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

"What about the porters now?"

"Back to the pile of bedding."

"He acted as if nothing had happened, and just now he even snatched a spoonful of hot soup from the old servant surnamed Dong."

After hearing this, Yang Xuan did not immediately get up to make trouble.

He simply asked:

"Was he one of the people we originally brought with us, or was he someone we added along the way?"

Afu thought about it.

"They're not elderly people we brought from our side courtyard."

"This morning, before entering Yongxing Post Station, Uncle Wen was worried that the box for loading medicine on the back of the cart was too heavy, so he temporarily hired one of the two porters from the roadside to help. The other one had gone to move hay for the post station before dark, and this one said that his feet were blistered and begged to have a hot meal here. Uncle Wen saw that he was indeed honest, so he let him stay for the night."

Cui Shen's eyes darkened instantly.

"That was timed too perfectly."

"More than just a coincidence."

Yang Xuan said calmly.

"Still greedy enough."

If it's just their own people inside and outside the post station, they'll usually pass on the message and leave.

But this person, after sending the message, insisted on returning to the team to have another hot meal, and even wanted to continue following along at the fake time of tomorrow.

This kind of person is the most useful.

It's also the easiest time to speak.

Because he wasn't some kind of suicide soldier.

He's just a walking mouth with legs, who only cares about money and not about life.

Yanhe then entered from outside the curtain.

She wore a plain blue outer robe, her hair was tied up with only a wooden hairpin, and her face was without makeup. Under the lamplight, she appeared even more aloof and serene than during the day.

Cai Fan followed behind her and pulled the curtain at the door even tighter.

"I saw it over there too."

Yanhe didn't sit down, but stood by the window.

"Not just that one time."

"When the courier returned to the front yard after delivering the swill, the soles of his shoes were covered in wet mud from outside the side gate, not the dry mud from the kitchen and stable. This means he didn't just casually go around there; he was actually heading that way."

She paused at this point.

"Furthermore, Cai Fan also saw that after the porter returned, he first touched under his bedding, as if to check if something was still there."

Yang Xuan slightly raised his eyelids.

"Did he hide something else?"

"It may not be a thing."

Yanhe Road.

"It could just be a place to hide money."

Yang Xuan suddenly smiled.

The smile was very soft.

But this made everyone in the room understand.

If that porter was truly just a shill, his first thought wouldn't be about his supplier.

It was money.

Where is the money hidden?

Did I get it or not?

Will I be able to get it later?

"Brother, shall we arrest them now?"

Pei Zhao had entered the house at some point.

He was the last to arrive.

He still carried the chill of the outside air with him, and spoke in a low voice, as if a stone had landed directly on the ground.

"The men under my command have already dispersed."

"As long as you nod, I can easily shut down all three entrances—the side gate, the stable, and the front yard guardhouse—and strangle them all inside."

Yang Xuan glanced at him.

"Strangling is easy."

"But what happens after you strangle him?"

Pei Zhao paused for a moment.

You mean...

"We've been working all night, and what we need isn't just a leg."

Yang Xuan slowly sat up straighter, the pain in his back tingling, but he didn't show it on his face.

"What we need is to know which way this leg is going, who is leading it, and whether there are other doors behind it."

Cui Shen immediately followed up with that sentence.

"Therefore, we cannot catch them red-handed."

"I need to make him think that I haven't revealed myself yet."

"good."

Yang Xuan nodded.

Pei Zhao.

"exist."

"Loosen the outer guard post one more layer."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhao was taken aback.

Afu almost thought he had misheard.

"loose?"

"right."

Yang Xuan looked at him.

"I'm not telling you to be really loose, I'm telling you to pretend you're not that tight."

"For the first half of tonight, those who need to move around should continue moving around, those who need to add firewood should add firewood, and those who need to patrol the walls should patrol the walls. Just one thing: don't force that porter to send out a message a second time. The fish has already taken the bait once; if you force it again, it will retreat."

Pei Zhao immediately understood.

Yang Xuan was trying to leave the illusion that he could still move.

Let the porter calm down on his own.

This led the messenger in the post station to believe that the paper roll he had just handed over had not been seen by anyone.

"And what about the second half of the night?"

"Collect it later tonight."

After Yang Xuan finished speaking, he looked up at Afu.

"Can you spot where that porter's bedding is?"

"able."

Afu nodded immediately.

"The third pile of straw mats against the west wall, the outermost one."

"it is good."

"Go out again later, pretend to be delivering water, and walk past him. Don't do anything, just observe one thing."

"What are your orders, young master?"

"See if he touches under the bedding again before he goes to sleep."

Afu agreed without hesitation.

Yang Xuan then looked at Yan He.

"Your maids and servants should not all rest tonight."

"I've already made the arrangements."

Yanhe's voice was calm.

"Caifan, take two people to guard the window, and I'll leave one light on in the inner room so the backyard isn't too dark. If anyone tries to look this way, they'll be the first to run into our people."

"it is good."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the room sprang into action.

Pei Zhaoxian went out to deploy the men.

Afu picked up the half-empty kettle by the door and instantly reverted to his old self as a servant who only knew how to run errands.

Cui Shen didn't leave in a hurry.

He stood in the room, thought for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice:

"Da Lang".

"Are you worried that there's more than one hand on the team?"

Yang Xuan glanced at him.

"And you?"

Cui Shen was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

I think so.

"But not all of them are spies willing to risk their lives. More often, they are just people who want to leave themselves an escape route."

"Exactly."

Yang Xuan closed the postal register.

"He had just left Chang'an, and his mind was not yet truly at ease."

"Some people sell information in order to make money."

"Some people are watching the wind and are afraid of following us down the wrong path."

"Some people may not say it, but they may not really believe that I can make it to Yaozhou alive."

Cui Shen felt a slight unease.

These words are unpleasant to hear.

But they are all true.

"So tonight's move wasn't just for the people at the fishing station."

Yang Xuan continued.

"It's also about seeing one thing clearly, whether you're getting in or out of a taxi."

"From now on, anyone who wants to profit from both sides, anyone who wants to step on my path to leave themselves an escape route, should first consider whether they have the life to pull their foot back."

Cui Shen bowed deeply.

"Shen understands."

After he left, the room became much quieter.

Only the occasional footsteps outside the window and the faint crackling of firewood popping in the kitchen remained.

Yang Xuan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

It's not that he isn't tired.

It's not that it doesn't hurt.

From leaving Anhua Gate, to establishing rules on the first night, and then to stubbornly resisting back at Yongxing Post Station today, the breath I had been holding on to had long since been worn down to just a thin layer.

But it is precisely at times like these that one must not show any sign of weakness.

Because people inside and outside the post station were watching.

The people in the group were also watching.

Everyone is saying it.

It remains to be seen whether he can still manage to keep this group of people in check.

It was also discussed whether it was worthwhile for them to continue holding onto his vehicle.

After an unknown amount of time, two short, sharp calls, like those of night owls, suddenly came from outside.

Ah Fu is back.

As soon as he entered the house, before he had even properly stepped over the threshold, he nodded to Yang Xuan.

"I touched it."

"How many times?"

"Twice."

"The first time was shortly after we got back, when he pretended to rummage through his bedding. The second time was just now, when everyone was sharing the hot soup, and he took advantage of the fact that no one was looking to peek again."

Ah Fu spoke very softly.

"It looks like it's hidden a little to the left under the straw mat, not very deep."

Yang Xuan opened his eyes.

"Alright."

"receive."

As soon as that word was uttered, the expressions of the people in the room all turned somber.

True night fishing begins at this point when you start lifting the line.

Pei Zhao was the fastest.

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, he turned and left.