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

Chapter 318 Indulging in Debauchery
For the next period of time, everything was relatively calm, but news came from the palace that Emperor Jinglong was acting somewhat absurdly.

It's not surprising that Emperor Jinglong was fond of women; his philandering has been well-known for a long time. However, his recent outrageous behavior still makes people shake their heads and sigh.

Pei Dongzhou didn't take it to heart at first, since Shen Shuyi was pregnant and he spent most of his time with her. But on this day, just as he was about to leave the palace, Li Yi called him back.

"Dongzhou, don't you think Father Emperor is indulging in too much sensual pleasures?"

Pei Dongzhou, whose only thought was to return to the Marquis's residence and be by his wife's side, replied half-heartedly, "Hasn't His Majesty always been like this?"

“But I heard that last night Father Emperor summoned three concubines to his bedchamber.” Li Yi deliberately lowered his voice. “Father Emperor wasn’t usually this outrageous. Also, recently Father Emperor has been particularly fond of Consort An. This Consort An was nothing special before, and she had been in the palace for many years without being valued by Father Emperor, but now she has suddenly caught his eye…”

Pei Dongzhou was taken aback: "Is your news true?"

Li Yi sneered upon hearing this: "How could I joke about something so important?"

Pei Dongzhou immediately sensed something was wrong and pressed, "Has His Majesty been like this lately?"

"It's been half a month already. Mother advised Father to take care of his health, but Father scolded her. But if Father continues like this, even an iron body can't take it." Li Yi was also fond of women, but he felt that this kind of thing was too outrageous, and he still had his bottom line.

Pei Dongzhou's eyes flickered slightly: "What did the imperial physician who examined His Majesty's pulse say?"

"The imperial physician says Father is in good health, but I always feel that something is wrong with his condition," Li Yi said worriedly. "Do you think it's possible that Father has fallen victim to someone's underhanded trick without realizing it?"

After all, no matter how lustful my father was, he would never have so many concubines serving him at the same time.

Pei Dongzhou leaned closer to Li Yi and whispered, "Lately, my mind has been on my cousin, thanks to Your Highness's vigilance. We need to investigate this matter discreetly, lest we alert the enemy."

He was blinded by joy, and Pei Nanzhou could have taken advantage of this opportunity to make his move.

Li Yi is increasingly displaying the demeanor of a crown prince. If he were Pei Nanzhou, wouldn't he be nervous?

It is highly possible that Pei Nanzhou will deliver a fatal blow when he is most relaxed.

Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Pei Dongzhou agreed with his idea. After discussing it with Pei Dongzhou, he began to secretly investigate Emperor Jinglong and the people around him, especially Consort An who had suddenly appeared.

To their surprise, they found no problems.

Although Consort An has recently been favored by the emperor, she has not been able to serve him in bed many times. Moreover, she has repeatedly advised Emperor Jinglong. Emperor Jinglong does not listen to anyone else, but he listens to Consort An's advice.

Even the Empress said that Consort An was a good person.

Li Yi told Pei Dongzhou what he had found out, and then asked, "Could it be that we're overthinking it? I think Consort An is indeed fine, and we haven't found anything wrong with anyone else either."

Pei Dongzhou shook his head and said, "On the contrary, I think Consort An is the problem. Since His Majesty can listen to Consort An's words, why doesn't Consort An advise His Majesty to reduce his involvement with women, but instead intensifies his indulgence? If His Majesty can't listen to what Consort An says, why are there rumors that His Majesty can listen to Consort An's advice? This matter is contradictory in itself, and where there is contradiction, there are doubts."

Li Yi had to admire Pei Dongzhou's unique perspective.

"Moreover, His Majesty's sudden indulgence in women is inconsistent with his usual health practices. We must continue to investigate this matter thoroughly. Furthermore, His Majesty is getting on in years. If this continues, it may drain his health. His Majesty has no reason not to know this, yet he still indulges in women. Could it be that His Majesty has lost control of his body?" Pei Dongzhou speculated again.

Li Yi listened and nodded, deeply agreeing with Pei Dongzhou's reasoning. Since Pei Dongzhou said to continue the investigation, then this matter must continue to be investigated until the source of the problem is found.

Pei Dongzhou gave Li Yi a few more instructions, saying that the situation was unclear and Li Yi should pay more attention to his safety and be careful that Pei Nanzhou might send someone to attack him.

Li Yi agreed to everything. He patted Pei Dongzhou's shoulder lightly and said, "Go back and see Cousin Shen first. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. Cousin Shen is pregnant, you should spend more time with her."

Pei Dongzhou chuckled in a low voice, wondering to himself when Li Yi had learned to be considerate of others.
He gave Li Yi a deep look before leaving the palace.

Inside the Fusang Courtyard, Shen Shuyi was making clothes for her child when she heard familiar footsteps. She looked up and saw Prince Pei entering in his official robes.

Whenever and wherever she saw Prince Pei, she felt that he could amaze her.

He looked preoccupied, as if something terrible had happened.

"What's wrong?" Shen Shuyi asked as Pei Dongzhou walked towards her.

Pei Dongzhou sat down next to Shen Shuyi and reached out to touch her still flat stomach.

"Was the child good today?"

Shen Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "Good girl. You look preoccupied. What happened?"

"It's nothing, it's just that His Majesty has been indulging in sensual pleasures for the past half month, and something seems off," Pei Dongzhou said briefly.

My cousin is different from other delicate flowers in a greenhouse. She knows a lot about things, and perhaps she can give me some advice.

"Tell me more about it," Shen Shuyi said, her curiosity piqued.

Pei Dongzhou then recounted everything he knew in detail. After listening, Shen Shuyi asked, "Is it possible that Consort An could hypnotize His Majesty?"

Pei Dongzhou's gaze froze upon hearing this: "Hypnosis?"

"Didn't they say His Majesty listens to Consort An? Then it's possible that Consort An hypnotized His Majesty. By the way, hypnosis is about making the hypnotized person completely obedient to their master. As for His Majesty's indulgence in sensual pleasures, is it possible that he was given Five-Stone Powder?"

Pei Dongzhou knew about the Five-Stone Powder, but who would dare to administer it to Emperor Jinglong? Moreover, the imperial physician who examined Emperor Jinglong's pulse confirmed that the emperor was in good health and had no problems.

“If His Majesty had truly been poisoned by the Five-Stone Powder, how could the imperial physicians not have been able to diagnose it?” Pei Dongzhou said in a deep voice.

If Emperor Jinglong was indeed poisoned by the Five-Stone Powder, then his dragon body would gradually decline.

Shen Shuyi also considered this possibility.

Since she traveled through time, she has felt that although modern times are more technologically advanced, the wisdom of the ancients should not be underestimated.

“Even if it’s not Five-Stone Powder, it could be a similar drug. If it’s not a poison like Five-Stone Powder, it’s a fact that His Majesty’s long-term indulgence is harmful to his health!” Shen Shuyi said solemnly. “Investigate in that direction. Perhaps Cousin Crown Prince could ask Sun Wang if there are any other drugs with similar effects to Five-Stone Powder that haven’t been detected. Sun Wang is knowledgeable and experienced; he might be able to help Cousin Crown Prince!”

(End of this chapter)