When the struggle in the court was at its most intense, Zhang Fei was at home taking care of two pregnant women and refused visitors. However, after the fight subsided, Zhang Fei became extremely busy.
He had to come out quickly to clean up this mess, because he had made a great contribution in it. It could even be said that this mess was created by him, and this was the result of his victory.
After talking with Sima Guang, Zhang Fei went to visit Wang Anshi at his residence again.
Whether eating at three different restaurants is a brain-intensive task is another matter, but it is definitely hard work!
"Everything has been agreed upon. When the time comes, the Ministry of Revenue can cooperate with the charity foundation to continue to implement the Qingmiao Law in Jingdong East Road."
When he met Wang Anshi, Zhang Fei was no longer able to exchange pleasantries or be polite, and just spoke with a slightly tired tone.
It turns out that the purpose of getting the Ma family and the charity foundation to take over was not only to help Sima Guang solve his problems, but more to re-arrange Wang Anshi's new policies.
Just imagine, the Qingmiao Law had become such a problem that it had lost the support of the people in Jingdong East Road. Even if it could be resolved, how could the Qingmiao Law be enforced in Jingdong East Road?
This is actually a big problem, but not many people really care about the Qingmiao Law. Most people hope that they will perish together with their loved ones. Then everyone's attention is focused on debt restructuring, so that ignoring the Qingmiao Law will lead to a huge crisis of trust.
It’s not that the emperor doesn’t trust him, but that the people no longer trust him.
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This also explains why Wang Anshi often lamented that the officials of Jingdong East Road were trying to deal with Sima Guang or with me, Wang Anshi!
If the court's resolution was the final solution, Wang Anshi would definitely not agree to it. Therefore, Zhang Fei had already helped him think of a countermeasure, which was to follow the example of Hezhong Prefecture and use the Qingmiao Law to borrow the merchants' Jieku Shop to be reborn.
Jiekupu will purchase those debts, determine the debt relationship with the people, and then extend the repayment period to give the people a chance to breathe, thereby helping the Qingmiao Law regain the trust of the people.
Of course, this is also the easiest step. Otherwise, Zhang Fei would not dare to do this. If the charity foundation does not take over, the difficulty of this endgame will increase sharply.
Because Zhang Fei has absolute authority in the charity foundation, even though Zhang Fei always seems to be humble when negotiating with Ma Tianhao, Fan Zheng and others.
But in essence, it is Ma Tianhao and Fan Zheng who are making their last ditch efforts, begging for better protection of their own interests. After all, it is understandable that businessmen pursue profits first, but they are the weaker party because they also know that the charity foundation is very dependent on Zhang Fei.
If Zhang Fei makes up his mind, they can only do this within this framework.
This was definitely good news for Wang Anshi, but he just nodded and did not seem to be very interested, unlike Sima Guang who was excited.
After seeing this, Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask, "Master Wang, does he seem dissatisfied with this?"
Wang Anshi glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Not only dissatisfied, but extremely dissatisfied."
Are you still not satisfied with this? Or did he see something? Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, feeling anxious but not showing it. He just said awkwardly, "But this is all I can do."
Wang Anshi frowned and said, "If the Qingmiao Law must rely on the public security, procuratorate, and even private businessmen, it can only mean that the Qingmiao Law is unsuccessful."
Where is my dominance?
After hearing this, Zhang Fei felt a little relieved, then shook his head and said, "I don't agree with what Master Wang said."
Wang Anshi asked, "Then tell me what you think?"
Zhang Fei said: "Let alone Wang Xueshi's Qingmiao Law, even Shang Yang's new law needs to be defended by law enforcers in order to succeed.
Therefore, the new policy must rely on the judiciary, whether it is the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs, or the old judicial system. If it cannot guarantee that the new policy is implemented in accordance with the regulations, it will inevitably fail.
As for relying on private businessmen, this is not necessary, but it is beneficial to the current new policy, so why would Master Wang refuse it? "
After saying this, he looked at Wang Anshi with a slightly nervous expression.
In fact, what the two people were arguing about was the law of the legal system and the law of the Legalists.
What Zhang Fei said is correct. Any reform must rely on the judiciary, but the old judicial system can be completely controlled by Wang Anshi, just like Shang Yang, relying on authority to formulate the entire rules of the game. This is what Wang Anshi wanted.
Now that it has been changed to a legal system, Wang Anshi must operate within this rule.
And this is exactly what Zhang Fei is most worried about. He also knows in his heart that the Legalist law is most beneficial to Wang Anshi personally. Fortunately, his authority is not enough to make arbitrary decisions, and Zhao Xu is given the support of Zhang Fei, which forces Wang Anshi to slowly accept the legal system.
"That's true."
Wang Anshi nodded and sighed, "I admit that this crisis was caused by my quarrel with Sima Junshi, but I had no choice but to do so under the circumstances at the time. Reform is very difficult, so I must show my determination to overcome all difficulties in order to carry it out firmly."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I totally understand."
Since ancient times, reforms and changes in the law must use the methods of Legalism. Whoever opposes must be dealt with, because if you don't, the number of opponents will only increase, and the emperor will be shaken, which is the most fatal.
"But now it's bad!"
Wang Anshi suddenly sighed, "I am a little hesitant myself."
Zhang Fei opened his eyes and asked in surprise: "Why?"
Wang Anshi said: "Because from the implementation of the Qingmiao Law in Jingdong East Road, there are indeed many problems. My original intention was to help the people while increasing fiscal revenue. However, it seems that you can't have your cake and eat it too."
Zhang Fei pondered for a moment, "If this is a question of having your cake and eating it too, you really can't have it both ways. Because if the Qingmiao Law is biased towards helping the people, even if it can bring financial help to the country, it will be minimal. For example, the profits that the landlords get from usury every year are not enough to be included in the national accounts. If you want to make the accounts look good, you must get more from the people."
Wang Anshi couldn't help but look hesitant.
It's difficult!
Although he kept saying that he was doing it for the people and to improve the finances at the same time, what he actually wanted to do was to improve the finances and help the people, and that was just an excuse.
What Sima Guang said was absolutely correct.
The reason is simple. The emperor appointed Wang Anshi in order to improve the national finances, not to help the people.
Wang Anshi must put this goal first.
Therefore, whether it was Sima Guang or Su Che, they both directly concluded that the Qingmiao Law was an evil law. Although the regulations were very reasonable, it was impossible to implement it in this way if you wanted to improve the finances.
But then again, if the finances are not significantly improved and KPI cannot be met, Wang Anshi will lose the emperor's support.
From the implementation of the Jingdong East Road, Wang Anshi clearly realized that the court would not make much profit by lending money purely according to the regulations of the Qingmiao Law. After all, they still had to face competition from wealthy households and landlords, and they still had to send people to collect debts, which all cost money.
Although Wang Anshi had an arrogant personality, he still knew how to reflect on himself when facing failure. He just said that he would not show it in front of anyone, which was why Zhang Fei was surprised.
As the leader of the reformists, Wang Anshi had to show his determination at all times, otherwise, he might be completely finished.
But for Wang Anshi, Zhang Fei was an exception. It was not that he trusted Zhang Fei the most, but because he had admitted his mistake to Zhang Fei once, and he had already lost face, so he was not afraid of losing it again.
Moreover, his admission of mistake does not mean he has lost confidence, but he has been mentally prepared to adjust the new law.
Wang Anshi was so vulnerable, he was depressed. Don't play with me, okay? If you want to be depressed, then I can't play with you. Zhang Fei saw Wang Anshi so depressed, and he was a little panicked. He hurriedly said, "With the assistance of the public security, the Qingmiao Law can still be successful, but the benefits will not be directly reflected in the Qingmiao Law's accounts."
Wang Anshi asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei said: "If the Qingmiao Law is biased towards the people, it can indeed effectively prevent land annexation and civil conflicts, which can lay a solid foundation for tax revenue. Judicial reform cannot maintain security in this regard.
Because the people have lost their land and have no food to eat, this is not due to illegality, but it will inevitably increase illegal acts and make the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments busy. The two actually complement each other.
but. "
Having said this, he hesitated to speak.
Wang Anshi asked, "But what?"
Zhang Fei said: "I just think that the Qingmiao Law is not in line with what Mr. Wang advocated."
Wang Anshi asked: "Why not? The Qingmiao Law does not increase taxes on the people, but it can improve the finances at the same time."
Zhang Fei said: "But the basis for Wang Xueshi's argument that the country can have abundant resources without increasing taxes on the people is that those who enrich their families invest in the country, those who enrich their country invest in the world, and if you want to enrich the world, you should invest in heaven and earth."
Wang Anshi said: "I still have the Farmland Irrigation Law which has not yet been promulgated."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Yes, the Farmland Irrigation Law is very consistent with what Master Wang advocates, but in Master Wang's policies, he still places more emphasis on the Green Seedling Law."
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "You are right, but it is unrealistic. The Irrigation Law requires money. How can we implement the Irrigation Law if we don't improve the finances first?"
Zhang Fei said: "But if the Green Sprout Law can improve finances, I guarantee that Wang Xueshi will devote more energy to the Green Sprout Law rather than the Farmland Irrigation Law."
Wang Anshi said nothing.
Obviously it is the default.
The Farmland Irrigation Law is only to improve water conservancy and promote agricultural development, but it will take a long time before the results can be seen. If the Qingmiao Law can produce immediate results, who would take the Farmland Irrigation Law seriously?
Zhang Fei said: "It is precisely because there is a big gap between what Mr. Wang advocated and what he implemented that people criticized him."
Wang Anshi heard that he had some hidden meaning in his words, so he couldn't help but say, "Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Suppose there is a medicine in this world that can cure all diseases. How much money do you think you can make with this medicine?"
Wang Anshi said: "If you can cure all diseases, you will surely be able to earn all the wealth in the world."
Zhang Fei asked, "If Scholar Wang uses this medicine to make money for the country, will Scholar Sima still think that Scholar Wang is competing with the people for profit?"
"Of course not!"
Wang Anshi seemed to have thought of something.
Zhang Fei said: "If you make money by monopolizing wine, tea, salt and iron, naturally some people will not accept it. I can do it as long as you give me the power. But if you make money by relying on this magical medicine, who dares not accept it?
Another example is the Farmland Water Conservancy Law. If you want to implement this law, you must improve irrigation and farm tools. All of these include one thing, that is, technology. Only by improving farm tools can the wealth of the people be increased, which is in line with the new law advocated by Wang Xueshi.
Those who enrich their families invest in their country, those who enrich their country invest in the world, and those who want to enrich the world invest in heaven and earth. Sima Xueshi would never dare to say this, because it requires extraordinary wisdom.
Wang Anshi looked at Zhang Fei and asked, "You are not referring to the hospital and the college, are you?"
Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "It's true that nothing can be hidden from Master Wang."
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "I have dealt with you so many times. If you don't learn a lesson, it would be a waste of all these years of studying. Every word you say has a purpose behind it."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, I understand this truth, but God won't give me that much time."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Wang Anshi said: "Because there is a war in the west, if we cannot improve the finances in time, it will be disadvantageous to the war."
Yes! He and the emperor carried out reforms with the purpose of using military force against foreign countries. Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I understand, but what I want to say is that building hospitals and colleges is not just about placing those officials who rely on salary, but about encouraging them to make money and make money with their own skills, which may play an important role in the future."
"Of course I will take this seriously."
Wang Anshi nodded, and suddenly his expression changed. He said, "But for now, salt notes and salt debts seem to be more effective in improving the country's finances."
Zhang Fei suddenly realized that his pitiful behavior was all an act. He was eyeing the salt debt and salt notes. He asked, "Master Wang wants to issue salt debt and salt notes on Jingdong East Road?"
Wang Anshi nodded and immediately became energetic and said, "There is sea salt in the local area. As long as the court controls the sea salt, it can use it to issue salt bonds and salt notes."
Wang Anshi's propositions and ideas are actually centered on the real economy, that is, to develop technology, but if you look closely at his new laws and regulations, they are almost all centered on finance. Whether it is the Equalization of Transport Law, the Green Marrow Law, or the Market Exchange Law, they are actually adjustments in the financial field.
He had to complete the KPI in a short period of time because he couldn't put the new law on top of technological development.
Yes! Who can resist the temptation of paper money? Zhang Fei thought for a while and said, "It is possible, but we have to rectify the local salt administration first before we can issue salt notes and salt debts."
In fact, how could he not know that paper money is a Pandora's box, but he still had to open this Pandora's box because he also had to complete the KPI. If he wanted to increase his wealth in the short term, this was the only way.
Fortunately, the Song Dynasty is short of currency, and issuing some will actually benefit the country and the people. However, in the long run, this will inevitably be a huge hidden danger, but Zhang Fei can only take care of the present.
Therefore, he could understand Wang Anshi's plan.
Wang Anshi said: "I will arrange people to rectify the local salt administration, but you, the public security, procuratorate and courts, must also be prepared, as well as the charity foundation."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I understand."
The finances of Hezhong Prefecture are so impressive, and it will not offend anyone. Facts have also proved that the salt money system is far better than the Qingmiao system in making money. Wang Anshi is not stupid, so why not use the better system?
Of course, he had also carefully studied the success of Hezhong Prefecture, and it was indeed based on the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems. The key point was that without the guarantee of the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems, the people would not believe in this thing.
In fact, he was not opposed to the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. He also hoped that they could help him to rectify the administration of officials. However, when it comes to party strife, a small spark can directly burn down an entire forest.
At the beginning, he was forced to that point.
Compared with the public security, procuratorate and courts, Wang Anshi needed Zhang Fei's support more. If the public security, procuratorate and courts were in the hands of Fan Chunren, the salt notes would never be issued.
Only after talking with Wang Anshi did Zhang Fei enter the imperial court and give his final report to the emperor.
".Then the Ma family and the charity foundation will transfer the money directly to the Ma family pawn shop, and then transfer the money to the inner treasury through the tax department."
Zhang Fei said with a little embarrassment: "From this transaction, we can earn 10,000 guan, but after deducting the cost paid by the tax department for this matter, it may be a break-even."
Zhao Xu heaved a sigh of relief and said, "It's fine as long as there is no profit or loss. I think there will be a lot of losses if this amount of money is taken out. After all, those debts are all bad debts. You have done a very good job."
Zhang Fei said: "Of course I dare not ask the government to pay compensation."
Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, suggesting that he should keep this idea. He had heard about the financial crisis every day since he was born. Emperor Shenzong was very strict with money. But he immediately sighed, "However, judging from the current situation, the ultimate way to improve the finances is to return to tradition, reduce the number of officials and soldiers, and rectify taxes."
He read the reports every day and it was not difficult to find that the current fiscal growth was mainly due to disarmament and the tax department, which was what Fan Zhongyan advocated back then.
It can be seen that Wang Anshi's concerns were not unnecessary worries. The emperor still cared about KPI, and the relationship between the monarch and his subjects was secondary.
Zhang Fei immediately said, "That's not the case. The real great achievements are the New Deal and judicial reform. It is because of the adjustments made in the New Deal that the public security, procuratorial, judicial and taxation departments have laws to rely on. Many future adjustments will still need to be completed with the help of the New Deal. The key is that it is precisely because of their struggles that the government can use the hidden dragon."
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Of course I understand this, and I will continue to support the new policy, but the question is, how long can I keep hiding? This failure will inevitably shake many officials' continued support for the new policy."
The officials of Jingdong East Road fully supported the Qingmiao Law, but they did not get the credit they wanted and almost lost their official positions. This was bound to affect their support for the new law.
On the contrary, the conservatives are still very united.
This may upset the balance between the two.
Zhang Fei said: "I think Wang Xueshi should also be aware of this. He will definitely find a way to revive his forces. For the government, staying in hiding for a while now will only benefit them in every way."
Zhao Xu glanced at Zhang Fei, hesitated for a while, and finally nodded.
Yes, the biggest weakness of this reform is the monarch. The monarch does not have plans for hundreds of years, and must achieve immediate results.
Therefore, whenever reform is carried out, the Legalist thought must be used, which is the most effective.
Wang Anshi's worries were definitely correct.
But in fact, Wang Anshi still has plenty of time, because the finances are growing, and Zhao Xu will certainly not take the initiative to interrupt this momentum. No matter whether your new policy is useful or not, the situation will develop in a good direction anyway.
Otherwise, changes must be made.
Qingzhou.
After receiving the imperial decree, Fan Chunren, Qian Yi and others were ecstatic and they highly praised the debt restructuring.
Because this is almost completely consistent with what they advocate, and may even be a little more cruel.
Fan Chunren believed that the number of officials should be reduced and expenditures should be saved. Otherwise, the people would inevitably be exploited. This is the optimal solution and the only solution.
Royal Court.
“Why are there so many lawsuits again?”
Qian Yi was dumbfounded when he saw Fan Chunren coming into the room with a bunch of lawsuits. Didn’t they say there would be a truce?
The other party shouldn't cause trouble.
Fan Chunren said: "No, these are previous lawsuits, but our procuratorate has discovered some new evidence, so we plan to adjust these lawsuits."
Qian Yi looked at Fan Chunren and said, "Is that true? Chunren, the public security, procuratorate and courts will not tolerate reckless behavior."
Fan Chunren said truthfully: "In the past, we also sympathized with the government's situation. In order to take the overall situation into consideration, we more or less took the government into consideration when it came to compensation. Now we are just filing a lawsuit as usual, impartially."
Qian Yi said: "You are leaving them no way out and forcing them to restructure their debts."
Fan Chunren did not deny it either: "The government has finally relented and allowed Qingzhou to restructure its debt. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must take this opportunity to lay off more officials and improve Qingzhou's finances. Only then will the court apply this method to other prefectures in the future.
However, I did not seek revenge for personal gain. Each lawsuit was based on irrefutable evidence and specific reasons, and was entirely based on Zhang San’s precedents.”
Qian Yi nodded and said, "You have no say on this. I will examine it carefully."
Fan Chunren cupped his hands and said, "If there are any mistakes, Chunren is willing to take full responsibility."
Although the compensation standards pursued in the previous and subsequent lawsuits were different, Fan Chunren had a clear conscience because his purpose was the same, which was to serve the country and the people.
Moreover, he did not say to change the law, because as far as judicial matters are concerned, the law regarding debt litigation is only fixed within a range, and does not give a specific number, which can be more or less.
There had been no precedent for debt restructuring before, so Fan Chunren naturally had to guard against the collapse of the government, so the claim would definitely be lighter.
On the contrary, it was the Qingzhou officials who kept adding debts to the government in order to force their procuratorate to make concessions.
really!
At that time, Fan Chunren was in a very difficult situation. He did not dare to make a random judgment without the court's legislation. He never imagined that the government could go bankrupt and reorganize.
Now that the situation has changed, Fan Chunren has no worries anymore, so let's be honest, this is all your own fault.
Just at this time, an official reported that the Transport Envoy Wang Juqing wanted to see him.
Qian Yi and Fan Chunren looked at each other tacitly, and they knew very well the purpose of Wang Juqing's visit.
As expected, when Wang Juqing saw the two, he said straight to the point: "After discussion between our Transportation Department and the government office, we are willing to compensate those soldiers and clerks, but I still hope that you two can put the overall situation first and not go to the point of debt restructuring, which is not conducive to national stability.
I have also studied Chief Judge Zhang’s case in Hezhong Prefecture. One of the ways is to reach a settlement privately. If you two agree, our government will strive to reach a settlement with those soldiers and clerks, and slowly compensate them in order to give the government a chance to breathe. "
Fan Chunren said firmly, "You can reconcile, but you must wait until our procuratorate has finished the lawsuit and determines the amount of compensation the government needs to pay. Then the three of us can discuss how the government should compensate you."
Wang Juqing frowned and said, "You are deliberately trying to force the government to restructure its debts. This is really a revenge for personal gain."
Fan Chunren said: "I only hope that everyone can get a fair and just trial. If you are allowed to reconcile with those soldiers and clerks, it will definitely be unfair, because you can force those soldiers and clerks to reduce their claims or even withdraw the lawsuit."
Wang Juqing said: "If we want to do this, we can force them to withdraw the lawsuit now, and debt restructuring will be of no benefit to them."
Fan Chunren smiled and said, "It seems that the transport envoys don't know much about our procuratorate. If they withdraw the lawsuit, we can still investigate. However, we will no longer investigate the debt relationship between you. Instead, we will investigate why the government owes so much debt, whether it was spent on other things, whether there is corruption, and even why they all came to the procuratorate to file a lawsuit."
Wang Juqing was stunned and fell silent.
Fan Chunren smiled again and said, "Regarding this case, we have to thank your government for its cooperation in providing us with so much evidence."
Simply put, giving you a debt restructuring is a form of leniency towards you. If we really investigate, huh?
Wang Juqing could not help but frown and said, "Fan Yaofu, you are also from an official family. How can this benefit you?"
Fan Chunren immediately rebuked: "I studied hard and passed the imperial examination, not because of family background. Even if it is debt restructuring, I, Fan Chunren, will definitely be the one who stays."
Since ancient times, Confucian literati, at least on the surface, have been very humble, with the exception of the Northern Song Dynasty, where many literati were quite conceited.
Of course, this is actually due to the fact that "the monarch and the literati govern the world together". Power determines your confidence in speaking.
On the contrary, the military generals of the Song Dynasty were the most humble since ancient times.
"Goodbye!"
Wang Juqing stood up, bowed, then turned and walked out the door with a slight smile on his lips.
Qian Yi couldn't help but joked: "Chunren, we two still have to separate, otherwise, this person will be offended."
Fan Chunren said, "Separation will only offend more people."
Qian Yi stroked his beard and laughed.
Qian Yi was known as the Iron-Hearted Censor who was not afraid of the powerful and wealthy. Fan Chunren was no less so. The two of them were in the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments, and they dared to arrest Wang Anshi even if he broke the law.
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