The Petty Official Feigning Kindness

Guan Xiaoliu was one of the centurions in the very first batch of the Dragon Cavalry.

Blessed with a quick mind and sharp observational skills, he had always been assigned to reconnaissance missions.

This time, he felt extremely fortunate to be selected by Li Zhi, alongside ten others, to gather evidence of criminal activities committed by officials in Guangzhou.

For him, this was an entirely new challenge.

Therefore, he approached his work with utmost dedication and immersion.

Guan Xiaoliu was disguised as a merchant from Henan Circuit, dealing in porcelain.

Such goods were not subject to export restrictions and could easily clear customs in land trade.

Yet, strangely enough, while porcelain was exported in far greater quantities from Guangzhou, many merchants frequently found themselves facing deliberate harassment.

Guan Xiaoliu's mission was to uncover the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Together with several companions, he escorted a caravan of over a dozen wagons, pretending to have just arrived in Guangzhou city.

The very first thing they had to do upon reaching Guangzhou was to report to the border checkpoint.

During the Tang dynasty, border checkpoints were collectively referred to as Guanjin.

They served the dual functions of a customs barrier and were responsible for collecting taxes on foreign merchants' goods as well as managing tribute trade.

Naturally, tax rates at that time were still very low.

Most commodities were taxed at less than ten percent.

Tribute trade was also quite welcoming to foreign merchants.

Under normal circumstances, the imperial court would retain the best thirty percent of the goods, purchasing them directly at prices higher than market value.

The remaining seventy percent could be freely sold by the merchants across all regions of the Great Tang.

However, ever since Li Zhi proposed the Commercial Law, the Guanjin across the various regions of the Great Tang were transformed into Maritime Trade Inspectorates.

Their functions expanded to managing the entry and exit of both foreign merchants and their goods, as well as those of domestic merchants.

This effectively prevented various smuggling activities from taking place.

Guan Xiaoliu handed his merchant registration documents and cargo manifest to the petty official on duty.

Yet, he deliberately omitted the customary discreet bribe to the official.

Consequently, the official took the documents from Guan Xiaoliu's hands with a reluctant expression and began to scan them absentmindedly.

As he looked over the papers, he casually asked, "Where are you merchants from? How many years have you been in business?"

Guan Xiaoliu replied, "Reporting to Your Honor, this humble one comes from Luoyang city and has been trading for two years."

Upon hearing Guan Xiaoliu's introduction, the official's eyes immediately lit up.

Following that, his attitude noticeably improved.

He said to Guan Xiaoliu in a gentle tone, "To dare dabble in foreign trade after only two years in business, you lad certainly have some nerve."

Guan Xiaoliu wore a sorrowful expression as he said, "To not hide it from Your Honor, this humble one had no other choice. Originally, I had no fondness for commerce, but my late father and elder brother met with accidents while trading, and thus..."

The official feigned sympathy and remarked, "Oh my! How could such a thing happen? So it turns out to be a heartbreaking tale."

He then continued, "Young master, do you have any relatives or old acquaintances here in Guangzhou city?"

Guan Xiaoliu answered, "What old acquaintances could I have? I am merely relying on youthful rashness to forge ahead."

The official gave a pretense of a sigh and said, "How can one conduct business relying solely on the bravery of a common man?"

At this point, he put on a righteous facade and said, "Seeing that you are also a pitiful soul, this official will kindly help you out and connect you with a buyer. How does that sound?"

Guan Xiaoliu said happily, "Oh! I am deeply grateful to Your Honor! This humble one was just fretting over how to find customers!"

The official replied, "There is no need for thanks. This official simply cannot bear to see a pitiful person struggle; consider it doing a good deed."

While speaking, the official efficiently completed the registration for Guan Xiaoliu.

Once finished, he exchanged casual greetings with those nearby and led Guan Xiaoliu away from the government office.

The official led Guan Xiaoliu and his party out of Guangzhou city, heading all the way toward a high-end residential area outside the walls.

Along the way, the official asked, "Leaving in such a rush earlier, I have yet to ask young master what price you intend to set for this porcelain?"

Guan Xiaoliu replied, "Reporting to Your Honor, this humble one's two thousand pieces of porcelain are all exquisite Sancai glazed wares, which I hear are immensely popular among foreign merchants."

Saying this, he deliberately hesitated for a moment before continuing, "This humble one wishes to price them at one thousand guan. I wonder what Your Honor thinks of this?"

Tang Sancai was a type of porcelain that had emerged only in the past two years.

It could be said to have been specially developed to satisfy foreign merchants' preference for brilliant colors.

Prices for it had been rising rapidly over the past two years.

The price Guan Xiaoliu offered had been determined after making numerous inquiries.

This price was slightly lower than most completed transactions, yet precedents for sales at this rate did exist.

This fit the mindset of a novice who was eager to break into the market.

Upon hearing Guan Xiaoliu's asking price, the official could not help frowning slightly.

The reason he had been so proactive in connecting Guan Xiaoliu with a buyer was to pocket a portion of the price difference from the transaction.

Although the price Guan Xiaoliu offered was not the highest, many foreign merchants could negotiate and purchase them on their own.

In that case, the official's usefulness would not be demonstrated.

Naturally, the amount of money he could get his hands on would also be drastically reduced.

Therefore, he feigned difficulty and said, "Although the young master's asking price is not the highest, it is not far off."

With that, he sighed and continued, "If this were traded with other large, long-established merchants, this price would be acceptable, but..."

At this point, the official trailed off and said no more.

Guan Xiaoliu said with a troubled expression, "This humble one understands Your Honor's meaning, but the price of Sancai porcelain has skyrocketed nowadays, and the cost of acquiring these goods for this humble one was not small either!"

The official said, "Young master, this official is a few years your senior, so I will speak bluntly."

Guan Xiaoliu quickly replied, "Please speak your mind, Your Honor."

The official said, "After all, you are just a newcomer right now; opening up trade routes is the key. You should take your time when it comes to making a profit!"

Guan Xiaoliu said, "Your Honor's instruction is wise, but alas, for this humble one's journey with boats and carriages, meals and lodging are all expenses."

Spreading his hands, he continued, "This humble one cannot possibly fail to even earn back the travel expenses for the return journey, can I?"

The official said, "This official has spent quite a few years in Guangzhou city and still knows a thing or two about the prices of various goods."

Looking earnestly at Guan Xiaoliu, he continued, "Even if you were to drop this price by twenty percent, you still wouldn't lose money. In this official's view, it is better to take a long-term perspective."

Guan Xiaoliu said, "Your Honor, at such a price, this humble one would truly be losing money! Rather than doing that, this humble one might as well stay in Luoyang city and wait for buyers to come to me."

Hearing this, the official spoke with a hint of anger, "Why is the young master so short-sighted? Trading a temporary loss for long-term regular customers is the right path!"

Guan Xiaoliu said, "The price suggested by Your Honor is one at which this humble one could easily sell them right in Luoyang city; what need would I have to run all the way here to trade?"

Seeing that Guan Xiaoliu was utterly unwilling to accept his quoted price, the official's expression turned somewhat ugly.

Yet, he still did not want to give up completely.

So, gritting his teeth, he spoke again, "In that case, let us add another ten percent. This official's face and reputation are only worth this much."

Though one hundred guan would not amount to much after falling into his hands, the official's mindset was to grab whatever profit he could.

To his surprise, however, Guan Xiaoliu still refused to accept this price.