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

"Yaozhou Yanjing County, as the name suggests, is a place that relies entirely on salt wells for its livelihood."

"The county government office still looks like it's still there, but when locals talk about that place, six out of ten sentences don't mention the county magistrate, they only mention the wellhead, the brokerage firm, and the caravan."

"There's an even stranger layer."

"When the merchants along the way mentioned Yaozhou, they didn't start by talking about the miasma or the barbaric land. Instead, they asked, 'Are you going to see the well or the people?'"

Afu scratched his head.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that in Yaozhou, the wells and the people might not be the same thing."

Yang Xuan sat up straighter, his wound tightening from the strain, and his face paled.

But his eyes were brighter than during the day.

"Go on."

Cui Shen didn't keep them in suspense and pressed on directly:

"Today I've gathered up three layers of information from the bits and pieces I've heard over the past few days."

"The first layer is the official facade."

"Yanjing County has a county government office, a county magistrate, clerks, and account books; it seems to have everything."

"The second layer is the ground."

"Those who actually handled the wells, transported the salt, smuggled the goods, and took a cut were mostly not the people in the county government, but rather brokers, caravans, well managers, and local white gloves who knew the ropes."

"The third layer is the top."

"The state may not be able to really control the people below, but there are definitely people in the state who are profiting from this."

"Otherwise, with such chaotic salt prices and such chaotic practices, no one would have been able to stop it all along."

Pei Zhao sheathed his sword, his voice calm:

"In other words, we're not going to a poor place."

"It's a place with lots of money, messy operations, and terrible rules."

"right."

Cui Shen nodded.

"And the more chaotic it is, the more it proves that it's not a dead zone."

"It's not worth so many people reaching out to help in a deadly situation."

This time, Afu truly understood.

He was stunned for a long time before whispering:

"I used to think that Yaozhou was a lousy place where people were just thrown there to die."

"Now that I hear what you're saying..."

"This place seems to actually be good for nurturing people?"

Yang Xuan smiled.

"It's not just a feeling."

"It can be raised naturally."

"It's just that in the past, the government supported other people, not the county government."

After those words were spoken, the people by the fire fell silent for a moment.

They traveled south, claiming they were going to take up new posts.

But deep down they all knew that this trip wasn't to become some kind of peacekeeper.

Chang'an banished the man not so that he could go to the borderlands to enjoy a life of luxury.

Whether it was Yang Guozhong or other spectators, everyone tacitly agreed on one conclusion:

Yang Xuan went to Yaozhou, and most likely he either died of illness or rotted to death.

It rots in the accounts, rots in the relationships, rots in that kind of backwater territory where everyone sees a way out, but in reality, it's leading you into the mud at every turn.

But what if that place itself is a piece of fat meat?

Then the meaning of this journey completely changed.

Yanhe approached at that moment.

She hadn't said a word the whole time, just listened from the side.

Only after hearing this did she speak:

"If that's the case, then Yaozhou's greatest difficulty doesn't lie outside."

"Inside the county government office."

Cui Shen nodded.

"Exactly."

"If the county government still has some semblance of order, once the new magistrate arrives, even if there are people hindering it, at least there will still be a shell to stand on."

"But if the county government office has already been emptied out, then when we land, we won't be facing a bunch of subordinates."

"Instead, the plates were already filled with meat that had been divided up all morning."

"You sit in the position of county magistrate, but the people below you may not necessarily recognize you as county magistrate."

Wen Bo listened slowly, but his thoughts were very thoughtful.

He put the lid on the pot and said in a deep voice:

"So, sir, will you seize the accounts first, or the people first?"

"Neither."

Yang Xuan replied quickly.

"First, grab the shell."

Afu blinked.

"shell?"

"Yes, shell."

Yang Xuan raised his hand and tapped in the air, as if tapping a chessboard on a table.

"The county government office is just a shell."

"This shell may be rotten or empty, but as long as it is still in name, it is valuable."

"Because others want to profit from salt wells, connections, and kickbacks, what they fear most is not the lack of a county government office."

"What I fear most is that someone who refuses to close their eyes will suddenly sit down in the county government office."

"As long as this shell still bears the name of the imperial court, those who are used to taking advantage of others will have to look at me first."

"I can't bring myself to eat it if they don't look at it."

Cui Shen became more and more engrossed as he listened.

He initially pieced together fragmented information into a rough diagram.

Now, listening to Yang Xuan break down the details, he suddenly realized that the good thing about Yaozhou was not its peace.

It's rotting away.

The fact that things are in disarray indicates that the old order has already loosened.

Only when it's loose can a novice find a gap to slip through.

"My lord."

Cui Shen suppressed the burning sensation in his chest and whispered:

"From this perspective, Yaozhou is not the final destination of exile."

"It's the starting hand."

"Finally, you've hit the nail on the head."

Yang Xuan looked at the firelight, his voice low.

"Those people in Chang'an hope I'll rot in Yaozhou because in their eyes, the borderlands only devour people."

"But places that can truly swallow people are often also the best places to hide them."

"Places that are truly rotten are often the ones that are best to have their rules changed."

"As long as we can get the people, the tent, and the knife sorted out, that place won't be a dead end."

"It's the root."

This sentence is even lighter than the ones before it.

But the people by the fire felt a force pushing straight forward.

Pei Zhao raised his eyes and asked:

"So what should we prepare first?"

"Three items."

Yang Xuan held up three fingers.

"First, the local roads."

"Where are the wells in Yaozhou? How do the caravans travel? Which mountain roads can be used to deliver goods? Which mountain roads can be used to bury people? We must find out before taking office."

"Second, who's left inside the empty shell?"

"Whether the county government is completely rotten, or only half rotten; who are the useless people, and who are being suppressed and dare not move, we need to look at them separately."

Third, who is eating at the top?

"If we don't figure out who's involved in the matter, how far they've gone, and how they've done it, we'll just run into a wall as soon as we go down there."

Ah Fu felt a chill run down his spine.

"We haven't even reached Yaozhou yet."

"How come there are already so many problems?"

Pei Zhao, unusually, didn't tease him, and only replied calmly:

"Because this isn't a trip to take up a new post."

"They're going to seize land."

This sentence is very plain.

But none of the people listening thought it was an exaggeration.

If Yang Xuan went to Yaozhou and simply accepted a lousy job, it would be no different from sending himself to his death.

If you want to survive, you have to fight for it.

They snatch shells, people, accounts, and the first bite they can get their hands on.

Yanhe looked at the fire and suddenly added:

"There's one more thing."

Everyone looked at her.

She said:

"name."

"You're all keeping an eye on the salt wells, on the people, and on the state."

"But what the people in Yaozhou saw first wouldn't be these."

"What they saw first was a Yang family scion who had been driven out of Chang'an. They wondered whether he was here to coast along or to get things done."

Cui Shen immediately understood.

"The princess means that we cannot be weak on our first day in office."

"We cannot be soft, nor can we be hard only towards outsiders."

Yanhe glanced at him.

"right."

"If you only know how to be tough on others, they will think you are reckless."

"If all you do is put on airs in the county government office, people will treat you like you're made of paper."

"The first game is to make two things clear to the people of Yaozhou."

"First, you really dare to touch people."

"Secondly, you didn't act recklessly."

"If these two things can't be established, the rest of the game can't be played out."

After listening, Yang Xuan slowly nodded.

"So, Choi Shin."

"Starting tomorrow, the postal registers, official document annotations, and conversations of merchants along the route shall continue as before."

"But let's add one more thing."

Cui Shen immediately responded.

"What are your orders, my lord?"

"Write down any names that people mention along the way, such as salt wells, well households, brokers, former officials, or anyone from the prefecture."

"Don't just remember this."

"You also need to remember who said it, where they said it, and whether they sounded afraid, resentful, or envious when they said it."

Cui Shen's eyes lit up.

That's not keeping a record.

This is about remembering people's hearts.