BHBF Chapter 90.1

Boss, He’s Becoming a Father (Arc 4) Chapter 90.1: Playful Son (73)

When the Duke of Pei heard this, his heart moved.
He has spent most of his life on the battlefield, and even though he has retired now, he cannot completely let go of his worries. He knows the purpose of the old emperor transferring him back to the capital, but he also knows that he is old and the emperor will inevitably cultivate his own confidants, so he will not be able to stay in office for long.
But the Duke of Pei was a man who could not rest, and Shao Yu’s suggestion at this time was exactly what he wanted.
Although the two families had not discussed any marriage arrangements, it was clear that they both wanted to get married, and therefore they got along very closely.
Now that Shen Ke has passed away, the old emperor is no longer as worried about the handover of the throne as before. Perhaps it was instigated by Shao Yu, but he now feels more and more displeased with his adult sons, always feeling that these people are eager to take his place.
The old emperor was busy with government affairs in his early years and did not pay much attention to the education of his older children. Now, he seems to have endless energy when it comes to the younger ones.
When the Seventh prince came to pay his respects, this was the scene of a loving father and a filial son he saw.
The old emperor was teaching the young twelfth prince how to write. The father and son were very intimate with each other. If someone who didn’t know them saw them, they would think they were just an ordinary father and son.
The twelfth prince puffed up his chubby little face and struggled seriously with the brush in his hand.
“No, it should be pinched like this.” The old emperor’s face was full of patience, without any displeasure.
When the Seventh Prince saw this, he couldn’t help but feel sad.
He recalled that when he was learning to write, there was no one to teach him step by step. If he didn’t write well, his mother would punish him, and if he wrote well, he would only get a bland word from his father.
And now, the twelfth prince just showed a little seriousness, and the old emperor’s face was full of joy.
After enjoying the happiness of family, the old emperor saw the seventh prince standing there and immediately put away his previous kind look.
After the Seventh Prince paid his respects, he started talking about business.
“I am attracted to Lord Shao’s daughter. Please grant us marriage.”
The Seventh Prince felt that all the courage he had gained in the first half of his life had been used up at this moment. In fact, he did not have much sincerity towards Shao Jiashu in his heart. Although Shao Jiashu was unparalleled in beauty, in his eyes, Shao Yu standing behind her was more important.
After hearing this, the old emperor just played with the Buddhist beads in his hand and did not express his opinion immediately.

The seventh prince’s heart sank. He secretly raised his head and looked at his father’s expression.

“Why do you suddenly have such thoughts?” asked the old emperor.

“Miss Shao is gentle and virtuous, and I admire her from the bottom of my heart.” The seventh prince replied.

“You want to bypass Shao Yu and let me grant the marriage directly?” the old emperor asked again.

Originally, the old emperor was happy to see this marriage, but now his mindset has changed. Since he still has at least ten years left, why should he rush to tie his confidant to his son?

The Seventh Prince said somewhat shyly, “I don’t have such abrupt intentions. I just want you to mention this matter to Lord Shao.”

The Seventh Prince has grown older but has never married a wife. Now, looking at the entire capital, he feels that the only suitable person is Shao Jiashu. However, his father has been reluctant to discuss this marriage. He has been rejected by Shao Jiashu several times, so he can only think of this method to try to put on the shackles of the imperial marriage.

“A forced melon is not sweet,” said the old emperor.

The Seventh Prince hurriedly said, “Father, I don’t think Miss Shao meant it unintentionally…”

The old emperor frowned upon hearing this and said, “Forget it, you are not young anymore, it is time for you to marry a wife.”

The seventh prince was delighted when he heard this.

But the old emperor said: “Your uncle’s youngest daughter is gentle and virtuous, and she is a good match. Coincidentally, when your mother was alive, she always talked about strengthening the relationship between relatives.”

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince felt a chill in his heart.

His mother’s family was not prominent, his uncle was just a moderate official in the capital, and his mother’s family was naturally tied to him, so why should he strengthen the connection through marriage? He had wanted to rely on his marriage to find a very powerful in-law family for himself, but now his hopes were completely dashed.

Even if the Seventh Prince was reluctant in his heart, the old emperor’s expression showed that he had made up his mind and he could not refuse.

There is no wall that is impenetrable. After the news of this marriage was spread, people in the capital talked about it for a long time. Even the Shao family was subject to many rumors. However, most of the powerful people in the capital were privately mocking the Seventh Prince.
Shao Jiashu was sitting at home when she suddenly received the news that the seventh prince had arranged a marriage. Although she was puzzled as to why her cousin was chosen, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Even if Shao Yu promised that the Seventh Prince would not harass her again, she would not be able to rest easy until the Seventh Prince had arranged a marriage.

The seventh prince’s marriage was certain, and the court officials who were still waiting and watching directly excluded the seventh prince from the fight for the throne, making the seventh prince’s already poor social circle even worse.

This marriage was like a fuse. After his son’s marriage, the old emperor began to make drastic changes.

The old emperor’s heroic behavior did not seem like that of a dying emperor at all, but rather like that of a monarch who had just ascended the throne.

There were frequent personnel changes in the six ministries, and the Censorate received memorials every day. Major events would happen during every grand court meeting.

The old emperor always felt that the extra ten years he had were like stolen, so he planned carefully, thinking only about leaving a good kingdom for his successor when he retired.

As a loyal minister, Shao Yu has always supported the old emperor’s changes.

The old emperor did not place all his hopes on the young princes. He did not completely give up on the older princes. Instead, he followed Shao Yu’s advice and changed his original consideration method, focusing on their practical work.

The old emperor no longer thought about helping his sons build a team, but instead often threw them into a completely unfamiliar environment.

The old emperor was originally very wary of the issue of the crown prince, but Shao Yu persuaded him.

“Your Majesty, it is perfectly natural for the emperor’s son to aspire to the throne. It would be strange if the tiger’s son did not want to eat meat.”

Shao Yu spoke frankly, and the old emperor felt that his previous taboos were somewhat unreasonable.

Shao Yu said, “If your Highnesses want it, they have to show their true abilities. Not to say they are exactly the same as your Majesty, but at least they have to be five times as good as your Majesty.”

The fact that the old emperor was able to ascend the throne was actually related to the huge team behind him, but Shao Yu’s words were flattering. He said it as if the old emperor was able to become emperor purely by relying on his real ability.

But the old emperor really fell for it. He listened to Shao Yu’s advice and sent out several older princes, each with a different task. He even told the princes clearly that this was an assessment before they went out.

As for what the rewards for the assessment are, it goes without saying.

When the princes heard this, they all became excited.

For example, after the seventh prince married his cousin, the old emperor no longer let him rotate in the six ministries, but instead sent him to the imperial farm outside the capital.

The output of the imperial farm has been declining in recent years. Even though the old emperor knew there was a problem, he was unable to catch the murderer at the time, so the matter remained unresolved.

When the Seventh Prince arrived, he immediately showed his ruthless and impartial attitude, determined to find out every tiny problem in the imperial farm.

Although the Seventh Prince was serious, he did not dare to wrongly accuse a good person. After all, this was an examination with supervision and review by someone. Every prince was under the emperor’s watch, and the results they reported were reviewed by a special team of personnel to ensure that the princes would not falsify information for political achievements.

There were still some princes who wanted to play tricks, but after the problems were discovered by the reviewers, the princes who came after them no longer dared to relax at all.

Originally the princes thought that the mission would only happen once, but soon they discovered that there would be another mission after the first one.

Even each mission was different, as if the old emperor deliberately trained everyone to be multi-talented. They had just finished a mission in the south, and the next one was sent to the north.

In this way, every time they arrive at a place, they are just getting familiar with the team and then are taken out to another place. Over time, the people who can stay with them are the people they trust the most.

The difficulty of their training increased gradually. It started in the capital, then the surrounding areas of the capital, and then the south of the Yangtze River. The further they went, the more difficult the conditions were, and they were sent to solve the most difficult problems.

For example, the fifth prince is currently in Chuxiang, where there are many rivers. He has brought dozens of river workers here to control the water.

The road to Chuxiang Mountain is difficult to travel, and riding a horse is often not possible, so one must walk. The Fifth Prince was used to a life of luxury, so how could he endure such hardship? He immediately backed out.

“Your Highness, are you going to give up now? I don’t know what His Majesty will think, nor do I know what the other princes will think.” said the eye sent by the emperor.

After hearing this, the fifth prince thought to himself that he had gone through so many tests and could not fail here, so he immediately stepped back onto the mountain road.

Originally, the old emperor only let his sons mess around in the vicinity of the capital. Today he would reorganize the inner court, and tomorrow he would thoroughly inspect the imperial estate. This was the first time that he had let his sons travel all over the country.

So many adult princes were driven out of the capital to perform their duties, and many ministers in the court also expressed opposition.

But Shao Yu, the proposer, remained firm: “If jade is not polished, it will not become a useful object. Don’t you gentlemen understand this truth?”

Although the court officials belonged to different factions, Shao Yu’s good idea at this time seemed to want to catch all the princes in one fell swoop. Therefore, how could the court officials be willing to let the princes suffer? Instead, they united together to oppose Shao Yu.

Everyone spoke with the same opinion, and this situation made the old emperor feel a little worried.

Shao Yu, however, showed no fear at all. He simply said firmly, “How can a son of a wealthy family sit in the hall? In the eyes of the lords, is the land outside the capital a den of wolves and tigers? The court sends officials to various places, are they sending them to die? If they can go, can the prince not go?”