Northern Song Dynasty Justice

Chapter 597
Yuan Jiang's last sentence really left Wei Yingfang and others speechless.

The Public Security Bureau has not even sent it away, and the Taxation Department came again, which is really endless!
But in fact, this is Yuan Jiang and Zhang Fei's consistent routine. You must know that the entire public security law was established step by step during their struggle.

Because as long as there is a struggle, interests will flow, and they will be able to squeeze more interests into it.

Originally, Zhang Fei planned to let the tax department come to Hezhong Mansion next year, but he had to find a suitable reason, and this case provided them with a perfect reason.

Wei Yingfang and the others were very troubled by this.

Although they haven't seen the Taxation Department with their own eyes, the self-declaration last time has given them a very deep understanding of the Taxation Department.

This is not a good thing.

But they still think that time is on their side, because when this lawsuit spreads to the capital, the old and the new will definitely fight over the Young Crop Law. Before this matter is clarified, it is impossible for the tax department to come to Hezhong Mansion.

They need to wait patiently for the results in Beijing.

They predicted that as long as this matter spread to the capital, there would be a riot, and it would never stop easily.

However, this judgment also has a great impact on the political structure of the entire Hezhong Prefecture, because it has completely changed the situation where the government is dominated by one family.

Although the imperial court is also an official office of the imperial court and belongs to the ruling class, due to the special power of its functions, the common people also participated in it. , This forms a new check and balance, but this change is relatively subtle.

In addition, the entire trial process also made many officials feel terrified, and they couldn't sleep all night.

Because it exposes the ugly side of the ruling class, which has never been seen before, and they are afraid that it will cause unrest.

On the fourth day after the verdict, Wang Shao, Guo Kui, and Cai Yanqing secretly went to various villages in a carriage to inspect. If there are signs, they must find a way to suppress them in time.

This wave of officials has only one requirement for the struggle between the two sides, and that is not to mess up the Hezhong Mansion. This is also their bottom line, because they know that they are powerless to stop their struggle, so they can only set up a guardrail , Protect what you want to protect.

But the results surprised them.

Instead of complaining or arguing, the villagers became more active. They were all looking for work, looking for deals, walking around, and the number of people entering the city was much higher than in previous years, showing a thriving atmosphere. scene.

"I see."

Cai Yanqing nodded thoughtfully.

Guo Kui asked, "Why did Prefect Cai say that?"

Cai Yanqing replied: "We only see the people's dissatisfaction with the gentry and the government, but we ignore the people's trust in the imperial court. Yesterday's trial brought confidence to the people, not despair!"

Wang Shao nodded: "Yesterday, Yuan Xueshi and Liang Youyi's confessions in court did not happen recently. They have always been like this. How could the people not know, and they had nothing to do about it before. Now But the imperial court provided them with help, and made the people no longer afraid of officials, landlords, and squires, and they dared to do more things, because they believed that the imperial court could make decisions for them."

In a word, it is a sense of security.

In the past, the common people were very negative, just earn a little, and live. If you earn more, you may hand over more.

For example, those second- and third-class households would rather go bankrupt or self-mutilate than avoid government service. They are determined not to take advantage of the court, because the court's approach is to kill chickens to get eggs. Once you have no eggs, the court will not kill you.

That's the idea.

Guo Kui suddenly realized, "In this way, the biggest winner is actually the imperial court."

As he said that, he chuckled again, "Those people tried their best to deal with the imperial court, but in the end they helped the imperial court."

Wang Shao shook his head and said: "It's hard to say at the moment, because they want to borrow a knife to kill people, and it depends on the attitude of the capital to this judgment."

Cai Yanqing also nodded slightly.

Those officials are not stupid, and they will take the initiative to send a big gift to the imperial court. In fact, this lawsuit is not complicated at all. The difficulty lies in whether you dare to make such a judgment.

Whether you can afford the consequences of the sentence.

This is also the best way to deal with the imperial court at present, because they have tried many times, and the result is that they cannot shake the foundation of the imperial court in the Hezhong Mansion until the big backer behind the imperial court is not defeated.

Today, the imperial court also ushered in its own highlight moment.

A large number of scholars and literati rushed to the imperial court to enroll in the law school, and the Four King Kongs were forced to come out to help because there were too many people.

Many of them had recently dropped out of school.

But it was all persecuted by the scholar-bureaucrats, but after yesterday's trial, they suddenly discovered that you have also appealed to the imperial court, so why not allow us to sign up.

Moreover, if you dare to use this matter to expel us from our hometown, then we will come to the imperial court to sue.

Yesterday, the chief judge made it very clear that the patriarchal clan is just a folk agreement, and the relationship is equal. If there is oppression, you can come to the imperial court to sue.

Of course, the main reason is that young scholars saw an opportunity to gain prestige.

As far as the eight interns in the imperial court are concerned, they are all the sons of merchants, and their families do not have any background, but because they work in the imperial court, they can be respected by the people. Many disputes in the market, the neighbors are more willing to ask them to judge , instead of looking for those respected scholar-bureaucrats.

For young people, this is an excellent opportunity to take the top position.

And on the hillside not far away, stood a pair of Bi people, it was Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian.

Looking at the vast number of scholars in front of the door, Xu Zhiqian was a little apprehensive: "It won't be a few days before they come to drop out of school again?"

Zhang Fei said with a smile: "This time, you can rest assured that they will not easily target the imperial court again while the Green Crop Law still exists, because their ultimate move is not here."

After hearing this, Xu Zhiqian nodded slightly, "I didn't expect that everything would go so smoothly."

Zhang Fei hehe twice: "Beauty, our real test has not yet begun!"

"what?"

Xu Zhiqian was taken aback, and said, "Didn't you say that there will be no problem in the capital?"

Zhang Fei said: "I'm not referring to the capital, nor this matter."

"Then what do you mean?" Xu Zhiqian asked curiously.

A helpless smile rose from the corner of Zhang Fei's mouth, "Actually, fairness and justice are not what everyone really pursues in their hearts, they just sound nice. Think about it, there are so many unselfish ministers throughout the ages, but only a very few have been reused. If the Public Security Bureau hopes to rely on fairness and justice to gain a foothold, it will still fail in all likelihood.”

Xu Zhiqian said: "Then what can I rely on to gain a foothold?"

Zhang Fei said with emotion: "The world is prosperous, and it is all for the benefit."

"Benefit?"

"good."

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "Why do you pursue fairness and justice? In essence, you want to protect your own interests. If the public security law cannot be transformed into real benefits, it will definitely not last forever.

Because the fundamental problem of the country is not in fairness and justice, but in finance. This is the top priority. If the finances of the Hezhong government cannot be improved, these problems will soon follow. Dealing with it, after all, fairness and justice are not enough to fill one's stomach, and the support of the court will soon be lost, and the wall will be overthrown by everyone. "

Xu Zhiqian broke out in a cold sweat involuntarily. Although in her mind, fairness and justice were obviously more important, but she also knew that if the finances were not improved, no one would care about them.

Because in the final analysis, the court still wants money.

If fairness and justice block the recovery of finances, then the death must be the public prosecutor's law.

That's why, at every critical moment, Zhang Fei must first discuss with Yuan Jiang how to benefit financially during the struggle.

Xu Zhiqian suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly said: "I remember you once said that public security can make business prosperous."

"You haven't forgotten."

Zhang Fei smiled with relief, and immediately said seriously: "Yes, the agriculture in Hezhong Prefecture is not very good, and the agricultural tax is less than one-third of that of Jiangnan prefectures and counties. The only thing that can develop is commerce, because Hezhong Prefecture has salt horse tea. Trade, and at the same time the logistics base for the Northwest War, this is the advantage of the Hezhong Mansion."

Xu Zhiqian said: "No wonder you asked the police station to take action immediately after the trial."

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "What businessmen need most in today's world is fair laws. At the same time, businessmen can generate benefits. They are our natural allies. At present, the business of Hezhong Prefecture is basically controlled by those officials. We must We must break this point so that more businessmen can develop, and then cooperate with the tax department to pursue more commercial taxes.”

Xu Zhiqian nodded thoughtfully: "I see."

After a while, she suddenly looked at Zhang Fei again, "I thought we only needed to revitalize the judiciary, but I didn't expect to do so many things."

Zhang Fei said with a smile: "If you really only pursue fairness and justice, there is no need to send me here. There are so many upright officials in the court, and they can still do a good job."

The reason why Zhao Xu supported Zhang Fei as always and remained unmoved was that Zhang Fei had made a complete plan for him, and the key to this plan was commercial tax, not the public security law, which was just a tool to collect commercial tax.

This agricultural tax is really too difficult to collect, and the interests inside are intertwined, so it is better to focus on business, and the public security law is born for business tax, and at the same time it can eliminate officials.

He never boasted about fairness and justice to Zhao Xu, because he knew that this thing could not attract Zhao Xu.

Didn't Zhao Xu know the value of fairness and justice before?

Of course he knew.

But the court has no money, and I can't do anything, so you still talk to me about fairness and justice?
However, this lawsuit created an excellent opportunity for the public security law, because in the local area, it is obvious that the conservatives are more powerful, but now they are all hoping that the public security law will fight against the new law, so when the outcome is not decided, they will naturally Don't dare openly oppose the public prosecutor's law again.

But creating a better environment for doing business depends on the Royal Police.

Since they came to Hezhong Mansion, Zhang Fei has tried his best to create a peaceful environment for the police station, and now they have to stand up and play their role.

There is a saying that raise soldiers for a thousand days and use them for a while.

It was night now, but the lights were still brightly lit in a large house in the north of the city, and the noise coming from inside was enough to make it difficult for the neighbors to fall asleep.

At this time, a group of people suddenly rushed to the door.

Bang!
But seeing the leader, he kicked open the door directly.

"who?"

"Who are you, dare to come here to make trouble, do you know who owns this territory?"

While the figure was swaying, seeing three or five idlers, they rushed out immediately with wooden sticks in their hands.

This person didn't even see it clearly, but just screamed.

But a dark-skinned young man stepped forward, "We are the Royal Police, tell your boss to come out."

It's not who Ma Xiaoyi is.

"Royal police?"

The three or five idlers started to retreat, because they found that the opponent's equipment was obviously better, and there were more people than them.

At this time, a burly middle-aged man stepped forward, "What's the matter?"

One of the idlers immediately said: "Brother, Royal Police."

The middle-aged man glanced at Ma Xiaoyi, and immediately came forward, "It turns out that Sergeant Ma came here, I'm disrespectful, I'm Meng Sheng, the owner of this gambling house, I don't know what advice Sergeant Ma has."

Ma Xiaoyi showed up in the imperial court every day, and most of the people in the city knew him.

Ma Xiaoyi said: "Someone went to the royal court to complain that your gambling shop is disturbing the people, and it has also increased the number of thieves in the surrounding area. Therefore, you must first close the shop and stop the business, and then accept our investigation."

Meng Sheng whispered: "Sheriff Ma, I will lose a lot of money if I suspend my business for one day. My uncle works in the Yongxing Army. See if you can accommodate me."

As he spoke, he did not know where to take out some pieces of silver.

Is the Hezhong Mansion so poor? Use this little money to bribe them.Ma Xiaoyi couldn't help but look at him with contempt. In their Ma's house, this little money was used to send servants. He said solemnly: "Closing business immediately, and then go to the police station with me to accept investigation. If you If you can’t do it, the sheriff can order someone to help you.”

The royal police behind him immediately became restless.

"Don't, don't!"

Meng Sheng was so frightened that he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Close the door, I will ask someone to close the door immediately."

As he spoke, he yelled at the idle man next to him, "Hurry up."

"Yes."

After a while, I saw a group of gamblers coming out in a file.

South of the city.

In a Goulan cottage, the guests were embracing the wonderful woman, shaking their heads, immersed in the wonderful sound of the piano, when a group of uninvited guests arrived, interrupting their wonderful moment, and the sound of the piano also stopped abruptly at this moment.

But seeing Cao Dongdong leading more than [-] royal policemen, broke into the house, the man stood in front of the door with his hands on his hips, his majestic gaze swept over him.

The people sitting here are all the dignitaries of the Hezhong Mansion. When they saw so many royal policemen, they couldn't help feeling a little panicked. They all thought to themselves, they are here to arrest me, right?

Many people even directly covered their faces, deceiving their ears.

"What's the matter, policemen?"

A person in charge immediately came forward to inquire.

Cao Dongdong glanced sideways: "Let your boss come out."

"I am here."

But I saw a middle-aged man in his forties with a goatee walking over quickly, cupped his hands and said, "What's the job of Superintendent Cao?"

Cao Dongdong sized him up for a moment and said, "Are you Lin Shaowei, the proprietor of this cottage?"

"Yes, Xiaomin is Lin Shaowei."

"You are suspected of occupying a private house. Now go back to the police station with this superintendent for investigation."

Cao Dongdong took out an arrest warrant and shook it directly on Lin Shaowei's face.

"Occupying private houses?" Lin Shaowei couldn't help panicking.

At this time, another person came, it was Cao Yi, the transit judge, "What's the matter?"

"Yo, Judge Cao is here?"

"This is my brother-in-law." Cao Yi wondered, "I don't know what he did?"

Cao Dongdong said: "He is suspected of occupying private houses."

Cao Yi frowned slightly, and said again: "I think there must be some misunderstanding, and I hope Superintendent Cao can forgive me."

The implication is to save face.

Cao Dongdong said: "I don't know much about this, but they have already reported to the imperial court. This is an arrest warrant issued by the imperial court."

After all, he sent the arrest warrant to Cao Yi again.

Seeing that it was an arrest warrant issued by the imperial court, Cao Yi pretended to be anxious and said, "Oh! What should I do? My brother-in-law's family is all dependent on him to support him. .”

Cao Dongdong said: "Judge Cao, don't worry. It's still in the trial stage. Whether you will be guilty or not depends on the trial at the time. But Judge Cao can ask De Erbi to file a lawsuit for your brother-in-law."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Cao Yi nodded, and then winked at Lin Shaowei, signaling him to follow first.

In the early morning, Meat Lane.

But I saw a butcher with a fierce face picking up a butcher's knife and chopping the mutton on the chopping board into pieces without emotion.

At this time, two royal policemen came over, it was Zhou Jia and Ou Jun.

"You are Jiang Tu?"

"That's me, what's the matter, you two?"

Jiang Tu held the butcher's knife in his hand, and looked sideways at Zhou and Ou.

Zhou Jia took out the arrest warrant and said, "You are suspected of bullying the people and dominating the market, buying and selling by force, and evading taxes. Please come with us to the police station for investigation."

Jiang Tu swung the knife suddenly, only to hear a bang, and the sharp butcher knife immediately stood on the chopping board.

The butchers of the four or five meat cases next to him also walked slowly towards this side with butcher knives.

Jiang Tu sat down, picked up a jug of wine beside him, drank a big gulp, then raised his face and looked at the two of them, "What evidence do you have?"

Zhou Jia ignored the butchers around him and stared at Jiang Tu, "Please come with us immediately, otherwise, we will increase your charges of resisting arrest."

Jiang Tu smiled coldly, "If you have the ability, you will take me back?"

Before the words fell, only a piercing sound was heard, but a cold arrow was shot directly at the meat case.

There was a bang.

Another hum was heard.

The butchers who were slowly approaching at the side immediately ignored it, and hurried back to the meat case, pretending to be very busy.

Jiang Tu was also dumbfounded, and jumped up excitedly, "You two policemen, I'm just a butcher, why are you making cold shots?"

I've never seen this scene before. How could the Yamen in the past know how to shoot arrows, and they couldn't hold a knife well.

Ou Jun pointed at him with deep eyebrows and said: "If you don't come out again, don't blame us for using force."

Jiang Tu quickly came out of the meat case, and said aggrievedly: "Royal police, I was wronged."

"Stop talking nonsense, let's go!"

At this time, the people nearby applauded him one after another.

"Okay, okay, this bully should have been caught long ago."

"This bully always forces us to buy his meat, but his meat is expensive and not good."

In the southern suburbs, more than [-] royal policemen surrounded a main store, and a dozen idlers holding sticks walked back slowly with trembling steps.

"Dear royal policemen, what happened to this? Such a big fight?"

But I saw a short middle-aged man wearing a small cap standing in front of the door, and said to the royal police in fear.

"You are Zhou Zheng?"

"Yes, Xiaomin is exactly."

"You are suspected of forced buying and selling, extortion, and now go back with us to investigate."

"Misunderstanding! This must be a misunderstanding! My uncle is working in the prison."

"Is it Shi Maocai?"

"You know my uncle?"

"He's already at the police station."

"???"

On an official road leading to Jingzhao Mansion, I saw more than [-] wild dogs running wildly on the road, barking and barking non-stop. After a while, they came to a corner, stopped suddenly, and then retreated while walking. Bark forward.

I saw a group of people in uniform walking slowly.

"Sheriff Ma, it's these wild dogs. According to what the businessman said, the bully around here has raised dozens of wild dogs here, forcing them to walk on the single-plank bridge over the mountain to collect tolls."

A royal policeman said to Ma Xiaoyi.

Ma Xiaoyi stretched out his hand, "Bring me a bow and arrow."

Immediately handed over a pair of bows and arrows, Ma Xiaoyi opened the bow and set the arrow, and shot one of the wild dogs to death.

There was only a whimper, and the wild dog ran back crazily.

Ma Xiaoyi led the royal police to chase after the victory, and continued to hunt and kill these wild dogs while running.

"stop!"

Suddenly there was a loud shout.

But I saw seven or eight villagers rushing up from the fields with weapons in hand.

"Who are you, dare to kill my dog." A beard blocked Ma Xiaoyi's way.

Ma Xiaoyi said: "Which of you is Li Song?"

The bearded man froze for a moment, "I am."

Ma Xiaoyi smiled and said, "It really didn't take much effort. I am Ma Xiaoyi, a royal policeman. You are suspected of deliberately condoning mad dogs to bite people, occupying roads, extorting people, and now follow me back to the police station for investigation."

"Fart your mother! This road belongs to my village. I raise dogs here, and no one cares."

"If you have grievances, you can go to the judge and tell the judge, and now you must go back with us to investigate."

"If I don't go, what can you do?"

Ma Xiaoyi said: "You really want to toast and don't eat fine wine. Come on!"

That is, the horse rushed over.

More than [-] royal policemen behind them also pounced on them one after another. They are all masters in the barracks.

Those villagers are all stupid. The former government officials never used force with the villagers. They usually asked for some money for tea. These royal policemen came up to do it without showing any sympathy!
"With this ability, I dare to charge tolls."

Ma Xiaoyi despised Li Song, and said: "You are still suspected of resisting arrest and beating the Royal Police."

(End of this chapter)