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

Chapter 251 The Southern Continent is My Flesh and Blood!
Emperor Jinglong then asked some questions about details, including Pei Nanzhou's age, which Pei Nanzhou answered one by one.

Ziyu had told Pei Nanzhou his true birth date, and when Pei Nanzhou revealed the exact date and time of his birth, Emperor Jinglong basically confirmed that Pei Nanzhou was indeed a prince who had been living among the common people.

But just to be on the safe side, he still ordered someone to summon Ziyu for questioning.

The moment Ziyu saw Emperor Jinglong, she was overcome with grief.

If my daughter hadn't been bewitched by Emperor Jinglong's good looks back then, how could a rational person have committed adultery before marriage? But my daughter is proud and unwilling to enter the palace, yet she can't bear to part with the child in her womb that belongs to His Majesty. So she decided to secretly give birth to Pei Nanzhou, but fearing she wouldn't be able to raise the child, she came up with the plan to switch children.

If the young lady hadn't met His Majesty, she probably would have been able to marry into a good family and live a peaceful and stable life, right?

Emperor Jinglong asked Ziyu about Pei Nanzhou and received the answer he expected, leaving him somewhat dazed.

He was especially shocked when he heard Ziyu say that in order to prevent their child from being displaced, Zhichun chose to exchange Zhang's child.

He had met all sorts of women in his life, but never one as fiercely independent and resolute as Pei Zhichun. She gave him her innocence without reservation, yet she disdained to be one of his three thousand concubines.

She became pregnant with his child back then. She could have gained status through her child, but she chose to give birth to the baby secretly.

Emperor Jinglong looked at Pei Nanzhou, who was silent to the side, and found that he was very calm and did not seem surprised that he was his child.

"Nanzhou, I have wronged you and your mother. Don't worry, I will get you into the royal family register as soon as possible. As for your mother..."

"Since Mother never entered His Majesty's harem before her death, let's not disturb her any further," Pei Nanzhou said calmly.

Posthumous honors are meaningless.

In fact, he really liked Pei Zhichun's way of doing things, his willingness to use any means to achieve his goals.

He didn't care about being a prince, but he currently lacked the ability to contend with Pei Dongzhou. However, if he were included in the royal family's genealogy, things would be different.

He felt it was necessary to try and win over his cousin, whom he liked.

Emperor Jinglong knew that Pei Nanzhou's words made sense, but he felt that Pei Nanzhou's reaction was too bland, as if nothing and no one could move Pei Nanzhou.

Even knowing he was a prince, Pei Nanzhou's reaction remained completely normal.

"Nanzhou, is there anything you want?" Emperor Jinglong asked, eager to make amends to his son.

Pei Nanzhou's eyes flickered slightly.

He wants his cousin. Will the emperor bestow his cousin upon her in marriage?
After thinking it over, he still felt that he shouldn't be too hasty.

It's inappropriate for him to make demands before even officially acknowledging his ancestry.

"I'll be fine once I'm kicked out of the Marquis's mansion and have a roof over my head," Pei Nanzhou replied calmly.

Emperor Jinglong felt a pang of sadness upon hearing his words. This was his and Pei Zhichun's child, who should have been of the highest status, yet he only had this small request.

"Let's see how the Marquis of Pingyang's household drives away my son!" Emperor Jinglong roared.

Seeing this, Wang De knew that His Majesty felt deeply indebted to Pei Nanzhou.

“This matter cannot be blamed on Father and Mother. It was Pei Zhichun who switched the children for his own selfish reasons. Any father would be angry if he found out that his child had been switched,” Pei Nanzhou said, speaking a fair word.

Pei Zhichun switched the child of the Marquis of Pingyang and his wife because of his own selfish reasons. How can the Marquis of Pingyang and his wife be blamed for this?
No matter what, they raised me safely, and their kindness in raising me is beyond question.

"I am your father! Nanzhou, you will come with me to the palace now. We are not staying in the Pingyang Marquis's residence." Emperor Jinglong said in a deep voice.

Pei Nanzhou pretended to think for a moment: "Can this humble subject not enter the palace? I am unfamiliar with the place and people here, and I am afraid that I might accidentally offend a noble person..." "You are my son, and you should call me Father Emperor. With me backing you up, you are a noble person." Emperor Jinglong did not like Pei Nanzhou referring to himself as a humble subject in front of him.

Pei Nanzhou still didn't want to enter the palace.

What's so great about the palace? He just wants to be where his cousin is.

"Father, may I choose a place to stay temporarily?" Pei Nanzhou's eyes flickered as he thought of a place to go.

"You can stay wherever you want, just say the word, and I will decide for you!" Emperor Jinglong readily agreed.

Pei Nanzhou then stopped hesitating: "Can I stay at the residence of Lord Li, the Minister of the Imperial Clan? My cousin lives at the Li residence, so I'll still have acquaintances there and won't feel uncomfortable."

Emperor Jinglong did not expect that Pei Nanzhou would want to stay at Li Yun's house.

Isn't Li Yun also a victim of child swapping? If Nan Zhou goes to stay at the Li family's house, Li Yun will definitely be unhappy, right?
But having made a promise, he couldn't go back on his word, so he readily agreed: "Alright, I'll send you to your royal uncle's house right away."

Pei Nanzhou was taken aback: "Royal Uncle?"

How did Li Yun become his imperial uncle?
"Yes, Li Yun is of the same clan as me, he is your uncle." Emperor Jinglong did not think too deeply about it.

Pei Nanzhou's heart sank.

The Great Qi Dynasty has a clear decree that marriage is forbidden between people of the same five degrees of kinship. Does that mean he can't marry his cousin? After all, the law doesn't allow it.

He used to think that Pei Dongzhou and his cousin were siblings and couldn't get married, but he never expected it to end like this...

"Am I beyond the fifth degree of mourning with my uncle?" Pei Nanzhou asked with a glimmer of hope.

Emperor Jinglong calculated for a moment before replying, "It's exactly five degrees of mourning."

Pei Nanzhou breathed a sigh of relief. This meant they weren't considered close relatives anymore, and that fate was still on his side.

Emperor Jinglong had no idea what Pei Nanzhou was planning.
Just as he was about to take Pei Nanzhou to Li Yun's house, the Marquis of Pingyang and his wife, along with the old lady, arrived at Nanyuan upon hearing the news.

Upon seeing that Emperor Jinglong was indeed present, everyone paid their respects to the emperor.

Emperor Jinglong was displeased, thinking of how his son had almost been kicked out of the Marquis's mansion: "You've come at the right time, I have something to announce!"

When everyone in the Marquis's residence saw Emperor Jinglong and Pei Nanzhou standing together, they seemed to vaguely guess what was going on.

After all, the two have similar eyebrows and temperament when they stand together.

"The Southern Continent is my flesh and blood!" Emperor Jinglong's next sentence left everyone speechless for a long time.

Suddenly, everyone understood why Pei Zhichun had switched children back then: it was because she was carrying the imperial heir. Pei Zhichun didn't want the imperial heir to be lost, which is why she switched children.

But Zhang felt bitter inside.

So what if Pei Zhichun is pregnant with the emperor's child? She's been separated from her own flesh and blood for all these years, who will compensate her?
Pei Nanzhou is the heir to the throne, so she can't even harbor resentment?

Emperor Jinglong disregarded the thoughts of the Marquis's family and said coldly, "I will include Nanzhou in the imperial family genealogy. I also know that the Marquis's family cannot tolerate him, and I will take Nanzhou away..."

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Pingyang was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. Nanzhou is a child we raised; how could we not tolerate him?"

(End of this chapter)