The transaction is over; it's time to make our move.

What Feng Juncai said next was basically identical to what the minor official had previously stated. Both of them were persuading Guan Xiaoliu to give up the idea of making a quick profit first in order to establish a stable sales channel.

Assuming that Guan Xiaoliu knew nothing about the corruption among the officials in Guangzhou, Feng Juncai did not suggest offering bribes to the officials. Firstly, because their relationship was not yet close and he did not know Guan Xiaoliu very well, he dared not rashly reveal the local corruption. Secondly, seeing that Guan Xiaoliu was young, Feng Juncai wanted to reap greater long-term benefits from his business.

Ordinary itinerant merchants, who frequently traveled between various places, were usually sophisticated and worldly. As soon as they encountered any trouble or obstruction in Guangzhou City, they would immediately figure out what was going on. Such people would often secretly slip some money to the handling minor officials and then dispose of their goods as quickly as possible. In truth, the officials did not get much money from these people because they were afraid that demanding too much would anger the other party. If that happened, the merchant might very well go to the yamen to lodge a complaint, bringing disaster upon the officials themselves.

However, a stubborn novice like Guan Xiaoliu was different from those people. Lacking both social experience and a fixed clientele, he sparked other ideas in the mind of the previous minor official. That idea was to use the pretext of helping Guan Xiaoliu connect with buyers to continuously skim a cut from the transactions. In this way, the money the official could extract from Guan Xiaoliu would not only be more substantial, but the risk would also be greatly reduced.

Feng Juncai's current task was to negotiate a price acceptable to both parties with Guan Xiaoliu. Therefore, he earnestly and patiently tried to persuade him.

"Every single minor official in the Maritime Trade Supervisorate has extraordinary connections," Feng Juncai said. "Wouldn't it be much safer and more reliable to let one of them help you find buyers?"

"But the price they offered is simply too low," Guan Xiaoliu replied. "There is no profit margin for me at all!"

"You must secure a sales channel before you can talk about profits," Feng Juncai retorted. "Wouldn't dragging things out here for days on end only drive up your costs, my friend?"

"I never imagined that doing business here would be so difficult!" Guan Xiaoliu sighed.

"Although the goods you are selling are in high demand, there are also quite a few merchants dealing in them," Feng Juncai said. "Both buyers and sellers have their regular clients. Who would be willing to trade with a newcomer like you?"

At first hearing, Feng Juncai's words sounded somewhat reasonable, but upon closer reflection, they were full of loopholes.

Tang Dynasty porcelain had always been in short supply. As long as the price was reasonable, foreign merchants would flock to buy it; who would ever bother to pick and choose the seller?

Guan Xiaoliu asked with a pretense of anxiety, "Now that I have missed the opportunity, I wonder if elder brother has any connections in this regard?"

Feng Juncai replied, "While I don't have direct connections, I am quite well-acquainted with the officials in the Maritime Trade Supervisorate. How about I step forward and put in a good word for you, my brother?"

Guan Xiaoliu immediately nodded happily and said, "Then I am deeply grateful to you, elder brother!"

"We hit it off the moment we met, so there is no need for thanks," Feng Juncai said. "Only, when it comes to the price, I hope you won't make things difficult for your elder brother."

Guan Xiaoliu feigned helplessness. "To be able to sell the goods as soon as possible is already my greatest wish. How dare I make extravagant demands about the price!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Juncai thought to himself with elation: This matter is done!

He then asked, "I wonder what price my brother is prepared to offer?"

Guan Xiaoliu gritted his teeth and said, "I am willing to sell the entire lot of goods for eight hundred and fifty strings of cash. What does elder brother think of this?"

Hearing Guan Xiaoliu's quotation, Feng Juncai's eyes lit up. The minor official's original expectation was eight hundred strings of cash, though he had indicated that nine hundred strings could barely be accepted. Although Guan Xiaoliu's quotation was not the most ideal, it definitely met the minor official's expectations. In this way, Feng Juncai would not only save himself a lot of talking, but the task would also be accomplished handsomely. Naturally, his standing when dealing with these minor officials in the future would rise accordingly.

With this thought, Feng Juncai immediately said to Guan Xiaoliu, "I will go and pass on the word right now. If it's feasible, I will play the host and arrange for both sides to meet and discuss the details."

Guan Xiaoliu hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude and respectfully escorted Feng Juncai out of the door.

The criminal evidence collected thus far was already sufficient, and there were now plenty of required witnesses. Therefore, Li Zhi had decided to let them close the net soon. The completion of Guan Xiaoliu's business transaction would be the very moment for the Dragon Cavalry to close the net. By then, it was likely that all the markets in Guangzhou City would have to suspend their operations for a period of time.

Until now, no one knew Li Zhi's ultimate objective. Everyone, including Su Lie, was simply executing Li Zhi's orders step by step.

Feng Juncai was highly efficient. Early the next morning, he sent someone to invite Guan Xiaoliu to a secluded teahouse.

When Guan Xiaoliu stepped into the private room, the first thing he saw was the aforementioned minor official sitting squarely in the seat of honor, looking at him with a wide smile.

At that moment, Guan Xiaoliu suddenly seemed to have all his wits about him. As soon as he entered the door, he began to offer apologies and make amends to the minor official, then followed him without the slightest hesitation to the marketplace to complete the final transaction.

Only at this point did they truly enter the evidence-gathering stage.

The porcelain in Guan Xiaoliu's possession all came from the kilns established by Li Zhi, where the techniques used had all been improved by Li Zhi himself. It is no exaggeration to say that the porcelain fired there represented the absolute top quality of the Great Tang. However, in order for the transaction to proceed smoothly, two minor officials from the Commercial Supervision Office and the Equalization Office had to issue a lower-grade transaction document.

Consequently, although the Persian merchant received the finest goods and ultimately paid a full one thousand strings of cash, the price recorded on the official documents became eight hundred and fifty strings of cash. This resulted in the imperial court unknowingly losing a sum of tax revenue, while the corrupt minor officials all profited handsomely from the deal.

Guan Xiaoliu feigned complete ignorance of the trickery involved and left the marketplace immediately after the transaction was concluded. Next came the time for Xue Li and the others to take action; he had to hand the evidence over to Xue Li before then.

Upon receiving the final batch of evidence, Xue Li immediately petitioned Li Zhi for permission to make his move.

Thus, Li Zhi decisively ordered Su Lie to suspend the training of the Dragon Cavalry and recall all personnel back to Guangzhou City. At the same time, Li Zhi instructed Su Lie to seal off the roads leading from Guangzhou City to the reclaimed agricultural lands. This was to prevent anyone from growing desperate and contacting the more than ten thousand garrison soldiers stationed there to stage a rebellion together.

The undertaking he was about to carry out had far-reaching implications, so no mistakes could be tolerated. Having arranged all this, Li Zhi returned to Guangzhou City accompanied by Liu An, Chai Long, and Duan Shizi. Next, he would formally begin exercising his authority as an imperial inspector to personally try the corruption cases of Guangzhou City.

Su Lie's actions were extremely swift. Without giving advance notice to Dang Renhong and other primary officials of Guangzhou City, he immediately led his men to seal off the suburban markets and all four city gates.