Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

Liu Bian did not rush to defend himself.

In situations like these, it's best not to rush to explain. If you do, you'll only reveal your incompetence.

Liu Bian gently raised his hand and tapped the table set up at the entrance of the hall. The sound was soft, but it drowned out the noise of the crowd.

"The first rule of the Tongsheng Association: Do not hide when selling goods; those who injure others will be prosecuted."

"The same applies to framing and spreading rumors."

He glanced at the crowd below and said coldly:

"Arguing won't help. Either we inspect the items, or we go to the city government."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted:

"What good are you, little brat! Go and call your parents!"

"What's the point of testing! The child is already like this, why would you need to test him!"

"Yes! The red rash on my child's hands is definitely there!"

Xiahou Dun was already restless from the noise of the crowd. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to drag out the person who started the disturbance, but Cao Ren stopped him with a look.

Cao Cao, however, stood to the side, silently watching the crowd—he had already noted down who was instigating the disturbance and who was giving him signals.

Liu Bian looked at the woman who had spoken behind him; she was holding a child who looked about four or five years old.

"Are you here with your child to seek justice, or to vent your anger?"

The woman was clearly taken aback.

Liu Bian continued speaking:

"If you want justice, have the child wash their hands and apply cold water first."

"Wang Ming, bring me the 'trial soaps' from our association—the batch with the association's seal and receipt number."

Wang Ming agreed and turned to run into the courtyard.

A short while later, he came out carrying a small wooden box.

The box contained three bars of soap, each with an imprint and a receipt tag attached by a thin hemp rope.

Liu Bian took out a piece and turned to the woman, saying:

Give me that soap that caused the problem.

The woman took out the bar of soap, and Wang Ming went down to get it.

Liu Bian placed the two bars of soap side by side on the table and said loudly:

"Everyone has seen it clearly."

"When the Tong Sheng Association ships soap, each bar bears the association's stamp. The receipt has a number and the person who handled it signs it; the records are traceable."

He turned the "tainted soap" over; the bottom was rough and uneven, and the edges even had knife marks, the marks were blurry, as if they had been pressed out.

Liu Bian offered no comment, but only addressed Wang Ming:

"Take two basins of water. And a bowl of vinegar."

Two basins of water were placed at the entrance of the hall, and a bowl of vinegar was also brought over. As soon as the sour smell wafted out, the onlookers did not understand what he was going to do.

Liu Bian rolled up his sleeves and first took a bar of Huiyin soap and gently rubbed it in the water.

The bubbles rose up, not pungent, and the oil and dirt on the back of his hand were quickly washed away.

He stretched out his hand; his palm was clean, and his skin was neither red nor white.

He then picked up the "sick soap".

After just one rub, the foam became even more intense, shining white, but the astringent taste made people's noses sting, and even the people next to them subconsciously took a half step back.

Liu Bian put his hands into the water to wash them, and a thin layer of red immediately appeared on his knuckles.

Without making a sound, he dipped his fingers back into the vinegar bowl, and the redness quickly subsided.

Liu Bian then spoke calmly:

"Did you see that?"

"This soap is too alkaline and not fully cured. Using it to wash your skin will naturally cause rashes and burning sensations."

"It's not from our Tongsheng Association."

The crowd fell silent.

The woman stared at the soap on the table, her lips trembling. "But...but I bought it at your doorstep!"

Liu Bian spoke up, "Wang Ming, open the account books."

Wang Ming quickly spread the account books on the table, and Zhou Wen also held up the receipt template so that everyone could see the number and signature.

Liu Bian pointed to the number and said:

"Whoever said they bought it at my doorstep, give me the receipt number. If you can, the Medical Association will compensate you tenfold and call a doctor; if you can't—then you'll be charged with spreading rumors and framing someone, and come with me to the city hall."

The woman was taken aback. She looked down and rummaged through her pockets, finding only a few loose coins and no receipt.

Her face turned pale instantly.

Liu Bian continued, "Someone is selling counterfeit goods in front of my door, using my name to harm you—who should you hate?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the anger in the hearts of the onlookers suddenly found its direction.

Those who were shouting the loudest, their eyes darting around, had already started to squeeze into the crowd.

Cao Cao gave Xiahou Dun and the others a look, and the group immediately grabbed them and pinned them down.

Someone muttered under their breath, "It was a fake!"

"No wonder it smelled so strong!"

"This is an attempt to harm the Tongsheng Association!"

Seeing that the time was right, Liu Bian spoke loudly:

"From today onwards, the Tongsheng Association will ship three items."

"First, new goods are not sold; they must be stored in inventory to mature before being released in batches. A copy of each batch must be kept, and it can be inspected after a month or so."

"Second, each batch of goods is wrapped with hemp paper seals, and the seals leave an imprint; if the seals are broken, it will be known."

"Third, every item will have a receipt, and the receipt will be changed to two copies, one for the buyer and one for the association's account. Only if the records match can it be considered a purchase from our association."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:

"The purpose of the Tongsheng Association is to enable all people in the world to use good products."

"If anyone comes to my door to cause trouble again without any explanation, I will not sell any of my goods from now on."

The crowd's expressions changed several times, and then their eyes turned fierce as they stared at the troublemakers.

Liu Bian raised his hand, gesturing for Xiahou Dun to loosen his grip on his wrist, his tone calm:

"Zhou Wen".

Zhou Wen immediately stepped forward: "Yes."

"Write down their names, hometowns, accomplices, where they got the soap from, and who gave them the money—one by one," Liu said. "Once you've written it down, take them to the county court. Record it as 'fraudulent sale of assault and gathering a crowd to cause trouble.' Have Chen Yu personally sign it; don't let anyone change the charges halfway through."

Then, Liu Bian turned to the woman holding the child, his voice softening slightly:

"Your child's rash may not be your fault. Today, I'll apply cold water to it and give you a cooling ointment to take home. If it doesn't subside in three days, come to the association, and the Tongsheng Association will request a doctor."

The woman froze, her eyes reddening, and she stammered out a thank you, only managing to retreat to the back of the crowd while holding her child.

Some people wanted to take advantage of the situation, but Liu Bian shut them down with a single sentence:

"This is the only household. For others, proof is required. The Tong Sheng Hui is not a charitable organization; the rules are in place."

Once the rules were established, the noise in the front hall receded like the tide. The people dispersed, the curtains fell, and only the members of the Tongsheng Society remained in the courtyard.

Zhou Wen wiped his sweat, his voice tight:

"Young master, the reputation has been established, but it seems it has truly been cut off... I'm afraid the soap-making business can't continue for the time being."

Cao Ren added in a deep voice:

"It's not just the materials. Rumors are also circulating outside that Zhu Xingtou has declared: anyone who delivers goods to the Tongsheng Association will not be allowed into the city government building."

"Let's put the soap on hold for now." Liu Bian threw the fake soap into a plate of fire.

He looked up at Zhou Wen: "Take the statements of those who caused trouble today, along with that piece of fake soap, seal them in a separate package, write down the date, and put it in the secret storage. We'll need it later."

Zhou Wen quickly agreed, "Yes, sir."

The courtyard fell silent again.

Xiahou Dun couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, they cut off the supplies, and now they're making people get rashes! These bastards!"

Liu Bian did not speak immediately.

He looked down at the account book in Zhou Wen's hand. The paper was rough, the ink was slightly smudged, and when he rubbed it with his fingertips, he could feel the fine rough edges.

This paper is vastly different from the paper of later generations.

He suddenly remembered a project he had done in his previous life: in order to do a good job on a paper-related exhibition, he almost dissected paper from the inside out: grammage, stiffness, ink absorption, sizing, alum content, calendering, subtle texture, watermark... He could even talk for half an hour at the exhibition about "why paper bleeds ink".

Paper existed in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but there was much room for improvement.

He suddenly laughed, lowered his head and murmured, "From now on, I will make this paper progress by five hundred years."

"Young master, what did you say?"

Liu Bian raised his head: "The soap issue will be put on hold for now."

Xiahou Dun immediately exploded: "Why should it be postponed? These damn bastards—"

"A temporary halt is not a retreat, but a change of battlefield." Liu Bian raised his hand to calm Xiahou Dun's impatience and continued, "Let's make paper first."

Wang Ming was stunned: "Paper... Cai Hou paper wasn't already—"

Liu Bian shook his head. He raised his hand to signal Zhou Wen to take a brush, dipped it in ink on the paper and wrote a few words. The ink bled slightly as soon as it touched the paper, and the edges of the strokes became fuzzy.

"Cai Hou paper is good, but it's not 'stable' enough."

"Look—if the words are not established, the seal will not stand. If the seal is not established, the accounts and documents cannot stand."

Cao Cao's eyes flickered, and he immediately understood: what His Highness wanted was not writing implements or elegant objects, but paper that could be used to "issue receipts, verify seals, and make counterfeits difficult to imitate."

Liu Bian said no more and went straight to assigning tasks:

"Zhou Wen, take note—this is called a 'paper certificate'."

"Cao Ren, go find Chen Yu and ask him to lend me a batch of discarded documents and old scrolls, preferably badly written official documents. According to regulations, they should be destroyed. Write a receipt according to the rules, so that no one can find a pretext to use against you."

"Mengde, take some men to the south of the city and collect three things: tattered hemp cloth, old fishing nets, and hemp rope ends. The older and more worn the better. Record the price and keep a record."

"Dun and Yuan, go to the outskirts of the two markets and find paper mulberry and mulberry trees. Peel off the bark and take the 'white bark'. You don't need much, just enough to make thirty sheets for trial."

Upon hearing that he had to peel the bark from the tree, Xiahou Dun's face turned green: "Young master, this is dirtier than stirring a pot..."

"You think it's dirty?" Liu Bian glanced at him. "Then go find some 'lime'."

Xiahou Dun immediately perked up: "Yuan, let's go! Let's go skin him!"

Cao Cao did not rush to leave, but asked in a low voice:

"Young master, are you really not going to make the soap for now?"

"Soap...the lack of materials is indeed a problem."

After a moment's thought, Liu Bian suddenly looked up in the direction of the palace:

"Got it."

Cao Cao raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Young master, is there any progress?"

Liu Bian nodded:

"Don't rush to do what I just told you. I'll go back to the palace first."

"Meet here at the same time two days from now."