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

Yanhe didn't look at them again.

Her gaze finally settled on Dong Liu.

"As for you."

Dong Liu hurriedly bowed:

"I am here."

"When you spoke up for them just now, did you genuinely think it was a minor matter, or were you afraid I'd investigate further down the grain sacks?"

Dong Liu felt a slight tension on his back.

This sentence carries more weight than anything that came before.

He immediately lowered his head:

"I wouldn't dare."

"I'm just worried that this half-bag of grain might cause discontent within the team..."

"The human heart is not something that can be controlled by whether you are afraid or not."

Yanhe looked at him, her voice still not loud.

"If you were truly afraid of causing unrest, your first words should have been to ask me to investigate quickly."

"I'm not dragging them down."

Dong Liu's back was already slightly sweaty.

He suddenly realized that the most difficult person to guard against along the way might not be Yang Xuan sitting in the main car.

Instead, it was this princess who everyone previously regarded as someone who was merely suffering alongside others.

She didn't speak loudly.

There's no rush to get people involved.

But every word she uttered was perfectly accurate.

It was as accurate as a thin knife that cuts without drawing blood.

Yanhe didn't pursue him any further.

He simply said:

"You can go down now."

"You will continue to manage the horses from now on."

"But I'll see if you can still ride this horse steadily."

Dong Liu's heart sank, but he dared not say anything more and could only bow his head and retreat.

After the three of them had dispersed, Cai Fan whispered:

"Princess, why not just deal with Dong Liu directly?"

"Because he hasn't actually reached out yet."

Yanhe Road.

"If we do it now, others will only think the driver is ruthless, and they won't really understand where the mistake was."

"You can keep it for him to see, and he'll gradually tighten his grip on it."

"If you keep things tight for too long, your feet will naturally show."

Cai Fan seemed to understand but not quite, but she still nodded.

Not far away, Uncle Wen watched the whole thing unfold.

When they returned to the main vehicle, he whispered to Yang Xuan:

"My lord, the princess's move was even more decisive than I had anticipated."

Yang Xuan leaned against the car wall, the weariness still lingering in his eyes, but a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Otherwise what?"

"If she only knew how to suffer with me, she shouldn't have burned that document back in Chang'an."

As night fell, the team indeed did not cause any further trouble over that half-bag of grain.

Granny Liang became obedient.

Tuesday was also noticeably more subdued than the daytime.

Dong Liu didn't say a single word he shouldn't have all night.

After nightfall, Cui Shen took the newly cleared booklet and went to the main carriage again.

He handed the booklet to Yang Xuan and whispered:

"Young master, after today's layering, positional changes, and pressure tactics, the team should be able to stabilize for at least one stage."

"If anyone tries to cause trouble again in the future, it will not be an unintentional mistake."

Yang Xuan turned a page and said softly:

"That's good."

"Unintentional mistakes are the hardest to deal with."

"When you know you're wrong but keep pushing the boundaries, the knife will fall on you more easily."

Cui Shen nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.

"There's one more case."

"This evening, the second piece of loose news that followed has already spread back to Chang'an through the imperial clan."

"It is said that Princess Yanhe not only did not return to the imperial clan to avoid disaster, but also kept watch over people, stabilized the situation, and kept the team in order all the way for the main carriage."

"The Imperial Clan Court and several imperial clan residences have probably already heard the news."

Yang Xuan raised his eyes:

"Are there more people laughing at her, or more people changing their tune?"

Cui Shen thought for a moment.

"Roughly fifty-fifty at the moment."

"Those who laugh at her are laughing at her for giving up a good life and choosing to follow a disobedient son of the Yang family who has been expelled from the family into a malaria-ridden place."

Those who changed their tune felt that she wouldn't have bet so firmly if she hadn't seen something.

Yang Xuan hummed in agreement and offered no further comment.

But he knew it in his heart.

Chang'an's political climate can never be changed with a single sentence.

It is people who take action first, and only then does the wind slowly turn.

Tonight, Yanhe's hand has reached out from inside the car to outside.

Later on, the wind won't just swirl around the main vehicle anymore.

As the night deepened, the wind swept through the lodging area.

The firelight cast long and short shadows on the ground.

Yang Xuan leaned against the car wall and slowly closed his eyes.

The wound on my back still hurts.

Unlike yesterday, this pain is no longer something I can just endure.

Because finally, there are people in this team who can take over half of the game for him without him having to watch over them one by one.

On the road south, the most valuable thing is never avoiding being stabbed.

There are people who can soothe a person's mind before the knife comes.

At the other end of the fire, Yanhe was quietly instructing Wenbo on the order of the carts, the water supply, and the grain to be reserved for the next morning.

She doesn't speak loudly.

But it was loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly.

......

The convoy set off as usual early the next morning.

Yang Xuan's wound hadn't fully healed yet, and he woke up intermittently twice last night. Uncle Wen changed his dressings while trying to comfort him:

"My lord, if you can say less today, please say less."

"Further south, it gets hot and people get tired. Your injury is most likely to recur."

Yang Xuan leaned against the carriage wall and draped his outer robe over his shoulders.

"If I don't speak, someone else will speak for me."

"Nine out of ten things that others say on my behalf are fatal."

Wen Bo sighed after hearing this and stopped trying to persuade him.

It may be harsh to hear, but it's the truth.

After leaving their lodgings from the previous night, the caravan traveled south along the official road for another half an hour.

The road surface is wider and smoother than the previous section.

In the distance ahead, you can see a shop set up along the official road, with a half-worn wooden sign outside and two post horses tied up beside it.

Logically speaking, this kind of place is the best at catering to different people.

When they see a group of officials being demoted, they usually won't be too enthusiastic.

But things are different today.

Before their car had even fully approached, someone from the shop rushed out to greet them, a broad smile on their face, and bowed respectfully from a distance.

"Could it be the carriage of Magistrate Yang, who is on his way to take up his post in Yaozhou?"

"I've been waiting for quite a while, and finally, my esteemed guest has arrived."

Afu sat on the side of the cart shaft and was stunned for a moment.

Along the way, what I heard most was being stopped, blocked, questioned, and pretending to be deaf and dumb.

This is the first time I've seen someone so enthusiastic.

Pei Zhao, riding ahead, didn't respond to his words, but instead glanced at both sides of the shop entrance.

The door was open.

There were two low tables in the courtyard, and there was indeed hot soup and water on them.

It looks like it was prepared for them.

But the more it seemed like it was prepared for them, the more something felt off.

Cui Shen pulled his horse half a foot to the side and whispered:

"My lord, be careful."

"This doesn't look like welcoming someone; it looks more like guarding someone."

Yang Xuan hummed in agreement and lifted the curtain to look outside.

The person who came to greet them was around forty years old, dressed in a faded blue robe. He didn't look like a military man or a courier; he looked more like a minor official who ran errands and kept records in the county.

When the man saw the curtain of the main carriage lifted, his smile widened even more.

"Magistrate Yang's injuries have not yet healed, and the journey must have been very arduous."

"The sun is scorching in front, and the mountain path is narrow behind."

"My steward heard the news last night that Magistrate Yang was traveling south with injuries all the way, and even members of the imperial family and nobles were with him. If he is forced to continue like this, he may suffer further injuries."

Therefore, I specifically instructed my servants to prepare clean water, hot soup, and a clean room, so that the magistrate may rest for half a day.

"If there are any travel permits or records that need to be added to the register, I can take care of them for the magistrate in advance, so as to avoid trouble later."

The words flowed smoothly.

They kept saying "I'm thinking of you."

Don't mention blocking, don't mention obstacles, don't mention rules, just mention rest, replenishment, and convenience.

Ah Fu almost thought this person was a really good person.

But Cui Shen's expression gradually darkened.

He urged his horse forward two steps and lowered his voice:

"My lord, this isn't about keeping guests; it's about leaving a mark."

Yang Xuan didn't speak, he just stared at the man.

The man was still smiling, his back bent low.

"Magistrate Yang, rest assured, I have no ulterior motives."

"I just couldn't bear to rush you because of your serious injuries."

"Furthermore, according to the detailed regulations, when members of the imperial family travel together, they are already subject to an extra layer of documentation compared to ordinary entourages. It's one thing to have them checked at Yongxing Post Station, but if they can get another stamp here, it will be much more convenient for them to travel to the prefectures and counties later."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shen could no longer suppress the coldness in his eyes.

convenient?

If this problem is truly solved, it won't be convenient in the future, it will be troublesome.

A record of the time limit, the number of people, and the injury and illness records have already been left at Yongxing Post Station.

If a new version is created here, but with a different version, then the two versions will immediately start fighting.

When it really comes down to checking people later, all they have to do is lay out two documents and ask one question:

"Which version of the agreement do you actually belong to?"

Yang Xuan's situation is something he himself can't explain.

If you can't explain it, you can be taken advantage of.

If you hold onto it, you can keep dragging it out.

This is a soft rope.

It won't strangle you to death in one go.

First, put it on, then slowly take it off.