12. Chapter 12 Protecting Her
Another maid was named Lian Qiao. She had been working in Suyuexuan. No one lived in Suyuexuan, and her daily duties were sweeping the floor and wiping the vases. She had no experience of getting along with the master.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoxiao was suddenly arranged here. Lian Qiao was somewhat panicked, afraid of violating her taboo, so she stuffed silver into Xuemei's pocket, hoping to find out about Xiaoxiao.
After all, Xuemei is the head maid in the mansion. She has the opportunity to get close to the steward, the prince and others. They must know more than her. Neither she nor Xuemei expected Xiaoxiao to come out so soon.
When Xuemei saw Xiaoxiao's figure, her face turned pale.
Although she was a person who only cared about what was said, it didn't mean that she was willing to let the person she was talking to hear what she said. She felt a little embarrassed, and when she met Xiaoxiao's calm gaze, she knew that this little girl had heard everything.
She quickly knelt down and slapped her mouth. "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. Please forgive me this time, young lady."
Xiaoxiao didn't expect her to kneel down, let alone slap herself. She was a little shocked and took a step back.
Xuemei took in her expression calmly. Seeing that she was just as she had expected, she hardened her heart and slapped her again. The next moment, she heard the little girl say helplessly, "Stop hitting me."
Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and managed to calm herself down.
The other party was not wrong. She was indeed not a noble lady, and she did not care about etiquette and lived with Brother Pei. Xiaoxiao had never thought that her stay would cause criticism from others. There were no such things in the village.
She thought for a moment and said, "I am indeed just a little village girl. It was the prince's kindness that took me in. I will leave when my brother returns from the battlefield. I don't need you to serve me carefully. I have hands and feet and can take care of myself. You can go back to your own place."
Xiaoxiao's words made Xuemei a little confused about what she was thinking. She couldn't even tell whether she was angry. In any case, she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xiaoxiao had no intention of punishing her. After all, she was just a slave, and her master could sell her out with just a word.
Her task was only to bring Xiaoxiao to Suyuexuan. Logically, she should leave now. She kowtowed again before leaving.
Lian Qiao stood aside awkwardly, also frightened. After Xue Mei left, she kowtowed hastily, "The servant Lian Qiao greets the master."
Seeing them kneeling so often, Xiaoxiao felt a little uncomfortable. "Stand up and talk to me. Don't kneel like that. I'm not a master."
After learning that she was working at Su Yue Xuan, Xiao Xiao told her to just carry on as usual. Seeing that she was easy to get along with, Lian Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and took her into the inner room. "Miss, go to bed early. The bedding is all new. If you need anything, just tell me directly."
Xiaoxiao was not a very brave person. After arriving at Suyuexuan alone, she was a little uneasy. But when she saw her sister in front of her, who was even more frightened than herself, Xiaoxiao felt a little more at ease.
She nodded obediently, thanked him, and then said, "You should go and rest too."
After Lianqiao went down, Xiaoxiao went to bed. She thought she would not be able to sleep, but perhaps because she was too tired, she fell asleep unknowingly.
Pei Xiuhan went to the Dali Temple. A month ago, he had Li Qing and others arrested, and they are now detained in the Dali Temple.
Pei Xiuhan was not in a hurry to execute them. He suspected that there was someone behind Li Qing. Otherwise, Li Qing alone would not be able to do this. Colluding with Dajin is a serious crime. Li Qing is not a very courageous person. There must be someone behind the scenes manipulating them.
Only after he appeared at the Dali Temple did everyone know he had returned. He had been away for over three months, and for the past month or so, rumors had been circulating in the capital about his assassination attempt. Several veteran officials had gone to the palace, and some even advised the young emperor to take advantage of the opportunity to eradicate the regent's power.
The young emperor was extremely annoyed by what he heard. Seeing that his uncle had not returned yet, he even suspected that he was in danger. In recent days, he had been a little uneasy, fearing that something had really happened to him. After learning that his uncle had returned to the capital today, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that his uncle did not come to the palace immediately, Pei Jing was a little unhappy and did not even eat dinner. When the eunuch came to persuade him to have dinner, he was driven away. He waited and waited, but what he got was the news that his uncle had gone to the Dali Temple.
Pei Jing didn't wait for him any longer and fell asleep unhappily, and his intention to find the emperor's uncle to complain was almost gone.
Pei Xiuhan knew his situation very well, and naturally knew that this kid was waiting for him to come over. He deliberately left him alone, so after returning from the Dali Temple, he went home.
After returning home, his staff came again. During the time he was away from Beijing, there had been no trouble in the capital, thanks to the assistance of these people. Pei Xiuhan met them in the study, and it was already very late at night after meeting them.
He then asked, "Is she asleep?"
The person serving in the room was his personal attendant Yang Hao. Some time ago, Yang Hao took on other tasks and did not leave the capital with him. When he heard Pei Xiuhan's question, he was stunned for a moment before realizing that the prince was asking about the little girl he brought back.
He quickly sent someone to check on Su Yuexuan. Because the two courtyards were adjacent to each other, a servant came back after a while and said that she had gone to bed a long time ago.
Pei Xiu Han then asked everyone to leave and gave up the idea of visiting her. The little girl was thoughtful and Pei Xiu Han was really worried that she would not be able to adapt to the new environment, so she secretly wiped away her tears at night.
The Great Zhou held a morning court session every three days, and tomorrow was the morning court session. Pei Xiuhan took a bath and rested. The next day, he went to the palace early in the morning.
When he arrived at the palace, Pei Jing was still sleeping in. The eunuch called out to him several times but failed to wake him up. Seeing the Regent, the eunuch knelt down hastily. Seeing his unhappy expression, the eunuch's legs trembled as he hurriedly explained to Pei Jing, "The Emperor, he was hoping the Regent would come over last night, so he slept a little late and didn't get up."
Pei Xiuhan naturally knew what kind of person Pei Jing was. He ignored the young eunuch, resisted the urge to kick him, and lifted the brocade quilt off him.
Pei Jing was sleeping soundly. Now it was the beginning of winter. Without a quilt, a cold wind suddenly blew over him. He shivered with cold and opened his eyes unhappily. Just as he was about to get angry, he met the cold gaze of the emperor's uncle.
He instantly woke up and jumped up from the bed. Under Pei Xiuhan's disdainful gaze, he quickly sat up straight. Without waiting for Pei Xiuhan to speak, he said, "I know, I know. You have to sit properly and not lose the dignity of the emperor. Have I learned well now? Uncle, let me tell you, your nephew has been very well behaved during the time you were away from the capital."
The boy had peach blossom eyes, and when he smiled, he had a hint of cunning. He took after the late emperor, and his facial features were somewhat similar to Pei Xiuhan's. Although only twelve years old, he was not short. He was usually quirky and had many cunning thoughts.
After he finished speaking, he blinked his sparkling peach blossom eyes and came closer to Pei Xiuhan, "Did the emperor uncle bring me any gifts this time?"
When he was seven or eight years old, Pei Xiuhan had brought him a gift. Seeing that he was so old and still asked for a gift, Pei Xiuhan's mouth twitched and he couldn't help but kick his butt. "You've fallen behind in your studies, and you still dare to ask for a gift? Where do you get the nerve to do that?"
After being kicked, Pei Jing bared his teeth and quickly moved away, saying aggrievedly, "Who said I fell behind in my studies? Who is so blind as to dare to tell lies behind my back? Let him confront me and see how it goes."
He was usually lazy and several teachers couldn't control him, so Pei Xiuhan went to Qiyuan Town at great pains to personally invite Master Zhang to come out of retirement.
Before this, Pei Xiuhan had written two letters to Mr. Zhang, but both times he was politely rejected on the grounds of old age. This time he went there in person and finally convinced the old man.
Thinking that someone would take care of this kid once Master Zhang arrived, Pei Xiuhan felt better. He briefly talked to Pei Jing about the war and went to the court first.
In the past two months, Da Zhou and Da Jin have fought several battles, with both victories and defeats. The war has reached a stalemate. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for Da Zhou.
Pei Xiuhan had always wanted to lead his troops in person, but had given up because of the long journey. After all, if he left, it would take several months to go back and forth, and he was afraid that there would be chaos in the capital if he walked for too long.
He then headed to Qiyuan Town first. If Elder Zhang could come out of retirement, at least he wouldn't have to worry about this troublesome nephew anymore. Thinking of the little emperor's troubles, Pei Xiuhan thought of Xiaoxiao again, and felt that this little girl was so well-behaved that it was heartbreaking.
He did not have breakfast in the palace. After the morning court session, he returned to the palace and went directly to Xiaoxiao's place, wanting to see if the little girl was used to living in Suyuexuan.
Xiaoxiao was not feeling well and had slept in for a rare time. She hadn't gotten up yet and Lian Qiao didn't dare disturb her. After cleaning the yard, she went to the small kitchen.
When Pei Xiuhan came over, Xiaoxiao was the only one in the yard, and she was still sleeping.
She was usually diligent, and except when she was unwell, Pei Xiu Han had never seen her sleep in. He called out Xiaoxiao, but when he heard no response, he frowned and stepped into the inner room.
Seeing that there was no maid serving in the room, Pei Xiuhan frowned again. He pulled up the curtain himself and hung it on the golden hook.
The quilt was very warm. Xiaoxiao's fair and tender little face was rosy when she was sleeping, her pink lips were half open, and she looked very cute when she was sleeping.
When she heard footsteps, she opened her eyes in a daze. When she saw Pei Xiuhan, she thought she was dreaming. She muttered "brother" softly and closed her eyes again.
After all, Brother Pei had never broken into her room when she was resting, and she never thought that he would really come.
Seeing that she was not conscious enough, Pei Xiuhan thought she had a fever, so he reached out and touched her forehead.
His hands were very cold, and Xiaoxiao finally woke up. Her thick, curled eyelashes trembled like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
Seeing that it was really Brother Pei, she quickly sat up. As she moved, the girl's black hair fell to her waist.
Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes, looking a little dazed, not knowing why Brother Pei came. She glanced outside and realized that it was already bright outside.
Her face suddenly turned red, and she felt a little embarrassed. "I, I overslept."
Pei Xiuhan felt her forehead with his hand, and when he saw that the little girl didn't have a fever, he withdrew his hand. At this time, Lian Qiao came back, and through the window, she happened to see Pei Xiuhan's figure.
Seeing that he not only came, but also broke into the girl's boudoir, with his hands close to Xiaoxiao, Lian Qiao was a little surprised and confused. Because of her surprise, the food box in her hand fell to the ground with a bang.
Could it be that their prince actually...actually...this is too beastly?
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