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

Chapter 143 Uproar: Today is my engagement banquet with my cousin.
“Are you sure, cousin? Li Yi is already here. If you regret it, you can talk to Li Yi about it later. I'm just helping you out. Whether you want to continue or not is up to you. I'll listen to your decision.” Pei Dongzhou acted as the shrug-off manager.

Shen Shuyi turned around and saw that Li Yi had indeed arrived.

She was the one who sent the invitation to Li Yi. If she tells Li Yi now that it was just a joke, she can expect to be taken into the Prince's mansion as a concubine.

At that time, she will not be able to complete her mission; in other words, she will not be able to complete her mission and will eventually die.

Compared to one's life, what else matters?
In that instant, all her worries vanished.

Prince Pei is willing to go to such lengths for her, even risking his own reputation. How can she, the person directly involved, back down?!
"Proceed according to the original plan, and deal with Prince Jin first." Shen Shuyi looked at Prince Pei and said sincerely, "It's just that I'm sorry to trouble you, cousin Prince Pei."

Pei Shizi made such a great sacrifice to help her, which made her feel quite guilty.

As for what happens after the news reaches the Marquis's residence, we'll see then. Let's get past this hurdle first.

Li Yi was surprised to see the second floor full of guests as soon as he went up.

He thought it was impossible for his cousin Shen to find someone to get engaged anytime soon. Besides, who would hold an engagement ceremony at a restaurant? There had never been such a precedent before.

But he had seen many of the guests present before; they were all well-known young talents in the capital.

Even if Cousin Shen wanted to hire people to put on a show, she couldn't possibly gather so many people.

For a moment, he was completely bewildered by the scene before him.

Could it be that Cousin Shen is really engaged, and her fiancé is a prominent figure in the capital?

How could that be? Where would Cousin Shen find a decent man in such a short time? She can't just pick one up off the street…

Just as he was completely bewildered, everyone noticed his presence and stood up to bow to him.

Li Yi had just dismissed the formalities when Shen Shuyi walked towards him with a beaming smile: "This humble girl welcomes Your Highness's esteemed presence."

"Cousin Shen, is today really your engagement day? Who is the man you've chosen?" Li Yi asked impatiently.

Just as Shen Shuyi was about to reply, Xia Nianchu's voice suddenly rang out: "Cousin Shen, are you getting engaged today?!"

Why didn't she know?
Pei Xuexuan then stepped out from behind Xia Nianchu, her gaze fixed intently on Shen Shuyi: "Cousin, are you really getting engaged?!"

Shen Shuyi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

Things have come to this point, and there's clearly no turning back. She had initially clung to a sliver of hope that the people of the Marquis's mansion wouldn't know about her supposed engagement to Prince Pei.

But Xia Nianchu and Pei Xuexuan both came.

It was obvious that Xia Nianchu saw her get into the carriage driven by Qingfeng, so she asked Pei Xuexuan to come over with her to see what was going on.

The guests on the side were completely confused, because they had all been invited by Prince Pei, so how did it turn into this young lady's engagement banquet?
Surely this isn't the engagement party between this young lady and Pei Dongzhou?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
How many young ladies from prominent families in the capital longed to marry Prince Pei? But Lady Pingyang was very strict about his marriage. Moreover, the Pingyang Marquis's household had produced a Crown Princess, making the selection of Prince Pei's wife even more crucial.

Given this, how could Prince Pei's marriage be settled so casually? Moreover, since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, there has never been a precedent for holding an engagement banquet in a restaurant. Engagements have always followed the proper procedures of three letters and six rites; these procedures cannot be skipped so that Prince Pei can simply become engaged to this cousin Shen.

Everyone was curiously looking at Shen Shuyi, and they felt that this girl was indeed beautiful. It seemed that she was born to smile and always seemed to be full of energy and vitality.

Girls like this are easy to like.

Just as everyone was discussing this, Xia Nianchu couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Why isn't Cousin Shen saying anything? If Cousin Shen gets engaged today, who is her fiancé? Isn't this considered a secret engagement?"

Just then, Pei Dongzhou walked over.

He was dressed in a scarlet robe today, gentle and refined, exceptionally handsome, with a faint smile on his lips.

In the past, the smile on his face always seemed cold, but today it's clear to everyone that he's genuinely happy.

His appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Some people are born to shine, like Prince Pei.

Finally, Prince Pei stopped beside Shen Shuyi. He looked at her with a gentle smile before answering everyone's questions: "Today is my cousin's and my engagement banquet. It is our honor that Your Highness can come to our wedding."

Li Yi initially thought it was unlikely and was waiting to see how his cousin Shen would cover up this huge lie, but Pei Shizi's words left him dumbfounded.

Not only was Li Yi stunned, but everyone else present was also stunned, including Xia Nianchu and Pei Xuexuan.

Xia Nianchu's eyes widened: "How is that possible? Cousin Prince, this is no joke. It concerns your happiness for the rest of your life. How could you possibly get engaged to Cousin Shen so casually?"

And what kind of logic is this engagement?
Pei Xuexuan also recovered from her shock at this moment. She said solemnly, "Brother, this matter is of great importance. There must be some misunderstanding. If it is a misunderstanding, it is best to clarify it in public."

Li Yi also found his voice and took the initiative to find reasons for Pei Shizi: "Yes, yes, engagement is a lifelong matter, and there is no reason to engage in engagement in a restaurant. Engagement requires going through the formalities of the Three Letters and Six Rites, and there is absolutely no reason to settle it with just a casual banquet. Dongzhou must be joking!"

As soon as Li Yi finished speaking, Pei Dongzhou handed the gift list to Li Yi: "The three letters and six rites are all included, but the procedures have been shortened and combined. My cousin and I have also had our horoscopes checked, and the abbot of Dajue Temple said that my cousin and I are a match made in heaven. Your Highness may wish to take a look!"

Shen Shuyi glanced at it curiously and realized that the abbot of Dajue Temple had actually matched her and Prince Pei's birth dates and times.

To be honest, Prince Pei put on quite a show. If she weren't involved, she would have believed his lies.

He's someone who does great things; he's meticulous and thinks much more deeply than she does.

"How is this possible?!" Xia Nianchu's voice was sharp and shrill, unable to believe that her cousin, the young master, was actually going to get engaged to her cousin, Shen, who was a good-for-nothing.

This can't be true. Shen Shuyi is just an orphan. Why would the Crown Prince be so foolish as to marry an orphan?

Xia Nianchu found it hard to believe, and Pei Xuexuan was even more incredulous: "Brother, this concerns a matter of lifelong importance, it cannot be treated so lightly. Besides, marriage is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's word, brother's marriage cannot be settled so easily. Mother and father do not know about this, nor does grandmother, they will not agree!"

(End of this chapter)