In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

The air in the study instantly froze to freezing point.

Yang Xuan stepped forward and took the blood-stained bamboo tube from the spy's hand.

The sealing wax on the bamboo tube had been mostly worn away, and it emitted a pungent, bloody smell.

He took a deep breath, crushed the sealing wax, and pulled out the thin, secret letter inside.

As his gaze swept across the words on the letter, an unusually terrifying glint suddenly flashed in Yang Xuan's usually calm eyes.

"My lord... what happened?"

Cui Shen asked in a trembling voice; he rarely saw Yang Xuan show such an expression.

Yang Xuan slowly raised his head, his fingers gripping the letter tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"The sky is falling."

He threw the letter on the desk, his voice as cold and piercing as the north wind in the dead of winter.

"The army in Fanyang has made unusual movements. An Lushan, under the pretext of 'defending against the Khitan,' has killed dozens of Han generals, and large quantities of grain are being transported to Youzhou!"

Cui Shen and Lei Laohu both gasped in shock.

The two felt an invisible chill shoot from their feet straight to their heads, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end.

An Lushan is about to rebel!

This is no longer a strategic prediction that remains in the realm of simulation, but a bloody reality that is unfolding.

Killing Han generals and stockpiling grain and fodder were clearly ways to eliminate dissidents within the army and prepare for a large-scale rebellion by clearing out dissidents and stockpiling supplies.

"My lord, this... how is this possible?"

Cui Shen's voice trembled slightly. Although he knew that the world was about to fall into chaos, when that day was really approaching, his mind, which had been influenced by Confucian loyalty to the emperor for many years, still couldn't quite grasp it.

"An Lushan is the Emperor's godson! He holds military power in three garrisons and enjoys endless wealth and honor. Why would he risk the wrath of the world to rebel?"

"Because what he wants is not just the military governorship of three towns, he wants the whole world!"

Yang Xuan slammed the blood-stained secret letter heavily onto the desk, his eyes revealing a sorrowful and mocking understanding of history.

"Godson? When it comes to power and the throne, let alone a godson, even a biological son would be turned against him."

"The Tang Dynasty has enjoyed peace for too long, so long that even the powerful and wealthy in Chang'an have forgotten that the barbarian generals on the border have never been driven by loyalty or righteousness, but by the wolfish nature of the survival of the fittest!"

"Thunder Tiger!"

Yang Xuan suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the person in charge of Tingfeng Pavilion.

"Your subordinate is here!" Lei Laohu trembled and immediately clasped his hands in response.

"Immediately send someone to properly care for this messenger brother, use the best wound medicine, and call the best doctor. He absolutely cannot be allowed to die!"

Yang Xuan pointed at the spies on the ground, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

"Furthermore, pass on my direct order: all of Tingfeng Pavilion's spies in the north must immediately go into hibernation and cease all attempts to spy on core military secrets."

"Since An Lushan has already begun to purge the Han generals, it means that the purge within the Fanyang army has reached a fever pitch. Going to spy now will only result in our deaths."

"Tell them to save their lives, and as soon as they hear the sound of the Fanyang army marching south, immediately send a message back to Yaozhou by urgent courier or carrier pigeon!"

"Here you go!"

Lei Laohu knew the situation was urgent and dared not delay. He immediately summoned two trusted men and carefully carried the unconscious spy out.

The study fell into a deathly silence once again.

Yang Xuan sat back down at his desk and rubbed his aching temples.

He knew that the wheels of history were turning at an alarming pace.

According to his memories from his previous life, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out in November of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era.

Now, it is early autumn of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era.

In at most two months, or even less, the catastrophe that would completely bury the Tang Dynasty's golden age would officially begin.

"My lord, now that we have confirmed intelligence of An Lushan's unusual movements, should we... report it to Chang'an immediately?"

After hesitating for a long time, Cui Shen finally couldn't help but ask.

"After all, the Right Chancellor is still in court. If he can take precautions in advance, perhaps..."

"Report to Chang'an? How? Under what pretext?"

Yang Xuan sneered, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Do you really think my father, whose mind is only focused on power struggles, would believe information sent by a rebellious son who is far away in Jiannan Road and has just broken ties with him? Even if he did believe it, how would he report it to the Emperor?"

Yang Xuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky to the north.

"The Emperor's favoritism towards An Lushan has reached the point of fanaticism. When An Lushan said that the Khitans were invading the border and needed supplies, the Emperor would open the granaries without hesitation; when An Lushan said that the Han generals were unruly and needed to be replaced, the Emperor would immediately issue an edict to approve it."

"At this time, anyone who dares to say a bad word about An Lushan in front of the Emperor is touching the Emperor's sore spot! Although my father has great power in the court, he would never dare to provoke this trouble at this critical juncture. He would only take this secret report as me exaggerating, or even think that I am deliberately causing trouble for him."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shen's face turned pale and then flushed.

He was well aware of the treacherous nature of court politics. Every word Yang Xuan spoke was a veiled attack on the heart, but it was also an undeniable fact.

The Tang Dynasty's court was like a runaway carriage, carrying a full load of nobles and commoners, blindly and frantically rushing towards a precipice.

Those who saw the danger ahead didn't even have the right to pull the reins.

"So, are we just going to stand by and watch the people of the Tang Dynasty suffer?"

Cui Shen's tone revealed a deep sense of powerlessness.

"We cannot save Chang'an, nor can we save the Tang Dynasty."

Yang Xuan turned around, his gaze sharp and his voice unusually firm.

"The only people we can save are ourselves and the millions of ordinary people in southern Jiannan Province!"

……

Meanwhile, in Chang'an, a thousand miles away.

This city, hailed as the center of the world and a hub of wealth and prosperity, remains immersed in a dreamlike state of peace and prosperity.

Daming Palace, Xingqing Hall.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, leaned back on his dragon couch, his eyes half-closed, listening to the "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance" performed by the Pear Garden disciples while enjoying the crystal-clear grapes from the Western Regions, which Yang Guifei had personally peeled.

This emperor, who ushered in the prosperous Kaiyuan era, is now old and frail.

His hair was already gray, his facial skin was loose and drooping, and the sharp and enterprising light in his eyes had long since disappeared, replaced by an endless greed for pleasure and an extreme arrogance for power.

Below the main hall, Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong, dressed in a purple prime minister's robe, stood respectfully holding a stack of memorials. However, his expression was somewhat uncertain.

"Right Chancellor, you've been standing there silently for most of the day. Has something troublesome happened in the court?"

Emperor Xuanzong swallowed the grape in his mouth and asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Yang Guozhong immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I...I do have something to say, but I'm unsure whether I should."

"Speak. Is there anything in this world that you, the Right Chancellor, cannot handle?"

Emperor Xuanzong waved his hand, signaling the Pear Garden disciples to stop playing.

Yang Guozhong gritted his teeth and knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty! I wish to impeach An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, for his aggression and treasonous ambitions!"