As Yan Han mentioned, the number of shops in the market town would be equally divided between the dignitaries and common people.
What was the significance of the market town, then? Well, it was to give everyone an open, safe, and reliable platform to trade. Since we were talking about trade, we had to focus on the volume of commodities and the audience.
Under current circumstances, it was impossible for the common people to take up a significant market share, for most of the resources were in the hands of the middle and upper classes.
It was like that auction Gu Yu had attended in Spring City. The information had only gone public for days, yet those people were able to get their hands on creatures such as mutated peacocks and even dared to auction them.
One could imagine that if the country connived in the legitimacy of market towns, how much would such people all over the country be able to bring to the trade?
