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

Chapter 335 The Deal Between the Female Lead and Prince Pei

Li Yi happily led Shen Shuyi along the palace path. When they passed the Imperial Garden, he specifically asked Shen Shuyi, "Cousin Shen, have you ever been to the Imperial Garden?"

Shen Shuyi looked curiously at the Imperial Garden, a place she had never been before.

Last time she accompanied Pei Dongzhou to the palace to meet the emperor, she dared not wander around the palace at will. Not to mention the imperial garden, she didn't even get a second glance at the other palaces.

"Since we're on the way, how about I take my cousin Shen in for a look?" Li Yi immediately saw through Shen Shuyi's curiosity about the Imperial Garden.

He said that there must be something in the palace that would interest his cousin Shen. By enticing her like this, he could at least get to talk to her a few more times, which would be a win for him.

Shen Shuyi thought to herself that it was just a glance anyway, and it wouldn't cause any trouble.

"Let's take a look then," Shen Shuyi said, giving in to her curiosity.

Li Yi was happy inside, but he didn't show it on his face.

However, the group of people following Li Yi looked at each other in bewilderment. They all felt that His Majesty's interest in Lady Pei was quite unusual, as if he were very interested in her.

These people were unaware that Li Yi's interest in Shen Shuyi was not merely interest; he was particularly fond of her, so much so that even a few extra glances at her brought him immense satisfaction.

Shen Shuyi, driven by her curiosity, was tricked into entering the Imperial Garden by Li Yi, while Zhang Fu, who wanted to follow the imperial procession, overheard someone from the Cold Palace delivering a message to him.

After hearing this, he felt that this was a way to stall Pei Dongzhou, so he quickly went to the South Study to deliver the message.

Pei Dongzhou had many connections in the palace, and he received word of Shen Shuyi's arrival not long after she entered the palace.

His first thought was that Li Yi was interested in Shen Shuyi, and he couldn't let Li Yi have the opportunity to be alone with Shen Shuyi, otherwise his cousin would be in too much danger.

He was about to go find Shen Shuyi when Zhang Fuxing came to him in a hurry: "Lord Pei, the one in the Cold Palace wants to see you. She says she has something very important to tell you, and it's something important that concerns your wife."

Pei Dongzhou paused slightly, looking somewhat hesitant.

"Oh, by the way, that person also said that you would regret it if you didn't go to see her, and she also said that she knows your wife's secret." Zhang Fu's purpose was to stop Pei Dongzhou from going to see Shen Shuyi, so of course he was exaggerating.

Furthermore, Xia's meaning was roughly the same.

Pei Dongzhou realized that his cousin did indeed have many secrets, but she was unwilling to talk about them, so he didn't press her for details. How could Xia Nianchu know his cousin's secrets?

This time he didn't hesitate any longer, changed course, and headed towards the Cold Palace.

Xia Nianchu was waiting for Pei Dongzhou's arrival, and she was not surprised when he came.

She looked at the man before her with complicated emotions. He was so outstanding, with such excellent looks and exceptional talent. Whatever he wanted to do, he could succeed.

Back then, she fell in love with him at first sight.

But from beginning to end, he never saw her. She knew she had no hope in this life, that she could never leave this cold palace, but she wanted to find a way out for herself and leave the palace.

"I can tell Lord Pei a huge secret, on the condition that Lord Pei lets me leave the palace. I don't want to die in the cold palace. If Lord Pei agrees to make this deal with me, I will tell you this secret!" Xia Nianchu said solemnly.

Since she's the most popular female lead, she still has some luck left. As long as she leaves the cold palace, she still has a chance to turn things around.

But the bustling capital city no longer offered her a place to stay. However, she could change her name and find another way out.

Pei Dongzhou remained unmoved, his expression indifferent: "I don't necessarily have to make a deal with you. As long as I torture you, you'll still have to confess honestly. Besides, you have no right to negotiate with me."

He doesn't like being threatened.

Xia Nianchu's expression changed upon hearing this. She thought she had the victory in her grasp, but Pei Dongzhou was completely unmoved by her act. However, she was certain that Pei Dongzhou was interested in the secret she knew; otherwise, someone of his personality wouldn't have made a special trip to the Cold Palace.

She quickly regained her composure, telling herself not to panic, that she still had leverage in negotiations.

"Lord Pei should also know that I was dragged down by Pei Nanzhou, which led me to this point..."

Pei Dongzhou interrupted Xia Nianchu's self-righteousness, saying, "Don't talk about being burdened by Nanzhou. Entering the palace was your own choice. If you had no ambition, you wouldn't have chosen to enter the palace. If you don't want to talk, I won't keep you company..."

He turned to leave, but Xia Nianchu panicked, "This secret is related to Cousin Shen. Doesn't Lord Pei really want to know?! I just want to leave the palace. After leaving, I will never return to the capital, and I will never have any improper thoughts again. I'm still so young, I don't want to die here. Originally, I shouldn't have ended up like this. It's all Cousin Shen's fault; she stole everything that belonged to me..."

Pei Dongzhou heard Xia Nianchu's sobbing and turned around to look.

It has to be said that Xia Nianchu's words did pique his curiosity. Why did he say that his cousin had taken everything from the Xia family?
After a moment's thought, he calmly said, "How about this? If the secret you reveal is valuable, I'll spare your life. If it's worthless, you'll spend the rest of your life in this cold palace."

Xia Nianchu knew that this was Pei Dongzhou's biggest concession. This man should have belonged to her, and she was really unwilling to accept it.

But since things had come to this, she could only cling tightly to Pei Dongzhou as a lifeline.

"After I was relegated to the Cold Palace, I awakened my consciousness. The world we live in now is a book, and I was supposed to be the heroine, while the four Pei brothers, including Lord Pei, were the male leads. If it weren't for Cousin Shen's interference, Lord Pei should have fallen in love with me and married me—"

Pei Dongzhou frowned more and more as he listened: "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"But that's how the plot was supposed to unfold in the original story. You know, in the original story, Cousin Shen was just a cannon fodder supporting character who died young; she shouldn't have lived past this year. But she stole you from me, and she also stole the attention of all the male leads. The male leads should all have liked me..."

Xia Nianchu said a lot, but Pei Dongzhou suddenly remembered when his cousin first approached him. Every time, it felt like a game. On the surface, his cousin was drugging him and stealing kisses from him, but in reality, he couldn't feel any disrespect from her.

At that time, my cousin's impression of him was that he was just a casual fling for her.

"Moreover, I think that Cousin Shen has already awakened to her true nature. Take Sun Wang for example. In the original story, he is a genius who can do everything. He should have been my helper, but I have not encountered him yet. If I am not mistaken, Sun Wang is now working for Cousin Shen."

When Xia Nianchu's words reached Pei Dongzhou's ears again, they startled him. At that moment, he truly believed Xia Nianchu's story.

Is it possible that his cousin's frequent approach to him was actually a way to save her own life?
(End of this chapter)