it, and they would be spared the effort of transporting their salt to the merchants' collection points. This would give them ample motivation to work. As soon as they heard of the court's measure, the salt households still on their way would surely scatter in droves—who would oppose their own benefactor?

Liu Zuo reacted quickly. He rose and clasped his hands: "Your Excellency, Governor-General Chen, this official has suddenly recalled that there is urgent official business I have not yet concluded. If Your Excellency has nothing further, this official will go attend to it at once! This official takes his leave!"

After Shi Bangyao nodded his assent, Liu Zuo departed hastily.

He had to hurry to inform that group of self-righteous fools to quickly send people to disperse the salt households still on the road. Otherwise, once the salt households gathered within the city, they would be handing the authorities the perfect excuse for confiscating property and exterminating entire families.

The other Yangzhou prefectural officials also rose one after another to take their leave. They too had acquaintances among the salt merchants and needed to hurry off to inform those benefactors.

Shi Bangyao watched these officials' behavior with a cold eye, feeling both contempt and helplessness in his heart.

These people had long since cast out His Majesty and the court from their hearts, let alone the common people. Their eyes held only the word "profit"—in everything they did, private interest came first. Such officials were utterly unworthy of sitting in high positions. When he returned to the capital, he would certainly report this truthfully to His Majesty, hoping the Emperor would devise methods to deal with officials of this sort.

Chen Qiyu smiled: "Lord Shi need not worry further about the popular disturbance—that matter will naturally be handled by the Yangzhou prefectural officials themselves. But may I ask, since you have come to Jianghuai by imperial decree this time, did His Majesty have anything else to say regarding the salt merchants?"

Shi Bangyao said solemnly: "His Majesty said that although the state treasury is depleted, it must be replenished through righteous means. Though the salt merchants are the wealthiest under heaven, their bribing of officials was also a helpless necessity. The prevalence of bribery has its roots in official governance—only when official governance is clean can this practice be eradicated! This time His Majesty has no intention of implicating others. Punishing corrupt officials is this official's sole task; nothing else is involved!"

Chen Qiyu nodded and proclaimed the Emperor sagely, but in his heart he disagreed. He still favored the method of collective punishment—selecting a few fat sheep to slaughter to relieve the court's fiscal distress and, by that momentum, intimidate those who defied the court.

The two then exchanged a few idle words, after which Chen Qiyu took his leave and returned to his official boat to rest, while Shi Bangyao went to the city's largest establishment, the Defu Inn. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had rented out the entire establishment to prevent the imperial commissioner from being disturbed by the outside world.

As dusk was falling, an official sedan chair stopped before the Defu Inn where Shi Bangyao was staying. Yangzhou Prefect Liu Zuo, dressed in plain clothes, stepped down from the sedan, straightened his attire, and walked toward the inn. The Embroidered Uniform Guard officer on sentry duty at the gate had seen Liu Zuo during the day, and since Shi Bangyao had given instructions, he allowed him into the courtyard.

By the time Liu Zuo emerged from Shi Bangyao's quarters with a relaxed expression on his face, it was already the hour of Hai. What the two had discussed, no outsider could know, but judging by the result, it seemed to have left Lord Liu and the salt merchants behind him fairly satisfied.