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

Chapter 276 Even the Crown Prince Has Moments of Insecurity

Pei Nanzhou glanced at Xia Nianchu indifferently and said to himself, "This is advice for Consort Li. Consort Li had better listen to it!"

After saying this, he walked away without looking back.

The palace maids, nannies, and eunuchs serving Xia Nianchu exchanged bewildered glances upon witnessing this scene, secretly thinking that Prince Zhao was far too audacious. Not only did he dare to trespass into Consort Li's palace, but he also dared to lecture the most favored concubine in the harem.

As expected, when Emperor Jinglong arrived, Xia Nianchu accused Pei Nanzhou of trespassing into Yunjing Palace and disrespecting her.

Emperor Jinglong had already heard about this matter. Seeing Xia Nianchu tearfully complaining to him, he smiled and embraced her, saying, "My dear consort, don't be angry. That's just how A'nan is. You used to live in the Pingyang Marquis's residence, so you know him to some extent. From now on, please don't cause trouble for Shen Shuyi anymore. A'nan will certainly not make things difficult for you."

Xia Nianchu never expected that Emperor Jinglong would side with Pei Nanzhou between her and Pei Nanzhou.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and she was only glad that she had reported the matter to Emperor Jinglong at the first opportunity.

It seems that Pei Nanzhou, this illegitimate son, still holds a certain place in Emperor Jinglong's heart.

"I was merely catching up with Cousin Shen, not causing her any trouble. Now that I've been wronged, Your Majesty is siding with Prince Zhao. Your Majesty's favoritism is unacceptable!" Xia Nianchu landed a small fist on Emperor Jinglong's chest.

Emperor Jinglong truly loved Xia Nianchu. He loved her youth and beauty, as well as her obedient and sensible nature. Being with Xia Nianchu made him feel as if he had become much younger.

"My beloved consort, please don't take Anan to heart. Besides, you are now my favorite consort, and it is enough that I pamper you."

"I will obey Your Majesty's will." Xia Nianchu nestled obediently in Emperor Jinglong's arms.

Emperor Jinglong felt even more affection for her when he saw her obedient and sensible appearance.

After appeasing Xia Nianchu, Emperor Jinglong summoned Pei Nanzhou.

Facing Emperor Jinglong, Pei Nanzhou remained calm and composed.

Emperor Jinglong looked at Pei Nanzhou with a complicated expression, and after a long while, he said, "What explanation do you have for trespassing into Consort Li's palace?"

"No," Pei Nanzhou replied crisply.

Emperor Jinglong laughed in anger at his self-righteous attitude: "Do you know that the inner palace is a place where a prince like you can not trespass?!"

"Your subject does not believe he has done anything wrong. It was Consort Li who brought my cousin into the palace without permission. What if my cousin was frightened? Just because Consort Li is favored by Father Emperor does not mean that she can summon people into the palace at will." Pei Nanzhou did not think he had done anything wrong at all.

Emperor Jinglong took a while to speak: "Consort Li said she only wanted to invite Shen Shuyi to the palace to catch up, and had no ill intentions. But you, you barged directly into Yunjing Palace and even dared to threaten Consort Li?"

Pei Nanzhou remained unmoved: "Whatever Father Emperor says goes. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Emperor Jinglong had no way to deal with Pei Nanzhou.

The fact that Shen Shuyi's visit to the palace made him so nervous showed that the boy still couldn't let go of Shen Shuyi.

But Shen Shuyi is already married, so why is Pei Nanzhou so fixated on her? There are so many beautiful women in the world. Even if Shen Shuyi is beautiful, there are many who are more beautiful than her. What's wrong with learning his philandering ways?
When Pei Dongzhou took Shen Shuyi out of the palace, he asked her if she had been bullied by Xia Nianchu.

"No, before Consort Li could even make trouble for me, Her Majesty the Empress arrived. Was it my cousin, the Crown Prince, who found His Highness the Crown Prince and asked Her Majesty the Empress to help mediate?" Shen Shuyi asked.

Pei Dongzhou nodded: "I'm too far away to intervene in the palace, it's safer to ask Her Majesty the Empress. By the way, the spring hunt will be here soon, and the Marquis of Pingyang's residence is on the list. Would you like to go hunting, Madam?" He originally wanted to take his cousin to watch the excitement, but there are many concubines in the harem, and even more trouble. There's also Consort Li who's eyeing his cousin covetously. What worried him most was that Pei Nanzhou would also be going.

Pei Nanzhou is like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

"Of course I want to. I've never seen a large-scale hunt before, but even if I'm on the list, I won't have the chance to see the hunt. Are you worried that Consort Li will make things difficult for me during the spring hunt?" Shen Shuyi immediately understood Pei Dongzhou's concerns.

“Consort Li and Madam have always been at odds back in the Marquis’s residence. Today, she even summoned Madam to the palace, clearly intending to intimidate her. I fear I won’t be able to keep a close eye on Madam during the Spring Hunt. My suggestion is…”

Under Shen Shuyi's gaze, he couldn't bring himself to tell her not to participate in the spring hunt.

"Alright, Madam, if you want to go, then go." Pei Dongzhou changed his mind again at the last minute.

Even if Consort Li really made things difficult for his cousin, he would find a way to solve the problem instead of keeping his cousin confined at home.

Shen Shuyi chuckled upon hearing this: "That's right, I am the wife of the Crown Prince's cousin. Why should I avoid her because of Xia Nianchu? She is Consort Li, and I am the Crown Prince's wife. I can't avoid her at every turn just because she is the Emperor's woman."

Pei Dongzhou thought his cousin's words made sense.

However, the person he was most worried about was never Xia Nianchu, but Pei Nanzhou.

He glanced at Shen Shuyi, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Shen Shuyi immediately sensed that he had something to say, so she said, "Cousin, please speak your mind."

“Nanzhou will definitely participate in the Spring Hunt as well. The person I’m most worried about is still him. His identity is different from before, and his actions are too extreme…” Pei Dongzhou said, then gave a bitter smile.

He used to think that as the heir of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion and a servant in the Dali Temple, he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

But facing Pei Nanzhou, the favored prince, he had no chance of winning.

Sometimes power is a wonderful thing, allowing people to do whatever they want. Pei Nanzhou's eagerness to acknowledge Emperor Jinglong was not to reunite with his biological father, but because he realized that as long as he held power, he would have the opportunity to get closer to his cousin.

"Huh, even my cousin Pei Shizi has moments of insecurity?" Shen Shuyi found it amusing to see Pei Shizi's awkward demeanor.

Pei Dongzhou scoffed upon hearing this: "Where is your husband insecure?"

"What's with that expression on my cousin's face? Just because he's a prince doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants. There's the emperor behind him. Does he think he can act without considering the emperor's feelings?" Shen Shuyi snorted.

"I'm afraid that one day, he'll overturn the mountain that's been weighing down on Nanzhou. I'm always worried that something might go wrong during this spring hunt..."

Pei Dongzhou glanced at Shen Shuyi again as he spoke, ultimately still worried about his wife's safety.

Shen Shuyi smiled and replied, "I'm not afraid. I'm just a woman who's only here to watch the show. Even if something unexpected happens, it won't affect me. I want to go and see what's going on anyway, so Cousin Prince, you can't stop me."

Pei Dongzhou was not surprised by Shen Shuyi's answer at all, so he let her have her way.

(End of this chapter)