201: Chapter 201 Checks and Balances

Shortly after Qian Ninghe left, a handsome, slender young man walked in from outside the side hall.

From the looks of it, the young man seemed to have been waiting in the side hall for a long time.

Upon seeing the young man, a hint of fatherly affection appeared in Prefect Pang Bo's eyes.

The young man was none other than Prefect Pang Bo's eldest son, Pang Yan.

Pang Yan spoke up, "Father, Uncle Qian has already left. However, I am a bit confused as to why you didn't agree to Uncle Qian's proposal. This Yuanhang Trade Caravan is just a small merchant house; you could have easily done him a favor."

Seeing Pang Yan say this, a hint of disappointment appeared on Prefect Pang Bo's face.

But in just an instant, it vanished without a trace.

However, Prefect Pang Bo did not explain the reason directly. Instead, he asked in return, "Yan'er, since that's what you think, let me ask you: if the Yuanhang Trade Caravan were truly just a small merchant house, why would the Qian Clan need to borrow my hand?"

"This... this..." Pang Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

As the son of the Jinhuai Prefect, Pang Yan was naturally not an ignorant greenhorn.

With the Qian Clan's status and strength in Jinhuai, if they wanted to strike at a small merchant house, it would be as easy as turning over their hand.

If the Qian Clan spoke up, they wouldn't even need to lift a finger to achieve victory without shedding blood.

Yet, the Qian Clan chose this method, relying on the power of the yamen to keep the Yuanhang Trade Caravan in check.

No matter how slow-witted he might be, he understood that there was more to this than met the eye.

Seeing that Pang Yan could not answer, Prefect Pang Bo did not press him. Instead, he continued, "Yan'er, do you know how many years I have served as the Jinhuai Prefect?"

"Eighteen years?" Pang Yan thought for a moment and gave an uncertain answer.

"To be precise, this is the nineteenth year. Before I knew it, I have spent nineteen years in this Jinhuai Prefecture," Prefect Pang Bo said with a sigh of emotion.

But in the next moment, Prefect Pang Bo's tone changed. "Over these years, I have long since repaid the kindness the Qian Clan showed me back then. Yet, the Qian Clan has tried time and again to use my hand for their own private gain. My compromises have instead become the reason for the Qian Clan's encroachment. Tell me, should I have done them this favor?"

Having said this, Prefect Pang Bo looked at Pang Yan beside him with a serious expression.

"No," Pang Yan said, lowering his head, not daring to look Prefect Pang Bo in the eye.

At this moment, he also realized that his father had grievances against the Qian Clan. The relationship between the two was far from being as harmonious as he had imagined.

This caused his heart to sink to the bottom.

He thought he would be met with his father's reprimand.

However...

After a brief silence, Prefect Pang Bo's tone softened. "Yan'er, you have been in Jinhuai Prefecture for ten years as well. I do not oppose your contact with the Great Families. As an official presiding over a region, it is naturally unavoidable to have exchanges of interest with Great Families. But you? You can't even distinguish between primary and secondary, and you've secretly colluded with them. I told you long ago that this is a major taboo for an official, yet you refuse to listen."

Hearing this, Pang Yan's heart trembled. He hadn't expected that his father was fully aware of everything he had been doing behind his back.

As the son of a high-ranking official, Pang Yan also had an ambitious heart. He had thought about inheriting his father's career and taking the position of Prefect after his father stepped down.

Therefore, he had been trying to win over other Great Families over the years. In particular, the Qian Clan, the number one Great Family in Jinhuai Prefecture, was the primary target of his efforts.

Even Qian Handong and he called each other brothers in private.

Pang Yan believed that this was expanding his network and paving the way for his future ascension to the position of Prefect.

But his father had exposed everything right in front of him and even dismissed it as worthless.

But no matter what, he could not admit it directly.

"Father, you must believe me. I am only putting on an act with those scions of the Great Families; they are nothing more than pawns in my hand."

Prefect Pang Bo gave a cold laugh, not choosing to expose him completely. "Pawns?"

Even now, his "good son" was still hiding things from him.

As the Prefect of a prefecture, if he could not even keep track of his own son's movements, how could he hold his position securely?

Pang Yan remained stubborn. "I was indeed negligent this time. It's just..."

"Just what! Enough, do not mention this matter again. You should also have less contact with Qian Handong." Seeing that Pang Yan was still stubborn and unrepentant, Prefect Pang Bo no longer had the heart to lecture him.

"Yes, Father." Pang Yan had no choice but to bow and withdraw.

Looking at the empty main hall, Prefect Pang Bo also fell into deep thought.

In truth, whether it was the Yuanhang Trade Caravan or the Jinhuai Qian Clan, it didn't matter to him.

He would not favor either side, but he could utilize the competitive relationship between the two to achieve a balance among the various forces in Jinhuai Prefecture.

The Imperial Court had always been wary of the Great Families growing too powerful, yet they had no choice but to utilize their strength.

As the Jinhuai Prefect, he naturally had to implement the court's policy of balancing the strength of the various Great Families, rather than allowing one to dominate.

A situation like Wuyang City, where one family dominated, was actually a form of imbalance.

This was also why the Imperial Court had appointed him as the Prefect.

The emergence of the Yuanhang Trade Caravan had instead become an opportunity to break the dominance of the Four Great Families.