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

Liu Bian looked at him but did not answer immediately.

He stared at Liu Bei for a good three or four breaths.

Zhang Fei suddenly felt a little nervous. He didn't know why he was nervous. He just clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, remaining motionless.

Guan Yu sat beside him, still silent, but his phoenix eyes had opened a crack at some point.

Liu Bian finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough to reach everyone's ears:

"Lord Xuande, do you think you can do this?"

That question was so direct that Zhang Fei almost jumped off his stool.

Liu Bei neither said he could nor he could not.

He only asked one question:

"Why does Your Highness believe that I am capable of doing this?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian's heart stirred slightly.

If it were someone else, being personally appointed by the Crown Prince, they would either be flattered or hastily decline.

Liu Bei was neither of those qualities, so he turned around and asked Liu Bian: What makes you think I'm capable?

This is neither a test nor a pretense.

This is someone who truly cares about whether this matter can be accomplished, and is confirming whether they have been chosen.

Liu Bian didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"Because Lord Xuande just said that you should let people watch you do things first, and then let them speak up themselves."

He paused:

"Only those who can say these words can build this road."

After listening, Liu Bei remained silent for a moment.

Cao Cao, standing beside him, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and concealed a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

He knew that the Crown Prince was testing Liu Bei.

But wasn't Liu Bei's question just now a test for the crown prince?

In this back-and-forth exchange, neither side came out on top.

Liu Bei suddenly spoke:

"How much time does Your Highness intend to give me?"

He neither said he would answer nor he wouldn't; he just asked that one question.

Liu Bian looked at him and suddenly smiled.

He didn't answer the question, but simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked up calmly at Liu Bei:

"Lord Xuande, this matter cannot be rushed."

He put down his teacup and lowered his voice by half an octave:

"I would like to invite Lord Xuande to stay in Luoyang for a while, so that he can travel around and take a look."

"Once you understand how the Heavenly Merchant Guild operates and how the granaries are managed, then we can discuss going to Ji Province."

Liu Bei listened without saying a word.

He simply looked at Liu Bian, something deep and unsettled in his eyes.

Lu Zhi, standing to the side, glanced at Liu Bian without making a sound.

He understood.

This isn't just "staying for a period of time," it's an assessment.

Throughout the entire debate, Liu Bian never mentioned the word "examination" and did not set any explicit questions, yet questions were everywhere.

Lu Zhi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

There was a moment of silence.

Liu Bei suddenly stood up and bowed to Liu Bian:

"Your subject, I shall obey your command with utmost respect."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Fei, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to Guan Yu and muttered something in a low voice:

"Second brother, the Crown Prince speaks in such roundabout ways that I can't quite understand him."

Guan Yu didn't look at him, but simply held his teacup, his voice even lower than Guan Yu's, yet every word was clear:

"It's a good thing you don't understand."

Zhang Fei paused for a moment, scratched his head, not understanding what those words meant, and could only continue to drink his tea with his head down.

Liu Bian, sitting at the head of the table, took these two sentences to heart.

He remained calm, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

But a very faint smile flashed across his eyes.

-

That night, the group dispersed.

Liu Bian returned to the Eastern Palace, sat at his desk for a while, and went over the events of the day from beginning to end.

Lu Zhi's mention of Dong Zhuo left a thorn in his side.

Guan Yu's words about Lü Bu were meant to show him just how deep that thorn was.

Cao Cao told him about the refugees, so that he would know where the assassin was.

What Liu Bei said made him realize that perhaps someone could remove this thorn.

Moonlight streamed in through the window.

He suddenly realized that sometimes testing a person is not about what they answer, but about whether they can wait.

Can Liu Bei wait?

-

Before dawn the next day, people were already going in and out of the Eastern Palace.

While Liu Bei went to "see," Liu Bian was also busy.

The paper windows of Chengde Hall still carried a chill from the night, and as soon as the charcoal fire was lit, Xun Yu and Xun Shuang were invited into the hall.

Xun Shuang sat on the right, and Xun Yu on the left. The two took their seats, accepted the tea offered by Wang Ming, and waited for Liu Bian to speak.

Liu Bian didn't beat around the bush.

He recounted what had happened at the post station that day—the refugees Cao Cao had mentioned, the root cause Liu Bei had mentioned, and the path he himself had been planning: the Tian Shang Association would extend to the three provinces of Ji, Yan, and Yu, establish trade routes, and bring in granaries, with Liu Bei in charge of the resettlement of the local people.

After speaking, he looked at Xun Yu:

"What does Wenruo think?"

Xun Yu did not answer immediately.

He glanced down at the teacup in his hand, as if tidying something, before looking up again:

"Your Highness, I believe your direction is correct."

He paused, his voice softening:

"Extending trade routes to the three prefectures is not something that can be accomplished simply by issuing an order."

"In Jizhou, the local government is in disrepair. If the Tianshang Association goes there, the locals may not recognize it if no one endorses it."

"That's why we need Liu Bei," Liu Bian said.

"We need Liu Bei, but that's not enough."

Xun Yu shook his head. "Liu Bei is a capable person."

"But he was new to Luoyang and had no foundation or official status in Jizhou. Relying solely on the title of a transporter for the Tianshang Association, the local powerful families who were still observing the situation would not easily cooperate with him."

He paused here:

"If Your Highness truly intends to use him, you must give him a title that can command respect."

"It can't be too big, or it will be difficult to explain to His Majesty; but it also can't be too small, or we won't be able to get a word in with Ji Province."

After listening, Liu Bian lowered his head and thought for a moment:

"How about appointing him as the General Manager of the Tian Shang Guild in Jizhou, plus a nominal title from the imperial court, to bolster his influence?"

Xun Yu nodded, and then said:

"There is one more place. Your Highness said that the granary should be entered along the trade route. I suggest that the order be reversed."

Liu Bian looked up at him.

"First, establish a charitable granary; then, proceed along the trade route."

Xun Yu put down his teacup, his tone calm, as if he were dissecting something he had already figured out.

"Granaries are for saving lives, and trade routes are for making money."

"It's easier to get people to talk about survival than making money. First, let the local people see that the granaries are really distributing grain and that they are not cheating. Once trust is established, people will be willing to follow the trade routes."

After listening, Liu Bian remained silent for a moment, then nodded:

"You're right, sir."

After listening, Liu Bian remained silent for a moment, then nodded:

"You're right, sir."

He spoke these words in a flat tone, but he had already memorized the order of Xun Yu in his mind.

First come the granaries, then the trade routes.

Let people see survival first, then talk about other things.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't heard Xun Shuang speak at all.

He put down his teacup and turned to Xun Shuang:

"Grand Tutor, what is your opinion?"

He sat upright, his cuffs were neat, and even his gaze was extremely steady, but that "steadiness" felt like a stone was pressing down on him.

In the past, when he preached, there was always a gentle light in his eyes, but now that light seems to be covered by snow.

Liu Bian looked at him for a while:

"Does the Grand Tutor find this inappropriate?"

Xun Shuang remained silent for a moment, as if he had repeatedly considered what he wanted to say in his heart, before speaking tactfully:

"Your Highness's plans are all for the sake of the nation. I dare not say they are wrong."

He paused, his voice becoming softer yet more forceful:

"However... Your Highness seems to be taking bigger steps lately."