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

By the time everyone left, it was already broad daylight outside.

Liu Bian summoned Wang Ming and Zhou Wen, then got up and went to Zhangde Hall.

Inside the Zhangde Hall, Emperor Ling of Han sat in the main seat with his eyes closed, resting. Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang waited on his left and right, respectively.

"I heard that the Crown Prince's Palace received an urgent message this morning, traveling four hundred li?"

Emperor Ling of Han suddenly spoke.

Zhang Rang hurriedly cupped his hands in reply:

"Your Majesty, this is indeed true."

"I heard it was sent by Xiahou Dun, a subordinate of Cao Cao, who was in charge of guarding the capital."

Emperor Ling of Han opened his eyes: "Xiahou Dun?"

"The one who came in sixth place in the martial arts competition?"

Zhang Rang lowered his head: "Exactly."

Emperor Ling of Han became interested:

"oh?"

"He's skilled in martial arts and has soldiers with him, so who could have injured him like that?"

Just then, a report came from outside the hall:

"His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience."

Emperor Ling of Han smiled: "I happen to have something to ask him."

"pass."

Liu Bian entered the hall and paid his respects.

Emperor Ling of Han raised his hand to stop him from kneeling deeply, and said calmly:

"What brings you here so early?"

He didn't rush to mention the urgent message from 400 li in the morning; he wanted to see if Liu Bian would bring it up himself.

Liu Bian raised his head, his tone calm and unhurried:

"Your Majesty, I request an imperial edict."

"The post roads in Jizhou are not peaceful, the road signs are suspected of being forged, and some people are stealing the seal of the Tianshang Association and acting under its name."

He paused for a moment, then finally presented the letter that had been handed to him in blood:

"The Eastern Palace Guard, led by Cao Cao, was ordered to inspect contraband in the name of the Heavenly Merchants Association. After entering Ji Province, they were ambushed, and more than half of the dozen or so men were killed or wounded."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Emperor Ling of Han did not care about Cao Cao's life or death, but instead asked:

"Ji Province? Who sent him there?"

Liu Bian was prepared: "Grand Minister of Agriculture Cao Song."

Emperor Ling of Han grunted in agreement. The Heavenly Merchant Guild was now under the jurisdiction of Cao Song, so it was normal for him to send his son to investigate the matter of contraband.

Liu Bian continued:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you send your teacher, Huangfu Song, to Jizhou."

"Under the pretext of 'the circulation of prohibited items in Jizhou, suspected counterfeit road permits, and unrest on the post roads,' I ordered my troops to conduct inspections."

"Patrol the post roads, inspect checkpoints, clear counterfeit permits, and protect the trade routes."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Zhong spoke first:

"Your Majesty, we only encountered bandits on the post road in Ji Province. How could we alert the imperial army? Cao Cao was just a guard commander with few men. It is common for him to be ambushed."

He turned to Liu Bian, his smile deepening:

"It is indeed benevolent of Your Highness to care for your subordinates, but if you use famous generals for this purpose, I'm afraid... people outside will say that the Crown Prince is using this opportunity to seize military power."

The moment the words "grasp the weapon" were uttered, it was as if a knife was being thrust into Emperor Ling of Han's ear.

Zhang Rang remained silent, only looking down at the table, as if waiting for the Emperor's expression.

Liu Bian did not rush to argue that he was "not right":

"Zhao Changshi said they were bandits."

"But Mengde wrote in his letter: 'The ambushing men are not thieves. Their ranks are orderly, they are familiar with the ways of the world, and we will not kill them hastily. We intend to surround them and cut off their communications.'"

"If you're just a bandit, how do you understand 'encirclement'? If you're just a bandit, how dare you affix the 'Tian Shang Hui' seal? If you're just a bandit—"

He looked up at his father and softly added:

"How dare you use the imperial court's authority to do things that are designed to conceal your true intentions?"

Emperor Ling of Han tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and his gaze finally darkened.

The matter of bandits is minor.

Using fake seals, forging signatures, and cutting off communication—these are serious matters.

Zhao Zhong's eyes twitched, and he immediately replied, still wanting to redirect the fire back to the Eastern Palace:

"Your Majesty... General Huangfu has been stationed in the frontier for a long time, and his every move is closely watched."

"If there is truly a cult in Ji Province, it may alarm the people; if it is merely a forged document, we can send the Commandant of the Capital Region and the Governor of Henan to investigate—"

Zhou Wen stood behind Liu Bian, his eyebrows raised, and a surge of anger rose in his eyes; Wang Ming clenched his sleeves even tighter.

From the moment this person opened his mouth, every sentence was directed at "the Crown Prince holding military power," clearly an attempt to pin the blame on him.

The two of them were about to step forward at almost the same time.

Zhang Rang looked up and glanced at them.

Do you want to die?

Zhou Wen and Wang Ming immediately fell silent, their chests heaving, but they managed to swallow their anger.

Liu Bian remained facing the imperial desk, speaking calmly and unhurriedly:

"Zhao Changshi said, 'This has alarmed the army.'"

"Your subject would like to ask a question: If they were truly bandits, they should have stolen money and grain; but they stole the designation of road signs and the official status of the court."

"The fact that bandits dare to steal titles shows that they're not just on the road."

He turned his gaze to Emperor Ling of Han:

"If Father Emperor only sends the Sili and Henan Yin to investigate—"

"What can be found is the 'case,' what cannot be found is the 'soldier.'"

Zhao Zhong's eye twitched; his smile remained, but it now seemed forced.

"Your Highness's words make Ji Province sound far too terrifying. If Ji Province were truly hiding troops, why has there been no news of them for a year? It seems more like... Your Highness is overly suspicious."

Liu Bian did not accept the "suspicion" as a weapon, but instead took the opportunity to use the phrase "without a sound".

"It's precisely because there's no news for a year that it's so frightening."

He cupped his hands in greeting, his voice lowered slightly, yet became even more resonant:

"When the world is in chaos, what we fear most is not the strong winds, but the winds being suppressed."

"The one who suppresses the wind is in Luoyang, and the one who stores fire is in Jizhou."

"If we don't use the pretext of 'inspecting the post roads and protecting the trade routes' to first put the post roads and checkpoints in the hands of the imperial court—"

Liu Bian raised his eyes, each word clear:

"Once the fire starts, if Father wants to send troops again, he will only be able to 'suppress' it."

"The difference between 'inspection' and 'suppression' lies in the support of the people."

When Emperor Ling of Han heard the words "the will of the people," the rhythm of his tapping on the table noticeably slowed down.

That's very obvious.

Ji Province is about to descend into chaos, and Luoyang is haunted by evil spirits.

He couldn't control whether the Crown Prince did it intentionally or not; he was genuinely panicked.

"Summon Huangfu Song to the palace."

Zhao Zhong's expression changed, but Liu Bian spoke up again at this moment:

He took out a pre-prepared "affix to the articles of association" from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:

"Since the Tianshang Association is under joint management, all documents related to the Jizhou patrol inspection, such as official documents, road seals, inspections of prohibited items, and reports on post roads, must be signed and stamped by the 'Joint Management Envoy' and presented to the Emperor along with Cao Song."

"This condition is for no other reason than to make it clear to Father Emperor."

Zhao Zhong panicked; this was trying to drag him down with him.

If he refuses, it means he has a guilty conscience.

"Zhao Zhong".

Zhao Zhong immediately kowtowed: "Your subject is here."

Emperor Ling of Han tapped the attached note with his fingertip:

"Since you say that the Crown Prince is using this opportunity to seize military power, then you will jointly manage this matter."

"sign."

Zhao Zhong gritted his teeth:

"...I obey your order."

Shortly after, Huangfu Song entered the hall:

"Your subject, Huangfu Song, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Ling of Han looked at Huangfu Song:

"Huangfu Song".

"Starting today, lead 500 soldiers to Ji Province."

"Under the pretext of 'unrest on the post roads of Jizhou, suspected counterfeit road permits, and the circulation of prohibited goods,' he led troops to conduct inspections."

He paused, as if remembering something:

"Wei Shuai Cao Cao may be ambushed. If you have the strength, remember to rescue him."

Huangfu Song replied in a deep voice, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Liu Bian felt a chill in his heart.

Emperor Ling of Han completely disregarded the lives of Cao Cao and others.

But he hadn't finished speaking.

"Since Father has granted permission for joint administration, I have another matter to report today."

Emperor Ling of Han raised an eyebrow: "Speak."

Liu Bian ignored Zhao Zhong, focusing only on the imperial desk, as if recounting a trivial matter of "sharing His Majesty's burdens":

"Since its establishment, the Tian Chamber of Commerce has maintained clean accounts and standardized road signs."

"But in the last three months, when Cao Song was taking stock of the records, he discovered a strange thing—"

He presented another booklet, which had few pages, but each page was marked with an "imprint".

"In the Jizhou direction, there were two instances of 'missing secret marks' on both the 'return slip' and the 'ticket sample'."

"There is also a batch of warehouse receipts that were printed by the Tian Shang Guild, but they are not in the Grand Minister of Agriculture's general ledger."

The air inside the hall instantly turned cold.

Zhang Rang's eyelids twitched suddenly.

The Heavenly Chamber of Commerce is jointly managed by the Grand Minister of Agriculture and Zhao Zhong.

This means they're going to take action against Zhao Zhong.

Zhao Zhong's expression changed completely, and he said urgently:

"Your Majesty! This—this must be a forgery by treacherous officials from Ji Province! What is the Crown Prince doing—"

"Shut up."

Zhao Zhong froze, his voice stuck in his throat.

Emperor Ling of Han reached out and took the thin book, casually flipping through a couple of pages. The more he turned the pages, the more somber his eyes became.

He asked the question softly, yet it sent chills down one's spine:

"Where did the seal come from?"

Liu Bian slowly said:

"According to the old system, the seal ink and seal box of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce were both opened under the supervision of the joint envoy."

"And in these three months, the people jointly managed by the Tian Shang Association—"

He paused, as if reluctant, yet compelled to speak:

"They are Zhao Changshi's men."

Zhao Zhong immediately knelt down:

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! I have never—"

Emperor Ling of Han slammed the thin booklet onto the table with a "bang".

The lamp flame suddenly trembled.

"injustice?"

Emperor Ling stared at Zhao Zhong, his voice finally crackling with anger:

"I'm entrusting you with joint management so that you can watch over my money!"

"You're something else—you see the money clearly, yet you dare to lend it out?"

"Right under my nose, you dare to interfere with my right to claim my position!"

Zhao Zhong's forehead slammed heavily against the ground, his voice trembling:

"I dare not! I truly dare not! It must have been someone below who acted without authorization—"

"Those people below?" Emperor Ling of Han sneered. "They dare to use the seal of the Imperial Merchants' Guild? Dare to create even-numbered road permits? Dare to push warehouse receipts outside the tents? Tell me—who gave them the audacity?!"

Zhao Zhong's lips turned white, and he couldn't answer.

Zhang Rang stood to the side with his eyes downcast, but his heart was pounding: His Majesty is angry, but anger is anger, if he really goes after Zhao Zhong... the consequences will be too great.