The second type of merchant is government-run businesses, which is equivalent to government procurement.
The imperial court allocated funds to purchase public supplies for officials of all ranks in various government offices.
For example, charcoal, ice, grain, cloth, paper, etc., distributed by officials.
Local officials could naturally exempt or reduce taxes on the purchase and supply of goods and materials by their subordinates and educational administrators.
Because these were all ordinary goods, caravans traveling on the road would generally be disguised as officials and merchants, smuggling their own goods.
The third type is naturally the largest and most numerous, accounting for the highest proportion of both large and small private and commercial businesses.
On the surface, merchants only had a business certificate issued by the government, without any specific travel permits, and could move around the country freely.
Because they lacked specific identification and travel permits, they not only needed to cross the borders of the prefecture and pay taxes in various cities and markets, but they also encountered various difficulties along the way.
If it is discovered that a certain imperial merchant has a monopoly on a particular item, it is considered smuggling, and once caught, both the person and the goods will be confiscated.
What Wan Jia lacked was not the tax silver, but a travel permit that would allow them to pass quickly through the city gates.
Now, with the travel permits issued by the garrison, even though it only goes as far as Pingyang Prefecture, only a 10% tax needs to be paid when passing through the city gate.
Moreover, there's no need to open all the boxes and inspect the goods anymore, which would have resulted in a mess of perfectly good products and even some items being lost.
Song Liyun was overjoyed to receive the travel permit, as it meant she was about to go from underground to above ground.
Although smuggling is more lucrative, who wouldn't want to do business honestly?
More importantly, the status of the Zhenbei Army has clearly undergone a subtle change.
No longer needing to risk walking through the night, Steward Wan waited until the next day, after eating and drinking his fill, before taking several carriages to transport the sheepskins away.
Song Liyun took a break from harvesting rice, which took several days, and then returned to work at Tianxianglou.
Now Lin Tao and his team have taken control of the restaurant's management, recruited new chefs, and introduced some side dishes, making grilled skewers a signature dish of Tianxianglou. She also needs to appear frequently.
At mealtimes, the lobby is always packed with people.
In a spot near the door, Lin Qingyuan irritably closed and opened the fan in his hand repeatedly.
The servant was very careful in attending to the young master, who had been coming to Tianxiang Tower for the past few days but had not seen Manager Song again. The young master was in a very bad mood.
The waiter tried to ask the waiter, but was coldly glared at and told, "Just say you want tea and food. The manager of Tianxiang Restaurant is not here."
Lin Qingyuan originally intended to go to the Song family, but he was still somewhat timid when he thought of the rumors about Broken Gold Town.
Besides, that place was a garrison town, and also the den of bastards. He just wanted to have some fun, not risk his life.
Having no other choice, he decided to ask Huang Changsheng for help.
As for Huang Changsheng using me as a pawn, haha! Naturally, we'll settle accounts with him slowly after this chaos subsides.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Song Liyun walk into the shop, and he was overjoyed.
Song Liyun was all smiles today, and Lin Tao and Zhou Xiang joked that she must have found a treasure on her way to the city.
Song Zhenping and others in the family were about to get married, and the sister-in-law was someone they liked.
The leather goods business is transparent and can be easily transported away later.
Moreover, Steward Wan said that all the refugees outside Pingyang Prefecture would return to their hometowns before winter.
By then, the luggage shops in the city will also officially open.
These are all things that should make her happy.
Song Liyun was happily telling Zhou Xiang about what had happened at home in the past few days at the counter when suddenly someone rushed up in front of her and grabbed her wrist.
This happened too fast, in the heavily guarded Tianxiang Tower, and right under Lin Tao and Zhou Xiang's noses.
Not only was Song Liyun caught off guard, but Zhou Xiang was also stunned.
However, Zhou Xiang and his men were scouts by training, and their reactions were quick. They made their move in the blink of an eye.
Before Lin Qingyuan could even speak, he was grabbed by the arm and thrown out as if he were flying through the air.
The servant standing next to him screamed and rushed over to his rescue: "Young master... uh!"
Before they could even catch the person, their young master landed heavily on them, and the two rolled into a heap.
The soldier working nearby reacted quickly, dragging a screen over and blocking the view, so that nothing could be seen.
The commotion didn't cause any disturbance in the lobby. Only a few customers at the nearest tables glanced up, but seeing nothing amiss, they continued eating and drinking.
Behind the screen, Zhou Xiang grabbed Young Master Lin by the neck and whispered, "What do you want to do!"
Song Liyun glanced at Lin Qingyuan, whose hair ornament had fallen off, and he apologized repeatedly with a pale face: "It was just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I just wanted to say a few words to Steward Song!"
The servant wanted to call the guards outside, but since his young master was being held captive, he could only bluff and say, "My master is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and my third master is the head of the criminal justice department in Pingyang Prefecture. If your Tianxiang Pavilion dares to hurt my young master, even the Broken Gold Guards can't protect you."
"Brother Zhou, let them go!" Song Liyun said softly. "Since Young Master Lin said it was just a misunderstanding, then it was a misunderstanding."
If it weren't for the information provided by Jiang Feng, the servant's words would have been enough to intimidate people, at least making them take Lin Qingyuan seriously.
But everyone knew that Lin Qingyuan was just a worthless illegitimate son of the Lin family, so they relaxed.
The Lin family is a large family, with some members engaged in business and others holding official positions. If this second son of a concubine is injured now, it won't have much impact on the Lin family, but it will cause some trouble for the Broken Gold Guard.
Zhou Xiang could also rely on the Broken Gold Guard. If it were before, he would just be a soldier who received a military salary and did nothing but patrol. Even if he made a mess of things, his superiors would take the blame.
Having stayed at Tianxianglou for so long, one should have to think things through more deeply.
If Tianxianglou, which is currently raking in profits, is deliberately harassed, it will be its own money that suffers the loss.
He loosened his grip, and Lin Qingyuan scrambled to his feet. Ignoring his disheveled appearance, he cupped his hands to Song Liyun and said, "Please forgive me, Miss Song. I only wanted to come over and greet you. I didn't mean to offend you."
Song Liyun returned the greeting calmly: "Young Master Lin is a guest of Tianxiang Restaurant, there's no need to be so polite."
Before Lin Qingyuan could say anything more, Song Liyun said to Lin Tao, "Brother Lin, I'll go look at the account books first!"
She hasn't been to Tianxiang Tower these past few days; Lin Tao has been managing the finances, and he still needs to review the accounts for the past few days.
As she was about to head to the backyard, Lin Qingyuan tried to stop her, saying, "Miss Song, Steward Song, I haven't finished speaking yet! I have something to say to you!"
His voice was a bit loud, which drew the attention of the guests in the hall. Song Liyun stopped and said coldly, "Young Master Lin, I only have one thing to tell you: don't treat me like your plaything."
Lin Qingyuan was stunned. He hadn't said anything yet, so how did she know it was a plaything?
Wait a minute! I didn't even get hit, so why am I being treated like a plaything?
To be considered a plaything, one must at least have played with it; I'm being wronged!
Zhou Xiang beckoned two men over, who then helped Lin Qingyuan out of the shop, saying, "Young Master Lin, I'm sorry, but we will not be able to serve you at Tianxiang Restaurant again!"
Lin Qingyuan was both angry and anxious. He had finally managed to meet Manager Song, but before he could even exchange two words with him, he was kicked out. It seemed that he would never be allowed to enter Tianxiang Tower again.
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