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

Chen Yu felt uneasy, but still gritted her teeth and agreed:

"Now that the young master has made his decision, I will proceed according to the established procedures."

He dared not delay, and immediately retrieved the blank documents from the old county temple regulations, and had people bring out the registers and inkpads.

Zhou Wen spread out a sheet of paper and, following the format Liu Bian had set out the night before, copied it line by line: the name of the association, the association's rules, membership information, and the format of the account books. He meticulously organized the information, and slowly, a network was formed.

Liu Bian focused on only three things: how to secure credit, how to assign responsibility, and how to retire.

"There are three classes in the association." He pointed to the entries, "Handymen, craftsmen, and peddlers are listed separately. Anyone who joins the association must have the seal of the village head and a guarantor from a long-time member of the association. Those without a guarantor will first be 'probationary members,' and will be officially registered after thirty days."

Chen Yu was secretly alarmed: This was not a business name, but a household registration system only the government had.

But he dared not say anything more, and simply wrote down the note: "Yes."

"The accounts must be detailed," Liu Bian added.

"All wages, loans, advances, and fines of members must be documented. All money and goods entering and leaving the association must be recorded in pairs: one in the ledger and one on the receipt. The receipt shall be stamped by the association and signed by the person handling the transaction."

Zhou Wen's palms were sweating as he wrote, but his pen remained steady.

Cao Ren stood by the door, motionless like a door bolt.

Chen Yu hurriedly pushed the inkpad closer: "Young master, to learn how to make a seal, you must first carve one."

"There's no need to rush the engraving," Liu Bian said. "Let's start with a wooden seal, with three characters: 通, 生, 会. The design should be simple enough to hold the characters in place. We can switch to a copper seal later."

Chen Yu responded and immediately sent someone to find the engraving craftsmen in the city.

As instructed by Liu Bian, he went to the city government office to file a "legislative council report".

He had expected to be given a hard time, but when the clerk heard that "Chen Yu, the registrar of the county temple, is the guarantor" and saw that the submitted documents were complete and the register format was clear, he was stunned for a moment.

This meeting was well-prepared.

The subsequent excuses seemed more like a habit: first find fault, then ask for benefits.

"The meeting place must be reported," the clerk said lazily. "It also needs to specify what the main business is and what assets are pledged. Without money or silk as collateral, who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?"

Chen Yu's heart sank. Just as he was about to go and "refill the tea" as usual, he suddenly remembered Liu Bian's words from the previous night, "The money can be given, but the certificate must be kept." So he deliberately raised his voice by half a point:

"The articles of association are here, the register of members is here, and the accounts are here. Pledges can be made against the association's equipment and warehouse goods. If you require any additional 'fees,' please specify them at the end of this document, and I will report them accordingly."

The clerk's expression changed, his lips twitched, and in the end he didn't dare to put the words "standard fee" on the paper. He just snorted and said, "Fine. Write down the meeting place clearly, write down the stake clearly, and once all the signatures are complete, I'll write it down for you."

This time, Chen Yu felt a greater sense of admiration for Liu Bian.

In the afternoon, Cao Cao also returned to the county temple with Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan.

The three men had dust on their clothes, but their eyes were bright, clearly indicating that they had a pretty good grasp of the city government's "threshold".

Cao Cao placed a small document on the table and said in a low voice:

"Young master, there's a man sitting in the alley near the procuratorial office, surnamed Zhu, known as 'Zhu the Head of Procuratorates.' He's not registered in the official register, yet he can approve documents for the procuratorial office."

"More importantly, he received wine and meat every day, delivered by Tonglixing's porters."

Liu Bian nodded calmly, then asked, "Who's behind him?"

Cao Cao shook his head:

"We haven't even reached the very top yet."

"But what is certain is that Tonglihang and the Yuan family of Runan are using him as a hand, and the clerk is using him as a knife."

Liu Bian smiled and said, "That's enough. Let's stand in silence first."

Liu Bian did not choose the busiest market area as the location for the Chamber of Commerce.

He chose an old shop located on the southern edge of the border between the two cities: the front hall was narrow and the back courtyard was deep. It was close to the water channel, which was convenient for washing and transporting goods; it was two alleys away from the main street, so it was neither conspicuous nor cut off from the flow of people.

Most importantly, this shop was originally a "grocery storage" business, with a small storeroom in the backyard that could be converted into a warehouse.

Chen Yu asked, "Isn't the location remote, young master?"

Liu Biandao said, "A partial talent is good. What we need at the beginning is order, not momentum."

The method of recruiting was also discreet. Cao Cao suggested posting notices, but Liu Bian shook his head: "Notices are the easiest to tear down."

So he only had Xiahou Dun go to the tea stalls where the porters gathered and spread the word: Tongsheng Association recruits porters, pays them on a ten-day basis, and never delays payment;

He then sent Xiahou Yuan to the workshop to recruit carpenters, tile makers, and seal engravers, first giving them a "trial registration," and then making them official after three weeks.

Finally, Chen Yu used the county temple's name to privately find three village heads—not to make them "take sides," but simply to ask them to "guarantee the accounts are cleared."

To sum it up perfectly: with clear accounts, we have nothing to fear.

The woodblock print will be finished by evening. The print is rough, but it is pressed neatly.

Zhou Wen opened the first register of names. Chen Yu signed as guarantor, Cao Cao signed as "chief of staff", and Liu Bian only pressed a very faint fingerprint - without signing his name, only leaving a trace.

"The Tongsheng Society is established from this day forward," Chen Yu said in a low voice, as if taking an oath.

Now that things have come to this point, I should be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

But trouble came knocking before the meeting even opened.

The first to arrive were the men from the clerk's side, accompanied by two bailiffs. They stood at the shop entrance, banging on a wooden stick and saying:

"Newly established associations must be approved by the 'organizer'. Without approval, they may not hire people or set up a storeroom. As is customary, a 'membership fee' must be paid first."

Chen Yu was about to step forward to argue when Liu Bian raised his hand to stop him, saying calmly, "The regulations have been submitted, and the records have been kept. If you want money, write a receipt."

The man's face darkened: "You dare ask for proof? Do you even know who Zhu Xingtou is?"

Liu Bian acted as if he hadn't heard, turned around and went into the house, leaving behind the words: "If you're not going to write a receipt, then go back."

The other party was left standing outside the door. After cursing a couple of times, they ultimately didn't dare to force their way in and left dejectedly.

The second wave was even more direct.

When the people from Tonglihang arrived, they were dressed in fine clothes and wore jade at their waists. They didn't sit down upon entering; instead, they swept around the storeroom and registers as if they were checking their own rice bins.

The leader had a smile that concealed a dagger:

"When holding meetings and getting things done, follow the rules. The rule in Luoyang is: first pay respects to the powerful figures."

"If your Tong Sheng Association wants to operate in both cities, you must first hang our Tong Li Hang's sign and follow our lead."

Chen Yu clenched his fist slightly in his sleeve, and a cold glint flashed in Cao Ren's eyes.

Liu Bian remained unperturbed, simply picking up his teacup and slowly blowing on it: "No."

The man's smile froze for a moment: "Not hanging up? Then your goods won't get into the city, the craftsmen won't find work, and the porters won't get orders. How are you going to get things running?"

Liu Bian put down his teacup: "If you can't open it, then close it."

"Of course, we won't hang it even if the door is closed."

The man finally frowned and said, "Fine. You wait."

After the person left, the shop was so quiet that only the dripping sound of the drain could be heard.

Wang Ming's forehead was covered in sweat: "Young Master... they're trying to cut off our path."

Liu Bian looked at the registers and accounts on the table and suddenly smiled.

"A dead end?" he said softly. "Who said we should follow their path?"

Cao Cao's eyes flickered: "Does the young master have a solution?"

Liu Bian didn't answer directly, but instead called Zhou Wen closer and whispered instructions:

"Starting tomorrow, we'll collect three things: grease, wood ash, and alkali soil. We'll also borrow a large iron pot and a well-ventilated side courtyard."

Zhou Wen was stunned: "Young Master, what are you doing?"

Liu Bian didn't spell it out, only saying, "Make something that's the most basic and most useful. Once you've made it, use it to pave the way."

He looked up towards the two cities outside the gate; dusk was falling, and the fireworks were even more vibrant.

"They use rules to devour people," Liu Bian said in a low voice. "I'll use things to establish rules."

"Then they will know why the Tong Sheng Society doesn't pay homage to the powerful."