The Jin army besieged the city, and the Song emperor’s daughter died

Chapter 124 The Criminal Department’s Interrogation
By the Bianhe River, King Bi's head was pressed into the Bianhe River by those thugs. He was suffocating in his mouth and nose, and in his heart: "Did these idiot bitches do this on purpose?"

When Princess Zhu saw this, she shouted at the top of her lungs: "Here comes someone, someone killed someone, someone killed someone!"

I originally thought that someone from the surrounding shops would help, or at least come around to watch the excitement.

But he didn't expect that no one in the surrounding shops would pay attention to him because he shouted so loudly. They were selling and killing fish when they should.

They have long been used to this kind of thing.

The king's head was lifted out of the water, and he took a few deep breaths, then gasped: "Wait... wait... how do I join the party?"

Liu Damao waved his hand, and the gangsters shouted in unison: "Kaifeng Caobang, I'll help you start your business. Twelve taels per month, peace and health."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand, I will give ten strings to Caobang every month..."

Liu Damao nodded with satisfaction: "As long as you understand the rules, our Cao Gang didn't get you for nothing. Once you join the Chamber of Commerce, we are our own family. From now on, you can do business with peace of mind. No one will dare to come to trouble you again. And You will understand the many benefits in the future.”

King Bi wiped the water from his face: "Then... my shop can't make ten coins?"

Liu Damao smiled and said: "Making money is your business. How much you can make depends on your ability."

Although it is not stated clearly, the King of Forces can also know that the rules of the Cao Gang are not to worry about profits, but only to collect money.

"Okay, now, I'm in!" The king forced the king to wave to Princess Zhu: "Madam, give me the money."

I thought that after collecting the money, the group would leave.

Unexpectedly, these people had no intention of leaving. Those gangsters stood in front of the fish shop. Whenever someone came, they waved away: "This powerful fish shop sells dead fish. It smells bad. Buy it elsewhere!"

The king was speechless and walked up to Liu Damao and asked, "What does this mean? I have already joined the association!"

Liu Damao explained with a smile: "These ten coins per month are the membership fees paid. If you want your business to be prosperous, you have to share weal and woe with our Cao Gang."

"I still have to pay?"

"It's not necessary now. From now on, [-]% of the store's profit every month will go to Caobang."

Although King Bi did not supervise the country, after all, he had been sitting as the crown prince of the East Palace for many years, and he was also familiar with state affairs. After listening to Liu Damao's words, he looked at the shops along the Bian River and made a calculation in his mind. If it is true as Liu Damao said, Every store had to hand over [-]% of its profits to Caobang...

How much less business tax will the court have to collect?

No wonder the officials wanted to explore Caobang themselves.

But what puzzled King Bi was that in the past few decades, had the imperial court not paid attention to these chambers of commerce?

This is a major matter for the Customs and Excise Department.

While he was thinking about it, Liu Damao took out a piece of paper and threw it to the king: "Let's take a look. If there is no problem, we will sign and pledge it."

According to the document, Caobang invested hundreds of dollars in Qiangsheng Fish Shop and received [-]% of the dividend.

Good guy, if this word is signed, even if the lawsuit goes before the officials, Caogang will do it in a reasonable way, there is nothing to say.

After he finished signing the paperwork, Liu Damao took out a hundred-guan banknote from his arms, put it in the hand of the king, then quickly pulled it back, then stood up and said with a smile: "It's done!"

Seeing these people leaving, Princess Zhu came up to her. Looking at the thoughtful look on her face, she said displeasedly: "Are you scared? That woman is just causing trouble for us!"

The king glared at her: "It's a big deal, you know nothing!"

……

……

At night, the lights in the royal study are as bright as beans.

Zhao Fujin almost didn't recognize the king who had dressed himself up to look old and ugly.King Bi smiled modestly at first, and then said sadly: "Thieves from the country! Thieves from the country! Let me calculate it for my sister. There are more than 160 shops on Guozi Street alone, and each of them will give [-]% of their income to Cao every month. Gang, how much money is this? These are supposed to be taxes from the imperial court, but they were intercepted by this Cao Gang?"

Zhao Fujin remained silent.

King Bi continued: "This is just Fruit Street. If all the merchants in Kaifeng are affected by this, how much business tax will the imperial court lose in a year?"

Zhao Fujin remained silent.

King Bi called out in a low voice: "Guan family...sister..."

Only then did Zhao Fujin come back to his senses and frowned: "Didn't you notice such things when dad was in power?"

King Bi sighed: "Dad only thinks about poetry, paintings and the rocks in the southeast. How could he think of these things?"

"Even if dad doesn't want to, there are so many ministers in the court and so many remonstrances from the Yushitai, but no one has come forward?"

"Maybe, maybe dad doesn't care?"

Zhao Fujin felt that the King's words were reasonable. The Daojun Emperor in those years only had poetry, distance and stones in his eyes. How could he care about these mediocre things in Kaifeng City.

"What to do next, let my sister arrange it?"

How to do it?
Of course, the country is governed according to law!

A few days later, a petition was submitted to the Kaifeng Mansion. Because Yin Zongze of the Kaifeng Mansion had not recovered from his illness, the case was transferred to the Ministry of Punishment after reporting to the Ministry of Education.

Qi Wei, the Minister of Punishment, laughed when he read the complaint.

Gao Qiqiang's powerful fish shop sued Kaifeng Caobang.

Skillful!

After I went to the imperial study room to meet the officials last time, in just ten days, someone sued these chambers of commerce, and even the Cao Gang was attacked. To say that this matter was not ordered by the officials, Qi Wei was a millionaire. If you don’t believe it, how could such a coincidence happen?

So Qi Wei knew what to do after this incident.

First, they sent someone to take away Liu Damao, the Caobang Bianhe branch helmsman, and then summoned the plaintiff Gao Qiqiang to the Criminal Department.

Immediately, the case went to trial.

"Who is in the hall?"

"The helmsman of Caobang Bianhe River Branch, Liu Damao is the white stripe in the waves."

"The owner of Qiang Sheng Fish Shop, Gao Qiqiang!"

Qi Wei asked: "Liu Damao, do you know this person?"

Liu Damao turned his head and glanced, pretending to think: "I have some impression, but I don't remember it very clearly."

Liu Damao was neither humble nor overbearing, and looked extremely calm.

People often say that if you often walk by the river, how can you not get your shoes wet?Over the years, Liu Damao has been involved in many lawsuits while working for the Caogang. He has also been through many encounters in the halls of Kaifeng Mansion and the Ministry of Justice, but he has passed through it safely every time.

So this time, it will probably be no different.

Liu Damao had some words for what he was being sued for: "There are 72 chambers of commerce wharfs in Kaifeng City. Each one has its own rules. To worship at the wharf and join the chamber of commerce, you need some gift money. Our Caogang income association is very polite. I don’t know what’s wrong?”

What Liu Damao said, Qi Wei certainly knew that every chamber of commerce in Kaifeng city requires gift money to join. Those managed by Caobang are all small businesses, and they charge ten thousand dollars, like the restaurant and teahouse chamber of commerce. Generally speaking, it takes a hundred guan, but for brothels and other rouge chambers of commerce, at least a thousand guan is required to start.

So Liu Damao thinks there's something wrong with accepting a membership gift?

"There is nothing wrong with earning money as gifts, but your Cao Gang wants to share [-]% of the profits of the merchants every month. Isn't this a swindle?" Qi Shilang shouted sternly: "Are you actually recruiting me, or do you want me to be punished?"

(End of this chapter)