It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Seeing that the patrolman didn't look serious, someone naturally approached him and asked:

"Brother, can you tell me whether this person committed suicide or was murdered?"

The patrolman replied:

"It was initially determined to be suicide. We found the spot where he fell into the water and determined that he vomited nearby and wanted to go to the river to get some water to rinse his mouth, but because he was still weak, he fell into the water and died. Anyway, since none of you know him, I won't bother you any more. I hope you won't be upset by this kind of thing."

Reed turned around and saw the rich young man who was wrapped in a coat but still shivering in the crowd.

Reed said nothing, just like an ordinary person who had just finished watching a play. After sighing a few times with the people around him, he asked Alayya to buy him breakfast and went back to his room.

After returning to the room, Reed sat on the bed and rubbed his eyebrows slightly.

When he came, he passed by a river, which was also the only river near Bieyun Town, called Qingshui River.

The shortest distance between Qingshui River and Bieyun Town is about two kilometers.

Anyone with a normal mind would not run two kilometers for a walk after drinking, especially since the guy was obviously not drunk to that extent.

So, was the patrolman lying?

This is hard to say.

The patrolmen called themselves the Xiqin Patrol Division, which should be an independent system from the Anbu organization. Generally speaking, the Anbu organization does not need to notify the Patrol Division when killing someone, just like a killer will not file a report with the judicial department after killing a target. But assuming that the drunk was killed by the Anbu organization, why did they let the body be found?

If the patrolman was telling the truth, then it meant that the Anbu organization was not involved in the whole process, and the drunkard ran two kilometers away by himself. Why did he do that? Did he realize or see something, so he had to drag his drunken body to escape overnight?

Thinking of this, a new idea came to Reid's mind.

Speaking of which, were those people who were following him last night really part of Xi Qin’s dark organization?

In fact, there is no evidence that they are a dark organization of Xi Qin.

Could it be that there is some other existence that has been monitoring every move here...

While Lid was thinking, Alayya knocked on the door and put the breakfast she bought on Lid's table. Lid picked up a bun and said to Alayya while taking a bite:

"Forget about it. Most merchants will leave for Yuanyang City this morning after resting here for a night. We are no exception. Let's get ready to leave."

Alayya nodded:

"Master, have breakfast first. I will go and prepare the carriage."

A moment later, Lid sat in the carriage and leisurely headed towards Yuanyang City. At the last moment before leaving the inn, Lid saw the rich young master from the corner of his eye. He was wrapped in a heavy quilt, but there were still beads of sweat on his forehead. His eyes were a little distracted, and he was mechanically getting on a carriage going in the opposite direction.

Lid could tell from his expression that he probably didn't want to come to Xi Qin or Yuanyang City again in his life.

Looking out the window at the scenery that was no different from other territories, or even more orderly and beautiful than other territories, Lid took a deep breath. What happened in Bieyun Town might not be an episode, but a beginning.

It seems that it is not so easy to obtain this number one territory in the world.

4. Shenglong Weapon Shop

After entering Yuanyang City, Lid did not immediately feel the "strange place" that the rich young master and the drunkard had mentioned.

However, Yuanyang City was truly prosperous, a prosperity quite different from any of the metropolises that Lid had seen before: Wangdu gave him a feeling of comfort but numbness, Lingwu gave him a feeling of majesty and solemnity, Nanchu gave him a feeling of prosperity but impetuousness, and Yuanyang City in Xiqin gave him the feeling of only two words: order.

Perhaps because a perfect legal system was established long ago, Xiqin looks like a place that is pleasant to the eye when in operation. There are no messy stalls on the roadside, but neatly arranged shops instead; people line up spontaneously without any pushing or crowding; horse-drawn carriages are passing by one after another on the street, and Lid's carriage is also among them, making Lid feel a bit like canned food on an assembly line.

This truckload of steel is naturally in short supply. Since the realization of industrialization, Yunyang's steel has directly surpassed other products, and even the Lingwu Territory has to place orders from him.

Several forging shops in a row treated Reed and Alayya as guests of honor, pouring them tea and massaging their shoulders.

Lid also took the opportunity to inquire about the price of steel, as well as the trend of steel in the past. Of course, the owners of the forging shops were not idle either. For example, the manager of the "Longsheng Weapon Shop" asked for some information in a roundabout way:

"You look unfamiliar, little brother. Is this your first time doing business in Xiqin? Those steel shops are very cunning. Don't let them drive down your prices. It's not worth it."

Lid smiled and replied:

"It is indeed my first time here. The main reason is that I have never been here before, so I don't know how profitable this business is. If you are not afraid of trouble, you may as well talk to me. I plan to travel between Yunyang and Xiqin in the future, and make some money while I am young to go back for retirement."

When the store manager heard this, he immediately understood Lid's subtext: there is sufficient supply.

There is a world of difference between a business that can last for a long time and a one-time deal.

The manager of Longsheng Weapon Shop looked at Lid again and said in a low voice:

"I heard that this special grade steel is a secret product in Yunyang. Do you have a way to get it?"

Reed responded without blushing or beating his heart:

"Every system has loopholes. I have a relative working in the factory. It's not difficult for him to withhold a batch of goods every month on the pretext that the quality does not meet the standards. Of course, the quantity cannot be too large, and I need to make arrangements... So I ask the boss to give me a fair price, otherwise my business may fail before it even gets off the ground."

The store manager stroked his goatee and nodded:

"I understand. How about I offer forty times the price of ordinary steel?"

Lid pondered for a moment and replied:

"This price is reasonable... but the territories around Yunyang can also afford this price. It seems a bit uneconomical for me to come all the way here."

The store manager seemed to understand Lid's concerns and immediately said:

"Well, little brother, how do you think about this? I'll offer you sixty times the price, but from now on, the steel you bring to Xiqin can only be sold to our Longsheng Weapon Shop. Anyway, little brother, your batch of goods is not much each time, so we can buy it all directly, which will save you trouble."

Lid seemed to be still hesitating, and the store manager became a little anxious and continued:

"We can also give you a share of the profits from the weapons we sell later... In addition, I can introduce you to people from the tax bureau. If you can get in touch with them, you will get more money, which is equivalent to our Longsheng Weapon Store giving you a profit in disguise."

When the topic of profit sharing was mentioned earlier, Reed looked obviously unmoved, but when the subject changed to the tax bureau, Reed finally raised his eyebrows and showed a thoughtful expression.

The store manager did not interrupt his thoughts and waited silently by the side.

After a moment, Lid exhaled and said:

"Sixty-five times, but the contract says sixty times, so let's sign it if that's okay."

The store manager smiled "I understand" and the two shook hands contentedly. The store manager asked the clerk to draft the contract while chatting with Lidla. Scarcity makes things valuable. Weapons forged with good steel are excellent in all aspects and can be sold at very high prices in the market. Selling them to the military can also bring in a lot of money and glory. It's not a loss anyway.

While chatting, Lid asked casually:

"But I didn't expect the boss to have connections with the tax bureau... This really helped us a lot. If we can get some other rare things in the future, please show some mercy to those people."

The boss didn't ask what good stuff Lide had in his hand, after all, his family didn't run a grocery store. But from Lide's tone, the boss knew that his "relative" probably had a high status in Yunyang and could get a lot of rare treasures. Although the store manager didn't know much about the distant Yunyang, for such a young man who could bring him endless wealth, the boss was very willing to say a few more words to him:

"Don't worry. The people in the tax bureau usually exploit local merchants like us. They are very considerate of foreign merchants like you... Here, this is our contract. Take a look and see if there are any problems."

The store manager handed a contract to Li De, who read it once and readily signed a pseudonym - Bai Ma. After reading it, the boss nodded silently in his heart. It was said that Yunhai Baihuang held a high position in the Yunyang lord's place, and she must have brought many of her confidants with her. This Bai Ma was probably a relative who followed her around, so it was no wonder that he could bring so much steel out of Yunyang.

After thinking it through, the store manager said to Lid:

"Brother, I will invite the people from the tax bureau to have dinner together tonight. Now let me tell you about the person I met in the tax bureau. His name is Langte, and we usually call him 'Black Dog'. He is the official in charge of taxation in our street. His official position is not high, but he has a bad temper. There is one thing I have to remind you, brother. Doing business in Xiqin is not the same as doing business in Yunyang. Remember one rule, don't give gifts, don't give gifts, don't give gifts! The legal system in Xiqin is very strict. Even if they want to exploit merchants like us, they have to go through formal channels. If you are caught giving gifts, you will lose your job."

Lid nodded:

"Don't worry, boss. I'll remember it."

The store manager laughed. He felt that Lid had a maturity that had nothing to do with his age. Everything he said was convincing. Seeing that it was almost noon, the store manager wanted to invite Lid to have lunch first, but Lid declined. He said that they could chat in the evening, as he had something else to do.

After leaving Longsheng Weapon Shop, Lid took a look at the sky and said to Alayya:

"Let's go find a place to eat."

After that, he lowered his voice and continued:

"When we eat later, I will talk loudly about things that we shouldn't talk about. Please cooperate with me as you see fit."

Alayya nodded:

"Don't worry, Master."

She is also an old supporting actor!

5. Unexpected meeting

At a dinner table in Yuanyang City, Lid drank a lot of wine and started talking about the steel business.

Also at the dinner party, if Reed intends to collect intelligence, he will talk less and listen more; if he intends to spread some intelligence, he will be secretive at first, but his voice tone will obviously rise after drinking.

"People in Xiqin still have money."

Lid started the conversation with an eye-catching remark. Before Alayya could respond, Lid added:

"It's a waste if you don't make money. It seems we need to increase our efforts."

Alaiya first gently touched Lid's wrist, indicating that there were many people on his side, but Lid just raised his head and took a sip of wine. He seemed to be drunk and said with emotion:

"When we were in Yunhai, we were not welcomed by others. We followed Ah Huang and did so many things for her. But what about her? She only knew how to fight for justice every day and didn't care about our future at all. Even when she took us to Yunyang, she just let us fend for ourselves. Is there such a heartless relative in the world?"

Alaia said softly:

"Master, you are just a concubine's son after all..."

Lid held the wine glass, a wry smile appeared on his face, and he said softly:

"Yeah... it's because my mother is not a woman of status. My father is not a direct descendant, and he married a woman of no status. I can have the surname Bai because of their grace. But I am not willing to accept it... I want to make a lot of money and become the richest businessman in Yunhai. After that, you follow me, there is no place in the world that we cannot go..."

Even though she knew it was a play, Alayya's heart inexplicably beat a beat faster.

She placed her hand on Reed's wrist and replied:

"I belong to the young master. Whether the young master is poor or rich, this will not change."

Lid didn't seem to notice it, and his voice became lower and lower:

"But I can't let you live like this, I can't... We still have a lot of business. As long as the tax officials here are willing to give us a back door, we will make a lot of money. Then we won't go back to Yunyang, we can just find a place to live and we won't have to worry about other people's opinions anymore."

Alayya nodded:

"I believe in the young master... I believe in the young master more than anyone else."

Both of them acted very well.

After the meal, Alayya helped Lid to go to the hotel to rest. Alayya didn't ask why they had to act like this during the meal, and Lid didn't explain.

In the afternoon, Lid went out alone and used the cash he had on him to buy a lot of expensive gifts, which he put in a box. At dinner time in the evening, Lid and Alaiya took the box to the agreed place. What surprised Alaiya was that the manager of Longsheng Weapon Store was not outside the restaurant. She wondered if he had stood Lid up.

Lid brought Alaiya into the restaurant and called the waiter. After learning the purpose of Lid's visit, the waiter looked a little strange. He looked at Lid with sympathy and then said:

"Sir, please go upstairs. The distinguished guests are already waiting for you upstairs."

The two of them went upstairs, and in front of them was a private room with people sitting. Lid carelessly opened the door curtain and went in, and saw six or seven people sitting at the table, including the manager of Longsheng Weapon Shop, but he was sweating a little. Next to him was a man in a tax officer's uniform, and his face was not very good either. The others were all in casual clothes.

Somehow, the sophisticated aura they carried was scarier than the one in uniform.

Lid seemed to have no idea of ​​the current situation. He first sighed, "There are so many people here," then greeted the owner of Longsheng Weapon Shop, and then turned his gaze to the tax officer next to him and said:

"This must be Lord Langte. I have heard a lot about you. My name is Bai Ma, and I am a businessman from Yunyang. This time I negotiated a deal with the owner of Longsheng Weapon Shop. I think it will be a long-term cooperation. I will have to trouble you to take care of me in the future."

Langte raised his head, smiled bitterly, and said:

"Hello……"

He glanced unconsciously at the person sitting opposite him, but Lid seemed not to notice. He took out the exquisite box and said in a low voice:

"My boss told me not to give any gifts, but I still think it's important to show your appreciation. I'll have to trouble you, Lord Langte, to take care of my future money-making matters..."

Everyone in the room changed their expressions instantly.

Langte looked the worst and stood up immediately. However, before he could say anything, the middle-aged man sitting opposite him spoke first:

"Wow...Lant, why don't you open it and take a look?"

Langte swallowed his saliva and took the box from Lid with trembling hands. He didn't hold it firmly and the box fell on the table. A large amount of gold, jade, pearls and agate rolled out of it, which immediately illuminated the box. Langte fell into the chair, while Lid scratched his head and continued:

"Don't panic, sir. I won't take it back..."

Seeing that the situation was not going well, the owner of Longsheng Weapon Shop took the initiative to stand in front of Lid and said in a hoarse voice:

"The guy opposite... is the head of the Xiqin Taxation Bureau, Lord Qi Zheng! The others are also officials from the Taxation Bureau... You are trying to harm them!"

Lid immediately showed a look of horror and said:

"I'm sorry, everyone... I don't know the rules, I just gave it away randomly."

The middle-aged man stood up, and Reed immediately noticed a patch near the hem of his clothes. It was not very conspicuous, but if you looked closely, you could see that the color there was obviously brighter than the surrounding area.

The tax director named Qi Zheng glanced at the gold on the table and said calmly:

"Little brother, take it back. This won't work in our Xi Qin."

Langte didn't care that the jewelry on the table was already stained with oil and water. He hurriedly picked it up and put it in the box, then stuffed it back into Lid's arms and said:

"Take it back and don't hurt me!"