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

Chapter 12 Casting a wide net, being spyed on by Prince Pei

Perhaps because she felt guilty, Shen Shuyi thought that Pei Dongzhou said those words to her on purpose. Could it be that he wasn't unconscious at the time and knew that she was the one who kissed him, so he deliberately used this method to scare her?
But then she thought, given Pei Dongzhou's personality, if he was sure she had stolen a kiss from him, he would have confronted her directly. There was no need to test her in this way.

“I think my cousin is good in every way, except he’s a bit too aggressive. If a woman is showing affection to him, it’s because he’s popular, which is a good thing. Anyway, he didn’t lose out; he even got to take advantage of the girl for no reason. He should be happy.” As she said this, Shen Shuyi’s eyes lit up. “Grandmother is out. I’m going to keep her company.”

She walked quickly to Madam Pei's side, still feeling Pei Dongzhou's gaze following her like a shadow.

It wasn't that she was overthinking things; Pei Dongzhou was indeed suspicious of her, which made her a little anxious.

If Pei Dongzhou confirms that she is the one who is close to him, his affection for her may drop to the point of being obliterated. At that time, she will be dead beyond any possibility, so what's the point of doing any mission?
Wasn't that drug supposed to be very potent? How did Pei Dongzhou know someone had kissed him?

Seeing Shen Shuyi's gloomy expression, Madam Pei assumed she was unwell: "Are you feeling unwell? If you are, you should tell your grandmother."

Shen Shuyi snapped out of her reverie, took the old lady's hand, and smiled, "I'm perfectly fine, Grandmother, don't worry. I'm already looking for a renowned doctor, and if I'm lucky enough, I'll recover."

Seeing Shen Shuyi's optimism and positivity, Madam Pei felt even more affection for her: "In a few days, your maternal grandmother will take good care of your wedding arrangements..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuyi refused with her hands raised: "I'd better not get married now. I'll wait until I'm fully recovered before considering marriage, otherwise it would only be a burden to others. Besides, I can't bear to leave my grandmother and want to spend more time with her. If possible, I'd rather never get married."

Madam Pei said gently, "What nonsense are you talking about? Your grandmother is old, and while she's still relatively healthy, I want to help you find a good marriage—"

Shen Shuyi held the old lady's arm even tighter: "Grandmother is still so young, how is she old? Anyway, I'm going to stay by Grandmother's side for the rest of my life!"

As she was speaking, she suddenly saw Pei Dongzhou talking to Xia Nianchu.

Then Pei Dongzhou suddenly looked over and their eyes met.

This is terrible. If nothing unexpected happens, Xia Nianchu will definitely tell Pei Dongzhou that she's the one who drugged him. If Pei Dongzhou believes Xia Nianchu, his affection for her will continue to drop, right?
Afterwards, the old lady went to interpret the fortune sticks, and Pei Dongzhou walked up to Shen Shuyi.

"Come here, cousin, I have something to ask you," Pei Dongzhou ordered her, then walked away.

Shen Shuyi followed as instructed.

Sure enough, as soon as she walked behind Pei Dongzhou, she heard him say, "Cousin Xia said that it was you who instructed the novice monk to drug her."

"Does Cousin Xia have any evidence?" Shen Shuyi frowned after hearing this and asked in return, "Why would I drug my cousin? Besides, I only have A-Jian and Mama Dai serving me. My cousin can find out their whereabouts."

Pei Dongzhou scrutinized Shen Shuyi's expression. His gaze wasn't sharp, but it made Shen Shuyi feel a profound sense of pressure.

"Isn't the medicine packet my cousin had the day before yesterday evidence?" Pei Dongzhou said in a low voice.

If she wasn't guilty, why wouldn't she let him check the medicine packet?
Shen Shuyi laughed upon hearing this: "It's a pity that my cousin, the Crown Prince, works at the Dali Temple, yet he so easily convicted someone without any evidence. Just because I did something wrong, does that mean I have to bear all the blame?"

Pei Dongzhou remained silent.

He was only guessing, and given Shen Shuyi's past record, his first thought was that she had done something bad to him.

"I will investigate this matter thoroughly." Pei Dongzhou said, then quietly instructed Qingzhu to investigate the whereabouts of Shen Shuyi and her servant over the past few days.

Shen Shuyi wasn't afraid of him investigating.

She had made two preparations in advance and would not leave any evidence for Pei Dongzhou to investigate.

[Imprompt quest triggered: Deliver a peace charm to Pei Beizhou.]

Shen Shuyi's expression changed. If Pei Dongzhou hadn't been there, she really would have wanted to ask the system if it was deliberately messing with her.

Where do so many impromptu tasks come from?

Seeing Shen Shuyi's pale face, Pei Dongzhou assumed she was ill: "Cousin, are you alright?"

Shen Shuyi smiled bitterly, not forgetting to play the victim: "How could I be alright after being wronged by my cousin, the Crown Prince?" As she spoke, she headed towards the main hall.

Pei Dongzhou watched Shen Shuyi's retreating figure, noticing she was all alone. He then looked at his cousin Xia, the Pei family's daughters, and other ladies from Beijing's elite circles, all chatting idly and enjoying themselves. Only Shen Shuyi remained by her side.

He followed quietly, but not too closely, just to prevent Shen Shuyi from suddenly collapsing in some unknown corner and upsetting his grandmother.

Shen Shuyi was unaware that Pei Dongzhou was following her not far away. Because she had received an impromptu mission and the mission seemed relatively easy, she decided to finish it quickly.

Thinking about how Pei Beizhou disliked her, she suddenly felt that she couldn't deliver it in person, lest Pei Si hate her even more.

She found a novice monk, handed him the amulet she had just bought, and gave him some instructions.

The novice monk was kind-hearted and readily agreed to help her.

She secretly followed behind the novice monk, wondering if he could deliver the amulet to Pei Beizhou.

In the original novel, the male protagonist, Pei Si, is gloomy, twisted, and a pervert. To be honest, she didn't really want to deal with Pei Si.

But in order to complete the mission, she had no choice but to face the challenge head-on.

The novice monk quickly found Pei Beizhou and handed him the amulet.

Seeing this scene, Shen Shuyi suddenly thought of a possibility: could it be that the peace charm was meant for her to personally deliver to Pei Beizhou?

As expected, she waited for a while but did not receive any instructions to complete the task, and her shoulders slumped instantly.

"Master, do I have to personally deliver the peace talisman to Pei Si for this mission?"

[The host is clever!]

Shen Shuyi can now guess the system's tricks.

She peeked out again and saw that Pei Beizhou had turned around and thrown away the peace charm after receiving it.

After confirming that Pei Beizhou was far away, she picked up the amulet.

Anyway, she has to personally hand the amulet to Pei Beizhou, and this item can be reused.

She was unaware that Pei Dongzhou had witnessed her lewd behavior.

Pei Dongzhou witnessed the complicated process by which Shen Shuyi gave Pei Beizhou the peace charm.

Two days ago, Shen Shuyi gave him a jade pendant, and today she gave the fourth brother a peace charm, which makes him seem like she's casting a wide net.

If what he suspected was true, why didn't she personally deliver it to the fourth prince?

Even if Pei Si asks a novice monk to deliver a peace charm, he won't know it was sent by his cousin Shen.

This woman's behavior is strange and warrants further investigation.

After picking up the amulet, Shen Shuyi blew off the dirt and dust, but her sharp eyes noticed a reflection on the ground. She turned around abruptly and saw Prince Pei standing silently behind her.

He stood backlit, his eyes dark and deep, and asked her in a gentle voice, "Cousin, what treasures did you find in the garbage dump? Let your cousin take a look."

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(End of this chapter)