“It’s really too cheap for them.”
After seeing off Li Guozhong and others, Xu Zhiqian's words almost made Fan Li and Qiu Zhengwen fall down on the spot.
"Enough! Enough!"
Fan Li said repeatedly: "This is already very difficult. Not to mention our spies, even the court has never recovered the 500,000 strings of cash fine. This, this, this..."
He didn't even know how to describe this letter of intent for settlement.
In fact, Zhang Fei has used this tactic of asking for an exorbitant price before, but the amount he finally obtained was often very limited.
It's not a sky-high price in the monetary sense.
As for the claim against Wei Yushan, that is just the tip of the iceberg.
And this time, the claim is definitely a sky-high price.
Break all previous records.
...
...
The key point is that the opponents are all super landlords in Tokyo, which was simply unimaginable in the past.
Zhang Fei glanced at Fan Li, who was unable to speak clearly, and laughed. He then said to Xu Zhiqian, "In a negotiation, we can't just look at how much the other party pays, we also have to look at how much we gain."
Xu Zhiqian was stunned. "Isn't the compensation from the other party what we get?"
"Absolutely not."
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "What our employer has gained is far more than 500,000 strings of cash, and it is of far-reaching significance."
Qiu Zhengwen, who was standing by, was very curious and asked, "Third brother, what do you mean?"
"You will know then."
Zhang Fei smiled profoundly, and suddenly added: "Actually, it's still a little bit behind. At least compared to our neighbors, it's still far behind. We still need to work hard."
Qiu Zhengwen was shocked when he heard this. "Neighbor? Who is it?"
Zhang Fei said: "Liao Kingdom!"
Fan Li was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He turned pale with fear. "Hey, Sanlang, please don't say that. If someone hears it, we will suffer."
Zhang Fei smiled and didn't say anything else.
Fan Li quickly changed the subject, "Then do you think Kaifeng Prefecture will agree to this?"
Zhang Fei asked in return: "When will it be Kaifeng Prefecture's turn to make the decision?"
"......?"
.......
A fruitful negotiation will satisfy both parties, and even the party that makes the payment will not feel at a disadvantage.
For example, this time.
Although Li Guozhong and others agreed to many of Zhang Fei's "harsh" conditions.
But when Li Guozhong and his companions brought the news back, the landlords were ecstatic and praised Li Guozhong and his companions.
You guys are awesome.
major!
All these losses, added together and spread out evenly, left each person with less than 10,000 strings of cash.
value!
It’s totally worth it!
Isn’t it just ten thousand strings of cash?
I can afford it.
Woo woo woo....!
As for the scholars and officials, they all breathed a sigh of relief and were very willing to accept the price. No one had any complaints.
Because in this game, they lost miserably and were completely controlled by the little emperor.
There will definitely be a price to pay.
Zhang Fei represented the imperial court, and behind him were the young emperor and Wang Anshi.
He is willing to reconcile, which means that the emperor will not investigate this case further.
This is the best outcome.
As for money?
This little bit of money is what I deserve.
But the worry has not been completely put to rest, because the two parties have only signed a letter of intent, and the key lies in whether Kaifeng Prefecture is willing to accept it.
Although they all expected that Kaifeng Prefecture would definitely agree, they would find it difficult to completely let go of their worries as long as Kaifeng Prefecture did not make a verdict.
Therefore, they arrived at Kaifeng Prefecture early the next morning.
There was almost no one sitting, everyone was standing, but no one was chatting. The atmosphere was quite weird, so when Su Shi, Su Zhe and others came here, they couldn't help but feel their hair stand on end when they looked at the empty chairs and the pairs of dark circles under their eyes.
What is going on?
But they soon learned that Zhang Fei and Li Guozhong had already arrived and were now discussing with Lu Gongzhe and others in the hall.
"Plead guilty?"
Lu Gong looked at Li Guozhong and others with a little surprise.
Li Guozhong nodded and said, "In reply to the prefect, my employer has realized the mistakes he made and is willing to plead guilty and make compensation for his mistakes."
We cannot say that we have reached a settlement with the Kaifeng Prefecture. After all, this case is about tax evasion, which is an illegal act. If we say that we have reached a settlement in name, it would be a blasphemy against the law. We must say that we have admitted our guilt.
Lu Gong was a little puzzled. If you admit to this crime, then according to the punishment, even if you are exempted from the death penalty, you will still be sentenced to life imprisonment.
In the Song Dynasty, the punishment for tax evasion was actually very severe, and the highest punishment could be lingchi.
At this time, Li Guozhong took out a confession letter and handed it over.
When Lu Gong saw the confession, he immediately understood what was going on.
The above charges were very minor. They admitted to whatever Wang Anshi had accused them of. The compensation they were willing to pay was far greater than the crimes they admitted to.
I have never seen such a sincere confession.
Lu Gong couldn't help but look at Zhang Fei and cursed inwardly, this brat is really at ease! He frowned and asked, "Zhang San, are you satisfied with this?"
Zhang Fei said: "We are very satisfied."
Li Kai, Cen Yuanli and others were somewhat confused. How could you, a mere earpiece, have the final say on such an illegal matter? Could it be that our Kaifeng Prefecture was really opened by his family?
Lu Gong nodded and said, "You go out first, we need to discuss it."
"I'll take my leave."
After Zhang Fei and Li Guozhong withdrew.
Li Kai immediately complained: "Prefect Lu, we should make the decision on how to sentence the suspect. How can we let them decide?"
In fact, they all want to finish early, and that's enough, but who makes the decision is very crucial.
Lu Gongzhu sighed and said, "If we follow the law, we can't decide."
"ah?"
The judges were all dumbfounded.
Lu Gong then showed them the confession.
After Li Kai and the others saw it, they looked at each other in surprise.
We almost reached the gate of hell yesterday, but after this night, we went straight back to the human world.
What’s even more outrageous is that if these are the only crimes considered, then the punishment would be too excessive.
It doesn't match at all!
Yu Zaishen was puzzled and said, "Prefect, based on yesterday's trial, it is impossible that this is the only charge. We cannot sentence them based on how they plead guilty. This... will damage the prestige of our Kaifeng Prefecture."
Lu Gong then asked, "Then tell me, what crime did they commit?"
Cen Yuanli asked, "What about the tax bills and account books?"
In fact, they didn't want to get involved in this matter and left it to their superiors to deal with, but now they are still competing with Zhang Fei and others.
Why do you have the final say?
Lu Gong said, "Look carefully, Zhou Cai is not included in the list. Du Shaojing and others also did not show their tax bills. Although their names are on the account book, as long as they do not show their tax bills, it is the fault of the court. There is no evidence to prove that they are involved."
Li Kai added: "Yesterday Du Shaojing already admitted his crime."
Lu Gong said, "That was not his admission, but Zhang San's complaint. Even the tax evasion in the deed was added by Zhang San. If Zhang San withdraws these lawsuits, what can we use to convict him?"
After these words were spoken, Li Kai and others were all confused.
Can it still be done this way?
But if you think about it, they are really helpless.
Putting aside the background of the imperial court, the initiative is still in Zhang Fei's hands.
You have to know that what Wang Anshi complained about at the beginning did not include tax evasion through white deeds. That was added by Zhang Fei in court. It also did not include tax evasion land transferred to temples and Taoist temples. He only sued them for tax evasion land through red deeds.
This amount of tax evasion is actually very small.
If a sentence is given, it won't be too severe.
The key lies in Zhang Fei. If he wants to prosecute these charges, he has to fight on. Zhang Fei has to provide evidence. The power of judgment lies in the hands of Kaifeng Prefecture. But if Zhang Fei does not prosecute, then the other party has not violated the law.
If you, the Kaifeng government, think that they have violated the law, you should investigate and judge them yourself.
We can’t force Zhang Fei to sue.
After all, Zhang Fei is not a prosecutor.
It can be seen that if Kaifeng Prefecture acts according to the law, its hands and feet will be restricted.
Li Kai felt very humble again, "But what kind of talk is this? How to sentence him, whether it's light or heavy, it's all up to him, Zhang Fei, to decide."
Lu Gong said hesitantly, "We can also continue to investigate this case after we finish this lawsuit. Zhou Cai must have some clues."
Because there is no prosecutor now, Kaifeng Prefecture has taken full control of judicial power. The other party in this case has already revealed numerous flaws, so Kaifeng Prefecture can definitely conduct the trial and investigation on its own.
But the problem is that Zhang Fei represents the imperial court. If the imperial court does not support him, it will be difficult for Kaifeng Prefecture to investigate the case thoroughly.
“.......!”
Li Kai and the others were unwilling again.
In their view, Zhang Fei caused the trouble and he took the money, so it is even more unacceptable for us to clean up the mess and do this dirty, tiring and offensive job.
Li Kai said: "Why not add some more charges to them."
"Even if we add another level of crime to this charge, their compensation will be more than enough." Lu Gong thought for a while and said, "The only thing we can do now is to try to figure out how to use this fine."
Li Kai and the others all looked delighted.
If we can get this 500,000 strings of cash fine, it would be like stealing!
Of course you can.
Lu Gong then ordered someone to invite Wang Anshi to the inner hall.
Lü Gong did not look at Wang Anshi in a good light, and said directly: "We in Kaifeng have decided to accept their confession and use the fine of 500,000 strings of cash to offset the taxes this year for the self-cultivating farmers who have been deeply persecuted by them."
Wang Anshi was stunned. "This is the compensation the court claimed. Why do you, Kaifeng Prefecture, make the decision?"
Lu Gong said, "If you don't agree, I won't judge."
Wang Anshi said excitedly: "Uncle Hui, you are going too far. This is simply bending the law for personal gain."
Lu Gong suddenly jumped up and yelled at Wang Anshi, "Am I going too far, or are you guys going too far? If you want to sue, sue. If you want to withdraw, withdraw. Do you really think that Kaifeng Prefecture is owned by your family? Especially that brat Zhang Fei, he is even more hateful. Does he think he can cover up the sky with one hand here?"
Wang Anshi still felt guilty when facing the furious Lu Gongzhe. "Don't get excited. As the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, you must act according to the law. You have no reason not to judge."
Lu Gong said, "Look, do I have any?"
Wang Anshi hesitated for a while and said, "Half and half. I also plan to use this money to repair the river and compensate the corvées. You know I will soon promulgate a new corvée law."
Lu Gong said: "If this money is used to repair the river, it will most likely go into their pockets. How much can the officials get? It is most practical to use it to offset the taxes of the people. This money will still go into the national treasury without a penny less. I don't care how the court uses it.
Zhang San also made it very clear in court that the reason why Li Sancai and his people became their tenants was because they helped the landlords to bear the taxes. The money should be compensated to the self-cultivating farmers who bore the taxes for them. "
He is not stupid. The court should spend money to hire people to repair the river. You use this money to hire people, and the court will make a pure profit.
Wang Anshi was dissatisfied and said: "You are too overbearing."
Lu Gong said, "I want the money, and we want the reputation. Don't you know how much you, Wang Jiefu, can get from this case? Once this case is sentenced, those landlords will have to pay the taxes. You can also take the opportunity to suggest that His Majesty reform the tenants. Those tenants will remember your kindness, Wang Anshi, and you will gain both fame and fortune."
Wang Anshi saw that he couldn't win the argument, so he stood up and said, "I don't understand the law. I won't talk to you anymore. I'll let my spies talk to you."
Lu Gong snorted, "It doesn't matter who comes."
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