Gu Yuzhi was delighted, feeling that with Marshal Huo's training, the development of Xinliang had reached a new level.
The Empress Dowager is always worried about Xinliang's safety. If she knew that Marshal Huo was here, she definitely wouldn't be so worried.
However, this is a complicated matter...
He looked up and saw Marshal Huo's composed face. He scratched his head and asked, "Mr. Huo, what's wrong? Are you worried about your health?"
He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. With Physician Qin here, he'll definitely cure you. Look, you're awake now. And I won't make you go to train soldiers right now, so don't worry."
Huo Qiyuan looked helpless and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, my status as a criminal is not suitable for leading troops. Moreover, you have informed the Emperor of this matter, and the Emperor..."
He knew about and tacitly approved of the Huo family's connection with the new emperor. After all, he was unwilling to accept that the Huo family, who had been loyal for generations, had ended up being beheaded for embezzling military funds.
The Huo family's sons are all brave and upright heroes, and all innocent. If they can be favored by the new emperor, at least their lives will be safe.
But he also understood that it was almost impossible to overturn the case of the Huo family. The Huo family members would basically have to live their lives in anonymity. As for training troops, he had never thought about it.
But upon hearing His Highness's suggestion, Huo Qiyuan's already cooled heart gradually warmed up again.
Perhaps, he will be able to go to the battlefield again in the future...
Gu Yuzhi, however, said nonchalantly, "I told Chief Secretary Xie that to outsiders you are all servants of my household, so there's no problem."
Huo Qiyuan sighed inwardly. His Highness was still young and had no idea about the intricacies of the court. So many people were watching him along the way. He feared that not only the Emperor would know that he was alive, but also those who wanted him dead.
The young prince has a long future ahead of him; if he were to implicate him...
Chief Secretary Xie patted his arm and whispered, "Don't worry, we have our own methods. The Huo family, at least for now, are buried under the iron mine."
Over the past year, the escort agency's business has been booming, and its reputation in the martial arts world has grown increasingly prominent. Not only in Changzhou, but also in other parts of the northern desert, many wealthy merchants have sought out the Wen family's escort agency for their escort services.
To facilitate communication with people in the capital, the Wen family even established a branch office in the outskirts of the capital. The bodyguards there were all handpicked by Qi Chengjun, aiming to deliver information to the emperor faster and more confidentially than before.
However, Marshal Huo didn't need to know these details.
Seeing Xie Changshi's certainty, Marshal Huo's heart finally settled down, and he knelt on the ground to express his gratitude.
Gu Yuzhi smiled and helped him up: "Mr. Huo, please rest assured and recuperate at home. Once your elder brother's reply arrives, you can rightfully go to Xinliang to train troops!"
Chief Secretary Xie said that nothing should be kept from the Emperor, so after rescuing Marshal Huo, Gu Yuzhi took the initiative to write a letter that was not made public.
Gu Yuzhi secretly thought that if his elder brother agreed, it would mean that Xie Changshi and Qi Chenglang were his people, and that his elder brother truly believed that the Huo family was innocent.
He glanced discreetly at Xie Changshi, who was talking to Marshal Huo, and covered his mouth to chuckle.
If Chief Secretary Xie still treats him like a child, he is making a big mistake. In the past year, he has not only grown taller, but also gained more knowledge and ideas.
After leaving the council hall and seeing that no one was around, Marshal Huo whispered, "Chief Secretary Xie, please tell me the truth, the new emperor..."
When the new emperor was still the crown prince, he also sent people to contact him, but he was a very pure military general and did not want to get involved in the struggle for the throne. He only wanted to protect the whole state and be a good protector of the people of the northern desert.
But things didn't go as planned.
During the days and nights he spent at the iron mine, he constantly reviewed the period from the incident to the execution of the Huo family in the autumn. He understood that this was the work of the King of Chu, but he found it difficult to judge whether the Crown Prince was innocent.
Chief Secretary Xie patted his arm: "When the new emperor was still the Crown Prince, he actively worked for the Huo family, but you also knew at that time that Prince Chu had a huge influence."
The late emperor favored Consort Gui, and Prince Chu, being her son, was naturally also deeply loved.
Although His Highness the Crown Prince is the legitimate son, the late Empress passed away early, leaving His Highness alone in the palace. If it weren't for the late Emperor...
Chief Secretary Xie quickly stopped his chaotic thoughts: "Don't worry, although His Highness Prince Wen is young, he has the heart of a child. With your guidance, he will surely be able to dominate the battlefield in the future."
Huo Qiyuan was dumbfounded, never expecting that Chief Secretary Xie would say such things to him.
Chief Secretary Xie continued, "Out of respect for the late Emperor, the Emperor will not overturn the case concerning the Huo family, so serving under Prince Wen is the best choice."
"You also understand that the border of Quanzhou is no longer stable. The Northern Barbarians have been recuperating for so many years. If they were to launch another large-scale attack, would the current Northern Army be able to withstand them and protect Quanzhou or the Northern Frontier?"
He stopped and bowed deeply to Huo Qiyuan: "Marshal Huo, please teach His Highness with all your heart."
The words weren't explicitly stated, but Huo Qiyuan already understood: he was to teach Prince Wen the art of warfare.
He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, I've agreed to this."
Whether it was because his circumstances left him with no choice, or for the sake of the people of the northern desert, he would teach His Highness properly.
But to Gu Yuzhi's surprise, after Huo Qiyuan returned to his room, he wrote out a list of Huo family confidants who had been squeezed out of the Mobei Army by various means over the years.
After handing over the list, Huo Qiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the name at the top, saying, "Your Highness, Chief Secretary Xie, this is my deputy general in the army. Back then, when I sensed that the Huo family was in trouble, I demoted him in advance, hoping that with him there, the Northern Desert Army would not be thrown into chaos."
But who could have imagined that not long after the Huo family's incident, this person would be expelled from the military?
"Chief Secretary Xie can have someone investigate him first. If he is still reliable, then he can be in charge of contacting the people below. They are not suitable to return to the Northern Desert Army, but they are suitable to serve as His Highness's personal guards or the city garrison."
Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up instantly.
He did a rough calculation and there were more than two hundred people.
The thought that these two hundred-plus soldiers who had experienced battles would become his personal guards or the city's defenders filled Gu Yuzhi with a sense of satisfaction.
He rescued Marshal Huo and gained hundreds of Huo family soldiers; his luck couldn't be better.
However, Gu Yuzhi's smile soon faded, and he felt a pang of sadness as he held the list: "Teacher Shu, I feel a bit strange."
Perhaps it was because Wen and Shu had been with him ever since he arrived in Mobei, or perhaps it was because Teacher Shu was more sensitive, that Gu Yuzhi would want to talk to Teacher Shu about these little thoughts whenever he had them.
Shu Xiaohan gently patted Gu Yuzhi's head and said softly, "Does Your Highness think that if the Huo family hadn't met with misfortune, these people wouldn't have been ostracized from the military camp?"
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