Counterfeit

To make their shop names more visible, every store tried to make their banners as large as possible and hung them high. As a result, the introduction of all these colorful banners made both the east and west markets of Chang’an appear chaotic and cluttered.

Yet, Pei Mingli, the eccentric manager hired by Li Zhi, quickly spotted a business opportunity amid the disorder. After strolling through both markets, he soon noticed a problem: while the great swathes of banners danced in the wind, they were not easily recognizable. People often had to stare at them for a long while just to discern the actual shop name.

He immediately came up with an idea: wouldn’t it be far more convenient for customers if these fluttering banners were replaced with sturdy signboards?

Pei Mingli was a man of action. No sooner had the notion occurred to him than he began reaching out to potential clients. Eager to test his theory, his first targets were the taverns and tea houses. At first, the proprietors were hesitant. After all, their banners had only just gone up, and they had already seen positive results. But Pei Mingli did not give up. He offered to make the signboards for free, assuring them that if the results were unsatisfactory, they would not owe him a penny.

Persuaded by his confidence, a few agreed to give it a try. These early adopters of signboards quickly reaped the rewards. Since the boards were firmly fixed, there was no risk of them being tossed about in the wind, making it easy for customers to recognize the shops. Moreover, because the signs were made of wood, customers could easily tell others how to find a shop simply by mentioning the signboard by the door, without needing to describe the shop’s name at length.

With such convenience, more and more shopkeepers followed suit, and before long, hanging signboards became the latest trend. Just as Li Zhi’s carpenter’s workshop was thriving thanks to Pei Mingli’s innovation, the Tang dynasty was about to witness its first case of product counterfeiting—a case that would involve none other than Prince Li Tai, who had recently been diligently studying.

After discovering the mark on the “Linde” furniture, Dou Xin swiftly arranged for craftsmen to produce imitations. These counterfeit items were then quietly introduced to the market through secret channels. Everything seemed to be going smoothly at first; the buyers noticed nothing amiss with their furniture.

However, a fake is always a fake, and the truth eventually came to light, quite by accident. The person who reported the case was Cui Xian, a member of the influential Cui clan of Qinghe, one of the seven great families of the Tang dynasty.

One afternoon, while hosting several guests at his home, Cui Xian and his companions were engaged in lively conversation, basking in the airs of cultured refinement. As scions of a great family, they lacked for nothing, so Cui Xian had purchased a set of “Linde” brand furniture at premium price. The table and chairs they used for the meal were of this very set.

It happened that two of his guests had also bought furniture from Linde, and the topic naturally arose during the meal. Cui Xian began, saying, “Prince Jin is truly a prodigy to have devised such practical furnishings.”

A guest surnamed Li agreed: “I quite concur.” He gestured toward the table before him and continued, “This set alone has completely transformed our dining customs.”

Cui Xian nodded. “You are right, Li. Now we can all sit at one table, sparing ourselves the trouble of separate servings.”

Another guest chimed in, “Had the furniture seller not explained its use to me, I doubt I would have dared to buy it. After all, ignoring seniority goes against the rites!”

Cui Xian laughed. “That’s because you bought early and got an explanation. I received no such treatment.”

Li looked puzzled. “Did the seller not explain things to you?”

Cui Xian shook his head. “No, I just bought it outright.”

Li frowned. “That’s odd. Just yesterday, when I went with a friend to buy some, the shopkeeper explained everything in detail.”

Cui Xian waved it off. “Perhaps it slipped the seller’s mind.”

At this point, someone else asked, “Everyone says Linde furniture is top-notch. How does it differ from what other workshops sell?”

Cui Xian smiled. “Linde furniture is the first in our Tang dynasty to have a registered trademark; every piece bears a unique mark.”

“Oh?” the man replied. “Could you point it out? I’d like a reference for when I buy mine.”

“Of course,” Cui Xian replied, rising and tipping his chair over. He pointed to a particular mark on the chair’s back. “Here, this is the Linde mark.”

At his words, everyone except the guests surnamed Li and Zheng leaned in to examine it. After taking their turns, one remarked, “The qilin beast is carved so exquisitely, it leaves a deep impression.”

The others nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the guest surnamed Zheng, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke. “Surely none of you think that Linde furniture is distinguished only by this simple symbol?”

His words left everyone puzzled, host included. Cui Xian asked, “Is there something else I should know?”

Li and Zheng both exclaimed in surprise, “You don’t know?”

Cui Xian shook his head, baffled. “I truly do not.”

Li muttered, “The shopkeeper shouldn’t have forgotten to mention something so important.” Then he addressed Cui Xian directly. “Take a close look at the characters for ‘Linde’—see if you notice anything unusual.”

Everyone, including Cui Xian, peered intently at the inscription, but apart from finding the calligraphy rather neat, they saw nothing amiss. All turned to Li and Zheng, hoping for the answer.

Their confusion surprised Li and Zheng. With grave expressions, both stepped up to the chair and, after a mere glance, immediately spotted the problem.

Li’s face darkened with anger. “That wretched shopkeeper! He has swindled you, Cui!”

Cui Xian’s expression changed at once. “Please, enlighten me,” he implored.

Li pointed at the character for “De.” “The characters are written far too precisely.”

Suddenly struck by another thought, he ducked under the table. “Zheng, come quickly—this table is wrong as well!”

Without hesitation, Zheng crawled under and soon let out a startled cry.