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

Chapter 253 Yearning for the Throne
Pei Nanzhou remained silent.

He felt he would never return. Although he was reluctant to leave his family, he knew his presence made Zhang Shi unhappy. Whenever Zhang Shi saw him, she would be reminded of her biological daughter who had been switched at birth.

Not only was Pei Zhichun a sinner, but in Zhang's eyes, he was also a sinner.

He originally thought he would live out his days in the Marquis's mansion, but life is unpredictable. He never expected that there was something wrong with his background, let alone that he would fall in love with his cousin.

Before this, Zhang hated Pei Nanzhou, because it was because of him that she missed so many years with her own daughter.

But now, seeing the child she raised with her own hands about to leave, the sadness in her heart is beyond words.

After a long pause, she said, "Nanzhou, you must take good care of yourself. No matter what, you are the child I raised with my own hands, and I hope you are doing well."

Pei Nanzhou nodded slightly: "Your son will heed your teachings, Mother."

In truth, he didn't consider Emperor Jinglong as family. It was only because he wanted to use his status for his own purposes; he only regarded everyone in the Marquis's mansion as family.

But with his cousin around, he feared that one day he would break ties with everyone in the Marquis's mansion.

This time, he didn't look back when he got into the carriage.

He and Emperor Jinglong were sitting in the same carriage. He answered whatever Emperor Jinglong asked him.

Emperor Jinglong thought that he was still getting used to life after leaving the Marquis's mansion where he had lived for many years, so he comforted him, saying, "Nanzhou, your mansion will be ready soon. You will have your own place to live then, so don't worry."

"Thank you, Father Emperor." Pei Nanzhou said politely, but his tone was still somewhat cold.

Emperor Jinglong had investigated Pei Nanzhou's personality long ago and knew that he was aloof by nature and a recluse, so he did not find anything wrong with his coldness and aloofness.

Before long, they arrived at the Li residence.

Li Yun never expected that Emperor Jinglong would grace us with his presence, and that he would bring along Pei Nanzhou, a troublesome figure.

When Li Yun learned that Pei Nanzhou was Emperor Jinglong's illegitimate son, he wasn't really that surprised.

The moment he saw Pei Nanzhou, he noticed that Pei Nanzhou's features and demeanor resembled those of Emperor Jinglong. However, Pei Nanzhou was not interested in women, unlike Emperor Jinglong's womanizing ways.

Unfortunately, he also heard from his daughter that Pei Nanzhou, who appeared aloof and distant on the surface, was actually a crazy madman who acted eccentrically.

Now that this person wants to move into his house, especially since it's for his daughter, and it's an imperial edict from Emperor Jinglong, he can't refuse. He's quite unhappy about it.

Emperor Jinglong could not stay outside the palace indefinitely. Before leaving, he called Li Yun aside and instructed him: "I have just found Nanzhou. He is not close to me and has no place to stay for the time being. Please take good care of him for me."

Li Yun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Emperor Jinglong knew what he wanted to say, and added, "I know he likes Miss Shen, but he should know his limits. I think he is a steady and reliable person, and he shouldn't cause Miss Shen any trouble."

Li Yun wondered to himself, "Does the emperor really understand his illegitimate son?"

As Yi Jie'er once said, Pei Nanzhou acts entirely according to his own whims. He appears aloof on the surface, but he is actually full of wicked schemes and acts without considering the consequences.

Emperor Jinglong even sent people to his residence. Could he tell Emperor Jinglong that his illegitimate son was a madman?
After seeing Emperor Jinglong off, Li Yun returned to the hall.

From a distance, Pei Nanzhou looked respectable, but his true nature was completely undetectable.

When he saw him, Pei Nanzhou was also very respectful and polite: "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle."

Li Yun forced a smile: "No problem, I'll arrange accommodations for...Your Highness first." Li Yun was still somewhat unaccustomed to Pei Nanzhou's change in status. However, being a seasoned official, he adapted quickly.

When Li Yun arranged for Pei Nanzhou to go to the courtyard furthest from Shen Shuyi's residence, Pei Nanzhou asked him, "Is this courtyard far from my cousin's?"

Li Yun replied with a forced smile, "Not far!"

That is, two completely opposite directions.

Pei Nanzhou didn't believe Li Yun's words. But this was his cousin's biological father, so he had to show him some respect.

"Uncle, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

Before Pei Nanzhou could speak, Li Yun said, "Your Highness, please stay here for now. If you need anything, please feel free to ask me. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

He couldn't be bothered to listen to Pei Nanzhou's so-called advice; all he wanted was to take advantage of his daughter.

He felt that neither the imperial relatives nor the heir of the Marquis's mansion in Pei Dongzhou were good enough for his daughter.

They all coveted Yi-jie'er and harbored ill intentions.

Pei Nanzhou watched Li Yun's departing figure and thought to himself that Li Yun was really wary of him.

But it doesn't matter, now that he's moved in, he'll find a way to see his cousin.

Judging from Li Yun's dismissive attitude towards him, it was clear that he, the emperor's illegitimate son, was not valued by Li Yun. Moreover, he was an illegitimate son without any real power.

Furthermore, given the current political situation and the fact that the Crown Prince was highly regarded by Emperor Jinglong, the emperor did not grant him a marriage, so even though he was the emperor's son, he seemed to gain no benefit.

Unless, one day he is able to take charge, for example, ascend to the throne.

If he were the emperor, getting a cousin would be a simple matter of a word, wouldn't it? But he knew that Crown Prince Li Hong held a very stable position in court, was favored by Emperor Jinglong, and had a group of loyal supporters. It could be said that as long as Li Hong didn't make any mistakes, the position of crown prince would never be his.

Instead of dreaming of the throne, he should dream of something more realistic, such as finding out where his cousin lives so he can go find her.

Thinking of this, he found a maidservant and planned to ask her about his cousin's whereabouts.

But the maid hesitated and couldn't give the exact location.

At that moment, he realized that Li Yun must have specifically instructed the maid not to reveal her cousin's exact location. He was really careful to keep an eye on him.

But it doesn't matter, he has other ways to find the courtyard where his cousin lives.

When Pei Dongzhou returned to the Marquis's residence after his shift, he learned that Pei Nanzhou was actually Emperor Jinglong's illegitimate son. He now understood why Pei Nanzhou had revealed that he was Pei Zhichun's child; it was clearly an attempt to lure Emperor Jinglong into a trap.

Based on his understanding of Pei Nanzhou, Pei Er had no desire for power. The reason he was now rushing to get Emperor Jinglong to acknowledge him as his illegitimate son was simply because he was still after his cousin.

Pei Dongzhou was still processing the fact that Pei Nanzhou was the emperor's illegitimate son when Qingfeng reported another matter: "The second young master is currently staying at the Li residence."

Upon hearing this, Pei Dongzhou couldn't sit still any longer: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I didn't have time to speak," Qingfeng said, feeling innocent.

Didn't he just report that the second young master was Emperor Jinglong's illegitimate son? Next, he reported that the second young master had moved into the Li residence.

(End of this chapter)