Although Huo Qiyuan was Huo Sizhun's treasured son, he had been trained even more strictly since childhood. The late emperor's kindness to their family and his father's constant teachings made him secretly vow to grow up and, like his father, continue to serve the emperor and the Great Yu Dynasty with all his might!
Therefore, from the age of 13, Huo Qiyuan was thrown into the military camp by Huo Sizhun, starting from the lowest-ranking soldier without any special privileges.
This rigorously transformed Huo Qiyuan from a noble young master into a hardened warrior, adding a touch of military valor to his already handsome features!
In modern terms, he was both fierce and tender, sweet and salty, pure and alluring yet also aloof.
When Huo Qiyuan turned 15, he returned to the capital with his father for a report. At that time, several of the late emperor's granddaughters had taken a liking to him and wanted to take him as their consort.
They were even willing to lower their status, not establish separate princess's residences after marriage, and directly marry into the Huo family as domestic wives.
For princesses with royal titles, not establishing a residence after marriage was akin to relinquishing their princess titles. Princesses without titles lost their right to enjoy princess privileges and, essentially, their former benefits and advantages.
For the sake of Huo Qiyuan, several close sisters or cousins of similar age even resorted to physical fights, leading to an unhappy parting.
Eventually, the situation escalated further! Several of the late emperor's sons also joined the fray to win over Huo Qiyuan. They already disliked each other due to the succession to the throne, and now they were constantly plotting against each other in secret!
In fact, the late emperor also thought highly of Huo Qiyuan and intended to marry him to a princess. It didn't matter which princess, as long as he ultimately became a royal consort. However, when he thought of the military seals held by Huo Sizhun, he hesitated for a long time. He knew his own sons well enough. Wasn't their vying for princesses all about military power?
The late emperor, intending to test the waters, specifically asked for Huo Qiyuan's opinion. Huo Qiyuan knew that the so-called selection of a princess was, in fact, selecting the prince behind that princess.
The emperor was already old and his health was declining, so various princes were making moves behind the scenes. Therefore, no matter which princess he chose, he would inevitably offend other princes.
He himself was unwilling to take sides. His father had only been loyal to the emperor and the country, never forming factions. Naturally, he would not do so either!
So, he told the late emperor that he felt unworthy of the princesses. He had received guidance from Master Zhikong in his youth, and his future wife could not be someone who grew up in wealth from childhood, but rather a village farmer. Furthermore, their horoscopes must be complementary.
If he were to marry anyone else casually, whether as a principal wife or a concubine, the woman would ultimately meet an untimely end, and he himself would be childless his entire life, face many hardships, and die alone! He did not want to harm the princesses, so he could not agree to the marriage.
The late emperor received his answer and even sought out Master Zhikong for verification, receiving the same reply. None of his granddaughters had compatible horoscopes with Huo Qiyuan.
Moreover, the princesses had grown up pampered and precious, which alone did not meet the criteria. The late emperor appeared somewhat disappointed on the surface, but was secretly quite pleased.
With Huo Qiyuan's statement, no matter how outstanding he was, his future marriage would be difficult to arrange. For the esteemed heir of the Prince of Bearing the Halberd's residence, if he were to truly find a farm girl as his principal wife, wouldn't it be a laughingstock?
It seemed that Huo Qilong, like his father, would also have a difficult romantic life! However, considering that Huo Sizhun only had him in his prime, it was likely due to his own destiny. If all else failed, he could ask Master Zhikong for some advice to resolve the situation.
Finally, the late emperor stepped in and specifically issued an imperial decree allowing him to choose the person he favored, without needing to marry someone from the royal family. This completely quelled the matter.
Although it averted a conflict among the royal princesses, it also caused a significant shift in the attitudes of the various princes towards Huo Qiyuan.
Since they could not become family, it was naturally difficult to win him over! If he could not be used for their own benefit in the future, he would be a considerable threat!
Entering the army at 13, within half a year he was appointed a ninth-rank Minor Guard Captain. At 15, he became a sixth-rank General of Zhaowu. At 17, he was granted the title of a fifth-rank General of Dingyuan. Last year, at just 21 years old, Huo Qiyuan had already reached the esteemed position of a third-rank Grand General of Champions.
What a terrifying rate of promotion! In his father's time, he had only achieved promotions after reaching his thirties and accumulating many military achievements. Now, at 65 years old, he held the position of a first-rank Prince of Bearing the Halberd, concurrently a first-rank Grand General Protecting the State.
Early last year, the late emperor suddenly passed away, an event no one had anticipated.
Huo Sizhun, being a loyalist to the emperor and never taking sides, had discussed the selection of the crown prince with the late emperor in private more than once.
The late emperor had said that Prince Rui was gentle in temperament and valued loyalty and righteousness. If he succeeded to the throne, he would surely not harm his siblings, which would be a good thing for the people! Thus, he had once proposed making Prince Rui the crown prince.
However, before the late emperor could leave behind an edict of succession, he passed away suddenly. Therefore, none of the princes were convinced of Prince Rui's claim and naturally pretended ignorance of the matter.
In any case, for the sake of the throne, they were constantly making moves, both openly and covertly, causing widespread unrest and turmoil in the capital.
The Eastern Radiance Kingdom had long been coveting the Great Yu Dynasty. This time, taking advantage of the internal strife among the Great Yu princes, they had amassed an army of 150,000 troops stationed at the border, with the clear intention of advancing. They repeatedly harassed the surrounding populace, causing suffering to hundreds of thousands of civilians.
To repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal affairs. The court officials were all astute individuals, each with deep-rooted connections to a particular prince. Serving their respective masters, they were all building momentum for their lords, and no one was willing to clearly express support for Prince Rui.
Finally, it was Huo Sizhun who, against all odds, forcefully supported Prince Rui's ascension to the throne, thus fulfilling the late emperor's dying wish and averting a civil war, allowing him to focus on dealing with the foreign invasion!
As soon as the emperor ascended the throne, Huo Sizhun sent his only son to the Great Yu border to counter the Eastern Radiance Kingdom. He himself remained in the capital to oversee affairs.
The confrontation between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Eastern Radiance Kingdom continued from last year into this year. Huo Qiyuan was valiant in battle, and the Southwest Army was fearless. The Eastern Radiance Kingdom dared not launch a direct assault, only resorting to sneak attacks and probing. Yet, they were repeatedly repelled!
Who would have thought that starting from the beginning of this year, rumors suddenly spread from the capital that the Prince of Bearing the Halberd was colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. Supporting Prince Rui was merely to make him a puppet. Once Huo Qiyuan led the Southwest Army to defeat the Eastern Radiance Kingdom, he would surely declare himself king upon returning to the capital!
Huo Sizhun initially paid no heed to these rumors. The pure would remain pure, the corrupt would remain corrupt. In his opinion, such talk was sheer nonsense. Anyone with a modicum of sense would not believe such words!