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

Chapter 295 The wind direction changes
"You can go to the palace and make your presence known to His Majesty, but don't be too deliberate. The most important thing is that you can't be as unreliable as before; you need to let His Majesty see the subtle changes in you. If His Majesty asks, just say that His Highness the Crown Prince had an accident, which made you realize the unpredictability of life. You don't need to say anything else; just let His Majesty see your transformation..."

After Pei Xizhou finished speaking, he saw Li Yi staring straight at him.

"What's that look in your face?"

"Did Dongzhou ask you to convey these words?" Li Yi asked directly.

“It’s inconvenient for my elder brother to visit the Prince’s residence, but it’s different for me. I’ve always been close to you, and no one will suspect anything if I come and go from the residence. My elder brother also told me to tell you that you don’t need to do anything deliberately. Just go to the palace from time to time and let His Majesty see your subtle changes. Doing more now might actually lead to more mistakes. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, you have a great chance of winning,” Pei Xizhou replied solemnly.

Li Yi understood.

He had never imagined that he would be so ambitious one day. In his heart, he was not very interested in becoming an emperor, but he could not bear the thought of being imprisoned one day. He could not endure such a miserable life.

In order to live a free and unrestrained life in the future, he has no choice but to be more ambitious.

From then on, Li Yi would visit the palace every few days, and each time he would choose the right time, just when Emperor Jinglong was also in the palace of Consort Xian.

Emperor Jinglong did not notice Li Yi at first, until one day half a month later when Consort Xian suddenly fell ill. When Li Yi was attending to Consort Xian in her palace, Emperor Jinglong saw Li Yi doing everything himself and couldn't help but glance at Li Yi a few more times.

Consort Xian had a high fever, and Li Yi was focused on helping her cool down, unaware that Emperor Jinglong had arrived.

He only realized something was wrong behind him when he turned around and saw that Emperor Jinglong had arrived at some point. He quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Father."

"Serving Consort Xian can be left to the palace maids. Why do you have to do it yourself?" Emperor Jinglong has recently appeared old, purely because the Crown Prince's illness is too worrying.

The situation is still heading in the worst direction. The imperial physician said that the crown prince will never have a chance to stand up again in his lifetime.

What's most infuriating is that there's still no lead in the case of the Crown Prince's poisoning, and even though he wants to seek justice for the Crown Prince, he's powerless to do so.

The most pressing issue now is establishing a new heir apparent. Court officials are already advising him to depose the crown prince, and some are even eager to push Pei Nanzhou to his side.

At that moment, he remembered what Pei Dongzhou had said.

Even though there is no evidence to prove that Pei Nanzhou attacked the Crown Prince, Pei Nanzhou is undoubtedly the beneficiary. There can be no third party, and Pei Nanzhou is the prime suspect.

Furthermore, since his encounter with Consort Li was not accidental, even if there was evidence that Consort Li bought the information from Chonglou, a thorn remained in his heart, and he has been neglecting Consort Li recently.

He even wondered if Consort Li was secretly colluding with Pei Nanzhou, and if they were plotting to seize his throne. And whether Consort Li was having an affair with Pei Nanzhou in private.

Before Pei Nanzhou was made a king, the crown prince was perfectly fine. How did he become crippled after Pei Nanzhou appeared?

He felt suffocated just thinking about that possibility.

Both sons were equally precious to him; one was the crown prince he valued most, and the other was his illegitimate son to whom he felt guilty. He didn't want to assume the worst about Pei Nanzhou, but he couldn't think of anyone with a more motive than Pei Nanzhou.

If the Crown Prince is deposed, who else besides Pei Nanzhou is fit to take on the role of Crown Prince?
It's not appropriate to appoint the most mediocre prince as crown prince, or to appoint those princes who are still minors and whose temperaments are not yet stable as heir apparent.

Just as he was frowning in worry, Li Yi suddenly came into his view. Yes, how come he had never thought before that Li Yi was actually quite good? Apart from being a bit too flirtatious like him, Li Yi's abilities were actually not bad. He usually valued Li Yi very much, simply because Li Yi was the only one who treated him like an ordinary father.

Li Yi was truly surprised that Emperor Jinglong would ask such a question, and was somewhat speechless.

His mother was his own mother, so wasn't it normal for him to personally take care of her when she was ill?
“Your subject rarely has the opportunity to serve Mother Consort. Today, Mother Consort is ill, so of course your subject should personally attend to her. How can such a matter be entrusted to others?” Li Yi replied matter-of-factly.

After saying that, he worried that he might not have appeared composed enough. After all, Pei Dongzhou had told him to be more composed in front of his father.

To be honest, he's been a carefree slacker for half his life, and I really don't know how to behave in a way that would make him seem mature.

Emperor Jinglong recalled seeing Li Yi several times during his recent visits to Consort Xian's palace, and asked casually, "You don't usually come to the palace unless there's something to do, but lately I seem to see you quite often."

Li Yi thought to himself, "This is really not easy. My father has finally seen his son."

“It was the Crown Prince’s affair that made me realize how unpredictable life is. In the past, my mother always told me to go to the palace to keep her company whenever I had time. At the time, I didn’t take it seriously, but now I realize that I was too selfish before. I should go to the palace to keep my mother company more often,” Li Yi replied calmly.

Emperor Jinglong looked Li Yi up and down and saw that his son was serious and unsmiling, unlike his previous unruly self. It was as if he had grown up overnight.

He tentatively asked, "You're not getting any younger, don't you have any plans to get married yet?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi looked at the sleeping Consort Xian and replied after a long while, "Your subject has indeed reached the age for marriage, so that Mother can rest assured."

Emperor Jinglong nodded approvingly, feeling that Li Yi had indeed grown up.

In the past, when asked to get married, he always said he didn't want to marry a housekeeper to keep an eye on his every move in the palace. But now he's willing to get married, which is a great joy.

"However, regarding the matter of marrying a princess, I still want to choose one who suits my taste," Li Yi added.

Emperor Jinglong thought the matter was simple: "Once your mother recovers, she can help you with your marriage."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Li Yi readily complied.

Emperor Jinglong left after sitting for a short while. After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he asked Wang De to inquire about Li Yi's recent movements.

Having served Emperor Jinglong for many years, Wang De immediately sensed something unusual. After all, it was a sensitive time, and Emperor Jinglong's concern for any of his princes could indicate a shift in the political climate.

He dared not neglect his duties, and after completing his mission, he returned to Emperor Jinglong to report back, recounting Li Yi's recent situation.

"Since the Crown Prince's incident, Prince Jin has never been to brothels or indulged in pleasure again?" Emperor Jinglong had never had high expectations for Li Yi, so he was quite surprised to hear about Li Yi's recent changes.

“Exactly! It was after His Highness the Crown Prince’s accident that the Prince seemed to have grown up overnight. This is a good thing,” Wang De replied cheerfully.

(End of this chapter)