The sun is setting.

The sunset in late summer is much more dazzling than that in other seasons. Although the market is still a busy scene, with the changes in light and shadow, the shadows of people gradually lengthen. The evening breeze disturbs the big tree behind the tea stall, and the mottled and orderly shadows of the trees begin to constantly caress the people on the street. Objects and shadows, several shadows are forcibly blended together. In Yan Zipei's view, this is a sign that darkness is swallowing Qinghe. When the last sunlight sets in the west, Qinghe will be a devil's domain.

"Leader? Leader?" Yuan Min's voice interrupted Yan Zipei's thoughts. He was a little unhappy. Although it was getting late, what would be the harm in staying for a while? Was he just thinking about going back after the next shift?

"Chief, the people we sent to the market are back." Yuan Min saw that Yan Zipei had a bad look on his face, and knew that he was worried about state affairs, so he spoke carefully.

Speaking of which, Yan Zipei is also a senior official. When he came to Qinghe for recuperation, he also notified Qinghe in his private capacity. However, as a count, Lin Hai could choose to ignore such private behavior.

But the group of people he brought with him did enter Qinghe in the name of merchants, otherwise it would be difficult for Yan Zipei to explain why he brought a large group of spies who did not look like good people to Qinghe for recuperation.

However, to at least give the impression of a clean background, the people he brought with him had no problems with the necessary business procedures. Not only did they properly purchase a lot of local specialties along the way, they even brought a real veteran shopkeeper and caravan staff. After all, which high-ranking official's family didn't engage in business these days? They could just directly recruit from the caravans under their name.

It would be almost impossible to fool Wang Zuo with such a disguise, but it would be easy to fool the market management.

To be honest, the old shopkeeper was a man who had traveled far and wide and had seen the world. When he was first transferred here, he just thought he had to provide cover for the master and receive people in front of and behind the scenes. He didn't care and just treated it as a holiday. Later, when he heard that he really wanted to do business, he thought it was no problem. What kind of business in the world has he not seen?

The moment he entered the market, he was shocked. In the words of the old shopkeeper, he realized that business could be done this way. For a moment, he even took the initiative to talk to people and ask about prices.

Yuan Min wanted to stop him, but was stopped by Yan Zipei. After all, it looked more real this way, didn't it? Besides, it was hard for a businessman to enter this market without buying something. If several large trucks of goods were pulled in and sold casually, it would really seem a bit fake.

What no one expected was that the old shopkeeper was indeed a natural at doing business, and the market in Qinghe was truly prosperous. Neither the old shopkeeper, nor even Yuan Min and Yan Zipei had expected that the specialties they casually ordered people to buy on the street could be sold at such a good price in Qinghe.

Yuan Min, who had spent a long time at the grassroots level, clearly noticed that the breathing of his spies had become much heavier. If he had known earlier, he should have bought more goods. Even if he couldn't do anything to Lin Hai this time, it would still be worth the trip.

Oh, no, it's okay even if I don't bring any goods this time. I can buy some and sell them back. Once I get back, I'll make a lot of money. I can put some of my savings into it and ask the old shopkeeper to make another trip. As long as I can run back and forth like this for two years, I'll have a stable life for the rest of my life.

Isn't it just this little bit of silver that the brothers risked their lives for? Besides, I don't steal, cheat, or rob. I do business honestly and even pay taxes to Qinghe. If I tell His Majesty about this, I'm in the right.

Yan Zipei knew what his subordinates were thinking, but he no longer had the time to care. He just took a receipt the size of his two hands and rubbed it carefully. He felt that the paper quality of the receipt was good, white and flexible. It seemed that Qinghe, even in terms of papermaking, was much better than other places.

"Tell me, what is this?" Yan Zipei could of course read, and he had already figured out what was written on the receipt, but he was still confused, so he asked.

Yuan Min winked, and the servant immediately brought the old shopkeeper to Yan Zipei. Yan Zipei waved his hand and said, "Don't be polite when you're out. Tell me, what is this?"

"To answer the chief, this is a 'solid ticket'," the old shopkeeper replied.

Yan Zipei pointed at the huge "iron ticket" at the top of the ticket and said, "Of course I know it's an iron ticket. Tell me, where did this ticket come from and what is its purpose?"

The old shopkeeper answered seriously, "After comparing prices from three different vendors, I decided to sell the goods to a local merchant in Qinghe. However, when I was settling the bill, the merchant asked if I wanted to exchange the goods.

I originally wanted cash, but then I thought, no one who comes to Qinghe to do business would return empty-handed, so I casually said I wanted to exchange for some pig iron and crystal.

"Yeah." Yan Zipei nodded, thinking that although the old shopkeeper was old, he was experienced after all, so his idea made sense. Besides, when people came to Qinghe, the first things that came to mind were pig iron and crystal, so it was not wrong to say that he wanted to buy these two things.

"Go on."

"But the merchant told me that this crystal is not something you can buy casually. You need to have points in the market. Only when you have enough points can you buy it."

"What are points?"

"For example, today's transaction will earn me two points. According to the notice in the market, each successful transaction earns one point, and then the points are increased based on the transaction amount. If you can trade for the supplies Qinghe needs, you'll get extra points. With these points, there are many benefits.

If you have 50 points or more, you can register with the Ministry of Commerce and get some crystal products once you have them. However, if you only have 50 points, the best you can get is leftovers from other people's shopping, not only of poor quality but also in small quantities. But the higher the score, the more and better goods you can get. It is said that the top ten merchants with the highest points can even choose the goods they want, and the price is negotiable.

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