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

Chapter 311 Alone in her empty room every night, she dares not see anyone.

That night, Li Yi stayed at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, which made everyone in the residence very nervous, fearing that if anything happened to Li Yi, they would not be able to bear the responsibility.

Fortunately, it was only for one night, so we got through it safely.

On the other hand, Pei Dongzhou had a happy and fulfilling night.

The next day, before dawn, he went to the West Garden to call for help, full of energy.

Li Yi, however, could not get up.

Since he became the crown prince, he has to get up before dawn every day, unlike when he was a prince and no one dared to disturb him even when the sun was high in the sky.

On the contrary, once he became the crown prince, he no longer had the chance to sleep until he naturally woke up.

He got up resentfully, and when he saw Pei Dongzhou's rosy face, he was filled with resentment.

"You had a very happy night, didn't you?" Li Yi asked meaningfully.

Pei Dongzhou looked at Li Yi with a calm expression and reminded him, "I suggest that Your Highness hurry up, otherwise the morning court will be late. I don't think Your Highness would want to be reprimanded by His Majesty in public, would you?"

The next moment, Li Yi suddenly hugged Pei Dongzhou's waist: "Dongzhou, please have mercy on me and let me take a day off. I haven't had enough sleep yet."

Pei Dongzhou pushed Li Yi away expressionlessly: "Your Highness, please finish washing up within a quarter of an hour!"

Li Yi thought Pei Dongzhou was cold-blooded and ruthless, but he was still afraid of the young master Pei, so he obediently washed up and followed Pei Dongzhou to court.

When they arrived inside the hall, Pei Nanzhou was already there.

When he saw Pei Dongzhou standing next to Li Yi, he felt disdain, but he was also certain of one thing: Pei Dongzhou must have been involved in Li Yi's ascension to the position of crown prince.

In the end, he was too careless, thinking he had victory in his grasp, only to be outmaneuvered by Li Yi, whom he looked down upon the most.

He has been somewhat dejected lately. Many ministers who used to support him have changed their tune, and some ministers look down on Li Yi, feeling that he is not worthy of being the crown prince, and urging him to cheer up.

He has now cheered himself up, but he also understands Pei Dongzhou.

Since Pei Dongzhou was able to support Li Yi to ascend to the position of Crown Prince, he certainly wouldn't give him another chance to frame Li Yi.

Or he could try to sow discord between Li Yi and Pei Dongzhou. Once Li Yi and Pei Dongzhou become enemies, dealing with the good-for-nothing Li Yi would be a piece of cake.

Thinking of this, his eyes flickered slightly.

Emperor Jinglong has recently noticed the changes in Li Yi. Although he is still lazy and gluttonous, he has begun to get on the right track, all thanks to Pei Dongzhou's guidance.

During the discussion of court affairs, he also intentionally tested Li Yi. Although Li Yi spoke haltingly, he was still able to keep up with the conversation.

After the court session, Emperor Jinglong summoned Pei Dongzhou to the Southern Study for a questioning.

Li Yi was waiting outside, feeling rather bored, wondering if Pei Dongzhou would be talking badly about him behind his back.

Just as he was lost in thought, Pei Nanzhou suddenly came up to him and said calmly, "Why did Father Emperor call my elder brother in but leave the Crown Prince outside?"

Pei Nanzhou's words made Li Yi laugh in anger: "Nanzhou, just say what you want to say. I don't understand you by beating around the bush."

Pei Nanzhou just smiled and said, "I just feel that we are the Emperor's sons, but it seems that the Emperor values ​​my eldest brother the most. That's how it was when my eldest brother was in the Marquis's mansion. Whenever he was around, he was the most dazzling presence." Li Yi replied with a fake smile, "That's the truth. Dongzhou is indeed capable."

Therefore, Pei Nanzhou thought that if he praised Pei Shizi too highly, Pei Shizi would feel uncomfortable.
So Pei Nanzhou was trying to sow discord between him and Pei Dongzhou.

Seeing that Li Yi's expression remained unchanged, Pei Nanzhou wondered to himself, "Doesn't Li Yi feel jealous of Pei Dongzhou? After all, Li Yi is the Crown Prince. Why can he remain so calm when he's constantly being overshadowed by a mere subject?"
Or perhaps, although Li Yi cared about it, he had no choice but to rely on Pei Dongzhou because he lacked the ability to do so.

“There are many capable people in the world. I think my eldest brother is too outstanding, which only makes others look incompetent. Perhaps even Father Emperor would think so…”

"I admire the outstanding Dongzhou. The more outstanding he is, the better he can teach me. I admire strength. If Dongzhou isn't powerful, I don't want to deal with him." Li Yi said with a forced smile and walked away.

Pei Nanzhou watched Li Yi's retreating figure, his face somewhat gloomy.

Li Yi wasn't stupid after all; he saw through Li Yi's attempt to sow discord. However, he didn't believe that Li Yi had no feelings for Pei Dongzhou at all. The more incompetent a person is, the more suspicious they will be of the capable advisors around them.

When Pei Dongzhou left the South Study, Pei Nanzhou had already left.

Pei Dongzhou immediately noticed that Li Yi's expression was off: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

“Just now, Pei Nanzhou spoke to me, saying that you are amazing, that you are a dazzling presence in the Marquis’s mansion, and that your excellence only makes others look incompetent,” Li Yi said directly.

Pei Dongzhou chuckled upon hearing this: "Don't listen to Nanzhou's nonsense. Apart from being a bit lazy, His Highness is actually very intelligent and can grasp everything instantly. If His Highness could get rid of his laziness, he would be perfect."

Li Yi scoffed upon hearing this: "I thought you would say something to comfort me, that I'm not incompetent."

"I believe that Your Highness will become the Crown Prince that His Majesty expects in the future," Pei Dongzhou said solemnly.

This is no exaggeration. Apart from being lazy, gluttonous, and lecherous, Li Yi is no less capable than Pei Nanzhou in any other aspect.

As an emperor, being lustful might not be a flaw. And if Li Yi were to become emperor, he wouldn't need to be so diligent in his duties. He could delegate many tasks to his ministers, only needing to be discerning on important matters.

"In any case, Your Highness should be cautious when you encounter Nan Zhou in the future, and not foolishly follow him and be led astray by him."

Hearing Pei Dongzhou's tone, Li Yi suddenly laughed again: "Why does your tone sound like my father's?"

"Your subject dares not." Pei Dongzhou only hoped that Li Yi could be established as emperor soon, so that he would have time to go home and visit his cousin.

If Pei Nanzhou hadn't been keeping a close eye on Shen Shuyi, how could he be in this situation now, where even going home has become a luxury?
Under Pei Dongzhou's close supervision, Crown Prince Li Yi quickly got back on track.

Time flies, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is here in the blink of an eye.

Recently, Pei Dongzhou and Shen Shuyi have been spending little time together, simply because Pei Dongzhou has been busy as a dog.

Because Pei Dongzhou became Li Yi's most trusted confidant, Shen Shuyi, the wife of the heir apparent, also became a highly sought-after figure in the capital's elite circles, and invitations to banquets for Shen Shuyi never ceased.

Shen Shuyi disliked socializing and was afraid that Pei Nanzhou would take advantage of her, so she didn't want to step out of the Marquis's residence at all.

As she declined more and more invitations, rumors began to circulate that Shen Shuyi was too high-class to be invited by anyone. Others said it was because Shen Shuyi was neglected by Pei Dongzhou after their marriage and spent every night alone in her empty room, which was why she dared not come out to see anyone.

In short, Shen Shuyi is now a resentful woman confined to her boudoir.

(End of this chapter)