In the garden, Little Hu Hai, carrying a dark-colored square wooden box, walked happily toward Ying Ziyu's palace.

This is his reward for today.

After studying tirelessly for so long, his grades improved significantly, and he jumped into the top three in the college.

The teacher was overjoyed and gave him a fine wolf-hair brush as a gift to encourage him to study hard.

I wonder if my younger brother will like it?

Little Hu Hai opened the box, looked at the smooth, shiny brush, and muttered to himself.

He already has many calligraphy brushes, and although this one is good, he doesn't need it.

After much thought, he realized that it would be a waste to leave such a good thing unused, so he decided to give it to Ying Ziyu.

Anyway, he'll definitely have to go to school eventually, so he'll definitely need it later.

As he was pondering this, two figures suddenly appeared on the road ahead, blocking his way.

Upon seeing the two men, Hu Hai's pupils constricted, and fear appeared on his face.

It was the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince.

The Eighth Prince stared at Little Hu Hai, "Hand over the wolf-hair brush that the Master gave you."

Little Hu Hai frowned and hid the box behind his back. "This is mine."

The Ninth Young Master scoffed, "You're a good-for-nothing who's always at the bottom of the class. It's a waste for you to use such good stuff. Hand it over now!"

Little Hu Hai's gaze was resolute: "Don't even think about it!"

The Eighth Prince's gaze turned cold. "It seems you don't understand when I speak politely."

He cracked his knuckles and strode menacingly toward Xiao Huhai.

Just then, with a "whoosh," a stone fell from the sky.

The Eighth Prince reacted quickly, stepping back to avoid the rock.

He looked up at the sky, but there was no one there. "Damn it! This is a ghost!"

The Ninth Prince was still shaken. "If we hadn't been hit several times before and had some experience, we probably would have been hit again!"

"Speaking of which, I've had a run of bad luck ever since I last saw this guy..."

The Eighth Prince's gaze grew even colder. "Yes, it seems this guy has really messed with us. We need to teach him a lesson!"

He continued walking towards Xiao Huhai.

Knowing he was no match for the two, Xiao Huhai turned and prepared to flee.

But as soon as he took a step out, a voice rang in his mind, "As the older brother, it's not enough to just repair wind chimes."

Those were Ying Gao's words from that day.

He stopped in his tracks, hesitated for a moment, then turned around and stared intently at the two of them.

The Eighth Prince was somewhat surprised, "He's not running away? Is this guy scared out of his wits?"

Looking at Hu Hai's icy gaze, the Ninth Prince provocatively said, "What? You think you can hit us with that look?"

"ah!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Hu Hai roared and charged toward the Eighth Prince with his small body.

He clenched his fist and threw a punch, which landed squarely on the Eighth Prince's face.

Despite being hit like that, the Eighth Prince's fleshy face remained completely unmoved.

The size difference was too great; Little Hu Hai's fist was too small, and when it hit the Eighth Prince's face, it couldn't cause any damage at all.

"You bastard, are you looking for death?!"

The Eighth Prince was furious. He raised his fist and punched Hu Hai hard in the face, sending the small boy flying.

After a while, Xiao Huhai lay on the ground covered in wounds.

The square box fell to the side, and he tried to reach out to grab it, but the Ninth Prince stepped on it.

Little Hu Hai let out a painful wail.

The Eighth Prince picked up the square box and gave Little Hu Hai a cold look. "You ignorant fool!"

They spat, picked up the wolf-hair brush, and left satisfied.

Little Hu Hai lay on the ground, his dark eyes gazing at the sky, his small eyes filled with emptiness.

Tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily, and he could no longer hold back, bursting into tears.

A footstep sounded, and Xiao Huhai sat up, only to see Zhao Gao already standing in front of him.

He lowered his cold eyes and looked at Xiao Huhai, "Give up going to the academy and obediently become my disciple, then you will no longer be bullied by anyone."

A strange light flashed in Xiao Huhai's eyes as images of being bullied flashed through his mind.

He was struggling internally.

After a long pause, he looked up at Zhao Gao, his eyes resolute, "I refuse to become a puppet to be manipulated by others!"

Don't become a murderer who kills his own brothers!

Zhao Gao's eyes were indifferent. "I see."

He said no more and turned to leave.

······

After the morning court session, Wang Jian walked in the garden, somewhat absent-minded.

He was considering attacking the Xiongnu.

With the food supply issue resolved and the Xiongnu's battle formation broken, Qin now has the conditions to send troops.

Ying Zheng also had this intention, and as the Supreme General, Wang Jian naturally had to plan ahead and make some arrangements for these matters.

As he was walking, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his way.

That was a child covered in wounds.

Wang Jian was taken aback for a moment, then recognized the child. "This old minister greets Your Highness!"

Little Hu Hai looked up at him but did not speak.

Wang Jian looked at Xiao Huhai with concern, "How did the young master get into this state? We need to find a doctor to take a look."

Xiao Huhai finally spoke, "Please, General Wang, accept me as your disciple."

Wang Jian was taken aback. "Take you as my disciple?"

Little Hu Hai's gaze was firm: "I want to become stronger, to become very, very powerful."

Protect those you want to protect.

Wang Jian's gaze was calm. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I'm sorry, this old minister cannot do that."

As a subject, he always kept a distance from the royal family and especially disliked getting involved in royal family struggles.

If Xiao Huhai were truly accepted as a disciple, then a power struggle within the royal family would be inevitable.

After speaking, Wang Jian prepared to leave, bypassing Xiao Huhai.

Little Hu Hai stretched out his hand to block his way, "Please take me as your disciple! If it's hardship, I can endure it, I'm willing to go through any amount of trouble!"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!