The young man drove the cart and headed in the direction he had just found out.
The cart walked for a while on the road. The young man suddenly pulled the reins, pointed to a place not far ahead, and said, "Dad, is this where the man mentioned earlier?"
The middle-aged man sitting on the side of the car squinted his eyes and looked. After a while, he said: "Drive the car over and ask."
The young man waved the whip in his hand and drove the cart forward.
Soon, the big car arrived at this place.
"Dad, look, there really is a tax yamen." The young man's sharp eyes saw the plaque of the tax yamen behind the empty field at a glance.
However, at this moment, the crowd gathered in the empty field swarmed towards the cart.
Before the young man could react, several large cars were already surrounded.
"Who's the boss?" someone shouted from the people surrounding the cart.
The young man driving the car saw so many people surrounding his car and looked nervously at his father beside him.
At this time, the middle-aged man sitting on the side of the cart stood up on the big cart, arched his hands towards the crowd around the cart, and said politely: "Everyone, we are new here and are preparing to go to the tax yamen. Please invite me." Make a way for the big car to pass."
Before he knew what the people around him were doing, he used the banner of the tax yamen. After all, the yamen was still very credible in the eyes of ordinary people.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way, let me go to the tax office to do the work. It won't take a little time." A red-faced man in a leather jacket in the crowd drove people around the cart.
"Thank you so much, brother." The middle-aged man on the cart hugged the red-faced man.
The red-faced man turned around, smiled and said to the middle-aged man on the cart: "I am a businessman just like you, but I am a Han businessman on the grassland. When you come out of the tax office in a while, can you bring the goods you brought? Leave it all to me.”
"You want to eat shit! There are so many of us waiting here, why should we sell it to you alone?" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Yes, yes, yes, you can't sell him."
"Sell me, sell me, I am also a Han merchant. Whether you are selling silver or buying things from the grassland, I have it all."
"Sell it to me and I can pay a high price for your goods."
Everyone in the crowd said something to each other.
The middle-aged man on the cart understood now that these people were here to buy the goods he had brought, not to do anything to him.
"Dad, I didn't expect our goods to be so popular." The young man driving the truck happily said to the middle-aged man.
The people in front of him didn't even know what goods were on the cart, but there were so many people rushing to buy them. It was the first time that he felt that buying and selling was so easy.
The middle-aged man ignored his son and said to the people around him: "I can see that you all want what I bring, but would you like me to go to the tax office first?"
The situation in front of him made him a little unsure. He remembered what the guard told him when he entered the city, and decided to wait until he met with the official in the tax office before making any decision.
"Okay, stop blocking it. Do you dare to buy goods that haven't gone through the tax office? Get out of the way! Stop blocking the road." The red-faced man said to the people surrounding the cart.
The crowd slowly retreated to both sides, making way for a passage.
"Catch the bus." The middle-aged man in the cart said to his son and sat down himself.
The young man drove the cart, passed through the crowd, and arrived in front of the tax office.
"Dad, we're here." The young man said to his father.
The middle-aged man jumped out of the cart and walked towards the tax office.
Not long after entering, several officers wearing soldiers' armor came out.
"Master, these carts are filled with goods brought by villains from the Ming Dynasty. This is the cargo list." The middle-aged man took out a list from his sleeves and handed it to the officer holding a notebook.
"How many of you are going to inspect the goods to see if they are the same as what is on the list?" the leading officer ordered the other officers who came out together.
At this time, the driver and the men on the cart got out of the cart and stood beside the cart.
Several officers walked towards the cart and began to inspect the goods brought on the cart.
The leader of the police officer said to the middle-aged man in front of him: "Grain is paid for every fifteen cents, and the rest, whether it is iron goods or tea, is paid for every ten cents. It is settled with cash. If there is insufficient cash, it can be settled with grain." .”
"I understand." The middle-aged man nodded.
One out of ten or one out of fifteen is a very high business tax, but it is nothing compared to the profits earned on the grassland.
The leading officer said again: "Don't think it's too much. After all, you came to Qingcheng from Ming Dynasty, and we have to ensure your safety. If you came to the grassland before, although you could make more money, you might also bring the goods with you." They will stay on the grassland forever."
"Not much, not much, I don't think it's much at all." The middle-aged man hurriedly defended.
When doing business on the grassland, the most important thing is safety. As long as it is safe, no matter how high the taxes are, it will still be more than what you can earn in the Ming Dynasty.
After all, although there is no such thing as commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty, there are many checkpoints on the road. Every time a checkpoint is passed, the convoy cannot pass without spending money to check it.
After taking care of everything along the way, the commercial taxes levied here in Qingcheng are even higher, and the profits are not as generous as those on the grassland.
The leading officer nodded and said: "It's good if you understand. In the past, there were businessmen from the Ming Dynasty who wanted to avoid commercial taxes privately. For such people who don't understand the rules, we will directly give them five out of ten. In serious cases, they will be punished." All goods will be confiscated and the person who bought the goods will also be punished."
"Don't worry, sir, I will do business in an orderly manner." The middle-aged man secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
I am glad that I took the initiative to come to this tax office.
The leading officer said calmly: "The first time you came to Qingcheng, you took the initiative to report to the tax yamen. It shows that you understand the rules. I will also give you some guidance."
"Master, please tell me. Listen, little one." The middle-aged man said respectfully from the side.
The leading officer said: "When you come here, you should see those people outside. They are all Han merchants on the grassland. If you want to save trouble, you can sell your goods directly to them. Of course, you can also go to other tribes yourself. Sell your own goods to the herdsmen.”
"Before I came here, I heard someone say that as long as the goods are delivered to Qingcheng, I can sell them, so I'd better sell the goods to those outside!" The middle-aged man couldn't figure out the Han merchants outside and the people in front of him. What kind of relationship did he have with the official, so he decided to sell the goods earlier and return to Ming Dynasty earlier.
The grassland was still dangerous to him after all.
The leading officer said: "Who you sell to is your own business. Our tax office will not interfere. You can rest assured that we only collect commercial taxes and ensure your safety on the grassland. As for what you want to do with your goods, It’s all up to you.”
