41. Chapter 41 Purse
After seeing Brother Pei's expression, Xiaoxiao made a face at him and then went out.
Pei Xiu Han withdrew his gaze only after the little girl's figure disappeared at the door. Thinking of her grimace, Pei Xiu Han put his hand to his lips and smiled unconsciously.
The dim yellow candlelight shone on the side of his face. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, making him look particularly happy. He had never expected that this little girl would dare to outwit him.
He called Luzhu over and ordered, "Did you hear what the little girl said just now? Go find someone to come over."
Luzhu had good hearing, so she naturally heard it. She felt a little dissatisfied in her heart. Now that she was still in the palace, how could she find her? Luzhu had no choice but to knock on the door of the little palace maid.
A moment later, a brand new menstrual belt was placed on the bed. When Xiaoxiao came back, she saw the new thing on the bed at a glance. Her palm-sized face instantly flushed. She thought he had really bought it, and there was shock in her eyes.
Pei Xiuhan couldn't help but smile.
Little guy, I can’t cure you.
Xiaoxiao was so embarrassed that she almost wanted to crawl into the ground. There was a hint of embarrassment in her watery eyes, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. She walked over and covered her menstrual belt with the quilt.
She looked like she wanted to hide away with her menstrual belt. Pei Xiuhan couldn't bear it any longer. He touched the tip of his nose and explained, "Luzhu got it."
After he finished speaking, he said, "Go to bed early."
He turned and left the palace.
Whenever he stayed in the imperial palace in the past, he always lived in this palace. Now that he left, he simply went to the Qianqing Palace.
Xiaoxiao glanced at him secretly and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had really left.
The night was as cold as water. Xiaoxiao couldn't sleep and couldn't help but leaning over the window to look out. The moonlight was very soft, casting a layer of soft light on the ground. The stars in the sky twinkled and were very dazzling.
Mo Chuan also couldn't sleep. Ever since he got off Princess Yuyang's carriage, he had been silent. His face looked sinister and cold, and his dark eyes seemed to hide something frightening.
Seeing him like this, Qin Dian felt distressed. He pushed Mo Chuan back to the Anguo Mansion. It was not until they returned to their own small bamboo house that Mo Chuan finally spoke, "Go and check. I want to see the person alive or the body dead."
Qin Dian knew Xue Ji's importance, so he didn't waste any time. He answered and left the cabin. Only when he was out of the cabin did he whisper, "Master, please don't blame yourself too much for what happened back then."
Mo Chuan didn't say anything. Qin Dian knew his temper well and didn't dare to persuade him anymore. He just left the Anguo Mansion.
After he left, Mo Chuan fumbled to pick up a dagger. His eyes were not completely blind to light. Although he could not see clearly, he could see the general shape of objects. When he held the dagger in his hand, he thought of his dead brother again. Mo Chuan clenched his fists, and the veins on his hands bulged.
*
Xiaoxiao went back to rest in the late night. When she woke up the next day, it was already bright. She found Pei Jing sitting in a side hall, reading memorials, and the young man's face was full of impatience.
Seeing Xiaoxiao finally woke up, he dropped the memorial and asked, "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Xiaoxiao felt embarrassed and nodded.
Pei Jing didn't know why she had a stomachache, he just thought she had an upset stomach and punished the chef in the imperial kitchen for it.
Xiaoxiao didn't see Pei Xiuhan and couldn't help asking, "Where's Brother Pei?"
Pei Jing glanced at her sideways, "Why do you ask about the whereabouts of the emperor's uncle as soon as you open your eyes?"
Having said that, Pei Jing still told her that Pei Xiuhan had left the palace early in the morning and seemed to have gone to the Ministry of Justice.
Pei Jing didn't hide anything from her and said directly, "With the recent envoys entering the capital, it's very likely that there will be trouble. The emperor's uncle has been having people keep an eye on suspicious people. Last night, people from the Honglu Temple discovered someone sneaking around the residence and arrested him. The emperor's uncle went to take a look."
He really has a lot of things to do every day.
Since it was a matter of state, Xiaoxiao didn't dare ask any more questions.
When Xiaoxiao returned home, she found that Luzhu had brought her a bag of medicine, saying that it was the prince's instruction, asking her to take good care of her health.
Xiaoxiao's little face wrinkled immediately. She took medicine for the next few days and felt listless. Fortunately, her stomachache stopped from the second day.
Xiaoxiao copied the rare book again, hoping to save some money before Pei Xiuhan and Mu Wen's birthdays.
In the blink of an eye, it was March 23rd. There were only five days left before Pei Xiuhan and Mu Wen's birthdays. On this day, Mu Xi called Xiaoxiao out of the house again.
The two of them went for a walk on the street again, and this time they chose a suitable gift. Mu Wen's preferences were very simple. In addition to beautiful jewelry, she also liked furry animals.
Mu Xi chose a gold filigree hairpin with double phoenixes and rubies and kingfisher feathers for her, while Xiaoxiao found a kitten at the market. This kitten was very similar to the one they had raised in the mansion, chubby and very cute.
Xiaoxiao's biggest headache was not knowing what to give Brother Pei. Brother Pei had always been a simple person, seemingly not liking anything in particular. When they ate together, he didn't even have a favorite dish.
Xiaoxiao thought about it and simply asked Luzhu for her opinion.
Lu Zhu had no idea what was good or bad, so she just said, "The prince lacks nothing, and your kindness is enough."
Xiaoxiao thought for a while and finally knew what to give him.
He seemed to have no purse, and Xiaoxiao suddenly became excited. She spent the next two days embroidering a purse for him. In fact, Xiaoxiao had a little selfish motive. Girls would only embroider purses for their loved ones, except for embroidering purses for their family members. She didn't know if Brother Pei would think too much when she gave it to him.
While she was concentrating on embroidering the purse, two major events happened in the capital.
The first thing was that something suddenly happened in the Li Mansion. After Li Sisi was declared dead suddenly, people from the government also went to the Li Mansion several times in succession.
First, Li Sisi's father was arrested for "abuse of power for personal gain", and then Li Sisi's second uncle was arrested for "embezzling disaster relief funds". Even her dissolute brother could not escape imprisonment because last year, he got drunk and got into a conflict with someone in the street and beat the person to death.
Overnight, in the huge Li Mansion, only Lord Li escaped the disaster, while everyone else was arrested for various reasons. However, there was solid evidence in every case.
Everyone knew that the Li family must have offended someone. Overnight, Li Ge Lao's hair turned completely white and his back became hunched. What was even more difficult for him to accept than all his descendants being sent to prison was that they had done so many despicable things behind his back.
Many people speculated that he had offended the Regent. After all, apart from the Regent, there were very few people in the court who could investigate things that happened a few years ago. Lord Li had scolded the Regent many times in the past. If it were someone else, they would have taken action against the Li Mansion long ago.
In the court, Lord Li was extremely ashamed and directly proposed to retire and return home, saying that it was because of his poor discipline that his descendants had done so many terrible things.
Pei Jing actually wanted to agree. Although the old man cared about the people and did a lot of practical things, he was a stubborn old man and was very stubborn. Every time he met the emperor, nine times out of ten, he would ask Pei Jing to be wary of Pei Xiu Han.
Pei Jing even felt that if he didn't know that the imperial edict had the name of his uncle, he would have fallen out with him long ago.
Just as he was about to nod happily, he met the emperor's uncle's slightly warning eyes. Pei Jing had to decline politely. In order to let Li Ge Lao stay, Pei Jing even cried and said that the country needed him, the country needed him, and he, Pei Jing, also needed him. If he left, he was afraid that the whole court would no longer be clear.
Li Gelao was deeply moved and naturally did not leave. He still held the position of Gelao and was not implicated by his family at all.
The second thing was related to Princess Yuyang. Before they knew it, it was time for the envoys to leave the capital. Princess Yuyang wanted to visit the palace several times, but was stopped outside the door every time.
She was unwilling to return to her country, and actually hooked up with Pei Yang, the son of King Qin. In order to marry her, Pei Yang made a big fuss at home. King Qin wanted to slap this idiot to death. Even a three-year-old child could see that this woman had bad intentions, but he was so bewitched by her that he lost his mind.
The King of Qin had only this one son, and he was reluctant to kill him. He even met with Pei Xiuhan in private. Seeing that Pei Xiuhan was too lazy to care about this matter, he stopped interfering.
The King of Qin knew that if Princess Yuyang was really a person with deep thoughts, with Pei Xiuhan's caution, he would definitely nip any signs of it in the bud. His attitude also indirectly showed that Princess Yuyang could not cause any trouble. After understanding his attitude, the King of Qin stopped trying to stop her.
Princess Yuyang thought Pei Yang had persuaded the King of Qin. When the messenger urged her to act with caution, she said, "I have Pei Yang firmly under my control. The King of Qin cherishes him as his life, and he will certainly listen to me in the future. As long as I can leave a bloodline for the King of Qin and have him help me achieve my goals, everything will be fine. You just wait for good news from me and tell my father. I will never let him down."
The mastermind was far less optimistic than her. Although the King of Qin worked in the Ministry of Justice, he was old and would eventually retire. If Pei Yang was smart, he could cooperate with him, but he was a useless person. It was said that he had a secret meeting with the Queen Mother some time ago.
Of course, this was not the only stupid thing he had done. After investigating him, the mastermind tried to persuade Princess Yuyang, but she thought that such a man was easy to control.
The marriage between the two was actually decided in this way, and a date was chosen for the wedding.
Seeing that she had gone to harm Pei Yang, the noble ladies in the capital couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They were really afraid that Princess Yuyang would shamelessly pester their lovers.
On March 26th, Xiaoxiao had finished embroidering the purse. There was a nimble eagle embroidered on the purse. Xiaoxiao also embroidered a small word "Pei" inside. It could not be seen unless the purse was turned over.
After she finished embroidering, she happily held the purse and looked at it for a long time. The more she looked at it, the more satisfied she became.
On March 27th, Xiaoxiao went out of the house again. This time she went out to cut some cloth. Her brother was about to come back, and Xiaoxiao wanted to take some time to make him a set of clothes. She could also make one for Brother Pei. Xiaoxiao felt excited just thinking about it, and her heart couldn't stop beating wildly.
She sold all the books she had copied a few days ago, first returned ten taels to Luzhu, and used the remaining five taels to buy cloth. She knew that the cloth on Brother Pei's body was of excellent quality, and Xiaoxiao also bought expensive ones, so the five taels of silver did not buy much, only enough to make one set for each of them.
While the shopkeeper was helping to cut the cloth, Xiaoxiao saw Sun Ya walk in.
Sun Ya also studied in the clan school of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion before, and has a close relationship with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
She and Mu Xi were close friends. At the beginning, because Mu Xi and Xiao Xiao had a bad relationship, she didn't talk much to Xiao Xiao. It was only later, after Mu Xi gradually became friends with Xiao Xiao, that she became a little familiar with Xiao Xiao.
When she turned fourteen, Sun Ya stopped going to the clan school, so she was not very familiar with Xiaoxiao.
The girl was wearing a lavender dress. She was very tall, even taller than half of the men. Xiaoxiao had always envied her height, so she was very impressed by her.
When she saw Xiaoxiao, Su Ya's face turned red first, and she nervously held a purse in her hand.
Xiaoxiao took the initiative to greet her, and she smiled, but her smile was a little awkward. She stood there for a long time, mentally preparing herself, and finally gritted her teeth and walked over.
Xiaoxiao blinked.
Sun Ya whispered, "Xiaoxiao, can you come out for a moment? I have something I want to ask you for help with."
Xiaoxiao nodded and said to Luzhu, "Sister Luzhu, please wait here for a while. When the cloth is ready, just help me carry it to the carriage."
Luzhu had an impression of Sun Ya, and when she saw that there were no suspicious people outside, she nodded.
Xiaoxiao followed Sun Ya out and saw that her shadow was much shorter than Sun Ya's. Xiaoxiao couldn't help but sigh and felt that she had eaten all the food in the past year in vain. The food didn't even reach her ears.
If she were as tall as Sun Ya, Brother Pei would definitely not call her a child anymore.
The two walked to the door. At this time, there were not many people on the street. The sunlight shone on the glazed tiles, reflecting a dazzling light.
The two of them found a spot with little sunlight. Sun Ya apologized first. "I'm sorry. I specially asked someone to keep an eye on the palace's carriage. I learned that you were going out today, so I came to stop you. I, I really couldn't think of any other way, so I thought of asking you for help. Can you help me this time?"
The more she spoke, the redder her face became, and by the end her voice was as soft as a mosquito's.
"What's the favor?" Exclusively compiled by Qingwen Novel
"I, I want to ask you to deliver something for me."
Xiaoxiao's eyes fell on the purse in her hand. The girl had slender fingers and the purse in her hand was azure blue. She was very good at embroidery. There was a cute carp on it and a lotus flower embroidered next to the carp. The lotus flower was embroidered vividly, just like the real thing.
Seeing the purse, Xiaoxiao suddenly had a bad thought in her mind. The next moment, she heard Sun Ya shyly say, "This is the purse I embroidered for the Regent. Tomorrow is his birthday. Xiaoxiao, can you give it to him for me?"
Xiaoxiao was stunned, and her tender pink lips unconsciously pursed. "Isn't this bad? If you want to give it to me, you should do it in person."
Compared to a hundred years ago, people are much more open-minded nowadays. It's not considered too unusual for a woman to give a purse to someone she likes. Xiaoxiao thinks it's better to give it herself.
Sun Ya was a little embarrassed, her eyes full of pleading. "He's of noble status, how can I see him whenever I want? Can you help me this time? My family has already been looking for someone for me, and I really don't want to marry anyone else. I know the Regent may not even remember who I am, but I really want to give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, I have nothing to regret. Please."
After hearing her words, Xiaoxiao could empathize with her. She also liked Brother Pei, so she naturally understood the sadness of not being able to get what you want.
If her brother wanted her to marry someone else after his return, Xiaoxiao would definitely feel as unwilling as Sun Ya. So she could understand why Su Ya asked her for help.
She thought about it and compromised, "How about tomorrow, I take you to the palace and you give it to him yourself? He needs to attend the morning court tomorrow and will definitely be back in the evening. You can come and play with me in the afternoon."
Sun Ya quickly shook her head. How could she dare to give it to Xiaoxiao in person? Running to her for help had already used up all her courage in her life.
Seeing Xiaoxiao was willing to help her, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Xiaoxiao, I'm so grateful. I knew you were willing to help, so just give it to me. If he asks, just say I'm Sun Ya. I met him on the street during the Lantern Festival two years ago and greeted him. If he's interested in me, let him take the purse. If not, just throw it away."
After she finished speaking, she stuffed the purse into Xiaoxiao's hand and ran away quickly, feeling really embarrassed.
Xiaoxiao wanted to say something else, but she had already gotten on the carriage. After sitting in the carriage, she lifted the curtain and put her hands together as a gesture of gratitude to Xiaoxiao.
The carriage did not stop and gradually disappeared from Xiaoxiao's sight.
Xiaoxiao returned to the palace with a heavy heart. At night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, clutching the purse in her hand.
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