Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

Gu Huanxi was still very curious about the crown prince, so she asked him, "Who do you think the cabinet will choose?"

Xu Huaiyi said without thinking, "Prince Duan."

Gu Huanxi raised an eyebrow, "Are you so sure?"

Without any hesitation at all!

Xu Huaiyi smiled and said, "Now that there are five people in the cabinet, they will definitely not reach a consensus. The minority can only obey the majority. And Prince Duan can get at least two votes, so he must be the one with the most votes."

Gu Huanxi didn't know the political situation as well as he did. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but urge him, "Count carefully."

Xu Huaiyi explained casually, "First of all, Lord Zhou, that is Prince Duan's father-in-law, he will definitely support his son-in-law. The other two Lords are supporters of Prince Jin and Prince Qi respectively. In other words, the three of them can at least get one vote. The key point lies in Prime Minister Lu and Master..."

Prime Minister Lu never formed a clique, but given his character, he would definitely support the establishment of the legitimate heir. As long as the legitimate prince did not commit any serious mistakes, he would support it, because in his opinion, that was the royal orthodoxy and the most legitimate. Alas..."

At this point, he couldn't help but complain, "The ancient system of primogeniture really hurts people. If you only have one child and have no choice, it doesn't matter, but now the custom is to emphasize more children, more blessings. Which family doesn't have three, five, seven or eight children? If there are many sons, who can guarantee that the eldest son is the best? It's obvious that other sons are more promising, but they have to push the eldest son to the top. The ones below are not convinced, and the one above is uneasy. Isn't this deliberately creating contradictions?

Moreover, this inheritance system cannot select the most outstanding person in power. If the person in power is mediocre, won’t it bring disaster to the people?”

"So, you think we should appoint a virtuous person?"

"Is not it?"

Gu Huanxi reminded, "In ancient times, people valued the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Children born out of wedlock were naturally inferior to their parents. This was true for every family. If you still can't figure it out, just go back to your previous life. Even if a legitimate child was incompetent, the family property must belong to him. Even if he squandered it all, it would still be better than a cheap illegitimate child, right?"

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi's expression changed.

Gu Huanxi snorted and laughed, "Of course, this is from our women's perspective. Perhaps in the eyes of you men, whether it is a legitimate child or an illegitimate child, they are all your biological sons. It doesn't matter who inherits them. You care more about who can carry forward the family business you have worked hard for, right?"

Xu Huaiyi's scalp tingled, and he quickly expressed his opinion, "Wife, I never think that way. What illegitimate child? What does that have to do with me? We only have one biological daughter, Ah Li. In the future, all the family property will belong to her alone. No one else can get involved."

Gu Huanxi pulled the corner of his mouth, too lazy to argue with him about this matter, and brought back the previous topic, "Lu Shoufu defends the orthodoxy, then Prince Duan can get two votes, but Master still has one vote. Who do you think he will vote for?"

Xu Huaiyi said, "I think he will most likely abstain from voting. Anyway, he will not vote for Prince Jin or Prince Qi."

Gu Huanxi was stunned for a moment, but soon figured it out. The Sun family has always been neutral and doesn't want to get involved with any family. The aristocratic families have been able to stand for hundreds of years by protecting themselves. Although some people think that doing so seems to be without integrity, they can't help but live a long time and don't offend anyone.

Of course, there won’t be much benefit in the future.

After the prince ascends the throne, he will certainly reward those officials who support and follow him. As for those who have been indifferent and indifferent before, those who are open-minded may still be used as before. If they are narrow-minded, they will probably be neglected and gradually marginalized.

"So, the position of crown prince must belong to Prince Duan?"

"Well, at the moment, it's probably him."

This is what I said...

Gu Huanxi glanced at him with a smile and said, "Don't talk nonsense outside. If someone catches you, you will be in big trouble."

Xu Huaiyi nodded, "I understand. Outside, with our status, we are not qualified to discuss the issue of the succession. The petty officials are just jumping around and trying to get a position. The ones who can really make the decision are still the bigwigs in the court."

"And the Emperor..."

"The emperor sometimes has to follow the general trend. If the cabinet chooses Prince Duan, he will not go against it."

"Then who do you think is his preferred candidate?"

"Anyone can do it."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Gu Huanxi looked at him in surprise and asked, "Anyone is fine? Do you think Emperor Jianxing's attitude towards the crown prince will be frivolous?"

Xu Huaiyi mocked, "Isn't this a joke? Humph, I don't see how he is responsible. He lets his sons kill each other and doesn't care. He sits back and enjoys the benefits to consolidate his position. If he is responsible, shouldn't he teach them well? If not, he can balance the relationship between them. It's better than fighting to the death. He just wants to think that whoever survives will be the crown prince and the future emperor. If these adult princes are dead, he might be happier and can start to train other younger sons."

Gu Huanxi was speechless for a moment.

Xu Huaiyi sneered again, "However, his plan is very good. Unfortunately, not everyone may follow his wishes. Once the crown prince is decided, if the other princes make trouble again, the cabinet is unlikely to stand idly by. Moreover, the crown prince can legitimately form his own team, and the people in the Zhanshi Mansion will follow his lead. When his power grows stronger, Emperor Jianxing may not be able to control him at will. Besides, there is also the King of Chu who is watching covetously in the dark.

The King of Chu will definitely not allow the Prince of Duan to succeed smoothly, so he is not stable as the Crown Prince. You just wait and see. There will be a lot of trouble in the future. The court officials all think that the establishment of a crown prince will calm people's hearts, but they don't know that it may even cause more chaos. "

Gu Huanxi sighed, "Their original intention is always good..."

It was simply that he felt that the current Emperor Jianxing was a little unreliable, with external and internal troubles, plus the sudden bizarre and incredible incident of Meng Yao being struck to death by lightning. People were in panic, so he urgently needed to establish a crown prince to stabilize the court.

To put it bluntly, if Emperor Jianxing died unexpectedly, with a crown prince around, Dayong would not be in chaos.

Who asked Emperor Jianxing to favor Meng Yao so much before? Meng Yao's reputation has plummeted now. She is no longer a blessed believer enlightened by the Bodhisattva, but the incarnation of demons and monsters.

What good can come from being close to such a person?

In other words, everyone was afraid of Emperor Jianxing's identity and dared not speak out. If it were someone else, who knows how he would be criticized now.

Haven’t you seen that they are all avoiding the Meng family now?

Those who took over the case were eager to finish it immediately. In the past, they dragged their feet in handling cases, always wanting to gain more benefits from it, or to show off their power for a few more days. Now, they are very efficient, which is touching.

It only took three days to completely resolve the case of the former Pingyuan Earl sending people to assassinate Xu Huaiyi.

There were the previous assassins as witnesses, and later, some servants were captured from the Pingyuan Earl's Mansion for interrogation. Their mouths were always pried open, and every crime was recorded in the book. Even Meng Yao's name appeared many times.

The people handling the case then realized that the one who really wanted Xu Huaiyi dead was not Pingyuan Bo, but her?

This discovery was horrifying enough. The people in the Ministry of Justice didn't dare to ask too many questions or think too much. They just kept honest records and reported them to their superiors. Then they all tacitly turned a deaf ear and dumb, thinking that it was not something they should worry about.

No one wants to worry about this. Almost everyone who comes into contact with this matter chooses to ignore it tacitly, and no one wants to pursue it further.

There is no point in talking about it. When it comes to matters involving gods and ghosts, it is easy to end up in a bad situation.

Anyway, Meng Yao is dead, and Marquis Pingyuan is also dead. The entire marquisate has collapsed, and there is no outstanding person to support the family. There will be no more trouble in the future, and this mess can be safely covered.

At least, it makes sense on the surface and gives an explanation to the outside world.

Emperor Jianxing did not investigate further and acquiesced to the attitude of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. However, not all people and matters could be dealt with so muddled. Many government offices, such as the Ministry of War, the Arsenal, and the Gunpowder Bureau, were cleared out. More than a hundred people were dealt with inside and outside the palace. This matter finally came to an end.

When Xu Huaiyi heard the result, he looked calm. It was obvious that he had guessed it long ago. He hid comfortably in the house, playing games while recuperating from his injuries.

Gu Huanxi didn't feel much. More than a hundred people sounded like a lot, but she was not worried that anyone would be wrongly accused. Which official was clean these days?

Some were sentenced, some were exiled, some were beheaded, all paid the price for their mistakes.

It was originally thought that with such treatment, the capital would be able to remain peaceful for a period of time. However, it did not take long before rumors began to spread among the people.

This rumor was nothing new. It was nothing more than the rumor about Meng Yao being killed by lightning. People liked to talk about such strange stories. When someone with ulterior motives took advantage of it, the rumor spread even more wildly.

By the time the news reached the court, it was already too late to suppress it.

Emperor Jianxing was furious about this. Despite the objections of several important cabinet ministers, he ordered the Imperial Guards to capture those troublemakers who spread rumors and caused trouble.

In his opinion, anyone who spread these words was tantamount to treason.

Yes, as the rumor spread, it had gone beyond the scope of gossip and had a tendency to accuse Emperor Jianxing of being a tyrant.

As I said, who told Emperor Jianxing to favor Meng Yao so much before? He did everything Meng Yao said, and even made her the Princess of a County and Princess of a County. In order to protect her, he even went so far as to hurt the hearts of his meritorious officials. All these behaviors undoubtedly showed that he was bewitched by evil spirits and became a tyrant.

However, it is more difficult to stop the people from speaking than to stop the river from flooding. It is impossible to completely ban it. Even if the imperial guards arrest people in a high-profile manner, no one will dare to talk about it openly. Who would know if someone secretly says a few words behind the scenes?

What's worse is that this rumor spread from the capital to other provinces, and it spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. The influence and destructive power of the rumor are self-evident.

At this point, things got out of hand.

Later, even the Jinyiwei were dispatched, causing panic among the people.

From then on, Meng Yao became a completely taboo word, and even talking about being struck by lightning became a taboo.

To make matters worse, before the rumors unfavorable to Emperor Jianxing had died down, a group of rebels suddenly emerged in an unknown small county. Under the banner of clearing the court of corrupt officials and rectifying the government, they captured two provincial capitals in just a few days and were poised to march towards the capital soon.

Upon receiving the news, Emperor Jianxing could not hold it in and vomited blood during the morning court session, which immediately frightened all the court officials.

I don’t know if the palace was too flustered and forgot to keep the news secret, or if it was impossible to keep it secret at all, but the news soon spread outside the palace.

As a result, the atmosphere in the capital became even more chaotic.

After Xu Huaiyi found out, he was displeased, "The King of Chu has taken action, and he will seize the opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Gu Huanxi asked, "Are you talking about the rumor that led the people to criticize Emperor Jianxing as a tyrant? Or the so-called righteous army?"

Xu Huaiyi sneered, "This is all his doing. It seems that he can't hold his temper anymore when the court asks for a crown prince, and wants to jump out and stir up trouble. Unfortunately, he will probably be disappointed this time. The more chaotic the situation is, the faster the crown prince will be appointed."

"Then there is nothing to be congratulated for being the crown prince at this time. The Prince of Qi did not make a wrong move by leaving the capital."

"Well, he got a good deal. Maybe it won't be long before these princes become cannon fodder. That's when he will return to Beijing to take charge of the situation."

"Then do you think the rebels can reach the capital?"

"It's probably hopeless. Emperor Jianxing is not stupid. He noticed last year that Prince Chu's palace had private soldiers and sent the Royal Guards to investigate. My master uncle was ordered to do this in exchange for his merits. He has probably already made arrangements. It's a little early for Prince Chu to jump out now..."

Gu Huanxi half-jokingly and half-seriously guessed, "Could it be that he was stimulated by what happened in the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion?"

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi's heart moved, and he murmured, "Don't mention it, it's really possible. Haha, that's interesting."

"Whether it's interesting or not, it has nothing to do with you right now. You should just stay at home and recover from your injuries."

"Oh, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have acted so seriously. I missed an opportunity to make great achievements in vain."

Following the army to quell the rebellion, he could also gain some merit. War is something that is too addictive, and it was hard for Xu Huaiyi not to be tempted.

Seeing his regretful expression, Gu Huanxi silently reminded him, "Do you think you are not hated enough? You have become a fourth-rank official in just half a year. If you make more contributions, how will the court reward you? Do you really want to shock the emperor with your achievements?"

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi laughed awkwardly, "I just said it casually. I don't really want to go to war. Fighting foreign enemies is my duty, but forget about starting a civil war. I'm afraid I won't have the heart to do it, hehe..."

Gu Huanxi would never believe him. She knew he was not sincere and changed the subject. "When you have time, go talk to Han Jun."

"Huh? What happened to him?"

"The court requested the establishment of a crown prince, but he seemed to have lost interest in it. He even tried to test Xiaoyu, asking her if she wanted to return to the palace and resume her status as the emperor's grandson..."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi could not help but frown, "He has an idea now. He thinks he can fight for the King of Qi? If Xiaoyu, the eldest grandson of the emperor, is here, who knows if someone in the court will side with the King of Qi."

Gu Huanxi said meaningfully, "Not only that, he might have evidence of Prince Duan's murder of Xiaoyu. Once the evidence is exposed, Prince Duan will forget about being the crown prince. The other princes might also be involved. If they are really caught in one fell swoop, Prince Qi will have a great chance of winning."

Xu Huaiyi's heart was shaken when he heard this.