We only collect a small fee to maintain the roads and keep thieves away. The merchants know that. They agree to the arrangement."
The sweet vendor looked up from his basket. He was an older man with a worried crease between his eyebrows. For a moment he seemed to be deciding whether he could afford to speak. Then Yan Cijin met his eyes, not pushing him, just making it clear that he was allowed to answer honestly.
"We do not agree," he said quietly. "We pay because Master Duan's men come with weapons. When we refuse, they break things. Last month they took two jars of honey from the woman who sells cakes near the bridge. They said it was a fee. She did not have money left to buy enough flour for the next day."
