Chapter 18 The Target of Public Criticism
He was already at the door, but he didn't go in. Instead, he asked his cousin, who was in an awkward position, to pass on the message. Xu Shuyao knew without thinking that it was not a good thing.
But what can she do?
Thinking of the cold smile on that person's lips, she couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on her scalp.
Xu Shuyao believed that she had never had any enmity with the prince in the past. Not to mention enmity, she had never even spoken to him.
To be precise, this was the first time she had faced the future head of the Chengguo Mansion at such close range.
Compared with the glimpse I took through the rain and fog at the city gate when I arrived in Beijing two years ago, the view now is clearer and more intuitive.
How to say it?
If two years ago Xu Shuyao felt the solemnity and indifference of a nobleman from the capital, and the chasm between their identities that was as huge as a chasm, then now there was an additional layer of chill.
Undoubtedly, this Prince Xiao is good-looking.
He has an upright posture, clean and sharp eyebrows, and eyes like cold stars. When he raises his lips and chuckles, his eyes are as cool and refreshing as the first snow.
She didn't know how she had offended him.
Or was it that your behavior of following him all the way to Beijing caused him to be displeased?
Xu Shuyao was just frowning in thought when she heard Qiao Wei beside her remind her, "Miss! Miss Liu is coming."
Xu Shuyao looked up and saw Liu Qingwan, dressed in a lavender dress, walking gracefully towards them. "Cousin Xu!"
Before I got close, the sound arrived first.
Xu Shuyao smiled and stood there waiting for her.
Liu Qingwan had just taken a look at the orphan girl from the second house. She was wearing only a simple dress, but it was already eye-catching enough. Thinking of the person she saw in the distance, she smiled and asked, "Was that my cousin just now? Why did you leave without entering Songhe Hall?"
Although both are cousins living under someone else's roof, Liu Qingwan and Xu Shuyao are different. Liu's father is still alive, and the third wife Liu is more cautious about her niece than Chen.
Therefore, she knew who the guest was, and Liu Qingwan already had a guess in her mind as to why that outstanding cousin did not enter the house.
Xu Shuyao glanced at her. Since this person had seen it, she would not hide it from her.
"It's my eldest cousin."
Liu Qingwan was stunned. She didn't expect Xu Shuyao to be so frank, but when she thought of Xiao Mo's smile just now, she felt sour in her heart.
I wanted to ask my cousin what he said, but I didn't know how to start.
The two had said everything they needed to say, and then walked together towards the main entrance of Songhe Hall.
The maid guarding the door had already opened the curtains and added a sentence behind her back: "Go in quickly, ladies! We're waiting inside!"
Xu Shuyao walked in calmly and greeted everyone in the room. Although Xu Shuyao was not familiar with the woman sitting next to Old Madam Xiao, she understood everything when she saw Shen Jingshu, and she felt the malice of the young master more deeply in her heart.
I originally thought that he just wanted me to pass on a message to the Duke's wife, and it wasn't serious.
But given the current situation, Xu Shuyao didn't intend to get into trouble.
If Wang had sent someone to ask, she would have known that the prince had left the house. Why would she need to deliver the message?
The relationship between cousins is already enough to arouse speculation. What would others think if she repeated what Master Xiao had said to her, that he would be back in the evening?
He went out without asking his grandmother and mother, but only told her, which made himself a target of public criticism.
After Xu Shuyao figured out the whole story, she decided to make a gourd with a sawed mouth, but someone was unwilling to let her go.
When Wang was about to send the maid to Mingzhe Hall to fetch someone again, Liu Qingwan cast a deep glance at Xu Shuyao across from her and took the initiative to say, "Aunt! When Qingwan came over just now, she saw my eldest cousin and my cousin Xu talking. If you want to find my eldest cousin, why not ask my cousin Xu to see if she knows?"
After she said this, everyone in the room immediately turned their attention to Xu Shuyao.
Even Mrs. Ruan looked carefully at the girl not far away. She had seen her just now and she was really pretty, but when she looked at her carefully again this time, she felt that she was more than just pretty.
The young lady sat there obediently, looking quiet, but one could clearly feel that she was different from others.
Even if you don't pay attention to her delicate facial features, just looking at the white circle on the side of her face and neck, it is like a shimmering pearl, which will make people unconsciously shift their gaze to her.
Looking at her dress again, although it is not fashionable and even not very new, it does not look shabby on her. Instead, it has a feeling of being a natural jade.
Mrs. Ruan looked at the young lady opposite her calmly, and then thinking about what the girl Liu next to her said, her eyes gradually became sharp.
Even the Duke's wife, Wang, seemed as if she had just met Xu Shuyao, with a thoughtful look on her face.
Xu Shuyao looked at this scene and cursed the prince again in her heart.
However, her face remained calm. She looked up at Liu Qingwan and said in a calm voice, "Madam! Just now, the Young Master saw Shu Yao and her group coming to Songhe Hall and asked if we wanted to go in and pay our respects to the Old Madam. Shu Yao said yes, and the Young Master seemed very anxious. He told me that if my aunt asked about it later, I must tell you that he has entered the palace."
Speaking of the prince whom all the noble ladies in the capital wanted to marry, Xu Shuyao's face showed no trace of strangeness, not even the slightest shyness that a young girl should have.
She also explained why she had not discussed this matter when she came in.
What this means is that the Crown Prince had given instructions before, and only if the Duchess's wife asked would she help to pass it on, but if she didn't ask, there was no need to tell her.
There were no flaws in either Xu Shuyao herself or what she said.
The elders of the Duke's Mansion all withdrew their gazes, and even Madam Ruan felt that she was overthinking it.
Liu Qingwan had never had any verbal confrontation with Xu Shuyao in the past. Today, she felt jealous when she thought that the prince's attitude towards her was different from hers. She thought she would be embarrassed, but she didn't expect it to be so easily revealed.
She suddenly became alert. It was the first time she realized that her cousin Xu, who usually kept a low profile, was actually a powerful figure.
Liu Qingwan suppressed the complexity in her heart and quickly hid the strange look in her eyes.
Although Xu Shuyao's words cleared herself, the people sitting in the room felt even more embarrassed.
The prince found a seemingly appropriate reason, but everyone knew the truth.
If it was a big deal for others to enter the palace, it was just a common occurrence for Prince Xiao.
Everyone in the palace knew that Xiao Mo would be called into the palace every now and then. The emperor valued his ministers. Sometimes he would be called for important matters, and sometimes he would just be called to chat or play chess with him.
There is no reason to go on a day off, especially when there is a distinguished guest in the house, and this guest is related to his life.
So the answer is very clear, he is deliberately avoiding this marriage.
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