A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Gu Xixi was startled, and her unfocused eyes lifted up to stare straight at Dou Rongshan.

Dou Rongshan was meeting Gu Xixi for the first time and knew nothing about her background or temperament. Seeing her like this, she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

Why are you glaring at me like that?!

"What, I guessed it all right, didn't I? You vixen, you're trying to seduce your cousin!"

"You...you even deliberately tore off his clothes! How could you be so arrogant? No one else could bear to watch!"

He Jinglan scoffed, "How can you be so blind? Weren't you staring so intently that your eyes couldn't move?"

Dou Rongshan blushed and was furious, "You're talking nonsense!"

He Jinglan said calmly, "You said it yourself, so why should you just say you won't watch it?"

"It's clear you've seen it all, and you haven't had enough yet."

Dou Rongshan stomped her foot, "I'm not talking to you! I'm only talking to her!"

Today, Gu Xixi is meeting the Emperor. She must not be disrespectful upon entering the palace, so she will inevitably have to put some thought into her attire.

He Jinglan chose a more formal palace dress for her.

Dressing up naturally requires more effort than usual.

Her hair was styled in the currently popular lily bun, mainly decorated with a canary hairpin holding a glass pearl in its beak, along with several small pearl flower hairpins. Her face was lightly powdered with jasmine powder, but she did not wear rouge.

This kind of attire not only conforms to the regulations for meeting the emperor, but also avoids appearing overly flamboyant.

Even so, when Mu Nanzhao saw Gu Xixi in the Imperial Study, his heart still skipped a few beats.

Perhaps because the people around her were used to seeing Gu Xixi in her plain clothes and without makeup, they didn't pay much attention to her appearance.

However, thanks to the skillful hands of He Jinglan and several maids working together...

This made Gu Xixi's already beautiful appearance even more delicate and elegant.

In addition, there are dresses, jewelry, and elaborate hairstyles that are not usually worn.

How could it not be eye-catching?

Seeing that Gu Xixi didn't respond, Dou Rongshan called out again, "Hey, you vixen, I'm asking you a question, what are you spacing out for!"

Gu Xixi's eyes regained their sparkle. "It's the first time someone has called me a vixen. I'm a little uncomfortable and didn't realize you were talking to me."

He Jinglan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"She's not lying to you. She's always relied on her skills, not her looks, to make a living."

"But we're happy that you complimented her on her looks."

Dou Rongshan looked at He Jinglan, then at Gu Xixi, and felt as if she had been played for a fool.

She retorted angrily, "I didn't praise her! That vixen means..."

The words "shameless" hadn't even been uttered yet.

Mu Nanzhao suddenly spoke up to stop them. "Enough."

Dou Rongshan froze, staring at him in disbelief, "Cousin..."

Mu Nanzhao's expression was calm, but his eyes were somewhat gloomy.

It was the imposing presence of a superior, not the expression of an older brother towards his younger sister.

"This is not the Dou family home, Miss Dou, please watch your words."

He could overlook the fact that the woman stopped the car and barged in, and argued with He Jinglan.

This woman alone dared to insult Gu Xixi.

Does his refusal to speak mean he's dead?!

Dou Rongshan stared blankly at Mu Nanzhao, her eyes reddening.

He actually called her Miss Dou? His tone was icy, all business.

Dou Rongshan was well aware of the rumors that the Regent Prince was not interested in women.

He ruthlessly rejected all marriage proposals from various families in the capital and the affections expressed openly or subtly by noble ladies.

I thought that because of the bond I had known since childhood, I would be different from other people.

Mu Nanzhao initially avoided meeting her, but today she caught him red-handed, and he didn't expect her to have this attitude again.

Dou Rongshan lost face, but she was stubborn and gritted her teeth to hold back her tears, saying to Gu Xixi:

“I had no idea there was such a person as you in the capital, and I had never seen He Jinglan with you before.”

"You must come from a humble background."

"Is she the daughter of some lowly soldier, or a lowly concubine's daughter whom some family doesn't like?"

Mu Nanzhao frowned, his eyes filled with anger, and was about to speak when Gu Xixi gave him a look.

Mu Nanzhao's eyes flickered, and he temporarily suppressed his emotions.

Gu Xixi nodded somewhat awkwardly and said, "Unfortunately, you all guessed wrong. I am just an ordinary person, and my family farms."

Dou Rongshan was prepared to mock others and use the Dou family's official rank and status to intimidate them.

Upon hearing Gu Xixi's answer, she thought there was something wrong with her ears.

"Don't joke around! You're afraid to mention your father's official position, are you trying to fool me!"

He Jinglan laughed again, "I can testify that what she said is true."

From the moment Gu Xixi started paying attention to Dou Rongshan, He Jinglan completely relaxed and just waited to watch the show.

Because she had complete confidence in Gu Xixi.

It's no wonder that this pampered little brat can't get the better of Gu Xixi!

Dou Rongshan stared at Gu Xixi, looking her up and down, her face full of confusion.

Gu Xixi simply let her look to her heart's content.

After a while, Dou Rongshan rallied her spirits.

"Then you must be from some shady background! My cousin never takes on women; you must be the one who's been pestering him!"

Surprisingly, Gu Xixi actually nodded in agreement.

"But that depends on him being willing to let me pester him."

"Look at you, you've blocked someone else's carriage. If he had agreed to let you pester him earlier, this wouldn't have happened."

It may seem like there isn't a single insulting word, but it directly attacks the heart.

Gu Xixi looked at Dou Rongshan tenderly, and even sighed with sympathy.

Dou Rongshan was both sad and angry, struggling to find a rebuttal, and after a long pause, she finally said:

Even if my cousin is bewitched by you and indulges you for a while, he will never truly love you! And there's no way he'd marry you!

"Marry me?" Gu Xixi asked as if she had heard something incredibly funny.

She gave a half-smile, the smile not reaching her eyes, "I only know that it's perfectly natural for me to sit here and talk to him."

“He didn’t even say he was unwilling, so why are you making such a fuss?”

"Furthermore, as for things like whether you like someone or not, whether you want to marry them or not, at least in my case, it's never something that any one man can decide unilaterally."

At this moment, Mu Nanzhao said, "Including today, you have rejected me twice now."

He gazed at Gu Xixi with a faint look, his tone wistful.

Although this person's impromptu addition of a scene was unexpected by Gu Xixi.

But when she glanced at Dou Rongshan, she simply didn't want to refute or clarify anything.

He Jinglan gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes flashing with ecstatic joy.

The first time she learned about it was when she witnessed Mu Nanzhao proposing to her.

But what's going on with this second time today?

Looking at Dou Rongshan again, she was dumbfounded, as if she had been struck by lightning.

My cousin is as handsome as a god, how could he be rejected by such a vulgar commoner?!

However, even more lightning bolts continued to strike her.

Mu Nanzhao sighed softly, "Does one have to establish a career before starting a family? I can only wait."

"However, Xixi is right about one thing."

"It's only natural that you and I are bound together."

Snap! Dou Rongshan collapsed onto her seat, utterly exhausted.

I can't tell if it's the blow that's too big, or the shock that's too big.

It sounds like the cousin is the one chasing after her, while this girl doesn't even want him!

Good heavens! This is absurd! Someone, come quick, tell her this is a nightmare!