Judge of the Song Dynasty Chapter 449: Tax War (23)

Although the whole matter was planned by Zhao Xu and Zhang Fei, they are not sure about the final verdict.

Because this is a classic proposition in the field of law, bad law is illegal and bad law is also law.

It has been fought for hundreds of years all over the world.

The school of natural law insists that "evil law is illegal", while the school of analytical law insists that "evil law is also law".

When Zhang Fei was in college, he also participated in a debate contest on this proposition.

Even ordinary people, in fact, often argue. Although they may not know what evil laws are illegal and evil laws are also laws, they will express different opinions on a certain case. Illegal and evil laws are also laws.

The same is true now, the case was originally one-sided, and almost all supported Zhao Wenzheng's heavy sentence.

But now the views have become divided again. One faction supports the sentence of Zhao Wenzheng for selling illegal salt, but the other faction supports that Zhao Wenzheng is selling medicine, not illegal salt.

Whether it is a street tea shop or a big restaurant, they are all arguing about this issue.

Often this kind of moment depends on the judge's thinking.

Zeng Gong also actively sent people to investigate the whole story.

Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Reporting to Prefect Zeng, after our search and investigation over the past few days, we have probably learned the whole story."

"What happened?"

Zeng Gong hurriedly asked Huang Gui.

Huang Guidao: "The cause of the whole thing has to be explained by the State Salt Law. Did the prefect Zeng know that during the Qingli period, did Fan Xiang preside over the Northwest Salt Administration?"

Zeng Gong nodded and said: "I don't know. In the past, military supplies were exchanged for salt banknotes, food, cloth, etc., but the real valuation is difficult to be fair, so Fan Xiang changed to a businessman to buy salt banknotes from the border state army for money. , Then go to the salt pond to exchange salt, and the state army will use the money paid by the salt merchants to buy military supplies.”

Huang Guidao: "The overall output of Jieyan is very stable, roughly around 350,000 seats per year. When Fan Xiang was in charge of the local salt administration, the salt banknotes never exceeded this amount, but since Fan Xiang's death, Due to the troubles in the Northwest, the annual salt banknotes have reached 430,000 seats.

This has led to a gradual reduction in the price of salt banknotes. Some salt merchants who resell salt banknotes have exchanged salt with Xiezhou Salt Lake. They all have the habit of stealing and hiding private salt, so they sent people to pay those salt households, which directly led to conflicts between local salt households and salt officials, which actually reduced the amount of salt in Jiezhou a lot. "

Zeng Gong sighed: "In order to profit from salt, the government has always bought salt from salt households at extremely low prices, so the salt households seek to make a living by hiding salt."

"Yes."

Huang Gui nodded, and said again: "But this indirectly caused Xuzhou salt merchants to not get enough salt back then. The price of salt in Xuzhou once rose to seventy-five yuan per catty. They can sell good salt to rich people at a high price, but as for the countryside, they are poor salt mixed with soil scum, and it is not less than 50 yuan per catty, so the rural households are unwilling to buy it, and they cannot afford it.

This caused the salt merchants to increase the toll in vain, so the salt merchants stopped going. This indeed caused no one to sell salt in many places in Xuzhou at that time for half a year, and many people suffered from illness. died of illness.

Afterwards, all kinds of private salt entered Xuzhou, Wang Hongjin was just one of them, but because the official salt recovered last year, those legal salt merchants wanted to drive out the private salt, but because the private salt was only twenty yuan, and The official salt costs at least forty-five yuan, and there is no way to drive it away, so some people suspect that it is the evidence provided by the local salt merchant to the tax department. "

Zeng Gong nodded and asked again: "Has the procuratorate found any evidence that Wang Hongjin sold illegal salt to other places?"

Huang Gui shook his head and said: "No. Moreover, Wang Hongjin insisted that all his salt comes from a private salt dealer in Qingzhou, named Li Yuan, but he has not been found yet, and he only worked for a year or two. The private salt trade in Xuzhou was mainly from the year before last to last year, which happened to be the period when Xuzhou was short of salt. Although the procuratorate believes that Wang Hongjin sold private salt, it was definitely not the past two years, and the previous salt profit accounts were only given by him. Destroyed, but the procuratorate was only suspicious and did not find any evidence."

Li Kai hummed: "There are only a few people in the procuratorate, and all their evidence comes from the tax department. The really powerful one is actually the tax department."

Zeng Gong nodded and looked at Zeng Gong again.

Huang Guidao: "The procuratorate has also negotiated with the taxation department, but the taxation department said that they have done everything they can, and they have no more evidence."

Zeng Gong nodded and said, "I see."

Huang Gui said again: "There is one more thing. Xie Huacun, who testified in court before, and the rest of the people who provided evidence have entrusted Bianjing Law Firm to file a lawsuit with the imperial court, hoping to return to his home. land."

Zeng Gong asked: "Can the imperial court make a judgment?"

"Not yet."

Huang Gui shook his head and said: "However, Judge Lu sent someone to look for me, saying that the other party's evidence is solid. After the trial, the imperial court will most likely return the land to Xie Huacun and others."

"This ear pen really has some tricks!"

Zeng Gong sighed, and asked Huang Gui: "Boss Huang, you go to the procuratorate again and ask if they have found any new evidence?"

Huang Guidao: "In fact, the lower officials have already asked, but as Li Tongjuan said, the means of verification by the procuratorate are very expensive, and they said that it is difficult to find more evidence."

Due to the current limited technology, verification is actually very difficult. It took the tax department a whole year to obtain these empirical evidence.

They did not have much evidence before, and it was difficult to find it.

If the tax department does not provide new evidence, the procuratorate can only stare blankly. This also makes the procuratorate come to its senses and think that it is better to set up its own investigation department and not completely rely on the tax department. After all, it is not an affiliation relationship.

......

Three days later.

Zeng Gong called Zhang Fei and Su Zhe to Kaifeng Mansion.

"After the trial by the judge, the judge decided to sentence Wang Hongjin to the crime of falsely reporting property and tax evasion. Since there is no direct evidence to prove that Zhao Wenzheng knew about it and the property was not in his name, he will not be held accountable. As for the crime of occupying official land, because the evidence provided by the procuratorate is controversial, and because the imperial court is trying a related case, the official decided to transfer this case to the imperial court for trial together. As for the crime of selling illegal salt ?”

Zeng Gong suddenly glanced at Zhang Fei, "After investigating the matter, I found that Wang Hongjin was not selling illegal salt, but drugs, and he will not be held accountable."

Zhang Fei immediately cupped his hands and said, "Prefect Zeng is really clear."

Su Zhe was very disappointed and said very dissatisfied: "If the Magistrate Zeng sentenced him like this, it will have a very bad impact. Those who sell private salt will also be exonerated with this crime."

Zeng Gong said: "If you can't buy a grain of salt within half a year, then salt is a life-saving medicine for you. As for the bad effects, I believe that there is no more impact than not being able to buy salt." It’s even worse, and it’s the imperial court that should reflect, not the private salt sellers.”

Su Zhe remained silent, and his dissatisfaction was vividly expressed on the paper.

Zeng Gong said to Zhang Fei again: "I will sentence Wang Hongjin to one hundred sticks, seven years in prison, send him to Qiongzhou, and confiscate all his property involved in tax evasion."

In fact, it is all, because Wang Hongjin has never paid taxes.

Zhang Fei immediately said: "Prefect Zeng, according to the laws of our dynasty, at most one-third of the property involved in tax evasion can only be fined and confiscated. Qin Biao and the others also sentenced in the same way before."

Su Zhe immediately glared at Zhang Fei.

Are you still not satisfied?

Zhang Fei also noticed the look in his eyes, but he ignored it, what do you know, this is called professionalism.

Zeng Gong said: "Don't you need to calculate the interest? For more than ten years, Wang Hongjin has not paid a penny in taxes, and even if he confiscates all his family property, it is not enough to pay back. It's more than that."

Zhang Fei argued: "But there is no sufficient evidence to prove that Wang Hongjin has not paid a penny in taxes for more than ten years."

Zeng Gong said with a smile: "So I only counted for three years."

Zhang Fei wondered, "Is three years enough?"

"Enough!"

Zeng Gong said: "You must know that the more than 70 hectares of land do not belong to him, but the grain of the more than 70 hectares of land belongs to him, so the tax must be calculated, but when the penalty is imposed, these Land is not counted, and you can’t take other people’s land as your fine.”

Zhang Fei muttered in a low voice: "Prefect Zeng's algorithm is really unique."

Zeng Gong glanced at him sideways, "What did you say?"

"No, nothing."

Zhang Fei said: "I still maintain my original opinion. Prefect Zeng is really clear and decisive. I admire, admire."

Zeng Gong looked at Su Zhe again.

Su Zhe struggled for a while, but finally nodded. Although he was not satisfied with the verdict, he believed that the procuratorate also had an unshirkable responsibility, and they had to pay the price for it.

After agreeing, Zeng Gong let them leave.

"Prefect, I'm afraid this verdict will dissatisfy everyone." Huang Gui whispered.

Zeng Gong nodded and said: "That's right."

.......

Going out, Su Zhe suddenly looked at Zhang Fei, "Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation?"

Zhang Fei said with a smile: "You are not afraid of officials, what am I afraid of? This incident has become like this. If the root cause is traced, the responsibility lies with the government. At best, I can only be regarded as icing on the cake. Not to me."

Su Zhe looked at him, "Aren't you an official now?"

Zhang Fei blinked and coughed: "Then...then I just haven't been able to get out of the mud. Besides, if our ear pens also have the mission of pursuing justice, then we must What are you procuratorate doing?"

Su Zhe gritted his teeth with hatred, and snorted, "You won't be so lucky next time."

Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "If I lose, I will still make money, just a little less."

"...!"

......

Zeng Gong did not ask for instructions, but directly gave the verdict.

As soon as the verdict comes out.

As Huang Gui said, no one is satisfied.

National and Chinese officials believed that Zeng Gong was covering up Zhao Wenzheng. From the beginning to the end, the verdict seemed to have nothing to do with Zhao Wenzheng, especially the crime of selling illegal salt, which was really beaten by Zhang Fei. Refers to a deer as a horse, and it can still happen today.

If this is not a cover-up, it is really unreasonable.

Many people and officials immediately impeached Zeng Gong.

But Zhao Wenzheng over there was not satisfied, and he was so angry that he fell ill in bed.

"It's over...it's over...the old man's fields are all gone, and the **** Zeng Zigu hasn't left any for the old man. For more than ten years, this bamboo basket has been empty! No, the old man has to Give Zhang 30,000 to 20,000 guan, ah... woo woo woo...!"

Zhao Wenzheng lay on the bed, clutching his forehead and sobbing.

Wang Qing was also full of grief, his son was basically doomed, but he still comforted him: "Master, just take it as a way to get rid of the disaster, this man is finally saved."

Zhao Wenzheng sat up in surprise, and said: "Yes, after all, the old man is fine, and this field can still come back in the future."

Wang Qing nodded and said: "Master is right."

"But...but, this is hundreds of thousands of guns! Huh, huh...."

Like a child, Zhao Wenzheng threw himself on the bed again, patted the wooden board, and cried loudly: "If I knew this, I should have paid the exemption tax at that time, and it was only two or three hundred yuan at most, ah... .Wooooow...!"