Before him lay a prosperous shop, which, whether rented out or personally run, was sure to bring in profit.
But the current issue was that there were people with more confidence than Wufu eyeing that shop, and they were from an official's family—if he secured it, he would undoubtedly be offending Lord Magistrate.
The Magistrate, whose status in the county was second only to the County Prefect, was in charge of all county documents, warehouses, grain and horses, taxation, and was an eighth-ranked official. If you offended him and he decided to trip you up, what then? He controlled the taxation of grain; did you not have to pay taxes on your lands and properties?
Competing with the Magistrate for a thriving shop was doubtless like snatching food from the mouth of a tiger. Compared to Liu Ming, the crime was greater because as the owner, he had the right to sell or not sell, but if you were to buy, then it was tantamount to snatching food from the mouth of a tiger.
