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

Liu Bian immediately instructed Wang Ming to invite Xun Yu in.

Xun Yu walked in, his gaze sweeping across the room. It lingered on Liu Bei's face for a moment, then on Guan Yu's, before finally settling on Liu Bian.

He bowed, sat down beside her, and without speaking immediately, picked up the tea that Wang Ming handed him and took a sip.

Liu Bian looked at him and said directly:

"Sir, you've come at the right time. There's something stuck right here."

He briefly recounted what Liu Bei had said, and his predicament of wanting Liu Bei to go to Ji Province but having no official title to give him.

After listening, Xun Yu put down his teacup and lowered his head to think for a moment. Then he raised his head, a very faint smile playing on his lips:

"Your Highness, there is no need for you to ask for a title or honor."

Liu Bian looked at him: "What do you mean, sir?"

Xun Yu turned to Liu Bei, looked at him, and spoke in a very calm tone:

"Lord Xuande, your ancestors were descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan. Not many people in Luoyang know this, but the Imperial Clan Court should have records of it."

Liu Bei paused slightly, looked at Xun Yu, and said nothing.

Xun Yu continued:

"If the Imperial Clan Court can verify this, then Lord Xuande is indeed a member of the Han imperial family."

"It is perfectly legitimate for Your Highness to take on a position with the Heavenly Chamber of Commerce as a member of the imperial clan. His Majesty does not need to ask for permission; he only needs to go through a procedure to verify the members of the imperial clan, and it will all fall into place naturally."

After listening, Liu Bian looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei happened to be looking at him as well, and their eyes met. Liu Bei nodded.

"It can be done."

After hearing this, Liu Bian felt as if the pent-up frustration in his chest had finally found an outlet.

It wasn't about "seeking an official position," it was about "checking the family genealogy."

It wasn't "the Crown Prince reaching out," it was "the Imperial Clan Court acting according to regulations."

These few words make all the difference.

Liu Bian let out a breath:

"Let's do it this way."

-

Once Liu Bei's title was established, the road ahead went remarkably smoothly.

The next day, Liu Bei first took on the task of managing the outer perimeter of the Tian Shang Guild—not entering government offices, not touching military tallies, but only under the pretext of "supervising the journey and contacting counties," leading his men to travel along the Ji Province and Hanoi routes.

On the surface, it was about extending trade routes, but in reality, it was about understanding the "human nature" of each checkpoint, each powerful figure, and each charitable granary.

On the same day, Xun Yu had Wang Ming deliver a document to initiate the process of verification by the Imperial Clan Court.

The Imperial Clan Court was the slowest to act, but also the most inflexible.

It's slow because every step requires going through old documents, verifying ancestral records, and checking family genealogies; it's rigorous because once verified, it can't be overturned by a single sentence.

The Imperial Clan Secretary pulled out the genealogy of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan, and compared it with the place of origin and names of his father and grandfather reported by Liu Bei. He managed to find a thin but long line.

Although several generations have passed and the collateral branches are far apart, the imperial clan is still the imperial clan. Once you're associated with blood, you're associated with blood, and the Imperial Clan Court has no reason to deny it.

On the afternoon the document was approved, Wang Ming brought the news into Chengde Hall.

Liu Bian was writing something at his desk. After listening, he put down his pen, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

He didn't speak, but remained silent for a moment.

Then he put the teacup back on the table, looked at the daylight outside the window, and mentally went through the whole thing from beginning to end.

Gongsun Zan entered the West Garden and took his place as Right Commandant.

With Liu Bei now holding the title of a member of the imperial clan, someone took over the management of the Tian Shang Guild's external affairs.

After such a humiliating defeat a few days ago, looking back now, at least we didn't lose everything and still have a few viable paths.

He suppressed his anger, preventing it from escalating, and calmly put it down, picking up his pen again to continue writing what he hadn't finished.

Wang Ming waited nearby, carefully observing his expression. Seeing that he was calm, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief and quietly retreated to the door.

-

The day before Liu Bei set off, he came to the Eastern Palace alone to say goodbye.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not come along, saying they were packing their belongings at the post station.

He came in, sat down to the side, and without exchanging pleasantries, got straight to the point:

"Your Highness, after I set off, there won't be any immediate results in Ji Province for the next few months. The local people need to observe, wait, and confirm that the Tian Shang Guild's signboard truly represents something substantial and that it's not just a passing caravan."

Liu Bian nodded: "I know, no rush."

Liu Bei glanced at him, and though he didn't say what was in that glance, he continued:

"Regarding grain prices and the public granaries, I will follow Your Highness's lead. However, there is one thing I would like to clarify with Your Highness beforehand."

"explain."

"If there are local people who can really block us, and we can't suppress them with official titles or bypass them with trade routes, I might use some methods that Your Highness has not instructed us to use."

Liu Bian paused for a moment, then looked at him:

"What method?"

"Let those who are kept out speak up for themselves," Liu Bei said, his tone calm yet carrying an inexplicable force. "The voice of the people is sometimes more effective than official seals."

Liu Bian looked at him, silently went over the words in his mind, and then nodded:

I trust your judgment.

Liu Bei stood up, bowed to him, said nothing, and turned to leave.

He stopped at the door, without turning around, and simply said:

"When I go to Jizhou, I will pave the way for Your Highness."

"When Your Highness is able to walk, that road will be there."

After he finished speaking, he bowed and turned to leave.

Liu Bian stood there, watching the figure disappear outside the palace gate.

-

The news came in the afternoon.

Wang Ming entered the room with a strange look on his face:

"Your Highness, a message has arrived from the West Garden."

Liu Bian put down his pen and looked up.

"The Commandant of the Upper Army, Jian Shuo, requests Your Highness to move to the West Garden. He says that the new army in the West Garden is about to hold its oath-taking ceremony, and he requests Your Highness to attend."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian frowned slightly.

The new army of Xiyuan took their oath.

That was Jian Shuo's territory, Yuan Shao's domain, and the army personally established by Emperor Ling of Han.

What would a crown prince who had just been released from confinement do there?

Whose idea was this?

Was it a protest, or was it because of the conversation between father and son that day that gave him a chance to stand on the stage again in this way?

He suddenly remembered what Empress He had said—

"If you take another action immediately, they'll know that you haven't really thought things through."

But this is a ceremony to observe, not a handout, not a struggle for the throne, not anything that can be described as "the crown prince's eagerness to win back what he lost."

Going shows composure; not going shows guilt.

He mentally reviewed the judgment again, and only after confirming it did he speak again:

"When?"

"Three days later, at noon," Wang Ming replied.

Liu Bian nodded, his voice flat:

"go."

Wang Ming responded, but did not immediately leave. He stood there for a moment, hesitated, and then whispered:

"Your Highness, this Jian Shuo..."

"I know," Liu Bian interrupted him, his tone flat. "That's precisely why I'm going."

He paused, picked up his pen again, and looked down at the documents on the desk:

"I'm going because I need to see someone."

Wang Ming immediately understood and was about to leave when Liu Bian called him back:

"Three days later, invite Mr. Xun to go to the West Garden together."

Wang Ming responded and left.

The Chengde Hall fell silent once more.

Gongsun Zan.

He entered the West Garden, stood under Jian Shuo's command, under Yuan Shao's watchful eye, and in a position that Liu Bian could not openly claim.

There was nothing between them except the hidden thread that connected them through Lu Zhi, through Xu Guan, through a wooden box and a bamboo slip.

If that connection is broken, Gongsun Zan will be nothing more than a pawn of Emperor Ling of Han, and will have no connection with the Eastern Palace.

Liu Bian cannot let that line break.

But he couldn't lay out that line openly in front of everyone at the Xiyuan rally.

What he needed was a silent, unspoken eye contact that only the two of them could understand.

There's no need to say anything, no need to do anything, just let Gongsun Zan know—

There's someone at the other end of that line.