As in the eastern and western cities of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, foreign goods entering the market of Constantinople were subject to tax payment and tax payment certificates. If the businessmen do not pay the tax, they will be punished with different degrees of punishment such as fines, detention and sentencing according to the severity of the circumstances, and if they are repeat offenders, the punishment will be doubled, and the circumstances will be punished with death.

Due to the long distance, Wang Huili was able to receive the goods from the Tang Dynasty for a long time, and the quantity was also very limited, after receiving this batch of goods, he took the initiative to come to the municipal management office of the government and asked for tax declaration.

In contrast to the Tang Dynasty's beliefs, in order to maintain the prosperity of Constantinople, Byzantium attached more importance to commerce and was friendly to merchants, especially foreign merchants. Wang Huili has come to declare taxes before, and basically has not encountered any trouble, and is usually able to complete the relevant procedures quickly.

However, this time he ran into trouble, Wang Huili ran three times in a row, either Zhang San was not there, or Li Si had something to do, anyway, he couldn't go through the formalities.

On this day, Wang Huili came to the tax officer's house with gifts. The tax officer accepted Wang Huili's gift and said to him: "Shopkeeper Wang, it's not that I can't get along with you, but the above told me that I won't do it for you, I'm afraid you have to think of another way." ”

Wang Huili took out some more gifts and said, "How to do it, please give me some advice." ”

The tax collector said, "I can help with intercession, but ......"

Wang Huili understood what he meant, and said, "Don't worry, my lord, I have already brought a gift for dotting." ”

After speaking, he asked the servant who came with him to fetch a cloth bag, and said, "Sir, you can take these first, and when the matter is done, I will come to thank you." ”

The tax collector opened the bag and looked at it, weighed it with his hand, and said, "Well, I'll give you a letter tomorrow." ”

The next morning, the tax collector went to see the mayor, the Marquis Marquis Marcel.

Marquis Martel asked, "What kind of goods did the Tang Dynasty people bring?" ”

The tax collector presented the list of goods for Wang Huili's tax return.

After reading it, Marquis Marquis said: "There are a lot of good things, these Tang Dynasty people are really rich." With that, he pondered.

The Marquis Marcel had already heard the news that the Governor of Constantinople was about to step down, and the Marquis Marcel had been seeking this position for a long time, and if he could become the Governor, he would become a duke from a marquis. He really wanted to go to the queen Kent Tanka, he originally wanted the tax officer to give the Tang Dynasty people a problem, and then let the Tang Dynasty people sell him some goods cheaper, but the Tang Dynasty's goods were too expensive, even if they were cheaper, he couldn't buy much.

To give a gift to the queen, you must be generous, not only will the gift not play any role, on the contrary, it will make the queen Kent Tanka feel that he is not sincere, is contemptuous of her dignity, and is likely to get into trouble.

However, to give enough gifts, Marquis Marquis Martre really couldn't come up with that much money.

The tax collector was a shrewd man, and he had already guessed what the Marquis was thinking, and seeing the Marquis pondering, the tax collector said tentatively, "What is the difficulty of the Marquis?" The villain may be able to share the worries of the adult. ”

Marquis Martel said, "You are my confidant, and I will not hide it from you." Then he whispered his thoughts to the tax officer, and then he said, "If you do this well, I will take good care of you." ”

When the tax collector heard the Marquis say that he was his confidant, his bones were about to crisp, and he hurriedly said, "Don't worry, the marquis, the villain will definitely take care of this matter for you." ”

In the afternoon, the tax officer came to the trading house of the Tang Dynasty. He said to Wang Huili: "Shopkeeper Wang, I personally went to meet the mayor for your business, I said a lot of good things for you, and the mayor has agreed to go through the tax payment procedures for you." However, the Marquis has a small request, and I hope you can help with it. With that, he took out a slip.

Wang Huili took the document and saw that it was a list of goods, with many items listed and the quantity marked. These items were part of the items they had just shipped from Chang'an, and the number actually accounted for 1/3, and he suddenly felt that something was wrong, and he asked, "What is this?" ”

The tax collector said, "The mayor wants to buy these goods, and I hope you can get a better price." ”

Wang Huili stubbornly said: "There is no problem, I will definitely try my best to meet the requirements of the adults." ”

The tax officer did not name the specific price of a particular item, but he said a total.

Wang Huili had already guessed such a result, but he didn't expect the tax officer to be so ruthless, the price of the goods he sold was only twice as high as the price in Chang'an, and even the price of cabbage was not as good. These goods were transported from distant Chang'an, and after several years, the cost alone added up to more than ten times higher than when they were in Chang'an. Where is this asking for discounts, it is simply a clear grab.

Wang Huili was very embarrassed, these goods were not his own. If the number is small, he can call the shots, but with such a large amount, how can he explain it to Her Royal Highness the Princess after he goes back?

So, he consulted with the tax collector. He said that he could take out a small part and sell it to them at a discount, or even give it away for free, such a large amount, he couldn't be the master, the tax officer was obviously dissatisfied, and the two parted unhappily.

After the tax officer left, Wang Huili felt that his heart was not very steady. He thought about it, and thought that he would simply ship the goods to Damascus and sell them, even though the price was lower there than here, and he would not suffer such a great loss.

Wang Huili was a capable man, and since he had made a decision, he immediately ordered his men to start loading the cart.

After the tax officer left the trading house of the Tang Dynasty, he was also very worried. If you can't complete the task assigned to him by the Marquis, how can you explain it to the Marquis? He thought about it and suddenly came up with a clever plan.

He came to the trading house of the Tang Dynasty again, and after meeting Wang Huili, he said very enthusiastically: "Shopkeeper Wang, our relationship has always been good, and I must help with your affairs." ”

Although Wang Huili was an official of the Ministry of Commerce of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Xu did not send him to Constantinople in an official capacity. His main task was to learn about the trade situation in Europe, including Constantinople, Byzantium, and the Franks, and he was also worried that it would offend the tax collectors and leave him in great trouble.