Judge of the Song Dynasty Chapter 728: Duel
"Is it that serious?"
Wang Anshi felt guilty, but also had some doubts about Zhang Fei's words.
If there is such a big problem, there is no way he doesn’t know about it!
Among the new policies of Wang Anshi, it is the smoothest.
"If it wasn't serious, I wouldn't do it."
Zhang Fei suddenly said with a serious expression: "Although it has not caused riots yet, this trend is indeed getting worse day by day. By the time there is a real problem, it will be too late no matter what you do."
Wang Anshi couldn't help but frown.
As for Zhang Fei's judgment in business, he still believes in it. After all, Zhang Fei has used many examples to prove his talent in this area.
After a while, Wang Anshi sat down and said in a low voice: "But if these problems really exist, then it may be detrimental to the New Deal at the hearing!"
He couldn't think of a way to make up for this.
In the final analysis, his main goal is to increase national wealth and reduce national expenditure, and the rest is not so important.
Zhang Fei said: "Master Wang should know that a hearing is different from a court defense. A court defense is based on one's own speculation, but everything actually has two sides, and often no one can convince anyone.
As for the hearing, as the name suggests, it is about using evidence to speak. Likewise, everything has two sides. It will certainly not only talk about the disadvantages, but also the benefits of equalization.
Then the solution is very simple. Summarize the pros and cons, weigh the gains and losses, and use this to improve the entire equalization method. I guarantee that it will never affect the equalization method. On the contrary, it will improve the equalization method and make it more popular across the country. , and also made the New Deal healthier.
But if you don't make up for it, you will end up bankrupt. ”
Wang Anshi glanced at Zhang Fei, a little suspicious in his heart, thinking that Zhang Fei was exaggerating, because this was also Zhang Fei's usual trick, but he thought of another thing, and thought, judging from the current situation, It seems that the officials no longer support me unreservedly. This will definitely shake the confidence of the officials below in the New Deal. Then I must find another way to strengthen the support of the officials below in the New Deal. This hearing may be able to provide support for the New Deal!
After weighing this, Wang Anshi agreed to Zhang Fei's suggestion.
But this was what Zhang Fei expected. If he couldn't convince Wang Anshi, he wouldn't dare to do it.
However, Zhang Fei miscalculated this time. He thought that Wang Anshi agreed because he was moved by his own theory.
But I don’t know that what Wang Anshi is most worried about now is the emperor’s attitude towards the New Deal. If he loses the emperor’s support, the New Deal will become difficult to implement.
Although at present, the emperor still supports the New Deal, it is certainly no longer unreserved. Therefore, Wang Anshi hopes to make the New Deal stronger through hearings.
In the past, anyone who opposed the New Deal was simply kicked out.
When Su Che was setting up the Ordinance Department of the Second Prefecture in his early years, he pointed out the shortcomings of the law. As a result, Wang Anshi directly ridiculed Su Che, who only knew how to talk, and then kicked out the Ordinance Department of the Second Prefecture. It was Sima Guang's fault. During the reform, Su Che only entered the Public Security Bureau and was not demoted.
But the situation is changing, and Wang Anshi has to make corresponding adjustments.
The key to this hearing is that, as Zhang Fei said, everyone speaks with evidence and no longer talks. Wang Anshi is also very confident in this.
He never lost confidence in his ideas and his new laws.
He also knows that there must be problems with the new law, but as long as the benefits outweigh the problems, there will be no problem.
After Wang Anshi returned, he found Deng Wan and asked him to communicate with others, saying not to worry, as our New Deal would become stronger as a result.
In fact, it is comfort.
I have to say that people within the reformist faction are really panicking now. It has only been a few days since Xue Xiang was released, and there are people coming to complain again. It is endless.
Everyone had no idea, and they were all speculating on what the emperor was thinking.
Because in feudal society, if the emperor is very supportive of you, this usually does not happen.
When this happened, did the emperor's attitude change?
What’s even worse is that they haven’t been able to put pressure on the Public Procuratorate and the Procuratorate. You think they just rescued Xue Xiang by filing a lawsuit from the Procuratorate. It’s only been a few days, and they can’t retort that the Public Procuratorate and Procuratorate are unfair. .
This is too fake.
On the contrary, the conservatives are now very united and united, and they are full of confidence in this.
They sincerely believe that they are right and Wang Anshi is wrong, and they are not afraid to discuss the matter as it stands.
This also caught the Yushitai off guard. The Procuratorate was much braver than they imagined, and they even felt a little sympathetic to each other.
The Procuratorate has just saved Xue Xiang, and if it sues the Shipping Department again, it will really be displeasing to both sides.
Only the Yushitai can do this kind of thing. The Yushitai will never fall to one faction and impeach both sides. This is because of the system of the Yushitai, the Yushitai Zhongcheng has no right to interfere with the Yushitai. The censor often impeached the censor Zhongcheng if he complained.
There are already a mixture of reformists and conservatives in the Yushitai. The reformist censors will impeach the conservatives, and the conservative censors will impeach the reformists.
The Procuratorate seems to be doing the same thing now.
"I just found out the information, this time it is Sima Junzhi who is behind the scenes."
Peng Siyan said to Jiang Zhiqi from the bottom.
After Jiang Zhiqi heard this, he immediately sneered and said: "Let me just say, those Jiangnan businessmen have taken advantage of others and lost the lawsuit, and they dare to retaliate against the shipping department in the capital. There must be someone behind them."
As he said that, he asked: "Will the procuratorate prosecute me?"
Peng Siyan said: "Currently the procuratorate is still investigating and has not made a decision, but I guess it will still be accepted. The previous lawsuit made Liu Shilang and others very dissatisfied. They thought Zhang San was Wang Jiefu's person. Obviously Sima Jun I really want to use this to prove that the Public Security Bureau can still check and balance the Ordinance Department of the second government. If they don't accept it, Sima Junshi and the others are determined not to support the Public Security Bureau anymore."
Jiang Zhiqi nodded and glanced at Peng Siyan, "What do you think?"
Peng Siyan said: "It's not what I think, it's what everyone thinks."
Jiang Zhiqi said: "But Wen Gong believes that the trump card can only be used to intimidate. If it is really used, it may offend the officials."
Peng Siyan said: "We can borrow someone else's hand to hand it over, who knows. Anyway, our Yushitai will be out of the matter by then, so why not just add fuel to the fire to the Procuratorate? It depends on how the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate will fare. Deal with it, otherwise, we really can’t swallow this breath."
Jiang Zhiqi nodded slightly.
In that lawsuit, they actually had one trick that didn't work, and that was the affair between Xue Xiang and the emperor. They had already hinted to the emperor that if you wanted to protect Xue Xiang, then we would investigate the internal treasure trove.
But later, the emperor still passed the Yushitai's judgment.
Of course the Yushitai did not reveal this matter. Of course, Wen Yanbo also contributed to it, because he suppressed it and never mentioned it.
But Yushitai really didn't expect that he would be able to stay out of the matter so quickly and watch the fire from the other side, which would definitely add fuel to the fire.
On the other hand, the Procuratorate really didn’t expect that they would file a complaint right after they had just finished fighting such a fatal lawsuit.
They all knew in their hearts that the other party was targeting Xue Xiang, and they could not let Xue Xiang serve as the Third Chief of Staff.
But this time, the procuratorate’s attitude is obviously in favor of these businessmen who complained. The reason is also very simple. This bowl of water must be balanced. It just accepted Xue Xiang’s complaint. If it had not accepted these businessmen, it would have been conservative. Paike really won't give them support. Most of the key public prosecutors and judges are from the conservative side.
Although there are relatively few people in the Procuratorate, because Su Shi and Fan Chunren, who were initially in power, were all kicked out, and Xu Zun is not a conservative. He only promoted young officials who were familiar with the law and had no background. .
But the basic base is still on the conservative side, including the chief court president Zhao Pian, who also supports these businessmen's complaints. What's more, there are many ministers in the DPRK who represent the interests of these businessmen and landlords.
However, after studying for a while, they found that this technology was somewhat inadequate.
Today, Xu Zun will hold a meeting to discuss how to deal with the case.
Wang Gong was the first to say: "After our review, we found that what those businessmen said is indeed reasonable. The uniform transmission method has many shortcomings, and it does affect the people's livelihood on Southeast Six Roads.
If this is done by a businessman, this matter can definitely be sued, but the Shipping Department represents the court, and it is not illegal for the court to carry out these actions. ”
The imperial court has a monopoly. Can it be called a monopoly? That's called thinking about the people.
The imperial court is speculative. Can it be called speculation? That's called macro-control.
In the past, this was all the job of the prime minister, supervising the emperor and changing policies, but it was suddenly delegated to the judiciary, which was very difficult to deal with.
Xu Zundao: "Isn't there corruption, bribery, and forced buying and selling?"
Qi Ji sighed: "Some people have complained about these two points, but they have not provided specific evidence. Although this is very likely to be true, because the shipping department is a big buyer, and those businessmen certainly want to sell. If the goods were given to the shipping department, then there must be something fishy here, but the problem is that they didn't say whether they bribed the shipping department, but accused others of doing so, so they have no concrete evidence."
Wang Gong added: "There are also people who accuse the shipping department of reselling other goods, but as long as the money goes into the treasury, it is legal, because there are very few legal restrictions on government buying and selling. In short, For example, if striving for interests with the people is a crime, then you can certainly sue, but striving for interests with the people is not a crime. However, our legal system is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. If we turn a blind eye, it does not seem right. ."
This last sentence is actually a hint to Xu Zun. There must be competition for interests with the people, which is not as good as Wang Anshi's propaganda. Moreover, this is the point of view that Sima Guang and others have always emphasized. This is an ironclad fact, so , if our procuratorate takes no action, Sima Guang and the others will definitely be very unhappy.
Zhang Fei suddenly said: "In this case, it is better to hold a hearing and lay out all these things. If we can't sue, then we have no choice. We have done our best."
Qi Ji and Wang Gong's eyes lit up at the same time.
Yes!
How could I forget this hearing?
The Cheng Fang case was handled in the same way last time.
The two cases actually have many similarities.
The main complaint against Cheng Fang was the abuse of people's power and the destruction of people's houses and fields. However, the law is very condoning against government behavior. After all, this is a feudal society.
After several people gathered together, they immediately made a decision and decided to hold a hearing.
Then the procuratorate immediately published this news in the newspaper, stating that what those Jiangnan businessmen said was not false, but there was still a lack of sufficient evidence, and the law was also lacking in this regard. For the sake of fairness, The Procuratorate is preparing to hold a hearing to make a final decision on whether to formally prosecute the Shipping Department of Southeast 6th Road.
As soon as this newspaper came out, the first one to visit was Xiangguo Temple.
Come to my place for a hearing.
I've covered all the tea and venues.
Buddhism in the Northern Song Dynasty was never a quiet place. Most of them had some financial attributes, including lending, doing business, and farming.
Holding a hearing in Xiangguo Temple is a sure-fire business for Xiangguo Temple.
First of all, the Public Security Bureau is an upstart, and it is necessary to have a good relationship with the Public Security Bureau.
Secondly, the status of Xiangguo Temple can be increased. The Legislative Council and hearings will all be held here, which is enough to represent my official background.
Finally, this will also bring a lot of popularity to Xiangguo Temple.
Because you don’t need to think about it to know that every wealthy person in the capital is paying close attention to this hearing.
Businessmen have realized before that public prosecutors and law are very beneficial to business. Since the legal system is to protect everyone's legitimate rights and interests, then we businessmen are also human beings. No matter whether we are treacherous or not, as long as we do not break the law, you will We must be protected.
This kind of legal protection is what businessmen have always dreamed of.
They are rich but lack the means to protect their wealth.
And this hearing will be the best proof, because those Jiangnan businessmen are all big profiteers. Otherwise, they would not be allowed to come to the capital to testify in the lawsuit. If they can sue , which is enough to prove that the public prosecutor and the law are capable of providing protection for businessmen.
In the face of huge expectations, the Procuratorate did not make any secrets. In fact, it was afraid that things would change if it was delayed. Anyway, Xiangguo Temple provided everything, so the Procuratorate immediately announced that the hearing would be held at Xiangguo Temple in two days. The reason why we are so urgent is because the Imperial City will be on holiday in two days.
Two days later.
The Xiangguo Temple is really a gathering of elites, and the popularity level is very high, from the powerful to the salesmen, because this hearing is closely related to the interests of almost everyone.
As for the police station, a large number of royal police officers were also dispatched to maintain public order.
"Amitabha."
Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian had just gotten off the carriage when an old monk came out and said, "On behalf of the small temple, the poor monk welcomes Prosecutor Zhang and Mrs. Zhang."
This is an extremely high standard, which was something that was unthinkable before.
"The abbot is polite."
Zhang Fei responded with a courtesy, "If you are disturbing me, I would like to thank the abbot Haihan."
"How dare! How dare!"
The old monk stretched out his hand and led him into the temple, "You two, please come in."
"Please."
Today is also the day when Xu Zhiqian returns to the world.
But even this old monk didn't have any opinion on this, because in everyone's eyes, Xu Zhiqian had been accompanying Zhang Fei in lawsuits and served as Zhang Fei's chief clerk in Hezhong Mansion. Strange.
Of course, the key is Zhang Fei's unparalleled ability. He wants Xu Zhiqian to be his assistant. What can you do?
No one would argue with Zhang Fei over such a trivial matter.
"Zhang San."
As soon as I arrived at the temple, I heard a shout.
It is Cao Dongdong.
"Yameni, why haven't I seen you in the past few days?"
Zhang Fei immediately asked curiously.
He suddenly remembered that Cao Dongdong and Xiao Ma had hardly bothered him since they came back.
Cao Dongdong said weakly: "These days, Xiao Ma and I are bringing in new people, but we are very busy."
"Bring in new people?"
Zhang Fei said in astonishment.
Cao Dongdong nodded, "Don't you know, the government allocated 3,000 Forbidden Army soldiers from the three yamen to our police station. This also included some people from the Sheji Security Department, and they were also trained by this yamen themselves. them."
To maintain the public security law, a large number of police officers must be needed. This is the biggest difference from the past. However, if we recruit people from outside, the finances cannot afford it. Therefore, when the police station expands, most people are recruited directly from the Forbidden Army.
In the past, Zhao Xu had some doubts about this. After all, the Forbidden Army was protecting his safety, but now, his thinking has completely changed. Anyway, the Forbidden Army usually doesn’t know what it is doing. It can’t even defeat a bandit, so it’s better to go there. The police station is waiting.
"That's it."
Zhang Fei nodded. It seemed that Zhao Xu trusted the Royal Police more and more. Of course, the most important reason was that Zhao Xu came up with this trick himself and achieved very good results. Then he said: "Let's find a time to chat another day. I have something to discuss with you."
Cao Dongdong said arrogantly: "It depends on whether I am free in my office."
Zhang Fei chuckled: "I will make a reservation one month in advance, so there should be no problem."
Cao Dongdong said hey: "That's okay."
At this time, the temple was already bustling with people, and almost all the ministers were here. This could be said to be a head-on confrontation between the conservatives and the reformists.
Before, Cheng Fang was not included, because it mainly involved the emperor, and the river defense matter could not represent the New Deal, but the Junsu method could definitely represent it.
Both humans and ghosts were anxious and worried about gains and losses. They gathered around and murmured in low voices.
The interests here are too complicated. For example, some of the powerful people support the businessmen in their hearts, but this hearing is a place where the truth is told, and they are worried about revealing something fishy.
There are also some who support the shipping department, and they can use the shipping department to get more benefits.
Seeing that Sima Guang was restless and taking deep breaths, Lu Gongzhu couldn't help but ask: "Jun Shi, are you nervous?"
"Huh?"
Sima Guang was slightly startled, and then said: "It's not that he is nervous, but he is a little excited. This time, Wang Jiefu can finally reveal his true colors. He is competing for benefits with the people and amassing wealth for the country."
Lv Gong wrote: "You forgot about the last hearing of Cheng Dujian. After all, you didn't sue Cheng Dujian. This hearing is somewhat similar to the last time."
Sima Guang said: "As long as the officials realize the seriousness of the Hebei problem, it will be enough."
Mr. Lu nodded slightly.
Deng Wan over there was also uneasy and whispered: "Ms. sir, could this be a conspiracy of the other party?"
Wang Anshi said: "Don't worry, we won't lose."
Of course, Zhao Xu also quietly came to the Xiangguo Temple. He was very supportive of this hearing, because the last hearing let him know how weak the Forbidden Army was.
He wanted to know what the specific situation was, not just what some ministers wanted him to know.
After Zhang Fei arrived, the hearing officially began.
The four giants of the Procuratorate were still sitting in front, with Xu Zunlai presiding over it. Xu Zhiqian just sat silently behind Zhang Fei, preparing information for him.
The camps below are very clear, with the reformists on the left and the conservatives on the right.
After Wang Anshi and Sima Guang took their seats, they stared at each other with a tacit understanding, as if they were the only two left in the world and wanted a fair head-on confrontation.
But this time the arrangement of tables and chairs is different from last time. There is only one seat in the middle, not on the left and right sides, as if to tell everyone that this hearing is objective and neutral.
But it’s useless, both sides are still very hostile.
The perimeter has three floors inside and three floors outside. It is completely surrounded, but at a glance, they are all famous and wealthy businessmen in the capital, with at least a thousand people in total.
They are all looking forward to it, and they are all wealthy businessmen who support Jiangnan.
It can be seen that the conservatives are in the right place at the right time and with the right people.
Since this was not the first time, Wang Gong just read out the rules of the hearing aloud as usual, and then Xu Zun announced the start of the hearing.
The first one to come up was a wealthy businessman named Yu Liang.
After this person came up, he didn't look panicked or worried, and sat on the chair very calmly.
These Jiangnan businessmen have been spoiled recently, and their fear has gone away.
They went to the Yushitai to testify before, and then went to the Public Security Bureau to testify. They were already numb. Moreover, the reason why they united to report on the Shipping Department was not only controlled by Zhang Fei and Sima Guang from behind; One reason is that when they came back this time, they did not defeat Xue Xiang and exposed themselves. They were afraid of being retaliated when they went back, so they risked everything for themselves.
Zhang Fei looked at Yu Liang's information and said, "Witness, please introduce yourself first."
Yu Liangdao: "My surname is Yu Mingliang, and I am a silk merchant in Yuhang."
Zhang Fei asked: "Are you a merchant who specializes in selling silk?"
Yu Liang nodded and added: "I also grow mulberry and raise silkworms."
Zhang Fei glanced down at the information, then raised his head and asked: "You are suing the shipping department for buying cheap and selling high, disrupting your silk shop business in Yuhang, which has caused your business to plummet, and also caused the local mulberry trees to plummet. Farmers are miserable."
"Yes."
Yu Liang nodded.
Zhang Fei said: "Can you tell me the specific reason?"
Yu Liangdao: "Before the Shipping Department promulgated the Equalization Law, the business of my silk shop has always been good. Businessmen from the capital and Daming Prefecture often came to buy silk from me. But since the Shipping Department promulgated the Equalization Law, , and now no businessmen from other places have come to my house to buy silk. The entire silk trade in Yuhang is lifeless, and many mulberry trees have been cut down for firewood."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Yu Liangdao: "It's because two years ago, Yuhang had a good harvest of mulberry leaves and the price of silk was low, so the shipping department came to Yuhang to collect silk. Including my family, almost all the silk in Yuhang was bought by the shipping department, resulting in The rest of the merchants returned empty-handed and spent a lot of money on traveling in vain. After coming and going, they stopped coming to Yuhang to buy silk."
Zhang Fei asked: "But your silk is still sold."
Yu Liangdao: "That was just the beginning, but it was no longer like this. Because the imperial court bought and sold silk everywhere, many silk merchants and cloth merchants became unprofitable. They didn't know that the shipping department would be there. Wherever you buy silk, you will sell it, so they all changed careers, and even went to the northwest to engage in salt trading and stopped doing this business.
But it turned out that the shipping department later stopped buying silk from us in Yuhang and went to Yangzhou to buy it. We kept all the silk in our hands and didn't know who we could sell it to, because there were no other silk merchants in Yuhang. ”
The more he talked, the more excited he became, dancing with joy, "In the end, we can only sell it to the shipping department at a low price. Now we silk merchants and cloth merchants in Yuhang all have to beg the shipping department. Not only do we give money and gifts, but also we have to compete with each other. The price is lower and the silk is better than anyone else.
In the end, all the money went to the shipping department, but we silk merchants and mulberry farmers got nothing, and sometimes we all had to lose money. ”