It must be said that Xuanyuan Zhan's method was effective.
Ever since he publicly accepted Huangfu Jue as his disciple in the Xuanwu Hall and made those threatening remarks, no child in the Imperial Academy dared to bully Huangfu Jue anymore.
Just kidding, it's fine to bully the hostage from Southern Qi, but the emperor's precious disciple is not to be bullied.
In particular, the emperor publicly stated that he would become the son-in-law of the Eastern Chu in the future. It was thought that this was just wishful thinking on the part of the Southern Qi emperor, but now the emperor has actually acknowledged the child's identity and even taken him as his apprentice.
The Emperor was clearly protecting the child, and they dared not disobey his wishes. Naturally, they would not dare to bully the child again in the future.
If he were to actually become the consort of the Eastern Chu in the future, and given how much the emperor, empress, and even the crown prince dote on the princess, how could they dare to offend the consort!
From then on, no one dared to bully Huangfu Jue at the Imperial Academy, and some children even followed him around, flattering him.
Huangfu Jue knew that these people were not flattering him because of his abilities, and he had already seen their true colors before, so he ignored them and focused on studying and practicing martial arts every day. He spent the rest of his time with Xiaoxing.
He would never forget why his father sent him to Eastern Chu, nor would he ever forget the words his father had given him before he left Southern Qi.
Three years after three years, Huangfu Jue poured all his care and attention into his work, and finally earned a little follower who clung to him all day long.
"Brother Jue, wipe your sweat!" As soon as Huangfu Jue finished practicing his sword technique, Xiao Xingxing immediately brought him a towel to wipe his sweat. After Huangfu Jue finished wiping his sweat, she quickly brought him a teacup: "Brother Jue, have some tea!"
Huangfu Jue looked at Xiaoxing gently, and even though he wasn't thirsty, he took the teacup and drank some tea.
...Xuan Yuanzhan, who had finished practicing swordsmanship with Huangfu Jue but received none of the same treatment, was furious to see his little darling busying herself for another man!
"Duanmu Yao, your maternal grandmother misses you. She'll send you to Xiliang tomorrow!" Xuan Yuanzhan said, deliberately keeping a straight face.
Little Star didn't understand at all and happily said, "Great! I want Brother Jue to come with me!"
She hadn't seen her maternal grandparents for a long time, so she took her brother Jue to see them.
...Xuanyuan Zhan gritted his teeth in anger: "He has to practice martial arts, unlike you, I can teach you a sword move and you can learn it in half a year!"
This girl is completely unsuitable for martial arts. She started learning at three, and at seven, she's only scratched the surface. However, she's very talented in medicine, just like her mother.
Fortunately, this girl didn't have any talent for martial arts, so she suffered less from the hardships of training.
However, Huangfu Jue is a martial arts prodigy, his talent for martial arts is comparable to that of his son, Xiao Bao.
He has only been training with him for six years, but he is already a master with profound internal strength. If you asked him to take the martial arts examination now, he could probably make him the champion!
Little Star pouted and went up to hug Huangfu Jue's arm: "No way, if Brother Jue doesn't go, I won't go either. Wherever Brother Jue is, I'll be there too."
...Xuanyuan Zhan was instantly furious with her: "Look at you, do you even have the demeanor of a lady anymore?"
Xuanyuan Zhan reached out to pull Xiaoxing back, but before he could make a move, Su Xuening blocked his way, while Huangfu Jue blocked the girl.
Xuan Yuanzhan glared angrily at Su Xuening: "Look at her like this, are you going to do anything about it?"
Su Xuening didn't care. Her daughter was only a few days old and was already married. This child had grown up under their very noses and cared for them even more than they, the parents, did!
Since he's such a good son-in-law, why should she care? Rather than marrying a stranger or someone through an arranged marriage, it's better to have this person who treats her wholeheartedly.
Su Xuening winked at her daughter and son-in-law: "If you're tired from training, go rest over there for a while. We'll have lunch soon."
"Mother is still the best!" After receiving Su Xuening's pardon, Xiao Xingxing made a face at Xuan Yuanzhan and then ran off with Huangfu Jue.
...Xuanyuan Zhan was so angry that he seemed to be on fire.
Su Xuening calmly brought Xuan Yuanzhan a bowl of tea: "Alright, calm down. Why get angry with the two children?"
Su Xuening extinguished Xuan Yuanzhan's anger with a bowl of tea: "She's only a few years old, and she's already married. How can I not be angry!"
He was furious. He had to endure this kind of anger several times a day. What was most infuriating was that he had personally chosen this son-in-law. Sometimes, seeing how clingy that girl was to him, he wanted to beat himself to death!
Xuan Yuanzhan's chest-pounding and stamping appearance almost made Su Xuening laugh: "You said she's only a few years old, what does she know at her age? It's just that Jue'er is good to her, so she naturally became close to Jue'er."
As she spoke, Su Xuening stepped forward and hugged Xuan Yuanzhan's arm, coaxing him, "Alright, whether it's Xiaobao or Xiaoxing, they'll grow up one day and fly away to have their own lives sooner or later. But I'll always be by your side!"
Su Xuening's few kind words softened Xuan Yuanzhan's heart. At this moment, he had no anger left and reached out to hug Su Xuening: "You said it, you can't go back on your word."
Su Xuening smiled helplessly.
She gave birth to his two children, so why would he be afraid she'd run away?
Isn't she going to stay by her side for the rest of her life?
While Xuanyuan Zhan and Su Xuening shared a deep bond, Xiao Xingxing pulled Huangfu Jue to sit on the corridor.
Little Star seemed to remember something, and took out a piece of pastry from her bosom, handing it to Huangfu Jue: "Brother Jue, here you go!"
A small, plum blossom-shaped pastry lay in her fair palm. Huangfu Jue couldn't help but take it and, even though she wasn't hungry, took a bite.
"Is it sweet?" Little Star asked him expectantly.
Her youthful face couldn't hide her stunning beauty, and Huangfu Jue nodded subconsciously: "Sweet!"
Little Star was instantly delighted, her round eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled: "I knew Brother Jue would like it."
Her bright and radiant smile captivated him.
It's really sweet!
It's so sweet!!
Little Star wiggled her toes and suddenly asked cautiously, "Brother Jue, do you want to go back to Southern Qi?"
Huangfu Jue's eyes instantly darkened, and he answered without the slightest hesitation: "I don't want to."
Huangfu Jue's answer surprised Xiaoxing.
She knew that her brother Jue was angry because of her question.
She knew that her brother Jue missed his parents, so how could he not want to return to Southern Qi!
She had always heard people secretly calling Jue-gege a hostage from Southern Qi. In fact, her father and mother both liked Jue-gege very much. If she went to ask her father to release Jue-gege back to Southern Qi, her father would definitely agree.
But in the end, she couldn't bear to part with it!
P.S.: That concludes the story of Little Star and Huangfu Jue's childhood. What follows is a side story about them as adults. Stay tuned!
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