As a scion of a powerful family, one must possess both talent and a spoiled, dissolute nature. Only then can one truly live up to the reputation of being born into a powerful family. Am I not setting a good example for myself?

Huo Guxian's face was bitter. "Second Uncle, how can the Imperial Academy accept students who are eleven or twelve years old? Moreover, if my nephew enters the Imperial Academy, won't outsiders say that you are disrupting the court?"

"So sensible, it seems it's time to find you a wife. Tomorrow, come to the palace with your second uncle, and he will take you to the Empress Dowager to request an imperial decree for your marriage." His tone was chilling.

Huo Guxian was precocious. Others thought he was unaware that he had been labeled as Zhao Shu's husband, but he knew, he just didn't say it. It wasn't that he disliked Zhao Shu, but that Zhao Shu only treated him as a junior. To put it bluntly, Zhao Shu thought he was cute and treated him more affectionately. She never treated him as her fiancé. As for Zhao Shu, he only respected her like an older sister. He could feel that all the kindness Zhao Shu showed him was genuine, but it was only kindness towards a junior.

However, since it was a major life event like marriage, he couldn't help but blush upon hearing Huo Baichuan's words, and stammered, "I am still young and do not wish to get married yet."

"You blockhead, who did you take after? How did I raise you to be like this?" Huo Baichuan poked his head in exasperation. "I'm not asking you to marry her right away, but to reserve her first, so that some blind fool won't snatch her away."

Huo Guxian was even more confused. He scratched his head blankly and said, "Isn't this a bad idea? If they find out in the future that they don't like each other, or if something changes, it's not fair to the girl. What man has to worry about not having a wife? If she's taken away, she's taken away. If she's mine, no one can take her away. If she's not mine, I can't keep her."

"Heh." Huo Baichuan was so angry he lost his temper. He looked Huo Guxian up and down. Was this the person he had taught? Did he grow up by his side?

"If you don't marry her today and someone else takes her away, don't come crying to me later if you regret it." He finally managed to utter this sentence after being angry for a while.

Huo Guxian replied earnestly, "Second Uncle, your nephew has been crying for a long time since I last looked for you."

"Heh." Huo Baichuan clutched his heart, which felt like it had been pierced by a thousand arrows. "You've gotten capable, your wings have hardened."

Huo Guxian lowered his head, looking like he was being seriously reprimanded, but he refused to admit that he was wrong. His stubborn expression was both cute and aggrieved. If a woman saw this, she would feel sorry for him. He was still a child. How could he be scolded like this?

"You may not care, but how many people know that she is your future wife? If she marries someone else, how will you face the world? Your second uncle will ask you again, will you marry her or not?"

She said this, but her mind was already racing. What good is it to live on the edge? Who knows how long she'll survive the war? Even if she's lucky enough to survive, what if her military power is taken away, or her achievements threaten the emperor and lead to her execution? Let's see what she does then!

He seems quite shrewd on the surface, but I never expected him to choose such a dangerous person. Why doesn't he know to avoid danger and seek good fortune? This Wei kid is really something. Doesn't he know how dangerous he is? A woman is not brought home to carry on the family line, nor to satisfy one's own empty heart, nor to be brought home to impress anyone. She is to be given a safe haven and a happy life.

Why should I worry about it? It's someone else's life, and they'll make their own decisions.

Shaking his head to clear his jumbled thoughts, and not hearing Huo Guxian's reply, he asked again, "Marry me or not? Give me a straight answer."

"Second Uncle, the country is not yet stable, how can we settle down? I will not marry." He made up a reasonable excuse, since he could not marry her anyway, so he might as well make his second uncle give up as soon as possible and give him some peace and quiet. He had not yet finished the lessons assigned by the teacher.

"If you can't even protect your wife, how can you bring peace and stability to the country?" Huo Baichuan was furious, but how could a heart that was worrying unnecessarily save a heart that was focused on doing homework?

After saying that, he thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "Could it be that you have someone you like?"

Huo Guxian looked at his second uncle with maturity and composure, and simply went along with his wish, nodding, "Yes, so I will never marry Sister Ajun. If you insist on marrying Sister Ajun as a daughter-in-law of the Huo family, you can marry her yourself. I still have my studies to finish, so I will take my leave."

The last sentence he didn't say was, "Second Uncle, can you please shed your childish ways and mature a bit? Sister A-Jun isn't someone you can just marry whenever you want."

Huo Baichuan remained silent after hearing this, but nodded at Huo Guxian, who looked somewhat like someone he had taught.