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

Chapter 194 Knowing the Truth: It Was All His Scheme

Pei Nanzhou knew that Pei Dongzhou was trying to destroy his heart, but he didn't care.

He won't back down anyway.

However, it would be a lie to say I'm not jealous.

Prince Pei is indeed shrewd and calculating; otherwise, how could he have quietly infiltrated Shen Shuyi's territory?

He could only resort to this most inefficient method, standing where he couldn't see Shen Shuyi and waiting for her to come to him.

Despite this, he did not feel that there was anything wrong with his behavior.

Before going back to his room to sleep, Pei Dongzhou made a special trip to Shen Shuyi's bedroom. When he saw her sleeping peacefully, he couldn't bear to look away.

He longed to sleep with her, yet was afraid she'd kick him out of bed. Before they were married, he felt he had to be careful, lest his cousin, who was practically his, slip away, and who would he cry to then?
He resisted the urge to kiss her, suppressing his intense desire for his cousin before reluctantly leaving.

Shortly after he left, Shen Shuyi opened her eyes.

She woke up suddenly, feeling someone enter her bedroom. She recognized the footsteps as Prince Pei, and in that instant, she became fully conscious.

When Prince Pei entered, she was a little curious whether he would do anything improper to her. He stood there for a while and moved closer to her, and she had a fleeting feeling that Prince Pei would take advantage of her while she was asleep.

As it turned out, she was overthinking it. Pei Dongzhou was a gentleman; in the end, he did nothing and quietly walked away.

She thought the male lead wanted to take advantage of her, which dispelled her doubts, and she soon drifted off to sleep again.

The next day when she got up, Pei Dongzhou had already left Fusang Temple.

However, A-Jian, with a sly look, told her that Qingzhu and Qingyun were guarding outside Fusang Courtyard, saying they were there to protect her safety at all times. In the past, Shen Shuyi would have felt restricted, but now, quite the opposite, she felt completely safe.

On second thought, she realized something was wrong.

There's no reason why Prince Pei wouldn't have thought of a way to protect her before, but he insisted on taking her to the government office. Why is that?
Just as she was pondering this matter, a commotion arose outside the courtyard.

She didn't want to pay attention, but then the people outside started fighting. She frowned and listened. Before long, someone else rushed in while fighting. It was Pei Nanzhou.
The bright moon, the gentle breeze, the green bamboo, and the azure clouds clashed together, and Pei Nanzhou took advantage of this moment to enter the Fusang Courtyard.

Since Shen Shuyi had decided to stay at Fusang Academy, she had anticipated that one day she would face Pei Nanzhou head-on, just like now.

“Big brother can’t always protect his cousin.” Pei Nanzhou’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Shen Shuyi.

Shen Shuyi disliked the way Pei Nanzhou looked at her; it was too sickly and made her feel physically uncomfortable.

So the system is useless. If she had useful items, why would she be afraid of Pei Nanzhou? She could just use those items to get rid of him.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction with the system, she said directly to Pei Nanzhou, "Second cousin, there's no need for you to keep bothering me. My marriage to the Crown Prince is already settled, and your continued harassment won't change that. Besides, whether I'm your cousin's sister or your sister-in-law, there's essentially no difference. It's really baffling that you're chasing me like a mad dog."

Yes, she still couldn't understand why Pei Nanzhou was so twisted. She understood why he disliked her, but she was married to Pei Dongzhou, and she wasn't going to harm Pei Er. Why was Pei Er so fixated on her?
Even Pei Xizhou's affection for her hadn't been as intense as Pei Nanzhou's. Just as she was thinking of Pei Xizhou, he too rushed into the Fusang Courtyard.

"My cousin can't marry my brother!" Pei Xizhou rushed up to Shen Shuyi and said.

The fight was still going on outside. Pei Xizhou whispered to Shen Shuyi, "Cousin, let's talk in private."

Shen Shuyi thought Pei Xizhou seemed to have something to say, and since she didn't want to face Pei Nanzhou, she followed Pei Xizhou into the hall as instructed.

Pei Nanzhou wanted to follow, but Pei Xizhou stopped him: "Second brother, I have something to say to my cousin alone. Please excuse me for a moment."

Pei Nanzhou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not follow.

"What does Third Cousin want to say to me?" Shen Shuyi's curiosity was piqued by Pei Xizhou's mysterious demeanor.

"Does my cousin know why Li Yi knew that she was the fake Haitang?" Pei Xizhou asked intently.

Pei Xizhou brought up the matter again, making Shen Shuyi's heart race: "Wasn't it just that Prince Jin happened to be nearby and heard me play 'Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake'?"

Could there be another hidden story behind this?
“Yes, it all seems like a coincidence, but have you ever thought about what kind of person my elder brother is? He is mature and shrewd, and many things are within his calculations. Think about it, when Li Yi discovered that you were the fake Haitang, was it really just a coincidence?” Pei Xizhou had been pondering this matter.

He thought about it for a long time and finally figured out that something was wrong.

Pei Nanzhou could use Li Yi as a tool to kill Pei Shizi, and Pei Shizi could similarly use Li Yi as a tool to get his cousin. Li Yi would definitely force himself on any woman he set his sights on. With the cousin desperate and Pei Shizi seemingly reliable, wouldn't it be perfectly logical for her to seek his help?

Shen Shuyi opened her mouth, wanting to say that she hadn't been tricked by Prince Pei.

But is everything that happened that day really just a coincidence?

Pei Dongzhou had never taken her to Chengyuanzhai before, and Chengyuanzhai was very close to Xiyuan. Coincidentally, Li Yi happened to be in Xiyuan.

If one thing is a coincidence, what is the probability that three things combined are all coincidences?
"Cousin, did you also sense something was wrong? Isn't everything too coincidental?" Pei Xizhou stared intently into Shen Shuyi's eyes as he pressed her for an answer.

Shen Shuyi quickly regained her composure: "Third cousin is overthinking it. None of those things happened."

Her mind was a mess, and she wanted to be alone to calm down, but she didn't want Pei Xizhou to notice anything amiss.

If Li Yi discovers that she is a fake Haitang and it was actually Pei Shizi's scheme, then does that mean that Pei Shizi's pretense of marriage with her to help her is invalid?
If this was all part of Prince Pei's scheme, then why did he still agree to be engaged to her? Could it be that the person Prince Pei was plotting against all along was her?

Prince Pei revealed to Li Yi that she was a fake Haitang in order to get her.

Why did Prince Pei have to go through such a roundabout way?
If Pei Dongzhou did all this to get her, what was he after? It couldn't be her as a person, could it?

Pei Xizhou continued to persuade her: "My cousin trusts my elder brother too much. He's a cunning and calculating man. He's wanted my cousin for a long time, so he used this method to scheme against her, simply to make her marry him without any warning..."

(End of this chapter)