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

The Zhao residence.

Zhao Zhongzheng sat in the main seat, the light dim and dim, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.

The eunuch who was relaying the message knelt down, his voice extremely low:

"...The Grand Commandant personally entered the Eastern Palace, bringing with him Kong Rong from Beihai. They talked for a long time inside the hall. The Crown Prince personally saw them off to the gate, with Wang Ming also present."

After listening, Zhao Zhong hummed in agreement.

"Yang Ci..." he murmured, as if reciting an old name, "Kong Rong... has also come."

"go."

"Send these words to the Zhangde Hall verbatim."

"Here you are."

The eunuch withdrew in response.

-

The next morning.

The Crown Prince was summoned to the Zhangde Hall.

When Liu Bian entered the hall, he clearly sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere.

Zhao Zhong had a smile on his lips, while Zhang Rang's previous composed demeanor was gone.

Emperor Ling of Han raised his hand to stop Liu Bian from kneeling and said:

"I heard—the Grand Commandant visited the Crown Prince's Palace last night?"

Liu Bian's heart sank.

So fast.

"Yes. The Grand Commandant will bring Kong Rong of Beihai to the Eastern Palace."

Emperor Ling of Han narrowed his eyes: "You answered readily. I thought you were going to say 'no'."

Liu Bian's mind raced, and he leaned down to say:

"Since the Emperor has approved the Tian Chamber of Commerce to operate on a trial basis, the Tian Chamber of Commerce must have its own regulations."

"The charter must be firmly established; it cannot be written solely by people in the Crown Prince's palace, nor can it be passed on by word of mouth among merchants in the marketplace."

"The Grand Commandant is the head of the Three Dukes and is highly respected by scholars; Kong Rong comes from the Kong family of Beihai and is both a skilled writer and a renowned figure."

"Your Majesty, I invited them here not to seek a private alliance, but to ask them to change the 'path to wealth' to 'path to law' for the court."

Emperor Ling of Han did not speak, but just stared at him.

Liu Bian knew this wasn't enough, so he added another sentence:

"If Your Majesty suspects that I am using the Qingliu faction to gain influence, I am willing to present you with the key points of our conversation last night and the draft chapters as they are."

"Let Father see first—whether it's for establishing regulations for the court."

The hall fell silent.

Zhao Zhong's expression changed, and he was about to speak: "Your Majesty—"

Emperor Ling tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table, signaling Zhao Zhong not to interrupt.

"Your mouth is like it's made of scales."

"It can be weighed."

Liu Bian did not accept the praise, but simply lowered his head and said, "Your subject dares not."

Emperor Ling of Han suddenly changed the subject:

"Since it's about establishing the charter for the Tian Chamber of Commerce, then let's give it a try."

He paused, glancing sideways at Zhao Zhong, as if speaking casually:

"However—the Tian Shang Association is involved in money and grain and trade routes, so I cannot just listen to what you and Cao Song have to say."

"Zhao Zhong".

Zhao Zhong immediately stepped forward and kowtowed: "Your subject is here."

Emperor Ling of Han said:

"I will assign you one clerk and two accountants to manage the accounts of the Tian Chamber of Commerce, under the joint management of Cao Song."

"Where the money comes from, where it goes, and to whom the travel permits are issued—all of these must be presented to me."

"To prevent anyone from using my name to build their own power."

Liu Bian had a bad feeling.

This condition is openly called "joint management," but secretly it's called "a nail."

But now that things have come to this, there's nothing we can do.

He immediately bent down:

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree."

"Since it is a source of revenue for the imperial court, it should be made clear to Father Emperor."

Emperor Ling of Han grunted in response, as if he had finally swallowed half of his anger:

"Step down."

"The Crown Prince should avoid causing any trouble these next few days."

Liu Bian bowed and took his leave.

As he turned to leave the hall, his fingers clenched slightly inside his sleeve.

—The Eastern Palace needs a makeover.

Back in Chengde Hall, Liu Bian did not continue to look at the papers on the table.

His first task was to pass on his skills.

"It is said that Cao Cao is the commander of the Eastern Palace Guards."

Before long, the palace doors opened and closed.

"Your subject Cao Cao pays his respects to Your Highness."

Liu Bian stared at him and got straight to the point:

"The Grand Commandant entered the Eastern Palace last night, and Father Emperor inquired about it this morning."

"The Crown Prince's palace has eyes and ears."

"Your guard duty is inadequate."

If anyone else heard these words, they would have been filled with fear and remorse.

Cao Cao, however, merely raised his eyes, his words revealing calmness:

"Your Highness is right."

Liu Bian's eyebrows twitched slightly: "You're not going to argue?"

Cao Cao spoke up: "What's there to argue about? As long as our eyes and ears are there, they are there."

"What Your Highness wants is not for my mouth to be clean, but for the grounds of the Eastern Palace to be clean."

Looking at him, Liu Bian felt a surge of anger rising within him, which was instead somewhat dispelled by those words.

"I'll give you three days."

Cao Cao cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I only ask for one more definite answer."

"explain."

Cao Cao lowered his voice by one notch:

"Within three days, I will remove most of the ears that came from outside the Eastern Palace."

"But I wish to keep one."

Liu Bian asked in confusion, "Stay?"

Cao Cao raised his head and looked at Liu Bian:

"Once they've cleaned it all out, they'll send over new ones."

"Keep one, so he can hear what we want him to hear."

"If the ears and eyes become echoes, they are no longer a calamity, but a tool."

Liu Bian remained silent for a moment, then nodded:

"allow."

Cao Cao bowed and withdrew.

Outside Chengde Hall, Cao Cao looked up at the sky, but was making plans in his mind.

Three days—time is tight, and the task is heavy.

Having considered this, he took a step forward.

Cao Cao did not launch a large-scale arrest operation.

He first did something seemingly insignificant: he changed the cards.

All the eunuchs, palace servants, clerks, and miscellaneous workers who entered and exited the inner corridor of the Eastern Palace were issued "travel badges". The badges were engraved with numbers but not names. The numbers corresponded to the people, and the names were only in the thin book in Cao Cao's hands.

The second thing: Change routes.

He sealed off several passageways that were originally passable, leaving only two "must-pass" routes, and added two "seemingly dozing" old soldiers at the corner.

The old soldier was illiterate and knew nothing of etiquette, yet he remembered every face.

The third thing: Get some fresh air.

He deliberately had someone "accidentally" let something slip out—

"The Crown Prince must meet with Kong Rong again at the Eastern Palace within three days."

These words, like a nail, were buried around the Eastern Palace.

That night, sure enough, someone made a move.

She was neither a palace maid nor a eunuch.

He was a clerk.

He walked very steadily, as if he hadn't done anything wrong.

The old soldier had already noticed this person and flicked his finger lightly.

People immediately surrounded them from the shadows.

When Cao Cao arrived in person, the clerk still tried to protest his innocence.

Cao Cao didn't waste any words and immediately ordered his men to search him.

Sure enough, a note was found inside the clerk's robe—

"Within three days, the Crown Prince will meet Kong Rong again."

The clerk finally stopped arguing, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a dagger from his pocket.

The dagger was not aimed at Cao Cao, but at his own neck.

Cao Cao didn't look up, seemingly not having reacted yet.

The bodyguard beside him had already reached out and grabbed the clerk's wrist. With a little force, the dagger fell to the ground.

"If you're smart, you won't die tonight."

Cao Cao tucked the note into his robes and said calmly:

"Move his elderly mother to that house three blocks outside the East Palace, provide her with food and clothing, and have someone guard her."

The clerk's expression changed.

These words, though not explicitly stating murder, are more ruthless than murder itself.

After a moment, he finally uttered a name.

After listening, Cao Cao nodded, as if confirming a debt:

"really."

Cao Cao turned and left, leaving behind only one sentence:

"Make sure it's clean."

-

On the morning of the third day.

Cao Cao entered Chengde Hall to report back and handed over something.

Liu Bian opened it and saw a piece of paper with the words "Removal List" written on it.

All seventeen people quietly left their posts under the pretexts of "transfer," "returning to their original department," or "retiring due to illness."

Cao Cao, standing below, cupped his hands and said:

"Leave one ear intact; it's already usable."

Liu Bian looked at Cao Cao and knew that he already had a plan in mind.

He didn't ask any further questions, but instead changed the subject:

"Zhao Zhong's men have entered into the joint management of the Tian Shang Association's accounts."

What do you think?

Cao Cao raised his eyes, his gaze showing no fear, but rather as if he had spotted prey:

"Good thing."

"When he enters the tent, I know what he most wants to see, what he is most afraid of missing, and what he loves to grab."

"He thought he was there to 'co-manage' the place, but he was actually there to 'expose' himself."

Cao Cao paused, then lowered his voice even further:

"Your Highness, just focus on the big picture."

"These minor matters within the Eastern Palace—leave them to me."

"Three days later, I will let them hear more than they have heard."

Liu Bian nodded: "Go do it."

Cao Cao turned and left.

The morning light shone on his back outside the hall, and Liu Bian suddenly felt a little dazed.

The figure in my memory, yearning for the general who conquered the west, gradually overlapped with the figure outside the hall.