16. Chapter 16 Jealousy

Pei Xiuhan glanced down at the little girl. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her big, watery eyes were filled with anxiety. He took her soft little hand and led her to Mrs. Zhong. "Aunt, Xiaoxiao is timid. I'll trouble you to take care of her from now on."

"Why be so polite to my aunt? We are all family."

Xiaoxiao finally mustered up the courage and glanced at Mrs. Zhong.

Zhong was wearing a light blue jacket with a narrow sleeves and a dark floral pattern. A hollow gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones was inserted diagonally in her hair. She looked very elegant and luxurious.

Xiaoxiao smiled shyly and greeted him obediently.

Several people in the room unconsciously looked at the two people's clasped hands, with surprise in their eyes.

Zhong calmly looked away and smiled more gently, "Why call me Madam Zhong? Just follow the prince and call me aunt."

Xiaoxiao glanced at Pei Xiuhan helplessly. Pei Xiuhan touched her little head and said, "Just call me aunt."

Pei Xiuhan's move was also to show his appreciation for Xiaoxiao. Zhong was a smart woman, and with her looking after her in the future, Xiaoxiao wouldn't have to worry about her time at the clan school.

Under Brother Pei's encouraging gaze, Xiaoxiao obediently called her aunt.

Pei Xiuhan still needed to go to the military camp and did not stay for long. After he left, it was time to go to school. Zhong had already greeted the teacher and asked Mu Wen and Mu Hong to take Xiaoxiao directly to the school.

Mu Wen and Mu Hong are both born to the Zhong family. Mu Hong is the second son of the eldest son, and has an older brother. Mu Wen is the only daughter of the Zhong family. The little girl grew up in pampering and has a lively and naive personality.

The clan school is located in the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, not far from the main house. It is just a few steps away from the Hibiscus Pavilion.

Hibiscus Pavilion has a unique shape. There are four diamond-shaped doors on the pavilion wall for enjoying the scenery. Opposite it is a lotus pond with many goldfish, and the scenery is very beautiful.

When passing by Hibiscus Pavilion, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but take a few more glances. When she looked away, she saw Mu Wen looking at her curiously.

Mu Wen looked at her with admiration that she herself hadn't even noticed. She thought she was too amazing. She even dared to pull the big devil's sleeve, and even after doing so, her hand wasn't chopped off.

Seeing Xiaoxiao smile at her, she also curled her lower lip and took Xiaoxiao's hand, "My name is Mu Wen, you can call me Sister Wen. You are so amazing, aren't you afraid of your cousin? He is so scary, and you dare to walk with him."

Xiaoxiao said seriously: "Brother Pei is not that scary. He is a very nice person. You don't have to be afraid of him."

In fact, Xiaoxiao would get scared when he looked cold sometimes. Seeing others so afraid of him, Xiaoxiao felt a little uncomfortable. She couldn't help but praise him a little more, "He is the most considerate and kind-hearted person. He is the best person I have ever met."

Apart from her family, this was the first time someone treated her so well. In Xiaoxiao's heart, Pei Xiu Han was like a guardian angel.

It would have been fine if she hadn't praised her. After she did, Mu Wen and Mu Hong both looked as if they had seen a ghost. Mu Wen even wanted to pry open her head to see if the little girl was poisoned.

In just a few words, they arrived at the school.

The teacher had arrived. He was dressed in a moon-white robe with a large, cross-collared robe and black trimmings, looking very elegant. He taught the Analects of Confucius. When he saw Xiaoxiao, he asked her to introduce herself and then had her sit next to Mu Wen.

There were a total of thirteen children in the clan school, with an age difference of no more than three years. There were seven boys and six girls. Because the teacher was strict, no one dared to speak in private. Everyone just looked at Xiaoxiao curiously.

Xiaoxiao was used to not paying attention to other people's gazes. After sitting down, she was attracted by the books on the rosewood table.

Mrs. Zhong was a thoughtful person. When she learned that she was coming yesterday, she prepared books for her. These books were all brand new. Just holding them in her hands, Xiaoxiao felt a surge of excitement in her heart, and the uneasiness in her heart had long disappeared.

When the teacher started teaching, she listened very carefully. If she encountered something she didn't understand, she would write it down. By the end of the class, she had filled three pages with densely written notes.

Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a little frustrated, feeling that there was so much she didn't understand. Just as she was feeling depressed, she saw Mu Wen approaching and said with a smile, "It's a rare opportunity to rest for a quarter of an hour, why are you still holding on to your book? Come on, come on, sister will take you to see my pet."

Before Xiaoxiao could react, Mu Wen pulled her away.

The children in the clan school were all related to the Zhenguogong Mansion, but despite this, the girls were divided into two factions, one led by Mu Wen and the other led by Mu Xi.

Mu Xi is the second daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. Her mother passed away early, and her father has always doted on her. The Zhong couple also love her very much. Mu Wen has never gotten along with her, and they often compete with each other in the clan school.

Seeing Mu Wen pulling Xiaoxiao away, Mu Xi immediately rolled his eyes, and when he looked at Xiaoxiao again, his gaze was no longer as friendly as before.

When Mu Wen pulled Xiaoxiao away, two little girls followed. They were in the same camp as Mu Wen and both looked at Xiaoxiao curiously. One of them even said to Mu Wen, "Sister Xiaoxiao is so beautiful. Her facial features are more delicate than my sister's."

She is the daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, named Zhong Miao, and is Mu Wen's cousin. She is also thirteen years old this year. Zhong is her aunt, and she has a good relationship with Mu Wen, so she comes here to study.

Her elder sister, Zhong Yan, was one of the most beautiful women in the capital. She had just reached the age of marriage, and many young men were knocking on her door in pursuit of marriage.

Mu Wen said proudly, "Of course, how could my cousin not be beautiful? Look at how handsome my cousin is!"

Xiaoxiao always felt that this sentence was strange.

Zhong Miao nodded in agreement, "The prince is indeed handsome."

As she was talking, Mu Wen had already pulled Xiao Xiao to a little kitten. The kitten was snow-white, only slightly bigger than Brother Pei's palm, with green eyes that were as bright as emeralds. It was very beautiful.

Xiaoxiao fell in love with it at first sight.

This little kitten suddenly ran over here yesterday. After asking around, no one knew who it belonged to. It was so dirty and looked so pitiful that Mu Wen thought it was a stray cat, so she kept it.

Xiaoxiao also likes kittens. She followed the three of them and squatted in front of the kitten, touching its little head. The little kitten meowed, and it was so cute that it melted people's hearts.

The break was only a quarter of an hour, and before they had enough time to practice, the teacher who was going to teach them how to make perfume came. She was a female teacher, and she also wore a veil when teaching. Mu Wen said that she had a birthmark on her face.

Xiaoxiao had never been exposed to perfume making before, and she felt dizzy after hearing it. Fortunately, the female teacher was very patient, and seeing Xiaoxiao's confused face, she explained a few more words.

They rested at the clan school at noon. There was a special rest area for children next to it. After lunch, they could rest for half an hour.

Xiaoxiao had just finished her rest when she saw Yang Hao coming. He actually brought her two musical instruments, a guzheng and a konghou. Xiaoxiao then realized that these were the two instruments they were going to learn in the afternoon.

The things Pei Xiuhan sent were naturally very valuable. They were made of rosewood and snow sandalwood. The girls in the clan school all came from good families and had seen many good things. When they saw these two guzhengs and konghous, they couldn't help but be amazed. Zhong Miao couldn't let go of them and touched them again and again.

Xiaoxiao felt heavy in her heart, feeling that she owed Brother Pei more and more. Would she ever be able to pay him back? Only after the class started did Xiaoxiao stop thinking about random things and concentrate on listening.

Xiaoxiao had never been exposed to musical instruments or perfume making. After a whole day, she felt that the Analects of Confucius was the easiest, and the other three gave her a headache. Seeing that she knew nothing, the two girls who followed Mu Xi's lead looked at her with contempt.

After class, one of them whispered to Mu Xi, "Where on earth did this little country girl Zhang Xiaoxiao come from? She can't even play the konghou or guzheng. Seeing her clumsy behavior, I feel so embarrassed for her."

Mu Xi was not clear about Xiao Xiao's origins. She was not stupid and instinctively felt that her identity was not simple. Otherwise, Yang Hao would not have come to give her a musical instrument. Others might not know, but she naturally knew that Yang Hao was Cousin Pei's close bodyguard.

Mu Xi gave her a warning glance, stopping her from gossiping. She turned and asked the maid beside her, "Is that kitten from the Princess's residence? Have you found out?"

The maid said, "I'm still checking. I heard that the little princess has a kitten. I wonder if the one in the mansion is hers."

No one in the entire Zhenbei Marquis Mansion kept a cat. It must have come from next door. Mu Xi narrowed his eyes and whispered in the maid's ear, "If it really is hers, you're doing this..."

The maid's eyes lit up, "Then the little princess will definitely be furious, and the eldest lady will definitely be in trouble."

Mu Xi snorted, he just wanted her to be unlucky, she was so stupid every day, she couldn't tell the good guys from the bad guys.

*

Xiaoxiao was indeed a little clumsy when learning to play musical instruments. She was hit hard and felt that she was not smart at all. Even when she saw Pei Xiuhan as soon as she left the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, she was unable to cheer up.

Her little head is depressed and looks extremely depressed, which makes people want to rub her little head.

Pei Xiuhan was not good at coaxing people. Seeing that the little girl was a little depressed, he flicked her forehead with his fingers and said, "Let's go. Brother will take you somewhere."

Xiaoxiao blinked and followed obediently.

Pei Jing had just finished today's lessons. The teacher had finally praised him today, so he ran out excitedly, intending to show off to his uncle, but found that he had already left the palace. After asking, he learned that he had left early to pick up Xiaoxiao from school.

The smile on Pei Jing's face instantly faded. He frowned in frustration and muttered a few words in a bad mood, "No matter how much you love her, the Emperor won't show up to thank you. If you have the time, you might as well have one yourself. Even if you don't want to, don't you still have me? If you continue to be partial to her, be careful that she won't be able to see you off to the grave. You'll have to rely on her."