Jiaojiao is getting married, and the male leads fall for her and fight over her.

Chapter 119 Things Have Gone Wrong: A Marriage Proposal
Shen Shuyi then realized that she wasn't overthinking things; Pei Si really was after her.

But why?

Could it be that Pei Si was so angry when he saw that Xia Nianchu only had eyes for Pei Shizi last time that he used her to provoke Xia Nianchu?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it was.

"Fourth cousin, please don't do anything foolish. I know you and Xia have a deep and abiding love. If there's any misunderstanding between you, just talk it out. Don't let anger lead you down a dangerous path. Doing this will only push Xia further away..."

Pei Beizhou laughed upon hearing Shen Shuyi's words: "Cousin, you've misunderstood. There's no romantic relationship between Cousin Xia and me. I am indeed arranging a marriage, and Cousin Xia is also looking for someone. I think Cousin Xia and I are quite well-matched. I am a son born out of wedlock, and Cousin Xia is an orphan. Neither of us will look down on the other. Furthermore, I can offer Cousin Xia the position of my legal wife. If Cousin Xia agrees, I will discuss our marriage with my grandmother."

Shen Shuyi panicked a little when she heard this.

This is the male lead, she could never marry Pei Beizhou.

Back when Pei Si and the female lead were deeply in love, everyone could see those scenes clearly; she's not blind.

If she gets involved in the relationship between the male and female leads, isn't she just asking for trouble?

“Since my cousin hasn’t said anything, I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll go discuss this with my grandmother now.” Pei Beizhou said, heading towards Heshou Hall.

This startled Shen Shuyi, and she quickly stopped him, saying, "Cousin, you mustn't! Fourth Cousin is a very good man, and I am not worthy of him. Let's leave this matter here and not mention it again."

Pei Beizhou's eyes darkened slightly, and his smiling face instantly turned gloomy: "My cousin doesn't like me?!"

How dare this woman look down on him?

Shen Shuyi dared not. She clarified, "Fourth Cousin is a rising star in the officialdom, and he is bound to have a bright future. I am not worthy of him. Thank you for your kindness, Fourth Cousin, but I could never marry you."

Pei Xizhou, who had been dumbfounded, came to his senses and looked Shen Shuyi and Lao Si back and forth with suspicion, feeling that this world was surreal.

Why did the fourth brother fall for Cousin Shen?
Pei Beizhou insisted on his opinion: "But I still prefer my cousin. I will ask my grandmother's opinion on this matter..."

Shen Shuyi couldn't bear to listen any longer and said loudly, "Fourth cousin, can you please stop forcing me? If I don't agree to this, why bother my grandmother?"

How could she have been so foolish as to provoke Pei Si? Now look what's happened, she's brought on such a huge mess.

"Is it unreasonable to ask someone to do something they don't want to do? Perhaps, but I still want to give it a try." Pei Beizhou said, and quickly walked away.

Seeing that Shen Shuyi was about to cry, she said to Pei Xizhou, "Third cousin, please stop fourth cousin for me. I'm going to find Xia cousin."

Pei Xizhou snapped out of his daze and hurriedly chased after him.

Shen Shuyi hurriedly went to Mengyunxuan to find the female lead.

Xia Nianchu was surprised that Shen Shuyi would come to see her. When she learned Shen Shuyi's purpose, her expression changed slightly: "How could my fourth cousin possibly marry you?!"

"It's too late, cousin. You should go and stop fourth cousin first. He's on his way to Heshou Hall right now," Shen Shuyi said breathlessly.

Xia Nianchu dared not delay and hurriedly went to Heshoutang to intercept the person.

She found Pei Beizhou near Heshou Hall. Pei Beizhou seemed surprised that she would come and was stunned for a moment.

The next moment, Xia Nianchu threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably: "What will happen to me if Fourth Cousin marries Cousin Shen?"

Pei Beizhou looked at the girl in his arms who was crying uncontrollably, and was momentarily bewildered.

He did indeed have feelings for his cousin Xia, but he also knew that she was being insincere; she liked not only him, but also Prince Pei.

Xia Nianchu is fickle and promiscuous, unpredictable. She might like him today, but she could throw herself into Pei Shizi's arms tomorrow. Why would he need a woman like that? Besides, she is Li Shi's niece.

He would never marry Xia Nianchu, even if he married his cousin Shen. "Didn't my cousin want to become the Crown Prince's wife?" Pei Beizhou said casually.

Xia Nianchu, who was crying uncontrollably, trembled slightly upon hearing these words.

Sure enough, her fourth cousin noticed her attention towards the crown prince that night.

At this moment, Shen Shuyi also caught up, panting. Seeing Xia Nianchu and Pei Beizhou hugging each other, she felt relieved.

Even if Pei Beizhou were to propose marriage to the old lady now, she would have a reason to refuse.

When Pei Beizhou saw Shen Shuyi arrive, he pushed Xia Nianchu away from his arms. He looked at Xia Nianchu coldly and said, "Cousin Xia likes too many men. I am ranked last. Why are you putting on a pitiful act here? I plan to marry Cousin Shen. I will mention this to Grandmother later."

Xia Nianchu looked at Pei Beizhou with teary eyes, clutching his sleeve tightly: "Fourth cousin, no..."

Pei Beizhou coldly shook off her hand and entered Heshou Hall.

Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Pei Dongzhou was working at the yamen when Qingyun came to find him, which prompted him to rush back to the Marquis's residence.

As soon as he entered Heshou Hall, he heard Pei Beizhou say to the old lady, "I want to marry my cousin Shen. Please grant my request, Grandmother."

The old lady was truly surprised that Pei Beizhou would suddenly propose to Yi'er. Upon hearing this, her eyes lit up: "Really?!"

"really!"

"No!"

Pei Beizhou and Pei Dongzhou's voices rang out simultaneously.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and realized that Pei Dongzhou had also come to Heshou Hall.

Seeing that Pei Dongzhou arrived so quickly, Pei Beizhou became even more certain that he had made the right move.

If Prince Pei had no romantic feelings for Cousin Shen, he wouldn't have rushed home from the government office today.

“I sincerely wish to marry Cousin Shen, and even my grandmother has not said it is not allowed. What reason do you have to stop me, elder brother?!” Pei Beizhou asked leisurely.

He was certain that Prince Pei would never marry Cousin Shen, much less reveal his secret feelings for her in public.

"Yes, why not?" The old lady was also curious about Pei Shizi's reasons.

She hoped that one of the Pei brothers would take a liking to Yi Jie'er, so that Yi Jie'er could continue living in the Marquis's mansion and be taken care of nearby, putting her at ease.

For a moment, everyone looked at Prince Pei.

Only Shen Shuyi wasn't that curious, since the Pei brothers all felt she wasn't good enough for them.

Just then, Pei Nanzhou, who had received the news, also arrived at Heshou Hall and calmly said, "What other reason could there be? Of course, it's because Cousin Shen is not good enough for Beizhou. Beizhou is a third-ranked scholar and serves in the Hanlin Academy. He has a bright future ahead of him and even has a chance to try for a position in the Grand Secretariat. As a future rising star in officialdom, Beizhou has better options, doesn't he?"

Pei Dongzhou frowned upon hearing this, disliking Pei Nanzhou's dismissive tone towards Shen Shuyi: "It's not that Cousin Shen is unworthy of Beizhou, but rather that their personalities clash."

Pei Nanzhou scoffed upon hearing this: "I thought my elder brother had a better reason. Even if people's personalities clash, they can work things out over time. It seems that no one has any reason to object to the marriage between Beizhou and Cousin Shen."

(End of this chapter)