This was the message Wei Yingfang conveyed to Liu Zaichun.
As long as the other party can produce solid evidence, just plead guilty and accept the punishment, end the lawsuit as soon as possible, and don't argue.
It can be seen that even at this moment, Wei Yingfang still had a glimmer of hope.
Because he is an official, he knows all kinds of tactics, such as killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, and for example, being mysterious. What if the tax commissioner just used those two to establish his authority, and actually did not have evidence against everyone, or the evidence was not sufficient and was just to scare people? He would be even more furious, so he had to wait until the other party produced evidence first.
What a coincidence! Qiu Zhengwen showed the problematic land deed right away, which really scared Wei Yingfang into a cold sweat.
There is no point in arguing any further.
Because this land deed has a lot to do with him!
And once there is a debate on this matter, God knows how much evidence the tax commissioner has. Don't let him dig more and more, otherwise he will find out all the illegal income and even implicate himself.
However, as long as these illegal incomes are dug out and confirmed, especially if officials are involved, the procuratorate will intervene. The tax commissioner only wants money, but the procuratorate wants his life. Who knows if he will be implicated as well.
Although Wei Yingfang and his men had made all the necessary preparations and had paid every penny of tax, most of their assets were in the hands of their relatives. The Song Dynasty investigated corruption very strictly and would send people to conduct systematic investigations every now and then. As long as you start to argue, you will definitely talk more and more, and the more you talk, the more mistakes you will make!
...
...
Recognize it quickly!
Don't hesitate!
However, if they admit it, they will be fined, and the maximum penalty is five times the fine. However, Zhang Fei still treats them equally and gives them time to review the accounts. He will make the final judgment after confirming that they are correct.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be another ten thousand strings of cash in the account!
Officials like Wang Shao, Cai Yanqing, Yuan Jiang, and Lu Gongru who had no psychological burden had already started to settle the accounts. This one had a fine of more than 10,000 strings of cash, and there were more than 130 of them, which would be more than 1 million strings of cash.
These employees got paid so much!
This is more than the taxes collected.
No wonder those people were willing to betray their own masters.
However, these idiots only took one or two hundred strings of cash to bribe the employees. What the hell are you bribing? It's too disrespectful and it's bound to fail.
Just as Zhang Fei was about to announce the third defendant, a man quickly entered the courtroom, handed a note to Li Min, and whispered something in his ear.
After reading it, Li Min immediately stood up and said, "Judge Zhang, please wait a moment. I have 32 parties here who hope to discuss it with the tax department. They are willing to plead guilty and accept punishment."
After hearing this, the three young men glanced at the officials sitting next to them and saw that many of them were secretly wiping the sweat from their foreheads.
Everyone was thinking, you are really not going to give up until you see the Yellow River. You should have paid the taxes earlier. How could this be possible? You always thought that others were trying to scare you. Now, you have lost both the wife and the army!
You may also face criminal prosecution.
As the old saying goes, misfortunes never come alone!
“I see!”
Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let's adjourn the court. The prosecutors from both sides of the prosecution and defense, and Chief Prosecutor Su, please come to the inner hall."
After saying that, he stood up and turned back into the inner hall.
Li Min, Qiu Zhengwen and Su Che also stood up and walked towards the inner hall.
There was a burst of discussion inside and outside the courtyard.
This is so fucking exciting.
Their little hearts can't take it anymore.
"I didn't expect they would give up so soon."
Cai Yanqing couldn't help but laugh. They had originally been looking forward to a great battle, but they never expected that in just one morning, it turned into a harvester advertisement.
Yuan Jiang whispered, "Who would have thought that the tax commissioner of Hezhong Prefecture is even more powerful than the tax commissioner of the capital, and can even incite the tenants and servants of these big landlords to rebel? They are really omnipresent!"
Zhuo Qun suddenly said, "The key lies in the procuratorate. They never expected that, although the imperial court has said that the principal offender will not be punished, the procuratorate can still intervene and investigate the illegal income."
The main offender will not be held criminally responsible, as it is only tax evasion, but that does not mean that the illegal acts involved will not be investigated.
These are two different things.
Cai Yanqing and Yuan Jiang nodded slightly.
And this is the fact that these people surrendered immediately. If they just want money, they are already going to be punished to the maximum anyway, so why not fight to the end, use all your tricks, the less the better, and delay it as long as possible. But the money cannot be given easily.
But they never expected that the procuratorate could reserve the right to prosecute for illegal activities. Let's not talk about murder and arson, but the trafficking of illegal salt, tea and liquor, which everyone is more or less involved in, especially those with strong connections in the government.
Although the imperial court has been reducing the penalties for these smuggling activities, they still have to be punished. The key is that the forces behind them are involved.
The Procuratorate is simply set up for officials like them. How can they not be afraid?
Inner hall.
"What does the tax commissioner think of this?"
Zhang Fei first asked Qiu Zhengwen.
Qiu Zhengwen said: "Our tax department is seeking the maximum penalty of five times the fine. If they agree with this, our tax department can accept their guilty plea."
Zhang Fei looked at Li Min again.
Li Min looked at Su Zhe and said, "If the procuratorate does not pursue the case, my client is willing to pay five times the fine."
Su Zhe frowned and said, "Why do you want to negotiate with our procuratorate? Our procuratorate will reserve the right to investigate and prosecute all illegal income."
Li Min said awkwardly, "Don't misunderstand me, Chief Prosecutor Su. I am not negotiating with you. It's just that selling illegal tea and illegal liquor is a common thing, and many people are also selling it. Because there are too many restrictions by the government and the price is too high, those rural households can't drink alcohol unless they buy some illegal liquor.
Besides, the five-fold fine is basically all the money they have paid. They have worked for a year in vain. I just ask Attorney General Su to give them some leniency."
Su Che still ignored it.
Zhang Fei thought for a moment and suddenly said, "You guys go out for a while. I want to talk to the Chief Prosecutor alone."
"yes."
After the two of them left, Zhang Fei said to Su Zhe, "Mr. Su, let's stop while we are ahead. We have already cut a piece of meat from them."
Su Che asked in return: "If I don't compromise, will the tax commissioner not cooperate with our procuratorate?"
Their procuratorate does not have the same means as the tax commissioner. If they want to prosecute, they will definitely need the cooperation of the tax commissioner.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Of course it's impossible, but I think what Li Min said makes sense. There are countless people selling illegal tea and alcohol, and many civilians are involved. If we investigate this matter, the other party will turn against us and report civilians, which will lead to the expansion of the case. It may be endless, and the tax money will not be collected because the lawsuit will continue, which may put us in a passive position."
The reality is that this situation is too common, but it is not allowed by law, which is a huge challenge for the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments.
As I said, the law cannot hold everyone responsible.
Su Che was of course very clear in his mind. He himself had drunk illegal liquor. He said, "But we can't always be so vague. How can we solve these problems? Otherwise, if Erbi mentions the law and doesn't punish everyone, we will be helpless."
Zhang Fei asked, "What does Mr. Su think about this?"
Su Che immediately said: "If I am not mistaken, those more than 30 people should all be relatives of the officials."
As expected of a Su family member, the reaction is really quick. Zhang Fei's eyes flashed with praise, and he said, "Although I'm not sure, I think the same as you."
After hearing this, Su Che said, "We can let them go, but the prerequisite is that they must reform this and cannot delay any longer."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Mr. Su, do you want to use this to negotiate with those officials?"
Su Che nodded and said with a hint of helplessness: "After all, our public security, procuratorial and judicial organs have no right to interfere in administration, so we can only use this method."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "This coincides with what I thought."
Su Che said: "But how can we justify ourselves?"
Zhang Fei said: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
Su Zhe was stunned for a moment, and said, "It seems that Judge Zhang has already thought of this."
Zhang Fei did not deny it and said, "We do have similar ideas, but the initiative is still in their hands. After all, our duty is to enforce the law impartially."
Su Che nodded slightly.
After reaching an agreement with Su Che, Zhang Fei called Li Min and Qiu Zhengwen in again.
"Li Min."
Zhang Fei said: "I have already talked with Chief Prosecutor Su. In principle, our public security, procuratorial and judicial organs insist on not settling old accounts. However, this is last year's tax revenue after all. On the surface, it is not an old account. But what you said makes a lot of sense. It may be a legacy of the system's defects, and it is closely related to the people.
But this needs to be discussed with the government to see who is responsible. Even if they admit their guilt and accept the punishment, our Royal Court cannot easily punish them. We still need them to confirm that the amount provided by the Tax Commissioner is correct. We do not want people to think that we are forcing them to pay the fine.
How about this, when you confirm the number, Chief Prosecutor Su will also negotiate with the government, and we'll see the result then. Of course, if the number is wrong, you can continue to appeal."
"I have no problem."
Li Min nodded.
Zhang Fei looked at Qiu Zhengwen again.
Qiu Zhengwen said: "At least the Royal Court should give our Tax Commissioner a deadline. We can't wait forever."
Zhang Fei thought for a moment and said, "Seven days."
"Can."
Qiu Zhengwen nodded.
"How about it?"
When Lu Bangxing saw Li Min coming back, he immediately asked.
Li Min sighed: "The people don't fight against the officials!"
Lu Bangxing looked surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"
Have we fought less recently? They always blame the government for everything.
Li Min then told him the plan proposed by Zhang Fei.
Lu Bangxing frowned and said, "In other words, Chief Prosecutor Su wants to use this as a condition to negotiate with the government?"
"That must be the case. Those thirty or so people are all relatives of officials." Li Min shook his head with lingering fear: "So, these officials are good at calculating. They will not let go of even this little bit of benefit, and they can even make a coherent argument. I almost believed it."
Lu Bangxing said, "Is this the first time you have seen Judge Zhang's methods? Fortunately, he has become the judge. If he had been a traitor, what would have happened to us?"
"That's true."
Li Min nodded, stood up and said, "Let's go and discuss it with our client."
Not long after, a servant came behind Wei Yingfang and whispered something in his ear.
Wei Yingfang frowned when he heard this. He was silent for a while, then he sighed helplessly and nodded: "Agree to them first."
"yes."
After the man left, Cao Yi asked, "What's going on?"
Wei Yingfang said: "The procuratorate wants to talk to us."
Cao Yi asked, "What are you talking about?"
Wei Yingfang said: "Private liquor and private tea."
Cao Yi frowned and said, "This is ridiculous. He is trying to threaten us."
Wei Yingfang said: "Now they have all the evidence in their hands. What else can we do? We can only let them slaughter us."
At this point, he gritted his teeth and said, "This tax commissioner must be capable of some tricks. How did they find out all this evidence? Alas, it's really a mistake that will bring eternal regret!"
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, but how could he have imagined that taxes could be checked in this way?
Unbelievable!
Yuan Jiang, who was sitting not far away, secretly glanced at them and thought, it's outrageous that that brat didn't even discuss this with me in advance.
Only after all parties had confirmed it did Zhang Fei come out from the back hall.
"I have just asked some questions. These 32 defendants pleaded guilty without confirming their accounts. This is against the principle of fair trial. Therefore, I will not allow them to plead guilty for the time being. I will also give them the relevant evidence provided by the Taxation Department for careful review. I will not make a final judgment until they are sure that there are no problems with the accounts."
Many people were dumbfounded by what they heard. How could they refuse others’ confession?
this.!
There is only one word to describe it.
major!
Of course, many officials know that justice and fairness are all bullshit, they just want more.
How shameless!
The next defendant to come forward was He Hong, a famous medicinal herb merchant in Hezhong Prefecture.
Qiu Zhengwen said: "According to the investigation by the Department of Taxation, He Hong was involved in agricultural tax evasion of more than 300 guan, and also evaded taxes on medicinal material transactions, reaching more than 900 guan."
Those thirty or so are the real hidden rich people. After all, they all have strong official backgrounds. The rest naturally did not evade so much tax.
Moreover, those more than 30 people who pleaded guilty were mainly afraid of being implicated by the forces behind them, but that does not mean that the rest of them could accept the fine.
He Hong immediately said, "I didn't escape with a penny, you are slandering me."
Zhang Fei consoled him, "Mr. He, please be patient. We in the imperial court look at the evidence."
He Hong cupped his hands and said, "I hope Judge Zhang can make the decision for us."
"must!"
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, then asked Qiu Zhengwen, "Does the prosecution have any evidence?"
Qiu Zhengwen said: "I implore Judge Zhang to summon witness Liu Miao to testify in court."
When He Hong heard the name, he frowned at first, but when he saw the witness, his expression suddenly changed, "You you..."
But the witness Liu Miao shrank back and sat down in the witness stand, not daring to look at He Hong even for a moment.
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Liu Miao, what do you do?"
Liu Miao said: "I am a tenant farmer of the He family."
Qiu Zhengwen said: "But according to your voluntary declaration last year, you own the title deed to 29 acres of land."
Liu Miao said: "Those are all deposited with me by the He family."
"You're talking nonsense!"
He Hong said excitedly.
"Defendant, please do not interfere with the witness's answering, otherwise, I, the judge, will sentence you to contempt of the imperial court." Zhang Fei warned.
He Hong panicked and sat back immediately.
Qiu Zhengwen asked, "Why did the He family leave 29 acres of land with you?"
Liu Miao said: "This is to circumvent the new tax law. I heard that if the land is less than 30 acres, only 6% of the agricultural tax needs to be paid."
Qiu Zhengwen continued to ask: "Isn't he afraid that you will take the land for yourself? After all, the land deed is in your name."
Liu Miao said: "Because the money I owe him is impossible to pay back, so he doesn't need to be afraid at all."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Then do you have any evidence to prove this?"
Liu Miao said: "The 29 acres of land was originally a white deed. Later, the He family traded it to me with a white deed and asked me to go to the tax bureau to pay the deed tax, and then it became mine. But I can't afford to buy these lands at all. These can be checked."
"I'm done asking questions."
Qiu Zhengwen sat down.
Li Min said directly: "I don't have any problem."
He doesn't know anything, why would he ask?
Qiu Zhengwen continued, "Liu Miao is not an isolated case. He Hong has been using the method of splitting up the land to evade higher taxes. Although I cannot confirm them one by one, the tax bureau has already taken control of the He family's granary. The income from the granary is enough to prove that what Liu Miao said is absolutely true."
At this point, he held up a book and said, "Inside it are the confessions of some of the Liu family's tenants, the land deeds, and the income of the Liu family's granary at the beginning of last winter."
After a quick glance, Zhang Fei asked He Hong, "Does the defendant have anything to say?"
He Hong argued: "Doesn't the tax commissioner calculate the tax based on the land deed?"
Zhang Fei said: "According to the tax law, the tax commissioner mainly looks at income. The land tax is just a way of calculating taxes, not collecting taxes based on the land."
He Hong remained silent. Judging from what had just happened, he was also prepared to pay the agricultural tax, but his main source of income was commercial tax.
When it comes to money, of course you won't cry until you see the coffin.
Qiu Zhengwen called another witness named Li Tie.
Seeing this person, He Hong could no longer remain calm and stood up directly, "You...you actually...!"
Li Tie looked at him aggrievedly, then went to the witness stand.
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Li Tie, what do you do?"
Li Tie said: "I am a medicine dealer who specializes in selling medicinal materials from the northwest to Bianjing."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "Can you tell me what happened on December 20th last year?"
Li Tie said: "My fleet was preparing to go to Luoyang when it encountered heavy snow and was stranded at the ferry. Then it was stopped by the tax commissioner."
Qiu Zhengwen asked, "Why did the tax department's people question you?"
Li Tie said: "Because they think I stole the herbs."
Qiu Zhengwen asked: "What are the facts?"
Li Tie said, "The truth is that I bought all those herbs from He Hong, but in order to evade the tax commissioner's investigation, he did not sign any contract with me. He also chose to trade in the wilderness and asked me to pay him money, so that he could conceal his tracks. At that time, I paid him a total of 5,000 taels of silver."
"You're talking nonsense. I have never done any business with you." He Hong refused to admit it. He had no proof anyway.
Li Tie said: "Although I didn't sign any contract with him, I still wrote down the transaction amount in my account. And the He family's secret recipe for making medicine is different from that of other families. It's easy to prove that the batch of medicinal materials belonged to the He family."
After hearing this, He Hong immediately became very flustered.
really!
He was able to become a big pharmaceutical dealer because of his ancestral secret method, there is no denying that!
"He's lying! He's lying!"
He Hong seemed to be still struggling, "He stole the herbs from my house. He stole them."
Qiu Zhengwen seemed to have known that he would say this, so he said to Zhang Fei, "Grand Judge, He Hong is a very shrewd person. In order to avoid the pursuit of the tax commissioner, he has changed all the accounts. However, we have found all the big merchants who had transactions with him last year, and now all of them are waiting outside the court to testify. If all these people stole from his family, he would have lost everything. This is enough to prove that there are problems with his family's accounts, and these transactions were not counted."
As his old clients turned against him one by one and produced their own accounts and medicinal materials as evidence, He Hong became pale and slumped in his chair, no longer having the courage to refute.
In fact, these old customers do not want to betray their friends, and they do not want to pay taxes, but they have no choice. If they cannot explain the source of the herbs, the tax commissioner can sue them for stealing herbs.
At the same time, the tax commissioner assured them that if they were willing to testify in court, they would not be held accountable in the case, knowing that they were also suspected of assisting in tax evasion.
After He Hong was carried away, the next person to come up was a wealthy man named Duan Yuntian. He was tall and burly, and he looked quite imposing as he sat on the seat.
Qiu Zhengwen said: "According to the investigation by the tax department, Duan Yuntian evaded 200 guan of agricultural tax, but he has been secretly mining three private coal mines. Last year, he earned 12,000 guan from the private coal and evaded 1,800 guan of tax, a total of 2,000 guan."
Duan Yuntian was shocked and asked, "You all know this?"
Qiu Zhengwen said, "All your coal is shipped to Luoyang from Sanmenxia. The tax commissioner in Sanmenxia has recorded how much coal they shipped out last year, including your fleet's registration at the ferry, where your coal was sold, who the buyer was, and how much profit was made."
At this point, he glanced at the sky and said, "By now, your three coal mines should have been closed down by the tax police."
He then took out a box of evidence and presented it.
After hearing this, Duan Yuntian no longer had the courage to defend himself. He didn't even answer when Zhang Fei called him.
Playing dead is their only way out.
Zhang Fei did not force him. He glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. We will stop here in the morning and continue in the afternoon."
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