With the arrest of Qin Biao, the powerful people in the court also began to take action, and the war was officially launched.
But this was actually nothing new in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The game between power and justice has always existed.
For example, Bao Zheng and Zhao Yan both used the name of law to bring down some powerful officials in the court.
But the difference is that Bao Zheng and Zhao Yan were both individual heroism, which lacked continuity. When Bao Zheng died, the struggle naturally stopped and everything returned to normal.
It is often the power that has the last laugh.
But this time there are no heroes. It can be said that this is a confrontation between the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs and the powerful.
This is of great significance to the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. If the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are ineffective against the powerful, then they will lose their meaning.
It doesn't mean that the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments have to have laws as heavy as mountains that no one dares to violate and violators will be punished. After all, there is an emperor sitting above them.
But at least one thing needs to be proved, that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs have the power to punish those in power and make people fear them.
...
...
If this cannot be done, the public security, procuratorate and courts will be just like the clerks of the past and no one will take them seriously.
But what’s interesting is that the powerful and wealthy didn’t want to deal with the public security, procuratorate and courts. They all hoped to use them to deal with Wang Anshi. Their target was very clear, which was the Commissioner of Taxation.
If the tax commissioner does not investigate, neither the procuratorate nor the royal court can do them much harm.
This tax commissioner is really scary.
Therefore, on the one hand, they asked Li Guozhong to sue for Qin Biao, and on the other hand, they asked Qin Biao's adopted son Qin Hu to go to the police station to sue the Commissioner of Taxation for abusing his power and destroying private houses, which frightened Qin Biao's mother and made her bedridden.
After some investigation, the police station sent the case to the procuratorate.
Procuratorate.
Xu Yuan sighed, "Qin Biao just explained everything clearly, and now this police station is joining in the fun. This case is really getting more and more complicated."
After hiring Li Guozhong, Qin Biao immediately confessed everything. Of course, he only confessed how much land he had.
"This is just the beginning. More complex things are yet to come."
Xu Zun was very excited. The official was interested. He glanced at him and asked, "Do you think we can sue the tax commissioner?"
Qi Ji said: "Based on the testimonies of all parties, I don't think the tax commissioner has committed any crime of abuse of power or dereliction of duty. Although they used siege equipment, it was only to protect the safety of the tax police and did not harm anyone."
Su Che said, "But this has never happened before. The tax commissioner is just following their tax commissioner's regulations. But who gave them the power? Although each government office has its own regulations, this behavior clearly violates the law. If we don't sue the tax commissioner, then the police station can also make such regulations. Wouldn't that be a mess?"
Xu Zun nodded: "Ziyou is right. We should stop this kind of behavior. We can't allow them to do this just because the target is a lawbreaker. If so, why do we have to go through our procuratorate and the imperial court? Can't the tax department just take the grain directly from the Qin family's granary?"
At this point, he paused for a moment, and then said to Su Che, "Both cases will be prosecuted by Ziyou. In addition, regarding the prosecution of the tax commissioner, Ziyou will have full authority to decide, and there is no need to discuss it with me."
Su Che asked: "Why?"
Xu Zun said: "Because the tax commissioner has already hired Zhang San, if we sue, Zhang San may help the tax commissioner defend. After all, he is my son-in-law, so I have to avoid suspicion."
"Zhang... Zhang San?" Su Zhe was stunned for a moment, and said, "Your son-in-law is now a doctor of the Imperial College. Can he still take on the case?"
Xu Zun smiled and said, "I don't know either. When you are in court, ask him about this and see how he answers."
Su Zhe smiled awkwardly, "We have to do our best!"
......
Kaifeng Prefecture.
"President Li, what are you doing?"
Zeng Gong saw Li Kai holding a handful of incense and worshiping in all directions, and he couldn't help feeling curious since it wasn't the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month.
Li Kai hurriedly said, "I am praying to God, please don't bring the case of the Commissioner of Taxation to our provincial government."
Zeng Gong asked curiously, "Why is this?"
Li Kai said: "I just heard that Zhang San took over the case of the tax commissioner. Now when I look at that guy, I feel uncomfortable all over."
Zeng Gong immediately looked at him with contempt: "You are the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, but you are afraid of a spy. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Li Kai said: "I'm not afraid, because Governor Lu was also scared to death before."
"Is... is it?"
Zeng Gong was curious, "No matter how powerful he is, he is not against us. He is just suing for his customers. What are you afraid of?"
Li Kai sighed, "You don't know that our chief judge is the biggest victim of the case he handled. Just by looking at his face and robe, I want to convict him. In the end, it becomes that if I listen to him, I feel uncomfortable and lose face, but if I don't listen to him, I can't do it. It's really uncomfortable!"
Zeng Gong said: "Your words are incoherent, I don't understand what you are saying, but after hearing what you said, I would like to see that boy."
Li Kai said: "After seeing this, Governor Zeng will definitely regret it."
"Yeah?"
Zeng Gong laughed and said, "I don't believe it, but it's a pity that this case is being tried in the Zuo Court and will not be brought to our provincial government."
Li Kai's face lit up, "Really?"
Zeng Gong nodded: "Qin Biao is just a small landlord, how could he possibly cause trouble in our provincial government?"
......
Unlike Li Kai, Lu Jiawen was of the same character as Su Shi. He loved to be in the limelight and believed that he was born for big scenes. He had been ready to try the two cases three days later after receiving the indictment from the procuratorate.
Lu Gong originally wanted to have him try the case carefully and ask clear questions before opening the court, but in the end he failed to persuade him.
Speaking objectively, both cases are actually very simple.
Qin Biao has confessed to all his crimes and explained everything clearly. On the side of the Commissioner of Taxation, the testimonies of all parties are very consistent and there are no objections. The main question is whether the Commissioner of Taxation has the power to do so.
Today is the day of trial.
However, compared with previous lawsuits, these two lawsuits were scheduled in the afternoon.
"Hmm... this robe suits me better. The more I look at it, the more handsome it becomes."
Zhang Fei, wearing the green robe with the white eagle pattern embroidered for him by Gao Wenyin herself, stood in front of the bronze mirror, leaning sideways, turning around, sticking out his chest and buttocks...
Xu Zhiqian, who was sitting next to him, had a gleam of fire in her eyes and gritted her teeth, "How long will you last?"
Without Zhang Fei, she couldn't even get through the door, otherwise she would have left long ago.
Zhang Fei said, "Why are you in such a hurry? This is our second lawsuit, so we still have enough time. This is our first time going to court as husband and wife, so we must pay attention to our appearance and show the temperament of a couple like gods."
Xu Zhiqian said anxiously: "But the first lawsuit is also very important."
Zhang Fei said: "Qin Biao has already pleaded guilty, so the lawsuit is just a formality."
Xu Zhiqian said excitedly: "They will definitely argue about how to punish them. This is very controversial, and we can learn a lot from it."
"study?"
Zhang Fei looked at Xu Zhiqian unhappily, "I am Dr. Zhang from the Law School."
Xu Zhiqian said: "This is also the first time that my father and his men have taken over such a sensitive case. This also concerns the future authority of the procuratorate. Don't you care about my father?"
"Uh... okay, okay, let's go."
Zhang Fei nodded, and then he embraced Gao Wenyin and quickly kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you, Madam, for dressing me up."
Gao Wenyin's face turned red instantly and she glanced at Xu Zhiqian shyly.
There's no hope! Xu Zhiqian rolled her eyes and was the first to go out.
Gao Wenyin said angrily, "Look, Zhiqian is angry."
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "She thinks I'm too nagging. It has nothing to do with Madam, so don't take it to heart. Madam, I'm leaving first."
Gao Wenyin said, "Go quickly."
"Hey! Zhiqian, wait for me."
......
When they arrived at the Zuo Ting, they saw that it was already full of people, all of whom were senior officials. Even Zeng Gongliang, who had not been seen for a long time, came to watch.
Although this case was small, everyone knew that it was the first time the two sides had clashed, and there was no official who was not paying attention to this lawsuit. It was a pity that there were only so many seats, and many officials could not get in.
When Zhang Fei saw Wang Anshi and Sima Guang coming, he greeted them with a smile.
Wang and Sima turned their heads away at the same time, their faces were so dark....
This time they are facing Zhang Fei, and the two of them are a united front.
Neither of them had expected things to come to this.
Zhang Fei, who had suffered a setback, could only take Xu Zhiqian, who was gloating at the side, to the front seat reserved for their pens and sit down.
Qiu Zhengwen had been waiting there for a long time.
After all, you still have to go through the procedures.
"Zhengwen, how is the situation?"
Xu Zhiqian asked anxiously.
Qiu Zhengwen hurriedly said, "In reply to Madam Zhang, the fight is almost over. Prosecutor Su has just finished his final defense, but the Li family still has the upper hand on the scene. However, the procuratorate also wants to pursue the charge of Qin Biao for concealing the land."
"Zhi Qian, it seems we have arrived at the right time."
Zhang Fei couldn't help but look at Xu Zhiqian. Seeing Xu Zhiqian staring at him, he said awkwardly, "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Xu Zhiqian also asked Qiu Zhengwen
He asked, "The evidence is irrefutable, so why is the Li family still in the upper hand?"
Qiu Zhengwen replied: "Qin Biao pleaded guilty right away. They were fighting over the fine. The procuratorate asked for double the fine, but the Li family asked for the fine to be waived..."
Suddenly, there was a sound of a gavel.
"quiet!"
Xu Zhiqian turned her head and saw Li Lei standing up, so she stopped asking questions.
Li Lei bowed his hands first, then said: "In the tax law regulations promulgated by the Legislative Council, one point is repeatedly emphasized, that is, first-time offenders can be exempted from punishment. Although it is only about punishment, why does the Legislative Council emphasize this point.
I think one of the reasons is that the tax commissioner decided to declare the tax in a very short time. This has never happened in our dynasty, not to mention in ancient times. It is normal for omissions to occur. Even the court's explanation for this is that it was an attempt. Isn't the purpose of an attempt to make mistakes?
I believe that after this incident, Qin Biao will not make the same mistake again.
As for the other party saying that Qin Biao did not cooperate with the interrogation of the Tax Commissioner during the trial, it was only because Qin Biao was still in shock at the time. The Tax Commissioner broke into his manor that night and shot an arrow at him. Anyone who encountered such a situation would be frightened. The old lady Qin was frightened and is still bedridden. Qin Biao did not know what kind of punishment he would face if he confessed, so he hesitated and dared not speak clearly.
As for the crime of concealing the land, we have just explained it very clearly. Qin Biao is also a victim. He did not know that the land he bought was concealed. It was not that he intended to conceal the land, but the land was hidden. I hope the president can exempt him from all punishment. "
Xu Zhiqian snorted, "Concealing more than 90% of the income, is this an oversight? It's really a distortion of the truth, shameless."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Zhi Qian, you have fought so many lawsuits, why are you still like this?"
Xu Zhiqian said: "I'm just talking about this in private, is that not okay?"
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Okay! You can say anything in class!"
Lu Jiawen exchanged glances with the six judicial officers sitting below, then slammed the gavel and said, "The court is adjourned for the time being."
Then he turned around and went back into the house with the six judges.
In fact, the emergence of public security, procuratorial and judicial organs also destroyed the original system of separate interrogation and adjudication in the Song Dynasty.
Mainly, the powers of the military assistant manager were replaced by the police station and the procuratorate.
The Sili Canjun represents the Interrogation Division, and is specifically responsible for on-site inspection, case interrogation, and evidence collection. These matters are divided between the police station and the procuratorate, but the Sili Canjun still has his own duties, which is to be responsible for reviewing the indictment submitted by the procuratorate.
However, the power of the judicial officers has become greater. They are still responsible for prosecuting and sentencing, but the president of the court must make the final judgment based on their opinions.
After Lu Jia asked them to enter the house, the courtyard immediately became noisy, with everyone whispering to each other.
There is no way to escape this crime, but the powerful people present think that as long as the sentence is light, it will be their victory. It's just a fine, which is nothing. We can just wait and see.
If the sentence is too severe, who would dare to wait?
"What do you think the verdict will be?"
Xu Zhiqian asked in a low voice.
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "I don't know either."
Xu Zhiqian said: "If the fine is waived, it would be too easy for Qin Biao. Those hidden lands have already evaded a lot of taxes."
After a while, Lu Jiawen and six judicial officers returned to their seats, and the courtyard immediately became quiet.
Lu Jiawen glanced around and said in a very mature manner, "According to the discussion between this official and the six judicial officials, Qin Biao is found guilty of falsely reporting financial affairs. Since the amount of tax he falsely reported reached an astonishing 95%, he should be fined three times according to the law. However, considering that self-reporting is a new rule and has never been used before, it should also be considered at discretion. This official decided to impose a fine of half of the tax amount, plus the amount of tax to be paid, and the late payment penalty stipulated by the new law, a total of 131 strings of money. It must be sent to the tax department within half a month. Otherwise, this official will pursue criminal responsibility and impose a three-fold fine."
As soon as these words were spoken, the dignitaries present at the table could not help but show joy on their faces. This was already the lowest fine, which was much better than they had imagined. He had originally estimated that the fine would be double.
It’s just a few dozen strings of cash, you can tell on me as much as you want, whoever backs down is a grandson.
This was because it was Su Che's first time in court, and he was not as experienced as Li Lei in terms of details. He could not prove that Qin Biao acted maliciously. As for concealing the land, they also lacked evidence. The reason was that the Tax Commissioner did not provide enough evidence to the Procuratorate, and it was the Procuratorate that wanted to include this crime.
However, there was no sign of frustration on Su Zhe's face, he was very calm. Unlike his brother, he was eager to win and had already prepared for the worst.
After a short break, Lu Jiawen began to try the second case. The procuratorate sued the tax commissioner for abusing his power and destroying private houses.
This scene also made many people feel incredible, because they were just sitting opposite Qin Biao, but now they were sitting on the side of the procuratorate.
At the same time, two familiar figures came into the hall. They were the couple Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian.
The long-lost green robe made many people hate it.
Wang Anshi couldn't help but say: "This brat is still so hateful!"
Sima Guang subconsciously replied: "Who says it's not?"
"Mr. Judge!"
Su Che suddenly stood up and said, "Zhang San is now an official appointed by the court. He should not be here. If an official appointed by the court can go to court to defend someone, it will infringe upon the authority of our procuratorate."
Lu Jiawen couldn't help but look at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei stood up and said with a smile: "First of all, I am not the first one. Officials Fan Chunren and Qian Yi also went to court to argue before."
Su Che immediately retorted: "There was no procuratorate at that time, and that was also a special case."
"I know."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Secondly, why did I go to the Imperial College to serve as an assistant teacher and doctor? The reason is that Sima Xueshi took a fancy to my knowledge of litigation. If I can no longer litigate as an ear writer, I can't accumulate my own experience, and then I can no longer be qualified for the position of doctor of the Imperial College.
It is for this reason that the court did not take back my official documents, and the government did not take back the imperial plaque, because this was required by my duties. I can cite ten thousand examples of such cases. "
Lu Jiawen nodded and said, "Okay, then give me 10,000 examples."
You little brat, you are so ungrateful. Have you forgotten who brought you out? Zhang Fei laughed twice and said, "You all have seen that I have not been in battle for a long time, and my words are not as strict as before. How can I teach students like this?"
Lu Jia asked, "Please sit down, both of you."
[Please do not transcode the reading (similar to Baidu) or the content will be lost]
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