Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

After seeing Su Zhe off, Xu Huaiyi threw the post into the trash can, out of sight, out of mind.

Gu Huanxi came in with a bowl of Chinese medicine and saw this scene. He asked curiously, "What was thrown away?"

Xu Huaiyi said with an unhappy look on his face, "Prince Duan asked Su Zhe to send this letter."

Gu Huanxi put down the medicine bowl and picked up the invitation from the basket again. "There are so many people around, and you dare to throw away the invitation of the new prince. Are you trying to save your life?"

Xu Huaiyi snorted, "He's ready to roast me on the fire, why should I give him face? Sooner or later, we'll fall out anyway."

Gu Huanxi glared at him. "How long will it take? Maybe three to five years. We have to keep up the show. Otherwise, before he steps down, they will overthrow our family. Don't take it lightly. He is not a fool. He has both scheming and means, as well as power and status. It will be easy for him to crush us."

Xu Huaiyi was scolded so much that he dared not say a word. He forced himself to change the subject and looked at the bowl of Chinese medicine with disgust on his face. "This medicine smells too bad. What are you bringing it to me? I'm not going to drink it."

Gu Huanxi said unhappily, "What else can you do? Don't you need to pretend? Do you think those women you brought back are just for show and you don't need to be on guard at all?"

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi smiled bitterly and became completely honest. "Well, wife, look at this post, should we destroy it?"

Gu Huanxi thought for a moment and said, "We definitely can't go. We have a ready-made excuse, but we have to send the gift. If we don't express anything, it would be a disgrace to the new prince. We have to make an enemy."

Xu Huaiyi nodded, "Okay, then just pick a few things that are presentable and have Wei Liang deliver them."

Gu Huanxi said "hmm", put down the post, and said with a little confusion, "Prince Duan should be keeping a low profile at this time, why is he making such a fuss?"

Xu Huaiyi could understand a little. "He has been dreaming of the position of crown prince for who knows how many years. Now that he has finally won, won't he be proud for a few days? Besides, even if he can keep it stable, the people around him will support him to take the throne. It's hard to refuse such kindness. Moreover, he must be very proud of himself. Emperor Jianxing looks like he will die at any time. It's hard for anyone to keep a normal mind as the crown prince!"

Gu Huanxi frowned and said, "Then Prince Jin and Prince Qi must be suffering."

Xu Huaiyi couldn't help but feel worried when he heard this. "Once those two get anxious, who knows what stupid tricks they will come up with. It's ok if they kill themselves, but I'm afraid they will implicate others, hurt innocent people, and cause unrest in the capital. Sigh..."

"Our dynasty doesn't allow the princes to go to their fiefdoms, otherwise we could send them directly to their fiefdoms."

"That's useless. As long as they are still intent on stealing, going to their fiefdoms will only lead to the return of the tiger to the mountain, leaving hidden dangers behind. Who knows, they might cause even greater chaos in the future."

"It's also..."

The couple discussed it and without any delay, they sent Wei Liang to Prince Duan's mansion to present a gift the next day.

The East Palace had not been cleaned up yet, so the new prince still lived in Prince Duan's Mansion. In front of the palace, there was a long line of people coming to the banquet and give gifts. There was no room for the tables in the palace, so they had to use the open space outside to prepare a buffet. Even the common people were entertained. The scene was crowded and spectacular.

After Wei Liang came back and told Xu Huaiyi about this, he couldn't help but frown, "He is a prince after all, he has seen the world, why is he messing around like a poor man who suddenly became rich?"

Wei Liang said, "Maybe, it's beyond my control. Many people who went to give gifts and attend banquets didn't have invitations."

You are the type who rushes to add fuel to the fire, but you shouldn't hit someone in the face. When someone comes to congratulate you and give you gifts, can you still chase them away?

Xu Huaiyi sighed, "Good fellow, this is probably a plot by someone, right? He is flattering me, and at such a sensitive time. Tsk tsk, I don't know whose idea it was, it's really mean!"

The war was bloodless, but very effective. Originally, the purpose of choosing a crown prince at this time was to stabilize the government, reassure the people's hearts, and solve the current problems as soon as possible, in order to break the deadlock. However, when Prince Duan came to power, he was not in a hurry to show his abilities or give an explanation to the court officials and the people, but instead held a banquet to win the hearts of the people. This was putting the cart before the horse.

Afterwards, Sun Yu made a special trip to Gu's house and brought Xu Huaiyi a lot of precious medicinal herbs, which made him both moved and sad.

Ever since he pretended to be sick, in order to make the show complete, he had to take Chinese medicine all day long. Even if he didn't drink it, the smell would make him vomit, and the room was so choked with fumes that not even a mosquito could stay.

Sun Yu first asked about his health, and when he learned that he was well, his tone was much more relaxed, "Luckily, you didn't break any bones, otherwise all the achievements you risked your life to earn would have been wasted."

Because of his physical disability, no matter how great his contributions were, he could not serve in the Yulin Guard. At that time, he could only receive a salary with the title of a fourth-rank Wuyi General. It sounded good, but as a military general, his future was ruined.

Xu Huaiyi smiled and said, "Doctor Jiao said that if we take care of it for another seven or eight days, it will be fine."

Sun Yu nodded, "There's no need to rush. Your master has already informed the Imperial Guards, and they all know about your situation. No one will gossip about it. Wait until you're fully recovered before you go."

"Thank you, master."

"There's no need to be polite to your teacher. Besides, it's not all because of your teacher's reputation. You have earned it yourself."

Xu Huaiyi laughed at himself, "What honor can I earn? I was hunted all the way, and even after entering the palace, I was not let go. It was almost a joke. No other general has a disciple with such a miserable fate."

Hearing this, Sun Yu looked at him strangely and said, "You are the only one who has a miserable life? If you say this out loud, you will definitely be beaten! If you have a miserable life, there will be no good life in the world..."

At this point, even a young man from an aristocratic family like Sun Yu had a sour tone in his voice, "He fought for half a year, didn't suffer many injuries, and returned to the capital as a fourth-rank general. Which military general can be so lucky? Even the top scholar in the military exam was only given the seventh rank when he entered the government. If he is placed in the military camp without training for ten or eight years, he can't even reach the fifth rank, and some may never reach the fourth rank in their entire lives..."

Xu Huaiyi laughed dryly, "It was all a coincidence. If it weren't for the last achievement, I wouldn't have been able to reach the level of a fourth-rank general. It was purely a coincidence."

Sun Yu shook his head. "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. Luck plays a part, but more of it is your own ability. No one can deny this. However, you were able to dodge all the assassinations. You did have some luck in it. You are indeed a lucky general."

In the past, when people said he was a lucky general, it was a bit of a joke, but now, he truly deserves the title.

Xu Huaiyi wanted to be more modest, but Sun Yu interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "The title of lucky general is not flattery, just accept it with peace of mind, it will also help you lead troops in battles in the future."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi was stunned for a moment, "After joining the Yulin Guard, do I still have to lead troops to fight?"

Sun Yu sighed, "In the past, there was really no chance to fight. All we had to do was protect the safety of the imperial palace, but now..."

After a pause, he whispered to the emperor meaningfully, "Do you think people inside and outside the palace can still live in peace?"

Xu Huaiyi blinked, "So, I chose the wrong place to join the Yulin Guard at this moment?"

Before, he was mostly a mascot standing guard, but now he needs to fight for his life at any time. The danger level might be even more serious than fighting against the Japanese pirates.

Sun Yu said in a complicated tone, "If chaos really breaks out, there will be danger everywhere, it's the same everywhere..."

"So, don't mess around."

"Do you have a good idea?"

Xu Huaiyi had a worried look on his face and smiled bitterly, "What can I do? This is not a situation I can get involved in. Shouldn't you ask the Grandmaster?"

Sun Yu shook his head. "We have thought of everything we can think of. The crown prince has been appointed, but look at what is happening now..."

"Haven't you sent anyone to quell the rebels yet?"

"We are discussing it."

"What about those rumors with ulterior motives?"

"We have tried our best to suppress it, but the effect is not as good as expected. There are still many people who are secretly suspicious, and some things have not been explained clearly."

Xu Huaiyi said helplessly, "If you can't explain it clearly, then don't explain it. Isn't the key point those evil people who spread rumors and deceived the people? Only by arresting them can the problem be truly solved."

Sun Yu was even more depressed than him. "Do you think your teacher doesn't understand this? But how can we arrest him without evidence? He is not an ordinary official. He is a legitimate descendant of the royal family. With the Empress Dowager here, no one can touch him."

Didn't Emperor Jianxing want to exterminate the entire lineage of the King of Chu? But the word "filial piety" weighed on him, and even if he was so angry that he vomited blood, he didn't dare to turn against him.

Xu Huaiyi was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is the emperor feeling better now?"

Sun Yu glared at him, "How dare you ask anything?"

Xu Huaiyi smiled innocently, "Disciple is also worried about the emperor."

Sun Yu criticized him again, but still said, "He was unconscious for several hours before he was rescued. The imperial physician said that he needs to rest and rest from now on. He should not worry about anything, and he must not get angry."

Xu Huaiyi raised his eyebrows, "Will the Emperor be pleased?"

Sun Yu did not give a direct answer, but said, "The emperor has already planned to let the prince govern the country."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi sighed meaningfully, "Prince..."

Sun Yu laughed, "Stop talking so weird. I heard that the prince sent you an invitation, and you sent someone to send a gift?"

Xu Huaiyi chuckled, "Yes, the post was sent by Su Zhe himself. I have to recover from my injuries and cannot go to congratulate you, but I have to give you a gift. Otherwise, I would be ignorant."

Sun Yu nodded, "That's the right thing to do. We should do the same in the future."

Xu Huaiyi readily agreed.

He actually wanted to know whether Emperor Jianxing had taken the elixir, but he didn't dare to ask.

A few days later, the Gu family pharmacy opened for business. Even at this juncture, they did not dare to make a big fuss so as not to offend anyone. After all, the capital city was not suitable for excitement at the moment.

Therefore, the pharmacy was opened in a low-key manner, with only a string of firecrackers set off to make a noise.

However, because the doctor on duty was Dr. Jiao, there were still many people who heard the news and came to see the doctor. It was not deserted at all, and it was considered a good start.

Gu Huanxi did not go, so Xu Huaiyi carried his daughter and went to help them work all day. He couldn't pretend to be sick at home any longer, and if he didn't go out for a walk, he would go crazy.

After finishing the opening of the pharmacy, Xu Huaiyi went to serve as best man for Li Yunting. He entertained guests from morning to night and came back drunk.

Gu Huanxi scolded him angrily, "They're getting married, why are you drinking so hard?"

Xu Huaiyi said drunkenly, "It's not because I was trying to stop drinking. It's because my classmates from the academy got together and I couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. I don't want people to think that I look down on others now that I'm a general of Wuyi..."

"Did anyone say something sarcastic?" Gu Huanxi made him a bowl of sobering soup and handed it to him.

Xu Huaiyi pinched his nose and drank it. He exhaled and his mind became much clearer. "It's inevitable to say sour words. It's normal. Who told me that I was promoted so fast? In the beginning, everyone was at the same starting line, but now, I'm several blocks ahead of them. Who can balance it?

Alas, even Meng Ping feels a little uncomfortable..."

"What's up with him?"

"He was anxious. Last year, he fought against the Japanese pirates but was unlucky. He was seriously injured right after he went on the field and missed several opportunities. After he came back, he was only promoted to a sergeant based on his achievements. He didn't want to go and stayed in the academy. This time, he took the initiative to sign up to suppress the rebellion."

"That's understandable. He'll go alone?"

"There is also Zhao Sanyou. He is in the military camp. It just so happens that he is assigned to the position. He has to go even if he doesn't want to. After drinking tonight, they will have to set off tomorrow."

"Do you think you can win?"

"It's hard to say. Even if we can win, it will be a difficult battle. I'm afraid it will take a long time. The King of Chu has been planning for so many years. Those private soldiers are definitely not just for show. If we can also take ordinary people with us, expand the team, and occupy the city, do you think this battle will be easy to fight?"

"Then the people will suffer again..."

"Who says it's not true? Wars kill people and consume food and grass. The treasury has been out of money for a long time. Where will the food and grass come from? Don't we have to fleece the people? Oh, I'm afraid taxes will be raised again. People's hearts are already unstable. Do you think that by creating a prince, the people will forget the stupid things Emperor Jianxing did? Ha..."

However, this time Xu Huaiyi guessed wrong. The court did not increase taxes on the people, but instead targeted the merchants.

In addition to raising business taxes, members of the chamber of commerce are also asked to make donations.

Of course, donations cannot be made too directly, but any indirect hints are essentially forcing businessmen to pay.

Merchants are naturally unhappy. Is there no end to the wool being fleeced?

But the Su family took the lead and donated 500,000 yuan. They were commended by the court and given a fifth-rank honorary position. Although it was an honorary position, it also meant a complete change in status.