The council chamber became unusually quiet. Chen Dianyi even subtly took two steps back, glanced innocently at Marshal Huo who looked completely bewildered, nudged him lightly with his elbow, pointed towards the door, and gestured for them to hurry up.

Marshal Huo was somewhat puzzled, but seeing that Chen Dianyi was on high alert, and that Qin Yuanpan and Xie Changshi were clearly acting strangely, he turned his eyes around and slowly followed them out.

The two stood by the door, which neither prevented them from hearing the conversation inside nor made it difficult for them to conceal themselves.

Only then did Marshal Huo ask, "What's wrong? Did His Highness say something inappropriate? Why does everyone look so strange?"

The military camp was full of roughnecks. Although his deputy generals were all educated, he had to be unconventional and sometimes make crude jokes to get along with his men.

Therefore, in his view, the young prince's statement that it would affect Guard Qi's marriage was a perfectly normal statement.

Chen Dianyi shook his head and said in a low voice, "Your Highness is still young, and everything should be guided in a positive direction. If someone deliberately says these things in front of Your Highness to arouse your curiosity, then things will be difficult to handle."

It is important to know that in the palace, princes would be guided by palace maids when they were twelve or thirteen years old.

Although the young prince is only six years old, it's hard to guarantee that no one will have any bad intentions.

Chen Dianyi didn't spell it out too clearly, but Marshal Huo already understood, and his expression changed instantly: "Your concerns are valid. The young prince is still young, and there's no need to rush these matters. Besides, the situation in the northern desert is still unresolved, and the prince shouldn't let these things distract him."

That's exactly what I meant.

Who knows how long the situation in the northern desert will last? If the young prince is led astray and becomes obsessed with this matter, he could very well become the enemy's weak point.

As the marshal of the Huo family army, Huo Qiyuan naturally understood that when two armies clash, all sorts of dirty tricks would be used to make the other side suffer.

The two people outside looked serious. Inside, Chief Secretary Xie finally opened his eyes. He squatted down and asked cautiously, "Your Highness, who told you that Guard Qi's scar on his face would affect his ability to find a wife?"

The more Xie Changshi thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

The young prince must have only learned about the injury to Guard Qi after meeting him. He didn't encounter anyone else during that time. Who could have told the young prince that the injury on his face would affect the marriage?

Or did someone know in advance that Guard Qi was injured on the face?

After the attack on the young prince, Chief Secretary Xie had no choice but to speculate that things were going in a more complicated direction.

Little did he know that these words were merely casual remarks from Teacher Shu.

Gu Yuzhi knew he couldn't let Chief Secretary Xie know about the existence of the agricultural and commercial system, so he blinked his big eyes, looking completely innocent, trying to get away with it by being cute.

However, in the eyes of Chief Clerk Xie and Judge Qin, this matter was of great importance and could not be let go so easily, so Chief Clerk Xie continued to stare at him intently.

Gu Yuzhi pursed his lips, looking adorable. Seeing that Xie Changshi remained unmoved, he tilted his head as if thinking seriously for a while before saying, "No one."

Seeing that Chief Secretary Xie and Imperial Physician Qin still looked serious, Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and said, "Really, there's no one. I heard from Concierge Chen that several families in Xinliang got married this year, so Xinliang's population will increase next year."

As he spoke, Gu Yuzhi's tone became more assertive: "I know, Guard Qi didn't get married in the capital. Everyone else is getting married, so of course he should get married too!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Changshi took two steps back, slowly stood up, and subtly glanced at Gu Yuzhi. Seeing that Gu Yuzhi showed no remorse, shook his head, and sat back down, still blinking his big eyes at him, Xie Changshi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he must have been overly suspicious.

Looking at the little prince's adorable appearance, Chief Secretary Xie once again had the thought that he might be going too far.

The young prince has experienced marriage before, but he's overthinking it...

Gu Yuzhi was beaming with pride as he said to Shu Xiaohan, "Teacher Shu, Teacher Shu, luckily I'm smart, otherwise Chief Secretary Xie would definitely keep asking questions."

I just don't understand why Xie Changshi would ask himself such a serious question repeatedly about something so simple.

Shu Xiaohan gave Gu Yuzhi a thumbs up: "As expected of the young prince, your mind works so fast!"

She patted her chest and said, "Young Prince, you don't know, I was almost scared to death. Chief Secretary Xie is smart, but he tends to overthink things. If the young prince had given even the slightest clue, Chief Secretary Xie would have followed the trail and might have guessed that I and Manager Wen were together."

Wen Xiuzhu nodded expressionlessly, not even waving his favorite fan.

Shu Xiaohan muttered to herself, "Now I finally understand why people in ancient times, despite going to bed early and waking up early, didn't live long."

Gu Yuzhi asked curiously, "What? What?"

He scratched his head: "Teacher Shu talks about longevity. How old did people in your generation live to be?"

Shu Xiaohan raised her head with extreme confidence and pride, saying, "The longest-lived people in our era lived to be over a hundred years old, and there were quite a few people in their eighties and nineties. The average lifespan was almost eighty."

Gu Yuzhi's mouth gaped open; she was completely stunned.

What does a person look like at eighty years old?

He shook his head, feeling that he couldn't even figure it out using an abacus.

He asked curiously, "Then why can't we live to be eighty?"

"Aside from the main reason of outdated medical technology, the rest is all because of people like you. You spend your free time thinking about things and overuse your brains. You're bound to die young!"

Shu Xiaohan nodded as she spoke, confirming her guess once again.

Chief Secretary Xie and Imperial Physician Qin were already used to Gu Yuzhi's occasional absent-mindedness. After exchanging a few glances, they quickly understood each other's meaning.

After Qin, the court physician, took the prescription to prepare the medicine, Chen Dianyi and Huo Qiyuan came in.

Xie Changshi quickly changed the subject to the salt permits, only to learn that Qi Chengjun had contacted rice merchants for them.

Even though Xie Changshi considered himself to have weathered many storms, he couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing Qi Chenglang's words. He slammed his hand on the corner of the table and kept saying, "Great!"

All those who should be arrested at Li Ji Trading Company have been arrested, and the head manager, Li Yanping, is dead. It is absolutely impossible for Li Ji Trading Company to cause any more trouble.

This is something to be happy about, but it has also put the northern desert in a predicament: food!

Li Ji Trading Company has controlled the northern desert with grain for so many years. Rice merchants either depend on them for survival or are ruined and destroyed.

The rice merchants in Jiangnan, facilitated by Prince Qi, have indeed solved their current predicament to a great extent.