This time, Zhang Fei sent Cai Jing to invite Yuan Jiang openly and did not hide it, so the officials soon learned about it.
You must know that the conflict between the Imperial Court and the Transportation Bureau is becoming more and more acute at this time. Zhang Fei definitely did not invite Yuan Jiang to eat hot pot. Something must have happened in the meantime.
So the next day, some officials came to the Transportation Department to inquire about the news.
Yuan Jiang told them the truth about the purchase tax case.
"That's outrageous."
He Chunlin couldn't help but start to get mad when he heard this. "Their imperial court is really aggressive. They just checked the taxes and forced the government to pay each official a full salary. Now they are going to review the purchase tax. If this continues, no matter how much salt debt we pay, it won't be enough to fill it."
Even Cao Yi, who was a calm person, could not help but get angry and said, "Master Yuan, the annual revenue of Hezhong Prefecture is over 100,000 guan from the gambling market. This cannot be lost. The imperial court cannot just focus on their judicial justice and ignore our difficulties. This is simply too much."
Yuan Jiang nodded and said, "Of course I know this, but 60% of the 100,000 guan of fiscal revenue comes from the liquor tax, but Zhang San only mentioned the purchase tax and did not mention the liquor tax.
In addition, Zhang San did not say that he would ban the gambling house, but he said that some people came to complain, so he asked me about the relevant matters, but the specific judgment will depend on the evidence. "
Wei Yingfang said: "Mr. Yuan, you don't know that the government will encounter many problems when collecting taxes, not to mention those wealthy people. There are some problems here, but the government is doing this out of helplessness. This can not only increase tax revenue for the government, but also save a lot of costs. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone. This system cannot be bad!"
Yuan Jiang nodded and said, "I have also talked to Zhang San about the interests involved. He said that he would also take the government's difficulties into consideration, but the details will depend on the trial process."
Cao Yi said: "If the imperial court bans the purchase tax again, how should we respond?"
Yuan Jiang hesitated for a moment and said tentatively: "If he really judges it this way, we can either appeal to the court or wait for the Han Temple to make a decision."
But this time Wei Yingfang, Cao Yi and others did not agree, but chose to remain silent.
Yuan Jiang saw it, but didn't say much.
This was all within his expectations. He put himself in their shoes. Royal Court's moves were too frequent, and the double yellow attack from him and Zhang Fei could not be effective every time.
... ...
"Tabloid! Tabloid! Imperial Court Tabloid!"
I saw a young boy jumping around in the market, waving a few pieces of paper in his little hands.
This immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Since the Imperial Court was located outside the city, notices were only posted in front of the gate. Many merchants who bought tabloids discovered business opportunities. Whenever a notice was posted in the Imperial Court, they would immediately order people to copy it into tabloids and then sell it in the city.
Currently, the word "Imperial Court" is the undisputed top-tier tabloid in the entire Hezhong Prefecture, and this kind of tabloid has never had trouble selling.
"Brother, what case is the imperial court going to try?"
An uncle called the young man.
"The tax is being bought. The chief judge is sitting in person."
"Will the Grand Judge conduct the trial himself?"
"Yes."
"Give me a tabloid, please."
"Why!"
The uncle immediately bought a tabloid, and people around him gathered around him. When they saw that it was about a lawsuit regarding shopping tax, they immediately started chatting about it.
"I've heard about this a long time ago. It seems that the villagers from Xuewu Mountain came to file a complaint."
"What do you think the imperial court will decide?"
"Of course the villagers will be judged as the winner."
"I hope so. This purchase tax is as abominable as the government service. It should have been abolished long ago."
... ...
Soon, the news about this lawsuit swept across the entire Hezhong Prefecture, because this lawsuit not only involved ordinary people, but also the interests of government officials and businessmen. There was also a very complicated chain of interests hidden in it, which caused everyone to pay close attention.
Royal Court.
"Teacher, those sued poopers invited Li Min to defend them."
Cai Jing handed a statement of defense to Zhang Fei and said, "Li Min represents them in refusing to plead guilty."
After the last lawsuit and the issuance of salt debts in recent days, everyone has realized the importance of ear pens. With or without ear pens, they are two different lawsuits and cannot be compared.
Zhang Fei took it and looked at it, a smile flashed in his eyes.
This is a good thing.
The good business of ear pens is precisely a reflection of the success of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs.
Shangguan Jun wondered, "The evidence in this lawsuit is solid, how can they fight?"
Zhang Fei glanced at him and said, "I have told you many times that there is no lawsuit in this world that cannot be fought."
Then he said to Cai Jing: "Since the other party has hired an espionage lawyer to fight for the villagers, we must also appoint the Legal Aid Department to fight for the villagers."
Cai Jing asked: "Should we let Zhengwen fight?"
Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment, and suddenly thought of someone.
Just at this moment, Li Si suddenly came to the door and said, "Third brother, Mr. Fan wants to see you."
I really miss Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here! Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and he said to Cai Jing, "Don't rush to go, wait until I meet Mr. Fan first."
hall.
"Mr. Fan, are you here today for a matter concerning the Legal Aid Department?" When Zhang Fei saw Fan Zhen, he asked straight to the point.
Fan Zhen hesitated for a moment, and instead of answering, he asked, "I heard that some villagers sued those wealthy people because of the tax on buying houses?"
Zhang Fei nodded: "Yes, that's the case."
Fan Zhen asked again: "Will the Royal Court appoint the Legal Aid Department to assist those villagers?"
Zhang Fei said: "Since the other party has hired an informant to defend himself, our Royal Court will also appoint the Legal Aid Department to help the villagers."
At this point, he smiled and said, "Master Fan, is this why you came here?"
Fan Zhen nodded and said, "If the Legal Aid Department will assist those villagers in fighting this lawsuit, then I am willing to join the Legal Aid Department and fight this lawsuit."
Zhang Fei asked: "Excuse me, Mr. Fan seems to be dissatisfied with the purchase tax?"
Fan Zhen nodded and said truthfully: "The country has its own laws, and the family has its own rules. It is really putting the cart before the horse to ignore the national laws and learn the robbery skills. In fact, there have always been people in the court who oppose this, but unfortunately the government does not listen. Since the establishment of the two government regulations offices, more and more places have been promoting this purchase tax."
Is this related to Wang Anshi? Zhang Fei had never heard Wang Anshi talk about this, and Fan Zhen and Wang Anshi were irreconcilable, so he just listened and said, "Mr. Fan, if you join the Legal Aid Department, then your responsibility is to fight for the client. The long-term concerns of this country and the world are not within your authority. I also hope that Mr. Fan can understand this."
Fan Zhen nodded and said, "Don't worry, Judge Zhang. I know that a three-foot-thick ice doesn't form overnight. I just want to seek justice for those villagers, nothing else."
Zhang Fei nodded and said with a smile: "Then I wish Mr. Fan can win a victory for the Legal Aid Department."
"Thank you very much."
That day, Fan Zhen allowed Qiu Zhengwen to join the Legal Aid Department, and Qiu Zhengwen was finally freed. In fact, he would rather go to the bookstore because he had no ambition to serve his country and the world. Only money could reflect his value. It was really boring to always do free work.
But for Fan Zhen, on the contrary, money is just a passing cloud. He has political ideals and ambitions.
Although he denied it verbally, he still hoped to use this lawsuit to target the tax.
... ... .
Since the other party has clearly refused to plead guilty, the Royal Court must open a trial. However, the Royal Court did not act very cautiously and simply treated it as an ordinary civil lawsuit, without even sending out an invitation letter.
The procuratorate also stood by and watched.
But on the day of the trial, the entire imperial court was crowded with people. It was winter now and the weeds on the roadside were covered with a layer of frost, but this still could not stop the enthusiasm of the people.
Of course, it is undeniable that some of them came just for the president’s looks.
At the same time, the place was packed with officials and literati, but in this case, the interests of the officials and literati were not completely consistent.
Many scholars and officials supported Fan Zhen and opposed the purchase tax.
When Zhang Fei appeared in the imperial court, the cheers were deafening, which made the Four Little Kings very jealous. They now held court hearings almost every day to try some cases, but had never received such applause from Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei greeted everyone as usual, and after he sat down on the patio, Xu Zhiqian immediately spread a relevant document on the table.
After Zhang Fei read it, he suddenly shouted, "Chief Ma."
Ma Xiaoyi said: "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked: "Haven't the main suspects been found yet?"
Ma Xiaoyi shook his head and said, "Because those people usually stay in remote places in the mountains, I sent people to look for them, but they didn't find any trace of them."
Zhang Fei tilted his head and glanced at Li Min.
Li Min responded immediately: "We have also sent people to look for several of our clients, but it just so happens that they have no work to do these days, and we don't know where they went to drink."
They don't learn good things, but they learn bad things quickly. Zhang Fei muttered, and then said to Fan Zhen: "Mr. Fan, the suspects directly involved in this case have not been found yet. If Mr. Fan has any request, this judge does not mind postponing the trial."
Fan Zhen smiled and said, "No need, because those people are just following the orders of the defendants. We mainly want to hold these defendants accountable. Their absence does not affect this lawsuit."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Since Mr. Fan has no objection, the trial will continue."
In fact, Zhang Fei knew very well in his heart that it must be Li Min who suggested hiding those hired minions of the Po Hu, because if those people went to court, it would be very unfavorable to them in terms of perception.
If it helps the jury, it will be even worse.
Bang bang bang!
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel three times and said loudly: "Since this case involves the interests of many people, and I also like to hear the opinions of the people, I have decided to let the people participate in the trial. Chief Inspector Ma, please help me select eight assistant judges."
"Choose me!"
"Chief Ma, choose me!"
... ...
At this moment, Ma Xiaoyi was a popular idol. Everyone in front of the door waved at him and gave him seductive looks.
Apart from anything else, just sitting inside and watching the trial is much more comfortable, and for this reason alone, it is worth fighting for.
Moreover, as more and more shops are built in front of the Imperial Court, the rent is also increasing day by day, and the finances of the Imperial Court are also gradually improving. Whether it is the assistant jury or the witness, they can get some remuneration. The key is that there is a sense of participation. Everyone wants to sit in it and have a try.
After all, the people today have all been oppressed and exploited to varying degrees, and they have dreamed countless times of helping the weak and fighting the strong. This assistant judge can, to a certain extent, help them realize their wish.
Unfortunately, disappointment is always the main theme.
When the eight lucky ones are born, the rest are all disappointment.
After the jury was in place, the trial began.
The first person to appear in court was one of the plaintiffs, also a woman in her thirties.
"My husband got sick recently, so I took the 20-odd eggs that we had saved up to the market to buy medicine for him. But those scoundrels suddenly came to me, not only snatched away half of my eggs, but also broke the rest. They are really... really too much. You have to compensate me for the eggs, compensate me for the eggs."
As the old lady spoke, she suddenly burst into tears, pointing at Li Min and the others and yelling at them. Then she laid on the table, slapped it and burst into tears.
The indignant voices outside also rose and fell with the old lady's mood. It was bad enough that you snatched the eggs, but you also smashed the rest. Aren't you pushing people into a desperate situation
As soon as this lawsuit came up, it seemed to go straight into gaochao.
"quiet!"
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel and said to the lady, "Plaintiff, please try to control your emotions."
The old lady glanced at Zhang Fei and tried desperately to suppress her tears, but she couldn't help sobbing.
Zhang Fei had no choice but to wait patiently for a while. Only when he heard the old lady's sobbing subsided did he allow Li Min to ask questions.
Li Min stood up and said, "Wei Zhang, you said those people took your eggs. Did they just run away after taking them?"
Wei Zhang immediately said, "They are responsible for stopping people inside and collecting money, so how could they run away?"
Li Min said: "I don't quite understand this. You also said that their duty is to collect money, so why would they steal your eggs?"
Wei Zhang said: "They wanted to take half of my eggs, but of course I refused. Then they snatched my eggs away. Not only did they snatch them away, they also threw the remaining eggs on the ground. I... wuwuwu..."
Li Min asked, "Do they break your eggs when you are about to leave, or do they break your eggs during the fight?"
Wei Zhang sobbed, "Yes... during the struggle."
"I'm done asking questions."
Li Min sat down.
The people outside the courtyard also responded to his question with boos.
Fan Zhen stood up and asked, "Wei Zhang, is this your first time going to the market to sell things?"
Wei Zhang shook her head and said, "I probably go there once every one or two months."
Fan Zhen asked: "As we all know, you need to pay taxes when you go to the market to do business. Generally speaking, how much tax do you have to pay for these twenty eggs?"
Wei Zhang said, "One is enough."
Fan Zhendao: "But how many eggs do those people want from you?"
Wei Zhang said aggrievedly, "Twelve."
Fan Zhen said: "Did they give a reason?"
Wei Zhang said: "No, they just asked me for twelve eggs, and I refused to give them. I said they wanted so many, so I wouldn't sell them, and then they came to snatch them away."
Fan Zhen said: "Did anyone see it at that time?"
Wei Zhang said, "Everyone in the city saw it."
Fan Zhen picked up a piece of evidence and said, "Judge Zhang, this is the testimony of some eyewitnesses in the market at that time. It can prove that my client did not lie."
"Present."
"I'm done asking questions."
After Fan Zhen presented the evidence, he sat down.
Next, Li Min asked Gao Qiang, a resident of Xuewushan Market, to testify in court.
"Mr. Gao, could you please tell us about your relationship with Xuewushan Market?" Li Min asked.
Gao Qiang said: "I bought the business tax from Xuewu Mountain Market through the government-run Pumafang Market."
Li Min continued to ask: "I wonder how much money you spent and how many years you bought it?"
Gao Qiang said: "Initially I spent 800 strings of cash to buy it for a year two years ago, but ended up losing more than 300 strings of cash, so I didn't plan to buy it the next year. But the government saw that no one was buying it, so they forced me to buy it."
The officials in the VIP seats frowned and looked at Gao Qiang, as if to say, you are so bold that you sold us out without any hesitation.
Little did people know that Gao Qiang had initially gone to the government, but the officials were helpless and too upset to pay much attention to him. It was only through the introduction of a banknote merchant that he asked Li Min to fight the case on his behalf.
That's what Li Min asked him to say.
The people immediately booed again.
Obviously, this time the target of booing was not Gao Qiang, but the government.
This made many officials feel that the imperial court was poisonous, and every trial could be linked to the government.
But they don’t think about it. If it has nothing to do with them, would they come here to see it
Li Min asked: "Mr. Gao, can you please tell us what you did before?"
Gao Qiang said: "I used to sell salt with the villagers. Later, I saved some money and started selling wine, horses, etc."
Li Min asked: "How many years have you been doing business?"
Gao Qiang said: "More than 20 years."
Li Min asked: "Since you have been in business for more than 20 years, you should be experienced. Didn't you do any research beforehand? The 800 guan to buy the market tax of Xuewu Mountain is not profitable."
Gao Qiang said: "Of course I have done some research. The villages in Xuewu Mountain are basically in the mountainous area, so they go to the market every month to trade some goods. The local market is actually not small. I calculated that I can make money in this year.
But I also know that the government usually buys taxes from remote areas that are not easy to collect. I also hired some people to keep an eye on them, but I never thought that the local people were very tough. Not only did those unruly people not pay taxes, they also often beat my people, which made me very anxious. The next year, I said I didn’t want to do anything else, otherwise, all the money I had worked hard to accumulate would be lost on this. I made a lot of money from the wine business, and it was less troublesome.”
Li Min asked: "What's the result?"
Gao Qiang said: "In the end, the government said that no one wanted me to continue. I begged everywhere, but it was useless. I was forced to continue. But if I still can't make money, then all my money will be gone. I can only find some strong men to collect taxes."
"Thank you very much."
Li Min nodded and said to Zhang Fei, "Grand Judge, I have a piece of evidence about the purchase of the Xuewu Mountain Market last year. In November last year, the government did purchase the Xuewu Mountain Market, but in the end, no one bid.
It can be seen that my client really did not want to take on this deal anymore, but was forced to do so, and the price did not change. In addition, it also includes the personnel arrangements made by Mr. Gao at the time, as well as last year's income, which are sufficient to prove that everything my client said is true. "
"Present."
The court police immediately presented the evidence.
Of course, Zhang Fei didn't need to look at it and left it to the Four Little Kings to analyze.
Fan Zhen stood up and said, "Mr. Gao should have heard what Wei Zhang said just now."
Gao Qiang nodded.
Fan Zhen asked: "Do you know about this?"
Gao Qiang said: "I just found out about this in the past two days."
Fan Zhen asked, "Didn't your men tell you what they did?"
Gao Qiang said: "Normally I won't say it."
"No one usually tells you about it?" Fan Zhen asked, "So this kind of thing actually happens all the time, so there's no need to report it to the official?"
Gao Qiang glanced at Fan Zhen guiltily, coughed and said, "They just need to pay me. I usually won't care about other things."
Fan Zhen said: "So Mr. Gao tacitly allowed them to do this."
"I object."
Li Min stood up immediately and said, "The other party is trying to induce my client to answer."
"invalid objection."
Zhang Fei said: "The defendant must answer this question because it involves a question of responsibility allocation."
Gao Qiang couldn't help but glance at Li Min.
Li Min nodded.
Gao Qiang then said, "I just asked them to collect the money. Because of the lesson from the previous year, I also knew that this kind of thing might happen, but I had no choice. If I didn't do this, the money wouldn't be collected, and they might get hurt themselves, and then I would have to pay for their medicine."
Fan Zhen asked again, "Mr. Gao just said that he would just collect the money. I wonder how much money Mr. Gao agreed with them to pay?"
Gao Qiang said: "Nine hundred strings of cash, I spent eight hundred strings of cash and earned this one hundred strings of cash, this is not too much, right?"
Fan Zhen said: "What I want to ask is, do you want them to only accept 900 strings of cash, or do you want them to only pay 900 strings of cash?"
Gao Qiang hesitated for a moment, "Only nine hundred strings of cash."
Fan Zhen said: "Then can I assume that no matter how much money they charge, it's fine."
Gao Qiang said: "It's good enough that they can collect 900 strings of cash."
Fan Zhen said: "Please answer my question, Mr. Gao, whether it is okay no matter how much they charge."
Gao Qiang said: "I didn't restrict them."
"I'm done asking questions."
Fan Zhen sat down.
Li Min stood up again and asked, "Mr. Gao, in the purchase contract you signed with the court, is there a stipulation on how much tax you can collect each year?"
Gao Qiang shook his head and said, "No, the contract only states the price I offered, but it doesn't state how much tax I can collect."
"I have no problem anymore."
Later, another victim from Fan Town appeared in court. He was a young man named Cao Qing. He was similar to the old lady when he appeared in court. He accused the other party with saliva flying: "Those rogues rushed into my house like bandits, stole our food, and... molested my wife..."
She didn't cry, but she became more and more excited as she spoke, and she even stood up and slammed the chair.
Zhang Fei had no choice but to knock the gavel, "Plaintiff, please control your emotions."
Ma Xiaoyi also came forward and asked Cao Qing to sit down.
After Cao Qing sat down, Li Min stood up and said, "Cao Qing, did those scoundrels just rush into your house without saying a word?"
Cao Qing was stunned. "That's not the case. My family only has more than 20 mu of land, but they asked me to pay four stone of grain, which is twice the tax. If I pay it, what will I eat?"
Li Min asked, "So you rejected them first, and then they rushed into your house and took your food?"
Cao Qing said: "They are collecting taxes at random, why don't you say anything?"
Li Min said: "Please answer my question. Was it because you refused to pay the tax that they rushed into your house?"
Cao Qing said emotionally: "They wanted to charge me more taxes, so I refused."
Li Min smiled helplessly and added: "Then they rushed into your house."
Cao Qing nodded.
Li Min asked: "What is your wife doing at this time?"
Cao Qing said: "My wife also wanted to come up to stop them, but one of them took the opportunity to hug my wife..."
Li Min said: "So it was your wife who came up to stop them first, and then the two sides had a physical collision."
Cao Qing said: "That rapist deliberately hugged my wife."
Li Min ignored him and said to Zhang Fei: "I'm done asking questions."
Fan Zhen stood up and asked, "Did they explain why you have to pay so much tax?"
"No." Cao Qing shook his head.
Fan Zhen said: "Then do you have any questions?"
Cao Qing said: "Of course I asked, but they told me to stop talking nonsense and hand over the food quickly, so we started arguing."
"Thank you very much."
Fan Zhen nodded and said to Zhang Fei, "I don't have any other questions."
The defendant Jin Dabao appeared in court next. He was a white and fat middle-aged man who looked wealthy from head to toe.
Fan Zhen stood up and asked, "Jin Dabao, when did you buy the two taxes of Gaoquan Township?"
Jin Dabao said, "I bought it last November, and the tax I collected is this year's tax."
Fan Zhen asked, "Then do you know what the people you hired did to Cao Qing's family?"
Jin Dabao said: "I just found out about it recently. I only collect the money. I don't care about other things."
Fan Zhendao: "So you also condoned their behavior?"
Jin Dabao said: "The people I hired are all experienced and will not make mistakes."
Fan Zhen asked, "What do you mean by experienced?"
Jin Dabao said, "Those people used to work in the government, specifically responsible for collecting taxes. I told them to collect taxes the way the government tells them to. We don't know how to collect taxes, so we can learn from the government, right?"
Fan Zhen's eyes flashed with excitement, and he asked, "So you think the government usually collects taxes in this way?"
Jin Dabao said: "I don't know about that. If not, I will have to cause trouble for them. I made an agreement with them at the beginning. I can't keep an eye on them every day."
Fan Zhen said: "I don't have any other questions for now."
Li Min stood up and held up a piece of evidence. "Grand Judge, these are the confessions we got from more than ten villages in Hezhong Prefecture. These confessions can fully prove that what Jin's subordinates did happened frequently during the government's tax collection process, and people went to file complaints, but the government never held them accountable."
"Present."
The officials in the VIP seats all had a look of despair. As long as they sat there, they felt that they were a disadvantaged group and that everything was blamed on them.
Aren’t you afraid of officials now