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

Yang Xuan didn't sleep well all night.

It wasn't because the bed was uncomfortable—the eldest son of the Yang family had the finest Shu brocade mattress and soft goose down pillows, which were far better than the hard board bed he had in his rented room.

You can't sleep because your mind keeps racing.

He went through the timeline over and over again, reviewing every key moment in his mind.

February of the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era—now. An Lushan is about to leave the capital.

In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era—the Nanzhao War ended in a disastrous defeat. To cover up the defeat, Yang Guozhong fabricated military intelligence. Large numbers of soldiers died in the malaria-ridden lands of the southern barbarians, and public resentment was boiling over.

In June of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, An Lushan swore an oath in Fanyang, launching a rebellion under the pretext of "punishing Yang Guozhong".

In December of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era—Luoyang, the eastern capital, fell.

In the first month of the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era—An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang, establishing the Great Yan dynasty.

In June of the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era—Geshu Han was forced to engage in open battle at Tongguan Pass, resulting in the annihilation of his entire army of 200,000. Tongguan Pass fell.

On the 13th day of the sixth month of the 15th year of the Tianbao era—Emperor Xuanzong fled in haste with Consort Yang, Yang Guozhong, and the imperial guards.

June 14th, the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era – Mawei Post Station.

From now on, he has approximately two years and four months.

It sounds like a long time, but in this era where communication relies on horses and travel relies on legs, there is very little that can be accomplished in two years.

Moreover, the predicament he faces is multi-layered—

First layer: He was a member of the Yang family. During the An Lushan Rebellion, the Yang family was the first to be purged; not only did the rebels want to kill them, but even their own people (the Imperial Guards) were targeted.

The second layer: He had no real power. The Minister of Ceremonies was a ceremonial official, and the Vice Minister of Revenue was a nominal one; the real military and political power was in Yang Guozhong's hands.

The third layer: He cannot reveal himself. If he behaves too abnormally, Yang Guozhong will be the first to become suspicious. A playboy who used to only know how to fight cocks and ride horses suddenly becoming concerned about the country and its people is more suspicious than An Lushan's rebellion.

and so--

To survive, the first step is not to change history, but to find a legitimate identity that allows one to escape Chang'an.

The next morning, Yang Xuan got up an hour earlier than usual.

Princess Yanhe was still asleep—he hadn't had time to get to know his wife well yet, only knowing from the fragmented memories left by the original owner that she came from the Li Tang imperial family and had a gentle and taciturn personality.

Yang Xuan quietly put on his robes and met his personal servant Afu under the eaves when he went out.

"Why is the young master up so early today?" Afu stared wide-eyed, looking incredulous.

It seems the original owner was indeed someone who slept until late morning.

"I drank too much last night and couldn't sleep well," Yang Xuan casually made up an excuse. "Get the car ready, I need to go to the East Market."

"The East Market?" Afu was even more surprised. "Young Master, don't you never go to the East Market?"

Yang Xuan smiled slightly.

"Let's start shopping today."

-

The East Market was the largest commercial district in Chang'an City, and together with the West Market, they were known as the two major markets in the country.

The West Market was dominated by foreign merchants, while the East Market was mainly comprised of high-end shops from the Tang Dynasty—silk shops, gold and silver shops, medicine shops, brokerage firms, and more.

Yang Xuan's purpose was not to shop.

He's here to gather information.

To survive the An Lushan Rebellion, he needed three things: money, people, and territory.

Money—the Yang family isn't short of money now, but their money is in Yang Guozhong's hands. He needs his own source of funding.

He needed trustworthy people, not just servants from the Yang family, but a core group that could truly serve him.

He needed a safe base of operations. Not in Chang'an, not in Guanzhong, but far away from An Lushan's main southward route.

And the starting point for all of this was the most valuable thing in his mind—his ability to foresee the future.

He knew An Lushan would rebel, knew the rebel army's route of advance, knew which places would be captured, and knew which places could be defended.

He even knew the course of the suppression war—Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi would rise to power, recapture the two capitals, and An Lushan would be murdered by his son—

These pieces of information are his real secret weapon.

Yang Xuan spent the morning strolling around the East Market, visiting three brokerage firms, two security escort agencies, and one herbal medicine shop.

He did not reveal his identity as the eldest son of the Yang family, and wore only an ordinary round-necked robe, looking like an ordinary young scholar.

He sat down at a tea shop, ordered a pot of Mengshan tea, unfolded a piece of coarse hemp paper, and began to draw and write with a charcoal pencil.

The paper contained a simplified map of the Tang Dynasty.

He circled several place names heavily—

Lingwu.

This is the place where Crown Prince Li Heng would later ascend the throne.

After the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xuanzong fled to Sichuan, while the Crown Prince went north to Lingwu to ascend the throne. Thereafter, Lingwu became the political center for suppressing the rebellion.

If he could have made arrangements in Lingwu in advance...

No, it's too far and too dangerous.

Lingwu is located on the northwestern frontier, so it makes no sense for a young master from Chang'an to go there.

Let's try a different approach.

Shuzhong.

Emperor Xuanzong fled towards Shu, which is Jiannan Road.

Yang Guozhong had cultivated his influence in Sichuan for many years and already held the nominal title of Military Governor of Jiannan. If he could find a reason to take up a post in Sichuan—

can.

But there's a problem—Mawei Post Station is on the way to Shu (Sichuan).

Historically, the Yang family was killed while fleeing to Sichuan. Even if he had gone with the main group, he would have faced certain death anyway.

Unless—he arrives in Sichuan ahead of time.

He was no longer in the army before the mutiny occurred.

Yang Xuan drew a circle and an X in the location of Shu with his charcoal pencil.

"We're too passive," he muttered to himself.

A gust of wind blew by, and the bamboo curtain of the teahouse rustled.

Suddenly, an idea surfaced from the depths of my mind.

Don't run.

Running away is the worst option.

No matter where you run, as long as you still bear the surname Yang, you cannot escape the Yang family's influence.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Yang family's reputation was ruined, and people all over the world wished they could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin.

The best course of action is to cut ties.

Before disaster strikes, distance yourself from the Yang family in a dignified and reasonable manner.

But how do we clearly define it?

Yang Guozhong was his father, and Yang Guifei was his aunt. This blood relationship was etched into their bones and could not be severed by anyone.

unless--

He was "expelled" from Chang'an by Yang Guozhong because of something.

He was demoted and sent to a remote area.

It wasn't that he volunteered—that would be too suspicious. Rather, it was because of some "mistake" that Yang Guozhong was furious about, banishing him from Chang'an and demoting him to a remote place.

In this way, he not only left the core circle of the Yang family, but also retained his official position and created the persona of "being at odds with Yang Guozhong"—this persona would be his lifeline when the An Lushan Rebellion broke out and the Yang family was purged.

Yang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He needs to make a mistake.

A mistake big enough to make Yang Guozhong lose face—but not so big as to ruin himself.

And this afternoon, a perfect opportunity just happened.

Hua'e Xianghui Tower, An Lushan's farewell banquet.

Yang Guozhong had him accompany him to the banquet in order to monitor An Lushan and, if necessary, to launch an attack on him in front of the emperor.

But what if he "causes trouble" at the banquet?

For example—offending someone you shouldn't have?

For example—saying something he shouldn't have said in front of An Lushan?

For example—making Yang Guozhong feel that this son was not only useless, but also caused him trouble?

Yang Xuan folded the coarse hemp paper neatly and stuffed it into his sleeve.

He stood up, put down the money for the tea, and walked out of the teahouse.

The sunlight of Chang'an fell on him, warm and bright.

The streets were teeming with pedestrians, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, laughter, and horses' hooves mingled together.

The city remains prosperous and vibrant, completely unaware that a catastrophe is approaching.

Yang Xuan took a deep breath and composed herself.

This afternoon, at Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

He had to do it right under the nose of the Tang emperor, in front of the entire court, and under the watchful gaze of An Lushan's cold, narrow eyes—

Dig a way out for yourself.

Even if the starting point of this road is a pit.