27. Chapter 27 Like
Pei Xiuhan naturally had no intention of letting her enter the palace. How old was she? Putting aside her age, Xiaoxiao's personality was definitely not suitable for entering the palace.
Pei Xiuhan looked a little serious, he just felt that Pei Jing was not acting prudently. He was already thirteen or fourteen years old, yet he let a little girl live in the palace.
If the little girl's reputation is ruined, can he afford the compensation?
Pei Xiuhan rubbed his brow, feeling a headache for the first time in a long time. The table was full of dishes, and his appetite suddenly disappeared. Thinking of Xiaoxiao's hard work, he did not leave the table. After sitting down, he said, "Go call Yang Hao."
Yang Hao came over quickly.
When he saw his empty sleeves, Pei Xiuhan paused for a moment, and his tone softened. "Why didn't you write to tell me that Xiaoxiao was moving into the palace?"
Yang Hao was slightly stunned. The border was far away and communication was not very convenient. The war was in full swing. Yang Hao and others did not dare to bother him with trivial matters. In his eyes, Xiaoxiao's entry into the palace was naturally a trivial matter.
He didn't argue, but simply lifted his robe and knelt down. "I was inconsiderate. Please punish me, Master."
Pei Xiuhan rubbed his brows. During the time he was away from Beijing, most of the affairs of the palace were handled by Yang Hao. When he was busy, it was inevitable that he would be negligent. In order to save Pei Jing, he even lost his left arm.
Pei Xiuhan naturally couldn't punish him at this time. He only said, "Although her entry into the palace is a small matter, it can easily ruin the little girl's reputation. Please have someone keep a close eye on her. If anyone criticizes her in private, report it to me as soon as possible."
Yang Hao finally realized what his master was worried about. He breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Master, don't worry. Marquis Wu'an had Miss Xiaoxiao's abduction kept secret. Even the ladies who attended the banquet don't know what happened that day."
There were indeed not many people who knew about the situation. The only ones who witnessed Xiaoxiao being kidnapped that day were Mu Wen and Zhong Miao's maid. After Lu Zhu chased her out, Mu Wen was a little confused. After anxiously pacing around in place, she immediately went to see Wu'an Hou.
Although Mu Wen had not experienced much, she was a noble lady after all, and her words and deeds were somewhat influenced by Zhong. She knew that this matter was of great importance. If it was not handled properly, it might bring disaster to the Wu'an Marquis's Mansion, so she hurried to see Wu'an Marquis.
Marquis Wu'an was her uncle, so Mu Wen naturally trusted him and told him everything. Marquis Wu'an then immediately arrested the maid who had wet Xiaoxiao's clothes.
Later, when Pei Xiuhan's men fought with the assassins, he also provided assistance at the first time. In fact, when he learned that Xiaoxiao had been abducted, not many people were there. Wu'an Hou knew the seriousness of the matter and only said that an assassin had entered the mansion. He also made a prompt decision to have the noble ladies attending the banquet sent away one by one.
This matter could not be hidden from Zhong Miao, so Mu Wen told her. Yang Hao also met with them one by one afterward and asked them to keep it secret. Xiaoxiao was a young girl after all. If people knew that she had been abducted by a man, even if Lu Zhu was hot on her heels, her reputation would be in jeopardy.
Even Pei Jing only found out after interrogating the assassins that they almost kidnapped Xiaoxiao.
Yang Hao continued, "The Emperor not only brought Miss Xiaoxiao into the palace, but also Mu Wen, Mu Hong, Zhong Miao, and others. Everyone else thought he was afraid after being assassinated, so he called so many people into the palace to accompany him in his studies. Ministers who were unaware of the situation even regretted that he didn't call his own children."
Pei Xiuhan's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, as he still had some brains left.
When he sat down at the dining table, he remembered what the little girl said when she called him. She must have just finished cooking and went in to call him. So the question was, when did she have dinner?
Thinking of the slightly strange tone of her voice when she ran away, Pei Xiuhan paused. He stopped eating and went to Su Yuexuan.
A year has passed since I last visited Su Yuexuan, and a lot has changed. Not only are there flowers and plants in the yard, but there are also various fruit trees. The golden persimmons are hanging on the branches, adding a farm color to the yard.
There were also a few more pots of flowers by the window, blocking the light and shadow in the room. Pei Xiu Han vaguely saw the little girl lying on the bed through the branches and leaves. When he came over on weekdays, she was either reading or practicing calligraphy, and she rarely slacked off like this.
Pei Xiuhan went straight into the inner room. Xiaoxiao turned around in surprise when she heard footsteps.
When the little girl raised her head, her red eyes were revealed. Her skin was snow-white, and her nose was particularly obvious when she cried.
Seeing him, Xiaoxiao was a little startled, and her dark eyes widened unconsciously. Knowing that Brother Pei didn't like her crying, she quickly wiped her eyes to hide the sadness in her heart, "Brother, why are you here? Didn't you have dinner?"
Seeing that she was really hiding and crying, Pei Xiuhan felt a headache, "Did my brother's previous words make you sad?"
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment and quickly shook her head. She was indeed uncomfortable at the time, thinking that Brother Pei had become distant from her after he came back. In fact, when she thought about it carefully, he had done nothing wrong. She was no longer a little girl and really shouldn't have barged into a man's room. She knew that Brother Pei definitely had no ill intentions.
Xiaoxiao just missed her brother. If he hadn't been injured, he should have returned today, but unfortunately he injured his leg. The border is so far away from the capital, Xiaoxiao couldn't go to see him even if she wanted to. She could only guess whether he was feeling better.
Seeing that the little girl was not angry, Pei Xiuhan breathed a sigh of relief. He vaguely guessed Xiaoxiao's thoughts and couldn't help but rub her head. "Your brother's leg should be much better. It won't be long before he can ride back on horseback. Don't worry. Get up and have dinner with me."
His hands were very warm. Every time he rubbed her head, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but curl her lips. She really liked his closeness. But now, seeing that he still treated her like a child, Xiaoxiao didn't know why she felt a little lost.
She pursed her lips and couldn't help but whispered, "Brother, I'm all grown up."
"Where's the big one?" He glanced at her from head to toe.
Although the little girl had grown a little taller, she was still more than a head shorter than him and only reached his neck. In his eyes, she was still a little girl.
Hearing this, Xiaoxiao's face started to burn. Somehow, she remembered Mu Wen's teasing to her.
The three of them lived in the same palace in the palace. The three little girls were very good friends. They ate and slept together, and even bathed together. When they were taking a bath together before, Mu Wen said that her development was not keeping up and she was smaller than girls of the same age.
Xiaoxiao was scrutinized by him critically. Although she knew clearly that his eyes were not on her chest, she still blushed a little and even stammered back, "Sooner or later, you will grow up."
After she finished speaking, she ran out in a panic, feeling a little angry and embarrassed.
Pei Xiuhan raised his eyebrows after glancing at her red ears. Seeing the little girl so eager to tease, a hint of smile appeared in his eyes.
He followed her leisurely to the dining room.
*
For the next two days, Pei Xiuhan did not leave the house, and he did not show up when the emperor awarded the generals according to their merits.
Everyone is talking about his injury, and some even say that he is dying. Didn’t you see the imperial physician running to his house all day long?
How could they know that this was all Pei Jing's intention. Pei Jing was worried about his injury and also wanted to take revenge.
He wanted to visit his uncle, but his uncle would not let him leave the palace, and he himself did not even enter the palace. Pei Jing felt that if he did not show up, he would forget what his uncle looked like. He had never seen such an irresponsible elder!
Pei Jing had no choice but to secretly ask the imperial physician to bother him again and again.
The noble ladies were also a little worried about Pei Xiu Han. He was in a high position, powerful, and extremely handsome. Many women wanted to marry into the Prince of Yan's Mansion to experience the feeling of being second only to the emperor. Seeing that Pei Xiu Han was injured, no matter what they thought in their hearts, they all hoped that he would recover quickly.
Some people even set their sights on Xiaoxiao.
The seventh day of the Lunar New Year is Li Sisi’s birthday.
Li Sisi is the granddaughter of Lord Li. She and Zheng Danyun have never gotten along. They have been fighting since they were young. Now they both have their eyes on Pei Xiuhan and both want to win over Xiaoxiao. In the past year, Xiaoxiao has seen her several times and gradually became familiar with her.
Xiaoxiao received the invitation on the morning of the sixth day of the New Year.
But she was a little hesitant.
Li Sisi's maid also said, "Our lady has also invited two ladies from the Zhenguogong Mansion. You don't have to worry about having no one to talk to when you go."
Xiaoxiao was not worried about having no one to play with. In fact, she should go. Li Sisi was born with a smart heart. During the Chinese New Year, she gave gifts to Xiaoxiao, Zhong Miao and others. Even if it was to repay a favor, Xiaoxiao should go. She was afraid that someone from the Li family would target her.
With Pei Jing by her side, Xiaoxiao has gained some understanding of the affairs in the court over the past year. Lord Li has been hoping that something bad will happen to Brother Pei. If she goes to the Pei Mansion, it would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den. It would be bad if she caused trouble for Brother Pei.
She was no longer that innocent little girl. She even felt that Li Sisi's intentions were impure when she approached her. It was possible that it was Lord Li who asked her to approach her.
What if you are tricked without realizing it?
Xiaoxiao thought about it and asked someone to ask Yang Hao for instructions. When Yang Hao said it was okay, she agreed.
It was a sunny day on the seventh day of the first lunar month. The weather outside was sunny and the warm sunshine dispelled some of the cold. Xiaoxiao didn't bring a hand warmer, but took the gift and got on the carriage.
She did not accept the gift prepared by Butler Li. Brother Pei had already spent a lot of money to support her, and it would not be good to spend Brother Pei's money on the gift as well. Xiaoxiao simply embroidered a handkerchief overnight. Although it was not expensive, it was a token of her appreciation.
After the carriage stopped at Li's house, Xiaoxiao took Luzhu in. There was a maid at the door who was specially there to greet guests. She took them directly to Li Sisi's residence.
Seeing Xiaoxiao, Li Sisi came out to greet her in person. She was wearing a light purple forged jacket with large narrow sleeves and a moon-shaped skirt. She wore snow-blue satin embroidered shoes with beads and a longevity theme. She wore ruby earrings in her ears and a jade bracelet of excellent color on her hands. She was dressed in precious gold from head to toe, and even her makeup was exquisite.
On the contrary, Xiaoxiao only tied her hair into two buns with a hairband and only wore a white jade hairpin on her head.
Despite this, when the two walked together, Xiaoxiao was still not outdone. Her face was so beautiful that even without makeup, she was still stunningly beautiful. No matter how simple the dress was, it could not hide her dazzling radiance when she wore it.
The noble ladies were originally a little jealous of her appearance, but since they learned that she was prepared by the Regent for the Emperor, all the jealousy in their hearts disappeared. After all, compared to entering the palace, they wanted to be the Regent Princess. The Emperor had not grown up yet, and even if they were lucky enough to be made Queen by him, they would still have no real power, which would not be comparable to the glory of being a Princess.
Xiaoxiao must have been brought back to the palace by the Regent in the name of a benefactor because of her beauty. After all, if she didn't have a stunning appearance, how could she possibly charm the emperor in the future?
No matter how beautiful she is, she is just a pawn of the Regent. However, at present, the only way to get close to the Regent is to please her. The noble ladies who want to become the Regent's wife are all very friendly to Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao handed the handkerchief to Li Sisi and said with a smile, "I embroidered this yesterday as a token of my appreciation."
There was a cute little white rabbit embroidered on the handkerchief. The little white rabbit was holding a carrot in its hand and was nibbling it happily with its eyes narrowed. It looked very adorable.
Li Sisi smiled and thanked him, "Thank you, Xiaoxiao."
Xiaoxiao curled her lips and said, "As long as Miss Li likes it."
As they were talking, they had already arrived at Li Sisi's dormitory. Several girls were already in the room. Mu Wen had also come here early today. When she saw Xiaoxiao, she blinked and gave Xiaoxiao a wink.
Xiaoxiao walked up to her obediently and greeted the noble ladies. The noble ladies in the capital were divided into several factions. The noble ladies were not as casual in making friends as the girls in the countryside. If the elders had different political views, the noble ladies seldom played together.
Most of those who arrived today are friends with Li Sisi.
After everyone arrived, Li Sisi took everyone to the greenhouse. There were many flowers planted in the mansion. The girls all liked flowers and plants, and just looking at them was pleasing to the eye.
Li Sisi first showed everyone the treasures in the greenhouse. Her mother particularly liked to grow flowers. There were forsythia, spring orchid, marigolds, etc. in the greenhouse. The colorful flowers decorated the greenhouse beautifully.
Li Sisi is very talkative. With her around, the atmosphere is never awkward. As they talked, the topic turned to the battlefield on the border.
Li Sisi smiled and said, "Thanks to the Regent, otherwise this war would have lasted who knows how long. By the way, I heard he was injured. I wonder if it's serious?"
Seeing that she was really inquiring about her brother's news, Xiaoxiao immediately became wary and a look of worry appeared on her face.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened. After the Regent was injured, he stayed in Wuya Hall to recuperate. The hall was surrounded by guards and no one was allowed to enter. I went there twice but didn't see him. I only helped him cook some food in the small kitchen, but I don't know if he ate."
Xiaoxiao was not stupid, so she naturally knew that Brother Pei wanted to make a fuss about his injury, so she would not disclose his information. She was extremely careful in her words and deliberately thought about her brother who was far away in the borderland. Tears naturally appeared in her eyes.
Seeing how worried she was, Li Sisi also became a little worried. No wonder Grandpa had been so excited these past two days. Could it be that the prince was really seriously injured?
She also started to worry.
Xiaoxiao didn't know whether she was really worried or pretending to be worried, and she had been observing her quietly. She didn't observe much, because Li Sisi's acting was really good, and she really looked like she cared about Brother Pei.
After lunch at Li's house, everyone said goodbye one by one, and Xiaoxiao was no exception.
Mu Wen had something to say to Xiao Xiao, so she got on the carriage of Prince Yan's Mansion. Seeing how close they were, Mu Xi felt a little unhappy and squeezed into the carriage as well.
Mu Wen chased her away, but she didn't go down. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked leisurely, "You are the only one who has something to do, but I can't have anything to do?"
Xiaoxiao pulled Muwen's sleeve and the two stopped arguing.
What Mu Wen wanted to say wasn't a secret, so she ignored her. "Be careful with this Li Sisi. Before you showed up, she and we had always kept our distance. We'd just nod when we met, and we had no friendship at all. Something must be wrong when things aren't normal. She's been inviting you over and over again, so she must have some ulterior motive."
Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement. "I know that Elder Li and my brother have always been at odds. Maybe her family sent her to approach me to find out about my brother."
Seeing that one of them dared to speak and the other dared to listen, Mu Xi couldn't help rolling her eyes. She was born pretty and lovely, but she always liked to roll her eyes. Every time she saw her rolling her eyes, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but want to reach out and close her eyes.
The next moment, she sneered, "Can you two be any more foolish? What kind of information can she possibly gather? The Li Mansion is not without its people. Is it really necessary to send your granddaughter out in person?"
What she said made sense. Xiaoxiao had also been puzzled, but she couldn't figure out why Li Sisi would deliberately approach her. Knowing that Mu Xi was always smart, Xiaoxiao looked at her curiously, wanting to hear her thoughts.
Unexpectedly, Mu Xi said, "She's clearly attracted to my cousin and wants to marry into the Prince of Yan's mansion as a princess. Why do you think she's trying to please you?"
Xiaoxiao was completely stunned when she heard this. "Isn't she only one year older than me?"
"What's wrong with being one year older? Isn't fifteen the right age for a girl to get married? If she didn't want to marry my cousin, why would she be so attentive to you?"
Xiaoxiao's heart was in a mess. For some reason, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable. She pursed her pink lips and came up with another reason, "Brother Pei is so much older than her!"
"Who says you can't get married just because you're older? If she can get my cousin, why would he care about her age? It's not about age now, it's about, if she wants your help, do you want to help? If not, stay away from her in the future. Not only her, but also that Zheng Danyun, has ulterior motives in approaching you. Only you two are so stupid that you can't tell they like my cousin."
Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, her face tense, her expression inexplicably solemn. "They all like Brother Pei?"
"What else do you think? My cousin hasn't married, not because no girl likes him. Do you think no one wants to marry him?"
Xiaoxiao was at a loss for an answer. She had never thought about this question before. Yes, her brother was indeed not a child this year. The men in the village who were his age would have at least two or three children. Not to mention others, her grandmother had already started saving money to marry a wife for her brother. Unfortunately, before she could save enough money, her brother went to the battlefield.
Brother Pei is so good, how could no one be willing to marry him? Whoever is willing to marry him will definitely be willing to marry him. Even if they don’t want him as a person, his status and position can make countless women bow down.
Xiaoxiao couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. So many people liked her brother, she should be happy.
But she felt depressed and unhappy in her heart. This reminded Xiaoxiao of her childhood. She had finally picked a basket of wild fruits, but they were snatched away by the children in the village, and not a single one was left for her.
Xiaoxiao returned home crying that day, and only when her brother snatched the fruit back from her did she smile.
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