76. Chapter 76: Hate
The cold winter has arrived. I don’t know when, snow started to fall from the sky. Snowflakes fell silently to the ground, adding a touch of white to the night.
Xiaoxiao glanced at the snowflakes dancing in the air, found two oil-oil umbrellas, and handed them to the maid who came to report. She said, "Go and pick her up. Just ask her to go to the front hall. I'll go meet her there."
The maid agreed.
As Xiaoxiao walked out holding an oil umbrella, Luzhu picked up a cloak and said, "Girl, put on more clothes."
The cloak was made of fox fur and was very thick. Xiaoxiao felt a little cold after falling into the water. She thanked him and put on the cloak obediently.
Luzhu accompanied her to the front hall. When they arrived, Gu Zhen had just arrived. When their eyes met, they were both slightly stunned.
Xiaoxiao unconsciously looked at her again.
The woman in front of her was wearing a thick cloak, with her black hair tied up high with a headband. She had a delicate face and eyebrows, and stood upright. She looked like a heroic young man, completely different from what Xiaoxiao had imagined.
Xiaoxiao called out tentatively, "Miss Gu?"
Gu Zhen's eyes were full of amazement, and she came back to her senses when she heard Xiaoxiao's voice.
She nodded with a smile and followed Xiaoxiao into the inner room. "On the way here, I was wondering what kind of woman could make him look at her in such a special light. I didn't expect you to be even more beautiful than I imagined. If the Empress were still alive, she would definitely like you very much."
The Empress she was referring to was Pei Xiuhan's biological mother.
Xiaoxiao touched the tip of her nose and smiled a little shyly. She invited Gu Zhen to take a seat.
After entering the house, Gu Zhen rubbed her red hands unconsciously. She didn't expect it to snow today. She didn't take a carriage when she came here. Although she was only wet in the snow for a while, her hands and feet still felt cold.
Xiaoxiao handed the hand warmer in her hand to Gu Zhen and said with a smile: "It's cold outside, Miss Gu, warm yourself up first."
Gu Zhen was slightly startled, then took the hand warmer with a smile, "Thank you."
Xiaoxiao shook her head, signaling her not to be so polite. She wore no makeup, only a white jade hairpin in her hair. Although she was dressed very simply, under the candlelight, her small face, the size of a palm, was indescribably beautiful.
Gu Zhen unconsciously took another look.
Luzhu picked up the white jade pot beside her and poured a cup of hot water for the two of them.
Only then did Gu Zhen notice Luzhu. Luzhu had a pretty face. Although she was not very old, she looked very calm and had light calluses on her hands.
Gu Zhen recognized her extraordinaryness at a glance. Seeing her following Xiaoxiao closely, Gu Zhen was distracted for a moment.
She shook her head and smiled, "No need to pour it. When I came here, I just drank a glass of water and I didn't drink anymore."
Holding the heater in her hands, her stiff body gradually warmed up.
Gu Zhen then smiled and said, "I was busy during the day and couldn't leave. I only came now to visit you. I hope I didn't disturb Miss Zhang's rest by coming here presumptuously."
Gu Zhen had a calm look and a bright smile, and seemed like someone who was easy to get along with.
Xiaoxiao unconsciously relaxed and said with a smile, "I always go to bed late, and I was just worried that no one would talk to me. Miss Gu came at the perfect time."
Gu Zhen had a faint smile on her face. Although she was dressed like a man, her facial features were very beautiful. When she smiled, there was a dimple on her face, which made her look very young, not at all like she was in her twenties.
She smiled and pulled out a pair of jade bracelets from her bosom, saying solemnly, "I'm here today on behalf of my mother. You must know that she and the Empress were close friends. These jade bracelets were given to her by the Empress when she got married. Before she died, my mother left them to me, wanting me to give them to the Princess of Yan in the future. After the New Year, I will be traveling with Master Qingchen and will not be able to attend your wedding, so I came here today. The wedding is not long away, so please accept them, Miss Zhang."
Xiaoxiao was slightly stunned and subconsciously refused: "This is too expensive, I can't accept it."
Gu Zhen, however, pressed the jade bracelet into her hand and said with a smile, "If the prince were here, he would have to call my mother aunt. A gift from an elder cannot be refused. This originally belonged to the Empress. It has come to you through many twists and turns. It is fate. Miss Zhang, please do not refuse. If I take this thing back, my mother might come looking for me in the middle of the night."
She winked as she spoke, her smile very carefree.
Her mother had passed away two years ago, and this matter had always weighed on Gu Zhen's mind. Seeing that Pei Xiu Han was finally getting married, she felt a lot more relieved.
She will be able to let it go completely in the future. It is undeniable that she waited until today to come because she wanted to see what kind of girl would make him willing to marry her.
Gu Zhen did not sit for long. She knew that her identity was somewhat embarrassing. After handing the jade bracelet to Xiaoxiao, she stood up.
Xiaoxiao said, "It's snowing heavily. Miss Gu, please sit for a while and wait until the snow stops before leaving."
Gu Zhen shook her head. "I have to leave Beijing early tomorrow morning and go back to pack my luggage, so I won't be staying here long."
Xiaoxiao stood up and saw her off. Before they walked out of the front hall, Xiaoxiao saw Pei Xiuhan. He was not holding an umbrella and was striding towards them.
It was snowing heavily outside. The cold wind was mixed with snowflakes, which flew down. A lot of snow also fell on Pei Xiuhan's shoulders. He took big steps, and his black satin boots were a little wet.
After seeing him, Xiaoxiao and Gu Zhen couldn't help but stop.
After realizing his urgency, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but be slightly stunned. He had just asked Yang Hao to send a message back, saying that he would not be back in the next few days. Who would have thought that he would be in a hurry to return home now.
Xiaoxiao glanced at Gu Zhen subconsciously.
Gu Zhen was staring at him blankly, with a hint of complexity and melancholy in her dark eyes that was hard to conceal. This emotion disappeared quickly, and in the blink of an eye, her face returned to calmness. She looked neither sad nor happy, and the ease she had when she was with Xiaoxiao was unconsciously suppressed.
Pei Xiuhan was very tall and had long legs. He walked up to Xiaoxiao in a few steps. He glanced at Xiaoxiao unconsciously, and then looked at Gu Zhen, "What's going on?"
Gu Zhen deliberately chose a time when he was not at home to appear in front of Xiaoxiao, and acted very casually, as if she had never cared about him.
Until this moment, when she saw him, she was brought back to her original form. She suddenly seemed to have become the little girl who was deeply in love with him, desperately following in his footsteps.
The Queen Mother loved her so much that she said she wanted to be her daughter-in-law, but he was always indifferent and never looked at her more than once. Even when she almost became his fiancée, he remained unmoved.
The word "Is there something wrong?" made Gu Zhen look embarrassed for a moment, as if if there was nothing wrong, she shouldn't have come to the house.
Back then, the reason why her father formed an alliance with the third prince was because he felt sorry for her. When the two sides were about to finalize the marriage, he said that he only treated her as a sister.
She was too young at the time and only valued her reputation above all else, so she ran away crying. Her father had always loved her, so he took his anger out on Pei Xiuhan.
It was his father's wrong choice that killed his father, the emperor, and his mother, the queen, and caused his mother to live in pain for the rest of her life.
Gu Zhen never expected that he could forgive them, nor did she want to come and disturb him. If her mother had not felt that the jade bracelet belonged to the Queen and should be handed over to Princess Yan, she would not have come.
Gu Zhen remained silent. At that moment, she once again experienced what it meant to be embarrassed.
Xiaoxiao was sensitive to her abnormality. Seeing Brother Pei's deep gaze falling on Gu Zhen, Xiaoxiao felt a little nervous for no reason.
The snow fell heavier, a few flakes found their way into the umbrella and scraped against her face. Xiaoxiao felt the chill sinking deep into her heart, and she felt strangely superfluous. Surely it was her presence that prevented them from speaking freely?
Xiaoxiao stuffed the umbrella into Pei Xiuhan's hands and forced a smile, "You two chat first."
Seeing that she was about to rush into the heavy snow, Pei Xiu Han raised his brows slightly and reached out to grab her hand. The girl's fingers were icy cold to the bone. Pei Xiu Han held the umbrella with one hand and covered her little hand with the other hand. He also held the umbrella on her, and snow fell on his shoulders again.
After holding Xiaoxiao, he looked at Gu Zhen again.
Gu Zhen naturally saw his behavior. Even though she knew that he must have had some other intentions if he was willing to marry her, she still felt it was irritating when she really saw how much he cared about Xiaoxiao.
She had been practicing asceticism in the temple with her mother for many years. She thought that the past was all gone like clouds and smoke, and she had let it go long ago. At this moment, she finally understood why Master Qingchen said that she was not yet finished with the worldly affairs.
She said in a panic, "It's okay. I have something else to do. I won't bother you two anymore."
After she finished speaking, she left in a hurry, as if some ferocious beast was chasing her.
Xiaoxiao was stunned.
Gu Zhen's figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
Pei Xiuhan ignored her and pulled Xiaoxiao closer. "Why are your hands so cold? Where's the hand warmer?"
Xiaoxiao handed the hand warmer to Gu Zhen. The snow had not stopped, so when they came out just now, she asked Gu Zhen to wear the hand warmer.
She pursed her lips and said, "I'm not cold, brother. If you have something to say to her, you can go after her. I can go back by myself."
Even though she acted very magnanimous, her voice revealed a sense of loss that she herself was not aware of.
Pei Xiuhan's heart moved slightly, and he lowered his eyes to look at the little girl, only then he realized that something was wrong with her mood.
The girl's eyes were dim, her pink lips were tightly pursed, and her smile seemed a little forced.
He subconsciously touched her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was not hot. "Did she bully you?"
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, not understanding why he asked that. She quickly shook her head and said, "No, Miss Gu is very gentle."
Seeing that she was about to walk away, Brother Pei still had no intention of chasing her. Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at him and asked, "Brother, aren't you going to chase her?"
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