The young Xu An clearly remembered the lesson his grandfather taught him:
In a gambling house, the only way to never lose is not to join the game.
Later, as a teenager, he pored over history books, examining political events from various dynasties, repeatedly only seeing two words between the lines:
Gambling game!
"No one can always win, whether you bet on a prince or the Empress, there's the risk of losing everything, so to be safe, don't enter the game."
This was Xu An's firm belief.
Moreover, as Prince Huaian, he always had the means to stay out of the game.
Thus, when the Empress gradually took control of the court, he was the first prince to send his daughter to the Capital to assess the situation.
Also, in Hu Ting, he was the only prince trying to show goodwill to the court.
Therefore, even when Prince Jing and Mu Prince came to extort him, carving up his territories along the Huai River, he silently retreated.
He would rather cut his losses than join the game.
