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

"Did you understand?"

Yang Xuan suddenly asked.

The man carrying the load nodded vigorously.

"I understand."

"Then let's go."

The man dared not linger any longer, hurriedly bent down to pick up his load, and almost fled back the way he came.

After the person had walked away, Afu took a deep breath.

"Young master."

"Should we really let them relay this back?"

"Otherwise what?"

Yang Xuan looked at the ashes.

"They've already stuck the test strips on my face. If I just hide them, wouldn't they have wasted their time testing me?"

Cui Shen pondered for a moment, then said:

"But if we do that, there will probably be even more people watching us from behind."

"There wouldn't have been less to begin with."

Yang Xuan said calmly.

"The only difference is that before, they looked at me as a drowning dog that might die on the road."

"Now, they have to start thinking about something else."

"If I really went to Yaozhou, what would I want to do?"

Pei Zhao stood to the side with his arms crossed, and suddenly asked:

"Are you deliberately trying to scare them?"

"No."

Yang Xuan shook his head.

"It's intentional to let them think for themselves."

"It's probably all the same way."

Greed is a vicious cycle.

"We'll continue to observe and wait."

"As long as they don't have the same idea in their minds, then this letter wasn't sent in vain."

Cui Shen was startled.

Only at this point did he fully understand.

The protagonist's words just now were not a simple reply.

They are baiting in reverse.

The message given to the Prime Minister's residence was, "This person has not been worn down."

What it gave to other observers was the message that "there might actually be something he can create in Yaozhou."

For those who were already greedy for salt wells and border routes, the message was: "This demoted official is not to stay in a rotten government office and rot away, but to get things done."

These people may not all step in immediately.

But once someone is moved first, the path that follows will be different.

Wen Bo's thoughts were not as profound as theirs.

But he also knew that Yang Xuan had once again brought to light a fire that should have been suppressed.

He sighed softly.

"My lord, you seem to be worried that those behind you will have too much free time."

Yang Xuan smiled.

"If they have too much free time, they'll just keep treating us like roadside weeds."

"Only by getting them to guess each other's intentions can we truly head south."

Yanhe glanced at him.

"Your phrase 'the starting point' just now, was it meant for outsiders, but also for your own people?"

Yang Xuan did not deny it.

"Yes."

"Throughout this journey, people outside have always been testing whether I'll back down."

"But the people on the team are actually watching too."

"Let's see if I'm just trying to survive, or if, after surviving, I really have the will to work hard and make something of myself."

As soon as he said that, Afu was the first to straighten his chest.

Although he doesn't understand much about the market.

He understood the words "starting point".

This is not about merely surviving.

They went to rob it.

They're scrambling for a way to survive, for a way to make money, and for the sake of never being at the mercy of others again.

Pei Zhao remained silent.

But the look in his eyes as he looked at the main vehicle was even more somber than before.

If the previous night fishing, empty catch, and tearing of the soft rope were just to make him think that this young man was setting a trap.

This letter today made him understand another layer of things.

This person is not only good at setting up schemes.

They actually dared to use someone else's hand to spread the words "I'm going to make a move".

Such people either die quickly.

Or, they might actually achieve something truly remarkable.

After resuming their journey on the official road, everyone felt a bit heavier than before.

But this heaviness is not oppression.

It's as if each of us has an extra hidden thread in our hearts.

As evening approached, they camped out at the foot of a rocky slope.

The wind is slightly cooler than during the day.

Just as Wen Bo had heated up the medicine, another porter came along to rest.

The man had only wanted to ask for a drink of water.

But not long after sitting down, he casually mentioned:

"I've heard that things haven't been very peaceful in Yaozhou to the south lately."

"The new magistrate was demoted from Chang'an; I wonder if he can hold the position."

Ah Fu was adding firewood nearby when he heard this, and his eyelids twitched immediately.

The letter was burned during the day.

By evening, people here were already talking about the "new magistrate of Yaozhou".

There's no such thing as a coincidence in gossip.

Cui Shen, however, seemed oblivious to anything amiss and handed over a bowl of water.

Whether you can sit comfortably or not depends on whether the place recognizes you or not.

The porter grinned.

Whether a locality recognizes a person or not depends first on whether that person knows how to behave appropriately.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhao's eyes turned cold.

But Yang Xuan, inside the car, simply spoke:

"you're right."

"So I've been watching along the way."

"Let's see if Yaozhou is even worthy of me sitting here."

The merchant's smile froze for a moment.

He was only there to sound out what was going on.

Unexpectedly, the person in the car didn't even lift the curtain before retorting.

Moreover, this push wasn't a hard push.

It's just that the positions have been reversed.

It wasn't that he, as a demoted official, feared that Yaozhou wouldn't recognize him.

He was the one judging whether Yaozhou was worthy of letting him sit inside.

The taste is completely different then.

After finishing his water, the porter didn't linger and quickly made an excuse to leave in the night.

Only after everyone had gone far away did Afu approach a little closer.

"Young master, now they've even started gossiping about the lodgings."

"That's right."

Yang Xuan drank the medicine, his voice remaining calm.

"The letter from earlier that day was made of paper."

"These few lines at night are the wind."

"When the paper arrives, the wind will naturally follow."

Cui Shen continued:

"And this wind won't just blow for one night."

"From today onward, every 'I'm thinking of you' and every 'I know when to advance and retreat' that you encounter along the way should be remembered with an extra layer of consideration."

Yanhe sat by the fire and gently stirred the firewood.

The firelight made her features appear even clearer.

"Alright."

Now that this letter has been torn up, those who follow will be even more eager to know whether you are just all talk and no action.

"Then let them continue watching."

She said this in a low voice.

But everyone around the fire sensed a chill.

It wasn't anger.

The road behind us is now much clearer.

This won't be the only letter I receive.

The probing will not stop at just paper.

But if you don't break their bones the first time, every subsequent encounter will be a new one.

What they lack most right now is not peace and quiet.

It is precisely these marks.

It was late at night in Chang'an.

The lights were still on in an inconspicuous little house.

The porter who delivered the letter during the day was bowing his head, repeating what he had heard, sentence by sentence.

He didn't speak very fluently.

However, the line "Yaozhou is not a place for me to survive, but a place for me to rise to power" was brought back verbatim.

Two people were sitting under the lamp.

One of them was wearing a round-necked blue robe, looking like a steward in charge of external affairs for some household.

The other one was younger, with slender fingers, like a scholar, but with a calmer gaze than a scholar.

After listening, the man in the green robe chuckled first.

"Such arrogance."

"A son of the Yang family who was demoted to Yaozhou has already started to treat the border region as his own backyard."

The young man did not laugh.

He simply placed the teacup on the table.

"If you still think of him as just a smooth talker, then you're no different from those who came to Yongxing Post Station empty-handed."

The man in the green robe narrowed his eyes.

"What, you actually believe he can cause trouble in Yaozhou?"

The young man did not answer immediately.

After a moment, he said calmly:

"I don't believe he can find it."

"I believe that since this person dared to put those words back through our own hands, it means he has thought it through."

"Those who think things through are the most troublesome."

"Because he won't just wait for others to show him the way."

The smile on the man in the green robe slowly faded.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The wick popped slightly, sending out a few sparks.

After a long silence, he finally asked:

"So, where should we send this message?"

The young man looked up at him.

"We'll deliver to anywhere."

"Send to the prime minister's house."

"Send it to the person who wants to see it rot."

"This is also for those who were just watching the show but might now have designs on Yaozhou."

"Didn't he say that place was a place where power would begin to rise?"

"Then let everyone know that he's trying to gain power."

"That's what makes it lively."