Chapter 11 You Don't Have to Do That

"Do you always carry this sachet with you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

The sound of horses' hooves also stopped.

Chu Xiao's gaze fell on the sand, and when he looked up at her again, the fierceness in his eyes remained unchanged.

He stopped hiding it and admitted it directly.

"Yes, I always carry it with me."

"You...!" Shen You was speechless with anger, but she was still on horseback, still in his arms, unable to move. "Put me down!"

He carried that sachet with him every day, but whenever she reached out to him for it at Baicaotang or the teahouse, he refused to return it, claiming that the sachet was not with him.

To this day, the sachet has not truly returned to her hands.

"The Duke of Zhenguo, a man of great stature, is keeping a woman's personal belongings. Doesn't Your Excellency find this inappropriate?"

The girl's voice was cold, and because it contained anger, it was even somewhat low.

But to Chu Xiao, all he noticed was that this was the longest sentence she had ever said to him since their reunion.

Seeing that he did not answer, Shen You lowered her eyes to look at the apricot-white sachet that had fallen to the ground, and struggled again, "Put me down, I want to get the sachet back."

She was struggling violently, and although she couldn't break free at all, she was still on horseback. Chu Xiao was worried about hurting her, so he had no choice but to dismount.

“You’ve just been frightened, I’ll dismount, you don’t need to.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man landed, bent down, picked up the sachet, and gently patted off the dust.

Shen You was afraid that he would take it back again, so she reached out her hand and said, "Give me back the sachet."

The sachet had been away from her for several days, but apart from falling onto the sand and getting a little dusty, it was clean and tidy everywhere else.

After Shen You took it back from him, she quickly opened it and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the peace charm her grandmother had asked for for her was still there.

After thinking about it for so many days, Shen You finally got the sachet back and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

She also felt relieved that she would no longer have any contact with him in the future.

She remained seated on horseback, the sachet incident completely dispelling the panic she had felt earlier from the horse's frenzy.

His voice was cool and detached. "I am very grateful for your help, Duke. I will have the Marquis of Chengde's residence prepare a generous gift to express my gratitude another day."

He saved her, so it's only right that she thank him; however, it would be best if they never saw each other again.

The girl's slender waist was straight, her shoulders and back were thin yet flexible, and even the strands of hair at her temples seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Chu Xiao stood beside the horse, looking up at her with a dark expression.

“Shen You,” he said in a deep voice, “you don’t have to do this.”

There's no need for such rejection and resistance; in public and in private... I don't want to have any interaction with him whatsoever.

"No need for what?" Shen You chuckled lightly. "Your Excellency might as well make things clear."

The two were on one side of the horse farm, while on the other side, Ye Mingyu saw that after Chu Xiao subdued the horse, he had already ordered the others not to come over.

The pothos was also blocked.

Therefore, there were only the two of them in this place.

“We’ll be in the capital together from now on, so we’ll inevitably run into each other,” Chu Xiao said, his hand clenched into a fist behind his back, his knuckles clearly visible. “You don’t need to deliberately avoid me like this.”

“Your Excellency is too kind. You are an important official in the court, while I am merely a woman in the inner quarters. We will have very few opportunities to meet in the future,” she said, her gaze meeting his. Her words were extremely direct and distant. “As long as you do not do anything like keeping a woman’s sachet again.”

"Shen You," Chu Xiao felt a pang in his heart, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke again, "It was my fault back then, I..."

"The past is past, there's no need for you to bring it up again, Your Excellency."

She interrupted him directly.

The thought of how he always carried a sachet with him, yet repeatedly rejected her, even going so far as to lie to her, made it hard for her to suppress her anger.

In recent years, her life has been uneventful, and she hasn't experienced such emotional ups and downs in a long time.

Shen You's breathing became heavier, his chest heaving rapidly, and he made his point clear.

"We have no connection anymore, so why does the Duke have to do these things again and again?"

"No connection?" Chu Xiao's eyes narrowed, his throat tightening as if he had heard something utterly absurd. "Can those two years in Qingxi Town be erased with just these three words?"

“Your Excellency, please be careful with your words,” Shen You met his gaze and pursed his lips.

I don't know if it was because I had been exposed to the sunlight for too long or because I had been exposed to the wind on the horse farm for too long, but my eyes suddenly became a little red.

“My former husband was a hunter from Qingxi Town, not a high and mighty Duke.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she reached out to take back the reins, but he held them tightly in his hand.

Chu Xiao felt extremely depressed, with a heavy and suffocating feeling in his chest.

She was angry that she so easily let go of those two years between them, but she also knew that it was all her own fault.

"It was my fault about the sachet; I shouldn't have kept it from you," he could only apologize first.

From the moment they reunited at Bilu Pavilion, he could see in her eyes that she didn't want anything to do with him.

So he could only secretly keep her sachet, forcing her to allow him to get closer, whether willingly or unwillingly, time and time again.

But in the end, he was the one who kept it from her.

Chu Xiao gripped the reins so tightly that the veins on his hands bulged slightly. Seeing that he had no chance of getting the reins back, Shen You gave up on the matter.

She turned her head and looked at the lush trees surrounding the horse farm.

An unspoken silence fell between them.

After a few moments of silence, he finally turned his horse around and headed towards the stable.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out again, and Shen You withdrew his gaze, his eyes inevitably falling on him.

He was already a man of imposing presence, and this dark brocade robe made him appear even more solemn.

But this same person is now acting as her groom.

If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

Shen You pursed her lips, suppressing the inexplicable tightness in her chest.

Ye Mingyu, Qi Zhaoyan, and Luoluo stood by the stable, watching Chu Xiao slowly lead his horse back.

Only when they got closer could one see that neither of them looked very well.

Qi Zhaoyan jumped down the steps. "Fairy sister, are you alright?"

Green Ivy rushed over quickly, "Girl, are you alright?"

She had just seen Shen You almost fall off his horse, and without thinking, she ran over there. Later, the guards and grooms arrived as well, mingling with the crowd. She, a mere maid, was left behind. Then Chu Xiao appeared.

The Empress then dismissed everyone.

Upon seeing Qi Zhaoyan, Shen You's expression softened considerably.

She stepped down from the stirrups, bent down and touched Qi Zhaoyan's face, saying, "I'm fine, I'm not injured."

She then turned to look at the green ivy and reassured her, "Don't worry."

Ye Mingyu also came over, "It's good that you're not injured."

What happened just now was truly frightening. Although there were guards around the horse farm, they were all too far away from Shen You. If Chu Xiao hadn't appeared, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Thinking of Chu Xiao, Ye Mingyu looked up, only to find that Chu Xiao, who had been leading the white horse back, was nowhere to be seen.

However, Shen You was more important at the moment, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Should we summon the imperial physician to examine you?"

Shen You's face was still somewhat pale.

She shook her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty, but I am not injured and am fine."

But I can't ride this horse today.

The coachman stepped forward, trembling with fear, saying, "It was my fault that caused Miss Shen such a fright."

Since neither of them was injured, and Shen You wasn't one to be overly critical, he waved his hand to indicate that everything was alright.

The groom took the reins and led the horse back to the stable.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I must take my leave today."

Faced with this situation, Ye Mingyu would not force her to stay any longer. Holding her hand, she said, "What happened today was due to my lack of foresight. Go back and rest for a few days."

“Alright,” Shen You smiled at her, then looked down at Qi Zhaoyan, “Your Highness, I will come to play with you another day, okay?”

Qi Zhaoyan hugged her arm, somewhat reluctant, but still obediently said, "Okay."

After saying this, Shen You left the horse farm.

The carriage of the Marquis of Chengde's residence was parked outside the gate of the horse farm. With the help of Green Ivy, she lifted her skirt and stepped onto the horse stool.

However, as soon as the carriage curtain was lifted, a pair of black and gold boots, distinctive to men, were seen.

Above that was the hem of a dark brocade robe.