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

Chapter 40 Degradation: If my cousin insists on being with me, she can only be my concubine.
Shen Shuyi only sat for a short while before finding an excuse to leave Heshou Hall.

Back at Fusangin, she busied herself sewing clothes, completely unaware of the passage of time.

It was A-Jian who reminded her that Pei Nanzhou had asked her to go to Nanyuan yesterday.

"I don't want to go." It wasn't that Shen Shuyi didn't remember the matter, but rather that she didn't want to see Pei Nanzhou.

If she has a mission that requires her to get close to the male lead, she would be happy to go.

"Doesn't the young lady like the second young master?" A-Jian thought the young lady would be very happy to be able to meet the second young master.

"That was just a joke. How could I possibly like my second cousin?" After a pause, Shen Shuyi added, "I could never like any of my cousins. Even if I get close to them, it's out of necessity. Don't say such things again."

She likes the male lead? She's not asking for trouble!

Seeing the girl's serious expression, A-Jian nodded vigorously.

“But the Second Young Master wants you to go to the South Garden. What if you don’t go and he gets angry?” A-Jian asked, tying knots in her hair.

Shen Shuyi smiled and said, "What important thing could my second cousin possibly want to see me about? If he accidentally asks, I'll just say I don't remember."

Her immediate priority is to get the clothing store up and running, otherwise Sun Wang will go back to his old ways, and she herself needs to make money quickly.

Inside the South Garden, Mingyue noticed her master glancing towards the door from time to time, and she was puzzled.

Qingfeng knew that the young master had gone to Fusang Courtyard last night. His outburst was related to Miss Shen Biao from Fusang Courtyard.

The young master stared at the door all day; he's practically turned into a statue waiting for his husband.

As evening approached, Pei Nanzhou finally realized one thing: his cousin Shen had forgotten what he had told her the night before.

"Qingfeng, go to Fusang Courtyard and ask Cousin Shen to come over," Pei Nanzhou ordered calmly.

The breeze must have been blowing, as it hurried towards Fusangin.

Shen Shuyi hadn't expected Qingfeng to come; she'd rather Pei Nanzhou had forgotten about it. But since Qingfeng was here, she still had to make the trip.

"Look at my memory, I actually forgot something so important. I'll go to Nanyuan right now!" Shen Shuyi tried her best to make her attitude impeccable.

Qingfeng felt that Shen Shuyi's attitude was too obsequious and was somewhat disdainful. It was no secret in the Marquis's mansion that this cousin Shen had wanted to sleep with the young master before, and now she wanted to seduce the second young master. He really didn't know why the young master wanted to see this promiscuous cousin.

Shen Shuyi naturally noticed Qingfeng's disdainful look, but she pretended not to see it, since she didn't need to deal with Pei Nanzhou's servants anyway.

Upon arriving at Nanyuan, Shen Shuyi respectfully greeted Pei Nanzhou.

Looking at Shen Shuyi's well-behaved and sensible appearance, Pei Nanzhou felt even more strongly that he should make things clear to her.

After returning to Nanyuan yesterday, he pondered for a long time. He realized that his cousin Shen's matter could not be delayed any longer, since he was about to get engaged.

"My cousin should know that I'm currently arranging a marriage."

Just as Shen Shuyi was getting impatient, Pei Nanzhou finally spoke.

She looked at Pei Nanzhou, not understanding why he brought this up. Wasn't it normal for him to mention marriage?
In the Great Qi Dynasty, most men got married around the age of twenty, which was considered relatively late in ancient times.

Pei Nanzhou is nineteen years old this year, which is the age for marriage proposals.

Seeing Pei Nanzhou staring at her, Shen Shuyi could only give a perfunctory reply: "Oh." What did this have to do with her? Why should she talk to him about it?
“These are all the men I’m considering,” Pei Nanzhou said, taking out a booklet and handing it to Shen Shuyi.

Shen Shuyi took it, still puzzled. She looked at Pei Nanzhou with a questioning expression, not understanding what he meant.

"Don't you want to take a look, cousin?" Pei Nanzhou asked again.

Shen Shuyi could only glance at the list in the booklet. Unfortunately, there were no portraits of the people, but judging from their family backgrounds, each one was outstanding. Given Pei Nanzhou's status as the second young master of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, he certainly needed to be matched with such a noble lady of equal social standing.

It's just a mystery what kind of beauty Pei Nanzhou, with his refined and elegant appearance, could possibly be interested in.

“My cousin’s potential partners all seem quite good.” Shen Shuyi said this sincerely.

Pei Nanzhou kept staring at Shen Shuyi's expression, and seeing that she didn't seem particularly sad, he assumed she was just hiding something.

“The Pei family is a distinguished family, and the young ladies my mother chose for me all came from noble and respectable families.” Pei Nanzhou’s well-defined fingers lightly tapped the teacup, making a clear and melodious sound as the tea leaves struck the celadon.

He suddenly looked up, a cold glint in his eyes: "The wife I want to marry will naturally be a noblewoman from a prestigious family."

Shen Shuyi listened attentively, realizing that Pei Nanzhou had been waiting for her here all along.

“If my cousin…” Pei Nanzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, but his voice remained as steady as if he were bargaining over an antique, “she can only be my concubine.”

Before the words were finished, the copper bells under the eaves suddenly jingled loudly in the autumn wind, shattering the fragrance of sandalwood that filled the room.

Before today, Pei Nanzhou had given Shen Shuyi the wrong impression that he was a good person, but in fact he was a cold-blooded person.

If nothing unexpected happens, it's because she said she liked him before that he thought she really liked him. He was afraid she would become clingy to him, so he specially asked her to come over, hoping to wake her up.

“A man as outstanding as my cousin should naturally marry a noblewoman of equal social standing. As for my marriage, I will have to rely on my cousins ​​to help me arrange it. My cousin, the young master, told me this morning that he would take me to meet potential husbands tomorrow. I believe I will find my ideal husband soon, so my second cousin need not worry about my marriage.” Shen Shuyi automatically skipped over the matter of taking her as a concubine.

After all, she was the one who confessed her feelings to him first. He was worried that she might have ambitions of marrying above her station, so he deliberately reminded her of this, which was also for her own good.

She couldn't very well say that she had absolutely no interest in becoming his concubine, could she?
Even if he didn't believe it, just the fact that she rejected the male lead wouldn't make him too happy.

As long as she doesn't mention it, she won't feel embarrassed.

Pei Nanzhou gave Shen Shuyi a calm look. He couldn't tell if she was genuinely aware of the situation or just pretending not to care, but she didn't hysterically throw a tantrum and make things too ugly.

"If you have no further instructions, cousin, then I shall take my leave," Shen Shuyi said as she stood up.

When Pei Nanzhou saw Shen Shuyi about to leave, he thought that his cousin Shen was sometimes quite obedient, gentle, and sensible.

He smiled and said, "If you don't like the person your brother chooses tomorrow, you can come to me and I will help you find a suitable match."

Shen Shuyi caught a glimpse of A-Jian clenching her fist out of the corner of her eye, and found it somewhat amusing.

She clenched A-Jian's little fist, turned to look at Pei Nanzhou and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Cousin."

After saying that, she took A-Jian and left the South Garden. She was afraid that if she was any slower, A-Jian, the little crybaby, would start crying again.

As expected, A-Jian burst into tears as soon as she stepped out of the South Garden, gritting her teeth and saying, "The Second Young Master is too disrespectful. No matter what, the young lady was raised by the Old Madam. When did it become the Second Young Master's place to humiliate her?"

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(End of this chapter)