The prince is more stable

Chapter 103: Free and Unruly
Revolution is not a dinner party, and neither is carving rifling.

Some delicate work can only be done by professionals.

The farmer swings his hoe, the blacksmith swings his hammer, the gangster takes off his pants in the street, and professionals do their professional work.

The rifling inside the gun barrel is definitely a technical job, and with the current primitive industrial level of the Song Dynasty, it is difficult to achieve machine engraving of rifling.

With Zhao Xiaoqian's useless knowledge of science and engineering, he couldn't build a machine tool for rifling.

The only way now is to rub it with your hands.

So what Zhao Xiaoqian needed was not a blacksmith, but a few eighth-level fitters, whose hands had to be steadier than those of a surgeon.

Such talents are really hard to find, and perhaps we have to mobilize the spies of the Imperial City Bureau to find them.

Under the current conditions, Zhao Xiaoqian could only continue to use the flintlock rifle without rifling, which was barely enough for self-defense.

After all, no assassin would be stupid enough to launch an attack from three hundred steps away, and a flintlock rifle can ensure accuracy and speed within three hundred steps.

So Zhao Xiaoqian immediately ordered two blacksmiths to work and make two flintlock short-barreled rifles according to the original specifications.

This time the blacksmith was familiar with the job and finished it quickly.

Holding two shiny black flintlock rifles in his hands, Zhao Xiaoqian could feel the cold chill coming from the gun handles.

Gunpowder and iron balls are easier, but Zhao Xiaoqian is still very cautious. Since the secret recipe of gunpowder has been given to Zhao Xu, he still has to tell Zhao Xu if he wants to prepare gunpowder himself.

Zhao Xu was very generous and agreed immediately.

After experiencing a life-and-death crisis and being fished out of the water and dried by Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhao Xu now trusts him very much.

The emperor would not often mention words like savior. In fact, almost no one in the court knew what Zhao Xu had experienced.

But Zhao Xiaoqian could clearly feel that Zhao Xu had regarded him as his confidant, the kind of confidant whom he could trust with his back at any time.

My confidant wants to mix some gunpowder and make two guns for self-defense. What's the problem?
completely fine.

After everything was ready, Zhao Xiaoqian found Zhao Hao in the backyard of the palace with a gun.

A brand new black flintlock rifle was stuffed into Zhao Hao's hand, along with a bag of gunpowder and a bag of iron balls.

Zhao Hao played with it curiously for a while, then asked in confusion, "Why would I want this thing?"

"Self-defense." Zhao Xiaoqian said concisely.

Zhao Hao smiled, and the fat wrinkles on his face formed flesh-colored ripples.

"My lord is surrounded by a vast entourage, and the Imperial Guards are always there to protect him. Why would he need to defend himself personally?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "That's what I thought before I was assassinated in the dark alley."

This sentence choked Zhao Hao so much that he was speechless for a long time.

Do you think that's all it takes to say this? No, Zhao Xiaoqian must be filial to the highest degree.

"My father is a playboy, and he has children everywhere. I don't know if he has many illegitimate children, but he must have many enemies. All the young ladies and old ladies you have ruined, don't they have husbands and officials?"

"It's fine if their husbands are kept in the dark, but if they know and harbor resentment, father must be careful not to give them a chance. With their lives hanging by a thread, this gun may be able to save father's life."

Zhao Hao's face changed at that moment, and Zhao Xiaoqian sighed secretly. From his father's expression, he could tell that the old man had slept with many married women. He was like a real-life version of Ximen Daguanren.

Zhao Hao, who was originally quite resistant, immediately and calmly inserted the flintlock into his belt.

Both father and son cherish their lives like gold and will not joke about their lives. They can be tough with their words, but they must be honest with their bodies.

Zhao Hao took the gun with a calm expression and sat side by side with Zhao Xiaoqian on the stone steps.

"Son, on the way back to the capital yesterday, the emperor summoned me for questioning. He asked me if I would be willing to take up an official position, one with real power..." Zhao Hao's expression was a little strange. "Although I am the current emperor's uncle, I also know that people's words can be frightening. It would be fine if the emperor gave you an official position, but why did he give an official position to me as well? Isn't the emperor afraid of criticism from the court?"

A smile flashed in Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes. Zhao Xu's fall into the water was an absolute secret. No one present at the time, including Chen Shou, dared to reveal a word.

But Zhao Xu remembered this favor. Zhao Xiaoqian already held an official position and could not be promoted without reason, so he took a fancy to Zhao Hao and planned to give him an official position with real power.

Simply put, this is called "Enyin", which is nothing more than the son's favor to his father.

"What did father say in response?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Zhao Hao said without hesitation, "Of course I declined. It is a great blessing for our Chu lineage to have you as an official. I wonder why other relatives are jealous."

"If my father were to become an official, not only would the court officials be displeased, but even the clan members would stab him in the back. I understand the principle that a tall tree attracts the wind."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled without comment. In fact, whether Zhao Hao became an official or not, the Chu King's lineage had already attracted attention. It was just that the father and son had different ideas.

Zhao Hao would hide if he could and tried not to be the first to take action. Zhao Xiaoqian, on the other hand, was easy-going and would not refuse any official position that came his way. If anyone dared to be the first to take action, he would bend their gun.

"Does father really just want to be a carefree prince?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Zhao Hao sighed, "I'm already forty years old. I've exhausted all my ambitions. I just want to live the rest of my life in peace... But if I live in peace for too long, I'm bound to get bored."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head: "My father, the prince, still doesn't understand."

"Why did my son say this?"

"Since you've decided to live a carefree life, you must become the dissolute and lawless Prince Xiaoyao. If I were the King of Chu, I would definitely stay at home and play games with more than a dozen concubines every day..."

Zhao Hao was stunned: "What game?"

"In the forbidden room in the backyard, I took off all my clothes and played hide-and-seek with my concubines, blindfolded. 'My king, come and catch me!' I'd have sex with whoever I caught... a man's ultimate dream."

Zhao Hao stared at him in amazement, his pupils dizzying.

After a long moment, Zhao Hao muttered, "To think you could actually play like this... I've been living like a dog for half my life! My son is incredibly gifted, incredibly talented in every aspect!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled reservedly.

These were all inspired by the action movies produced in China in the previous life.

I wanted to continue discussing some topics between men with my father, but I saw Zhao Hao was stunned for a while, and then he suddenly jumped up, and his round body rushed towards the backyard like a cannonball.

"My son, please do as you please. I have an urgent matter to deal with, so I'll go first!" Zhao Hao said without turning his head.

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked. It was just a casual remark, why did he take it seriously?

If I keep playing like this, won’t I have a few more brothers and sisters?
…………

Funing Hall.

Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Xu played chess.

The "game" here does not refer to Go.

Zhao Xu wanted to play Go with him, but Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know how to play it. He didn't want Zhao Xu to spoil his fun, so he taught him Gobang. Zhao Xu became addicted to it as soon as he started playing, and the king and his subject had been playing for more than an hour.

"Does the emperor have any state affairs to deal with today?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked boredly.

Zhao Xu stared at the chessboard and said, "It's because state affairs are too stressful that I'm playing chess to change my mind... Hmm? That's not right. Why is there a piece missing? Zi'an, did you steal it?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said sternly, "How could I do such a shameless thing? Absolutely not."

Zhao Xu glanced at him calmly and said, "If you were truly a man of character, Cao Anzhen and Cao Ning, father and daughter, wouldn't have died in such a confused manner."

(End of this chapter)