Seemingly carelessly, Lin Ye and the others returned to the pier by the lake.
This pier is not far from the gate of Niao County. As soon as you enter the city, you can see the large fish market.
Fish from Niao County can be sold as far away as Yunzhou City, and the price is twice as high as buying it here in Niao County.
People from nearby counties come here to buy a lot of fish for themselves. If the price is higher, people from the fish market are also responsible for delivering live fish to local places.
It only took Lin Ye one day to find out clearly the reasons why the fish market in Niao County was not rated low outside.
Not only does the fish market have a high reputation in other counties, Songlou, the county magistrate, also has an excellent reputation in other counties.
The reason is simple, just because the people in Niao County Fish Market don't rip off customers, they rip off their own people.
People who come from other places to purchase goods only charge very low taxes and fees. If a certain amount is purchased, the taxes and fees can be reduced or exempted.
In order to ensure the freshness of the fish, any place in Niaoxian County can change the water for free for merchants who purchase the fish.
There is no charge for merchants, but there is a fee for fishermen. Even the water changed for merchants has to be collected from fishermen.
The price of the catch collected from the fishermen is also very low. If you are not willing to sell it, you will lose it. If you are willing to sell it, you will be obedient.
These hundreds of miles of water and the criss-crossing rivers produce a huge number of fish every year.
However, fishermen can't make any money at all, and at most they can only afford food and clothing. Most people can't even keep warm and can barely afford to eat.
All the profits have been collected by the fish market. Merchants have benefited from this, so they will naturally come in an endless stream, and the reputation of Niao County Fish Market will become more and more famous.
Fishermen here in Niao County have to pay taxes when fishing, taxes when selling fish, taxes when changing water, and taxes when sailing.
All taxes and fees are said to be collected by the county government, but they are collected through the fish market.
Lin Ye remembered that he had also read a local newspaper, which was a list of requests for merit from the Liyang County Government to the Duhufu.
Among them was the owner of the fish market in Niao County, named Li Changzai. The document stating that there was a flood in Niao County, Li Changzai donated 50,000 taels of silver and made a great contribution to rescuing the victims and repairing the river.
These 50,000 taels of silver were collected from all the fishermen in Niao County, but Li Changzai got the benefit alone.
It is estimated that they will definitely get more than these 50,000 taels by clever means.
Li Changze not only wanted to gain benefits, he also wanted to gain a good reputation and receive awards.
Rumor has it that this Li Changzai is the brother-in-law of the county magistrate Song Lou.
However, Dayu has clear regulations that close relatives and family members of officials above the seventh rank are not allowed to engage in business.
Moreover, if this rule is violated, the punishment will be particularly harsh.
Therefore, even for those big families, the businesses they run will use people who have no direct relationship with the family to be their apparent owners.
If Song Lou is so courageous, it will not be difficult to deal with him as long as it is verified that Li Changzai is indeed his wife's brother.
When Lin Ye and the others arrived at the dock, they were stared at by a group of people not long after.
Obviously, the person who was hoisted up in the fishing village should have been discovered.
Lin Ye also saw a man with his broken wrists bandaged, hiding in a relatively private area of the dock, staring at the people coming and going.
"These guests."
A middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties or forties came closer with a smile.
His tone was very gentle and he asked humbly: "Are you new to our Niao County to see the fish market? Are you also doing fish market business?"
Zhuang Junji nodded: "I've heard about the name of Niao County Fish Market a long time ago, so I came here specifically to have a look."
The middle-aged man immediately said: "I am the manager of the fish market. My name is Wang Shengcai. If you really want to receive goods from us, you can follow me to the city. There is nothing to see on this pier."
of."
Zhuang Junji nodded: "That's fine."
Wang Shengcai led the way, spoke politely and was particularly talkative.
Along the way, the conditions, rules, and general procedures of the Niao County Fish Market were explained very clearly.
After entering the south gate of Niao County, turn to the left. There is a large area over there with no end at a glance, which is where the famous Niao County Fish Market in Yunzhou is located.
The water pool in Niao County has a nice name, called Yujingbo, and the locals call it Yujing Lake. There is a fish here called colorful tail fish, which is a specialty of Yujing Lake, and is also called Yuhong fish.
The tail of this fish comes in several colors, and the meat is fresh and tender. The most surprising thing is that the meat of this fish can be eaten raw.
Except for Yujing Lake, there is no place in the vast territory of Dayu that produces colorful tail fish.
The shipping price of a colorful fish weighing less than two kilograms is one tael of silver. For a fish weighing more than two kilograms, if it is half a kilogram more, the price will double and rise.
If the fish weighs more than three kilograms, the price will double for every one tael higher.
The largest fish of this kind only weighs about four or five pounds, but it is extremely rare.
During the flood last year, someone caught a five-pound colorful tail fish and sold it for more than a thousand taels of silver.
It is said that the bigger the fish is, the fatter it will be, and the meat quality will change. Smaller fish will be slightly fatty when eaten, and the large colored tail fish will not have any shreds of meat in the mouth. It will look like gelatin and melt in the mouth.
After listening to the introduction, Lin Ye and the others walked all the way to the fish market.
I have to say that, at least on the surface, the fish market is doing extremely well.
The size, appearance, and plaques at the door of each shop are all the same except for the different words.
Anyone who deals in parallel import business always smiles and talks politely.
It is said that the owner of this fish market, Li Changzai, is very ruthless. Anyone who ruins the reputation of the fish market will be kicked out of the fish market immediately and will never be able to set foot in Niao County again.
Some people also asked why those who had broken the rules were really no longer seen in Niao County. It was not that they were driven away, but that they were chopped into pieces by Li Changzai and scattered into Yujing Lake.
Fish food for tail fish.
Of course, this may not be true, but here, it is true that no one dares to break the rules.
Wang Shengcai led the walk, introducing the respective advantages and characteristics of these merchants as he walked.
It has to be said that from the pier to the fish market, people like Wang Shengcai will definitely be liked by others and can be conscientious enough to do their duties.
Even though he may have evil intentions in inviting Lin Ye and others to the fish market, his professional attitude is really admirable.
Lin Ye watched as he walked and listened to Wang Shengcai's introduction.
His biggest feeling at this time was...the bad guys had an organization and rules, which was really scary for ordinary people.
"These are common parallel imports. Those with colorful tails are also small fish."
Wang Shengcai pointed to the large-looking warehouse at the end: "That's the busiest place in our fish market. All the good-quality colored tail fish are over there."
He asked Zhuang Junji: "Do you want to go and see it?"
He always looks at Zhuang Junji because, judging from his age, temperament, and all aspects, he feels that Zhuang Junji is the leader of this group of people.
Zhuang Jun snorted and followed him.
The warehouse was huge. After entering, I realized that there were four rows of stalls here alone.
The size of each stall here is not as neat as outside. Obviously, the bigger the stall, the bigger the stall.
Wang Shengcai said: "The further you go, the bigger the colorful fish you can see. Last year, a lot of colorful fish were washed away by the floods. This year's price is higher than in previous years."
Zhuang Junji asked seemingly casually: "How big can the biggest one be?"
Wang Shengcai said: "The biggest one I've seen this year is only more than three kilograms and less than four kilograms."
He looked at Zhuang Junji: "Let's see the biggest one?"
Zhuang Junji nodded.
Wang Shengcai said: "Then you have to go to the innermost part. That is our fish market owner's own stall. The best-looking colored tail fish are there."
With a sincere attitude and transparent explanations, Lin Ye felt that having one more subordinate would save him more distractions.
When we reached the innermost part, it was considered a warehouse within a warehouse, separated by a wall.
Wang Shengcai came to the door and said, "I am a distinguished guest. I want to see the best-looking Caiwei. Please open the door."
Guarding the door were seven or eight strong looking men. They seemed to be quite afraid of Wang Shengcai and immediately opened the door.
Wang Shengcai made an invitation gesture, indicating to Zhuang Junji and the others to go in first.
Zhuang Junji did not hesitate and walked in. Pang Panghai and his people followed closely behind. Lin Ye entered at the end of the team.
Wang Shengcai invited them in with a smile and pretended to follow them in.
But after Lin Ye entered, he immediately closed the door.
The seven or eight strong men outside used quick hands and feet to grab the blocking wood that had been prepared long ago and seal the door horizontally.
Immediately afterwards, all the people hiding outside the small warehouse stood up and sprayed powder inside from the small vents on the top of the warehouse.
A lot of powder was sprinkled, but before it was all over, they lit some special medicinal materials on fire and stuffed them through the vents.
It didn't take long to see no one clearly in the small warehouse. It was like entering a fairyland, filled with smoke.
"Master, it's almost done."
A strong man asked the king to make money.
Wang Shengcai said: "Don't worry, let it simmer for a while. The fish is already in the pot. Are you afraid that it will be overcooked and not delicious?"
The strong man immediately agreed.
Wang Shengcai turned around and said, "Go and make me a pot of tea and wait a little longer."
Not long after, his subordinates prepared a pot of tea for Wang Shengcai and brought a table and chairs.
Wang Shengcai sat down comfortably, and several strong men around him fanned the smoke to the side with fans, although not much smoke came out.
At this moment, a man wearing a long coat came over quickly. He looked to be about fifty years old.
Wang Shengcai saw this man appear and stood up quickly: "Master Qi, why did you go there in person?
This Master Qi is from the county government office in Niao County and is a close confidant of Song Lou.
Master Qi asked: "The county magistrate asked me to come over and ask how the situation is?"
Wang Shengcai smiled and said: "Everyone is trapped inside, and we haven't gone in to ask yet."
Master Qi lowered his voice and said, "My lord told me to be careful. Those who dare to act so harshly may have extraordinary origins, especially those sent by Lord Protector to attack the front line."
Wang Shengcai stopped laughing.
After a while, he asked: "If it is really the people sent by the Protector to attack the front station, things will not end well. I thought it was some desperate guys from other places. Aren't they keeping a close watch on the road? No.
I see Lord Protector sending someone here."
Master Qi's voice became even lower: "What's going to end badly? If it really is...then we can't let them get out alive. The old rule is, chop them into pieces and scatter them into Yujing Lake.
What evidence.”
Wang Shengcai nodded: "I will go in and ask in a moment. If it is really from Yunzhou, then we will do it directly. If it is really a merchant, then..."
Master Qi shook his head: "Even if you are a merchant, you can't stay here."
Wang Shengcai seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, it looks like they are really rich. If you scare them, they will give in. If this is a real merchant, it will be a waste if you don't make money from them."
Master Qi scolded him twice, and after a few words of explanation, he hurried away so that he would not show up in front of those outsiders.
After calculating the time, Wang Shengcai felt that it had been about two minutes since those people entered. Even if they were not intoxicated by the drug, they were still unconscious.
"Open the door."
Wang Shengcai gave the order.
The strong men immediately opened the door. They all covered their mouths and noses with wet cloths, and immediately stepped back after opening the door.
There was quite a bit of smoke in the room. It took a while after the door was opened before the smoke gradually dispersed.
Wang Shengcai asked someone to wave a big fan vigorously to make the smoke disperse faster.
After finally being able to see clearly the people inside, Wang Shengcai immediately froze there and his eyes widened.
Lin Ye used a knife to slice off a piece of fish meat from a colorful tail fish that weighed about four pounds. He was holding it up to look at it. Maybe it was because the smoke was so thick that he couldn't see clearly just now.
Seeing Wang Shengcai looking inside, Lin Ye asked seriously: "If this is eaten raw, should it be dipped in vinegar or soy sauce?"