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

Chapter 339 Finale
Shen Shuyi felt relieved at that moment: "Then I wish you great success and that you will make a name for yourself in the world! You will definitely succeed in Xizhou."

Everyone has their own path to walk. What she regrets is that of the four Pei brothers, only Pei Dongzhou remained in the Marquis's mansion in the end.

She didn't know if this was an inevitable ending, or if her appearance would cause the Pei brothers to go their separate ways; it didn't matter anymore.

"Thank you for your kind words, cousin. I believe I can make a name for myself in the future." Pei Xizhou said with great enthusiasm, then looked at Shen Shuyi with reluctance and said, "Cousin, I'm leaving."

Shen Shuyi smiled and nodded: "Have a safe journey!"

Pei Xizhou turned and walked forward. After a few steps, his eyes started to sting. He slowed down, then quickly turned back. Before Shen Shuyi could react, he suddenly gave her a light hug and kissed her hair. Then he walked away as if he were escaping.

Shen Shuyi stood there, watching Pei Xizhou walk further and further away, and after a long while she let out a long sigh.

It's a good thing that Pei Xizhou is going out into the world. He's the kind of person who should be doing great things, not someone who's trapped in the Marquis's mansion because of his romantic feelings.

I'm afraid that Zhang will feel uncomfortable if she finds out about this.

When Pei Dongzhou returned home that day, Shen Shuyi told him about Pei Xizhou's departure from the capital.

Pei Dongzhou wasn't surprised: "He mentioned it to me a few days ago. He's still young, so it's a good thing for him to go out and see the world and broaden his horizons."

As he spoke, he skillfully took his son from him, and the little guy started waving his arms and legs excitedly as soon as he was in his hands.

Shen Shuyi felt a pang of sadness. She and the child spent every day together, while Pei Shizi was always so busy; why did the child seem to prefer Pei Dongzhou?
Pei Dongzhou, unaware of Shen Shuyi's complicated feelings, hugged his son and kissed him several times.

"It seems my son prefers his cousin, the Crown Prince," Shen Shuyi said, her voice laced with jealousy.

Pei Dongzhou smiled slightly upon hearing this and reassured her, "Cousin, are you jealous? He's only a month old and doesn't understand anything. It's just a coincidence. In our son's heart, the most important person is definitely you, cousin."

Shen Shuyi snorted, thinking that Prince Pei was just trying to fool her.

She still felt that the child liked Pei Dongzhou more than he liked her, his biological mother.

The pink and tender little dumplings actually helped to dispel a lot of the sorrow of parting.

After Pei Xizhou left the capital, Shen Shuyi rested for two months before officially taking over the management of the Marquis's residence. Zhang Shi then had some free time and often helped Shen Shuyi take care of the children. Shen Shuyi had a knack for managing the Marquis's residence, so she delegated the tasks and only took charge of overall coordination.

Seeing how easily Shen Shuyi managed the household, Zhang couldn't help but admire her son's good judgment.

Pei Xizhou was gone for two years without returning to the capital, but his business grew bigger and bigger.

Every time Li Yi came to Shen Shuyi to complain, he would mention Pei Xizhou, that heartless man.

Seeing that Zhang was living a very carefree life after she was relieved of her duties as a steward, Marquis Pingyang became envious and followed suit, directly allowing Pei Dongzhou to inherit his title.

Pei Dongzhou thus naturally became the youngest marquis in the entire Great Qi. Moreover, he was a favorite minister of Li Yi. Which official in the capital did not envy Shen Shuyi's good fortune in marrying such an outstanding young talent as Pei Dongzhou?

Only Shen Shuyi herself knew how hard she worked. During the day, she had to manage the household and make the business of Ni Chang Ge grow bigger and bigger. At night, Pei Dongzhou, the newly appointed Marquis, was demanding and insatiable. She was exhausted like a dog from day to night.

That evening, after their marital relations had just ended, Pei Dongzhou discovered that Shen Shuyi was sulking.

He tried to coax her for a while, but when he saw that his wife still ignored him, he suddenly remembered the old saying, "quarrels at the head of the bed are reconciled at the foot of the bed." He wanted to kiss her again, but Shen Shuyi pushed him away and silently turned her back to him.

Pei Dongzhou then realized the seriousness of the situation and said softly, "Was I too rough and hurt my cousin?"

Shen Shuyi didn't want to pay any attention to Pei Dongzhou; she just wanted to sleep.

She just felt that there was nothing good about being married. Before she got married, she could take a trip whenever she wanted. Now that she has a man and children, she can't bear to leave home to relax.

Pei Dongzhou looked at Shen Shuyi's silent back and, unusually, reflected on himself.

After getting married, he was so busy that he barely had time to spare, and he had very little time to spend with his cousin and children. In fact, he spent more time with Li Yi than with his cousin. His cousin was a lively and active person, and she was so caught up in the children and the Marquis's mansion that it was no wonder she was sulking.

He made a decision right then and there.

The next day, after attending court, he went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and asked Li Yi for leave.

Upon hearing that Pei Dongzhou was going to take a three-month vacation, Li Yi was immediately filled with envy: "How can you take such a long vacation? What am I going to do if you take a vacation?"

Isn't he the most important man in Pei Dongzhou's heart?

Pei Dongzhou chuckled upon hearing this: "Your Majesty is not a child who hasn't grown up and needs me to be by your side every moment. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, I haven't had time to spend with my cousin. I'm taking this three-month vacation to take my cousin out of the capital for a change of scenery! I've also decided that I will take a vacation every year from now on to take my cousin to travel around the country..."

The more Pei Dongzhou talked, the more jealous Li Yi became. He suddenly asked, "Can you take me with you?"

Pei Dongzhou pretended not to hear Li Yi's words: "This humble subject will depart tomorrow. If there is nothing else, this humble subject will take his leave..."

"No, I'm serious, can't you take me out for a walk? What kind of miserable life have I been living every day since I became emperor? You put me on this throne, you have to take responsibility for me—"

Before Li Yi could finish speaking, Pei Dongzhou quickly walked away.

Li Yi looked at Zhang Fu: "Look at him, what kind of attitude is this?"

Zhang Fu smiled ingratiatingly: "Lord Pei is going to accompany Lady Hou out of the capital for a relaxing trip. He clearly wants some time alone with her. It wouldn't be appropriate for Your Majesty to go along as a lookout."

Li Yi wanted to be the photographer, and he hadn't seen his cousin Shen for quite some time.

He pondered the possibility of him also leaving the capital for leisure, but he realized that he didn't trust any of the other officials except for Pei Dongzhou. Unless he said he was going out for fun while Pei Dongzhou stayed in the capital to manage state affairs for him, the possibility of him leaving the palace for leisure was nonexistent.

Wanting to surprise Shen Shuyi, Pei Dongzhou asked Li Yi for leave and began making arrangements to leave the capital.

Shen Shuyi knew nothing about this. She was just puzzled that Pei Dongzhou was still nowhere to be seen even though it was already dark. Could it be that because she had argued with Pei Dongzhou last night, he was being petty and giving her the cold shoulder?

However, since it was only the first night, she didn't pay much attention to it.

When Pei Dongzhou still hadn't returned by 9 PM, she stopped waiting and went to sleep peacefully.

The next day, while she was still asleep, she felt that the yard was very noisy.

Seeing that it was still dark, she drifted off to sleep again.

When she woke up late in the morning, she found A-Jian waiting for her with a cheerful expression.

She yawned and asked, "Is there some good news?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Madam," A-Jian said, keeping everyone in suspense.

Shen Shuyi was surprised. This brat actually had something to hide from her?
She didn't ask any further questions until she discovered Pei Dongzhou was waiting for her while having breakfast, which left her dumbfounded: "Isn't my cousin, the Crown Prince, going to court today?"

The sun must be high in the sky by now, right? Pei Dongzhou is Li Yi's most valued minister, how could he not attend court early in the morning?
Pei Dongzhou simply shook his head and didn't reply.

Shen Shuyi felt something was off about the man, but didn't ask any further questions. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, she realized the wet nurse was gone; she had gone to Zhang's Jufutang. Pei Dongzhou said he would take her to Jufutang to see the child, and she didn't think much of it.

After checking on the child, Pei Dongzhou said to her, "With the child being looked after by his mother and grandmother, you can go out with peace of mind, cousin."

"Where are we going?" Shen Shuyi turned to look at the young man chasing after them. "Are we leaving Xiaobao behind to go out and play?"

Wouldn't that be a bad idea?

"Play, Mom, play..." the child chased after them.

Seeing this, Zhang quickly scooped up the little one, waved to them, and signaled them to hurry up and leave.

Pei Dongzhou was also afraid of not being able to shake off that little devil, so he quickened his pace while holding Shen Shuyi's hand.

It wasn't until she left the Marquis's residence that Shen Shuyi noticed several carriages already parked outside, suggesting a long journey.

Is that what she thought?
She looked at Pei Dongzhou, who affectionately patted her head: "I've neglected you and the child for the past two years. I should have taken you out to relax earlier. Now that the child is two years old, with his mother and grandmother taking care of him, you can play with peace of mind."

"Can His Majesty leave his cousin, the Crown Prince, behind?" Shen Shuyi couldn't stop smiling, but she still had concerns.

"I asked His Majesty for leave yesterday, and he said that my wife and I could stay longer before coming back." Pei Dongzhou lied without batting an eye.

Shen Shuyi was finally relieved.

She leaned on Pei Dongzhou's shoulder: "Your Highness cousin is so kind."

She had been a little resentful the night before last, and he hadn't offered her any comfort at the time, so she was still somewhat annoyed. But this man, without saying a word, gave her such a pleasant surprise today. She really wanted to leave the inner quarters and go out and see the world.

"It's my fault for neglecting you and the child; I'm the one who's been an incompetent husband." Pei Dongzhou was happy to see Shen Shuyi happy.

With no children to worry about, the couple traveled around, enjoying the scenery and sampling local delicacies.

But Shen Shuyi was still worried about her child, and after a month of playing, she wanted to return to Beijing.

Pei Dongzhou laughed at her for being spineless, but still respected her wishes and planned to return to the capital.

However, before returning to the capital, Pei Dongzhou said he would take her somewhere, which piqued her curiosity: "What place is it?"

Pei Dongzhou didn't respond, and instead kept everyone in suspense.

Shen Shuyi became even more curious, but she didn't ask any more questions.

It wasn't until Pei Dongzhou took her to a place called Shuize Town that she understood why Pei Dongzhou had brought her there. As he led her through the town, she noticed that it was rather deserted and lacked any particularly scenic views.

Afterwards, Pei Dongzhou took her to sit down on the second floor of a teahouse.

Once the waiter brought out the snacks, Shen Shuyi and Pei Dongzhou ate and chatted, enjoying themselves quite comfortably.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Pei Dongzhou left the teahouse with Shen Shuyi.

Coincidentally, a young man dressed in white walked towards them.

The man had clear features and a handsome face. He was the man Shen Shuyi thought she would never see again. It was none other than Pei Nanzhou.
She instinctively wanted to hide behind Pei Dongzhou, but Pei Nanzhou happened to look over.

She was caught in a dilemma: should she hide or not?

By the way, with Pei Dongzhou around, why is she hiding?

She straightened her back and met Pei Nanzhou's gaze with a calm expression. Pei Nanzhou glanced at her indifferently, then walked past them without looking to the side.

Shen Shuyi found it unbelievable; when Pei Nanzhou made eye contact with her just now, it seemed as if he didn't recognize her.

Qingfeng and Mingyue were originally following behind Pei Nanzhou, but when they saw Pei Dongzhou and Shen Shuyi, they didn't know whether they should greet them or not.

Seeing that Pei Dongzhou ignored them, the two of them pretended not to see Pei Dongzhou and quickly caught up with Pei Nanzhou.

Shen Shuyi turned to look at Pei Dongzhou, her eyes asking him what was going on.

Pei Dongzhou noticed her confusion and said in a low voice, "Nanzhou has been hypnotized and has forgotten some of his past. It was my cousin who gave me this inspiration."

Shen Shuyi remembered that she had indeed mentioned it to Pei Dongzhou. That year, the Emperor Emeritus had indeed been hypnotized by Consort An, so he listened to her every word, which led to the palace coup later on.

At that time, Pei Dongzhou kept this matter in mind and felt that the best way to stop Pei Nanzhou from bothering him was to make Pei Nanzhou forget about Shen Shuyi's past.

Only in this way can Pei Nanzhou save his life and stop bothering Shen Shuyi.

Shen Shuyi looked back at Pei Nanzhou, who was walking further and further away from them, and thought to herself that this should be the best ending for Pei Nanzhou, right? He was too stubborn. Only by forgetting her could he become the indifferent second young master again.

He can't return to the royal family, nor can he go back to the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. Now he lives a carefree life, and this is the best ending for him.

"Your Highness is so thoughtful." Shen Shuyi chuckled, her eyes shining as she looked at Pei Dongzhou.

Pei Dongzhou glanced back at Pei Nanzhou, who was walking away, and said, "This was a last resort. I only hope that he can live a carefree and peaceful life for the rest of his days."

"Yes, we will." Shen Shuyi took Pei Dongzhou's hand, feeling exceptionally good.

Pei Dongzhou looked at her with doting eyes, his eyes full of smiles.

Pei Nanzhou walked ahead absentmindedly, not listening to a word Qingfeng Mingyue said. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back.

He saw that the couple had already walked away. They looked very affectionate and good-looking, which made him feel very close to them.

Seeing that Pei Nanzhou had suddenly stopped, Mingyue asked somewhat nervously, "What are you looking at, young master?"

Pei Nanzhou snapped out of his daze. He felt that the woman from earlier seemed familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place her.

When he regained his senses, the woman had vanished from sight.

After a long pause, he finally said, "That woman catches my eye. Next time I see her, I'll keep her as a pet..."

Qingfeng and Mingyue exchanged a glance and were startled.

Pei Nanzhou didn't notice their changed expressions; he just stared blankly in the direction the couple had left.

It's strange, why does his heart beat faster the moment he sees that woman?
He stood there, frozen in place, like a weathered stone.

　This story is now complete. Thank you all for your continued support.

　　(End of this chapter)