The next morning.
"Wow! Madam Xu, where did you go last night? Why do you look so haggard?"
Zhang Fei was frightened by Xu Zhiqian's two panda eyes.
Xu Zhiqian glared at him resentfully: "It's all your fault."
Zhang Fei reacted immediately and laughed.
Xu Zhiqian stamped her feet lightly: "How dare you laugh?"
"Don't laugh! Don't laugh!"
Zhang Fei added: "But I can't tell you! You know this truth."
Xu Zhiqian said: "But you have been talking for the whole day, can't you say a word?"
Curiosity really killed the cat.
What can an earpiece chat with the emperor about for the whole day
The key point is that Zhang Fei has not yet entered the officialdom.
It's outrageous!
Xu Zhiqian tossed and turned last night, but couldn't figure out what they talked about.
Very frustrated.
Zhang Fei pondered for a while, then hooked his finger. Xu Zhiqian hurriedly leaned over to whisper in his ear, not caring at all about the taboos between men and women.
Zhang Fei whispered: "To put it simply, I made up a very complicated reason to reject the official's invitation."
Xu Zhiqian wondered, "Why do you refuse?"
Zhang Fei shrugged and said, "Because I enjoy the pleasure of being a commoner and defeating an official. Don't you think it's cool?"
Xu Zhiqian was stunned: "But this is not a long-term solution. You can't afford to lose, and you can't win every time."
Zhang Fei whispered, "It's different now. I have the government backing me up. I am now following orders to fight the lawsuit. I will kill anyone who stands in my way."
"I was ordered to fight a lawsuit, really?"
Xu Zhiqian said excitedly.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "This time you can do whatever you want to seek justice for those civilians."
Xu Zhiqian asked again: "But you have already rejected the emperor, why would the emperor support you?"
This woman is really hard to deal with! Zhang Fei said depressedly: "Hey! Xu Zhiqian, you are really going too far. You ask one question after another. You just want to know the result!"
Xu Zhiqian said: "Okay! I won't ask anymore."
"Let's go! I have a lot to do today."
The two of them took a carriage to Fan's bookstore.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard a lot of noise inside. I looked inside and saw that the bookstore was packed with people.
"Li Si, go through the back door and go directly to Fan Li's house."
"yes."
... ...
"Sanlang, Madam Xu, please have some tea."
A charming young woman served two cups of tea to Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian.
It was Fan Li’s wife, Liu.
"Thank you ma'am."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded.
Before they could even drink the tea, Fan Li came in hurriedly, "Where's Sanlang?"
"At this."
Zhang Fei was afraid that Fan Li, who was right in front of him, couldn't see him, so he raised his hand.
"Hey, you! Sanlang, you're finally here."
Fan Li rushed forward and grabbed Zhang Fei's sleeve, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Zhang Fei said: "I heard that the master was ill, but seeing that he was walking briskly, it didn't seem like he was ill!"
"Well... that's all because I was scared by you."
Fan Li was full of regrets. He said, "I have been a tea maker for so many years, but I have never thought of suing the court. Never... never."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Okay! I won't say more about this matter. It's all in the past."
“It’s not over yet.”
Fan Li immediately said, "Go to the bookstore and take a look. My shop is almost packed with them."
Xu Zhiqian suddenly asked, "They should also be here for the Yaqian service, right?"
Fan Lizhi nodded and said, "Yes, but not entirely. Some people have suffered from the hardships of serving in the government, so they hope that Sanlang can redress their grievances. Some others are about to serve in the military, and they also hope that Sanlang can help them."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, "There are also quite a few people who come to inquire about tax calculation."
There has been widespread talk that bookstores are going to launch a tax calculation business, but most people are not optimistic.
But after this case, everyone felt that it might work, so they came to ask about the price. If the price was right, they hoped to be able to bet on both sides.
You still have to bribe when you need to, and if something unexpected happens, you can also use litigation to seek justice for yourself.
Zhang Fei said: "Go and tell them that the court has not ruled that the corvée law violates the laws of our ancestors. If they really have grievances, we can accept them, but if not, we can't help them."
Fan Lizhi nodded and said, "That's what I told them. One lawsuit like this is enough. We can't fight it every day."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, "I came here today just to calculate taxes. How are your preparations going?"
"Preparing for what?" Fan Li asked in surprise.
“Human!”
Zhang Fei said: "Didn't I ask you to go and recruit people? Don't tell me you didn't go?"
Fan Li blinked and suddenly cried out, "Sanlang, you scared me so much that I can't get out of bed. How can I go?"
Zhang Fei rolled his eyes. "Sir, you don't have the mental strength to do this. If you want to follow me, you need to be brave. Don't be afraid of this and that. Don't make money and scare people to death. Although this kind of lawsuit can't be fought every day, it will definitely happen in the future."
Fan Li also felt wronged, "You didn't tell me in advance, I didn't know anything, how could I not be scared?"
Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then smiled apologetically, "That's true. It was indeed my fault for not discussing this with you in advance. However, we have just started working together, so some misunderstandings are inevitable. It will be fine once we explain it clearly.
But you have to hurry up with the recruitment. Our bookstore is booming right now, and I will start tax-based sales right away."
"Ah! I know that."
Fan Li nodded, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and said, "Recently, Li Guozhong and his men have been in close contact with the officials of the Three Departments, and I heard that they also seem to want to promote this tax-based business."
Xu Zhiqian frowned and said, "Zhang San, you have to be careful about this. If the three departments issue a decree that only recognizes their tax calculation, then... then this matter will be difficult to do."
Zhang Fei frowned. "If everyone relies on their own ability, even if I lose, I have nothing to say. But if they want to use crooked means, we can only face them in court. We can't always bully Kaifeng Mansion!"
Fan Li was so frightened that he trembled and almost fell to his knees.
When did Kaifeng Prefecture become the target of bullying
this... ... .
Having said that, Zhang Fei was still very cautious. He also knew that the opportunity was fleeting and had to be resolved quickly.
The first issue is internal rectification.
The mission he arranged years ago was just to understand these spies.
The rectification was supposed to start after the Chinese New Year, but due to this case, it has been delayed until now.
He immediately ordered to temporarily close the business and begin to reorganize the interior.
First of all, of course, is to hand in the winter vacation homework.
That is the contract regarding mortgage cooperation.
Those who spoofed the manuscripts had already completed their homework, and had recently been working day and night to revise it.
Originally, they had all planned to resign and run away, but when they saw that the third brother actually sought justice for the Shi family, the reputation of the Fan family bookstore soared. For them, now the business is to rack their brains to reject instead of soliciting business.
This golden rice bowl must be protected!
Zhang Fei threw all of them to Xu Zhiqian. He was too lazy to read them one by one. In his eyes, all the petitions nowadays were rubbish. He was still in charge of the administrative structure.
The first step, of course, is specialization.
You have to be professional starting with your clothing. Don’t just dress like a casual guy. You have to give people confidence at all costs.
But you are not allowed to dress as seductively as him. After all, that requires good looks. Don't try to imitate him.
Then it is time to plan the department according to the law.
It is mainly divided into criminal and civil.
The two major categories are further subdivided.
Under the criminal side, there are cases like rape and theft. On the civil side, there are even more cases, such as property disputes, contract disputes... ...
At the same time, in order to form a team, Zhang Fei also plans to set up an archives department, an accounting department, and an intelligence department.
All of these serve the purpose of the ear-penman.
Fan Li was stunned after hearing this.
How many people are needed for this
Are you sure you can make so much money from the lawsuit
Before he had the chance to ask, Zhang Fei asked him to find another place to live as the backyard had been requisitioned by the bookstore.
This is simply the physical version of a cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest!
... ...
At the same time, Zhao Xu was also making final preparations.
Although the lawsuit in the Dali Temple did not come to a conclusion and was left unresolved, the result was already known only to Zhang Fei and Wang Anshi.
Even the slogans were shouted out, and everyone knew that reform was imminent.
Zhao Xu did not disappoint them.
The first step is definitely personnel arrangements.
Zhao Xu first summoned the old minister Fu Bi into the court and appointed him as Zuo Pushe, Menxia Shilang, and Tongpingzhangshi.
But the person who is truly in power at the moment is the Vice-Chancellor.
Fu Bi knew in his heart that he came back just to serve as a signboard.
Previously, Zhao Xu had planned to appoint him as Sikong and Shizhong, one of the Three Dukes, but Fu Bi knew that this was a prime minister in name only. The key was that he did not support Wang Anshi, so he was unwilling to come back, so as not to cause trouble for everyone, so he declined politely. Zhao Xu then sent someone to appoint him as Zuo Pushe instead.
He came back because he had no other choice.
He also promoted Wang Anshi to be the Vice-Chancellor and Sima Guang to be the Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Criminal Court.
Lu Hui was exiled to Dengzhou, and Wen Yanbo, the Duke of Lu, was appointed as the Chief Censor and in charge of the Censorate.
... ...
"Good for you Sima Junshi."
After coming out of the hall, Wen Yanbo grabbed Sima Guang and said, "You only know how to hide behind and let us charge into battle. This is really unreasonable."
This was a real shock to Wen Yanbo.
There were no signs before.
He thought that he could get an honorary title like Fu Bi and support the emperor.
I never thought that I would be given a real job, and in such a critical department.
Wen Yanbo ran to ask Lu Hui what was going on.
Lu Hui told the truth, he was the one who recommended Sima Guang, and it was Sima Guang who recommended you.
It goes without saying that once Wang Anshi started his reforms, the conservatives would definitely fight back through the Censorate.
Wen Yanbo will definitely be at the forefront.
That's nothing.
He is not a fearful person either.
The key point is that Sima Guang himself went to the Court of Justice, which had little to do with the reform. Wen Yanbo was really angry.
You are such a mean person.
Sima Guang laughed and said, "Do you think I, Sima Guang, am such a shameless villain in the eyes of Duke Wen?"
"If I really thought so, I would not have agreed to your request before." Wen Yanbo added, "But you have to explain clearly what is going on."
Sima Guang pulled him aside and said, "I did this in the hope of avoiding the party struggles of the Qingli period."
Wen Yanbo was startled and asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"
Although he did not personally participate in the Qingli Party Struggle, he had a good relationship with Fu Bi and others and was very aware of the darkness within.
It's really scary.
This was also one of the reasons why he opposed the reform.
Sima Guang said: "As long as Wang Jiefu starts the reform, no matter what the new law is, there will be fighting in the court, and we cannot stop it."
Wen Yanbo nodded slightly.
Although Sima Guang had become the leader of the conservatives, the reason he became the leader was not because he was handsome, but because the austerity policies they proposed were more in line with the conservative values.
If he supported Wang Anshi, he would not have been able to become the leader.
Sima Guang added: "Although we cannot stop the struggle, we can find ways to regulate the way they fight and avoid the emergence of factional strife."
Wen Yanbo asked: "The way of struggle?"
Can this be regulated
During the Qingli period, people really did everything they could!
The more they played, the more shameless they became, which made Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi and others lose heart and just run away.
Only Han Qi carried the banner and continued to fight with them.
Although he did not win in the end, Han Qi's reputation soared and he won everyone's respect, including the emperor.
Han Qi has achieved his current status through his own hard work.
Sima Guang said: "Let's file a lawsuit. Let's solve it in court."
After hearing this, Wen Yanbo was completely confused. "Junshi, you are confused, right? Can this matter be sued?"
Sima Guang said: "It was not possible before, but it is possible now. Zhang San can sue the court based on the laws of his ancestors, so why can't he sue the new laws?"
Regarding that lawsuit, on the surface, Wang Anshi won a great victory, but if there was no benefit, how could Sima Guang support Zhang Fei
Wang Anshi wins in the present, while Sima Guang wins in the future. At that time, Wang Anshi will be the defensive party, while Sima Guang will be the offensive party.
Wen Yanbo frowned, "Yes! This is indeed a solution. Oh... I understand. No wonder you asked to lead the Criminal Court and let me lead the Censorate. The officials of the Ministry of Justice are against the new law. So, except for the Dali Temple, the other judicial departments do not belong to Wang Jiefu."
Sima Guang said: "I also have a way to win over the Dali Temple. Alas... In fact, compared to the new law, the party struggle is more terrible!"
Wen Yanbo nodded, "That's what I'm worried about, too. Okay, I promise to support you."
If this is the case, then the Court of Judicial Review is the most core department, not the Censorate. Sima Guang is actually on the front line, and the Censorate is just cooperating on the side.
"Thank you, Duke Wen, for your help." Sima Guang bowed.
Wen Yanbo added, "That's right! You are in charge of the Criminal Court, but Wang Jiefu was only promoted to Vice Minister of State Affairs. There must be something mysterious about this."
Sima Guang asked, "What does Duke Wen think?"
Wen Yanbo stroked his beard and said, "It is said that governing a country starts with governing officials. Wang Jiefu cannot ignore this point. Now it seems that he wants to reform the corvée law first, which is not related to official administration. Therefore, I guess he is very likely to suggest that the government set up another department to preside over the reform, so that the official administration can be temporarily avoided."
Sima Guang nodded and said, "Duke Wen is right. This is also similar to Wang Jiefu's radical style. But Duke Wen should not be as radical as Lu Xianke. Let's wait and see. Wang Jiefu is full of confidence this time. I don't think he will fail."
Wen Yanbo shook his head and sighed, "When it comes to reform, haste makes waste. His method only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. It will be difficult to achieve success!"