13. Chapter 13 The Imperial Aunt
After hearing the loud noise, Pei Xiuhan frowned unhappily, turned his head and looked, and saw that the maid had a look of seeing a ghost on her face, and his brows furrowed again.
Lian Qiao's face turned pale and she knelt down quickly, picking up the lunch box in a panic. She had already had breakfast, and the food in the lunch box was for Xiaoxiao.
Pei Xiuhan said unhappily, "Why don't you come in and serve me?"
Lian Qiao hurriedly carried the food box into the inner room. It was the first time she met Pei Xiu Han face to face. Seeing his gloomy face, she was so scared that her legs were shaking.
Seeing that she was so scared that she almost fainted, Xiaoxiao blinked and stretched out her little hand to tug at Pei Xiuhan's sleeve, "Brother."
Pei Xiu Han looked back at the little girl. The girl was blinking her black eyes and looking at him cautiously. Thinking that she was frightened, Pei Xiu Han's expression looked a little better and he didn't say anything else.
Lian Qiao came over tremblingly, and with shaking hands, she took Xiaoxiao's clothes, wanting to help her get dressed. Xiaoxiao quickly took the clothes from her hands, smiling a little shyly, "No, no, I can do it myself."
As she spoke, she put on her coat.
Pei Xiuhan turned his back and didn't look again. He knew clearly that the food box on the table was for Xiaoxiao. He opened it and took a look. There were only two dishes in the food box, one was stir-fried lamb tripe and the other was small green vegetables. Both dishes were not large in quantity. There was not much meat on the lamb tripe dish, but there was a lot of shredded green peppers.
Pei Xiuhan's face immediately turned cold.
After dinner yesterday, he went to the Dali Temple. When he came back, he met with his staff and was busy until very late. Without giving any instructions, he had a perfunctory breakfast.
Pei Xiu Han naturally knew what kind of people these people in the mansion were like.
With so many people around, it's inevitable that some people will look down on others. Xiaoxiao's clothes weren't particularly good, and she had no jewelry on, so it was inevitable that people would look down on her.
Pei Xiuhan closed the lunch box, the expression in his eyes was obscure and difficult to discern.
After Xiaoxiao was dressed, Lian Qiao had already brought her the water she needed to wash. She quickly thanked him, a hint of helplessness in her bright eyes. "I can do it myself from now on. You can go and do your own thing."
Because she was afraid of Pei Xiu Han, Lian Qiao had been trembling with fear. Hearing this, she did not dare to retreat and could only look at Pei Xiu Han in fear and trepidation.
Pei Xiuhan said calmly, "Please leave. Prepare another pair of bowls and chopsticks, and then bring Steward Li over."
Lian Qiao quickly agreed and then left.
When Xiaoxiao finished washing up, Lianqiao had already brought the bowls and chopsticks and poured out the dishes. Seeing that her master actually sat down at the dining table, Lianqiao had a bad feeling in her heart.
She had been in the palace for so many years, but she had never seen the master bring back other girls. This girl Xiaoxiao was the first one. As soon as the master came back from court, he couldn't wait to rush to see her. It was obvious that he loved her very much.
Knowing that the prince must be dissatisfied with the food, Lian Qiao became increasingly uneasy, fearing that she would be implicated. She did not dare to look any further, retreated tremblingly, and hurriedly brought Manager Li over.
Xiaoxiao followed Pei Xiuhan and sat down at the dining table. The table was made of golden nanmu wood and was carved with cloud and dragon patterns. It looked very grand. Xiaoxiao glanced at it for a few more seconds before curling her lips and saying to Pei Xiuhan, "Brother, you don't have breakfast either?"
She didn't eat because she got up late, but she didn't expect that he didn't eat either.
Pei Xiuhan nodded.
He actually ate a little before going to the morning court. After the morning court, if he felt hungry, he would have a snack. In fact, at this moment, he was not hungry, but just wanted to help the little girl establish her authority.
Manager Li arrived soon.
He was wondering why his master was calling him.
Pei Xiuhan has always been too lazy to ask about the affairs of the mansion. Although he is the manager of the mansion, he actually does not have much time to deal with his own prince. When there is something that needs him to do, it is usually the prince's personal attendant Yang Hao who comes to tell him. Seeing that his master actually took the initiative to call him over, Manager Li felt really nervous.
After he came in, he found that his master was having dinner with Miss Xiaoxiao. There were only two dishes on the nanmu table, and there was not even a hot soup. Not only were the two dishes small in quantity, they were not even hot, and they looked very shabby no matter how you looked at them.
Pei Xiuhan put down his chopsticks when he saw him. He raised his lower lip with a half-smile, "The food is good today. You've learned to be frugal."
Xiaoxiao was eating the food with relish. The cook's cooking skills were much better than hers. Even the green vegetables were fried deliciously. She didn't think there was anything wrong with the food at all. When she was at home, she couldn't even eat enough rice, so how could she have two dishes?
Last night, when she had dinner with Pei Xiuhan, although the food was very sumptuous, she always thought it was a welcoming banquet. It would be terrible to eat like that every day.
After hearing Pei Xiuhan's words, the little girl realized that Brother Pei was angry again. She blinked, and her dark eyes moved between the two of them.
Steward Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly knelt down to apologize. "It is my fault for not supervising properly. I will have the maid serve the dishes again. I hope the master will forgive me this time."
Pei Xiuhan didn't even raise his eyelids, but the aura around him was very captivating. He sneered and said, "Spar you? If you can't discipline your subordinates, what use do I have for you?"
Steward Li originally thought that the prince would give him this favor because he had worked hard for the palace for many years. Upon hearing this, his face turned pale, and he thought that Pei Xiuhan wanted to remove him from his position as steward.
He was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his body limp. He knelt down and kowtowed, kowtowed four or five times in a row, and said, "I do not ask for forgiveness, Your Highness. I will go down and accept the punishment. I beg Your Highness to give me a chance to reform myself."
Xiaoxiao felt a little sorry for what she saw, and unconsciously grabbed Pei Xiuhan's sleeve with her little hand, "Brother, don't be angry, it's just a small matter, there's no point in getting angry. Everyone makes mistakes, just correct them. Besides, there's too much food, we can't finish it, don't waste it!"
On the road before, every time they dined at a restaurant, he always ordered a lot of dishes. Xiaoxiao felt that he was a spendthrift many times, but she kept it to herself. Although she knew he was standing up for her, she still didn't want him to lose his temper. ( ° °) Gently ( ° °) kiss ( ° °) the most ( ° °) handsome ( ° °) tallest ( ° °) ( ° °) Hou ( ° °) brother ( ° °) ( ° °) tidy up ( ° °)
She smiled flatteringly and took the initiative to pick up a piece of lamb tripe for Pei Xiuhan with her chopsticks. "This dish is still very delicious. Eat more quickly. It will not taste good if it gets cold soon."
After she finished speaking, she winked at Manager Li, asking him to leave.
Manager Li didn't dare to move.
Pei Xiuhan had anticipated the little girl's plea, and he had done so intentionally. He then glanced at the steward and said coldly, "Since the little girl pleaded for you, I'll forgive you this time. If you do it again, you don't have to be the steward anymore. Get out!"
Manager Li kowtowed again and thanked Xiaoxiao gratefully before leaving.
A moment later, the maids filed in and served a few more dishes in a well-trained manner. They were all dressed in gorgeous clothes, and their movements in serving the dishes were extremely graceful, without making any loud noise from beginning to end.
Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, Xiaoxiao was a little worried, "How can I finish all these dishes?"
Pei Xiuhan said, "Although there are many varieties, the quantity is not large. You are in the period of growth, so eat more. If you can't finish it, it won't be wasted. The leftovers in the mansion will be recycled."
Since he was there, Xiaoxiao didn't say anything more. His injury had just healed, so it would be good for him to eat more nutritious food. It wouldn't be good to let Brother Pei follow her on a vegetarian diet just because she was used to being frugal.
After Manager Li left, he summoned all the maids and servants in the mansion together, and the cooks were also summoned. They had heard that the prince went to Suyuexuan for breakfast, and they were a little nervous at the moment. Sure enough, those who were on duty that day had three months' wages docked, and the cook who assigned Xiaoxiao's breakfast was directly driven away.
She wanted to beg for mercy, but Manager Li simply asked the servant to cover her mouth and drag her away.
Manager Li is a smiling tiger. Although he is very resourceful, he usually smiles. This is the first time he has been so cold and stern. The maids and servants were a little frightened when they saw his attitude.
Xuemei was also frightened. Even though the sun was shining brightly outside, she broke out in a cold sweat and her legs were shaking. She was afraid that she would be the next to be executed.
Steward Li glanced coldly at everyone before saying, "Miss Xiaoxiao is a distinguished guest of our mansion and must not be neglected. Anyone who dares to treat her with disrespect will suffer the same fate as today."
After he finished beating, he let everyone go.
Xuemei's back was soaked with cold sweat. She felt like she had escaped death. She was extremely grateful that Xiaoxiao did not complain, and only she and Lianqiao knew about it.
After scolding the maid, Manager Li went to Su Yuexuan again, wanting Xiaoxiao to personally choose a few maids she liked to serve him. Unexpectedly, Xiaoxiao refused, saying that she was not used to having people around her.
Manager Li went to ask Pei Xiuhan for instructions again, and was told, "Let her go."
That's why Manager Li didn't send anyone to Suyuexuan.
*
The news that the Regent had returned to the capital and brought back a little girl spread throughout the capital within a day. Many noble ladies also knew of Xiaoxiao's existence and were asking about her.
Zheng Danyun from the Duke of Korea's Mansion was naturally no exception.
She was born into a noble family and was beautiful. She had always wanted to marry Pei Xiuhan. Among the many noble ladies who admired him, she was the most competitive one. However, he was cold-blooded and unmoved by women.
Zheng Danyun often felt chest tightness and shortness of breath due to anger. After he left Beijing, she looked forward to his return like the stars and the moon. After all, she was already fifteen years old after the New Year. If she still couldn't make him fall in love, her parents would definitely arrange a marriage for her.
Recently, she has been asking people to keep an eye on Prince Yan's Mansion. She learned about Xiaoxiao's existence yesterday. When she saw that Manager Li had sent all the cooks in the mansion away for her, her beautiful eyebrows unconsciously frowned.
When the maid returned, the sun was not as strong as before. A breeze blew through the branches and into the room a little. It should have felt cool, but Zheng Danyun still felt chest tightness.
She looked at herself in the mirror again before putting down the Red Phoenix Rising Sun Bronze Mirror in her hand and asked, "Have you found out anything about her background?"
The maid shook her head and said honestly, "I don't know the details yet. I heard from the maid that she called the prince brother."
Zheng Danyun slammed the table in anger. "How ridiculous! I don't even dare to call him brother! Where does this little bitch get the confidence to marry the Regent?! Is she as pretty as me?"
The maid shrank her head, not daring to speak. Everyone who saw the little girl said she was a beauty. She quickly said, "Miss, don't worry about her. I heard she's still young, only eleven or twelve at most. Even if the prince is a beast, he wouldn't be attracted to a little girl."
The anger on Zheng Danyun's face finally disappeared. "Is it really that small?"
The maid nodded quickly.
Zheng Danyun's eyes rolled around, and a smile gradually appeared between her brows. She had always been sad that she had no chance to meet the Regent. After all, this man either stayed in the prince's mansion or in the imperial palace. How could she dare to go to these two places?
At this moment, seeing that he brought back a little sister, her heart moved and she felt that a breakthrough had come.
In the palace, Pei Jing also heard about Pei Xiuhan bringing back a girl. He was deep in the palace and had no access to information. He only heard that Pei Xiuhan attached great importance to this girl. For her, he even almost sent Manager Li to prison. He had no idea how old Xiaoxiao was.
Pei Jing's eyes lit up, and he immediately dropped the book in his hand, stood up excitedly, and said: "It's not easy, the iron tree has finally bloomed. Let's go, let's go see Aunt Huang!"
The young eunuch couldn't stop him, so he had to chase after him with a bitter face, and tried to persuade him as he went along, "When the prince finds out, he will definitely be unhappy. The emperor should just stay in the palace and read."
"He's unhappy about so many things. If I give in to him on everything, he'll be so depressed he'll die. What kind of emperor would I be? If you keep nagging me, I'll shut you up."
The young eunuch shut up in grievance.
Pei Jing insisted on leaving the palace, and the guards naturally couldn't stop him. After all, he was the emperor. After making a fuss, he swaggered out of the palace. Pei Xiuhan happened to be away. After finding out that Xiaoxiao lived in Suyuexuan, he took his men directly to Suyuexuan.
Xiaoxiao was the only one in Suyuexuan. When Pei Jing came over, Xiaoxiao was practicing calligraphy on the desk in front of the window.
On the windowsill stood a long flowerpot with a blue and white banana leaf pattern. The hibiscus flowers inside were in full bloom. Through the layers of petals and green leaves, Pei Jing happened to see Xiaoxiao's little face, which was even more beautiful than the hibiscus flowers.
The little girl was delicate and pretty, with a face only as big as a palm. She was writing something in a formal and orderly manner, looking very well-behaved.
When he saw her for the first time, Pei Jing couldn't help but gasp. He never expected that if the emperor's uncle didn't bloom, it would be fine. But once he bloomed, he brought back a fair and tender little girl!
This little girl was about the same height as he was when he was nine years old. When he thought about his uncle secretly having a daughter nine years ago, he almost dropped his jaw in shock.
Who on earth was this enchanting woman who had tempted his uncle to fall in love with her at the age of sixteen? He pointed at Xiaoxiao and asked, "Where's your mother?"
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