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

The envelope was plain.

No designation.

No imprint.

Even the paper wasn't the fine, smooth imperial stationery that the wealthy used at the time.

It's just ordinary jute paper, nothing special.

But precisely because of this, they seem to put in even more effort.

Being too ordinary is often a deliberate attempt to hide the hidden hand behind the ordinariness.

Cui Shen took the letter, but didn't open it at first. He rubbed it between his fingers and felt that there was only a thin sheet inside.

Yang Xuan said:

"dismantle."

Cui Shen responded, took out the letter, and glanced at it first.

With just that one glance, his brow furrowed slightly.

It wasn't because of the harsh words.

It's not because the words were too soft.

The letter contained only a few lines:

"Now that we have left Chang'an, we should know when to advance and when to retreat."

"Although Yaozhou is far away, it may still be a way to make a living."

"If you are willing to fulfill your duties and not dwell on the past or have any other thoughts, someone will take care of the troubles in the south for you."

"A person should know when to stop; a stiff bone is easily broken."

"Take care of yourself."

There was no signature.

There is no title.

There wasn't even a simple "Respectfully submitted by [name]".

It's as if the person writing the letter doesn't care whether he knows who it is or not.

Because what the other party really wants to see is never a reply.

It's not about how he'll stand after reading the letter.

The official road fell silent for a moment.

The wind passed under the locust tree, causing the thin piece of paper to tremble slightly.

Ah Fu was the first to lose his temper.

"What's this?"

"A beating followed by a treat?"

Uncle Wen stood by the car, his face also grim.

He didn't understand so many intricacies, but he did understand the saying "hard bones are easily broken."

This is not advice.

It's like feeling bones from a distance.

Cui Shen read the letter again and said in a low voice:

"My lord, this letter is very strange."

"It doesn't sound like the usual tone of the Prime Minister's residence, nor does it seem like they're simply trying to curry favor."

"More like..."

"It's more like investigating on behalf of several different groups."

Yang Xuan took over the conversation, his voice low.

"right."

"The person who writes the letter may not have only one hand."

"Anyone can use this letter to see me."

"The Prime Minister's residence wants to see if I've been worn down."

Others want to see if I really go to Yaozhou, whether I intend to bury my head in the sand or still try to turn things around in the mud.

Pei Zhao narrowed his eyes.

"Should we detain the messenger for now?"

The man carrying the load turned pale instantly, and his legs went weak.

"My lord, I was truly only paid to deliver the message..."

"No need."

Yang Xuan raised his hand.

"Detaining this kind of person won't make a difference."

"He might not even know for sure who he's running errands for."

Upon hearing this, the man carrying the load felt as if he had been given a second chance at life, and he could barely stand.

Yang Xuan, however, did not let him leave immediately.

He only asked one question:

"What kind of person wrote this letter to you?"

The man carrying the load hurriedly said:

"He was in his thirties, dressed like a businessman from out of town. He didn't talk much, but he was quick to pay up."

"He spoke with a slight northern accent, but he didn't sound like a pure Guanzhong native."

"Most importantly, he didn't show himself for long. After giving me the letter, he went into the back of the teahouse, as if someone was waiting for him."

After hearing this, Cui Shen felt even more gloomy.

now it's right.

This letter was specifically meant to be handled by me.

It doesn't matter how many floors you go through.

The important thing is that it lets Yang Xuan know that someone is watching.

He also wanted to let those behind him know that Yang Xuan was aware that someone was watching.

This is a test strip that is posted in mid-air.

Let's see who shows their true colors first.

Yanhe also got off the bus at this time.

She took the letter from Cui Shen, read it calmly, her face showing neither anger nor a smile.

He paused only for a moment on the last sentence, "Hard bones are easily broken."

Then she asked:

"If this letter truly advised you to behave yourself, would you believe it?"

Yang Xuan smiled.

Do you believe it?

Yanhe folded the letter again.

"I don't believe it."

"A person who truly wants you to honestly accept your post wouldn't write this kind of letter."

"Those who write this kind of letter are people who are advising you to be honest on the one hand, but are also afraid that you will not actually be honest on the other hand."

Cui Shen's eyes flickered.

These words pinpointed the most crucial point.

If Chang'an were truly certain that Yang Xuan would fall apart, there would be no need for them to take any further action.

It was precisely because some people began to realize that he might not actually follow the path of "going to Yaozhou to wait for death" that they wanted to try this approach in advance.

Ah Fu muttered a curse under his breath.

"In short, they just want the young master to back down first."

Whether one shrinks back or not is not determined by the letter.

Yang Xuan looked up at the official road ahead.

"Above people."

Upon hearing this, the people around understood.

This letter cannot simply be opened on the spot.

It must be made visible to those who are meant to see it.

Cui Shen said in a low voice:

"What does my lord mean?"

"burn."

Yang Xuan said.

"Burn it right here."

"Not only burn it, but burn it thoroughly so that those who are meant to hear it can hear a few words."

Upon hearing this, the man carrying the load immediately became strange.

It's like wanting to stay and watch, but also being afraid of getting into trouble by watching too much.

Yang Xuan glanced at him and said calmly:

"You don't need to rush off."

"Since you've taken these fifty coins, take the rest back with you."

A layer of sweat immediately broke out on the man's back.

"My lord... I'm just a lowly porter..."

"Precisely because you're just a porter, you're the most suitable person to carry it back for others."

Yang Xuan leaned against the car wall, his face still pale, but his tone was very steady.

"I heard you clearly."

"When you get back, if anyone asks you, just tell them the truth."

"You said I read this letter."

"It was burned too."

"I also said—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the people in front of the car before finally settling on the thin piece of paper.

"Yaozhou is not a place for me to live a life of ignominy."

"This is where I started to gain momentum."

The official road suddenly fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

Cui Shen subconsciously looked up.

Afu tensed up completely.

That's too blunt.

It's so straight it doesn't look like it's meant to be used as a barrier.

It seemed as if they were deliberately trying to make sure the people behind them could hear.

Wen Bo was startled, but quickly suppressed it.

He has gradually come to understand in the past few days.

Yang Xuan said many things, seemingly to outsiders.

But the real stab wound is often hidden in the second layer.

This letter is to test one's bones.

If we were to go back, it couldn't just be "I'm not afraid of you."

It has to be "Not only am I not afraid, I will also take advantage of the places where you look down on me to do things hard."

Only in this way will those watching from behind truly panic.

Some people might want to suppress it.

Some people might want to pull it.

Some people might want to take another look.

When there are many viewers, things get messy.

If you mess with your hands, the seam will appear.

Yanhe had not spoken until now.

At this moment, she suddenly raised her hand and handed the letter to Afu.

"ignition."

Afu paused for a moment, then quickly fetched a tinderbox from the side.

As the flames shot up, the edges of the hemp paper quickly curled up.

The words on the paper, licked by the fire, first turned black, then gradually collapsed.

The phrase "hard bones are easily broken" was the first to be burned to ashes.

It scattered with a gust of wind.

Yang Xuan stared at the small flame, his expression unchanged.

His voice wasn't loud either, as if he was just continuing what he had just said:

"Please give me one more message when you go back."

"To reassure the person who wrote the letter."

"I dared to go to Yaozhou, not to hide."

"If they want to see if I'll rot on the frontier, they'd better keep their eyes open."

"Don't just try to probe with sweet talk halfway through the journey."

"We couldn't find anything."

The man carrying the load felt his scalp tingle.

He had never delivered such a letter for anyone in his life, nor had he ever heard anyone dare to reply so bluntly.

But the magistrate in front of us wasn't sitting on a tall horse when he spoke.

He was still leaning against the car wall, his face pale, the smell of medicine still lingering, clearly indicating that his injuries had not yet healed.

The more this is the case, the more chilling it becomes.

This shows that the other party is not relying on their current strength.

Instead, they relied on their own stubbornness and refused to back down.

These kinds of people are the hardest to persuade.

It's also the most troublesome thing for the people behind.