Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 123

Bao Zheng stood on the steps and cupped his hands, and said to the crowd of people who were kneeling and shouting for grievances: "I'm Bao Zheng, the transshipment envoy of Liangzhe Road, I don't know if you folks have any grievances, come to me to confide in them?"

An old man with gray hair stepped forward and tremblingly said: "We are the people of Yin County, and we are suing the county magistrate Wang for giving profit and money to harm the people, which has ruined our family and made us unable to make a living!"

Fan Ning could hear clearly from the sidelines that these people were accusing Wang Anshi of harming the people and lending usury, which is a bit unbelievable.

There was no surprise on Bao Zheng's face, as if he had already seen the truth.

He cupped his hands and said to everyone: "I don't know who told you to come to the transshipment envoy to complain, but the Song Dynasty officials have their own division of labor. The transshipment envoy is only responsible for transporting and allocating food and materials, and does not participate in local trials. I can't do that either." No right to go above and beyond your responsibilities.

Of course, I can also hand over the pleadings for you, and hand over your pleadings to the criminal prosecution department. "

All the common people looked at each other in blank dismay. Obviously, the answer of the official Bao was beyond their expectations. They were just the lowest level common people, how could they understand the division of functions of the imperial court.

All the people begged again: "We know that the high officials are honest and good officials, and we beg the high officials to avenge our grievances!"

At this time, Fan Ning suddenly remembered that Bao Zheng still had the title of supervisory censor. He could actually take over the case, but he refused.

Is it because the case involves Wang Anshi?

Fan Ning suddenly felt that things might not be that simple.

No matter how these people begged, Bao Zheng didn't let go. They had no choice but to hand over a pleading paper to Bao Zheng, and then went to the criminal department to file a complaint.

After the group of people walked away, Bao Zheng turned around and smiled at Fan Ning, "I kept you waiting!"

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In the room, a tea boy ordered a pot of hot tea for them.

Bao Zheng poured Fan Ning a cup of tea and asked with a smile: "Why do you think of coming to Qiantang County at this time? I mean, it seems that now is not the time for a holiday."

Fan Ning leaned slightly and said, "A few friends and I were going to Yin County for a study tour. We passed by Qiantang County, so we came to visit the officials."

What happened at the gate just now made Fan Ning feel a little heavy, and lost the mood to joke with Bao Zheng.

He was silent for a while and asked again: "It seems that Wang Anshi is in trouble?"

Bao Zheng smiled and said: "The group of people you saw is actually the fourth batch to come to me to complain, all for the same reason, saying that Wang Anshi harmed the people, but the question is, why did they come to me?

Yes, I still have the title of supervisory censor, so I can investigate this matter, but what I am concerned about is, who is behind the scenes who ordered them to come to me to complain? "

Fan Ning took a sip of hot tea and said with a smile, "I believe the high officials should have sent someone to investigate, haven't they?"

Bao Zheng nodded, "You're right. I did send someone to Yin County. The actual situation is more complicated, and it's hard to say."

"Could you please tell me briefly?"

Fanning took another sip of tea, lowered his eyes, and looked at the table. He tried his best to speak lightly, but he couldn't hide his inner worry.

He hoped that Wang Anshi's reform in Yin County would fail, making him realize the difficulty of reform.

But now Fan Ning is worried that Wang Anshi will lose confidence because of the failure of the reform. For a while, Fan Ning is a little worried about gains and losses.

Bao Zheng didn't notice the change in Fan Ning's expression, he smiled and said: "Let me tell you this! The government gave farmers money to buy seeds before spring plowing, and received two cents of the profit.

Farmers used to borrow usury loans, usually at six to eight cents. Wang Anshi's move obviously offended many people. "

"This should be a good thing! Why are there still farmers complaining?" Fan Ning asked puzzled.

Bao Zheng sighed slightly, "Not everything is perfect. Even if there are two cents of interest, there are still many people who can't pay it back. The county government has very clear regulations. The old ones are not repaid, and the new ones are not borrowed. The government borrowed money."

"So they can only choose usury again?" Fanning said to himself.

Bao Zheng shook his head, "That's the problem, all loan sharks have reached a consensus, and those who have borrowed from the government will stop borrowing.

As a result, some farmers can't borrow money everywhere. Seeing that the spring plowing is coming soon, they are very anxious, and the scene you just saw happened. "

Bao Zheng's narration gave Fan Ning a general understanding of Wang Anshi's reforms in Yin County.

Wang Anshi's reform is actually the young crop law, which is also the core of Wang Anshi's reform more than ten years later.

But Bao Zheng's words are still very rough, and there are still many details that need to be understood.

For example, the difference between sharecroppers and self-cultivators, and another example is the issue of farmers’ borrowing money and mortgages.

These have to be found on the spot.

At this moment, Fan Ning wished he could put on his wings and fly to Yin County to find Wang Anshi, and ask the whole story clearly.

.........

"boom!"

A big fist covered with black hair hit the table hard, making a small hole in the hard wooden table.

"Cutting one's fortune is like killing one's parents. Since Wang Anshi won't give us a way to survive, don't blame me for not giving him a way to survive."

The person who spoke was a 25-year-old man, tall and burly, with a head as big as a bucket, his face covered with streaks of flesh, a pair of triangular eyes, and a long scar at the corner of his eyes, which ran through the entire left side of his face, making him look extraordinarily ferocious. .

His name is Qiu Yong, and he is the youngest son of the old owner of Qiu’s Desheng money shop. Desheng money shop can be ranked in the top three in Mingzhou. The old owner Qiu founded it 30 years ago. Now the old owner is old. Gao, don't bother with the money shop much.

The money shop was handed over to his three sons. The three brothers of the Qiu family were privately called the Three Tigers of the Qiu family by Mingzhou. The eldest son, Qiu Lian, was known as the smiling tiger. .

The second child, Qiu Lin, known as a tiger with a fox face, is cunning, shrewd and full of tricks.

The third child is Qiu Yong, who is known as a life-seeking tiger. He is highly skilled in martial arts, has a violent personality, and is also ruthless. Countless farmers have lost their families in his hands.

The main business of Desheng Money Shop is to lend interest money, of course it is a usury loan, and the annual interest is about six to eight cents of the capital.

That is, the annual interest rate is 60% to 80%, and it is compound interest.

No one is willing to borrow this kind of usury unless they have to, but once they borrow their money and cannot repay it, it means that the family will go bankrupt or the family will be destroyed.

Farmers have to spend money every spring to buy seeds or rent cattle. If the family has some spare money, it is okay. If the family has no money, they must borrow money. If they cannot repay the borrowed money, the land will be acquired.

If the land is taken away and the usury still cannot be repaid, the whole family can only flee and become refugees.

Or they cannot borrow money, the leased land cannot be cultivated, there is no harvest, they cannot pay the rent, and they cannot survive, so they can only become refugees.

This has been the fate of Chinese peasants for thousands of years. Regardless of the Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, almost all the rulers of all dynasties fell in the refugee uprising.

"Third son, don't be so impulsive. After all, Wang Anshi is an official of the imperial court and a county parent official, not an ordinary farmer. The problem cannot be solved by beating and killing."

The eldest brother Qiu Lian persuaded the third brother, but he could understand the anger of the third brother. In the past two years, they have almost stopped lending to farmers, and the annual loss reached [-]%, which is really infuriating.

Qiu Lin, the second child next to him, also nodded and said: "We are far from the only people who hate Wang Anshi deeply, even the county government. Zhang Xiancheng is also very dissatisfied with his insistence on going his own way, let alone a few escorts. If we come forward to deal with Wang Anshi, I don’t know how many people are in their hands, and we must be the ones who will take the blame in the end, we can’t do such stupid things.”

The persuasion of the two brothers made Qiu Yong calm down a bit, and he said bitterly: "I heard that there is a long line of farmers queuing up to borrow money at the county government, and seeing that this year's profit is about to go to waste, do we just sit there and wait for death? "

Although Qiu Yong's words were rude, what he said hit the nail on the head. Both Qiu Lin and Qiu Lian felt deeply that the government's lending to farmers caused serious damage to their interests.

Wang Anshi may only have one year left in office, but he is afraid that he will spoil the appetite of those peasants. When a new official takes office in the future, even if he does not want to implement the loan of young crops, he has to implement it under the disturbance of the peasants. This is the most dangerous of.

In any case, they must suppress this so-called young crop lending method under Wang Anshi's tenure, even if it costs a little.

The second child, Qiu Lin, pondered for a moment and said to her elder brother: "Brother went to ask shopkeeper Long Da this morning, how about those people who went to Hangzhou to file a complaint, and what is the attitude of Bao Zheng and the Criminal Division?"

Qiu Lian shook his head, "It turned out that you did what you thought, and it didn't work!"

Qiu Lin pondered for a moment, then slowly gritted her teeth and said, "It's really not possible. I simply suggest that the shopkeeper Long Da make a big mess. Once someone dies, I don't believe that the prisoner will ignore it? I don't believe that Bao Zheng can pretend not to see?"

. . . . . . . . . .
(End of this chapter)