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

The gates of Chang'an finally disappeared behind us.

As the wheels rolled along the southbound official road, at first the hushed chatter at the city gate could still be heard, but after traveling more than ten miles, all that remained were the sounds of the wind, the rumbling of the cart, and the heavy breaths coming from the horses' nostrils.

Yang Xuan lay on his side in the blue-curtained carriage, with a soft mattress behind him, yet he still felt as if someone was dragging a dull knife back and forth across his wound with every bump.

The last vestige of strength that Anhua Gate had been holding up finally dissipated at this moment.

Once it dissipates, the pain becomes particularly pronounced.

Yanhe sat to the side and saw that sweat had appeared on his forehead again, so he reached out and pulled the corner of the curtain down a little to block the wind blowing in from outside.

"Can it still hold on?"

Yang Xuan closed his eyes and responded softly.

"The person is still alive."

Yanhe looked at him for a moment, then said nothing more, simply placing a small porcelain bottle beside him.

That was the painkiller powder that the old doctor had repeatedly instructed me to take before he left. When I really couldn't bear it anymore, I should dissolve it in water and drink it.

However, this medicine is harmful to the body and should not be used frequently when traveling long distances.

Yang Xuan didn't touch it.

We've only just left Chang'an; the truly difficult road ahead is still a long way off.

If you have to rely on medicine to bear even this little bit of pain, you won't be able to endure it later.

Outside the carriage, Pei Zhao rode ahead on horseback, glancing back from time to time to check the road conditions.

Cui Shenze, holding the account book, sat in the passenger car, silently calculating something.

Ah Fu was the one who ran back and forth the most. One moment he was relaying a message for Uncle Wen, and the next he was by the car asking the princess if she wanted hot water.

This team, which had just managed to break free from Chang'an's clutches, looked somewhat organized, but was still disorganized.

The money was in Yanhe and Wenbo's hands.

The matter was in Cui Shen's mind.

The knife was on Pei Zhao's body.

Ah Fu can only be considered as having a pair of legs.

As for the old servants, coachmen, maids, and handymen who came along, they are more like a string of loose beads temporarily tied to a rope.

With people's hearts unsettled and rules not yet established, if a storm were to break, the rope would snap, and everything would be scattered all over the place.

Yang Xuan was aware of this.

So after leaving Anhua Gate, he kept his eyes closed to rest, not only to recover from his injuries, but also to wait.

Wait until the team relaxes on its own.

And let those contradictions that were suppressed by Chang'an City and dared not show themselves emerge one by one.

Sure enough, just as the sun began to set half an inch to the west, the first thing happened.

There is a fork in the road ahead, with a broken boundary marker standing nearby. Five or six miles further ahead, there is a small post station.

The post station was small, enough for minor officials and travelers to rest, but it would be a bit cramped to squeeze in the current group of people.

Pei Zhao reined in his horse, first looked at the road, then at the sky, and turned back to say:

"We can't rush any further."

Cui Shen raised his head.

"There's a post station ahead."

“I know there’s a post station,” Pei Zhao said. “But the post station is small, the walls are low, and there’s a wooded area behind it. If someone manages to sneak in, we wouldn’t even know which way a knife would be thrust in at night. Rather than going into such a place, it’s better to camp in an open spot by the main road for the night, light a fire, and guard the horses. That way, we can see much better.”

Cui Shen frowned.

"Camping in the wilderness is inconvenient, as water and fire are both difficult to obtain. Right now, Da Lang is still seriously injured, so his medicine needs to be hot, his water needs to be clean, and he needs to rest. Besides, we just left Chang'an today, and the prefectures and post stations along the way are watching us. If we don't stay at the proper post stations and instead choose to camp by the roadside, what will others think?"

"look?"

Pei Zhao gave a cold laugh.

"I only care about surviving tonight, I don't care what others think. What's the point of your account books and rules if they're burned tonight?"

Cui Shen was originally a scribe in the granary. Although he had fallen on hard times, he still retained the integrity of a scholar.

He couldn't stand such crude methods that only talked about weapons, so he immediately said:

"Since Brother Pei says he's afraid someone might sneak in at night, then he should stay at the inn. At the inn, there are walls, doors, and proper officials to witness the incident; if something happens, the responsible party can be held accountable and arrested. If he stays in the wilderness, who will take responsibility if trouble arises?"

"Do you think those few pieces of paper are more valuable than your life?"

Pei Zhao's eyes were already filled with anger.

"You suffered from poor legal documents in Chang'an, and you still think that everything has to be covered up by a piece of paper?"

This sentence is like a needle.

It pierced Cui Shen's old wound immediately.

His face immediately turned cold.

"It's at least more reliable than entrusting the lives of a dozen people to your momentary experience."

"If my experience wasn't more reliable than yours, I would have died eight times over in Hexi by now."

"Then you wouldn't be making a living off the gambling dens in the West Market now."

"What did you say?"

Even the horse beneath Pei Zhao seemed to sense the menacing aura emanating from him, and it shook its head uneasily.

Cui Shen did not back down, but sat in the chariot with the account book in his arms, his expression cold and hard.

The two sides were originally just arguing about "where to stay tonight," but now they've gone head-to-head and even brought up old grievances.

Those at the back of the line noticed something was wrong and slowed down.

Uncle Wen frowned, and Afu looked around, not knowing which one to advise.

The old servants and handymen who had come out with them were already feeling uneasy. When they saw that these two newly recruited "civil and military helpers" had already started to cause trouble on their very first day out of the city, their faces immediately became uneasy as well.

This is what Yang Xuan has been waiting for all along.

With people away from Chang'an and the Prime Minister's knife temporarily out of sight, the tension in their hearts eased, and everyone was eager to grab what they valued most.

Cui Shen values ​​rules, titles, documents, and backup plans.

Pei Zhao valued survival through swords, horses, wind, and the night.

They are not wrong.

The only mistake is that there isn't a truly effective leader in this team right now.

Yang Xuan raised his hand and knocked on the side of the carriage.

"parking."

The voice was not loud.

The area outside immediately fell silent.

Yanhe lifted the curtain to look at him first.

"What are you going to do?"

"If they keep arguing like this, I really won't be able to sleep tonight."

As he spoke, he leaned against the car wall to get up.

Yanhe frowned.

"Are you crazy? You've only been out of town for half a day."

"That's why we need to say it now."

Yang Xuan glanced at her, his voice soft but leaving no room for negotiation.

"Help me down."

Yanhe stared at him for a couple of moments, and finally reached out his hand.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and everyone outside turned their heads.

When Yang Xuan was helped out of the car, his face was still pale and his lips were almost bloodless. However, he did not stagger after landing. He just stood up and looked around at everyone.

Pei Zhao and Cui Shen both shut up.

They dared to argue because they each had their reasons and knew that Yang Xuan was recuperating in the car and wouldn't come out easily.

Now that the person has appeared, the competitive spirit has already subsided by half.

Yang Xuan did not immediately reprimand anyone.

He first looked at the small post station ahead, then turned back to look at the terrain beside the road.

The inn was situated by the water and nestled among the trees, with only one entrance.

If you only bring three to five people, it's a good place to rest.

However, if one were to bring the wounded, women, valuables, and more than ten people inside, it would be too cramped and too deadly.

The land beside the road, however, was open. To the north stood several old locust trees, sheltered from the wind.

There is a shallow ditch not far to the west where you can get water.

As long as the carriages and horses form a circle, and there are lights and sentries, although it is more arduous at night, it is safer than going into that small post station.