In the past, during the intermission, Zhang Fei always left a very cool figure in front of everyone. In order to look cool, he would not even wait for Xu Zhiqian. But today was different. He had just dropped the hammer when he saw a large group of people in the VIP seats on both sides stand up and hurriedly walk out. This made Zhang Fei sigh: "It seems that they finally know how to make me unhappy. This damn revenge!"
So this time, he waited patiently for Xu Zhiqian.
Xu Zhiqian quickly packed up the documents, and then walked out with Zhang Fei. She glanced at the empty VIP seats and asked, "Can they think of a solution?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "You should ask how they will admit defeat."
“Ouch!”
The elderly Yuan Jiang supported his knees with his hands. When he slowly stood up, he looked around. Where were the people? Wei Yingfang and the others had already disappeared. Only Cai Yanqing and Zhuo Qun were around. "Prefect Cai, let's..."
Cai Yanqing smiled and said, "Let's go to the restaurant outside and have something to eat."
"Alright! Please!"
"please!"
The two of them walked outside slowly.
...
...
"Was it the same in the capital at that time?" Cai Yanqing asked.
Yuan Jiang couldn't help but recall the thrilling tax war and said, "It's even more terrifying than this!"
Cai Yanqing was surprised and asked, "Is this just an appetizer now?"
Yuan Jiang shook his head and said, "I don't know about this either. After all, I really have no dealings with the Director of Taxation."
This more than one-hour lunch break was extremely important to Wei Yingfang and other officials.
The trial in the morning had completely disrupted their plans. It was also the first time that they felt the terror of the Tax Commissioner. With a rebellion on this scale and the extreme means of investigation used, who could have prevented it?
Now they are no longer worried about money, but about their official positions and lives.
Because this involves a lot of illegal tax evasion.
This is very fatal.
Lee's Bookstore.
"What on earth were you doing just now? Are you afraid to answer the questions asked by the other party?"
Wei Yingfang didn't care about anything else and started questioning Li Min and Lu Bangxing as soon as he saw them.
In previous lawsuits, both sides could fight back and forth, but today, it was simply a one-sided massacre, and Li Min and Lu Bangxing didn't even say a word.
Li Min felt very aggrieved and said, "Judge Wei, it's not that we dare not speak, but they didn't tell us anything. We know nothing about the evidence they produced. We have to provide evidence when we file a lawsuit, but we have nothing in our hands. How can we argue?"
Lu Bangxing also said: "When they hired us, they made it very clear that we just needed to make sure they were not wrongly accused. If the other party found evidence, they would admit it."
Because before, these wealthy people had been deceived by employees like Baotou, and the evidence in the employees' hands was provided by them, so they were ready to be punished, after all, it was just this little money.
But I never expected that I would be betrayed by Batou and the others.
Of course, there was a reason why they trusted Baotou so much. After all, Baotou and they were both local bosses in the area. They knew each other well and knew who the other was. How could a despicable man like Baotou, who was used to taking money, be loyal to the Commissioner of Taxation right away?
Before, they were really sure about this.
In fact, they were not wrong. Those bribed employees of Baotou did not betray them. It was just that they did not know that the Tax Commissioner had an extremely covert force.
"you.!"
"Please calm down, Judge Wei."
Cao Yi hurriedly grabbed Wei Yingfang. Now was not the time to argue. They didn't have much time left. He then asked Li Min, "What do you think, how should we deal with this now?"
Li Min said truthfully: "At present, the other party has solid evidence, and there are witnesses and physical evidence. According to what the other party said in court, the tax commissioner has already taken control of their warehouse. This case is impossible to win."
Cao Yi asked again: "What about the charge of selling illegal liquor?"
Li Min said: "I have tried my best. I hope to put it on the old account. After all, the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs do not settle old accounts. And judging from the tone of the chief judge, it seems that there is room for negotiation in this regard, but the key lies in the procuratorate."
At this time, a court police officer came over and said, "Li Erbi, Lu Erbi, Zheng Dawei and Wu Jun want to see you."
"I know. I'll be right there."
Li Min looked at Wei Yingfang, Cao Yi and others again.
Cao Yi frowned and said, "They should be planning to plead guilty."
Li Min nodded and said, "I guess so."
Wei Yingfang asked again: "Can't you escape the investigation of the procuratorate even if you confess your guilt?"
Li Min shook his head and said, "It probably can't be done, but we can use the condition of confession to negotiate with the tax commissioner. After all, there is so much evidence and so many people involved. If we fight with all our strength, we can probably delay it for a while."
At this point, he sighed, "If you had told us about these things earlier, we would have been able to find a way out."
"Why are you still talking about this now?" Wei Yingfang regretted so much that his intestines almost turned into crystals. He said without hesitation, "Let's do as you say. We will confess our guilt and negotiate with them to ensure that the procuratorate will not pursue other charges against them."
He really couldn't care less about the money now.
"I see."
Li Min nodded, and went out with Lu Bangxing and two assistants.
As soon as they left, Wei Yingfang could no longer hold on and slumped down in his chair, muttering to himself, "This tax commissioner is so terrible, so terrible."
Cao Yi also sighed secretly, with a hint of frustration in his eyes.
Although his brother Cao Han had reminded him again and again and wrote to him several times, they were still defeated in the end.
"President Wei, the two Erbi can only negotiate with the Taxation Bureau, but it is difficult for them to shake the Procuratorate. We have to find a way to put pressure on the Procuratorate."
"Let's wait until they talk."
Wei Yingfang rubbed his forehead, "Don't fall for their Xiang Zhuang's sword dance, which is intended to be a trick of Pei Gong."
Cao Yi nodded.
If they go forward to negotiate with the procuratorate now, wouldn't that be sending themselves to the procuratorate's door? What if the procuratorate does not agree?
Li Min and his friends were right in their guess; the wealthy men invited them over to discuss confessing their guilt.
The trial in the morning had completely broken down their psychological defenses. They no longer dared to hold on to any hope and now only hoped to leave alive.
As for money?
My life is almost gone, and I still want some money!
Royal Court.
"There is still a lot to do in the afternoon, so go and have some rest."
After lunch, Xu Zhiqian said to Zhang Fei and Cai Jing.
"Yes, Master's wife!"
Shangguan Jun bowed.
When they were resting, they were still in the habit of calling her "Teacher's wife".
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Zhiqian, don't be so anxious. I guess you won't have anything to do this afternoon."
Xu Zhiqian was surprised and asked, "Isn't there going to be a trial this afternoon?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "They have all been scared out of their wits. I guess they don't have the courage to continue the trial. If I'm not mistaken, Li Min and the others are negotiating with Zheng Wen right now."
Xu Zhiqian frowned and said, "How could they admit defeat so quickly?"
Cai Jing said, "But for them, no matter what, they cannot continue the trial. Once their illegal income is made public, the public pressure on the procuratorate will increase. Maybe when the procuratorate wants to negotiate with them, it will be forced by public opinion, and things may get out of control."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, "Cai Jing is right. This afternoon is very important for them."
At this time, at the Hezhong Prefecture Law Firm, the two sides were negotiating.
All the defendants have agreed to plead guilty, and this is the only bargaining chip in Li Min and his team's hands.
On the contrary, if the defendants do not plead guilty, Li Min and others can only passively accept the beating.
"We have enough evidence to convict them one by one, so we don't think you have any right to negotiate with us." Qiu Zhengwen said domineeringly.
After all, he has been with Zhang Fei for so long, so he still has some negotiation skills.
Li Min smiled calmly and said, "Yes, I admit that we are doomed to lose this lawsuit, but with so many people, so much evidence, and so much money involved, we can appeal even if it's just one more penny, so that the lawsuit will drag on. Besides, your tax department just wants money, and if they admit their guilt and accept the punishment, won't you have achieved your goal? Why make things more complicated and make life difficult for everyone?"
After hearing this, Qiu Zhengwen couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking that if the other party persisted and demanded to know the origin of every penny, this lawsuit would indeed be delayed for some time.
So he looked at Chen Ming again.
You will definitely win, but whether your tax department is willing to delay the process is up to you.
Chen Ming raised his eyelids, looked at Li Min and said, "The only duty of our tax department is to inspect taxes. If you can plead guilty and accept the punishment, our tax department can promise not to pursue the case. However, we cannot control the procuratorate, and they will not listen to us."
Seeing that Chen Ming had given in, Lu Bangxing immediately said, "Since the only duty of the tax commissioner is to inspect taxes, then for the purpose of inspecting taxes, he certainly has the power not to hand over the evidence to the procuratorate.
This is just one reason. Secondly, at the last Q&A session, the procuratorate has been emphasizing that they are defending the interests of the country, the monarch, and the people. But what good will it do if this lawsuit drags on? With more than a hundred people involved, how long will it take to try? All the manpower and material resources of the public security, procuratorate, and courts will have to be invested in this. I am afraid that it will delay other things, which is not worth the loss!
Third, there are so many people selling illegal liquor and tea outside, why don't they investigate? In fact, it's not the illegal liquor that is problematic, but the court system. Take illegal liquor for example, the right to brew is almost controlled by the rich. If they sell liquor to remote villages, the price will be very high, including the shipping cost. It is conceivable that those villagers can't afford it, which forces many villagers to brew wine secretly. "
After hearing these words, Chen Ming's expression became a little hesitant.
Li Min continued to strike while the iron was hot and said, "Tax Commissioner Chen, I dare to say that the tax law has changed now. It is the total income that is calculated. Those rural households who sell illegal liquor also have to pay taxes, so it can no longer be counted as illegal liquor."
Chen Ming glanced at him and asked, "Are all of you Erbi so eloquent?"
Li Min bowed and said, "Tax Commissioner Chen, thank you for your compliment."
"Okay!"
Chen Ming nodded and said, "I can go talk to the procuratorate, but I can't guarantee whether it will work. And I also have a condition."
Li Min asked, "Tax Commissioner Chen, please speak."
Chen Mingdao: "I must ensure the safety of those witnesses, so those defendants must terminate any relationship with my witnesses. Of course, we will also compensate them within the legal scope for the money they owe."
Hearing this, Li Min couldn't help but think, you guys are really calculating! You must have been waiting for us here early in the morning! Nodding, he said, "We can agree to this."
The most important thing now is to save your life. As for retaliation, you have to wait until you get out alive.
Now that Chen Ming is willing to talk, it is already a great success for them.
Because in this case, they are not qualified to negotiate with the procuratorate. Why should the procuratorate pay attention to them? The interests of both parties are completely diametrically opposed.
You must know that the purpose of the procuratorate is to bring these people to justice.
Only the Commissioner of Taxation can discuss such matters, because the intervention of the Procuratorate will affect the interests of the Commissioner of Taxation, and both parties are seeking to defend the interests of the country and the monarch.
As businesses in front of the Imperial Court were built one after another and the Imperial Court's income increased, there was no need to send people in person to entertain inspectors, royal police and witnesses. Lunch and nap for the Procuratorate were all arranged in the backyard of the Big Dog Restaurant, but this was only temporary because the branch of the Baifan Building over there had already designed a resting place specifically for them.
Fan Zheng was determined to grab this deal because their Baifan Building was taking the high-end route.
This is what Zhang Fei originally told him about “culture”.
When Chen Ming arrived at the prosecutors' rest area, he found that many people were sitting there, including Yuan Jiang, Cai Yanqing, Wei Yingfang and others.
Su Che, on the other hand, looked helpless.
“So many people?”
Chen Ming was slightly stunned.
Wei Yingfang stood up and bowed, saying, "Congratulations! Congratulations! The Commissioner of Taxation has become famous in one battle. It really opened our eyes!"
"It's more than an eye-opener. It's simply unbelievable. We are ashamed."
"With the Commissioner of Taxation here, there is no need to worry about financial problems."
When these officials saw Chen Ming coming, they were delighted and immediately stood up and flattered him. On the surface, they definitely wanted the Commissioner of Taxation to stand on their side, as collecting taxes was the most important task of the government. Even from a practical point of view, they had to compromise, because they didn't know how much evidence Chen Ming had in his hands.
"You are too kind. The lawsuit has not yet concluded, so I dare not claim any merit."
Chen Ming still had that expressionless face, and said to Su Zhe again: "Chief Prosecutor Su, there is something I want to talk to you about."
Su Zhe nodded, but before he could say "OK", He Chunlin said shamelessly: "Chen, the tax commissioner, you have to hide everything from us. Talk to Chief Prosecutor Su in private. We all support your tax commissioner."
Chen Ming didn't know how to respond to this. If I don't hide it from you, who the hell should I hide it from?
Isn’t it funny!
Yuan Jiang nodded and said, "Yes! Everyone is very concerned about taxes. If you have any questions, we can help you."
Wei Yingfang and the others nodded.
In fact, they came here to protect Su Che. Now that the lawsuit has reached this point, the focus is no longer on money. The key is the procuratorate. After all, the tax commissioner is definitely hopeless.
They were worried that Chen Ming alone could not convince Su Che, so they waited here and helped Chen Ming put pressure on the procuratorate.
At the same time, they also kidnapped Yuan Jiang and Cai Yanqing.
Yuan Jiang was of course happy to do them a favor, after all, the government's policies still had to be implemented by them.
Su Che's eyes flashed with a smile, but he pretended to be helpless and said: "There are no outsiders here. If it is not a confidential matter, let's talk about it together."
"I don't mind."
"Tax Collector Chen, please take a seat."
As soon as Chen Ming said this, these officials really wanted to shove the chairs into their buttocks.
After sitting down, Chen Ming immediately said, "It's like this. Now the 132 defendants are willing to plead guilty and accept punishment, but they have one condition, which is that they will no longer be held accountable for the crime of selling illegal liquor and tea."
After hearing this, Su Che frowned and said in dissatisfaction: "Your tax commissioner should be responsible for tax inspection. Whether to investigate their crimes is the business of our procuratorate, and the tax commissioner should not interfere."
Chen Ming nodded and said, "What Chief Prosecutor Su said is right. Our tax department's duty is to investigate tax evasion. But if they plead guilty, it will save our tax department a lot of manpower and resources. We have to consider these issues."
Su Zhe frowned and asked, "So, Tax Collector Chen intends to protect them?"
Chen Ming said: "If I want to protect them, then why would I come to talk to Chief Prosecutor Su? I just hope that Chief Prosecutor Su can understand the difficulties of our tax department. We still have a lot of things to do. Now that the new year has begun, our people need to pay attention to everyone's income every day. We don't have much energy to spend on this."
Su Che frowned and said, "But they are indeed suspected of breaking the law. We in the procuratorate cannot turn a blind eye or turn a deaf ear to it. If this is the case, it is our dereliction of duty. We hope that the tax commissioner will understand us."
Wei Yingfang was like an ant on a hot pan, fidgeting. They all knew Su Che's character, he was a tough nut to crack.
Yuan Jiang and Cai Yanqing saw this and laughed inwardly, wondering if they had known this would happen, they would not have done it in the first place.
Now they have to rely on the tax commissioner to help them get through this difficult time.
What an irony!
You have to know that at this moment, they still hate the Tax Commissioner to the core!
Chen Ming said: "According to our investigation, in addition to them, there are thousands of households in the entire Hezhong Prefecture who are secretly brewing wine. Therefore, I think there are many problems in the system of wine tax. If we want to investigate this aspect strictly, it will cause many problems. At that time, our tax department will be forced to get involved, making us too busy to take care of this year's tax revenue."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Yingfang and the others could not help themselves and immediately started talking at once. Their reasons were the same as what Li Min and Lu Bangxing had just said. Of course, they would not put the blame on the government, but on the current system.
This liquor monopoly system was indeed a bit too ruthless, and the common people had no choice but to brew some secretly to satisfy their cravings.
The scope of your investigation may become very wide, and you may not be able to stop it!
Those people cannot bear such punishment.
Cai Yanqing also said: "Although this wine is not salt, many people are used to drinking it. If there is no wine to drink, it will indeed have a very serious impact on local stability. The current liquor monopoly system does have some problems, which makes it difficult to sell legal liquor in many places, just like selling illegal salt. Therefore, the government can only turn a blind eye to this, as long as it is not too excessive."
Yuan Jiang also stroked his beard and said, "Now the tax bureau calculates taxes based on income. Rural households brew wine privately and sell it, but they also pay taxes on this part of the income. It may not be certain whether this is considered selling illegal liquor."
Su Che actually agreed with what Cai Yanqing said. He couldn't sue the people who brewed illegal liquor. Although his expression was slightly moved, he said, "But the rules are set like this. Our procuratorate can understand the difficulties of the tax commissioner and let them go this time, but what about in the future? If everyone uses this as an excuse to get away with it in the future, it will seriously harm the interests of the country. Our procuratorate will never allow this to happen."
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent and glanced secretly at Yuan Jiang.
This involves institutional reform, and they have no right to decide. Only the transfer envoys from the capital have this power.
Yuan Jiang glanced at them with a pitiful look and sighed, "Okay! I promise you, this year we will improve the systems in these areas to avoid such situations from happening again, and to make it easier for the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs to enforce the law."
Su Che frowned slightly, as if he was weighing something.
Wei Yingfang and others quickly followed and gave various assurances.
Su Che glanced at him and saw that the situation was almost serious. He sighed and said, "Okay! I can promise you temporarily that if the government can improve the system in this regard as soon as possible, our procuratorate will not pursue the case this time. But if the government does not solve this problem, our procuratorate will reopen the investigation into the matter."
Yuan Jiang nodded and said, "It's a deal."
After these words were spoken, Wei Yingfang and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.
The black hat on his head was finally saved.
Su Che added: "If there is nothing else, we would like to take a rest."
What he meant was, now that we've discussed this, you guys should stop staying here.
"Sorry to bother you for so long. We'll take our leave now."
All the officials stood up immediately.
After leaving the restaurant, Yuan Jiang looked at them angrily and said, "We warned you in advance not to have any luck, but you ignored my words. You have brought shame to our transportation company. If it happens again, you will have to find a way to make a living."
After saying that, he waved his sleeves and left.
Wei Yingfang and the others all blushed like monkeys' butts, feeling full of guilt.
In fact, Yuan Jiang and Cai Yanqing had both reminded them, and now Yuan Jiang was forced to come forward to help them take on everything.
It is not an easy task to improve the system in this regard!
Cai Yanqing saw this and laughed secretly, you guys only know how to be smart, how can you be a match for these two foxes, you should feel ashamed for being played around by them. Haha.
He immediately chased after him and whispered to Yuan Jiang, "Master Yuan, what a great plan! Although you have used this trick many times, it still works every time and no one can detect it. I admire you very much."
Yuan Jiang glanced at him and asked, "Where did Magistrate Cai get this from?"
Cai Yanqing was stunned and asked, "Why? Didn't you discuss this with Judge Zhang?"
Yuan Jiang shook his head. "That brat didn't tell me about this beforehand. I just found out about it just now, just like you."
Cai Yanqing was shocked. Yuan Jiang had no need to lie to him on this issue, so he asked, "What is this?"
Yuan Jiang chuckled and said, "There are indeed many problems in this regard, aren't there?"
Cai Yanqing nodded slightly and asked, "Then how do you plan to improve the system in this regard?"
Yuan Jiang said: "I have no clue yet, but I believe Zhang San must have thought it through. We can go and ask him when the time comes."
After a golden hour of operation at noon, all parties finally reached a consensus.
After obtaining a guarantee from the Tax Commissioner, Li Min signed a plea agreement with him, which included the legal termination of the employment relationship between the defendant and the witness.
Then Qiu Zhengwen took the plea agreement to the Imperial Court. Zhang Fei naturally did not say much and immediately had someone issue a notice. Since all the defendants had pleaded guilty and accepted the punishment,
“This is really a bargain for them.”
Xu Zhiqian complained as she packed up the almost useless evidence.
She still prefers a clear-cut black-and-white trial rather than this kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation and private settlement. Although it achieves the goal, it always feels not so fair.
Zhang Fei explained: "There is no other way. We have to accept this."
Xu Zhiqian glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, "Why?"
Zhang Fei said: "First, we will suffer heavy losses. Secondly, if the procuratorate intervenes, the charges will be serious according to the law. Once we sentence them all, I believe the wealthy people in Jingzhao Prefecture would rather accept the rebellion and riot of the local people than let the public security, procuratorate and courts take over."
It takes time for a thick ice to form. It is almost impossible to turn the tide with just this one lawsuit. Zhang Fei's bottom line is very simple, that is, to do things within the scope permitted by the rules. This is why he announced in advance that the first offender would be exempted from punishment.
Without this regulation, both sides will be destroyed.
Xu Zhiqian said: "Now they may not be willing to do so."
Zhang Fei said: "As long as they pay taxes legally, their annual income is still very considerable, so they will not risk their lives to fight us. It has not come to that point yet. Moreover, from a certain perspective, our public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are precisely the existence of checks and balances on the Taxation Department, and they will also weigh their considerations."
Zhang Fei cannot just occupy the mountain and become the king of Hezhong Prefecture, but he must expand outward. This is also the most important task of their public security, procuratorial and judicial departments this year, so they cannot do things too drastically. If they will die anyway, it will greatly hinder the promotion of public security, procuratorial and judicial departments.
However, the concession made by the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs is different from the previous government's compromise. The concession made by the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs is in accordance with the rules.
The Royal Court cancelled the trial only after the prosecution and the defense reached an agreement, rather than either party reaching an agreement with the Royal Court and then using its authority to cancel the trial.
There is still a fundamental difference.
This flexibility is very important.
However, the trial this morning alone had already caused a huge impact on the dignitaries and landlords in Hezhong Prefecture. They had never seen such methods before. This was definitely above their government.
Moreover, they knew very well that there were definitely more than 132 tax evaders in the entire Hezhong Prefecture.
So they're thinking, is this the end?
I’m destined to be sleepless tonight!
(End of this chapter)
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