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

"Where was it moved to?"

"At the south entrance of Pingkangfang, there was an old shop that did business with the imperial family."

Wen Bo paused for a moment, then added a sentence.

"That shopkeeper has received favors from the princess's maternal grandparents, so he dares not speak carelessly. The goods will first be put into his secret vault, and then converted into cash, which is safer than leaving them at the Yang residence."

Yang Xuan couldn't help but smile.

"it is good."

Yanhe didn't look at him, but opened the account book and said succinctly, "I have less than two thousand strings of cash available, but if I put in a few treasured gold items, jewelry, and those two carriages, along with the two horses, it shouldn't be difficult to raise five or six thousand strings of cash today."

"Five or six thousand strings of cash..."

Yang Xuan repeated it softly.

If it's just a demotion to Yaozhou, this amount of money is already quite substantial.

But if he wanted to rescue people, pave roads, buy medicine, prepare carriages, and escort post stations and porters along the way before leaving Chang'an, that would be far from enough.

But at least, there is already a first sip of fresh water.

"What about the Prime Minister's residence?" he asked.

Wen Bo replied quickly: "At daybreak, people were sent to seal off the eldest son's original study, storeroom, and outer courtyard accounting office. All carriages, deeds, and entry/exit tokens belonging to the Prime Minister's residence are temporarily untouchable."

Yanhe said, "This is the third level I mentioned earlier."

"Yang Guozhong didn't just want to kick you out."

"He wants to get rid of you completely."

Yang Xuan's eyes darkened.

This was exactly what he expected.

If it were me, once I've decided to cut ties, I would never leave the other person any room to recover.

The more anxious Yang Guozhong became, the more it showed that the scene at Hua'e Xianghui Tower last night had not left him completely unmoved.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Just as Cai Fan was about to go out to stop them, a sharp but restrained voice rang out from outside the door.

"I'm here on the orders of the Prime Minister to deliver a message to the eldest son."

The three people in the room exchanged a glance.

Yanhe raised his hand, gesturing for the person to come in.

The person who came was a steward surnamed Zhou from the front hall, who usually handled external affairs for Yang Guozhong.

This person is very good at reading people, but today when he entered the door, he didn't even lift his eyelids, which clearly means he received specific instructions.

"Greetings, Princess."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Yang Xuan, omitting even the title "Young Master".

"The Prime Minister has decreed: Now that the imperial edict has been issued, this sinful subject cannot linger in the Prime Minister's residence. Please make sure you are ready by 9:00 AM, then exit through the side gate at 9:00 AM, get into your carriage, and leave the residence."

"Furthermore, no one may enter or leave the treasuries, rooms, or courtyards of the Prime Minister's residence. If there is a shortage, the relevant funds shall be obtained from the prefectures and counties along the way according to regulations."

That sounds very high-sounding.

Ultimately, it all boils down to one thing—get out, and don't even think about taking a single thread from the Prime Minister's residence.

The room fell silent.

Yang Xuan lay on the couch, not speaking immediately.

Yanhe spoke first.

"The imperial edict only stated that he was being demoted and leaving the capital; did it say that he should be carried out of the Prime Minister's residence at 9:00 AM today?"

Manager Zhou smiled ingratiatingly, but his words were far from conciliatory.

"Your Highness is wise. The Prime Minister is only thinking of the court's reputation. My husband is currently a criminal official awaiting punishment outside the capital. If he continues to stay in the mansion, it will inevitably cause gossip."

"oh."

Yanhe nodded, his tone still gentle.

"Then I'll also give you a reply on behalf of the Prime Minister."

"The Prime Minister's family property is to be sealed up by the Prime Minister's family; I will not contest it."

"But the princess's dowry, the palace's wedding gifts, and the gifts from the imperial clan are not part of the prime minister's treasury. If I lead people to inventory and move them today, anyone who dares to reach out will be reaching into the imperial clan's coffers."

Manager Zhou's expression changed slightly.

"Princess, this..."

"Just give your answer." Yanhe looked at him. "Also tell the Prime Minister that Yang Xuan is so badly injured that if he were to set off immediately, would it be more honorable for the Yang family to die on the way, or for the Emperor to do so? Let him weigh the pros and cons himself."

These two sentences are very mild.

But once it landed, it blocked the entire road.

No matter how eloquent Steward Zhou was, he dared not argue with the imperial family members to their faces, nor did he dare to easily accept the words "died on the way".

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he could only give a mumbled reply before quickly retreating.

Once the person left, the subtle tension in the room eased a little.

Yang Xuan looked at Yan He and suddenly said, "If you always speak like this in the manor, I doubt anyone would dare to bother you."

Yanhe said calmly, "We don't usually need it."

"Then why is it needed today?"

"Because if I don't protect you this time, you won't have to do many things later."

Yang Xuan chuckled softly after hearing this.

That's not a pleasant thing to say, but it's the truth.

He raised his hand and gently tapped the edge of the couch.

"Uncle Wen".

"This old servant is here."

"Before 9:00 AM, aside from the cash equivalent, do two more things for me."

"Please give your orders, my lord."

"First, prepare double the amount of any wound medicine, fever reducer, and hemostatic agent that you can use on the road. It doesn't matter if they're a little more expensive, as long as they're truly effective."

"Second, go to the north entrance of the West Market and find an old shop called 'Fusheng Carriage and Horse Shop,' run by a man surnamed Liang. Just tell him, 'On a snowy night in Hexi, an old friend borrows a saddle.' If he remembers that line, he'll bring up the old debt I owe him from back then."

Uncle Wen was taken aback, clearly not expecting that he had even buried such a thread.

Yanhe also looked over.

Yang Xuan did not offer an explanation.

That's not some old grievance.

It was when the original owner of the caravan shop threw money away in a fit of pique in his early years that he inadvertently gave the owner a way out.

Later, when the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Yang Xuan heard the name Manager Liang from an old post station worker during one of his hasty escapes to the south.

In the chaos of war, the other party managed to build a convoy that specialized in transporting fleeing officials and wealthy families by hoarding vehicles, knowing the roads, and recognizing people.

He only heard it briefly at the time, but he never expected it to actually come in handy today.

"Go ahead," Yang Xuan said. "If Manager Liang agrees with that, then let him reserve the best, most reliable, and most capable vehicle and driver for me. Money is no object."

Wen Bo agreed and turned to leave.

When the room quieted down again, the sun had risen higher.

Yang Xuan closed his eyes to rest for a while, but his mind kept racing.

There isn't much time left before 9 AM.

He needed money to get his hands on, he needed reliable transportation, and he needed people.

They are not a group of servants who only cry and shout to follow along, but people who can truly take care of things from behind.

About half an hour later, hurried footsteps finally sounded outside again.

Ah Fu was the first to rush in.

He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat. After entering the room, he turned back to close the door behind him before lowering his voice and saying, "Young master, I've found one person!"

"Which one?"

"Cui Shen."

Ah Fu took two deep breaths before he could finish speaking.

"He did indeed set up a shop at the south entrance of the West Market, writing contracts for people. When I gave him my name, he initially refused to come, saying that you, sir, are too busy taking care of yourself to bother with such an unlucky fellow. Later, when I relayed your message, saying that what you offered wasn't a job, but a way to make a living, he fell silent."

Where are they?

"Outside."

"Bring it in."

Afu quickly turned around and led the person in.

The man was in his early thirties, thin, and his clothes were faded from washing, with frayed edges on the cuffs.

His face was indeed deathly pale, and there was a small mole at the corner of his right eye.

However, his eyes were not cloudy; instead, they revealed a cold hardness that showed he had been under pressure for a long time but still refused to completely give in.

After entering the room, he first glanced at Yang Xuan on the couch, then at Yan He beside him, and finally bowed.

"Cui Shen greets Young Master Yang and the Princess."

He referred to him as "Young Master Yang" instead of "Elder Young Master Yang".

This shows that he was not a member of the Prime Minister's household.