39. Chapter 39 Jealousy
Lian Qiao had tactfully retreated, and they were suddenly the only two people left in the room. For a moment, the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Xiaoxiao's heart was beating fast, and she hardly dared to look up. Her slightly trembling eyelashes showed her uneasiness. She naturally missed the flash of surprise in Pei Xiuhan's eyes.
Pei Xiuhan looked away, looking almost embarrassed. After a while, he pretended to ask casually, "Why are you suddenly dressed like this?"
Xiaoxiao quietly made an excuse for her strange behavior. "The dress was delivered by the embroiderer the day before yesterday, specially for me to wear to the banquet. Aren't I going to the palace banquet tomorrow night? I wanted to try it out to see if it fits me."
The clothes naturally fit her well, showing off her beautiful curves perfectly. Pei Xiu Han had no idea that such a small girl could be so beautiful.
It was not until this moment that he realized that the little girl in front of him had unknowingly shed her youthfulness and grown into a beauty who could easily capture a man's heart.
He didn't look at her any further, fearing she would actually attend the banquet dressed like this. Pei Xiuhan's brows knitted together, and he said directly, "It doesn't look good. Change."
Xiaoxiao let out a soft "ah", with surprise and disappointment in her eyes. She had never expected that he would be indifferent, but he even thought it was ugly.
Pei Xiuhan pretended not to notice the disappointment in her eyes and said insincerely, "The color is too bright, which makes it look undignified. The clothes are also a bit too tight, which will make it difficult to move. They're not as good as your usual clothes."
Seeing that he was seriously commenting on her, Xiaoxiao became even more frustrated. "Okay, then I'll just wear my normal clothes."
Even if he didn't say it was ugly, Xiaoxiao would be embarrassed to go out dressed like that. She never expected that after she finally mustered up the courage to dress up, Brother Pei would think she was ugly.
Pei Xiuhan did not stay long. After "persuading" her, he left Su Yuexuan and even forgot to ask whether she was frightened on the street.
That night, he had another dream.
The little girl, wearing a high-waisted blouse in the color of a crabapple, snuggled into his arms. The girl had fair skin and fragrant cheeks, and was soft and charming. The moment she pressed against him, Pei Xiu Han couldn't control his hands and untied the belt around her waist.
When the girl's delicate and lovely collarbone appeared before his eyes, Pei Xiu Han woke up again. His breathing was a little heavy, and when he noticed that the quilt was bulging high, Pei Xiu Han's eyes became deep.
He pulled the quilt aside and got out of bed barefoot. The carpet had been removed. He should have felt cool walking on the floor barefoot, but he only felt hot.
After stepping into the bathtub, the fire on his body was extinguished little by little. Pei Xiuhan leaned his strong body against the jade wall of the pool. He covered his eyes with his hands. The moment he closed his eyes, the girl's face, which was more beautiful than lotus, flashed in his mind again.
*
The palace banquet didn't start until the evening, but Xiaoxiao entered the palace early. Just after she finished breakfast, someone came from the palace and said that the emperor didn't need to attend class today and asked her to go watch the shadow play.
Xiaoxiao had never seen a shadow play before, and she was quite looking forward to it along the way. Her little emotions always came and went quickly, and she had gradually forgotten the unhappiness of yesterday.
She had lived in the palace for a long time before and was very familiar with it. She came directly to Wenhua Hall without anyone leading the way.
In the Wenhua Hall, the shadow puppet troupe has arrived. This is the first time Pei Jing wants to relax after Little Leo left, and Eunuch Zhang specially called the most famous shadow puppet troupe in the capital.
When Xiaoxiao came over, Eunuch Zhang was cheerfully explaining something to the troupe owner. Seeing Xiaoxiao's arrival, he simply finished his speech and hurried over to greet her. "Miss Xiaoxiao, you're finally here. The Emperor just asked when you would arrive."
Xiaoxiao glanced around and saw Xiao Chen and the others, but Pei Jing was nowhere to be seen. She nodded to Xiao Chen and the others, briefly greeted them, and then asked, "Where is the emperor?"
"It was here just now."
As soon as Eunuch Zhang finished speaking, Xiaoxiao saw Pei Jing with her sharp eyes. He was lying on the roof, sitting in the sun with his legs crossed, and one of his legs was shaking.
The sun had risen long ago, and the dazzling sunlight shone on him, as if covering him with a layer of golden light, making his facial features look particularly handsome.
The boy was in the period of growth, but after not seeing him for a while, Xiaoxiao felt that he had grown taller and his facial features had become more three-dimensional. Perhaps it was because he was raised by Pei Xiuhan, not only did he look a bit like him, but when he lay there without saying a word, even his temperament was a bit similar to his.
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, her heart unconsciously rising, "Why are you climbing on the roof? Aren't you afraid of falling?"
Several young men came today, including Xiao Chen and Xiao Chen's cousins. Seeing that Xiao Xiao dared to speak to Pei Jing like that, the young men couldn't help but secretly glance at her.
Xiaoxiao didn't notice their gazes. Her heart was on Pei Jing. She was really afraid that he would fall down accidentally. If he broke his leg, Brother Pei's workload would definitely increase again!
Eunuch Zhang was also extremely worried. "Hey, Your Majesty, why are you on the roof?"
He quickly asked the eunuch to bring a ladder, wanting to climb up himself and persuade him to come down.
Without waiting for him to come up, Pei Jing tiptoed down from the roof. He had been practicing martial arts since he was young. Although he was always lazy, in terms of skills, he was better than people of the same age.
He landed right in front of Xiaoxiao, scaring her so much that she took a step back.
After he stood firm, he knocked Xiaoxiao on the head and said, "You're so old now, why are you still so timid?"
Xiaoxiao tried to dodge but failed and was hit by Pei Jing again.
Pei Jing frowned in disgust, "Little girl, you treat me differently. The emperor's uncle hit you so many times, and you never dodged it once. So why can't I hit him?"
Xiaoxiao felt a little guilty. Was it that obvious?
The girl blinked her dark eyes and subconsciously held her breath. She looked at her in a daze. Pei Jing found it a little funny and didn't argue with her anymore.
Xiao Chen also heard Pei Jing's words, and his eyes darkened unconsciously. To this day, he can still recall the look on her face when Pei Xiuhan held her hand and she obediently let him hold it.
As they were talking, Mu Xi and Mu Wen also arrived.
Pei Jing only called a few of them, and when everyone arrived, they took their seats one by one. Xiaoxiao wanted to sit with Mu Xi and Mu Wen, but Pei Jing hooked his arm around her shoulders and pushed her directly to the first row. "Why did you run so far?"
Xiaoxiao had no choice but to sit down beside him.
Eunuch Zhang also had tributes brought in from all over the country, including all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as melon seeds freshly roasted by the imperial chef, which were placed in jade butterflies with exquisite patterns.
Pei Jing was too lazy to crack melon seeds. He remembered that Xiaoxiao quite liked them, so he peeled a bunch and pushed them in front of the little girl. When Mu Wen saw this, she couldn't help but whisper to Mu Xi, "Is the emperor really interested in Xiaoxiao?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xi rolled his eyes and snorted coldly, realizing that his IQ was being mocked. Mu Wen was very depressed, and in the end she still couldn't figure out whether the emperor was interested in Xiaoxiao or not. It was said that her cousin intended to let Xiaoxiao enter the palace, but she didn't know whether it was true or not. For now, the emperor treated Xiaoxiao very well. Except for the maid, no one had ever peeled melon seeds for her.
Xiaoxiao didn't notice that it was Pei Jing who peeled the melon seeds. She was watching very seriously, with almost all her attention on the shadow play. When the play came to funny parts, she would smile unconsciously, and when the play came to sad parts, she would shed tears silently.
Pei Jing watched the shadow play and listened to her crying and laughing. He felt that the little girl's expression was more exciting than the shadow play.
At noon, they all stayed in the palace for lunch. During the lunch break, Xiaoxiao, Mu Wen and Mu Xi went to the palace where they had lived before. The palace maids inside were still the same ones as before. When they saw them coming, they quickly changed the bedding.
The bed in the palace was very big, and the three of them slept together. It was spring, and it was the time of year when people felt sleepy. The three of them slept for an hour until Pei Jing sent someone to call them, and then they woke up.
When Xiaoxiao and the others arrived at Wenhua Hall, Pei Jing's first question was, "Are you pigs? How can you sleep so much?"
Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose.
"Come here quickly, I'm waiting for you."
Mu Xi said, "Are you still watching shadow puppetry? It's boring. Let's do something fun."
Pei Jing actually thought watching shadow puppetry was quite boring. He just wanted to thank Xiaoxiao because he had some free time.
Although he looked careless, he was actually very thoughtful. He naturally knew that Xiaoxiao had spent all the money she had worked so hard to earn in order to make him happy during the time she entered the palace. He also knew that she would not accept the money even if he gave it to her. That was why Pei Jing called the shadow puppet troupe to make her happy too.
Unexpectedly, the little girl almost cried her eyes out. Pei Jing thought for a moment and said, "Let's go play Cuju together."
The teenagers all responded excitedly. At their age, they like sports and are very interested in both Cuju and horse riding and archery.
Only Xiao Chen stood aside indifferently, without any youthful vitality. He stood straight with stern eyes and eyebrows. Standing among the group of young people, he felt like a crane standing out among chickens.
He had no interest in Cuju, and seeing that Xiaoxiao had no objection, he did not express his opinion and followed everyone to the martial arts field.
Mu Wen and Mu Xi both liked playing Cuju. Since it was still early for the palace banquet, they asked their maid to go back to the house to get Cuju clothes. They also asked the maid to get one for Xiaoxiao as well.
Xiaoxiao didn't know how to kick at all. After getting the clothes, she didn't want to change. But after being urged by Mu Xi and Mu Wen, she had to change.
Pei Jing relied on his status as the emperor and directly asked Xiaoxiao to be in the same group with him. The groups of the others were decided by drawing lots. In the end, Mu Xi was in the same group with them, while Xiao Chen and Mu Wen were assigned to the same group.
Eunuch Zhang acted as the referee. A Cuju team needed twelve people, and because there were not enough people, four young eunuchs also came on the field.
Xiaoxiao was quite nervous, her big black eyes were fixed on the Cuju.
When Pei Xiuhan came over, he saw the girl wearing a Cuju suit at a glance. The Cuju suit was bright red, and when she wore it, the girl's skin looked even whiter like jade. The belt around her waist also outlined her slender waist, which was less than the size of a hand.
The way she ran along with the Cuju was adorably clumsy.
Pei Xiuhan originally came here to call Pei Jing away, but he didn't say anything this time. Instead, he stood aside and watched for a while. As he watched, he found Xiao Chen. His eyes were always following Xiaoxiao's figure. When it was his turn to kick, he couldn't help but kick the Cuju to Xiaoxiao.
Even though he was mature beyond his years, he was still young and could not hide his young love for Pei Xiu Han. Especially after he found out that Pei Xiu Han was also there, he was even unwilling to hide it anymore.
The other teenagers also saw this scene, and they were all excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood. One of them even blew a long whistle.
Xiaoxiao finally caught a Cuju and was about to kick it to Muxi when she noticed something was wrong with the boys. When she looked up, she found that everyone was staring at Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen stood there and looked at her quietly.
Xiaoxiao then realized that it was Xiao Chen who kicked the cuju for her. Because she secretly admired Brother Pei, she immediately understood Xiao Chen's gaze and understood the meaning of the whistle. Xiaoxiao's face suddenly flushed and a blush instantly covered her cheeks. She did not kick the ball and stood there at a loss.
When he saw her blushing little face, Pei Xiuhan's eyes deepened. Pei Jing quickly ran to Xiaoxiao and kicked the Cuju in front of Xiaoxiao back to Xiao Chen.
He narrowed his eyes and made a gesture of wiping his neck to Xiao Chen. The next moment, he saw the emperor's uncle walking towards him with a cold face.
Pei Xiuhan glanced at everyone calmly, "Are you all free?"
With just one sentence, the running teenagers all stopped, completely losing their excitement.
As soon as he arrived, the Cuju game came to an end. Since it was just 3 p.m. and there was still more than an hour before the dinner, the boys and girls left the palace on their own initiative. Xiaoxiao and Pei Jing were called by him to the side hall.
Xiaoxiao felt inexplicably uncomfortable ever since she saw him. She didn't know whether he saw Xiao Chen kicking the Cuju.
Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't mention Cuju. He was really busy. He just took some time out to take care of Pei Jing, but was called away again.
After he left, only Pei Jing and Xiaoxiao were left in the side hall. This side hall was where Pei Xiuhan reviewed memorials, and there were many of his things in it. Xiaoxiao even saw his jade ring on the desk.
He didn't wear this ring every day, and often he didn't wear it for several days. Every time he wore it, Xiaoxiao thought it looked very beautiful. She couldn't help but pick up the ring to look at it and put it on her own finger.
Her fingers were very thin, and the dress looked much bigger on her hands. Pei Jing said, "Why are you wearing something given to him by another woman?"
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then took off the ring. A familiar name suddenly popped up in her mind, "Did Gu Zhen give it to me?"
Pei Jing was originally leaning lazily on the desk, but now he became interested, "You also know Gu Zhen?"
Xiaoxiao felt depressed, "Is it really her gift?"
"Maybe. I saw him wearing it when I was little. Anyway, it was given by someone else. It's impossible for a man to give him this thing."
Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and put the ring back on the desk.
Pei Jing had a talent for gossip and pressed the issue again, "How do you know about Gu Zhen? How much do you know about her?"
Xiaoxiao told Pei Jing what Mu Wen had said, and Pei Jing frowned regretfully, "Not much more than me. The emperor's uncle has delayed getting married until now. Maybe he is really waiting for her. I don't know if she will return to secular life."
"Return to secular life?" Xiaoxiao was a little shocked.
"You don't know? She entered the Buddhist monastery several years ago and is now practicing in the White Horse Temple. However, she hasn't taken the tonsure yet. The abbot said that she hasn't finished her earthly life and will probably return to Beijing sooner or later."
Xiaoxiao felt heavy in her heart. When she looked at the jade ring again, she felt that it was not as beautiful as before. She had clearly pawned this jade ring, but it was found by Brother Pei. It must be a very important thing to him, right?
Could it be that he is really waiting for Gu Zhen to return?
Pei Jing looked at her in surprise, his peach blossom eyes filled with shock, "Zhang Xiaoxiao, why are you crying?"
Xiaoxiao was a little dazed, and then she realized that there was moisture in her eyes. She quickly reached out and wiped her eyes, and quickly made an excuse, "Something was blown in by the wind just now."
Pei Jingcai didn't believe it. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Tell me the truth, are you attracted to the emperor's uncle? Are you jealous?"
Xiaoxiao was so frightened that her face turned pale. She quickly denied it, "I didn't."
Pei Jing also felt that it shouldn't be that serious. The emperor's uncle was fierce and there was really nothing good about him. "Then why are you crying?"
Xiaoxiao whispered, "I just suddenly felt a little sorry for Brother Pei, waiting for someone for so long."
Thinking that she could cry several times while watching a shadow play, Pei Jing no longer had any doubts. He just sighed and said, "Why should he be pitiful? I am the one who is pitiful. Look at what he has done to the child."
Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh at him.
Pei Jing knocked her head with a book and squinted his eyes and said, "You're crying and laughing at the same time. You're really a child."
Xiaoxiao blushed a little after hearing what he said.
Before they knew it, it was time for the palace banquet, and Xiaoxiao finally changed out of her Cuju uniform.
The dinner was held in Yuehua Palace. Xiaoxiao went there with Pei Jing. When they arrived, all the invited guests had already arrived, as had the envoys. Led by the eunuchs, everyone had taken their seats in order.
When Xiaoxiao and Pei Jing appeared, everyone knelt down immediately and shouted "Long live the emperor". When Pei Jing asked everyone to excuse themselves, Xiaoxiao quietly slipped aside. She looked around, but because there were too many people in the hall, she did not see Mu Xi and Mu Wen for a while.
Everyone saw her and saw that she and the emperor came together. Everyone felt that the regent's intention to send her to the palace was a foregone conclusion.
Xiaoxiao saw a familiar figure. The man was wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with handsome features and a cold expression. It was the Fifth Master of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.
He sat in a wheelchair with an indifferent expression, playing with a bracelet made of Bodhi trees with his fingertips.
Xiaoxiao was very surprised to see him. After all, she remembered Mu Xi mentioned that he had not left the Anguo Mansion for fifteen years. No, it should be said that ever since he became blind, he has been living in that bamboo forest, not allowing others to approach there, and he never goes out.
Why did he suddenly come to attend the palace banquet?
Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a little curious. She always felt that he was not the kind of person who would come over to take a look when he had nothing better to do. Perhaps he noticed her gaze, and his sharp eyes swept over her.
Although she knew that he was blind, Xiaoxiao's heart still trembled inexplicably when he looked at her. She quickly looked away, feeling as if she was being stared at by a wild beast.
I just feel that Mr. Mo Wu has a very strong aura. Apart from Brother Pei, Xiaoxiao has never felt such great pressure from anyone else.
Xiaoxiao managed to calm herself down. When she saw Mu Xi waving at her, she saw her and Mu Wen. After the emperor took his seat, Xiaoxiao hurried over to Mu Xi and sat down beside her.
Mu Xi frowned when he saw her. "Are you trying to save your life? Why are you staring at that evil spirit? Aren't you afraid that he might go crazy and break your neck?"
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