Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

The cabinet's opposition made the prince very annoyed. He had worked hard for many years to finally become the crown prince and should have been in high spirits. However, who would have thought that he would have to take over such a mess as soon as he came to power? He took the trouble to propose a solution, but no one supported him and even found fault with it, as if his idea was bad. How embarrassed was he?

He could no longer suppress the anger in his heart, and roared in anger, "This won't work, that won't work, so what should we do? Should we just sit there and wait? If you think my method won't work, then tell me!"

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Lu frowned subconsciously. This incompetent roar was really disappointing. Where was the prince's demeanor as a crown prince?

Minister Sun sighed helplessly in his heart. If there was no more suitable choice, he should not be chosen to take the throne. So what if he is the heir? His ability as a monarch is indeed worrying.

The other ministers lowered their heads and gloated over the misfortune. With such ability, it would be strange for him to keep the position of crown prince. They really overestimated him in the past. He pretended to be very capable, but it turned out that it was all a setting.

Only Lord Zhou responded helplessly, "Your Highness, please calm down. This matter is quite complicated and not so easy to resolve. We need to consider it carefully. Otherwise, it will cause unrest in the capital and instability among the people."

The prince swung his sleeves and sneered, "We just spoiled them too much. They are just lowly merchants. Now that the country is in trouble, we asked them to contribute some money to tide over the difficulties, but they all refused to cooperate. What else can we expect from them in the future? If they don't want to open the door to welcome customers, then they should just stop working in the future. Without those merchants, I don't believe that the capital will be in chaos? Do they have such a big face?"

Hearing this, Prime Minister Lu looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. He had only been in office for a few days, so how could he be so frivolous?

He solemnly reminded, "Prince, please be careful with your words. Merchants are also citizens of Great Yong. How can they be considered inferior? Moreover, they did not refuse the court's collection of more commercial taxes. They just don't want to donate more silver. Donations are based on the principle of voluntariness. No one can force them. Therefore, it doesn't matter if they don't cooperate. As for them closing down their businesses now, this is their freedom. Even the court should not interfere too much."

The rebuttals were thrown in the prince's face, which made him even more embarrassed. However, due to Prime Minister Lu's status, he could not get angry. He could only force a stiff smile and admit his fault, "Prime Minister is right. I was not thoughtful enough."

Seeing him like this, Prime Minister Lu didn't know what to say anymore, so he turned around and asked the other ministers if they had any good ideas.

The two elders who supported Prince Jin and Prince Qi were eager to see the prince make a fool of himself. Even if they had a good plan, they would not say it. What's more, they didn't have any good ideas that would be effective, so they just said a few perfunctory words.

It was Lord Zhou who made a suggestion, but this suggestion was somewhat damaging as it put the pressure on Minister Sun.

"Master Sun, I heard that your apprentice was quite quick-witted and did well in business when he was in Jingwu Academy. Why don't you go ask him?"

Minister Sun's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and modest, saying, "You mean Huaiyi? He was born in a farming family, what business can he do? He is just doing small things to support his family. His so-called quick wits are just for survival. Elder Zhou is praising him too much, he doesn't deserve it. He is a military commander who has not even memorized the Four Books and Five Classics. What can you ask him about politics? Don't call him here to waste your time..."

Elder Zhou refused to give up and pressed on, "Lord Sun, you are too modest. Now the whole court, including the civil and military officials, and even the people of the capital, who doesn't know the reputation and ability of General Xu? He is a lucky general on the battlefield, and he must be no less in the business world. From Qingzhou to the capital, in just over two years, the business has grown to its current scale. This is not only quick wit, but also great talent!"

"Master Zhou..."

"Hey, Lord Sun, don't be anxious. Just listen to me. There was a drought two years ago, and so many victims were left homeless. Unfortunately, the treasury was empty and it was difficult to provide relief. Lord Sun was still in the Ministry of Revenue at the time, so he should have the most experience with this. Who wouldn't be worried about this? But later, General Xu used a little trick to solve the problem. It was a stroke of genius. I still remember it to this day. With such a talent, Lord Sun, wouldn't you want him to contribute to the country and serve the court?"

Before Minister Sun could say no, the Crown Prince excitedly took over the conversation, "Yes, I am also aware of General Xu's abilities. He and Su Zhe are classmates and friends. Many of the businesses run by Su Zhe were his ideas, and they make a lot of money. He has the Midas touch. Why not ask him what he thinks?"

Having said that, if Minister Sun continued to refuse, it would be very tactless and would also make people offend on behalf of Xu Huaiyi, so he had no choice but to agree.

However, he also left Xu Huaiyi a way out, which was to just ask. If there was a solution, that would be the best, but if not, it would not be a sin.

After all, this was not Xu Huaiyi's responsibility.

The prince achieved his goal and left leisurely.

Lord Zhou left soon after, leaving only Prime Minister Lu and Minister Sun. The two looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

"The Crown Prince..." Prime Minister Lu spoke first, choosing his words carefully, "It seems that he is very different from before."

Minister Sun said meaningfully, "Maybe it's because your wish has finally come true?"

It is hard to say whether it was because he was too proud of himself or his true nature was exposed. Perhaps, it was both, which would be even more tragic.

Prime Minister Lu shook his head worriedly, "The Emperor should keep him by his side and teach him step by step..."

The princes in the palace start their education at the age of four or five. Those who teach them are all well-educated people, and none of them are stupid. However, the real way of being a king is superficial as described in the books. To understand the profound meaning and mystery, only the emperor can teach them everything he knows, including some experience in governing and ruling people.

But it is obvious that the prince is still lacking in this aspect, and Emperor Jianxing does not seem to want to care about it, so it is inevitable that they, as ministers, will have to work hard.

Minister Sun whispered, "Your Majesty, how can you have the energy to teach the Crown Prince now? Even if you do, I'm afraid it's..."

I'm afraid it's just superficial work.

Others don't know that these old ministers who have followed Emperor Jianxing for many years know the emperor's character too well. He was a wise ruler when he first ascended the throne, but gradually, he developed the common problems of emperors, especially now, he looks at everyone as someone who wants to rebel and seize his throne, especially towards a few princes, he is on guard to the point of destroying the humanity of father and son, and even doesn't care about the people of the world, he only cares about power.

So even though there is unrest everywhere and there is an urgent need to assist the prince in stabilizing the situation and winning over the people, Emperor Jianxing is hiding in the palace, claiming to be recuperating and not contributing. His purpose is simple: he does not want the prince to remain in the throne.

"Alas..." Prime Minister Lu obviously understood the situation very well, "Your Majesty should let go, sooner or later..."

"Shh..."

Prime Minister Lu closed his eyes and changed the subject, "Do you really want to ask Huaiyi for advice? This is not a good thing. It may be a troublesome thing to do or not. Moreover, even if it succeeds in the end, he won't get much of the credit."

Minister Sun smiled bitterly and said, "Look at how Lord Zhou and the Crown Prince were singing the same tune just now. Do you think I can refuse?"

Prime Minister Lu rarely made a joke, "Speaking of which, it's all because Huaiyi is so capable that people are thinking about him."

Hearing this, Minister Sun couldn't help but relax his brows and stopped being so modest. "He is indeed quite capable. He has made a great contribution to the fight against the Japanese pirates this time. After hearing about his achievements, anyone would praise him as a lucky general. As for doing business, he is also quite smart. Anyway, he has no worries about food and clothing now."

Lu Shoufu smiled and continued, "The children like him very much. My father Changzhi is reluctant to go home."

Minister Sun laughed and said, "Same, all the same. Yongyan is also very attached to Huaiyi. During the past six months when Huaiyi was away, he missed him a lot and wrote to him more often than he wrote to his father."

The two of them laughed and chatted for a while, and their mood improved a lot.

After returning, Minister Sun asked someone to invite Xu Huaiyi to his home for dinner.

When Xu Huaiyi left, he said to Gu Huanxi, "In the end, the imperial court couldn't hold on any longer. It's only been two days..."

Gu Huanxi helped him tidy up his clothes and asked casually, "Are you unhappy? Do you want to see merchants being forced to compromise and bleed?"

Xu Huaiyi shook his head and said sadly, "Of course not. We are also doing business. If they bleed, we have to cut our own flesh. But what does it mean that the court is so weak? It means that the country is weak and can't stand any trouble. This is not a happy thing."

"Okay, stop worrying about it and remember your status. You are a military commander. No matter how great your achievements are, you cannot enter the cabinet to govern. You should be in a position to govern. That is the job of the scholars in the two lists of Jinshi." Gu Huanxi rolled his eyes at him. "Isn't the Yulin Guard enough for you to be busy?"

Xu Huaiyi said quietly, "What is there for the Imperial Guard to do? It's an easy and respectable job. It can only be put to good use when there is an assassination or rebellion. Otherwise, it's just a way to get by."

"Just enjoy your life with a high salary."

"I really can't be happy..."

"Are you jealous of others going to war?"

"A little bit, my wife. I will definitely not go with this batch, but if the rebellion fails in the future and the court sends troops to support, can I join in the fun?"

Seeing his flattering and expectant expression, Gu Huanxi couldn't open her mouth to refuse anymore, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi was immediately as happy as a fool, "Hehe, I knew my wife was the most reasonable and considerate..."

Gu Huanxi urged unhappily, "Let's go quickly, don't keep Master Sun and Grandmaster waiting."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I know what the Grandmaster wants to talk to me about. I've already gone over the process several times in my mind these past two days, and I'll make sure it doesn't fall through."

"It is time to hide your shortcomings."

"understand!"

He came back very late. After Gu Huanxi coaxed his daughter to sleep, he closed his eyes in a daze. He felt the bed sinking and an arm wrapped around him, and he woke up with a start.

"came back?"

"Well, did it wake you up?"

The two of them slept in the RV with only a small warm yellow night light on. It was dim and the atmosphere was very cozy.

Gu Huanxi rubbed his eyes, checked his phone, and said speechlessly, "It's almost twelve o'clock. How long have you been talking? It's so late, why didn't the Sun family let you stay?"

Xu Huaiyi had just washed himself briefly and was still wet. Hearing this, he explained, "I stayed. I said I had something else to do when I came back. Hehe, they probably thought it was wrong. They thought I had been away for so long before and I came back to stick to my wife and couldn't leave you."

"Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Why are you embarrassed? It's normal for a couple to have a harmonious relationship!"

Gu Huanxi couldn't stand his shamelessness and changed the subject, "Have you finished talking about it? What does your master think?"

Xu Huaiyi said proudly, "Of course they praised me highly, saying that my idea was good and adopted it in its entirety without any modification."

"So, if they agree to increase the commercial tax by two percentage points for a two-year trial, and if the court recovers after two years, they will lower it again?"

"Well, this way the transition is smoother and merchants are more likely to accept it,"

"You agree to stop donating silver and auction off the quota for becoming an imperial merchant?"

"Well, Master thinks this method can be implemented long-term."

Gu Huanxi asked in surprise, "Master is also the Minister of Finance. Aren't you afraid of offending those people by proposing this method?"

Xu Huaiyi said disdainfully, "Who did we offend? Those eunuchs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Humph, they have made enough money over the years. They have emptied the national treasury and fattened themselves up. They are bigger than rats. No one would think it excessive even if we kill them, let alone offend them. Now is a time when we are short of money. Other ministers are afraid that the court will be desperate and waste their own money. They wish someone could stand in the way."

"Oh, then it's nothing, go to sleep."

"No, there's one more thing I haven't told you."

Gu Huanxi yawned and asked impatiently, "Anything else? Tell me quickly..."

Xu Huaiyi leaned close to his ear and whispered excitedly, "Emperor Jianxing is still taking the elixir, and he's quite dependent on it."

Hearing this, Gu Huanxi was stimulated and suddenly became more alert. "Meng Yao's death was so strange, didn't he have any doubts or fears?"

Xu Huaiyi said slowly, "Of course he is suspicious, but once the elixir is made, it has to be handed over to the imperial physician to test the ingredients. Only when it is guaranteed to be non-toxic will he dare to eat it. As for being afraid, I'm afraid he can't take care of it. Before, in order to throw dirty water on the head of the Empress Dowager, he deliberately took poison. Although he recovered afterwards, it still hurt his body to some extent. A few days ago, he was so angry that he vomited blood and fainted. How can he not be nervous? Once the body collapses, all the imperial power and hegemony are meaningless. Life is the most important thing. That elixir should be effective and very suitable for his symptoms."

"How did you know?"

"My master gave me some advice."

"Master would reveal such a sensitive and taboo topic to you?"

"Theoretically, it shouldn't be possible. However, he probably wants to ask me about Meng Yao. How can I respond if I don't reveal a little bit first?"

"So, he knows that the recipe for the elixir was given by Meng Yao?"

"Well, he and Prime Minister Lu also tried to persuade him, but Emperor Jianxing promised on the surface that he would be cautious in taking it, but in private, he still took it anyway. There was an imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital who should be Master's man, so he was secretly told that after taking the pill, it had a miraculous effect on the body's recovery, and he looked much more energetic. Who could resist such temptation?"

"You didn't say that the pills contain heavy metals and are toxic if taken for a long time, right?"

"Am I that stupid? Don't worry, I won't say anything that violates the taboo. Even when Master asked me about Meng Yao being struck by lightning, I pretended to know nothing. I didn't say she was a monster, I just said she was a little bit weird. But the coal mines and silver mountains she donated were genuine, so no one can say whether there is a problem with the elixir."