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

Chapter 26 His fingertips pressed heavily against her pale lips
Shen Shuyi looked completely innocent, her eyes filled with confusion: "What are you saying, Cousin? I don't understand. As you know, I didn't wake up after falling asleep yesterday, and I only just regained consciousness. I'm still feeling very dizzy. I really don't know what happened during this time. Even if you dislike me, you can't just throw mud at me like that."

Pei Dongzhou wanted to hold her accountable, but he had no evidence. As long as she didn't admit it, he couldn't do anything to her.

Her plan was perfect, but she accidentally left a trace of evidence on Pei Shizi's lips, and she wished she could beat herself to death.

Pei Dongzhou's jade-like fingers once again stroked the slightly itchy wound on his lips, and he suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter startled Shen Shuyi, giving her goosebumps and causing her palms to sweat.

Pei Shizi's usually gentle eyes were now frosty: "Cousin was merely pretending to be asleep, or rather, she took the antidote beforehand..."

"Does Cousin Prince suffer from paranoia? It's no secret that I'm sick. With my weak health, what could I possibly do to Cousin Prince? Besides, why are you so sure that I did something to you? If I really did it, then tell me, why would I do such a thing to you? What benefit would I gain from it?" Shen Shuyi interrupted Pei Dongzhou's speculation.

Pei Dongzhou's fingers suddenly gripped Shen Shuyi's chin, his fingertips grinding heavily against her pale lips, showing no mercy: "You'll have to ask my cousin about that!"

His voice was icy, but the depths of his eyes were as dark as ink.

With a "smack," Shen Shuyi forcefully slapped his hand away, her snow-white wrist nearly hitting the bedpost.

She coughed twice, her once clear voice now hoarse as if it had been sanded: "My cousin has always disliked me, but even the Ministry of Justice requires a joint trial by the three judicial departments to convict someone. My cousin, the heir apparent, is acting like this..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly coughed violently, her frail body swaying: "Are you trying to force me to commit a crime?"

Looking at Shen Shuyi's pale face, Pei Dongzhou felt that she had become extremely thin.

He indeed had no evidence, but she lived in the west wing, he also fainted in the west wing, and the incense was being burned in her room at the time. All signs pointed to her premeditation.

Seeing how "delicate" she was, yet still unable to soften Prince Pei's heart, Shen Shu cursed a thousand times in her mind.

Fine, I'll just pretend to be unconscious again.

"Then tell me, cousin, why did your incense make me faint?" Pei Dongzhou approached Shen Shuyi, forcing her to look him in the eye, and said, word by word.

“I did buy some calming incense, but I’ve been having nightmares lately and feeling unwell. I only feel better after I fall asleep. But I only burn this incense at night, so perhaps A-Jian took the wrong incense and burned it by mistake. Besides, I’ve been in a deep sleep the whole time and didn’t know that Cousin Shihou would be coming. A-Jian has been taking care of me at my bedside the whole time, and she didn’t know that Cousin Shihou would be coming either. I can’t let Cousin Shihou assume that I deliberately drugged him because of this; that would be unfair to me.” Shen Shuyi’s voice grew weaker and weaker, and her breathing became somewhat rapid.

She hasn't had a proper meal in days and is starving.

She was genuinely exhausted, hungry, and dizzy from dealing with the troublesome Prince Pei.

Pei Dongzhou wanted to continue the interrogation, but then he saw Shen Shuyi shake her head and weakly fall back onto the pillow.

"A-Jian..." Shen Shuyi called towards the door, hoping that the little girl A-Jian could bring her some food.

Pei Dongzhou stood up, looking down at Shen Shuyi with a detached scrutiny.

"This matter is not over. I will take good care of my cousin in the next few days," Pei Dongzhou said calmly.

Shen Shuyi had made up her mind. Since Pei Shizi had no evidence, she could simply deny it to the death, and he couldn't do anything to her. "Cousin, please do as you please. However, I still feel it's necessary to say that I was delusional before, harboring inappropriate thoughts towards you, Cousin Shizi. Now I know that you and I are worlds apart, and I will not presume to have any improper thoughts towards you, Cousin Shizi. You can rest assured." Shen Shuyi no longer wanted to pay attention to Pei Dongzhou.

Pei Dongzhou leaned down to look at Shen Shuyi, his breath carrying a faint scent of incense as he said, "Cousin, you'd better remember what I said today."

Upon closer inspection, one could see that Shen Shuyi had already closed her eyes and was resting on the embroidered pillow.

The girl's long eyelashes cast two blue shadows on her snow-white face, and only the slight rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still awake.

He was slightly taken aback, and only then did he realize the true meaning of the difference between men and women.

He and she were indeed too close.

A-Jian waited anxiously outside the door. Just as she hesitated whether to break down the door to save her master, the door creaked open.

The tall and long-legged young master stepped out of the door, but the usually gentle and refined young master looked a little gloomy at this moment, and at first glance he even looked somewhat similar to the fourth young master.

She dared not meet Pei Dongzhou's gaze, hastily bowed, and was about to pass by the young master when she heard him ask, "Did you light the incense in the west wing?"

“It was me. Recently, the young lady’s health has been deteriorating day by day. Sometimes she coughs so badly that it’s heart-wrenching and she can’t stop, especially at night. She can only rest a little when she’s asleep. The young lady said that she has developed a resistance to ordinary calming incense and asked me to increase the dosage. Yesterday, I stayed up all night with the young lady and was a little confused. I think I accidentally lit the calming medicine that I was supposed to give her at night during the day. It was my carelessness. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

As A-Jian spoke, she knelt down on the ground, saying this was all according to the girl's wishes.

"Since you've done something wrong, kneel down. Don't get up without my order." Pei Dongzhou still didn't trust Shen Shuyi and her servant.

A-Jian was only worried that the girl would rush out, because she knew that the girl had always regarded her as her closest person.

Inside, Shen Shuyi was eavesdropping on the sounds outside the door. When she saw A-Jian being punished by kneeling, she told herself to bear it.

Once Pei Dongzhou left, she would let A-Jian get up.

But she knew that Pei Dongzhou wouldn't leave.

Prince Pei had made it clear before that he would take care of her in the coming days.

Fortunately, the mission was indeed completed, and she had just checked to see that Pei Dongzhou's favorability towards her hadn't decreased. Tragically, A-Jian followed her orders completely, and it was she who had dragged that young girl down with her.

She struggled to her feet. Although the force that had bound her body had dissipated, she was still very weak.

When she finally staggered to the door, she was practically leaning against the carved door frame, barely managing to support herself.

After catching her breath, she said to A-Jian, "A-Jian, get up. You are my person, and even if you do something wrong, it is up to me to punish you."

A-Jian subconsciously looked at Pei Dongzhou, but Pei Dongzhou remained indifferent, not even lifting his eyelids.

(End of this chapter)