As expected, when the Royal Court posted a notice stating that a trial would be held in seven days to hear the previously accumulated cases, it aroused speculation from all sides.
Now the entire Hezhong Prefecture is still immersed in the autumn tax.
But all eyes were focused on the imperial court.
Because they all believed that this matter must be related to the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs.
You know, the government has only collected 30% of the taxes so far. Although there is still a long time, the attitudes and actions of those big landlords are worrying.
If this cannot be collected, there will be big problems.
In fact, under the previous system, the government office did not accept lawsuits during the entire autumn tax period.
Now that the situation is so serious, you still have the leisure to hold a trial
So confident
Does this mean we dare not refuse to pay
This immediately attracted speculation and inquiries from all sides.
For example, Cai Jing and Su Che said that the autumn tax belonged to the finance department and had no direct relationship with the imperial court and the procuratorate. The police station was supposed to serve the administration and was also under the command of the administration.
The implication is that it has nothing to do with us.
If you want to find it, go to the government.
During this period, Fan Zheng had to go to the Salt Administration and other government offices to handle relevant procedures. Zhang Fei basically stayed with the Four Little Kings to study the case.
Today is the day when the imperial court reopens.
More and more people came to watch the trial because many self-cultivating farmers from the villages came.
It is said that being tax-free brings relief. For many people, this is the first time in their lives that they do not have to pay taxes because they do not have land deeds!
It feels so good.
They all believed that this was brought by the Imperial Court, so they all eagerly hoped to understand the Imperial Court better. The more powerful the Imperial Court was, the more at ease they would feel.
Of course, the landlords also came, hoping to find some clues to see if the royal court was bluffing.
Cai Yanqing, Guo Xiaofa and other officials also came.
They all knew that the backlog of cases were all civil lawsuits and property disputes.
Moreover, this is the first time that such a case has been tried on such a large scale.
Because in the past, officials were in charge of politics and law, and the people followed private contracts, so they generally did not bring cases to the government, and the government actually found it difficult to handle these disputes.
They all came to see how the royal court would judge the case.
The number of people from the Procuratorate who appeared in court this time tripled, with a total of nine people present. But in fact, this had little to do with them, because it was not a criminal case. It was just a break from tradition, and they had to come and learn. Six of them were newly recruited trainee prosecutors.
"I never thought that whether Third Brother was hearing a case or arguing a lawsuit, there would be so many people watching."
Seeing this scene, Fan Zheng couldn't help but think of the time when Zhang Fei was arguing in Kaifeng Prefecture, there was always a crowd of people in front of his door.
Fu Shichun said: "The imperial court trials have become entertainment for the common people. Look at the busy streets at the corners of the city."
Fan Zheng nodded and said, "This is really exciting."
As soon as Cai Yanqing appeared, he was surrounded by a group of gentry.
"Governor Cai, we were totally unprepared for your sudden change of the system, and now we are in a state of panic."
"Yes! Before, we used tax notes to pay taxes. We paid as much as we paid. Now we have to calculate it ourselves based on the land deeds. If we miss anything, the government will have to make some concessions."
... ... .
How could Cai Yanqing not hear the hidden meaning in their words
Even if we don't pay, you can't think that I'm breaking the law. At most we can make up for it.
What they are most worried about now is what the consequences will be if they do not pay.
If the consequence is just to make up for it, then it is definitely a gamble.
Because they are also calculating, with so much land, can you check it clearly
Even if I pay the money, you will still have to suffer a lot. When it comes to interests, we must fight for every inch of land.
Of course, this cannot be agreed to. If it is agreed to, no one will pay. Cai Yanqing nodded and said, "I think what you said is reasonable. I can agree to give you some leniency, as long as you pay it back in time. But tax evasion is a matter of justice. I cannot guarantee whether the procuratorate will be lenient. I cannot command them."
Zhuo Qun suddenly said, "I heard that someone is promoting a tax calculation business. If you really can't figure it out, you can ask those people for help."
Those gentry found themselves in trouble and had to disperse.
After a while, the four little warriors entered the court and everyone took their seats.
After a long while, Zhang Fei finally arrived, still wearing a white robe.
Since it is a civil lawsuit, there are not so many procedures.
The first lawsuit today is a debt dispute regarding non-repayment of borrowed money.
But this kind of dispute is precisely what both officials and citizens are very concerned about.
Because such disputes are numerous and difficult to handle.
After Zhang Fei carefully read the loan agreement, he suddenly turned his head to look at the plaintiff Li Zhi, "Li Zhi, what is your relationship with the defendant Luo Dawu?"
Li Zhi replied: "It's just an ordinary neighborhood relationship."
Zhang Fei asked: "Ordinary neighborhood relationship?"
"Um."
Li Zhi nodded nervously.
Zhang Fei asked, "If it was just an ordinary relationship, then why did you lend him 15 strings of cash without requiring Luo Dawu to provide any collateral or guarantor?"
A thin man on the right immediately shouted, "Judge Zhang, he's after my wife."
Li Zhi immediately retorted: "I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."
Is it so exciting right from the start
The people immediately began to point fingers.
Fan Zheng and Fu Shichun looked at Cao Dongdong.
Cao Dongdong said angrily: "Why are you looking at me? I am not that kind of person."
"quiet!"
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel to stop the noise, and then asked Luo Dawu: "Luo Dawu, why do you say that?"
Luo Dawu said: "When I asked him to borrow money, he refused to lend me money at first. Later, I said that if I really couldn't pay it back, I would mortgage my wife to him. Only then did he agree to lend me 15 strings of cash."
Zhang Fei tilted his head and looked at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi blushed and said nothing.
Mortgaging one's wife and children is usually not written on the IOU because it is illegal. This operation is usually completed when debts are being collected, and the government will find it difficult to intervene.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "If that's the case, why didn't you mortgage your wife to him?"
Luo Dawu blinked, looking a little guilty.
Li Zhi said excitedly: "That's because he secretly sold his wife to someone else."
As soon as these words were spoken, many people began to curse Luo Dawu.
There is no other way but to mortgage your wife, that would be fine, but you still do such a shameless thing.
It's simply worse than beasts!
Although this is very common, if you encounter it, you will feel very uncomfortable if you don’t curse at others.
Xu Zhiqian and the others also shook their heads.
"quiet!"
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel again, and when everyone calmed down, he asked Luo Dawu, "Luo Dawu, why do you need money so much? You want to borrow money and sell your wife?"
Luo Dawu said pitifully: "I just lost money in business."
Li Zhi immediately said, "Judge Zhang, he is lying. This man is addicted to gambling and even lost his wife and house. All the neighbors know about it."
Luo Dawu retorted: "My business is not going well, so I want to take a chance. Do you think I want to lose?"
"okay!"
Zhang Fei was too lazy to listen to the gambler's explanation and said to Li Zhi, "Li Zhi, as his neighbor, you should be more aware of Luo Dawu's financial situation. How do you want him to pay you back?"
Li Zhi said aggrievedly: "I don't know, so I hope the imperial court can make the decision for me. I don't expect the interest, just return the fifteen strings of cash to me."
Cai Bian whispered, "Teacher, Luo Dawu has sold everything he could, and he really can't come up with a penny."
Zhang Fei looked at Luo Dawu again and asked, "Luo Dawu, do you plan to pay me back?"
Luo Dawu said, "I have nothing now, how can I return it? This fellow already told the government and beat me with a stick."
Upon hearing this, Cai Yanqing couldn't help but look at Zhuo Qun.
Zhuo Qun whispered, "I don't know either. It should be the county court that conducted the investigation."
At this point, he paused for a moment and continued, "In fact, there is no need to try a case like this. It is a sheer waste of manpower and resources. For a man like this, even if you beat him to death, he still can't pay the money."
Cai Yanqing nodded slightly and said, "But since Judge Zhang has opened the trial, he must have countermeasures."
Then Li Zhi said, "Judge Zhang, don't listen to his nonsense. If he really had nothing, he would have starved to death long ago. He went gambling when he earned some money and never thought about paying back the money."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you have any evidence?"
Li Zhi said: "In the past year, many people have seen him in the gambling house."
Cai Bian turned around and whispered, "Let's ask two or three people. They have indeed seen Luo Dawu and gambled with money."
Zhang Fei nodded and said to Luo Dawu, "Luo Dawu, are you sure you can find a job within a month to ensure your basic food and shelter, and return all the remaining money to Li Zhi?"
Li Zhi was anxious and said hurriedly: "Judge Zhang, he will never pay back the money."
Zhang Fei said: "Please be patient. Once he finds a job, we will discuss it with the employer and give you the agreed wages directly."
Luo Dawu spread his hands and said, "Judge Zhang, look at my character. Who would dare to hire me? I have been begging outside for quite a while."
At first glance, he is the kind of old man who works for a government official, and he looks fearless.
Zhang Fei nodded: "In this case, our imperial court can only resort to forced labor to enforce it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent and everyone looked at Zhang Fei in confusion.
Labor enforcement, what is this
Zhang Fei further explained: "We in the imperial court will sell your labor. If there are people who want to serve but don't want to, they can bid for you to serve in their place. The money from the sale will be used to repay the plaintiff Li Zhi until the repayment is made."
Officials such as Cai Yanqing couldn't help but brighten their eyes.
Is it still possible to do this
Li Zhi said excitedly: "Okay, okay! That's it, that's fine."
There was also a burst of excited cheers outside the courtyard.
They all knew that this could definitely be sold. Many people were unwilling to serve, especially that kind of hard labor, including the soldiers of the Xiang Army. They often paid people to do the work for them, but it was risky to find someone to do the work for them privately. If there was a problem, they would still be responsible.
But if the government takes the initiative to sell off, there is almost no risk.
Luo Dawu's expression changed drastically, "It's not fair! This is not fair! I was beaten with a stick in the government office before, and now they punish me again. This is too unfair."
In the past, the government would collect debts by beating people with a stick, and the maximum number of beatings would be sixty. But for people like Luo Dawu, the government was too lazy to beat him, so they just beat him twice, for a total of twenty lashes, and then ignored him.
Zhang Fei explained: "According to the provisions of the Song Dynasty Criminal Code, the government's moss punishment is just a slight punishment, hoping that you can pay back the money, but it cannot repay the debt. Our imperial court will not use punishment in civil litigation. Our purpose is to ensure the interests of creditors and debtors.
As for Li Zhi, he did borrow fifteen strings of cash from you. No matter what his purpose was, he is no longer pursuing your interest, so you should return it. At the same time, we will ensure your basic living needs and will not let you pay with your life."
Luo Dawu's legs began to tremble. Isn't serving in the army the same as paying with one's life? It's just a nice way of saying it. He hurriedly said, "Judge Zhang, please give Xiaomin another chance. Xiaomin promises to find a job within a month, and give all the wages to Li Zhi."
Ma Xiaoyi, who was assisting the trial, suddenly said, "Judge Zhang, I think it should be enforced and he should not be given a chance."
Today, Ma Xiaoyi is stationed at the Royal Court, specifically assisting the Royal Court in hearing some cases, especially civil lawsuits, from the perspective of the Royal Police.
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Ma Xiaoyi said casually: "The judge should know that my family also has... Ahem, I have seen many gamblers like this. They are lazy and often steal to make money.
You have to give him a chance. If he runs away or does something illegal, that would torture our Royal Police."
Zhang Fei seemed a little hesitant.
Shangguan Jun also said: "Teacher, I think Chief Inspector Ma is right. There is no need to give this kind of person a chance."
Meanwhile, Luo Dawu was already in tears. "Judge, Judge, please give me another chance. I will definitely try my best to pay you back..."
Zhang Fei glanced at him, hesitated for a while, and nodded, saying, "Okay! I will give you another chance. But this does not mean that I disagree with what Chief Inspector Ma just said. I am just worried that someone will abuse this enforcement in the future. Therefore, as long as you have not violated the law, our Royal Court will give you a chance."
These words immediately won the approval of officials such as Su Che, as well as many of the spectators.
If it is enforced directly, it may lead officials to abuse this punishment measure because this method is a great support for political achievements.
Zhang Fei added: "You cannot leave Hezhong Prefecture until the debt is paid off. If you have any special needs, you must report to the imperial court. If you violate the law or try to escape during this period, once you are caught, you will be forced to execute it immediately and the punishment will be doubled. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, I heard it clearly. Thank you, Mr. Judge, for sparing my life. Thank you, Mr. Judge, for sparing my life."
Luo Dawu was so scared that he bent over repeatedly and his face turned pale.
"Take them down!"
Then Zhang Fei asked again: "Is serving in the army so scary?"
Xu Zhiqian, the Four Little Kings, and Li Si standing nearby, all nodded at the same time.