Chapter 631 of the Text of the Chief Justice of the Northern Song Dynasty: The Rogue Office For a while, there was a lot of discussion.
This amount made these prominent people unable to pretend any longer, but what surprised them was not the Tax Commissioner's keen insight, but the fact that they had not expected that Yin Chengxing had evaded so much tax.
You have to know that people in ancient times loved to hide their wealth and not show off their money. Everyone only knows that Yin Chengxing is a rich man, but no one knows how much money he can make.
He evaded more than 3,000 guan in taxes this year. How much do you have to earn?
In fact, it has been the same since ancient times. Most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of people.
At least half of the land in Hezhong Prefecture is controlled by the government or these super-rich people.
"Silence! Silence!"
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel several times in a row, finally stopping the outside public opinion, and then asked Yin Chengxing seriously: "Defendant, you said that the other party was talking nonsense and you did not evade so much tax, so how much tax did you evade?"
Li Min and Lu Bangxing felt a headache after hearing this. When these people came to them, they were full of confidence, but they turned out to be so vulnerable. They were exposed as soon as they asked a question for the first time. They are not afraid of god-like opponents, but pig-like teammates!
well.!
...
...
Yin Chengxing was startled, and suddenly realized that he had let something slip, and hurriedly said, "No, he is talking nonsense, I didn't evade taxes at all."
When he spoke, his face was full of guilt. If this was the old interrogation system, seeing this expression on your face, it would be obvious that you were lying, and you would have to be put in a tether and tortured to extract a confession. But he was lucky because this was the royal court and they could see the evidence.
Zhang Fei did not argue with him, "Defendant! Please control your emotions and do not interrupt the other party's accusation easily."
"yes."
Yin Chengxing nodded repeatedly. At this time, he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. He sat down with difficulty, but he kept muttering something and his eyes were full of resentment.
But unfortunately no one here is afraid of him, Zhang Fei said to Qiu Zhengwen: "The prosecution can continue."
"yes."
Qiu Zhengwen nodded and continued, "According to last year's tax return, the defendant reported a total of 20 hectares of land, or 2,000 mu, and paid 100 guan in taxes. But in fact, according to the investigation by the tax commissioner, he owns a total of 33,026 mu of land, and according to the law, he must pay 1,651 guan and 300 coins.
At the same time, he also had three ranches, a fleet, and was engaged in lending, bootlegging, and leather trading. In total, his annual income was at least 23,086 guan.
After hearing these words, Yin Chengxing went from being shocked at first, to being angry, to feeling wronged, and finally to feeling like he had no desire to live.
I sell illegal liquor, and you know that?
Wei Yingfang and the others found it even more unbelievable. If this was not nonsense, then the Commissioner of Taxation was simply defying the will of heaven!
Li Min suddenly stood up and said, "The other party is talking nonsense and insulting my client's reputation. On behalf of my client, I ask the other party to provide specific evidence. Otherwise, we will sue the other party for this."
After saying that, he sat down.
Lu Bangxing whispered: "Since the other party dares to say so, and says it so specifically, there must be evidence."
Li Min said, "But we have no other options. Mr. Yin has only given us this little evidence. We can only wait and see what evidence the other party can come up with."
Lu Bangxing nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei looked at Qiu Zhengwen and asked, "Does the prosecution have any evidence?"
“Yes.”
Qiu Zhengwen nodded, and suddenly took out a small book, saying, "This is a book of Yin's accounts that a kind-hearted person found on the street, and gave it to our tax commissioner. It clearly records the profits they made from selling medicinal herbs, illegal liquor, and leather."
Yin Chengxing was stunned. How could my family's account book fall on the street? "Fake! That's fake! Judge, that account book is fake."
Qiu Zhengwen said, "It has the signature of their accountant, including Mr. Yin's own handwriting, and the seal of their store. Just compare the handwriting and the seal, and you will know whether it is real or fake."
"Defendant, please control your emotions."
Zhang Fei first warned Yin Chengxing again, and then said to Ou Jun: "Ou Jun, show the accounts to Mr. Yin."
At the same time, he gave him a look.
Because Ma Xiaoyi is currently fighting in another place, Ou Jun has to replace him.
Ou Jun understood what he meant and walked up to Yin Chengxing with the account book. He did not hand it to him directly, but opened it in front of him and turned a page after a while.
As Yin Chengxing watched, his face gradually turned pale, he became speechless, and he collapsed in his chair as if all the energy had been deflated.
After seeing this, Li Min couldn't help but be surprised and said, "How did the Yin family's accounts end up in the hands of the tax commissioner?"
Lu Bangxing said: "Don't you know the methods of the tax commissioner?"
Li Min said: "What they are doing is stealing."
Lu Bangxing asked: "Do you have any evidence?"
There were also whispers in the VIP seats.
"Thieves! They must have stolen it from the Yin family. How could such an account book fall on the street?" He Chunlin said excitedly.
Cao Yi said: "But Yin Chengxing doesn't know what happened, what evidence do you have to sue them?"
Wei Yingfang clenched his fists and said, "What tax commissioner? They turned out to be a bunch of thieves. I really overestimated them at first."
Many officials just shook their heads.
Shame on you!
This is really shameful!
You actually use such despicable means. You are an official after all!
Zhang Feike didn't care about that and asked, "Does the defendant recognize this account book?"
Yin Chengxing suddenly woke up, jumped up again, pointed at Qiu Zhengwen and said, "They stole things, they stole my account books."
This is tantamount to admitting that the account book belongs to them.
Li Min also stood up quickly. "We are suspicious about how the other party obtained this account. We hope that the other party can give a detailed explanation."
Qiu Zhengwen said, "I have already said that a kind-hearted person picked up this account book on the street and handed it to our tax commissioner. However, the tax commissioner did not know what it was at the time and did not pay much attention to it. He did not try to keep the kind-hearted person, and it has not been found yet."
Li Min smiled and said, "Do you believe this? How could such an important account be dropped on the street and then picked up by a kind-hearted person and then sent to the Taxation Department?"
Qiu Zhengwen answered in a resounding voice: "I believe it."
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately despised by everyone around.
How shameless!
This was obviously stolen.
Li Min suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Zhang Fei, "I remember when the chief judge was in Beijing, he denied the legal validity of a piece of evidence because it was contaminated. I would like to ask if this is valid here."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Of course it is effective. If you can prove that this evidence was stolen by the Taxation Department, then I can reconsider the legal effect of this evidence. It depends on the specific process."
".We will reserve the right to prosecute!"
After saying this, Li Min sat back. This was all he could do.
Zhang Fei said to Qiu Zhengwen again: "The prosecution can continue."
"yes."
Qiu Zhengwen continued, "As for the land, the other party has fallen into a trap. He spent 100 strings of cash to bribe the tax bureau's employees, who pretended to agree on the surface, and then took the opportunity to extract clues from them. Now the tax bureau's people have obtained the specific location of their land. Not only have they measured it, but they are also monitoring it every day. They have determined that the grain in the land is transported to the Yin family's granary. Now the grain is still in the granary, but the tax bureau's people should control those granaries. There is definitely no more grain for 20 hectares of land."
"Batou!"
Yin Chengxing suddenly became crazy, baring his teeth and claws while roaring, "It was Baotou who betrayed me. I will kill that thief Peijun."
Zhang Fei was too lazy to shout and just gave Ou Jun a look. Ou Jun came up with two court guards and pressed him down on the chair, but he still couldn't stop cursing.
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel and said, "Defendant, if you can no longer control your emotions, this judge will take compulsory measures to calm you down."
The combination of force and verbal intimidation finally calmed Yin Chengxing down.
"Conspiracy! It's all conspiracy!"
Liang Youyi was stunned, his lips trembling, and he muttered to himself.
After the situation was under control, Qiu Zhengwen brought the batou from Yin Chengxing's mouth to the court.
As soon as this person appeared, he immediately caused an uproar.
It turned out that he came out wearing a mask.
Qiu Zhengwen immediately explained: "Since the employees of the Department of Taxation are risky, it is inconvenient for them to show their faces in public. Please allow them not to show their true faces."
Zhang Fei nodded, "This judge has granted them special permission to appear in court to testify wearing masks."
After the dam sat down, Qiu Zhengwen asked, "May I ask your name, Excellency?"
“Everyone calls me Baotou.”
It can be heard that his voice is trembling a little.
Qiu Zhengwen asked again: "What is your livelihood now?"
"I am an employee of the Department of Taxation," said the dam owner.
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "When did you enter the Taxation Department?"
Baotou said: "Last year."
"Then do you know the defendant?"
Qiu Zhengwen pointed at Yin Chengxing who was pressed on the table.
Baotou tilted his head to take a look, nodded and said, "I know him, but I have only met Mr. Yin two or three times. I am more familiar with Yin Zhong, the head of the Yin family."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "May I ask how you got to know Yin Zhong?"
Baotou said, "I used to help the court collect taxes. The Yin family often had goods coming and going, and Yin Zhong often came to pick them up. Over time, we got to know each other."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Have you guys kept in touch?"
The dam head said, "That's not true. In the past, when their convoys came in and out, Yin Zhong would give us some money for tea and wine, and occasionally treat us to drinks. Later, I stopped being the convoy leader, and I had no contact with Yin Zhong. However, in July this year, Yin Zhong came to see me."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Why did Yin Zhong look for you?"
Baotou said, "Because he learned that I recently became an employee of the Taxation Bureau and was investigating the area where the Yin family's fields were located, he wanted to bribe me to help conceal their fields."
"you!"
Yin Chengxing sat up immediately, then was pushed down again. The words on his lips were blocked by the court police's cold eyes and the cloth in his hand.
Qiu Zhengwen ignored Yin Chengxing and continued to ask, "Isn't Yin Zhong afraid of being reported by you?"
Baotou said: "This is because his family often didn't pay taxes in the past. They just paid some money for tea and wine. I also often collected some money, so...so he still trusts me more."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Then what did he tell you?"
Baotou said, "He promised to give me two hundred strings of cash as a reward, and gave me one hundred strings of cash first, and also gave me a report of ten hectares of land that had evaded taxes, and asked me to report it."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Did you promise him?"
The dam owner nodded and said, "I accepted the 100 strings of cash because our tax commissioner allowed us to collect the money."
When these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
Su Che looked at him in even greater surprise.
Qiu Zhengwen pretended to be surprised, "You said your tax commissioner allowed you to collect money?"
"Yes."
Baotou said: "My taxation department's requirement is to check taxes. If someone gives us money, it will be considered as our extra bonus. As long as we work hard to check taxes, it will be fine."
Qiu Zhengwen said: "Can I think that you are being asked to take the money but not do the work?"
Baotou said: "We will do the work, but we will continue to work for the tax department. According to the analysis of our tax department, if this happens, once I agree to it, they will naturally relax their vigilance, which will make it easier for us to investigate. This is why the tax department allowed us to take the money."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "So after you received the money, you still continued to investigate them?"
Batou nodded and said, "Yes."
Qiu Zhengwen asked again: "When he evaded taxes before, he also gave you money. Why didn't you report them then?"
The dam head said, "This is because if I report them, I won't get any reward, and it will only bring me trouble."
"What's different now?"
"Now, we can get half of the fine as a bonus, which is much more than the 200 guan. At the same time, the tax commissioner will protect us. Of course, I will not agree to them."
Many scholars and officials shook their heads when they heard this. What a rough guy! Couldn't he be more tactful?
The court guard standing by was very envious.
If you do the math, if you catch one, you can earn thousands of strings of cash. It's really frustrating to compare yourself with others!
I want to change my career!
Lu Bangxing whispered, "We can't go on like this. Now it's not as simple as just getting beaten up. Our reputation will be ruined."
Li Min frowned and said, "The chief judge said that there is no lawsuit that cannot be fought."
Lu Bangxing asked: "What do you think?"
The two of them were whispering to each other.
Qiu Zhengwen picked up another piece of evidence and said, "This is the one hundred strings of salt notes and the specific information about the land that the old man of the Yin family gave to Baotou."
"Present."
"I have no problem anymore."
After presenting the evidence, Qiu Zhengwen sat down.
After a while, Zhang Fei asked them, "Does the defense have any questions?"
"have!"
Li Min stood up and said to the dam master, "Your Excellency just mentioned that the elder of the Yin family came to you in July this year and tried to bribe you."
The dam head nodded and said, "Yes."
Li Min asked, "Did he tell you his intention right from the start, hoping that you would help him conceal his family's land?"
Baotou shook his head and said, "That's not the case. We exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then he tried to find out the inside information of the Taxation Department."
"Inside information?"
Li Min asked: "Can you tell me more about this?"
“It’s probably how our employees check their taxes?”
"That is to say, Yin Zhong is not aware of the internal situation of the Taxation Department and its investigation system."
"Yes."
"That is to say, Yin Zhong did not know whether he could evade the tax department's investigation at the time."
"Well, you could say that."
"How did he know how to evade the tax department's investigation afterwards?"
"Yes, I told him."
"If you don't tell him how to circumvent the investigation, will he still evade taxes?"
"I object."
Qiu Zhengwen stood up immediately.
"I take that back."
Li Min seemed to have expected this, and then asked Baotou: "Did he give you the money at that time?"
Batou shook his head and said, "No."
Li Min asked: "Then when did he give you the money?"
Baotou said: "It was the second time we met."
Li Min said, "That is to say, when you first met, he was not prepared to give you money because he didn't know that he could evade the tax department's investigation. You told him that you could help him do it, so he gave you the money the second time. It's clear that you deliberately guided Yin Zhong to evade taxes in order to get the bonus."
Yin Chengxing seemed to see the dawn of victory again, and nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, yes! It was this guy who induced me to evade taxes. He said that it would only take two hundred strings of cash to solve the problem, and that everyone did the same thing. That's why I was deceived by him."
"I don't."
Batou immediately defended himself: "He was the first one!"
"I'm done asking questions."
Li Min didn't give him any reason to defend himself and sat down.
Lu Bangxing immediately said happily: "Excellent."
Li Min frowned and said, "But Zhengwen has no objection." Having said that, he glanced at Qiu Zhengwen, who was as steady as a rock.
Qiu Zhengwen slowly stood up and asked, "Baotou, can your name be registered in the personnel book of the Taxation Department?"
Batou shook his head and said, "No."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "What is your relationship with the Commissioner of Taxation?"
Baotou said: "It's just an employment relationship. I just signed an employment contract with the Taxation Commissioner."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "What is your authority?"
The dam head said: "It's just to check the taxes, and then take the evidence to claim the bonus."
"You don't want to take the tax commissioner's salary?"
"No."
Baotou shook his head. "The tax commissioner only gave us food money for half a year. After that, we have to live on bonuses. If we can't find evidence, we won't get a penny."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Then can what you said represent the Commissioner of Taxation?"
"cannot."
The dam head continued to shake his head and said, "We are just ordinary employees. Our job is to conduct secret investigations. The tax department will not even care about our life or death. This is clearly stated in our contract."
Qiu Zhengwen asked again: "Will you induce others to evade taxes?"
Batou chuckled.
Qiu Zhengwen said: "Sir, please answer my question."
Baotou said: "If the other party asks, then of course I will say yes, so that I can collect more money and get a generous bonus."
Qiu Zhengwen asked, "Didn't the tax commissioner forbid you from doing this?"
"No!"
Baotou said: "The tax commissioner only suggested that we should not break the law. If we break the law and get caught, we will have to bear the consequences ourselves. They did not ask the tax commissioner but came to ask me. Of course, I will take this money that is delivered to my door. I cannot refuse it. We live on it."
"I'm done asking!"
Qiu Zhengwen sat down.
Lu Bangxing was stunned and said stupidly: "How can the tax commissioner do this?"
Li Min said frustratedly: "They came prepared, and we were just sharpening our knives at the last minute, so we can only passively take the beating."
There were also discussions inside and outside the courtyard.
This really refreshed their bottom line.
Is it still possible to do this?
Is this law enforcement?
This is clearly a scam!
The high-minded image of the Commissioner of Taxation collapsed in an instant, and was replaced by the image of a scoundrel.
One prosecutor asked, "Attorney General, can they do this?"
"I don't know yet." Su Zhe said, "Let's wait and see."
"Silence! Silence!"
Zhang Fei knocked the gavel several times, and when everyone was quiet, he asked Li Min, "Does the defense have any witnesses?"
witness?
They don't have any witnesses, he just came here to watch, but now the situation has changed.
Li Min didn't want to be beaten passively like this. He thought about it and suddenly stood up and said, "We request to summon the tax collector to testify in court."
Zhang Fei nodded.
After a while, Chen Ming came to the witness stand and sat down.
A lot of boos!
After all, all those watching the trial today were rich people. Chen Ming was a thorn in his flesh and a thorn in his eyes, and he hated him to the core.
Li Min asked, "Does Tax Collector Chen know someone from Baotou?"
Chen Ming nodded and said, "He is a temporary employee of our Taxation Department."
Li Min said: "Court Tax Commissioner Chen, can you tell me in detail what the relationship is between this temporary employee and the Commissioner of Taxation?"
Chen Mingdao: "It's just a simple employment relationship. We hired him to help our tax department to conduct tax inspections, and he brought evidence to collect the bonus."
Li Min asked: "Can your employees induce others to evade taxes?"
Chen Mingdao: "I suggest not to do this. I also suggested that everyone pay taxes according to the law."
Li Min asked again: "If an employee does this, what will your tax department do?"
Chen Mingdao: "I suggest they don't do this next time."
Li Min asked again: "What if they continue to do this next time?"
Chen Mingdao: "I suggest they don't do this next time."
Oh my god, this is a vicious circle, right?
Li Min asked: "So even if they induce others to evade taxes, they will not be punished?"
Chen Mingdao: "We have no right to impose any punishment on them. They are not tax police, but just employees. Our contract with them is very simple, that is, if they provide evidence, they will get half of the fine. If they violate the law, there are laws to punish them. It is not our turn to punish them."
Li Min asked, "Doesn't Tax Commissioner Chen feel that this is encouraging them to use this method to get bonuses?"
Chen Mingdao: "Paying taxes according to the law is common sense. Our tax department has repeatedly stated that you must pay taxes. Otherwise, you will face fines several times the amount. If you are not a first-time offender, you may even face criminal penalties. If you ask the tax police, they will tell you the same thing.
But if you want to have a lucky heart and believe that others can evade taxes, then we can't do anything about it."
Li Min asked, "Then the other party is an employee of your Taxation Department. Maybe others think that what he said can represent the Taxation Department."
Chen Ming said: "Then they should also come to the Taxation Department to ask whether these employees can represent the Taxation Department, instead of asking those employees. Our Taxation Department is a government office, and everyone can come to ask. Everything is based on the announcements we issued. In the second announcement we issued, it was mentioned that if you don’t understand the tax law, you should come to the Taxation Department to ask directly, or ask the tax police, but don’t believe in rumors from others. Those employees are only responsible for tax inspections, and they don’t know anything else."
Li Min said: "But the dam owner just said that they are allowed to collect money."
Chen Ming nodded and said, "Yes. They are allowed to receive money, and I have promised that the money he received is their bonus. Because if someone gives them money, it proves that this person is trying to evade taxes, which is a very critical clue. For our employees, accepting money is also a strategy."
Li Min said: "Allowing employees to collect money and induce others to evade taxes, doesn't Tax Collector Chen think there is something wrong with this?"
Chen Mingdao: "First, the tax commissioner never advises them to induce others to evade taxes. Secondly, everything should be based on the tax commissioner's announcement. Don't trust anyone easily. If everyone pays taxes through legal procedures, then there will be no problem."
What a rogue government office! Li Min cursed inwardly, and then said sarcastically: "I'm so sorry, after today, this strategy may not work."
Chen Ming said: "There is no shortage of greedy fools in this world."
Yin Chengxing turned his head and looked at Chen Ming. Who the hell are you scolding?
"I'm done asking questions."
Li Min sat down.
Zhang Fei looked at Qiu Zhengwen and asked, "Does the prosecution have any questions?"
Qiu Zhengwen shook his head.
Su Che suddenly said, "We in the Procuratorate also have a question that we would like to ask the tax commissioner Chen."
Zhang Fei nodded.
Su Che asked: "Please tell me, if those employees took the money and deliberately helped to conceal it, how would the tax commissioner deal with it?"
Chen Ming said: "Terminate the employment contract."
"Won't they be punished?"
"Won't."
Chen Ming shook his head and said, "Because these things are originally the work of our tax police. Due to lack of manpower, we use employees. We have no right to hold them responsible in this regard."
Su Che stood up and asked, "Isn't the tax collector Chen worried that this will reduce the country's tax revenue?"
Chen Ming said: "Don't worry."
Su Che asked: "Why?"
Chen Ming said: "Because they need to bribe all employees to avoid being traced, but this is almost impossible, and they can't know all the employees. In addition, taking this case as an example, the other party only gave 200 guan, but if this case is convicted of tax evasion, Baotou will be able to make at least a thousand guan of profit, which is the only reason why he reported the other party. Our tax department always advises everyone, no matter who you are or what your identity is, you must pay taxes according to the law, because you can't escape."
Su Che asked: "What if someone helps others conceal tax revenue, causing losses to the national finances?"
Chen Ming said: "I will take full responsibility, and I cannot push this responsibility onto the employees. They cannot bear it, and the court and government will not agree with it."
Chief Justice of the Northern Song Dynasty
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