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

When they returned to Changqiu Palace, it was already 9 PM.

The sky was completely dark, and the palace lanterns were lit one by one, their light falling on the blue bricks under the corridor, like a thin layer of frost.

Liu Bian changed out of his outer short robe before entering the side hall.

Xun Yu was already waiting at the table.

Liu Bian stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands in a salute, and said:

"Sir, it's late, why aren't you resting yet?"

Xun Yu did not answer, but instead asked:

"What did Your Highness see and hear when you left the palace today?"

Before Liu Bian could speak, his personal secretary stepped forward with both hands, presenting a small notebook to Xun Yu's desk:

"Sir, everything you have seen and heard today is here."

Xun Yu read very quickly, but paused for a moment at the end of each page, as if assessing the pros and cons.

After a long pause, he closed the booklet and looked up at Liu Bian:

"Your Highness did very well today."

Liu Bian paused slightly, but did not reply immediately.

Xun Yu continued:

"When the city officials suppressed the case, Your Highness was able to have them released; when Song Jin made threats, Your Highness was able to have him call for reinforcements; when Song Dian came, Your Highness was able to stop talking and only ask about one important matter. Your Highness does this very well, knowing when to hide your knife in your sleeve."

"Your Highness's trip out of the palace wasn't about the spectacle, but about the price of firewood, lye, paper, ink, and grain—Your Highness wasn't looking at 'things,' but at the 'cost of people's livelihood.' Only those who understand how to address costs are qualified to talk about 'new policies.'"

"Your Highness did not use the title of Crown Prince to pressure the city government, nor did you flaunt your identity in the street. Your Highness is right to treat your identity as the 'last resort.' Power is dulled every day if it is used daily; knowing when not to use it is true skill."

He paused for a moment after saying this.

Liu Bian felt a little relieved. Judging from Xun Yu's words, he had done a decent job today.

"But—Your Highness's biggest mistake today also lies here."

Xun Yu then changed the subject.

Liu Bian quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Please speak frankly, sir."

Xun Yu raised his hand, pointed to a few lines of notes in the bamboo slips, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone:

"Your Highness thinks you're 'fishing' today."

"In fact, from the moment Your Highness first saw the market officials driving people away, Your Highness was already caught in someone else's trap."

Liu Bian frowned slightly: "Sir, do you mean... they deliberately sent me to the county temple?"

"It might not be intentional on your part to let Your Highness in," Xun Yu shook his head. "But they are used to suppressing everything that 'shouldn't be seen' into the shadows. The closer Your Highness gets to the darkness, the more they will use 'officialdom' to drag Your Highness back—not to investigate the case, but to cover up the traces."

He paused, then added something even more crucial:

"The reason Your Highness was able to see the cellar and release people today is because Song Dian recognizes Your Highness's identity."

"This time, Your Highness borrowed his fear. It wasn't that Your Highness won, but that Your Highness just happened to step on the thorn he feared most."

Liu Bian felt a chill run down his spine, but still asked in a steady voice, "Then where did I go wrong?"

Xun Yu raised his eyes: "Your Highness was wrong to think that Your Highness had hidden it well, but it was full of loopholes."

"His Highness wears a short robe, yet speaks with composure; His Highness walks through the marketplace, yet his eyes are fixed on the scales and measures, not the bustling crowd; His Highness remains calm in the face of trouble, and can even command the crowd. In the marketplace, the most dangerous thing is not wealth, but 'stability that is not in accordance with one's status'."

"Your Highness thinks you've been keeping a low profile, but in fact, you're the most conspicuous in the places where you should be keeping a low profile."

Liu Bian paused for a moment, then said softly, "At the time, I was only thinking about fishing the line out."

"Did you fish out the line?" Xun Yu asked in return.

Liu Bian paused.

Song Jin is dead, the thread has been broken in half; the person behind it is still shrouded in mystery.

Xun Yu glanced at him, his tone softening, but his words becoming even sharper:

"Your Highness saved lives today, which is a meritorious act; but if Your Highness causes the thread to break even deeper because of this, even more people will die in the future."

"Kindness is acceptable, but it must be protected by the 'program.' Otherwise, if Your Highness saves one cellar of people, the next one will be even more cunning and ruthless."

Liu Bian's fingers tightened slightly in his sleeve: "Please teach me, sir."

Xun Yu nodded:

"First, layering."

"Your Highness, when you personally visit the marketplace, you only need to do three things: determine the direction, set the rules, and select the people. As for the rest—asking about prices, figuring out the way, and listening to people's opinions—you can leave that to Mengde. Your Highness doesn't need to squat at every stall or ask about every price. The more personally you get involved, the easier it is for people to find fault with your habits and use them against you."

"Second, preserve evidence."

"Your Highness has recorded a lot of what you saw today, but you are missing the two most crucial things: account books and travel documents."

"The accounts are not the prices quoted by the stall owners, but the 'tea money' collected by the brokers, the 'stall fees' collected by the city government, and the 'deposit amount' recorded by the clerks—these are the ironclad evidence of the cannibalism."

"The road permit is not the so-called 'easy passage,' but rather 'the silk from a certain prefecture first enters a certain warehouse, then exits through a certain gate, and finally reaches the shop.' What Your Highness wants to grasp is the 'road,' not 'reputation.'"

As he said this, he looked at Liu Bian.

"Third, and most importantly, when establishing a name, one must first establish that it is 'refundable'."

Liu Bian asked doubtfully, "Can we retreat?"

"Don't start with too many people. First, gather three types of people: laborers, craftsmen, and peddlers. They suffer the most and are the most honest."

"The association should first establish two registers: one for names and one for accounts. The register will record people, their places of origin, and guarantors; the accounts will record income, wages, and interest. Only when both registers are established can His Highness proceed with the procedures in the future."

"If anyone causes trouble, Your Highness can deal with them according to the list, so as not to implicate the entire assembly."

A thought flashed through Liu Bian's mind: "Sir, are you saying that we should first make the Chamber of Commerce a system that is 'verifiable, accountable, and accountable'?"

"That's right." Xun Yu nodded. "What Your Highness needs to do is not trade, but order. Trade is merely the rope through which Your Highness reaches to touch order."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian realized that Xun Yu was not teaching him "how to do things," but rather how to "use people, use power, and use accounts to drag people into the rules."

Xun Yu paused for a moment, then continued:

"Remember, once this chamber of commerce is established, His Highness's identity must not be revealed."

"This is a good opportunity to mend the broken thread in His Highness's life."

Liu Bian took a deep breath and bowed solemnly:

"I have noted down what you said, sir."

Before dawn the next day, people were already walking lightly under the corridors of Changqiu Palace.

Liu Bian got up very early. He had memorized Xun Yu's words from the previous night: layering, preserving evidence, and allowing for withdrawal.

Also, add that line.

He no longer wore the short tunic, but instead changed into ordinary scholar's attire: plain in color, with simple patterns, his hair tied up with a blue sash, and no valuables worn at his waist. He looked like a poor young man from a humble family, perhaps with a few elder brothers accompanying him for protection.

Xun Yu escorted him to the palace gate, saying only one sentence: "Your Highness will only have three things to do today."

Liu Bian nodded: "Determine the direction, set the rules, and select the right people."

Xun Yu smiled slightly and said no more.

Wang Ming had been waiting at the door for a while. Seeing Liu Bian come out, he quickly said:

"Cao Yilang and others are already waiting outside the Vermilion Bird Gate."

Liu Bian nodded, then suddenly realized someone was missing. He asked, "Where's Zhou Wen?"

Zhou Wen was the name Guo Sheng gave to his personal secretary.

"Yes, sir. I just went to get the booklet."

Liu Bian said nothing more and got up to walk towards the Vermilion Bird Gate.

Upon arriving at the Vermilion Bird Gate, Liu Bian could see Cao Cao and his entourage standing under the covered walkway from afar.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Cao Cao and the others bowed one by one.

"No need for formalities," Liu Bian said, getting straight to the point. "When we're out today, we'll still use the old titles."

"Yes."

He turned to look at Cao Cao:

"Mengde, take some men to the municipal government office and register the 'name' there," Liu Bian said. "I'm only going to see one person—Chen Yu."

"I understand." Cao Cao nodded, then raised his hand and assigned tasks to the five men: "Dun, Yuan, you two stay with me. The rest of you guard His Highness."

The group split into two teams, each heading to different destinations.

Upon arriving at the county temple, the clerk at the gate recognized the group from yesterday and hurriedly went to the inner hall to summon Chen Yu.

Chen Yu was terrified last night, but today he dressed in his official robes neatly, even pressing the corners of his hat straight down. When he saw Liu Bian arrive, he first tried to kneel, but Liu Bian raised his hand and pressed him down.

"When we're out today, use the old title," Liu Bian said calmly. "Call me Young Master."

Chen Yu quickly replied, "Yes, young master."

The group entered the inner hall. Liu Bian gave a wink, and Chen Yu understood, dismissing everyone in the room.

"I want to establish an association." Liu Bian placed a scroll of written rules on the table. "We will not gather large merchants, nor will we touch the meat of those who make a living through illegal means. We will start by gathering porters, craftsmen, and peddlers. We will keep a register of names and an account book. We will submit a report every ten days, and all transactions will be documented. You will be the guarantor, and we will follow the rules and keep the records."

Chen Yu's eyelids twitched as she listened.

The Crown Prince is coming to hold a merchants' association meeting; this is leaving no way for other businesses to survive!

Liu Bian seemed to see the concern in his heart and smiled slightly:

"Registrar Chen, there's no need to worry. I've come here as an ordinary person to open this chamber of commerce. Please, Registrar Chen, do not reveal my identity."

Chen Yu was puzzled, but quickly knelt down and said, "Yes."

"Young Master... how should this title be written?"

Liu Bian pondered for a moment.

He thought about it all night; he couldn't be too sharp, nor could he be too superficial.

"Let's call it the Tongsheng Society," Liu said.

Chen Yu was taken aback: "Tong Sheng?"

"To open up the roads for all trades and to ensure the well-being of the people."