Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the interpretation of the titles of several princes and the struggles in the harem became more and more rampant and intense.

There are many versions circulating, and there is also a lot of gossip, which adds a lot of fun to the people as they rush to celebrate the New Year.

When night came, Gu Huanxi also analyzed the situation with Xu Huaiyi, "Tell me, is there any special explanation here? Or is there any deep meaning that we can't see through?"

Xu Huaiyi had studied it, but after hearing the titles of several princes, he couldn't figure out what Emperor Jianxing was up to. "Qi means neat and unified. He hoped that the princes could maintain the stability and unity of their homeland, but he gave this title to the eldest prince who had the least ambition. It would have been most appropriate to title him King Kang or King Xian. Emperor Jianxing didn't discuss this with the ministers at all, otherwise there would have been a lot of wrangling..."

He sighed twice, then frowned and pondered the other princes. "As for the Second Prince, given his status as the Empress's legitimate son, he should have a higher title than the other princes. Just like in the previous generation, Emperor Jianxing's eldest brother was trained as the Crown Prince, and when he was crowned as a king, he was given the title of King of Qin, which indicates power and majesty, and represents status and identity. But now the Second Prince has been crowned as Prince Duan..."

There was a hint of ambiguity in his tone. "Duan means upright and dignified, which symbolizes noble character. It is hoped that the prince will become a role model for the entire country. In theory, this implication is not bad, but for an emperor, the most important thing is not to have a noble character and be a role model, but power. In this way, the word Duan seems to have a bit of irony and a warning. The old emperor's mind is really unpredictable. It should be worthy of his status to confer the title of King of Jin, but it would be fine if he didn't give it to him, but he gave this title to the third prince. Tsk tsk..."

He couldn't help but sneer, "Ever since Dingyuan Hou was removed from his position as deputy commander, the Third Prince's power has been greatly reduced. He has been keeping a low profile. Only after Emperor Jianxing delegated power to them did he try to jump up, but his strength is obviously weaker than that of the Second and Fourth Princes. Right now, not many people support him, but the emperor suddenly gave him the title of King of Jin..."

Gu Huanxi took over the conversation, "Many people will be eager to take action against him again, right?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded. "Jin means progress, which symbolizes advancement and promotion. People usually hope that the prince will achieve something in politics and military affairs. This implication is heavy, and it just happens to scratch the itch of the Third Prince, making it easy for those who were originally disappointed in him to have new ideas."

Gu Huanxi understood and said, "This is what Emperor Jianxing intended."

We should balance the strength of each prince according to their strengths and weaknesses, so that they can fight evenly matched. Otherwise, what's the point of an overwhelming victory followed by a crushing defeat?

What he wanted was for the princes to remain in a stalemate, with no clear winner.

"He is really calculating!" Xu Huaiyi snorted. "Why not give the Fourth Prince a title like that? He is just trying to make a fuss. 'Qi' means grand and numerous, implying that the prince will have a vast territory and many people in the future, symbolizing the prosperity of the country. This expectation is given to the Fourth Prince, who originally had the weakest ability to compete for the throne. His heart is simply vicious. This is forcibly pumping up the Fourth Prince's blood. If he falls into the trap, he will become the most powerful knife in the emperor's hand..."

Gu Huanxi said uncertainly, "The Qiao family, are you still clear-headed? Perhaps you have seen through it and can give them some advice?"

Xu Huaiyi pulled the corner of his mouth, "It's tough. This time, the Qiao family didn't send Qiao Huaijin, the direct descendant, to fight. They probably didn't dare, right? But Qiao Huaijin is the most representative figure of the Qiao family now. Besides, he is a serious martial arts student and will be a Confucian general in the future. We dare not send such a person to the battlefield to hone his skills. We don't know if he has a good brain, but his vision is definitely not good. As a military general, it's a joke if his knife has never seen blood."

Gu Huanxi could understand this. "You also said that Qiao Huaijin is the only capable person in the Qiao family. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. Do they dare to gamble? If he gets hurt, who will the Qiao family rely on for the future? It's a pity that you have protective clothing and a motorhome as a cheating device. Otherwise, I won't let you take the risk."

After saying that, Liang Liang glanced at him and said, "It is more important to stay alive than to make great achievements. If you die, nothing will be meaningful. How can you expect others to remember you forever?"

Xu Huaiyi was immediately shocked by the attack, and hurriedly said in a flattering manner, "My wife is very righteous and can also feel sorry for others. Hehe, I dare to fight on the battlefield because I have activated the cheat. Otherwise, I would definitely stay at home to accompany you and my daughter. I have made achievements so that you and your daughter can live a good life. If you don't care, how can I put the cart before the horse?"

Gu Huanxi chuckled, "You speak better than you sing. Isn't it because you like fighting?"

Xu Huaiyi choked, "Well, I like you, but that little bit of liking can't compare to your worry. If you are worried and anxious all day, how can I charge into battle without any worries? That can't be possible. I must be a typical example of a young man's love for a young woman but a hero's short breath! No objection!"

Seeing him grinning, Gu Huanxi angrily scolded him, "Get lost!"

You'd be foolish to believe him!

Xu Huaiyi was getting more and more disgusting as he leaned on her. "What I said is true, my wife. In my heart, you are the most important. Your emotions control all my joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness, including my soul and body. I am just a puppet in your hands. You say whatever you want me to do, and I will never resist. I am willing to do it. If you don't believe me, try to pull it?"

"..."

The topic deviates from the track and enters harmonious relationship mode.

The capital city suddenly became harmonious, perhaps because the princes were crowned kings and there was a sense that everything was settled, or perhaps it was because the New Year was approaching and no one wanted to cause any more trouble. In short, the atmosphere began to become better.

No matter how the princes felt about their titles, they had to appear excited and happy, and even hold grand banquets to celebrate to show their gratitude to the emperor.

So, next, the palaces of the princes became lively, with one prince taking his place after another. Officials would go to one prince's house today and another's house tomorrow, saying nice compliments while weighing in their hearts who had the best chance of taking the throne.

Only the eldest prince's mansion was quiet. This was easy to explain. After all, the previous eldest prince's wife had just died not long ago, so it was not convenient to host a banquet or anything like that.

But not expressing anything at all is also not acceptable, as that would be disrespectful to the emperor.

Therefore, the eldest prince held a small family banquet and only invited his direct relatives and a few familiar friends. There were only two tables in total. Compared with the other princes' palaces with dozens of tables, it was indeed shabby and deserted.

There wasn't even any wine to liven up the atmosphere. The eldest prince drank tea instead of wine, and there was no smile on his face. The entire banquet seemed like he was just doing official business.

When Gu Huanxi heard this, his first thought was, is the eldest prince giving up? Is he trying to make Emperor Jianxing and the ministers give up on him in this way? Is he also telling the other princes not to regard him as an opponent? Is he really not ambitious?

Secondly, she guessed that the eldest prince's actions might be a silent resistance to the emperor's attempt to drag him into the water.

He dared not and could not turn against the emperor, but he could declare war in this way.

Is this a temper tantrum?

Or is he certain that Emperor Jianxing won't do anything to him for the time being and just starts letting himself go?

Or did he simply want to anger the emperor and send him to guard the imperial tomb again?

She had no idea what the eldest prince had done and thought of many possibilities until Han Jun came to her to talk about something.

The two of them were still sitting in the half-open hall with a fireplace burning in it, so it wasn't too cold even with the door open.

Gu Huanxi was holding a small and exquisite hand warmer in her hand, playing with it from time to time, and heard Han Jun's slightly hoarse voice in her ears.

"First Prince, from now on, you should address him as Prince Qi. This title is completely flattering for him. It is too easy to bring him disaster. Originally, the previous imperial decree granting him marriage had already pushed him to the cusp of the storm. Now that he has been named Prince Qi, I am afraid he will not be able to live in peace in the future. Even if he wants to avoid it, it will be useless..."

Han Jun looked unpredictable, and his tone was a little cold. "It's also because of his incompetence. The situation was originally pretty good, but he turned it into this. He became a sitting duck set up by Emperor Jianxing, but how capable is he to deal with it? He can't even figure out the affairs of the harem, let alone handle government affairs, and there are all those conspiracies and calculations. If others set a trap for him, he will probably jump into it. It doesn't matter if he gets into trouble, but I'm afraid it will implicate Jin'er..."

After all, I am still worried about my nephew. If the Prince Qi's Mansion is no longer there, how can my nephew go back?

Gu Huanxi pondered, "Perhaps Prince Qi has some plans in mind. Speaking of which, Prince Qi's recent performance has been remarkable, much better than before..."

In the past, she was a poor little person who was bullied by everyone in the palace. After leaving the palace, she became a nobody who was ignored by everyone.

Nowadays, no one takes him lightly anymore, even though he didn't do anything and was mostly forced into the game.

Han Jun obviously understood him very well. He shook his head and sneered, "Where's his strength? At most, he no longer acts dumb and submissive, but he can't fight back, let alone fight back to break the deadlock. He can only passively wait to accept it and can never take precautions in advance. If he makes a mistake, all the steps will be wrong. He can only be a pawn..."

Gu Huanxi said something fair, "He couldn't prevent it even if he wanted to. Emperor Jianxing seems to do everything based on his mood now. He doesn't discuss it with the court officials, and there are no signs beforehand. Who can prevent it? Speaking of chess pieces, who among the civil and military officials and the princes can get rid of them?"

Han Jun heard this, still full of disdain for the eldest prince, "Other things are hard to guard against, but his marriage, can't he do anything about it?"

Gu Huanxi was puzzled and asked curiously, "What can he do?"

Han Jun said as a matter of course, "After Li Wanyu died, he only needed to announce to the public that he would not marry again. If he was afraid that others would not give up, he could give himself a reputation of being unlucky in marriage and completely stop those who wanted to manipulate his marriage. Anyway, he already had two wives and a legitimate son, so he would not suffer any loss."

Gu Huanxi, "..."

"It's better than being involved with Xiao Qi now. Can he marry the daughter of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards whenever he wants? Just wait and see. This marriage has many twists and turns. Who knows how it will turn out. It doesn't matter if his reputation is ruined, but when Jin'er goes back in the future, won't she also be laughed at?"

Gu Huanxi didn't know how to respond. He cleared his throat and avoided the main point, "I heard that Prince Qi's coronation banquet was very low-key?"

Han Jun sneered, "He can only pretend to be like that and vent his dissatisfaction. If he really has the ability, he will use it on Emperor Jianxing and his brothers. He can't break the situation, so he can only fight like a trapped beast!"

"Then do you have any idea?"

"Yes, he wanted to go to guard Huangling again, but the emperor found an excuse to refuse. However, if he dares to take the initiative to ask for the order to go to the northwest to guard the border and eliminate the Tartars, and speaks passionately, Emperor Jianxing will not be able to send him away casually."

"Does Prince Qi know how to lead troops in battle?"

"don't know……"

Gu Huanxi laughed dryly and picked up the tea bowl. This elder brother-in-law was really cruel. He wanted to force his younger brother-in-law to die. In this way, the nephew could directly inherit the throne when he returned to the palace, right? It was a shortcut.

She took two sips of red date tea and changed the subject, "You want to talk to me about something else, right?"

Complaining about the eldest prince should just be a side note.

As expected, Han Jun's expression became serious, and his voice was low. "I have had people keep an eye on the Marquis of Changle's mansion. I have planted several people in the mansion. Ever since Li Yuan died and Li Wanyu became despised by the royal family, the Marquis of Changle and his family have closed their doors to visitors and have been very low-key. However, I am worried about the Marquis of Changle, and I have not asked them to relax. In the past six months, no useful news has been heard. Every time they report, they use almost the same wording. They get up early to practice martial arts, eat, read, take a nap, play chess, and rarely go to the backyard. They look like they are cultivating themselves. I almost doubted whether my judgment was wrong, until the day when the King of Qi held a banquet..."

Gu Huanxi's appetite was whetted, and he asked hurriedly, "What did you find wrong today?"

Han Jun lowered his voice even more, "What a coincidence, I was personally guarding near the Prince of Qi's mansion that day, and I saw the Marquis of Changle and his family going to the banquet. Before, he almost never went out of the mansion. I haven't seen him for several months. This time he showed up, but I felt like a stranger..."

"Hmm?" Gu Huanxi's heart moved, "Do you suspect he is fake?"

Han Jun nodded. "Maybe it's a substitute that he has been preparing, or maybe he found someone with a similar body shape to disguise himself. Anyway, I don't think it's him."

"Just based on feeling? Is there any evidence?"

"People's appearances can be similar, but not everyone can imitate their demeanor, especially their words and deeds. They can fool people who don't know them, but they are easily exposed in front of people they are familiar with. Changle Hou is a cunning and deep-minded person, but he pretends to be mediocre and loyal. He never stands out in anything, so it is easy for people to ignore him. However, no matter how much he pretends, his eyes are hard to deceive people..."

"So, you judge by the eyes?"

"Well, this fake looks exactly like Changle Hou, and his appearance is similar, but his eyes are vague and he can't hide much."

Gu Huanxi frowned and asked, "If this person is fake, then where did the real one go?"

Han Jun said in a deep voice, "This is what I am worried about. He should naturally be a member of the Qi Palace, but on the surface he supports Prince Qi, but secretly he has defected to the Chu Palace, and even has a close relationship with him. He can mobilize the private soldiers of the Chu Palace, which is tantamount to rebellion. This is a crime punishable by execution of the entire family. Now the people of the Chu Palace are under the surveillance of the emperor, and there are not many people available. As his confidant, he must be entrusted with an important task..."

"Do you suspect that he left the capital to manage the private soldiers for the King of Chu?"

"Well, nine times out of ten, I don't think the King of Chu will do well. But once it's exposed, it doesn't matter if the King of Chu loses. Marquis Changle will die, but the Prince of Qi's Mansion can't stay out of it. If things go wrong, they will be stripped of their titles, demoted to commoners, and imprisoned for life. Then, Jin'er, what other options do you have?"

"..."

Considering his nephew, the uncle is deeply worried and no longer as carefree and cheerful as before.