On February 25, the 11th year of Ankang, Zheng Xingyang returned to Yingtianfu from Suzhou again.

This time, Zheng Xingyang brought back a box of video film and a stack of specially organized investigation reports.

Zhu Jingyuan withdrew from the others, and invited Lin Zexu alone to listen to Zheng Xingyang's report together.

Zheng Xingyang handed the documents he had prepared to Zhu Jingyuan, and at the same time began to explain the general situation:

"His Royal Highness's guess is completely correct, Liu Yudong in Suzhou and Wang Baoqing in Songjiang are both nouveau riche, and they are very flamboyant in everything, and they also like to show off very much.

"I heard that you can use film equipment to record the wedding scene, which is equivalent to recording the most conspicuous process, so I didn't hesitate at all, and I agreed directly.

"I asked the recruited audio-visual craftsmen to follow Liu and Wang to record the audio-visual throughout the whole process, and I went to Daming Bank to check the archives and asked the locals if there had been similar situations before.

Then I was completely sure that the combination of the Liu and Wang families was very typical, and it had become a common practice in the local area.

"Two business families have established a deep cooperative relationship through marriage.

"Our film captures this process as evidence and a model for completeness.

"I'm going to take the wedding of Liu and Wang as an example to illustrate what this typical process looks like.

In fact, whether it is Wang Baoqing or Liu Yudong, although these two families can be regarded as wealthy, they can't get the liquidity of 10,000 gold bills all of a sudden.

"Of course, the total assets of the two families are more than 10,000 gold bills.

"The cash of this 10,000 gold bill is actually a loan.

Wang Baoqing himself, with the shares of the factory under his name and the assets he owned, borrowed 10,000 gold notes from the bank, and the bank allocated funds directly to Wang Baoqing's account.

Wang Baoqing took out the money and took the cash to the wedding scene for his son, so that the son could transfer it to his daughter-in-law.

Wang Baoqing's daughter-in-law is also Liu Yudong's daughter, and she will give the money to her biological father Liu Yudong......

"A father does not have to pay taxes on his sons, a husband does not have to pay taxes on his wife, and a daughter does not have to pay taxes on his father's money.

"At the same time, the whole process was directly passed on with cash flow, that is, it was passed through the hands of four people at the wedding site, so there was no even transfer fee.

"Only when I first made the withdrawal, I took a very limited fee......

At the same time that the funds fell into the hands of Liu Yudong, the dowry that Liu Yudong gave to his daughter was also sent to the homes of his daughter and son-in-law at the same time.

"The dowry given by Liu Yudong is part of the equity of his own factory......"

Zheng Xingyang's process is basically finished, but there are obviously many things to explain later.

However, Zhu Jingyuan couldn't bear it when he heard this, and asked directly:

"What do bank lenders do? This can't be given in the name of the bride price and marriage, right?

"If it weren't for production and operation, why would the bank dare to give Wang Baoqing a personal loan of 10,000 gold bills?

"If you take a business loan to give a dowry, and it is so open-minded, doesn't the bank go to recover the loan?

"This is a clear tax evasion, this is Wang Baoqing's factory that wants to take a stake in Liu Yudong!"

When Zheng Xingyang heard this, he was a little embarrassed and said:

"Wang Baoqing did apply for a loan in the name of his son's marriage,

"The reason is that the dowry of girls from local families of this level is this amount, and it is impossible for normal people to take it, so they have to take out loans.

"This kind of loan issued by the bank can also recover the interest normally, so there is a special loan ...... for this category."

Zhu Jingyuan's eyes widened directly when he heard this:

"This businessman made it clear that he was going to evade taxes, but the bank rushed to cooperate? Are the people at this bank crazy?

"Lao Lin, in the name of it, write a report to my father, explain the situation, and ask the headquarters of Daming Bank to deal with it.

"It is recommended that the person who proposes and implements this so-called dowry loan be assigned to the inland of Mozhou to open up wasteland!

"The relevant persons in charge of the Suzhou and Jianghuai areas of the Daming Royal Bank, who are responsible for supervision, are also sent to the inland of Mozhou to open up wasteland!"

Zhu Jingyuan rarely gets angry.

But this time I really couldn't help it.

These businessmen are really treacherous, and there is definitely something wrong with the people in the bank.

The bank will give the loan when it can recover the interest?

The tax department was left to its own devices in the face of collective opposition from the local authorities?

In Zhu Jingyuan's view, this is the reef hidden under the tide when the tide comes.

These are all big issues that cannot be left unaddressed.

But Zhu Jingyuan is also very restrained, although what these people did was obviously harmful to the interests of the Ming court, but at present, it seems that they are taking advantage of loopholes and are not directly illegal.

Therefore, I can only ask to be disposed of in the company's management and throw the relevant personnel to the worst place in the environment.

Lin Zexu also felt that these businessmen and banks were too much, and subconsciously agreed, ready to take a pen to write a telegram.

But next to him, Zheng Xingyang hurriedly reminded:

"Your Highness, wait a minute, it is not Daming Bank that issued this kind of loan, but Gusu Qianzhuang, a local private bank in Suzhou."

Zhu Jingyuan and Lin Zexu were stunned for a moment.

"How can this be a private bank? The key is 10,000 gold bills, or a dowry loan......"

"Can a private bank casually issue such a loan of tens of thousands of gold bills?"

Zheng Xingyang carefully explained:

"This Gusu Qianzhuang Bank in Suzhou can indeed take out so many loans.

"Suzhou...... At present, it is recognized as the first government in the world, and from the court to the people, it is the richest place in our Ming Dynasty.

"Gusu Qianzhuang is the largest private bank in Suzhou, and many local commercial banks and factory owners in Suzhou have investments and loans.

"By the way, Liu Yudong also has shares in Gusu Qianzhuang, although not much......

At the same time, Wang Baoqing and Liu Yudong are both operating in the aviation industry, which is the hottest industry in recent years, with very high profit margins and return on investment.

Wang Baoqing directly mortgaged his factory assets and equity, and Gusu Qianzhuang really had no reason to refuse.

"Because the probability that Gusu Qianzhuang can recover the loan normally is very high.

"In addition, Liu Yudong, who collects money, is also a shareholder, so he can contact and coordinate the completion of the process in the middle......"

When Zhu Jingyuan heard this, he sighed with a straight face and said:

"What the first place in the world......

"The buyer and the seller closed the deal, and the bank released the loan with a good yield.

"But - the court did not receive a penny in taxes!

"The point is, for now, it's all completely legal!

"The Chongzhen Dynasty used to be unable to collect taxes, so it gave Li Zicheng and Jiannu the opportunity to become bigger!

"So this kind of tax evasion must be blocked no matter what!

"My Mr. Lin, you come to advise me, what should we do now?"

Due to Emperor Shizu's decades of personal practice, there has been a long-term and continuous reflection and rebuke within the imperial court and the imperial family.

Eventually, the correct idea of the necessity of collecting taxes was established in both the royal family and the imperial court.

Any official who made a suggestion that the imperial court should not collect taxes would be directly expelled from the court by the emperor.

If the emperor is more serious, he can even use the conspiracy to subvert the name of the Ming Dynasty and throw him into prison on the charge of conspiracy and rebellion.

It is completely natural for Zhu Jingyuan to be annoyed by this.

Lin Zexu thought for a while:

"The students thought it was not too late to make amends.

"The students suggested that they convene the Jianghuai Political Envoy Department of Taxation, the Daming Royal Bank, the Inspectorate Department, and the Imperial History to discuss and come up with a response plan, report to the Criminal Department for deliberation, and establish the corresponding law.

"Subsequent use of new laws to supervise and limit similar situations."

Zhu Jingyuan waved his hand directly and said:

"Mr. Lin is right, it's not too late to make amends.

"The root cause of this is that the law is not perfect, which allows these overly clever merchants to take advantage of the loopholes.

"What we need to do now is to fill this seemingly big gap.

"Just do what the gentleman said, and immediately notify the relevant personnel to come to the meeting."

Lin Zexu immediately agreed, and took up the pen to write Zhu Jingyuan's order.

At the same time, Zhu Jingyuan walked back and forth in the room twice, and flipped through Zheng Xingyang's report.

Then he muttered to himself:

"Because these two companies are engaged in the aviation industry, they can only get loans because they expect good returns?

"To engage in the aviation industry in Daming, you basically have to join the Aviation Industry Association and obtain relevant patent authorizations in the aviation industry.

"The Aviation Industry Association is a quasi-governmental organization and I am also the honorary president.

"The main basic patents of the aviation industry in the world are basically in the hands of my Daming Airlines, Royal Flying Machines, and the Ordnance Department......"

Zhu Jingyuan stopped when he said this......

When Zheng Xingyang heard this, he followed up and asked:

"Your Highness, then we can contact the Aviation Industry Association and Daming Airlines, kick Wang and Liu out of the Aviation Industry Association, and directly terminate the patent authorization.

"Their actions seem to be legal before the Ming Dynasty, and it is reasonable and legal for you and Daming Airlines, as patent holders, to refuse to license to a certain company in their personal capacity!"

When Lin Zexu, who wrote the order, heard these words, he also subconsciously listened to it, wondering what Zhu Jingyuan would decide.

When Zhu Jingyuan thought of this, a similar idea did jump out of his heart, but he quickly gave up.

Faced with Zheng Xingyang's suggestion, Zhu Jingyuan sighed helplessly and waved his hand:

"I am the prince, even if I do things in my own name, I actually represent the royal family and the Ming court.

"The people below have grievances, and while scolding me personally in their hearts, most of them will also bring their father and the court to them.

"When dealing with my own people and people, I can't do as I do with Xiyi and other peoples.

"The imperial court did not clearly state what could not be done before, and the key was not to violate traditional public order and good customs.

"I can't punish the people with personal emotions just because they did this kind of thing.

"If you don't teach, you will be abused, and if you don't abstain, you will be violent.

"Establish rules first, give reminders and warnings, and then deal with violators according to the rules, and only then can you reap the rewards.

"In a way, it's also in Lixin.

"Although I have lost some money now, I can maintain and strengthen the credibility of the royal family and the imperial court.

"This is conducive to the implementation and implementation of the follow-up policies of the imperial court."

When Lin Zexu and Zheng Xingyang heard Zhu Jingyuan say this, they instinctively sighed in their hearts, this is indeed the choice that His Royal Highness the Prince of Great Food that they follow will make.

Lin Zexu continued to finish writing the telegram.

Zheng Xingyang couldn't help but say with a little unevenness:

"Your Highness is kind-hearted, but the students feel that those speculative businessmen may not be grateful to Your Highness.

"You may even feel that you are smart enough to take the opportunity to escape your taxes.

"If Your Highness doesn't find a way to punish them, then they will definitely take advantage of loopholes even more in the future.

"The laws are fixed, but society and industry and commerce are constantly evolving, and there are always new situations that arise.

"Those shrewd businessmen will definitely find loopholes of one kind or another in the future.

"Not punishing businessmen who take advantage of loopholes at all is to some extent encouraging them to find loopholes!"

When Zhu Jingyuan heard this, he smiled and waved his hand and said:

"Xingyang doesn't need to be so indignant, although I won't directly punish them because of the law that hasn't yet been determined, but I won't just let them go.

"The so-called punishment of the former is also the duty of the ruler.

"Draft, write an application in my name to my father.

"Request Daming Royal Bank, Criminal Department, Tax Department, Dongchang, Jinyiwei and other relevant departments to arrange personnel to organize and carry out tax evasion and money laundering investigation and rectification teams.

"Temporary governance and warning regulations have been introduced to warn all tax officials and banks.

"All banks are no longer allowed to engage in dowry, dowry, and marriage-related loans, otherwise they will be punished for tax evasion and money laundering.

"At the same time, a comprehensive verification of large private loans and capital flows over the past three years has begun.

"The imperial court will not directly punish tax avoidance that occurred before today and does not violate existing laws.

"However, after any form of tax evasion is confirmed, regardless of the industry to which the manufacturer or individual belongs, he will no longer enjoy any tax relief in the next three years.

"All government and private banks are not allowed to lend to themselves and their holding companies for the next three years.

"Unless the parties and manufacturers take the initiative to make up all the taxes evaded in the past three years.

"If it involves industry associations and patent licensing, the relevant industry associations will not return the patent licensing fees in the next three years.

"From now on, banks that issue loans and accept deposits even though they know that the other party is using the loan to avoid taxes.

"It has been confirmed that the other party did not use the loan for the agreed purpose, but did not recover the loan.

"All businesses will be closed for rectification until the loans are recovered, the corresponding taxes are collected, and the fines are paid in full.

"At the same time, the Ministry of Rites is requested to come forward to investigate the encroachment of the people on the issue of marriage of newlyweds, raising children, and providing for the elderly."

Although Zhu Jingyuan is willing to "establish his trust", he will not pursue extreme procedural justice like the Westerners in later legends.

The cultural tradition of China is to pursue substantive justice or target justice.

Extreme procedural justice, in the traditional philosophy of China, can be regarded as incomplete justice in most cases.

Procedural justice can be compared to "absolute fairness", where the same treatment is given regardless of the state of the target.

The goal of the Shenzhou philosophy is to give just the right treatment according to the target situation, that is, "justice".

The people Zhu Jingyuan has to face are also traditional Shenzhou Daming people, and they will not pursue extreme procedural justice.

Both sides have a common understanding and both know that the core goal of the Ming Law is justice.

They all know that it is wrong to take advantage of the loopholes of the law, and their actions are digging the corners of the Ming Dynasty.

It is impossible for Zhu Jingyuan to encourage this kind of behavior, and these businessmen also know that this kind of behavior will not be encouraged.

The emperor does not jump out of the legal framework and directly punish the crime, which can be regarded as mercy.

Both sides do not believe in the postmodern utopian logic of "exploiting loopholes in the law is conducive to the perfection of the law".

Zhu Jingyuan's final choice is also based on "justice".

Because the imperial court did not explicitly prohibit such acts before, it will not directly punish acts now.

But it reduces the benefits and care they might otherwise receive.

If the tax breaks, business loans, and patent rebates are all gone, it will be very difficult to operate in the next three years.

In normal times, a variety of benefits that are not part of the hard indicator are maintained, and the managed goals are rewarded.

When the other party's behavior has indeed harmed the collective interests, but it is difficult to find an accurate punishment for the crime.

A formal warning was issued, and this semi-definite part of the benefits was cut.

At the same time, new rules were formulated for this encounter.

It's still legal and compliant, and it can improve the regulations and serve as a warning to the target.

This is also a typical traditional management logic of China.

On this basis, Zhu Jingyuan gave them a chance to confess.

If you confess and make up a portion of the tax evasion, you will continue to receive semi-certain benefits in the future.

There's actually another stealth reward.

Manufacturers who are willing to cooperate with the imperial court to pay taxes will definitely be given priority to get more business opportunities for the public.

Knowing that mistakes can be corrected, and good is great.

(End of chapter)