Did Miss become a nun today?

Pei Changying was unaware.

The eldest brother only taught them to recognize characters and read when they were young; otherwise, he stayed by himself, and they dared not disturb him.

He treated all his younger siblings the same, never showing favoritism, except for his cousin Xie.

Suddenly stunned, she looked over and asked softly, "Because of Cousin Xie?"

Pei Changyu smiled, which was taken as tacit agreement.

She had heard that when her cousin Xie came back last time, her older brother had locked her up in Songhe Courtyard, but she didn't believe it.

I'm glad that I've had a good relationship with my cousin Xie over the years, which is why the task of being the princess's study companion fell to her.

At the same time, she was shocked that her older brother liked her cousin so much. Just because she was close to her cousin, he even thought of her as his study companion... Her older brother had kept it a secret. She used to think that her older cousin didn't like her cousin, which was why he always punished her by making her copy books.

It wasn't until I grew up that I realized, if you really don't like something, why bother copying it? You find it annoying just to see it.

"I choose you, and I have one more thing to entrust to you," Pei Changyu said calmly.

"Please speak, brother."

......

After hearing his elder brother's words, Pei Changying lowered his head, not daring to respond. After a long while, he finally said, "But... what if I don't get selected?"

"I will make sure you get elected."

Pei Changying was overjoyed and immediately assured him, "Don't worry, brother, I'm confident!"

As they left Songhe Courtyard, the Second Madam was still there. She grabbed her daughter and asked, "How did it go? What did your eldest brother say?"

"They didn't say much, just some things about choosing a study companion, and told me not to be nervous, that I would definitely be selected."

The second wife beamed from ear to ear, "Oh dear, my daughter is so lucky! I was worried about how to choose a husband. If she really becomes the princess's companion, won't there be a line of suitors coming her way?"

Pei Changying took her mother's hand and said, "Your daughter's ability to enter the palace as a companion to the emperor is not due to good fortune."

"Why is that?"

"Thanks to Cousin Xie."

The second wife was puzzled. "What does this have to do with her?"

The people in the manor didn't treat Xie Yun Chu badly; after all, she was the First Madam's niece, so it was acceptable.

But ever since she broke up with Pei Changfeng, she was no longer as close as before, and naturally she wouldn't try to please a cousin from the household.

"Because my older brother likes my older cousin, and I'm good to her, my older brother naturally thinks of me when good things happen to him."

"Impossible." The second madam did not believe it. Even if Changyu liked Xie Yunchu, he was still closer to Changying in terms of kinship, since it was more like a younger sister being nice to her cousin.

"My elder brother admitted it himself. What he meant was that there was no need to hide it. If others asked, just tell the truth."

The second wife was quick-witted and immediately understood Pei Changyu's intention: he was paving the way for Xie Yun Chu.

The entire Marquis's mansion will rely on Pei Changyu in the future, so he is naturally their support. The Second Madam will not offend him. It doesn't matter who she marries.

If he really marries Xie Yunchu, given his daughter's relationship with Xie Yunchu, that would be a good thing.

The second wife was surprised, but also felt that they had been very prescient.

She didn't fall out with Xie Yun Chu, and she's even close to her daughter. Look, such a good thing has fallen into the hands of their second branch of the family.

Pei Changning has never spoken kindly to Xie Yun Chu over the years, and the third branch of the family has also been indifferent to him. Now, he'll regret it.

*

When Xie Yun Chu heard that the Crown Prince was going to find a study companion for the princess, she didn't inquire much about it, but the palace servants were chatting happily.

In less than two days, the matter of the study companion was settled, and the next day, Princess Ning'an came to talk to her with her study companion.

"Sister Xie, look who I brought!"

She put down her book and saw Pei Changying looking excited and wanting to come forward, but she held back because of the princess.

"Thank you, cousin."

"Changying?"

Princess Ning'an made an introduction, choosing Pei Changying as her study companion. The Crown Prince disagreed, but the princess insisted on keeping her, simply because Pei Changying could coax her white cat, which she had raised for two years.

Normally, the cat would scratch anyone who touched it except for the princess, but today it accepted Pei Changying. The crown prince couldn't persuade his daughter otherwise, so he had no choice but to let her stay.

Princess Ning'an asked them to stay and talk. Pei Changying took her hand and asked, "Cousin, are you doing well in the Eastern Palace?"

"fine."

Pei Changying wasn't really worried about whether her cousin was doing well in the Eastern Palace. Besides being the princess's companion, she also had her elder brother's mission: to prevent her cousin from being alone with that man surnamed Meng.

She didn't dare say too much, for fear of revealing her secret.

"Luckily, I have my cousin in the palace, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do. Can I visit her often in the future?"

"I'm not familiar with the rules of the palace, so I'll have to help me out a lot in the future, cousin."

"By the way, my aunt knew I was going to the palace, so she brought a lot of things for my cousin. I'll fetch them now."

"Why......"

Before she could speak, he disappeared, only to return shortly afterward with packages of all sizes, all for her.

Afraid she would refuse, he slipped away after delivering the gifts, but then peeked in through the doorway and said, "Cousin, these are all from Auntie's heartfelt wishes. If you don't keep them, Auntie will be heartbroken."

...Fine, but she had everything she needed in the Eastern Palace, so she didn't open it, nor did she see that it contained items personally selected by Pei Changyu.

The next day, Meng Qi'an did not come. The Crown Princess called her over to talk, and as she spoke, she circled around the man.

"I've noticed you're getting along well with that Meng Hanlin these past few days. The Meng family has a good tradition, and the people there are ambitious. They're sure to have a bright future."

"I sent someone to inquire, and he has no mistresses around him. He has kept himself pure all these years. There aren't many young men like him in the capital. Besides, he can talk to you. If you really like reciting Buddhist scriptures, you'll have someone to discuss them with after you get married, won't you?"

That's what she said, but why didn't she just go to the nunnery and discuss scriptures with the nuns there? Wouldn't that be better?

But she didn't say it aloud, nor did she refute it. She had recently been seriously considering the idea of ​​a fake marriage.

She and Meng Qi'an were in the same boat, each with their own difficulties. If they were to marry, they would each get what they needed, and neither would owe the other anything.

However, Meng Qi'an has been very busy lately, and I haven't seen him for the past few days, but Pei Changying comes often.

"Are you the princess's study companion or mine?" she asked helplessly.

Pei Changying took her arm and said, "I informed the princess before I came, so it's alright."

Xie Yun Chu couldn't do anything about her. Fearing that she would displease the princess and the crown princess, she secretly mentioned it to the nanny by the crown princess's side. As a result, Pei Chang Ying did not come the next day.

During this brief moment, a palace maid came in to report, "Miss, Young Master Meng has arrived."

She and Meng Qi'an were already acquainted, so they went directly into the inner courtyard, where there was a room specifically for them to read and drink tea.

Meng Qi'an entered the room, smiling, with faint dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept much lately due to being busy.

Xie Yun Chu poured him some tea. "You're so busy with official duties, why don't you get some rest?"

When Xie Yun Chu took the tea, his fingertips accidentally touched the back of her hand. He quickly withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and took a sip.

"It's alright, I'm off today, so I came to chat with you."

He handed her what he was holding, saying, "These are snacks from outside the palace; they taste quite good."

She held the pastries without touching them. How could there be such a kind person in the world?

He said she was a very good person, but he was clearly the good person.

Even though she was so tired, I still remembered to buy her some snacks.

Seeing her worry, Meng Qi'an smiled and said, "I'm sorting through some old files and writing some policy essays these days. It's nothing serious, just take a day off."

"Are you really alright?"

"If you're really worried about me, let me sit here a little longer."

"Won't you get tired if you sit here a little longer?"

"Um."

Worried that he might be uncomfortable sitting there, she placed a few cushions next to him and poured him some calming and refreshing tea. She sat to the side reading a book, while Meng Qi'an told her interesting stories from outside. As he was talking, there was no sound from across the table.

The silence between the two was not awkward; on the contrary, it gave them a sense of security, as if they had someone with them and didn't need to speak.

Xie Yun Chu turned her head to look and saw that he was asleep.