A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 36 Hunting
That afternoon, the sky was ablaze with rosy clouds, and a strange restlessness and unease permeated the hunting grounds of the Yuhe River valley plain.

At some point, His Majesty's son Liu Hong, born to Consort Wang, and his two sons Liu Dan and Liu Xu, born to Consort Li, also arrived at the hunting grounds and participated in the hunt.

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect a five-year-old, a four-year-old, and a three-year-old prince to hunt with a bow and arrow. Li Gan was assigned by the emperor to assist Prince Hong in hunting, and the game he hunted was used as the prince's game.

Han Shuo was then dispatched to assist Prince Dan and Prince Xu in hunting, and all the game hunted was counted as the game of the two princes.

At the same time, His Majesty announced that whoever hunts the most prey in this hunt will be richly rewarded.

Suddenly, the nature of the hunt changed, and all the Han nobles became companions to the princes on the hunt.

No one complained; they simply gathered around Prince Hong, and any prey he spotted would be riddled with arrows the next moment.

Li Gan was very dissatisfied with this kind of hunt. With his bow and arrows, even if there were no other people around, the prey that appeared in his sight would not be able to escape.

In any case, wherever Prince Hong went, not a single beast remained.

The situation was similar for Prince Dan and Prince Xu. As the great-grandson of King Xin of Han, the grandson of Marquis Han Tuidang of Gonggao, and the brother of Grand Master Han Yan, Han Shuo was absolutely skilled in archery and horsemanship. Although he was slightly disappointed that he was not assigned to Prince Hong's side, he did his best. With each shot, prey fell to the ground.

During the hunt, Prince Dan and Prince Xu showed an unusual interest in killing prey with arrows. The fall of any prey would make the two princes even more excited.

Perhaps to please the two princes, Han Shuo specially prepared short bows and feathered arrows for Prince Dan and Prince Xu. Surprisingly, during the test shooting, the bow that four-year-old Prince Dan could not draw was drawn by three-year-old Prince Xu. Although the arrows he shot were weak, at this age and with this strength, he was already exceptionally gifted.

Surprised, Han said that he personally measured the strength of Prince Xu and said, "How should I put it, it's excellent."

He was born with a stronger physique than the average person, and at three years old he was more robust than at four years old. He also had superhuman strength. With a little training, he would surely become a fierce general in the future.

Unfortunately, he was born into an imperial family.

Han Shuo spared no praise, extolling that Prince Xu possessed "the qualities of a hegemon."

With such praise, the young princes Dan and Xu became even more interested in hunting.

Standing on high ground, Huo Qubing saw Li Gan and Han Shuo, and chuckled, "Brother Ju'er, look at them, they look like two dogs!"

Originally, Huo Qubing admired Li Gan and Han Shuo, even though they were not as good as him. He treated them with courtesy, just like any other person.

Wei Qing, standing nearby, held the same view, regarding Li Gan and Han Shuo as rising stars second only to Huo Qubing in the current dynasty.

Surprisingly, some people would rather be dogs than human.

"This might be Father's skill." Liu Ju's gaze wasn't on Er Gou... the two generals, but rather on his three younger brothers.

Liu Ju had heard about the affairs of the inner court and the harem to some extent, and knew his father's way of employing people, which was to treat people as less than human beings, also known as a test of obedience.

However, this matter cannot be discussed in detail. Uncle Wei Qing was also a victim in the past, as was Prime Minister Gongsun Hong. Many people in high positions in both the central and outer courts have been victims or are still victims.

When Wei Qing entered the palace as a court attendant, the emperor would receive him while seated beside the bed. When Chancellor Gongsun Hong sought an audience, the emperor would sometimes not even wear his hat. Only the upright minister Ji An would receive him without his hat properly on. On one occasion, the emperor was sitting in his military tent when Ji An came to present his official report. The emperor, not wearing his hat, saw Ji An and quickly retreated into the tent, sending a close attendant to approve Ji An's report on his behalf.

The arrival of the three imperial brothers must have been the Emperor's idea. As the Son of Heaven, no matter how dissatisfied the Emperor may be with him, it is impossible for father and son to openly challenge each other. Winning would be undignified, and losing would be a matter of dignity or undignification.

Then the only option is to create cards out of thin air, which is also what Father Emperor excels at.

There was only one crown prince in the Han Dynasty, but there were four princes. The crown prince could be changed.

As long as the Emperor publicly expresses his favor towards the other princes, there will inevitably be people who will fawn over them. As long as His Majesty is alive and the throne is not yet decided, who can be sure that the Crown Prince will definitely be the future Emperor of the Han Dynasty?
Liu Ju's stove is too hot; too many people are trying to burn it. No matter how much they try, nothing will come of it, and it might even backfire.

If the cold stoves of Prince Hong, Prince Dan, and Prince Xu are successfully lit, their merits will be unparalleled, and the rewards will be immeasurable.

And what this world has no shortage of is gambling addicts.

Huo Qubing, oblivious to his uncle's forced smile, asked in bewilderment, "How could there be such a person?"

Liu Ju looked at Wei Qing, who shook his head, indicating that nothing was wrong. The relief on his face seemed genuine. He slowly said, "Brother, not everyone is like you, born into wealth and privilege. Many people are born into misery. Therefore, they need to endure. This is the survival state and mindset of most people."

Returning to simplicity and refusing to conform to worldly ways is certainly rare and precious, but those who can do this are often wise beyond their years. They are more willing to use extraordinary temperament and willpower to resist the complexities and ugly temptations of the world and uphold their true nature.

Everyone talks about 'great seclusion', and this is 'great seclusion'.

"Elder brother, before you smash the Xiongnu's dragon court, you must first endure the endless sandstorms."

My elder brother's way of commanding troops is different from most generals. He selects elite troops, keeps them far away from the main army, goes deep behind enemy lines, and seizes the opportunity to annihilate the enemy. All the initiative in the battle is entirely in my elder brother's hands.

The eldest brother often beats up officers and shows no sympathy for the soldiers' hardships, but the reason why the officers and soldiers are still willing to follow him is that they always win!

In the Han Dynasty, military merit surpassed everything else.

But the elder brother's rudeness towards his soldiers was not due to his inherent cruelty, but rather to his lack of understanding of the officers and soldiers.

Liu Ju did not expect his elder brother to change his military management style because of this; he thought that his elder brother understood the soldiers better, even if he could not sympathize with them.

After all, his arrival meant that his elder brother would no longer be able to get everything he wanted from their father as easily as before.

Li Guang, Li Gan, and Han Shuo, were they wrong to serve their father, the emperor, and the princes? Yes, they were wrong.

Is that right? Yes, that's right.

Respecting others' fate and letting go of the urge to help others is enough.

Seeing Huo Qubing's seemingly understanding yet confused expression, Liu Ju glanced at the twelve generals of the Northern Army waiting in the distance and smiled, "It's almost time for the hunt. We should head to the venue. Brother, you can see that being my father's dog isn't so easy!"

(End of this chapter)