Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

Talking about this, the atmosphere inevitably became gloomy. Xu Huaiyi's frown was so tight that it could pinch a mosquito. He leaned back on the sofa, and the snacks and drinks on the coffee table lost their appeal.

Gu Huanxi was not used to his bad habits. She looked at him steadily and asked in an ambiguous tone, "If there was someone reliable, would you still support the eldest prince?"

Xu Huaiyi was stunned for a moment, "I..."

Gu Huanxi interrupted, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "Speak with your conscience."

Xu Huaiyi's eyes flickered, and he put his hand on his chest in cooperation, but he avoided the main point and said, "Wife, it doesn't matter who we support. The throne is not fought for by the two of us. Even if it is the eldest prince, we didn't help much. He just got lucky and got a chance to win. It has nothing to do with us. If we really want to support him, it must be Xiaoyu. Only the child we raised can make me willing to help him plan. Why should others do that?"

Gu Huanxi snorted and laughed, "Don't change the subject. If a prince is capable and has the potential to be a wise ruler, you won't support him?"

Xu Huaiyi paused for a moment before saying, "If he is truly capable and destined to be a wise ruler, does it matter whether I support him or not?"

"You won't cause trouble for the eldest prince?"

"How is that possible? I have no obsession with the eldest prince becoming the emperor. Besides, he is not some wise ruler. I am just thinking about our Xiaoyu. It has nothing to do with him, and I will not worry about him. If he can take advantage of the opportunity, he can take the throne. If not... he can just be an idle prince. It would not be bad for our Xiaoyu to be a prince in the future."

"Okay, remember what you said today."

Xu Huaiyi patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, my wife, I will definitely not forget it."

"It's better to do so, otherwise..." leaving him a look that indicated he had figured it out, Gu Huanxi ended the conversation, "Go to bed early, don't you still have to get up early for training tomorrow?"

Although the war had stopped, the soldiers did not dare to lie down just in case. They had to train for two hours every day and persevere.

Like Xu Huaiyi, he had to take two extra classes to learn military tactics and strategies, and he did not have much free time. Besides, he also took time to discuss medical skills with the doctors in the barracks. He knew nothing about Chinese medicine, but he had theories from his previous life, and he had a lot of experience to talk about when dealing with the wounded. He did not dare to speak too bluntly, but mostly gave hints and suggestions, and after everyone discussed together, they gradually formed a very practical post-war rescue system, which was unanimously recognized and praised by the generals in the army.

Now, he has military merits, is so diligent and studious, and always cares about the soldiers. He is like a fish in water in the military camp and has a very good relationship with people. From top to bottom, no matter which gang or faction they belong to, they all praise him and show goodwill to him. Correspondingly, the more he gets, the more he has to give.

He is busier now than when he was in the war. The couple can only see each other at night. Occasionally, he has to sit around the fire with his classmates to make tea and talk about life, so they can only pass messages by notes.

Tonight, if the conversation had not come to her head, she would not have tested or threatened him if she was afraid that he would return to the capital and get involved in the fight among the princes.

The next day, the weather was fine, and Gu Huanxi took the children to the farm to soak in the hot springs and pick a new crop of peppers and tomatoes. They had a great time and returned home before the city gates closed.

As the New Year approaches, the streets are finally busier and shops are open for business again, but most of the grain and medicine shops are still closed. Of the few that are open, there are only a few items on the counters, and the prices are so high that ordinary people stay away from them.

In and outside the city, there are more and more pitiful people begging everywhere, people waiting to be sold in numb despair, and people waiting for alms with dead faces.

Gu Huanxi saw this and didn't react on the way. After returning, he called Hu Yingjie to ask, "Are there no rich families or prominent families at the city gate giving out porridge?"

Hu Yingjie said, "There is still some, but not much, and it comes intermittently. The porridge they cook is getting more and more perfunctory, with clear soup and water that can't fill the stomach. When they are starving, they can only think of other ways, such as begging from passers-by, or selling their children. Some elderly people just lie at home and wait to die..."

"It's good that the charity show can last this long..." Next, it was her turn to invite others to the stage. The first person to do it had already taken all the limelight, so if she took action again, it would not attract any attention.

So, she asked someone to tell Su Zhe that the matters previously discussed could be put on the agenda.

Su Zhe responded very readily and cooperated very well. Soon, two large sheds appeared at the city gate. Under the banner of praying for the soldiers on the border, porridge was distributed once a day. The porridge was made with real ingredients and was so thick that chopsticks could stand up and could barely satisfy hunger.

In this way, those who have nowhere else to go will have the courage to live again. Although this is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution, at least they see hope.

Both families handled this matter very low-key and it did not attract much attention. Apart from the benefits to the common people at the bottom, the prominent families and powerful officials did not take it too seriously.

They are all keeping an eye on the development of the situation in the court. The most important thing is the fighting among the princes and their conspiracies.

These occupied most of their attention, and they could no longer see anything else.

Few people cared about things like border wars, the temporarily recuperated tiger King of Chu, and how the people in the prefectures lived after the outbreak of banditry and civil unrest. In the court, more and more people got involved, either actively or passively, scheming against each other, and secretly making a mess of things.

Emperor Jianxing watched coldly and ignored it, looking like he was concentrating on recuperating.

The door of the Prince of Chu's palace was also closed tightly, and he didn't care about anything, acting very filially.

The eldest prince's residence was also equally low-key and quiet. The eldest prince even requested to guard the imperial mausoleum again, but Emperor Jianxing found reasons to refuse.

Moreover, he could no longer stay out of it, as Emperor Jianxing had personally arranged a marriage for him, and he would be able to marry a new bride in the autumn of next year.

A marriage granted by the emperor is already respectable, and it would be even more interesting if the bride also has a good family background.

If the eldest prince married again, it would be his third marriage. How could a lady of real status be willing to marry him? Not to mention that the eldest prince was not outstanding among all the princes. He had neither ambition nor ability. What was the point of marrying him?

But what was strange was that Emperor Jianxing assigned such a noble lady to him.

For a time, the eldest prince once again came into people's attention and became the focus of attention.

This matter was discussed in teahouses and taverns, and the discussion was even more heated than the fight between the princes.

The main thing is that I can’t understand why?

Some people also thought too much and wondered if this was some kind of signal from the emperor?

Or is there some conspiracy here?

There are many speculations.

After Gu Huanxi knew about this, he was only worried about Gu Xiaoyu's mood. After observing him for a few days, and seeing that he was living his life as usual, he gradually felt relieved.

That's right, it's not the first time anyway. He had Li Wanyu's support first, and then he got married and had children. It's really not worth making a fuss about.

However, at night, Xu Huaiyi was very emotional after hearing about it. "It has only been a short time since Li Wanyu died, and he can't wait to arrange the marriage? Besides, is now the time to arrange the marriage? Why is he meddling in these messy matters instead of doing serious things? Is he trying to show off his fatherly love? I think he is going crazy..."

Gu Huanxi slowly peeled the orange, removing the veins on it, and said nonchalantly, "How can it be crazy? It's clearly a stroke of genius."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi responded, "Emperor Jianxing feels that the fight between the princes is not enough, so he wants to drag all the adult princes into the fight? Good fellow, it seems that he still doesn't trust the eldest prince, and he has to drag him down as well. He wants to avoid the fight but can't, and he is afraid that he is not strong enough to fight with the other princes, so he takes the initiative to give him chips..."

He clicked his tongue twice, "This is truly a real father. He is really good at making his son hate him. Does he really have to make them fight to the death?"

Gu Huanxi stuffed a slice of orange into his mouth. It tasted sour and sweet. He squinted his eyes and sighed, "Maybe this is the mind of an emperor. Raising a son is like raising a pot. Put them together to fight. Only the one who breaks through the siege and survives to the end is qualified to inherit the throne. Although it is cruel, it is also a test and training for the crown prince. From a certain perspective, it can be regarded as being responsible for the country and the people."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi couldn't help but sneer, "What kind of training and test? He is just using the throne to instigate them and force them to fight each other so that he can sit on the Diaoyutai. The more intense the princes' quarrels, the more secure his position will be. This old fox doesn't take his son seriously at all. Maybe he hopes that these four adult princes will die in each other's hands so that he can support the younger one and then he won't be a threat to him!"

"Even if he has such a plan, what can others do? Do you think the princes can't see through it? It's just a matter of one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten. The eldest prince didn't want to get involved, but now he is forced to leave. Just wait and see, his marriage will probably not go smoothly. How can those people let their opponents become stronger? They must take action to sabotage it!"

At that time, it would be unacceptable if the eldest prince did not resist at all.

"What kind of family was the daughter-in-law given to the eldest prince?"

"The newly appointed deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, the daughter of Xiao Qi."

Xu Huaiyi took a deep breath, "The daughter of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards? This background is powerful enough. Will the Xiao family agree to it?"

"She is a concubine's child..."

"A bastard's son also holds the title of deputy commander of the Imperial Guards?"

Gu Huanxi had someone inquire about the Xiao family a long time ago, and now he explained in detail, "The Xiao family does not have a deep foundation. Three generations ago, they were born in poverty. It was only later that they followed the founding emperor to conquer the world and accumulated some military merits. After the founding of the dynasty, Xiao Qi's father was appointed a captain in the Xishan camp. This official position is neither high nor low in the capital. The Xiao family really gained power recently. I don't know why Emperor Jianxing made him the deputy commander of the imperial guards. Before that, he was not well-known..."

After hearing this, Xu Huaiyi frowned and thought, "Perhaps, it is because the Xiao family is neutral and does not lean towards any of the princes? So Emperor Jianxing is confident in using him, so he promised him a high position?"

The Imperial Guards guard the capital and the palace, their status is self-evident and they are absolutely of utmost importance. As the commander, it goes without saying how much power he holds. If any prince dreams of such an assist, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Even if he is forcing a palace, the success rate can be increased by at least 30%.

Now, Emperor Jianxing gave it to the eldest prince easily. Who among the other princes would not be jealous?

It is inevitable that something bad will happen secretly.

"Anyway, the marriage has already been decided by the imperial decree. Whether you like it or not, it cannot be changed. It is said that when the Xiao family received the imperial decree, they were very happy and grateful. No unpleasant words were spread."

"That means Emperor Jianxing secretly gave Xiao Qi even greater benefits as compensation!"

Xu Huaiyi said confidently, "Xiao Qi must be brave and resourceful to be chosen as the deputy commander. How could he not understand Emperor Jianxing's mind? He must have anticipated that this marriage would be risky. If other princes tried to stop it, regardless of whether it would succeed or not, his daughter would suffer greatly. Even if she was a concubine's daughter and was not favored, he would not be willing to suffer such a loss. If Emperor Jianxing still wants to continue to use him, how could he not win him over?"

"That's not something we can control!" Gu Huanxi glanced at him and reminded him lightly, "On the surface, we have nothing to do with the eldest prince. Even if you want to help, you don't have a decent reason."

Xu Huaiyi laughed dryly, "Wife, I understand everything. Let's just watch the show and not interfere or help anyone."

"I hope so!"