Shen Tang looked at Xu Xie suspiciously, waiting for an answer.
Xu Xie looked at her with an odd expression, barely stopping himself from writing "My Lord, are you pretending not to know?" across his face.
Shen Tang: "???"
She hadn't planted any spies to keep an eye on Xu Xie.
How could she possibly be "pretending not to know"?
When Xu Xie saw that the confusion in Shen Tang's eyes seemed genuine, the muscles in his face twitched several times, stiff and strangely awkward. He said, "Ahem, ahem. Because Shang Nan and Yiru strictly control the sale of alcohol, and it can't be sold without permission. There's no ordinary way to get it into those places, so... well, we couldn't avoid using some, some special methods to get around the restrictions..."
Shen Tang was completely baffled.
"Special methods to get around the restrictions? You mean smuggling?"
"Smuggling" was just another word for illicit trade.
According to Xu Xie's explanation, alcohol sales in Shang Nan and Yiru were strictly controlled, making it difficult for merchants to obtain licenses. Anyone who wanted to break into the market had no choice but to smuggle their goods. But even if they were smuggling, how had they turned fifty jars into two hundred?
Xu Xie wasn't answering the question.
"Yes, smuggling."
And saving themselves the hefty market and liquor taxes, too.
"How do you smuggle fifty jars and turn them into two hundred? Switch from large jars to small ones? That would make it easier to split up the goods and sneak them across the border, and they'd be harder to detect..." As she spoke, she began to feel less annoyed. "You've had a hard journey, Wenzhu."
Xu Xie: "..."
My Lord, your "closest friend" stole your line!
He forced himself to ignore the