"The magistrate of Huai'an Prefecture is so brave that he actually found a crime and arrested Zhang Cong. Xie Fuxian, how do you think this case will be tried tomorrow?"
Xie Guangxie is Chen Ding's immediate boss. He will try a case tomorrow, and he must find out what his leader is thinking today.
However, this boss now has a sullen face. The wrinkles on his face are clearly visible, but there is no expression.
"What do you think?"
"I thought Mr. Ge must have two meanings, either something big will happen or nothing will happen."
The Ge Lao they are talking about is naturally Wang Bing.
"Then do you think this place is a big deal or nothing?"
"Not sure yet, it depends."
It depends on how the case goes.
Snapped!
The shock was like a thunderous sound, shocking everyone so that they did not dare to pay any more attention.
"Bring someone to commit the crime!"
At this time, Zhang Cong was no longer the former official wearing official robes and satin. His hands and feet were shackled, and he was dragged on the ground making a harsh sound. There were a few straws in his hair, and the prison uniform on his body was gray. , even his eyes have changed from the uprightness in the past to a bit darker.
Zhang Cong raised his head and took a look, and found that it was not Tian Ruofu. He was surprised and his mind suddenly turned around. Then he looked at the official robes of these people... and Tian Ruofu's flattering look.
I'm afraid it's not the imperial envoy from Beijing who has arrived.
Chen Dingkai asked: "Who is standing in the hall?!"
"Zhixian of Shanyang, Zhang Cong."
"What did you commit?"
"I was framed for stealing grain stored in a warehouse."
"Bold!" Tian Ruofu suddenly stood up, "Open your eyes and see clearly, this is a superior from Beijing! Seeing a superior is like meeting the emperor. If you lie to me even a little, it will be a crime of beheading!" "
Zhang Cong was extremely angry, "Shameless villain, confusing right and wrong. When you read the books of sages, is this how the sages taught you to be shameless and conscienceless? How dare you mention the emperor? If anyone deceives the emperor here, let God Let the thunder fall and destroy him!"
Tian Ruofu secretly glanced at Tian, feeling guilty for just a moment. He wanted to say it again, but Chen Ding stopped him.
"Prisoner Zhang Cong, your charges have not been washed away. If you continue to roar in court, will you be considered an official and cannot use punishment?"
Zhang Cong was kneeling at this time. He straightened up and raised his hands, "The guilty person did not mean it. The superior wants to try the case, so there is no need to bother, just give me a pen and paper."
Chen Ding looked at Xie Guangxie and then at Liu Chun. They both nodded, and then ordered: "Bring paper and pen!"
"Thank you, sir. Please wait for a while, and the guilty minister will explain the whole story."
Zhang Cong was wearing prison uniform and his hands were shackled, but his determination had never been as firm as it was now. Maybe people are like this, they are always reluctant to throw away their official position and reputation. Now that I have nothing, or even a precarious life, there is nothing to be afraid of.
So he wrote,
"In ancient times, taxes were paid on the eleventh day to keep the people in good time, so the world was peaceful and chanted. Although future generations cannot do it quickly, they should imitate its meaning a little, so that the law can be observed more easily than the day. Today, there are many sources of wealth in the world. Tian Fu came out, but in the Ming Dynasty Tian Fu did not have the same disadvantages as today...
Take Shanyang as an example. There are official fields and private fields in the county. The tax on official land ranged from five to seven bushels per mu, and in addition there were floating grain, additional consumption, etc., which amounted to as much as one stone per mu. The tax on people's land is five liters per mu, and the more it consumes, the more disadvantages it brings in. In this way, official land is of low value, while private land is of high value. Pretending to be an official for the people, the rich are willing to accept the pretense without doubting it..."
In the last sentence, Zhang Cong revealed a trick of private property trading.
That is, those who sell land want to get a high price, so they sell official land as civilian land. Those who buy land are greedy for low taxes and are willing to pay a high price to make the mistake.
"... Over time, most of the people's land belongs to the rich and powerful, and most of the official land is left to the poor. However, the country's taxes are still paid by the poor. If the poor cannot provide for them, they scatter in all directions to evade the taxes. If the taxes have nothing to go out, then Therefore, there are many poor people, and Lijia is trapped in poverty. And today's so-called corvee, the more land belongs to the upper household, the upper household is more important, the less land is lighter, and the less land is lighter. Taxes and corvee are heavier, and the common people are The misery is unspeakable. It is a good year, but the poor people still don't have any food. When floods and droughts occur, they will be displaced from the roads, hungry and choked with rivers, which is extremely pitiful.
There is public talk in the court that taxes need to be reduced and intrusions should be reduced. However, the world's expenses are all fixed. The Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties tried to be frugal. If taxes are reduced further, where will the military supplies come from? Where does the official salary come from? I believe that the people who cultivate the land are increasingly concentrated in the world. As a result, the people are becoming increasingly poor and the fields are becoming increasingly barren. However, taxes and corvees have not been reduced, making the people even more poor. The country's wealth is becoming increasingly scarce. After several decades, I I don’t know how the country’s taxation will be handled? "
After finishing writing, Zhang Cong ignored it and threw away the pen, as if his life had ended here.
Tian Ruofu was worried, but Chen Ding kept looking at him with a half-smile, which made him dare not show his head.
So the first person to get this article was Chen Ding. However, when he took a quick look, there was no smile on his face.
"Zhang Bingyong, does your statement have anything to do with the case?"
"There's nothing to say about the case. The governor wanted to borrow the stored grain, and he framed him because he didn't have an order to borrow the grain. No matter how many times this case has been tried, I've always said this."
"Then what do you mean by writing this?"
"When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a man is about to die, its words are also kind. I have been the magistrate for three years, and before I died, I gave your majesty this memorandum, that's all."
Chen Ding suddenly felt that the things in his hands were a little hot.
This Zhang Cong, people say he doesn't have a harmonious relationship with others, he is really a difficult person!
This is the court where the case is being tried. There are so many pairs of eyes staring at it. Wang Chao and Wang Bing ordered to investigate what Zhang Cong, the magistrate of Shanyang County, reported. Of course, they can report back to the court and say that this person swallowed the grain stored in the warehouse. What he said was not true.
But this kind of thing that is full of doubts is not easy to convince the suspicious emperor. At least the case file of Zhang Cong's confession must be shown to the emperor, otherwise it will not be enough to convince the emperor.
It's a good thing now, they can't get the case file, yet they accepted such a thing.
Is it better to hand over these short two or three hundred words, or not to hand them over?
If you hand it over, those who handle the case will have to deal with it. Tax law, farmland, such important matters have been solved by their hands. Will there be a peaceful life in the future?
But if you don't hand it over...
"Thank you, Vice President and Minister Liu." Chen Ding could no longer decide this matter, so he could only turn his head to the two of them.
At a glance, they knew that this article had nothing to do with the case.
Maybe it was because he wanted to beat the master to death with random punches, but what Zhang Cong worked so hard to write was really difficult for everyone in the room.
Xie Guangxie chuckled quietly and said, "Prefect Tian, you have to take a look at these words."
Tian Ruofu couldn't wait for a long time, he just wanted to see it, so that he could refute.
However, after rushing over to take a look, he was dumbfounded for a moment. Zhang Cong didn't interfere with him at all, and didn't even make a suggestion.
But as an official, he also knew the matter was sensitive.
"Shangchun, you should think twice whether this kind of thing is used as a case file!"
"If you don't hand it over," Xie Guangxie pointed at the paper with his index finger, "it must be stated that there was no deduction of wages, and it must also be written that Zhang Cong embezzled the grain reserves. If it is reversed in this way, it will not arouse His Majesty's suspicion. This lie, You have to smooth things over."
"Come here to make excuses?!"
Liu Chun's brows twitched, "Is there really a lie here?"
Tian Ruofu really wanted to slap himself, "The official made a mistake, there is no lie here! It's him, this Zhang Cong who is lying!"
Seeing him like this, several imperial envoys didn't want to talk to him anymore.
Zhu Weichun, the young man next to him, also started to frown. Who kind of person is this Zhang Cong? How could he write such a thing as if he didn't care about his life.
Looking at the current situation, neither the Criminal Ministry nor the Metropolitan Procuratorate dared to block this thing.
Writing this means that things have become serious.
Since it was a big deal, why did they have to get involved and help cover up what happened in Shanyang County?
So what if they are all exposed? No matter how angry His Majesty is, he can't reach their heads anyway. Instead, he covers it in his hands, and he might get shit all over himself.
In this case, the case is dangerous.
"The lies are misleading and have ulterior motives!" Zhu Weichun could no longer bear it. "The decree of His Majesty and the cabinet is for us to examine the case. The facts of the case are not yet clear, so how can we mess up the situation because of this person's few words? If he is not guilty, it is okay. If he is guilty, are we going to report the offending minister’s arrogance to His Majesty?!”
Zhang Cong stared at this person deeply.
Although there is no evidence for someone from the Shaofu to say such a thing, he also knows that there must be something wrong with this person!
With his words, the situation immediately changed again, and it became a question of whether he was guilty or innocent.
But this is his weakness. He does not have an order to borrow grain. Without an order, a shortage of grain in the warehouse is a serious crime!
Seriously, God is blind.
Xie Guangxie and Liu Chun did not express their opinions immediately, but asked: "Zhang Bingyong, in your memorial, you said that the officials of the Shaofu were deducting wages. Is there any evidence for this?"
"The people of Shanyang are all witnesses!"
"How can the common people be witnesses?" Zhu Weichun asked.
"People can't bear witness?!"
Zhu Weichun said: "Of course not. The Shaofu's money is allocated to various engineering teams. We allocated the money, but the people can't receive the money. So how can it be the Shaofu's problem?!"
Yan Liwen gave a thumbs up in his heart. After all, he was a boss from Beijing. His composure and quick wit were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Xie and Liu were a little disappointed at first. Zhang Cong had no direct evidence. This matter was really difficult to handle.
They don't really believe you when you say there's no deduction at all. Now they have to help cover up the problems here... This responsibility is still a bit big.
The case is difficult and cannot be tried.
So today ended hastily.
…
"Can you... go to the Pavilion Hall first?" Chen Ding suggested.
But both Xie and Liu shook their heads.
Why would people in Beijing care about you?
Chen Ding actually had an ulterior motive for this 'preface'. Once they explained the facts, the decision-making power rested with Wang Bing, but was this decision a real decision? There is an emperor above, what can he decide?
This is basically a big trap. If Wang Bing returns something specific, then they can 'follow orders' and act. Even if there is a problem in the future, there will be a pavilion elder who will take care of it for them.
In any case, it's certainly safer to say, 'I'm just following orders.'
However, when Xie and Liu shook their heads, they did not mean to completely deny this method. They also wanted to use it to remove themselves and bring Mr. Ge in, but the problem is...
Do you think they are fools?
In the Forbidden City and the Cabinet Office, what idiot would fall for such tricks like yours?
The essence of the way to be an official is to pursue advantages and avoid disadvantages.
Xie Guangxie thought for a long time, and finally said: "The case of wage deduction will be reviewed in detail tomorrow. Zhang Cong said it himself, he is willing to have his fingerprints stamped. After stamping his fingerprints, we will deliver it to the capital. We will not stop this matter for anyone. Canghe is It’s not that we lost food, it has nothing to do with us. We are not going to convict Zhang Cong on behalf of Tian Ruofu. First, submit the case file of wage theft to Beijing and see how Beijing reacts. In case His Majesty pays great attention to this, Things can only be handled in a business-like manner. If the elder just takes a look at it and feels that it should be handled according to the law, then we will talk about it then."
In this case, at least they are the safest.
"Then...are we going to release Zhang Cong?"
"This is Tian Ruofu's business, let him have a headache. He is the one who arrested, not us." Liu Chun paced around the room with his hands behind his back.
"Although Zhang Cong is only a seventh-rank official, he is also an official of the imperial court, and the magistrate himself is valued by His Majesty. If Tian Ruofu wants to use this to punish him, no matter what, he needs something to go up, right? You can't be ignorant of the ghosts. He convicts and beheads people privately. These things are not mentioned in our memorial and we ask him to mention it himself. Regardless of whether it is a lie or not, let him deal with this incident by himself!"
Chen Ding asked again: "Will he not mention it either?"
"No. As long as we hand over the case files mentioned by Zhang Cong intact, he will be more anxious than us."
In fact, if you knew that the emperor sent a royal guard, you wouldn't have to think about it so complicated.
Huai'an Mansion is not far away, and within three or two days, the situation here can be transferred to the palace.
(End of chapter)
