The next morning, Pei Yun dragged his tired body to say goodbye to Aina.

Last night he really... it's better not to say anything.

"Brother Pei, I'll send you the next batch of saltpeter when we dig it out."

Aina had a smile on her face. Yesterday's day of nourishment made her look radiant and full of energy.

Pei Yun shuddered when he heard that Ayi Na would come again next time. He was already a third-rate warrior, but he couldn't resist Ayi Na's enthusiasm. He felt that his kidneys had shrunk.

"Ayi Na, you don't have to come in person for such a small matter. Just have someone deliver it."

Ayi Na said with a smile: "Brother Pei's matter is not a trivial matter, so it's settled. I will come to send it next time."

Pei Yun felt that Aina's smile was like that of a triumphant little fox, and he was speechless.

Forget it, come if you want, I will never spend the night with you again anyway.

Afterwards, the two sides said goodbye. Pei Yun picked out dozens of people from the border army and went back to the Qianhu Division with him. Aina, on the other hand, was contented and took the people of the Black Stone Tribe back to the tribe.

Autumn goes and winter comes.

In a blink of an eye, three months passed and the trade market was completely built. Yizhou began to trade with the Nanman. Pei Yun had already started promoting it before that.

He also visited the county magistrates of various counties and the newly appointed governor of Yizhou.

The magistrates of each county were somewhat flattered. Pei Yun was now a third-rank official, and yet he came to visit them. Everyone felt respected, and they all expressed that they would definitely publicize the matter.

The governor of Yizhou was Liu Hong, a close confidant of the emperor. Naturally, he fully supported the development of trade.

Chambers of commerce in various counties began to prepare goods and transport them to the market. When they saw that the road from Ruifeng County to the market had been paved with cement, they were all amazed.

Of course, not all roads were paved with cement, as that would consume too much manpower and financial resources. Pei Yun only built one cement road similar to an official road, and the rest of the roads remained dirt roads.

However, when many chambers of commerce learned that they had to pay to drive on cement roads, they were stunned.

…

Inside the Shu County Chamber of Commerce hall, a dozen merchants dressed in brocade sat around a mahogany round table, all with grim expressions.

"Is Pei Yun crazy about money?"

A silk merchant said, "Since ancient times, anyone can travel on the official road. How dare he charge a bribe?"

"That's right. I've been a merchant for thirty years and have traveled all over the country. I've only heard of customs taxes, ferry taxes, and city gate taxes, but never heard of road maintenance taxes. What's the difference between this and those bandits?"

"Everyone calm down. I think this cement road is indeed unusual and better than the official road. My caravan tried it a few days ago and completed the journey that would normally take three days in one day, saving a lot of time."

"I heard that it was because Pei Yunxiu built the road, so he wanted to recoup the cost."

"So what? If the imperial court wants to trade with the southern barbarians, then the imperial court should pay for the road construction. Why should we pay for it?"

"Yes, Pei Yun is an official of the imperial court. He paid for the road construction, so he should ask the imperial court for money. Why is he asking us for money?"

"And he didn't just collect it once. He collected it when he left, and he collected it when he came back. It's simply too much."

“…”

Listening to the noisy conversations, Chamber of Commerce President Zhou Shichang tapped the table and said, "Okay, stop arguing. I have already informed the Chambers of Commerce in Guanghan County, Qianwei County, and Dongjiang County, and they are not going to follow Pei Yunxiu's path either."

"Let's take the dirt road to the trade market. Although it will take some time, it can save a lot of money."

Everyone nodded, and someone asked, "What about the Chamber of Commerce in Wenshan County?"

Zhou Shichang smiled and said, "The Chamber of Commerce of Wenshan County is in Qingyang County. They are probably afraid of Pei Yun and said they want to take the cement road. Then let them be the scapegoat."

Someone sneered, "The Wenshan County Chamber of Commerce is backed by the nobles. I don't know what they have to be afraid of. Although Pei Yun is the deputy commander, he has no right to demand that we must walk on the cement road."

The others also thought that the Wenshan County Chamber of Commerce was a coward. Their chambers of commerce were not just simple chambers of commerce, they were backed by the nobles.

Even when Xiao Cheng was here, he would not cause trouble for their chambers of commerce, so they were not afraid of Pei Yun.

You want me to take the toll concrete road, but we won't.

Everyone reached a consensus and felt much better. They decided not to take your cement road and decided to see who you would ask to collect the toll.

…

Wenshan County Chamber of Commerce is also discussing this at the moment.

"President, do we really have to take the toll-paid cement road?"

Someone asked.

The man sitting in the chairman's seat took a sip from his teacup and said with a smile, "Why not?"

"This fee is too expensive. One trip costs 30 taels of silver, which means a round trip costs 60 taels. After deducting the cost, I'm afraid we won't make much."

The others nodded. They didn't know why the president made such a decision. They had an advantage over other chambers of commerce.

The distance from Qingyang County to the trade fair is shorter than that of other chambers of commerce, and they can also take the dirt road.

Moreover, they have noble families behind them, the president is a son of a noble family, and there are people holding official positions in the court, so they don't have to be afraid of Pei Yun at all.

The man raised his head and looked at the group of merchants with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. The president was none other than Zhang Zeshan.

Since he took over Liu Yiyi's business in Qingyang County, he has been able to stand out thanks to Pei Yun's modern products, and other merchants have been overwhelmed.

Every day Zhang Zeshan’s shop is crowded with people, and there are long queues outside, which makes other merchants envious and jealous.

But the other party was the son of the Zhang family, the most aristocratic family in Taoyuan County, and these merchants did not want to provoke him. Finally, it was the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Yuan Hengchang, who came up with a solution. He abdicated and let Zhang Zeshan be the president to lead everyone to make money together.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!