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

Yuan Residence.

Before the smell of alcohol had dissipated, Yuan Shu had already smashed the second cup.

"The Yang family—the Yang family!"

The steward in the hall reported in a low voice: "Young Master Gonglu, the Tongsheng Society... was indeed stopped by the Yang family's retainers. They also rejected our official documents."

Yuan Shu sneered, his laughter filled with malice:

"To disrespect the Yuan family? How dare a mere retainer!"

"It seems that paper is indeed something unusual."

He suddenly stood up, threw on his robe, and left:

"Prepare the car."

"I will go to the Cao family in person."

"I'd like to see what kind of 'small business' Cao Mengde can come up with with this paper!"

-

Inside Chengde Hall, Xun Yu sat at his desk, looking at the events recorded that day.

A moment later, he placed the booklet on the table and got straight to the point:

"What are Your Highness's views on the Yang and Yuan families?"

Liu Bian frowned, then cupped his hands and said:

"The Yang family needed paper and methods, and Yuan Shu was ruthless in his actions."

"My original intention was to win over the Yang family, but I was worried that this matter would fall into a power struggle among aristocratic families, which would be inappropriate."

"Please teach me, sir."

Xun Yu did not answer, but instead asked:

"Have you heard of Yuan Shao of the Yuan family?"

Liu Bian was startled; he knew Yuan Shao better than Xun Yu.

But he couldn't say it explicitly, so he could only say it vaguely:

"I have heard Mengde mention him briefly, saying that he is always benevolent and generous."

Xun Yu remained noncommittal: "Yuan Shao does have his strengths—he has a good reputation, many protégés and former officials, and he is very good at leveraging power to gather people."

"But he also has a fatal flaw: he is hesitant to act and unwilling to make a bet easily. It's not that he doesn't understand, but that he understands too well—he wants 'absolute certainty,' so he often turns 'what can be done' into 'what can't be done.'"

"But precisely because of this, Yuan Shao is actually quite useful. Your Highness doesn't need to force him to take sides; you only need to give him a 'presentable' benefit: something that can protect the Yuan family's reputation, something that can make the Yuan family's business profitable, and something that can make him say in public that he's 'going with the flow'."

"He's concerned about saving face, and also about the deep-rooted connections of his family, so he won't break ties with His Highness. If His Highness lets him take advantage, he'll use 'decency' to shield His Highness from harm."

"As for Yuan Shu—quite the opposite."

"This person is arrogant and competitive, only caring about the limelight and not the rules. It's difficult to achieve a win-win situation with him. It's fine to directly turn against him, but you have to do it thoroughly: control his methods, suppress his henchmen, and make him only able to talk the talk but not walk the walk."

Xun Yu paused for a moment, then finally drew his conclusion:

"The paper can be given to the Yang family, but we must not offend the Yuan family because of it."

"We still need to win over the Yuan family, but we are only trying to win over 'Yuan Shao and the Yuan family's reputation,' while we are making an enemy of 'Yuan Shu's methods and henchmen'—we must not completely ruin the entire Yuan family."

Liu Bian's mind gradually cleared, and he rose to bow to Xun Yu:

"Thank you for your explanation, sir."

Meanwhile, in the Cao residence, west wing.

When Yuan Shu entered, his cloak was still on, and the smell of alcohol on his face had not yet dissipated.

Cao Cao already knew about Yuan Shu's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain, so he didn't give him a friendly look.

"Brother Gonglu, you have quite the refined taste. I just wonder why you don't enjoy a drink at your own home?"

This is the kind of attitude that's about to kick people out as soon as they arrive.

A glint flashed in Yuan Shu's eyes, but he did not become angry; instead, he smiled slightly.

"Brother Mengde, are you angry?"

Cao Cao did not answer, but simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Serving tea to guests and seeing them off.

Yuan Shu's face gradually began to contort into a ferocious expression.

"Cao Mengde! If my Yuan family were to harm you, Cao Song wouldn't be able to protect you."

Cao Cao glanced at Yuan Shu, a cold glint in his eyes:

"You're welcome to give it a try."

Yuan Shu's expression shifted between light and shadow for a moment, before finally settling on a hint of helplessness, and he spoke:

"Mengde, why must you do this?"

"Our two families have been friends for generations. As for that piece of paper, I'll give you as much as I need. The price is negotiable. Is your Cao family short of money? What you lack is connections. If you hand over your connections, I'll secure them for you."

This sounds grand and noble, but it really means: hand over the "paper" and I'll cover for you; if you don't, I'll make things difficult for you.

Cao Cao held the teacup in his hand and slowly turned it around.

"Paper is definitely not a matter of money."

"It holds sway over titles, prestige, and the mouths of those in the county and state bookstores and the Imperial Academy."

As he said this, he smiled slightly, a softer smile:

"If Brother Gonglu really wants to talk, I, as a junior, am afraid I am not qualified. It should be someone who is qualified to talk."

Yuan Shu's eyes turned cold: "What do you mean?"

Cao Cao, as if oblivious to his anger, remained unperturbed and unhurried.

"It means that if you are representing the Yuan family to ask for paper, you should invite the Yuan family's representative to come."

"Or, ask your brother—Benchu—to come."

Yuan Shu's face immediately darkened to the extreme:

"Cao Mengde, are you looking down on me?"

Cao Cao put down his wine cup, his tone becoming even gentler, as if he were trying to save face for Yuan Shu:

"It's not that I look down on you, it's that I don't dare to delay Brother Gonglu's important business."

"Paper is a 'precious object,' not a 'commodity.' Whoever takes it and pushes it away will incur a debt of gratitude from all the scholars in the world. If Brother Gonglu were to do this, the Yuan clan might not be convinced; but if Yuan Shao were to establish it, the Yuan family's reputation would be established, and no one else would have anything to say."

Yuan Shu's chest heaved, wishing he could overturn the table on the spot, but he also knew that the Cao family was not a small shop like the Tongsheng Society.

If the Cao family is truly harmed, the Yuan family will also suffer significant damage; moreover, with the Yang family now involved, the situation is no longer one that he can easily swallow.

He forcefully suppressed his anger and gave a cold laugh:

"Well done, Cao Mengde."

"You wait."

Yuan Shu turned and left.

Cao Cao watched Yuan Shu's departing figure, and the smile on his lips disappeared.

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then got up and headed straight for Chengde Palace.

Inside Chengde Palace, Liu Bian sat at his desk, flipping through the palace market records. After listening to Cao Cao's report, his eyes lit up.

"You sent him to invite Yuan Shao?"

Cao Cao cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness wants to win over the Yang family, but you can't offend the Yuan family. Then let them maintain a balance of power within the family."

"In this way, the Yuan family won't turn against us, and Yuan Shu's henchmen won't be able to get in."

Liu Bian chuckled softly, a rare hint of relaxation in his smile:

"Truly worthy of being called Cao Cao... truly worthy of being called Mengde."

He immediately stopped laughing and his expression turned serious.

"But when Yuan Shao arrives, he will definitely ask for the paper formula."

"But since it has already been decided that the Yang family will be in charge of making the paper, we cannot give another copy to the Yuan family."

Liu Bian remained silent for a moment, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

His mind raced back to his past life as a project manager, recalling the countless "technologies" he had encountered in order to successfully complete projects.

"We need to give the Yuan family something presentable, respectable, and not outrageous."

Suddenly, his fingertips stopped, and his eyes brightened slightly.

"Got it."

Dignity doesn't rely on grand principles, but on tangible, presentable things.

crystal sugar.

Cao Cao was taken aback: "Your Highness?"

Liu Bian raised his eyes, his gaze clear and bright: "In this world, there are only maltose and rock sugar, which are sticky, unclean, and murky in color. But rock sugar is different—it's crystal clear, sweet but not cloying, and can be used in tea, medicine, and soup; more importantly—it can be given as a gift."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if he understood Yuan's temperament perfectly:

"The Yuan family values ​​face. When they give gifts, they don't just give sweets, they give 'refined elegance.' A box of rock sugar is more befitting of a distinguished family than a cartload of maltose."

Cao Cao asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, what is rock sugar?"

Liu Bian smiled slightly: "Something presentable, decently presented, and not outrageously shocking."

"Wang Ming, bring me paper and pen."

Before long, glue paper was spread out on the table, and ink and inkstone were ground.

Liu Bian picked up his brush and wrote four characters: "Method of Refining Rock Sugar".

The paper detailed the method for making rock sugar, and soon the entire sheet was covered with dense writing.

After a moment, Liu Bian let out a long sigh of relief and put down his pen.

Cao Cao picked up the paper and looked at it, his eyes widening in shock:

"Your Highness, this method of sugar making is unheard of. Can it truly produce this so-called rock sugar?"

"Probably eight or nine out of ten."

Liu Bian rubbed his sore arms. Fortunately, he had worked on this project for half a year in his previous life, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to remember it so clearly.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he quickly grabbed the paper and added a sentence to the last line—

When it first crystallizes, it is amber in color. If you want to achieve a single color for the rock candy, repeat the above steps three to five times.

In fact, Liu Bian was well aware that, given the technological conditions of the Eastern Han Dynasty, being able to make rock sugar was already considered a success.

Liu Bian handed the "Method of Refining Rock Sugar" to Cao Cao:

"Mengde, this law is for Yuan Shao, not Yuan Shu."

After giving a few more instructions, Cao Cao took the paper, bowed, and left.

-

When Cao Cao returned to his residence, it was already getting dark.

The gatekeeper came running to report the time. Cao Cao had just stepped into the courtyard when he heard laughter coming from inside the hall.

Cao Cao's heart sank: They've come so quickly.

He flicked his sleeves and stepped into the hall.

Before even half a step had been taken into the hall, strange, unsettling voices began to emanate from within:

"Brother Mengde, you have quite the airs. You told me to invite you during the day, but you make me come and wait for you at night?"