Xie Changshi was laughing happily, but little did he know that Lu Muchen had fallen into a predicament.

Qi, the third-ranked guard, was naturally also his defeated opponent.

But now, Guard Qi is the young prince's chief guard. If I tell the truth, will the young prince be angry?

When he arrived, all the ladies of the harem sent word that he should get along well with the young prince, and even the emperor hinted to him that the young prince was extremely protective of his own.

Lu Muchen knew that the Emperor was reminding him that as long as he caught the eye of Prince Wen, subduing the Huo family army would be much easier.

But now, he hasn't even caught His Highness's eye yet, and he's already going to offend His Highness first?

Gu Yuzhi had no idea about Lu Muchen's inner turmoil, and was looking at him expectantly: "Really? Really?"

His big eyes darted around. This General Lu seemed easy to get along with. If he secretly told General Lu to pay attention to those bad guys' days off, General Lu would probably agree, right?

He rested his chin on his hands, feeling a bit sleepy again.

He shook his head violently, like a rattle drum, pouting and making gurgling sounds, while occasionally patting his cheeks with his little hands, trying to clear his head.

He still wanted to discuss the matter of putting sacks on General Lu, so he couldn't fall asleep.

Lu Muchen, who was originally quite conflicted, couldn't help but laugh out loud after seeing Gu Yuzhi's actions.

Your Majesty, when you sent me here, you didn't tell me that the little prince was so adorable!

Lu Muchen unconsciously lowered his guard and leaned forward to whisper, "Guard Qi, the competition back then was indeed..."

He didn't speak very clearly: "Ahem, I..."

Gu Yuzhi blinked, then turned to look at Chief Secretary Xie: "Chief Secretary Xie, Chief Secretary Xie..."

Chief Secretary Xie took a step back, a bad feeling suddenly rising within him.

Sure enough, the next moment, Gu Yuzhi, bursting with curiosity, asked cheerfully, "Ahem, what do you mean? Does it mean you lost to me?"

He clenched his small fist: "No wonder Guard Qi didn't want to talk to me, he must feel that he lost face."

Xie Changshi and Lu Muchen exchanged a glance, both with smiles in their eyes.

Gu Yuzhi continued to mutter, "But so what if he lost? I won't laugh at him! I used to lose to Xueye all the time when we fought! Back then, Guard Qi would punish me by not giving me any meat!"

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned his head and said, "General Lu, General Lu, Guard Qi lost to you, are you going to punish him by not giving him meat?"

Lu Muchen...

"Not really..."

Gu Yuzhi pouted and said, "That's right, Guard Qi is very pampered at home, so no one would refuse to give him meat."

Unlike myself, I'm not favored at home...

Gu Yuzhi spat twice. He was not favored at home, but he was very favored in his fiefdom.

However, none of that mattered. Gu Yuzhi glanced at Xie Changshi without leaving a trace, and then his eyes lit up with a good idea: "General Lu, General Lu, it just so happens that you've come. Why don't you give me some pointers on my martial arts?"

He pouted and said, "Guard Qi and Guard Zhang are both so busy now, they don't have time to teach me."

Although Mr. Huo would give guidance, what he taught were all extremely practical killing moves, moves that would ensure one could kill the enemy with a single blow on the battlefield.

Sometimes, Gu Yuzhi would get so confused while studying that he would end up getting himself all confused.

In addition, with Guard Qi and Guard Zhang always busy lately, his martial arts style is now almost identical to Mr. Huo's.

Lu Muchen had intended to meet His Highness, hand over the gifts brought by the Emperor and the ladies of the harem to the young prince, and then go directly to Quanzhou. Who knew that it was already past midnight and His Highness was still inviting him to watch him practice martial arts?

Isn't Your Highness working a little too hard?

Gu Yuzhi didn't give Lu Muchen any time to hesitate, grabbing him and running outside, leaving Xie Changshi behind.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Gu Yuzhi pulled Lu Muchen aside and hid in a corner, whispering his plan to him.

Shu Xiaohan and Wen Xiuzhu watched as he spilled his entire plan like beans. Looking at Lu Muchen, they noticed that his face was deathly pale under the candlelight and moonlight.

However, Lu Muchen is rather strange. He only met the young prince for the first time today, yet the young prince trusts him so much.

They actually dared to tell Lu Muchen about something that even Chief Secretary Xie had to keep from him.

Shu Xiaohan pushed up her glasses, looked at Lu Muchen's baby face again, and sighed, "Being good-looking is a real advantage."

If Lu Muchen didn't have this incredibly deceptive face, the young prince wouldn't have been so unguarded, would he?

It wasn't until Gu Yuzhi nudged Lu Muchen that Lu Muchen snapped out of his shock. He looked down at the bright-eyed prince and, as if he hadn't noticed anything, whispered, "Your Highness is so experienced, you must have done this before, right? And with pretty good results?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi's eyebrows practically flew up, and he proudly raised his chin, saying, "Of course!"

He confessed without hesitation that he had secretly put sacks on people before, then covered his mouth and chuckled, "General Lu, General Lu, after hearing what I've said, don't you think putting sacks on people is a fun thing to do?"

"It can punish the big bad guy, but he won't know who did it, and he'll definitely be worried and wondering who he's offended..."

Xie Changshi taught me this; it's called attacking people's hearts and minds.

Lu Muchen understood. This young prince was raised by Xie Changshi and others who were as cunning as sieves. No wonder he had so many crooked ideas at such a young age.

However, Lu Muchen himself was not a very principled person, otherwise Guard Qi would not have said that he was cunning.

His purpose in taking up a post in the Northern Desert Army was to completely eliminate those who had betrayed the emperor.

The number of troops in the Northern Desert Army can be reduced, but they must never be disunited. This is Lu Muchen's idea!

Under Gu Yuzhi's expectant gaze, Lu Muchen slowly nodded: "I think Your Highness's idea is excellent."

The King of Chu just likes to scheme against people behind their backs, so they should be made to taste what it's like to be schemed against!

Lu Muchen smiled, his fair, doll-like face carrying a slightly eerie quality.

Gu Yuzhi, however, was completely oblivious, feeling only joy. She tugged at Lu Muchen's sleeve and shook it repeatedly, her mouth brimming with praise: "General Lu, how can you be so good to me!"

"General Lu, General Lu, you are truly amazing, so incredible! I admire you so much!"

Anyway, since General Lu is in the military camp, even if something happens, Chief Secretary Xie won't be able to find anyone to punish him.

Don't think he's dull or stupid; he's actually quite smart!

Just as Xie Changshi was about to see the results of Lu Muchen's guidance, he heard the young prince's praises before he even got close, which seemed to be pouring out like they were free.

What happened?

In less than a quarter of an hour, how did General Lu's status rise so much?