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

Chapter 323 The New Emperor Ascends the Throne
Pei Nanzhou looked at Shen Shuyi with disappointment, feeling somewhat deflated.

He knew he was stubborn; once he set his mind on someone, he couldn't let go. Actually, his cousin was the same; once she set her mind on someone or something, she couldn't change it either.

But as long as his cousin is in his hands, at least he can still see her. As long as Pei Dongzhou can never find his cousin, she belongs to him.

Thinking about it this way, he became optimistic again.

"Cousin, you need to rest and have a healthy pregnancy," Pei Nanzhou said, leaning closer to Shen Shuyi and looking at her expectantly, asking, "Cousin, can you give me a kiss?"

Shen Shuyi pretended not to hear Pei Nanzhou's words and turned to climb onto the bed.

Pei Nanzhou wanted to give her a goodnight kiss before going to sleep, but he also knew that haste makes waste. Since he'd abducted his cousin, their relationship had been quite warm; he couldn't very well ruin the current pleasant atmosphere, could he?
He reassured himself and then flashed a charming smile: "I was just joking with my cousin, she wouldn't have taken it seriously, would she?"

Shen Shuyi thought to herself that she wouldn't panic if it was just a joke, but Pei Nanzhou wasn't a person with a sense of humor. He clearly wanted her to kiss him just now.

However, Pei Nanzhou seems to have changed his strategy and is no longer as frightening as before, which is a good sign.

What she needs to do now is to keep Pei Nanzhou calm and wait for Pei Dongzhou to come and rescue her.

That night, Pei Nanzhou slept in the same room as Shen Shuyi again, but Pei Nanzhou slept on the floor.

Since being kidnapped by Pei Nanzhou, Shen Shuyi had been living a relatively comfortable life. However, as the days went by and Pei Dongzhou still hadn't come looking for her, she began to realize that she might have been too optimistic.

Pei Nanzhou said he had already found this place, and it was a paradise. Would this place be as hard to find as the paradise described in the book?
Otherwise, Pei Dongzhou wouldn't have been unable to find her for so long.

Half a month has passed, and Pei Dongzhou still hasn't shown up. What if something happens and Pei Dongzhou can never find me?
Shen Shuyi appeared unhurried on the surface, but she was actually becoming increasingly anxious inside, though she didn't show it on her face.

On the other hand, back in the capital, Pei Dongzhou only realized that Pei Nanzhou had staged an empty city ruse for him after he led his men into the palace.

He immediately sensed something was wrong and rushed back to the Marquis's residence, only to find that he had indeed fallen into Pei Nanzhou's treacherous trap.

Everyone thought Pei Nanzhou was staging a palace coup with his sights on the throne, but in reality, Pei Nanzhou's target had always been Shen Shuyi.

Just as he was about to leave the city to look for someone, Li Yi rushed over and said that he couldn't leave at this time.

Now that Emperor Jinglong has fallen, there is no one in charge of the palace. Li Yi is very anxious and is unwilling to let Pei Dongzhou leave.

Pei Dongzhou said in a deep voice, "Now that the situation has stabilized, I need to go and bring my cousin back. Your Highness is now capable of handling things on your own..."

"You don't think that besides Pei Nanzhou, no one else is eyeing that position, do you? I'll send people to look for Cousin Shen. You can go there when you have news. Right now, we need you to take charge. Think about it yourself, if the Great Qi Kingdom falls into chaos, the people will be displaced—"

“What does this have to do with me?!” Pei Dongzhou interrupted Li Yi’s incessant chatter.

He couldn't even protect his own wife, allowing Pei Nanzhou to take advantage of the situation. Right now, all he wants is to find his wife. What's more, Shen Shuyi is carrying his child.

At this moment, Pei Xizhou also arrived and said solemnly, "I'm going to find my cousin on behalf of my elder brother. Li Yi is right; the situation is still unstable, and we need you to take charge. Don't worry, elder brother, I will inform you immediately if I have any news!"

Pei Dongzhou wouldn't listen, so Li Yi had no choice but to order the city gates closed. No one could leave without his order, and Pei Dongzhou was even less allowed to.

Pei Dongzhou's face was very ugly as he coldly stared at Li Yi.

Li Yi felt a chill in his heart, but at this critical juncture, Pei Dongzhou really couldn't leave.

Although he gradually rose to prominence, as long as he did not sit on the throne, other princes were eyeing him covetously.

Pei Nanzhou, on the other hand, has made a mess of the situation. He kidnapped his cousin Shen, but he doesn't seem to realize that if this sparks internal strife in the Great Qi, it will be the people who suffer. "You know you can't leave the city without my orders. If I were you, I would have Xizhou help you find your cousin Shen. Once the situation stabilizes, you can go find her yourself. I will also send people all over the country to help you search for her. Dongzhou, for now, the bigger picture should be the priority," Li Yi said earnestly.

Pei Xizhou also tried to persuade him, but Pei Dongzhou could no longer bear it and shouted, "But that's my wife, my child! I've lost them..."

Pei Xizhou also felt uncomfortable.

He had personally witnessed how close Pei Dongzhou and Shen Shuyi were, so it was no wonder that his older brother felt so guilty now that his cousin had suddenly disappeared.

Finally, Pei Dongzhou calmed down.

He gave Pei Xizhou some instructions before returning with Li Yi.

In order to find the person himself as soon as possible, he went to see Emperor Jinglong.

Li Yi watched Pei Dongzhou go to see Emperor Jinglong. He didn't know what Pei Dongzhou said to Emperor Jinglong, but then news spread that his father had passed the throne to him.

The court then began preparations for his ascension to the throne.

In fact, he could tell that his father did not want to abdicate. If that was the case, why was he able to ascend the throne so quickly?

Feeling uneasy, he decided to confront Pei Dongzhou and ask, "Did you threaten my father to abdicate?"

Pei Dongzhou glanced at him indifferently: "How could a subject like me threaten the Emperor Emeritus? I merely appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him. The Emperor Emeritus found my words reasonable and felt that abdicating would be beneficial to the stability of the Great Qi Dynasty."

"Really?" Li Yi was unsure.

Pei Dongzhou ignored him: "Once you ascend the throne, my mission will be complete. At that time, you can no longer stop me from going out of the city to find people."

Li Yi looked at Pei Dongzhou with complicated emotions: "I think you're a good-for-nothing."

Prince Pei has rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor; shouldn't he seize the opportunity to become a high-ranking official? Instead, all he can think about is his cousin Shen.

Pei Dongzhou was in a bad mood and had no interest in arguing with Li Yi.

After leaving the palace, he returned to Fusang Courtyard and saw that there were still children's clothes that Shen Shuyi had not finished in the clothes basket.

Why didn't he think more deeply back then? Pei Nanzhou became the Prince of Zhao because of his cousin. He should have taken precautions then and there. Otherwise, Pei Nanzhou wouldn't have had the chance to take his cousin away.

Seeing that Pei Dongzhou was still in a daze, A-Jian knew that the young master was thinking about the young lady again.

She didn't dare get close, and only served from a distance.

On the day Li Yi ascended the throne, he finally allowed Pei Dongzhou to leave the city.

Pei Dongzhou led a large group of people and rode at full speed away from the capital to find someone.

Pei Xizhou hadn't sent any messages, meaning he hadn't received any news from his cousin.

It's definitely not that Pei Xizhou is incompetent, but rather that Pei Nanzhou has kept Shen Shuyi hidden too well.

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye, and Pei Dongzhou had gained nothing. Pei Nanzhou and Shen Shuyi seemed to have vanished into thin air from the Great Qi.

(End of this chapter)