On what grounds?

He paced back and forth a few times, his boots rustling on the hay, oblivious to the horse manure that covered the soles of his boots.

Beside him, the Fifth Prince Liu Yan was squatting on the ground, slowly feeding a rabbit.

Yes, the Fifth Prince raised a litter of rabbits, some white and some gray, and kept them in a small courtyard next to the Imperial Horse Garden. He said he wanted to observe "selective breeding" and try to find out how to raise rabbits to grow quickly and reproduce more. He even made a notebook to record the data.

When Liu Ce found out, he criticized him, saying, "You do have some biological sense." He also arranged for the Imperial Stud to assign him an old official who had raised livestock. The old official's surname was Wang, and he had raised livestock for thirty years. He discussed rabbit feed ratios with Liu Yan every day.

Liu Yan is also sixteen years old this year. He has the most stable personality and is the complete opposite of his third brother. His third brother can jump around three times a day, while he can sit still for an entire afternoon.

Hearing his third brother's loud chatter, he didn't even look up, but plucked a blade of grass and held it to the rabbit's mouth, slowly replying:

"Third Brother, Father and Eldest Brother were locked in the Imperial Study for almost an hour. When they came out, Eldest Brother looked a bit pale; he probably got a good scolding from Father again. Copying the account books... that's just the appetizer; there's definitely more to come. When has Father ever only done one thing?"

"An appetizer? This is an appetizer?" Liu Yao looked incredulous, his eyebrows almost flying to his forehead. "If I had to sit there copying accounts all day, my head would explode and my eyes would go blind. Big brother is too patient."

He paced a few more steps, then suddenly his eyes lit up, he puffed out his chest, and clenched his fists:

"No way! My eldest brother has gone to his post for rotation, I can't just sit around doing nothing! I'm going to see Father too! I'm sixteen now! Why should my eldest brother go to the Ministry of Revenue while I'm stuck here feeding the horses? I want to go for my post for rotation too!"

"You?" Liu Yan finally raised his head, looked his third brother up and down, and said slowly, "Third brother, where do you want to be rotated to? The Ministry of War?"

"Of course!" Liu Yao patted his chest, straightened his back, and raised his chin. "This prince is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and has read quite a bit of military strategy. He's perfect for the Ministry of War! Leading troops into battle, inspecting camps and counting soldiers—that's real skill! Copying accounts makes you a nobody!"

He had barely finished speaking when he saw Li Dequan slowly walking over from the courtyard gate with a smile on his face.

"Third Prince, Fifth Prince." Li Dequan bowed. "His Majesty asked me to pass on a message to the Third Prince... You don't need to go to the Imperial Study to request permission anymore. The Ministry of War has already arranged a task for you. Next month, you will go to the Zhuozhou camp with the Ministry of War to check military registers, count soldiers, and verify rations. You will start as a soldier and participate in drills every day. You are not allowed to return to the capital for three months."

Liu Yao's smile froze instantly, and he even forgot to pull his jaw back.

"Huh? Checking military records? Verifying rations? Weren't I supposed to lead troops in drills?"

"His Majesty's exact words," Li Dequan repeated solemnly, suppressing a laugh. "The third son has such a stubborn temper; he needs to be tempered at the Ministry of War, lest he be betrayed while leading troops and still be counting the money for them. He needs to learn how to read accounts first before talking about leading troops."

Liu Yao: "..." He had just been laughing at his older brother for copying the account books, but now he was the same. He was still checking the military tents and had to do drills every day, getting up at dawn to run laps? This was completely different from what he had imagined: "wielding a sword and galloping across the battlefield!"

"No way! I'm going to find Dad!" Liu Yao said stubbornly, turning around and rushing towards the Imperial Study.

Running too fast, he almost bumped into the eunuch carrying horse feed, spilling the feed all over the ground.

Li Dequan shouted from behind, "Third Prince! His Majesty said that if you dare to bargain, you'll be sent to guard the frontier for six months!"

Liu Yao suddenly stopped, his boots scraping two marks on the ground. After struggling for three seconds, he slunk back.

He fears neither heaven nor earth, except his father.

My dad is a man of his word. He really could send me to the frontier to starve, and I might even have to cook for myself.

Seeing his discomfiture, Liu Yan couldn't help but laugh, then plucked a blade of grass and continued feeding the rabbit.

"Third Brother, how's it going? Are we still going to find Father?"

"I'm not going, I'm not going." Liu Yao hung his head, kicking a pebble at his feet. "Let them check the accounts... who's afraid of who! This prince can tame even a wild horse, let alone a few account books!"

That's what he said, but his tone lacked any confidence, like a wilted eggplant.

Liu Yan slowly plucked another blade of grass to feed the rabbit: "Your father is doing this for your own good. Think about it, if you really lead an army in the future, and you can't even tell if your subordinates are embezzling funds, with 10,000 men on paper but only 8,000 in reality, wouldn't you be at a disadvantage in a real battle?"

"That's different!" Liu Yao retorted stubbornly, squatting down to stroke the rabbit's ears, his tone like a child. "I can tell how many soldiers there are at a glance!"

"Oh?" Liu Yan raised his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "Last time, the Imperial Horse Ranch had fifty horses listed, but there were only forty-two in reality. Didn't you notice? It was the eunuch in charge of the horses who told you."

Liu Yao's face flushed instantly, and he retorted, "That's because I didn't check carefully! If I had checked carefully, I could have seen it at a glance!"

He became increasingly less confident as he spoke, and finally let out a hum, squatted down to stroke the rabbit's ears, and changed the subject:

"And what about you? I can't very well send you to work in a different post, can I? You raise rabbits and grow crops every day, I might just let you stay in the palace and do your research on things."

Liu Yan smiled but didn't say anything.

He knew perfectly well that his father had definitely arranged a job for him. Perhaps it would be at the Ministry of Agriculture, or at the Ministry of Industry's research institute, which would suit him perfectly.

It would be even better if we could go to the countryside and try out his new fertilization method.

Just then, Li Dequan spoke again: "Fifth Prince, His Majesty also has something to say to you. Once the experimental fields of the Ministry of Agriculture are ready, you should report to the Ministry of Agriculture and go to the experimental fields to plant crops, measure yields, and test new fertilizers. His Majesty said that your rabbit breeding is quite good, and crop breeding should keep up as well."

Liu Yan's eyes lit up instantly, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face:

"Really? That's great!"

He had wanted to go to the experimental field for a long time, but he was too embarrassed to tell his father.

Unexpectedly, his father took the initiative to arrange things, even preparing a job for him in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Seeing his happy expression, Liu Yao felt even more annoyed. He stood up and brushed the grass clippings off his knees.

"Why should I be happy to plant crops, but I feel like I'm being tortured when I have to check the accounts?"

"Because I like it," Liu Yan said matter-of-factly, patting the dirt off his hands. "If you like checking the accounts, Third Brother, you'll be happy too."

Liu Yao: "..." He finally understood. All of them, siblings, had been arranged by their father. The eldest brother was in charge of the court, he was in charge of the military, and the fifth brother was in charge of agriculture and sericulture. The division of labor was clear, and no one could escape it.

Liu Yao squatted down, dejectedly plucked a blade of grass, chewed it, and then spat it out.

"Alright, alright, let them check the accounts. But I can't stand not being allowed to eat braised pork for three months. I need to talk to Dad about this beforehand."

...... ...... ......