The three-year-old host decides to raise an emperor father for himself.

Xiao Lanxing's current body bears some resemblance to Xuan Yuanjing.

Although Xuanyuan Jing and Xuanyuan Lin are brothers, half-brothers are still half-bloods. However, Xuanyuan Jing not only does not resemble Xuanyuan Lin much, but also looks quite different from the other sons of the late emperor.

But while they are completely different, there are still similarities.

After Xuanyuan Lin sat down on his high seat, Su Mingxuan, who had been watching his every move, noticed that the emperor was somewhat distracted, even though they were some distance apart.

Su Mingxuan was puzzled and also wanted to know what Xuan Yuanlin was thinking at this moment.

As the focus of attention, Su Mingxuan wasn't the only one to notice Xuan Yuanlin's slightly odd behavior.

After the Emperor and Empress were seated, another set of procedures were completed. After Xuan Yuan Lan Jia sat down again, she reached out and patted Xiao Lan Xing's head, then glanced at the ceiling without making a sound.

Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she were deep in thought.

"Madam?" Huo Qingshan leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice, "Is there something wrong with the young princess?"

Xuan Yuan Lan Jia snapped out of her daze and looked down to see the young girl under her command looking up at her curiously, unsure if she had heard what Huo Qingshan had just said.

There probably isn't any. The song and dance performance has already started on the central stage. They're so close that the music drowns out the voices. Even if the little girl were right next to them, her hearing wouldn't be that sharp.

She smiled at Xiao Lanxing and said, "It's okay, eat up."

There's a performance to watch, so the kids should be able to sit still.

Such palace banquets naturally do not allow young children to run around freely. If they cause trouble, it could lead to national embarrassment.

After saying that, Xuan Yuan Lan Jia reached out and patted Huo Wu Bing next to Xiao Lan Xing, pointed at Xiao Lan Xing, and mouthed, "Protect your aunt."

Huo Wubing was watching the performance with great interest when his mother patted him like that. He quickly grabbed Xiao Lanxing's hand and nodded vigorously.

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Lan Jia turned her head slightly and whispered in Huo Qing Shan's ear, "His Majesty seemed to glance at Lan Xing just now, and then seemed a little dazed. He still seems a bit distracted now. I wonder what he noticed."

Huo Qingshan: "...Hmm, perhaps it's because the young princess and Prince Jing look somewhat alike?"

Huo Qingshan had last seen Xuan Yuanjing several years ago, and there had been some distance between them. Logically, after such a long time, Xuan Yuanjing's face should have become somewhat blurry in his mind.

However, Huo Qingshan's literary reputation was well-deserved, not just for show. He had a naturally stronger memory than most people, was skilled in painting, and had a deep impression of Xuan Yuanjing, so he still remembered what he looked like even after not seeing him for several years.

Those skilled in painting, especially portraits, would find it easier to observe the similarity between Xiao Lanxing and Xuan Yuanjing's eyebrows.

Xuan Yuan Lan Jia: "That shouldn't be the reason. Since Lan Xing is his daughter, it's only natural that she would look somewhat similar to him."

"Besides, they don't look particularly alike. If no one mentions it, no one would think they are father and daughter, right?"

Huo Qingshan: "Hmm... it's fine if you say that, after all, Lanxing is a girl."

Xuan Yuanjing's handsomeness carries a sharp edge, and his experience on the battlefield makes him naturally different from the well-behaved and adorable Xiao Lanxing.

Xuanyuan Lanjia frowned: "I'm just worried that something unusual might be going on."

“Now that Prince Jing is not in the palace, and Xiao Lanxing is just a little girl here, if His Majesty finds a reason to take Xiao Lanxing away, I have no reason to detain her.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Qingshan was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of the little girl who had been watching the performance with her son looking up and saying in a clear voice, "It's okay."

Huo Qingshan was taken aback.

Xuanyuan Lanjia was also taken aback.

Little Lanxing said obediently, "Daddy said that if anyone bullies me, I'll bully them back!"

Xuan Yuan Lan Jia: "Wait, Lan Xing, did you hear what we said?"

After saying that, Xuan Yuan Lan Jia realized something and looked puzzled: "Why can I hear your voice so clearly?"

The show isn't over yet?

The drums were deafening. She had to be very close to Huo Qingshan to speak, and she deliberately lowered her voice. How come Xiao Lanxing heard her but didn't say anything? She wasn't speaking loudly, but Xuan Yuan Lanjia, who was a little distance away, could hear her so clearly.

Xuanyuan Lanjia: My...ears have been blessed?

Huo Qingshan's eyes flickered, and he smiled as he looked at Xiao Lanxing: "Little Princess, you know martial arts?"

As he said this, he first chuckled and shook his head, feeling that it was absurd: such a young child, even if he were to practice martial arts, should only be at the very beginning.

As a result, Xiao Lanxing nodded: "Yes, I will!"

Huo Qingshan's smile froze for a moment. After hesitating for a while, he found an excuse: "Did His Highness Prince Jing teach you?"

Considering the impression Prince Jing left on people in the past, it's not surprising that he raised his daughter from a young age.

Xiao Lanxing shook her head: "No, I learned it myself."

Although Xiao Lanxing doesn't remember why she learned martial arts, she knows that she learned all her skills herself!

It's not that no one taught me, but it wasn't my father who taught me!

Huo Qingshan: "..."

Huo Qingshan felt that the child might be too young and have some misconceptions.

but……

He wasn't speaking loudly, and there was no problem communicating with the little girl.

If you said he didn't have some skills, who would believe you?

Huo Qingshan was a little dazed.

Could it be that Prince Jing's daughter is a prodigy?

It seems... not entirely incomprehensible?

After all, Prince Jing was a genius, so it's quite normal that his daughter was more capable than others... right?

——————————————————————————————

Below, Xuan Yuan Lan Jia and Huo Qing Shan were somewhat dazed by the unexpected discovery, while Xuan Yuan Lin at the head of the table finally snapped out of his reverie.

He looked around and saw that only the Empress and a few servants were around him, so he could only chat with the Empress for a few words: "Did you see the little girl next to Princess Jiaxuan just now, Zitong?"

Since taking her seat, the Empress had sat there dignifiedly, her posture and demeanor impeccable, yet...

It gives off an inexplicable sense of unease, like... a clay doll.

But Xuan Yuanlin seemed not to have noticed anything, gently taking her hand and casually bringing up the topic.

Hearing his voice, the Empress turned her head slightly, the phoenix hairpin in her hair shimmering with light as she moved, and said in a gentle and soothing tone: "Your Majesty, I did not notice just now, please forgive me."

Xuanyuan Lin: "I didn't notice..."

He had started to say something, but after the Empress's words, he hesitated and swallowed it back.

He wanted to talk to someone, to talk to the Empress, but when he looked up and saw that even though the Empress's makeup concealed her illness, she still looked a little sickly, he didn't say anything. He just smiled and said, "Then that's fine. Today's palace banquet, the servants said that they have prepared a lot of interesting programs. Zitong, take a look and have some fun."

Still gentle.

A unique tenderness, yet no one responds.