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

The next day, just as dawn broke, before the notices at the entrance of the Tongsheng Society had been replaced with a new batch, Cao Cao received an invitation.

The signature reads: Highway.

Cao Cao held the silk paper in his hand, his brows twitching slightly.

Yuan Shu, Yuan Gonglu.

He and Yuan Shu became acquainted in Luoyang in their early years as wandering knights-errant, sharing drinks and watching plays. They weren't close friends, but they weren't strangers either. Yuan Shu was a man who loved face, enjoyed the limelight, and craved "new things."

Now that the Tongsheng Society's soap and paper certificates are causing such a stir in Luoyang, it's not surprising that he sends an invitation.

Just as Cao Cao was about to reply, Liu Bian came out from the backyard.

He bowed to Liu Bian and said with his hands clasped:

"Young master, Yuan Shu of the Yuan family invited me to his home, saying that we haven't seen each other for a long time and we should catch up."

Upon hearing the name Yuan, two names immediately came to mind for Liu Bian.

Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao.

These two were prominent figures in the early Three Kingdoms period. When they rose to prominence, Liu Bei and Sun Quan were not even in the picture.

Moreover, the Yuan family was known as a prominent clan with four generations of high-ranking officials.

He's someone worth trying to win over.

"What kind of person is Yuan Shu?" Liu Bian asked.

In his memory, Yuan Shu was far inferior to his brother.

"This person does have some talent, but in my opinion, he is a bit too arrogant, so I did not get to know him well."

"His elder brother, Yuan Shao, was very close to Cao Cao and they were bosom friends."

Liu Bian nodded. This was pretty much the same Yuan Shu he remembered. Although this guy later occupied some areas of Yuzhou and Xuzhou, his strength was too weak.

Later, when he had nowhere else to turn, he tried to seek refuge with his brother, but he failed and ended up dying from vomiting blood.

"We can go and see what Yuan Shu's intentions are. If there is an opportunity to win over the Yuan family, we shouldn't miss it."

Cao Cao understood and nodded in agreement.

-

The Yuan family's separate residence was located in Nanli, Luoyang, a place of great grandeur and frequent traffic.

As soon as Cao Cao alighted from his carriage, Yuan Shu personally came out to greet him, dressed in fine clothes and smiling suavely.

"Brother Mengde! I heard you recently established a chamber of commerce in Luoyang, and it's really given both cities a run for their money?"

Cao Cao cupped his hands in greeting, a smile playing on his lips: "Brother Gonglu is well-informed. We only do small business within the association; how could we dare to offend the two markets?"

Yuan Shu put his arm around his shoulder, half-jokingly and half-testingly:

"Come on. Your 'little business'—that soap is better than soapberry leaves, and that paper doesn't even bleed ink, even my steward says it's strange. Mengde, are you trying to reach for the heavens?"

As they were talking, Yuan Shu led him into the banquet hall.

The banquet featured exquisite wine and meat, and the singers sang softly.

Cao Cao noticed a middle-aged man sitting in a corner, a man whose clothes were not particularly fine, yet he sat very steadily, and the way he raised and lowered his cups and saucers was with a calculating rhythm.

Cao Cao glanced at it once and made a mental note: it had the air of a merchant, and not an ordinary one at that.

Yuan Shu raised his cup and laughed:

"Mengde, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. How come your Cao family has the mind to start a merchant guild? Your father is the Grand Minister of Agriculture of the imperial court."

Cao Cao understood Yuan Shu's implication: he was implying that Cao Song was reaping far more benefits from his position as Grand Minister of Agriculture than from running a merchant guild.

He turned the rim of his glass, deliberately giving a flippant laugh:

"Gonglu, that's a strange question. What do you mean by 'our Cao family'? The Cao family has never said anything about starting a chamber of commerce."

"I'm just joining in the fun at this chamber of commerce; it has nothing to do with the Cao family."

"What, Brother Gonglu, are you interested too? I seem to remember that your Yuan family also has businesses in Luoyang?"

Yuan Shu's eyes widened for a moment, then he burst into laughter, as if he had been choked but was determined to save face:

"Fine! You still have the same old mouth."

He laughed, but his fingertips tapped lightly twice on the rim of his glass, as if giving a secret signal to someone at the table.

Cao Cao kept this detail firmly in mind: this invitation was more than just wine.

Yuan Shu then chuckled and threw out another line:

"Is your association still going to issue that paper? Brother Mengde, you can't keep this 'ink-proof' paper all to yourself."

Cao Cao felt a chill in his heart, but his expression remained even more casual:

"Paper is paper, and soap is soap. The association ships in batches, so if there's a shortage, so be it. If the highway really needs it, we can go to the association another day to pick it up according to the rules."

The smile on Yuan Shu's face faded.

What he dislikes most is being told the word "rules" by others.

Just then, a servant rushed in and whispered a few words in Yuan Shu's ear.

Yuan Shu's expression remained unchanged; he simply placed his wine cup more steadily and smiled at Cao Cao, saying:

"Mengde, let's stop drinking here for today. We'll continue another day."

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat: a diversionary tactic!

He didn't stay long, but bowed and took his leave, then got up and left.

After leaving Yuan's residence, Cao Cao climbed into the carriage, his voice extremely low:

"Back to the headquarters, quick!"

-

At the same moment, at the entrance of the Tong Sheng Hui, the wind had already changed.

It wasn't that there were more voices, it was that the footsteps were in unison.

A group of constables led the way, followed by market officials, and then two clerks in scarlet robes. They unfolded the documents, their voices as cold as knives:

"By order of the Governor of Henan: The Tongsheng Society is issuing illegal tickets, disrupting the market, and is suspected of smuggling prohibited goods—immediately close its shops, detain the people for questioning, and inspect its warehouses and goods!"

Wang Ming's face turned pale instantly.

Zhou Wen nearly dropped the account book in his hand.

Cao Ren stepped forward, blocking the threshold, his voice deep:

"Sealing the shop is acceptable. Bring the document here—I will stipulate that the inspection must be carried out in full view of everyone, the seal must be kept, and a copy must be kept."

The official in scarlet robes sneered, completely ignoring his words, and instead pointed a finger:

"Don't give me any advice on meeting rules! Your little meeting doesn't even have the right to set rules and issue official documents!"

As soon as he said this, the bailiffs stepped forward to seize the account book.

Cao Ren's eyes turned cold, and he pressed his palm against the wooden beam, his knuckles turning white, as if he was about to make a move.

Liu Bian slowly walked out from the inner hall.

He wasn't wearing a short brown robe, but rather the simple attire of a scholar. Standing in the shadows inside the doorway, he was not easily seen by others.

Upon seeing that he was young, the official in scarlet robes became even more presumptuous:

"So you're the leader? Perfect timing. Come with me. The treasury will be sealed, the people will be imprisoned. If you have no guilty conscience, what is there to fear?"

Liu Bian looked at him, and quickly straightened out a line in his mind—

This is no longer the "street blockade" of Tung Lee Hong.

This is an official trying to sabotage things.

The ability to influence the Henan Yin Die was not something a broker like Zhu Xingtou could accomplish.

It's the people behind them.

But why act now? Is it because they have no one to fear right now...?

Cao Cao!

Liu Bian understood perfectly well, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Cao Cao was summoned by Yuan Shu for a meeting today, and then the Governor of Henan sent someone. The person behind this is most likely Yuan Shu.

Whether it is related to the entire Yuan family still needs to be verified.

Wang Ming's throat tightened, and he almost cried out "Your Highness".

Liu Bian raised his hand and pressed down gently, but his mind was also in turmoil.

What to do? Now that Cao Cao is not here, I can't just expose my identity so easily.

He knew very well that revealing his identity now would indeed intimidate the group of officials.

But once his identity was revealed, the connection was severed.

What's even more deadly is that once a family of the Yuan clan finds out that the Crown Prince is behind the Tong Sheng Society, their reaction will never be "fear," but rather they will strike first: either force him to stop, or drag him into the quagmire of "factional strife," making it impossible for him to continue down this path.

Cao Ren turned around abruptly, his eyes wide with fury: "Young Master—"

Liu Bian repeated the same thing: "Don't move."

Seeing that he had "yielded," the clerk in scarlet robes immediately curled up his lips and waved his hand:

"Press—"

Xiahou Dun roared angrily and shouted:

"Let's see who dares! Do you even know what you're betting on...?"

At that very instant, a very steady shout came from the street corner:

"Wait a minute."

The crowd parted automatically, creating a small gap.

Xiahou Dun was taken aback and looked at Liu Bian.

Liu Bian ignored it, narrowed his eyes slightly, and turned to look at the source of the sound.

A simple yet extremely heavy carriage slowly came to a stop. The wheels were silent. The curtain was lifted, and two men in blue robes stepped out first. They did not wear swords at their waists, but their imposing presence made people instinctively fall silent.

The last person to come down was a young man, dressed simply, and holding a document stamped with a red seal in his hand.

He walked up to the official in scarlet robes, his voice neither hurried nor slow:

"I've seen quite a few Henan yen certificates."

"However—using the pretext of 'disrupting the market with bills,' the mobilization of clerks to seal up shops and detain people, and the inspection of warehouses and goods, makes it seem like an investigation into illegal minting."

He looked up, his gaze so calm it was unsettling.

"May I ask: Does this document have the countersignature of the Commandant of the Capital Region? Is it on file with the Censorate?"

The official in scarlet robes froze: "Who are you?"

The man handed the document forward, and the red seal gleamed under the lamp:

"The Yang family of Hongnong are here to handle affairs in the government."

"My master has heard that recently in Luoyang, someone has been issuing receipts to verify the authenticity of goods, which can stop counterfeit goods from harming the people, and he is quite interested in this."

He smiled softly, but his words were like nails:

"If the Yuan family wants to investigate, they must do so according to the law. If they do, then you cannot shut down this shop today; you cannot detain this person."

The air suddenly turned cold.

The official in scarlet robes swallowed hard, his eyes darting around as if he suddenly remembered: Luoyang is not just home to the Yuan family.

There is also the Yang family of Hongnong.

That was a family that dared to argue in the imperial court and use the Censorate as a weapon.

If we really offend the Yang family, the consequences will be unbearable for everyone.

The official in scarlet robes hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered his hand and chuckled dryly:

"It's a misunderstanding...it's all a misunderstanding. Since the Yang family has inquired, we are merely following orders and dare not argue with them."

The man, however, did not accept the offer of leniency, and simply said:

"The document remains. The seal has been removed."

"If you wish to investigate, please do so another day according to the law. For today—dismissed."

The official in scarlet robes turned pale and then red, but in the end he waved his hand, signaling the bailiffs to leave.

The crowd erupted in commotion, but no one dared to raise their voice.

Liu Bian stood in the shadows inside the door, but felt a slight sense of relief.

Like the Yuan family, the Yang family of Hongnong was known in later generations as having produced three dukes across four generations.

Yang's fate must have been because she knew that Yuan had taken action. Therefore, it is certain that the person behind Tonglihang is Yuan.

Thinking of this, Liu Bian gave a bitter smile. He had been thinking about how to win over the Yuan family, but now it seemed that he had long been regarded as a thorn in their side.

Moreover, he was eventually drawn into this power struggle among the aristocratic families.