Chapter 15 Cousin, this is the purse I embroidered for you.
Gu Nanxiao had seen this kind of woman the most since he was a child, and he was fed up with the undisguised adoration in their eyes.
He believed that admiration should be mutual, and he never thought that being surrounded by beautiful women could demonstrate a man's charm. He felt that these women would only bring him trouble.
Shen Yujiao called him "cousin," but Gu Nanxiao did not call him "cousin." He said in a cold voice, "Miss Shen, as a lady of a prominent family, how can you freely enter and leave a man's residence? You should not come here again in the future, lest you ruin your reputation."
Hearing such blunt words, Shen Yujiao seemed completely unconcerned about her cousin's coldness and felt no embarrassment, because in her mind, her cousin was always aloof and never got close to any woman.
Moreover, Shen Yujiao felt that her cousin was still quite patient with her.
She had personally witnessed a case where a noblewoman pretended to fall, trying to throw herself into her cousin's arms, only to be mercilessly slapped into the lake by her cousin.
Since then, no one has dared to get close to my cousin. Although many people say he lacks gentlemanly manners and doesn't know how to cherish women.
But in Shen Yujiao's eyes, her cousin's actions were all virtues; they showed that he didn't philander and was chaste. And it was precisely because her cousin was so aloof that she felt she needed to take the initiative.
Seeing that Shen Yujiao showed no intention of leaving, Gu Nanxiao started walking towards the courtyard gate. Just as they passed each other, his sleeve was suddenly tugged, and Shen Yujiao's shy, hesitant voice came from behind him:
“Cousin, this is a purse I embroidered for you. Inside is a peace charm I obtained from the Jokhang Temple. I hope the Bodhisattva will bless you with peace and safety.”
Gu Nanxiao glanced back at the purse she was holding in her hands; it was embroidered with a twin lotus flower. Looking at the fine stitches, he knew the embroiderer had put a lot of thought into it.
Twin lotus blossoms have always been a gift from a woman to her lover, symbolizing their mutual affection. If an ordinary gentleman received such a heartfelt gift, even if he had no romantic feelings for her, he would politely decline.
But such thoughts only added to Gu Nanxiao's annoyance. He abruptly pulled back his sleeve, scolding her mercilessly, "Miss Shen, don't you understand the meaning behind the embroidery on this purse? How could you be so reckless as to send this over so casually?"
Gu Nanxiao's words were like tearing Shen Yujiao's face off and throwing it on the ground to stomp on, showing her absolutely no mercy. But she still forced back her trembling body, raised her slightly reddened eyes, and looked at Gu Nanxiao, saying:
“Cousin, don’t be angry. It’s Jiaojiao’s fault. If you don’t like this pattern, Jiaojiao will embroider another one.”
Seeing that he was so unyielding, Gu Nanxiao didn't bother to say another word. He strode out of the courtyard with Mo Yu, ignoring Shen Yujiao who was chasing and shouting behind him. He mounted the horse that the servant had brought and headed towards the Jinwu Guard headquarters without looking back.
When Shen Yujiao finally caught up to the door, panting, she only saw a distant figure and smelled a blast of dust. Frustrated, she stomped her feet repeatedly. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly turned back.
As soon as Gu Nanxiao left, Shen Yujiao immediately put on a gloomy face, and led two maids to barge into Gu Nanxiao's study.
Upon seeing this, the guards at the door immediately stepped forward to stop her, saying, "Miss Chen, please wait. You are not allowed to enter or leave the master's study at will."
But Shen Yujiao arrogantly retorted, "I am here today at the behest of my maternal grandmother, the Empress Dowager. How dare you stop me?"
The guard remained unmoved after hearing this, maintaining his blocking posture and showing no intention of backing down.
Seeing that even after bringing out the Empress Dowager, they still refused to make any concessions, Shen Yujiao snorted coldly and had no choice but to head towards the Princess's Qingfeng Garden.
The princess was tending to the flowers in the flower room when Shen Yujiao was led over by a maid. Upon seeing the princess, she changed her arrogant demeanor and obediently walked closer, took the princess's arm, and affectionately called out, "Aunt."
The princess put down her flower shears, took Shen Yujiao's hand, and looked her up and down with a smile, saying, "It's been three years since I last saw you, and you've grown into a beautiful young lady."
Please settle down in Kyoto. The Empress Dowager has already informed me about your relationship with Xiao'er. Although it is truly unfair to make our Shen family's daughter a concubine, the Xu family's daughter is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor.
But don't worry, after you marry into the family, your aunt and Xiao'er will dote on you. They will definitely not let that Xu family girl steal your thunder.
Besides, you and Xiao'er are closer after all, and given that he has always disliked Consort Xu, he naturally wouldn't like any of the Xu family's daughters either.
Shen Yujiao nodded obediently and waved her hand behind her. The maid immediately brought out a brocade box and handed it to the old woman next to her.
Shen Yujiao said as if presenting a treasure, "This is a ginseng of the best quality that my father received some time ago. He was worried that you hadn't recovered well after giving birth to my cousin, so he asked me to bring it to you to help you recover."
Upon mentioning her elder brother, the princess's smile became even more genuine. She pulled Shen Yujiao aside and sat down, saying, "Go back and thank your elder brother for me, and tell him to take care of his own health as well."
As they spoke, a servant immediately served two cups of tea. After taking a sip, the princess asked, "Did you see your cousin just now?"
Mentioning Gu Nanxiao didn't bring Shen Yujiao joy; instead, a hint of sadness appeared on her face. She said with a touch of grievance:
“Aunt, you don’t know, my cousin just embarrassed me in public. He not only refused to accept the purse I embroidered, but he also wouldn’t let the servants stop me from entering his courtyard.”
The princess was not surprised by Gu Nanxiao's reaction at all; her son was exactly like that. If it weren't for this, she and the Empress Dowager wouldn't have had to force their son to favor concubines.
So, he casually advised, "Xiao'er is a bit aloof and has never been very warm towards women. You've known that since you were little."
Shen Yujiao nodded obediently, and then pretended to be worried and advised, "I also thought that my cousin was just being temperamental, but I saw that he treated the new concubine differently."
It must be that concubine who doesn't understand her place, letting her cousin indulge her. In my opinion, she should be properly disciplined.
The princess didn't quite agree after hearing this, because she knew her son's temperament. Gu Nanxiao hated it when others touched his things without permission.
He was alright when he was little, but as he got older, his domineering nature became more and more pronounced. And he hated being told what to do.
The princess felt that she had grown increasingly distant from her son since he grew up. At this moment, she was even less willing to let a trivial concubine cause further unpleasantness between them.
Seeing the princess's expression, Shen Yujiao realized she clearly had no intention of punishing the concubine. She then added fuel to the fire, saying:
“Aunt, you don’t know, yesterday my maternal grandmother, the Empress Dowager, wanted my cousin to take me into his household, but my cousin said that he already had that concubine in his room and didn’t want to take anyone else in.”
Upon hearing this, the princess's expression immediately changed. She asked with a stern face, "Xiao'er, do you really say that?"
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