When people heard that the procuratorate was investigating the cooperation between the government and Majia Jiekupu, most of them had the same reaction as He Chunlin and his friends and were also shocked.
Does this also need to be reviewed by the procuratorate
They even had some sympathy for the government.
I have also gained a new understanding of the power of the procuratorate.
However, when the final investigation results came out, they did not cause much public opinion, and even the plaintiff did not express dissatisfaction.
Because the process and results of the investigation were far beyond the imagination of Li Min and others, it was so professional and rigorous, and the government also promised that such cooperation would be open to all the warehouses in Hezhong Prefecture. It’s just that the conditions are rather harsh, and you must have a huge amount of wealth to serve as a guarantee. After all, these are all big businesses.
The big landlords who hired Li Min were merely trying to make things difficult for the government and sow discord among them. As for the cooperation between the government and Jiekupu, it would not affect the interests of most of them.
Of course, there are also some far-sighted businessmen who go to the transportation company to inquire about the details of the cooperation.
This "foresight" refers to business based on the rule of law.
After all these twists and turns, the cooperation between the government and Majiajiekupu was finally settled, and Majiajiekupu could finally officially open.
Just one day before the opening, the Majia Jiekupu and the Commissioner of Taxation issued a statement at the same time. The Commissioner of Taxation said that taxes could be paid with salt notes and salt debts, but the interest would not be included.
Majiajiekupu also said that the salt debt could be used as collateral, but the interest would not be included.
As for why Majia Jiekupu did not mention salt notes, it is because the face value of salt notes is too small at the moment and they are purely used as currency. You can use salt notes directly as currency, so why are you coming to me to mortgage anything
As soon as this news came out, the Ministry of Revenue was overcrowded again.
Since taxes can be paid, it means the government guarantees it, and it can also be mortgaged, which means that the people also accept these salt debts and salt notes.
This credit is multiplying.
Of course, all of this is still based on the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems. Without them, who would dare to easily believe that your government would have one policy today and another policy tomorrow
On the same day, Majia Jiekupu also announced its flying money business, which currently mainly includes the flying money transactions between the capital and Hezhong Prefecture. At the same time, it will also establish flying money transactions with Yanzhou, Suizhou, and Hehuang area within this year.
These areas are the frontlines where the Song court is preparing to increase its efforts to operate, and all this flying money must come from the military.
To put it bluntly, it is aimed at the soldiers on the front line who will send money to their families.
Furthermore, a savings service was proposed to make it easier for soldiers' families to store money.
In fact, the Jiekupu in the Song Dynasty has always had this kind of business. It was not brought by Zhang Fei. It’s just that the interest rate was very, very low. The Ma family Jiekupu even increased it a little bit, to 1/1000 of a monthly interest rate, which is 1% of an annual interest rate.
Not bad!
Where can you find such a good thing as helping you keep your money and paying you interest
At the same time, there is another business, which is house and land lending.
On the day when Majia Jiekupu officially opened, the shop was almost packed.
Because these businesses involved almost every citizen, merchants came to inquire, wealthy families came to inquire, soldiers also came to inquire, including those literati who wanted to buy houses.
"Mr. Yang can come to my store to take the money at any time with his household registration and this contract. You can also pay for the shipping fee. We will send someone to deliver the money to the place designated by Mr. Yang."
I saw Fan Zheng standing in front of the door, bowing to a businessman.
"understand."
Mr. Yang nodded repeatedly and said, "But I will keep the money in your store for the time being. I will come to get it when I need it. By the way, can I withdraw it in several installments?"
Fan Zheng smiled and nodded, "All are possible."
"That's fine."
Mr. Yang bowed again and said, "I'll take my leave first. Mr. Fan, please don't see me off."
"Mr. Yang, take care."
Mr. Yang came to the back alley and was about to get on the carriage when he heard someone shouting, "Brother Yang."
Yang Yuanwai looked back and saw Xu Qingnian. He quickly bowed and said, "It's Brother Xu. My apologies! My apologies!"
Xu Qingnian came forward and asked, "Brother Yang, are you in urgent need of money recently?"
Mr. Yang glanced at the contract in his hand and saw that he could not hide it, so he said, "It's not that I'm in urgent need of money, I just want to expand my papermaking workshop."
Xu Qingnian was surprised and asked, "Mr. Yang's papermaking workshop is already big enough, why do you want to expand it?"
Yang Yuanwai said, "I am not the only one who thinks so. Many businessmen are planning to expand their business. Now it is different from the past. In the past, if we wanted to make more money, we had to satisfy the government first, and then we were afraid that we would attract attention. Now it is different. With the Imperial Court, we can protect our legitimate rights and interests. Whatever we earn is our own."
Xu Qingnian asked, "Aren't you afraid of paying taxes?"
Mr. Yang laughed and said, "Brother Xu, the tax nowadays is that the more you earn, the more you pay, and the less you earn, the less you pay. I would rather pay a little more and hope that God will give me this opportunity."
"That's true."
Xu Qingnian laughed.
Mr. Yang said, "I have something else to do, so I'll leave now."
“Okay, okay, okay!”
Xu Qingnian said, "Mr. Yang, please take care."
After Mr. Yang left, Xu Qingnian's entourage suddenly stepped forward and said, "Master, it seems that the problem still lies with the public security, procuratorate and courts!"
Xu Qingnian nodded and said, "In the past, if you didn't have some connections, no one would dare to make too much money. But now it's different. Except for the tax commissioner, the government has no right to ask anyone for money, and the tax commissioner declares voluntarily, which means that if you don't evade taxes, no one will ask you for money. These businessmen naturally want to expand their business."
The servant said, "And those wealthy families also want to buy more land."
Xu Qingnian nodded and said, "This is a rare opportunity. We can't let the Fan family kid make all the money. Go get a few contracts from the Ma family and see how they do it. We can learn from them. As long as our conditions are the same as his, we won't be afraid of him based on our connections in Hezhong Prefecture."
"yes."
... ...
It's bustling outside, but the imperial court is not quiet either. More and more people come here to file lawsuits, but they are all based on civil lawsuits.
Zhang Fei's current job is relatively Buddhist. He just goes to law school to attend classes and discusses cases with the Four Little Kings. All his energy is focused on cultivating talents.
But recently, he has been spending more time with the Four Little Kings because they are about to go out.
meeting room.
"Teacher, there was a lawsuit the day before yesterday. The four of us discussed it for a whole day, but we still didn't know how to judge it."
Cai Bian said.
"Yeah?"
Zhang Fei asked with interest: "Now there is still a eucalyptus that you don't know how to make. What is it?"
Shangguan Jun explained: "It is also a contract dispute. The borrower hopes to repay the loan in advance, but the creditor believes that he is violating the contract by repaying the loan in advance."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "The world has changed. There are still people who pay back their money in advance."
Ye Zuqia said: "We have inquired about it. It is mainly because the interest rate of Majia Jiekupu is a little lower than the current interest rate, and it is also convenient to borrow money on a daily basis. So the borrowers hope to mortgage their houses to Majia Jiekupu, borrow money, and repay the old debts first. This is more cost-effective."
Zhang Fei asked: "Does the contract specify the cost of breach of contract?"
"No."
“Is there an agreed repayment period?”
"Yes. This October."
"So what do you think?"
The four little Vajras looked at each other.
Cai Bian said: "It's not a bad thing to pay back the money in advance. It should be allowed. But if it is based on the principle of contract, it is indeed a violation of the contract."
Ye Zuqia added: "If violating a contract in advance is not considered a breach of contract, then asking for debt in advance is not considered a breach of contract either."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Since it is a violation of the contract, and the creditor is unwilling to accept his early repayment, nor is he willing to settle privately, then the Royal Court has only two decisions, either not allowing early repayment or imposing a penalty for breach of contract."
At this point, he scratched his head lightly. "Although there are penalties for early repayment in the capital city, we don't have relevant laws, but we can use this case to improve it. It depends on what kind of loan it is. If it is just an ordinary loan between neighbors, we can be more biased towards the borrower, but if it is a loan from a special loan store, we have to be more biased towards the creditor."
Shangguan Jun asked: "Why is this?"
Zhang Fei said: "Because for ordinary loans, early repayment will not cause any loss to the creditor. Instead, it is a sign of keeping promises, because the creditor does not make a profit from it. However, commercial loans are different. Merchants want to make money. Maybe people don't lend to others because they see that you have borrowed for a long time. Early repayment may hurt the interests of the creditor. In civil lawsuits, our Royal Court is to defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals, so we have to weigh the interests of both parties."
Cai Bian said: "The creditor in this case is Jiekupu. He knew that the other party wanted to borrow money from Ma's Jiekupu, so he was unwilling to accept it."
Zhang Fei nodded slightly and asked, "What about the repayment method? Do you repay part of the principal and interest every month, or just the interest?"
Cai Bian said: "Repay the principal and interest together every month."
"How much is it?"
"One hundred and twenty strings of cash."
“This is not a small amount of money.”
Zhang Fei thought for a while, "So, if it is the same as the Beijing mortgage, and the principal and interest are repaid every month, then 3% of the outstanding balance must be used as liquidated damages, but if only the interest is repaid every month, then the penalty will be three months' interest.
But you have to make it clear that liquidated damages only apply to commercial loans, not ordinary loans. Ordinary loans can be repaid in advance at any time, and only the interest for that month will be counted.
In addition, you should also point out that this applies to early repayment, but not to early debt collection. The law stipulates that debt collection cannot be made in advance. "
"yes."
"Don't nod so quickly."
Zhang Fei said: "What the teacher said may not be correct. The judicial pursuit is meticulous and reasonable. You can also calculate it yourself. Based on the loan term, amount, and interest, the penalty can be set within a more accurate and reasonable range."
"Can this be calculated?"
"I almost forgot that you are all a bunch of liberal arts students."
Zhang Fei rolled his eyes. "If you can't figure it out yourself, then find someone else to do it. Don't we have a partnership with the Hezhongfu Law Firm? How come your brains are getting duller and duller? If this continues, how can I let you go out without worrying about it?"
"Yes. The students know."
"Cai Jing."
Zhang Fei said to Cai Jing again: "After the verdict, you should immediately write an article on this law and publish it to the public, suggesting that they try to clearly state whether there is a penalty for early repayment, and let the people be sure of this before borrowing."
“The students know.”
"That's all for today."
"Teacher, take care."
The four little Vajras stood up immediately.
Just as I went out, I suddenly saw a beautiful figure walking towards me. It was Gao Wenyin.
"Ma'am, why are you here?"
Zhang Fei felt a little surprised. Gao Wenyin usually didn't go out of the front door or the back door, and seldom came here.
Gao Wenyin said, "Didn't you ask me to prepare some gifts? Today is the day when the Ma family's store opens, and the gifts are already prepared. It's getting late, so I came here to ask."
“Yes!”
Zhang Fei patted his forehead and said, "I almost forgot about this. It turns out that I am only suitable for receiving gifts!"
Then he looked at Xu Zhiqian again, "Master Xu, this is your dereliction of duty."
Xu Zhiqian completely forgot about this matter and said, "You have never expected me to do this kind of thing!"
"That's true." Zhang Fei said, "You are very active in going to court."
Xu Zhiqian stuck out her tongue. This was indeed the fact. How could she remember such an ordinary social event? Even if she remembered, she might not tell her. She was just concentrating on paying back the money in advance.
Zhang Fei immediately followed Gao Wenyin home, changed his clothes, and then rushed to Ma's Jieku Shop.
"Third brother is here."
When he saw Zhang Fei, Fan Zheng immediately came out to greet him.
Zhang Fei said: "Sorry! Sorry! We are too busy with official business and we are late."
"No problem! No problem!"
Fan Zheng extended his hand and said, "Third brother, please come in quickly."
Zhang Fei saw so many people in the store, so he asked, "By the way! Are Yanei and the others here?"
"Drinking in the left wing."
Fan Zheng said, and pulled Zhang Fei aside, "Third brother, can you please not look for Yanei first?"
Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, "Why? You arranged a job for me?"
"No, no, no!" Fan Zheng said in fear, "I just hope that Third Brother can go to the back hall to appease that Scholar Yuan. He came early in the morning and is very nervous. If you don't come, I won't dare to go."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Really?"
Fan Zhengdao said: "Mr. Yuan seems to think that he can make thousands of guan a day by doing business, but how is that possible? I don't know what to say."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Okay, okay! I'll go take a look."
The inner hall of Majiajiekupu.
"Master Yuan, aren't you tired of walking around all the time?"
Zhang Fei looked at Yuan Jiang pacing back and forth in front of him and couldn't help but ask with a smile.
"Drink your tea and leave me alone!"
Yuan Jiang waved his hand.
Zhang Fei was also very obedient. He picked up the teacup and continued to drink. He heard Yuan Jiang muttering to himself, "There's quite a commotion outside. The harvest should be good today."
Zhang Fei opened his mouth, but finally held back and said nothing.
In fact, the most nervous person today was not Fan Zheng who was welcoming guests outside. Although he was young, he had seen big scenes. The really nervous person was Yuan Jiang who was sitting inside waiting, because this cooperation was equivalent to delegating most of the tasks of the new policy to the businessmen, and he came to Hezhong Prefecture to implement the new policy. Whether the Ma family's Jiekupu could be successful would directly affect his political achievements and would also make Wang Anshi think of him.
After a while, there was a creaking sound, and Fan Zheng walked in. Yuan Jiang immediately rushed over and asked, "What's going on? How many people are borrowing money?"
Fan Zheng secretly glanced at Zhang Fei, and Zhang Fei nodded, indicating that he should tell the truth.
Fan Zheng said truthfully: "Not bad, we borrowed ten loans in total."
"so much?"
"so little?"
Yuan Jiang and Zhang Fei said almost at the same time.
After that, the two looked at each other, and Yuan Jiang wondered, "Is this a lot?"
Zhang Fei asked, "Isn't that a lot?"
"Only ten strokes, how can it be too much?"
Yuan Jiang was puzzled.
Zhang Fei immediately said, "Fan Da, you really don't know how to talk. Just tell Scholar Yuan that this is equivalent to borrowing money from so many farmers."
Fan Zheng said: "We have borrowed about 300 strings of cash in total, which is roughly equivalent to the loans of 50 farmers."
Zhang Fei said: "In less than a day, we have borrowed fifty farmers. Isn't that a lot? In addition, this is the first day of opening, which is already an astonishing number."
Fan Zheng also nodded. "Actually, there are many people who want to borrow money, but they are still not sure and are considering it. But there will definitely be more and more people coming in the future."
“But it’s not as much as I thought!”
Yuan Jiang sat down and said, "I need to pay the interest."
What he wants is not the amount of your business, but a shocking amount, because this is the business of the imperial court, and it must be able to give people sensory stimulation. If you lend him a few thousand strings of cash and run to the imperial court to seek credit, you will be beaten out.
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "Master Yuan, there is no way I can pay the interest."
Yuan Jiang was surprised and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Zhang Fei said: "Even if you lend out 100,000 strings of cash a year, the interest will only be 20,000 strings of cash. I heard that the wealthy people in the city would charge 25,000 strings of cash to sell the wine-making license."
Fan Zheng was surprised and asked, "Only 25,000 strings of cash?"
Zhang Fei asked, "How much did you spend at Fanlou?"
Fan Zhengdao: "At least 60,000 strings of cash a year."
Zhang Fei took a deep breath and looked at Yuan Jiang and said, "Master Yuan, how can we pay this little interest? Besides, we still want to make steady progress. We may not be able to get back the capital in a year."
Yuan Jiang said: "Didn't you say it was possible at the beginning?"
"I'm talking about a tax that you get for every tax you pay."
Zhang Fei said: "Why do those people outside borrow money? It's to do business. On the one hand, they have to make money from business, and they have to pay taxes. On the other hand, they have to hire people, and they have to pay wages to the employees, and the people who receive wages also have to pay taxes. Taxes are the key. Now those big landlords outside have figured it out and are deliberately dealing with the tax commissioner."
Yuan Jiang opened his mouth and then glanced at Fan Zheng. Fan Zheng understood, "If Master Yuan has no other questions, I will go out and get busy."
"go Go!"
As soon as Fan Zheng left, Yuan Jiang said to Zhang Fei: "Don't forget that Wang Jiefu is still waiting for our achievements."
Zhang Fei said: "I haven't forgotten that we can collect so much tax thanks to the new law, but we don't benefit directly from the new law. The new law is more like planting grass to raise cattle. The cattle grow food on the farmland. As long as the finances improve, that's all! The court doesn't care where the money comes from."
Yuan Jiang said: "I could say that before, but I just received news that many people in the court believe that the success of Bianjing and Hezhong Prefecture lies in the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems, not the new laws."
Wow! You are really out of touch with the news. You just found out about it now. Zhang Fei pretended to be surprised and said, "Really? This law and this decree are both indispensable. There is no room for debate."
Yuan Jiang sighed: "The affairs of the court are not as simple as you think!"
Zhang Fei said: "I only know that we have made achievements in the improvement of finances. When we return to the court, our words are authoritative. If we say it is a new law, it is a new law. If it is a public security, procuratorate or court, it is a public security, procuratorate or court. If finances do not improve, we will not even have the right to speak, and we will only be scolded."
"That's true."
Yuan Jiang nodded and said, "Now that I think about it, the Green Seed Law can only curb land annexation, but it is wishful thinking to use it to improve finances!"
Zhang Fei smiled slightly. You only know it now! He said, "But if Master Yuan wants to make some noise, it's not impossible."
Yuan Jiang asked hurriedly: "What can you do?"
Zhang Fei said: "The income here is a long-term stream. If you don't understand the principles of taxation, it is difficult to understand the mystery. But this kind of income just meets some of the government's miscellaneous expenses. Yuan Xueshi can count part of the government's expenses in this Jiekupu, and come here to collect some money every month. Then more of the finances can be directly used for the court, and then in the eyes of the court, the accounts will become more attractive."
Yuan Jiang's eyes lit up when he heard this, "This is a good idea, and it can effectively prevent corruption in the government."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded.
Yuan Jiang's worry turned into joy, "You are really smart!"
... ...
"Ziyou! Do you think they were just bluffing at the beginning?"
Fan Zhen stood across the street, looking at the bustling Majia Jieku Shop, looking a little depressed, and asked Su Che who was standing beside him.
Su Zhe said: "I don't think they are just bluffing. I think they must have planned it in advance."
Fan Zhen said: "That is just a false alarm, deliberately luring us into a lawsuit, letting the gentry solve the problem of the shortage of food, and then invest the money from the Changping Warehouse here."
Su Che shook his head and said, "I don't agree with this, because even if the gentry regrets, the government can't do anything about it. The Ministry of Revenue still has to lend money to the people."
"That's true."
Fan Zhenfu nodded, "But I always feel like it's all in vain, haha."
Su Che hesitated for a moment and said, "Master Fan should know that I am very opposed to the Qingmiao Law."
Fan Zhen nodded.
Su Che added: "I oppose the Qingmiao Law because it is impossible for me to improve the finances by just lending money to farmers. The government can only force loans and monopolize loans, which will definitely hurt the people. But now that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs exist, this is almost impossible. In my eyes, the Qingmiao Law is harmless."
Fan Zhen thought for a moment, and suddenly looked at Su Zhe, "You are so good, Su Ziyu, you are still implying that I have worked in vain!"
Su Che hurriedly explained: "I have no such intention. In fact, the lawsuit of Mr. Fan has promoted the progress of public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. It is because of that lawsuit that we all know that the imperial court can stop the Qingmiao Law from attempting to monopolize lending."
"You! You really look more and more like your brother."
Fan Zhen smiled and shook his head, then sighed, "But it's a pity that Wang Jiefu plans to implement the Qingmiao Law in Dongjing East Road again, and this time he doesn't plan to establish a local public security, procuratorial and judicial system first."
Su Che chuckled twice: "If Wang Xueshi had listened to my advice, he wouldn't have been so anxious to promulgate the Qingmiao Law."
... ...
Dengzhou, Procuratorate.
Compared with the Hezhong Prefecture Procuratorate which was being renovated three times a day and growing stronger and stronger, the Dengzhou Procuratorate was becoming increasingly dilapidated, with almost no visitors outside its gate, and it looked lifeless.
Since Su Che went to Hezhong Prefecture to serve as the Chief Prosecutor, he was often so busy that he did not even have time to drink water. However, Fan Chunren, the Chief Prosecutor of Dengzhou, was so idle that he practiced calligraphy in the yamen every day, devoting himself to calligraphy and writing.
At this time, an old servant came in and said, "Sir, I just received news from the government office that the magistrate of Huang County, Deng Guangyuan, has retired and returned home."
Fan Chunren immediately stopped writing, "Why?"
The old servant said, "Because County Magistrate Deng also wanted to follow the example of Magistrate Ouyang and prevent the implementation of the Qingmiao Law in Huang County, and threatened him with his official position. As a result, the court let him retire and return home."
“This is outrageous!”
Fan Chunren put his pen on the pen holder and said, "Wang Jiefu is trying to cover up everything."
Then he turned to the old servant, "By the way! Have you heard back from the lawsuit I filed with the government?"
The old servant nodded and said, "The government office just sent someone to talk about this matter. The government office cited the Huang County incident as an excuse to say that the government office would not accept the case."
Fan Chunren closed his eyes and sighed. After a while, he suddenly turned his head to look at the handsome, red-lipped and white-toothed servant boy beside him, "I am far inferior to your third brother!"
This servant boy was none other than Fang Yun.
When he first came to Dengzhou, Zhang Fei asked Fan Chunren to take care of Fang Yun and protect her from being bullied. Although Fan Chunren agreed, he actually didn't like Fang Yun. He and Sima Guang had the same opinion about Fang Yun. Fang Yun was guilty of murdering her husband. Although legally, you can exonerate Fang Yun, in fact, everyone knows the answer.
These people care more about inner moral qualities.
But after some investigation, he found that Fang Yun was quite kind-hearted, and gradually believed what Zhang Fei said. She was also forced into a desperate situation and had wrong thoughts for a while. Later, she found that Fang Yun had been working hard to study law, so she accepted Fang Yun as her apprentice.
Fang Yun pursed his lips and said timidly: "Students... Students don't think so."
Fan Chunren asked, "What do you think?"
Fang Yun glanced at Fan Chunren nervously.
Fan Chunren smiled and said, "Just say what you think."
Fang Yun said: "I heard that when Third Brother went to Hezhong Prefecture, he was accompanied by the Procuratorate and the Police Station, but here in Dengzhou, there is only a Procuratorate, so it is difficult to exert the power of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs."
A bitter smile appeared on Fan Chunren's lips.
He has been here for more than two years and has made no achievements. You should know that he is more upright than Su Che, but the problem is that Dengzhou has no imperial court, no police station, and only a procuratorate, which is useless. When he went to the government to exercise the procuratorial power, the government always found various excuses to prevaricate.
The procuratorate needs evidence to prosecute, but he has no way to find evidence, so he is caught in a vicious circle. Not to mention civil lawsuits, he is not even in charge of criminal lawsuits.
The only thing that comforted him was Su Shi's letter, which was full of frustrated optimism. At least it proved that it was not his problem.
But with the great success of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs of Hezhong Prefecture, Fan Chunren became a little impatient. It was so lively over there, but I was wasting time here. It really made me anxious!
"Alas... there is no way. After all, the person in charge of judicial reform is Sima Junshi, and he has a cautious personality..."
At this point, Fan Chunren paused again and said, "But no matter what, it is better than Wang Jiefu's impatience. The situation in Hezhong Prefecture is obviously good, but he is eager to implement the new policy without waiting for the public security, procuratorate and courts. Just wait and see, this will definitely cause problems."