In fact, Heir Pei never told Qu Fulan not to accept gifts; it was her own decision to say so because it was the best reason to refuse.
Of course, she also had a most reasonable explanation.
Qu Fulan said, "I heard Mr. Cheng is also a person in official circles. I naturally don't understand the ways of being an official, but I do know that a person of princely status like the Heir must be very particular about social interactions. Not just anyone can connect with him, and I worry that accepting gifts recklessly might lead others to misunderstand the depth of the relationship between the Heir and the Cheng Family."
In truth, this was just one reason. Another reason was that Miss Cheng was at a very sensitive age, and since Qu Fulan was the personal maid of Heir Pei, if she got close to her, others might suspect that she was conveying secret messages for Heir Pei through the maid.
