I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 218

Chapter 218

“Father, what are you saying! You want me… to revert to being a daughter, to enter the harem!”

Pei Jin stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by their direct elders from their lineage and collateral relatives who supported their side within the Pei family.

These men held the future of their lineage, and even though Pei Jin wielded great power, they still surpassed her.

Pei Jin stood alone facing everyone, fighting for her rights.

“Father, before, when the Third Prince humiliated me, you all asked me to endure it, and I did. But do you even know what you’re saying now? Aunt is already Concubine Pei, and you want me to enter the palace to serve alongside her?!”

Pei Jin’s father, who was also the current head of the Pei family, was about to speak, but the elders beside him were already enraged. Each one used Pei Jin’s female identity as a weapon to attack her, assuming a lofty male authority stance, determined to force Pei Jin to submit.

Pei Jin was instantly filled with rage, her blood boiling, but she refused to bow down.

“Enough!” Suddenly, the head of the Pei family spoke up. “I know many of you have been dissatisfied with my decision to let Pei Jin disguise as a man and be the heir for many years. But we cannot deny that Pei Jin has done well all these years. And since you have chosen to stand with us, you should know what the focus of our discussion should be now!”

With these words from the head of the Pei family, everyone fell silent.

“Alright, you all can leave. I’ll talk to Jin’er alone.”

Although there were murmurs of discontent among the crowd, they gradually left one by one, flicking their sleeves.

The head of the Pei family looked at the stubborn Pei Jin and sighed. “Don’t blame them. It was my desire for you to inherit the Pei family that led to you taking up this position as the heir. Otherwise, all the children in their families would have had a chance, so now they feel resentful, thinking it was stolen from them.”

“Just relying on those decadent wastrels who only know how to enjoy the power of the Pei family, if handed over to them, the Pei family wouldn’t even need to fight,” Pei Jin said arrogantly.

The head of the Pei family pulled Pei Jin to sit down. “I know you’re outstanding, but right now, the Pei family is facing its greatest crisis. It’s precisely because you’re the most outstanding among all the children that I chose you to go.”

Pei Jin wasn’t foolish and directly questioned, “By doing this, aren’t you afraid that Aunt’s side will split from us directly? The Pei family is already weaker than the Cheng family, and if we split further, it will be disastrous.”

The head of the Pei family patiently explained, “Jin’er, what we’re doing is called survival by cutting off a limb. The Cheng family did something similar in the past.”

Pei Jin was stunned. They weren’t actually clear about what happened back then. The head of the Pei family briefly explained, and Pei Jin was immediately shocked. “Are you saying that the Cheng family, in order to maintain their power, gave up the former Empress and chose to support the current Empress?”

The head of the Pei family nodded. “At that time, it’s not that there weren’t people from the Cheng family supporting the former Empress. It’s just that when they saw all the benefits flowing completely to the younger Cheng Shi, naturally, they would also switch sides. Division is for better unity. We must draw a line. When you perform well, all the power of the Pei family will return to our hands. Moreover, during this process, the Cheng family will lower their guard against us, which is a way to blunt their edge. What’s wrong with that?”

“Father, are you excluding Aunt and the Third Prince? Why?” Pei Jin asked incredulously.

“Because it’s their causing the split in the Pei family! Hmph! These two idiots, they can’t even lift themselves up. Clearly, we were the ones who helped them the most, but they’re hell-bent on supporting their own side, causing trouble, and then expecting us to clean up their mess. Isn’t it enough that the Pei family is implicated because of them? The trouble in the Ministry of Revenue didn’t happen because it was investigated, but because Concubine Pei and the Third Prince were too narrow-minded and profited too much from it. The emperor had been considering action for a long time. If they had been cautious in their actions, how could so many handles have been left behind? And in the end, they sent people to reprimand us! Urging us to solve the problem quickly, yet they have the nerve to say that!”

Pei Jin, although feeling guilty, still spoke up. “I feel it’s inappropriate. My actions already constitute a crime of deceiving the emperor. It all depends on whether the emperor pursues it or not. How can…”

“We, the Pei family, have been a prominent clan for a hundred years. Jin’er, you’re naturally beautiful and intelligent. Sending you to the palace to become a concubine for the emperor, the emperor will certainly not refuse. And this way, it will also eliminate the potential danger of your crime of deceiving the emperor, so as to avoid being threatened by members of that side in the future. Aren’t you still angry at the Third Prince treating you like that? Once you enter the harem, will they still dare?”

Pei Jin’s face had turned pale by now. She understood that her father’s proposal wasn’t just a sudden suggestion.

The head of the Pei family continued, “We didn’t want to resort to this step either. Now that the emperor is increasingly displeased with them and favors the Fourth Prince even more, we can’t continue to gamble. Jin’er, instead of supporting others, why not fight for yourself? With your abilities, you’ll surely be able to establish yourself firmly in the harem. The emperor is still young now. When you bear his sons in the future, our Pei family will all respect him. Why should you continue to suffer for those two who have insulted you?”

Pei Jin understood that her father preferred to support his own grandson rather than his nephew. It was better to support her own offspring than her cousin’s. They had endured enough from Concubine Pei and the Third Prince, who were foolish and unreasonable. They had had enough and chose the most expedient way.

That was to let her enter the palace and become a concubine of the Pei family, then give birth to a prince who could be supported by the Pei family.

From a rational perspective, this was indeed better than supporting those who had ulterior motives. However, she was unwilling to become a woman of the emperor.

“Father, you can’t do this to me. For the sake of an heir, you’re choosing to make me give up my identity as a woman. I’ve done it for over a decade, and now, for the sake of the Pei family, you want me to revert to being a woman. I can’t do it. I want the position of heir for the Pei family more. I can manage the Pei family well, rather than being a woman fighting for favor in the harem!”

Pei Jin stood up after finishing her words. “I can continue to find ways to make Concubine Pei and the Third Prince obedient, and I can deal with those from their side. But making me become the emperor’s woman, I can’t do it. I never intended to marry in my lifetime. I’ve long lost the heart of a daughter. Father, please don’t force me!”

With that, Pei Jin left, indicating that she was unwilling to discuss further and unwilling to accept the proposal.

When she returned to the inner courtyard, Pei Jin encountered Pei Qianyu.

Seeing Pei Qianyu’s incredulous expression, Pei Jin furrowed her brow slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to keep this from you.”

Pei Qianyu’s expression changed several times, and finally, she spoke up. “Are you going to enter the harem? So, I don’t have to marry the Third Prince?”

Pei Jin was taken aback. “No, I’m not going to enter the harem.”

Pei Qianyu grew anxious. “So, that means I still have to marry the Third Prince. But now that the Third Prince treats our side so poorly, he will definitely mistreat me.”

Pei Jin reached out and took Pei Qianyu’s hand. “Don’t worry. If the Third Prince truly harbors such intentions, I won’t let you marry him.”

However, Pei Qianyu’s eyes dimmed. She felt that Pei Jin couldn’t understand her. As a woman, what power did she have to control her own marriage?

“Are you… really not interested in entering the palace? It’s better than pretending to be a man all the time, isn’t it? In the palace, you can enjoy wealth and glory. Maybe you’ll be more favored than all the other consorts. Then you can have whatever you want,” Pei Qianyu said.

Pei Jin chuckled. “I don’t even want to be a normal woman, let alone a woman in the harem. I just want to achieve something in life. I’ve never thought about being a wife and mother.”

Pei Qianyu found it unbelievable. “You still consider yourself a man!”

Pei Jin gave a wry smile, patting Pei Qianyu’s head before heading to see her mother.

Coincidentally, her father arrived just then, and Pei Qianyu couldn’t help but ask about the matter. Unexpectedly, her father had come specifically to see her.

After a conversation, Pei Qianyu spent the whole day in her room. On the following day, she finally knocked on Pei Jin’s door, looking somewhat uneasy. “Sister, would you like to go to the residence in the west of the city with me for a day? I want to soak in the hot springs.”

Pei Jin found it somewhat strange. “I’ve been quite busy lately. You can go with someone else.”

“But I want to go with you. We… suddenly became sisters, so we should adapt.” Pei Qianyu pleaded, looking at Pei Jin. After some thought, Pei Jin agreed.

The two arrived at the Pei family residence, and Pei Jin couldn’t help but glance towards another residence not far away. Separated by a bamboo grove, they couldn’t see much, but Pei Jin knew that direction led to Lin Qingyang’s residence. Today, the two of them should also be there.

Thinking of Lin Qingyang reminded Pei Jin of Chu Lishu, the big liar. If it weren’t for him leading her to this point, her father wouldn’t have come to this decision.

“Sister, I’m feeling a bit shy. You go in first, and I’ll join you later,” Pei Qianyu said, escorting Pei Jin to the hot spring pool before leaving.

Pei Jin nodded. It was the first time the sisters had gone to soak in the hot springs together. Both Pei Jin and Pei Qianyu felt a bit awkward.

The hot spring in their residence was also sourced from the same spring on the mountain, providing fresh water. Several separate pools had been set up in the residence for people to use.

Among them, the most private one was surrounded by bamboo curtains. Upon entering, besides the usual steam, pink gauze hung on the surrounding bamboo curtains, giving the impression of a well-decorated space with a poetic ambiance. A gust of wind blew in, bringing not only red maple leaves falling into the pool but also lifting the gauze in a graceful manner.

Pei Jin didn’t have much of a girlish heart, so she didn’t pay much attention after a glance. She began to undress. As her clothes fell away, revealing her slender figure, she let down her dark hair and washed away the deliberately emphasized stern makeup on her face with a dip of clear water, revealing her true self. A beautiful and slender young woman emerged amidst the mist, her long and fair legs slowly stepping into the hot spring pool. Her delicate skin and dark hair seemed to be intensified by an artist’s brush, and although she was wearing a white undergarment, it became even more alluring when wet. The stark contrast between her male and female appearances was astonishing, as if a deity had transformed.

Pei Jin was in the midst of removing her undergarment and washing herself when she suddenly covered her chest and swiftly turned her head, her gaze sharp as she looked towards the bamboo curtain nearby.

Was it just her imagination? Why did she feel a strong gaze fixed on her?

Suddenly, footsteps approached, startling Pei Jin. “Who’s there! I’m here, everyone else, out!” she exclaimed.

But her warning went unheeded. The footsteps paused for a moment, then resumed again.

Pei Jin was shocked and hurriedly tried to get up to grab her clothes from the shore. However, in the moment she managed to grab her clothes, she saw a corner of clothing appear at the entrance of the bamboo curtain.

That corner of clothing was embroidered with a dragon pattern.

…

“How… how did you get here?” Lin Qingyang looked nervously at Chu Lishu, who had suddenly walked in, his expression somewhat flustered.

Chu Lishu looked innocent and said, “Cousin didn’t even invite me to soak in the hot spring. I also wanted to relax.”

Lin Qingyang immediately wanted to get up, but realized he wasn’t wearing anything, so he could only move to the side of the pool and awkwardly wrapped himself in a robe.

He didn’t dare to be alone with Chu Lishu. After their recent mutual assistance, Chu Lishu hinted at him again a few days later, but he avoided it. Although he couldn’t bear to see Chu Lishu suffer, he couldn’t help him either because his feelings for Chu Lishu were no longer pure. What if he lost control and did something inappropriate?

He… had feelings for Chu Lishu, but he wasn’t prepared to act on them.

This person was not just Chu Lishu, but also the male lead, someone he could only dream of being with. Just the thought of it was pessimistic. If he truly fell in love with Chu Lishu, he would be willing to try to pursue him, even though he was likely to be rejected due to gender issues.

After all, he had been secretly admiring him for so long. If Chu Lishu had feelings for him, he would have shown them by now. Apart from some slightly inappropriate actions for physical pleasure, Chu Lishu had always ignored his feelings, indicating that although Chu Lishu had deep feelings for him, he might not necessarily want to develop them into a romantic relationship, otherwise he wouldn’t have deliberately ignored them.

Now, the problem was that his own fantasy was starting to become a reality, but the way they interacted still wouldn’t change.

The pause button in Lin Qingyang’s mind was still there. He didn’t dare to think further ahead. Right now, he needed to focus on completing the task and preserving his life. Only then could he entertain other thoughts.

So, he couldn’t get too close now. He needed to keep his inner peace as much as possible and not let himself get too deeply involved. If things didn’t work out in the future, he might still be able to retract his feelings. It would be better not to ruin the friendship with Chu Lishu just because of his secret admiration.

“Cough, cough, I thought you were busy, so I didn’t call for you. But now that I’ve finished soaking, I can’t accompany you anymore. Go ahead and soak yourself,” Lin Qingyang chuckled awkwardly, about to get up. However, Chu Lishu had already taken off his outer clothes and jumped in, grabbing Lin Qingyang’s shoulder.

“Cousin, are you trying to avoid me?”

“Of course… not! I’ve been soaking for a while and I’m about to pass out,” Lin Qingyang chuckled nervously.

Chu Lishu raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly displeased. He said directly, “Then, Cousin, just sit by the pool and accompany me.”

Lin Qingyang couldn’t force himself to leave; it would be too forced. So, he had to grit his teeth and stay. But he didn’t know where to look, especially considering Chu Lishu’s body… Just seeing it would make his heart race and his mouth go dry, just like now… Damn it, why am I looking again?

Quickly averting his gaze, he poured himself some tea and water to force himself to calm down. Suddenly, he heard an unusual sound of panting.

Lin Qingyang was surprised and looked over curiously. In an instant, his eyes widened in shock.

He saw Chu Lishu leaning to the side, with his hair and inner clothes already wet, looking like a fruit moistened by morning dew, extremely tempting. He closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, slightly parted his lips, and exhaled softly. One of his arms moved slowly in the water, causing ripples to spread out in the hot spring pool. This was obviously…

Lin Qingyang’s breath hitched, cursing silently at the rogue! What was he doing in the hot spring in broad daylight! But his own reaction was even more lascivious. Just as he was about to flee, his eyes met Chu Lishu’s deep and mysterious gaze.

Lin Qingyang’s soul was instantly captivated. By the time he reacted, Chu Lishu was already approaching, his hand touching his lower thigh.

Lin Qingyang was about to retract his foot from the water when he was suddenly pulled down with force, plunging into the water.

Amidst his struggles, Lin Qingyang found himself enveloped in Chu Lishu’s embrace. His wet inner clothes, uncooperative, opened up, bringing the two closer together, allowing them to intimately experience each other’s bodies.

Lin Qingyang’s face instantly turned bright red, feeling a rush of heat flooding his entire body. What kind of devilish test was this! His rebellious little brother had quickly responded to the call, already greeting Chu Lishu. What face did he have left to say no!

“Ge, why are you hiding? Being unreliable is not good. Do you know how difficult these days have been for me? Enduring until now, can’t you help me a little?” Chu Lishu’s head leaned against Lin Qingyang’s shoulder, rubbing against it like a distressed little animal. But his actions were assertive; one hand held Lin Qingyang’s waist, while the other pressed against the pool edge behind them, slowly pushing him closer to avoid Lin Qingyang hitting his back. This way, both of his hands were occupied.

“Cousin, can we start now? We’re already like this.” Chu Lishu moved his body, rubbing against Lin Qingyang, not looking at his shy face but using the most seductive tone to coax him, his lips seemingly unintentionally brushing against Lin Qingyang’s ear.

With a loud buzz in his brain, Lin Qingyang’s self-restraint vanished instantly. He wasn’t sure if it was the hot spring making everything heat up or if it was Chu Lishu driving him to lose his rationality.

As a man, being treated like this by the person he had feelings for, if he could still remain indifferent, he could truly become a monk.

Lin Qingyang felt inexplicably angry. He took the initiative to turn over and pressed Chu Lishu against the pool edge. Chu Lishu didn’t resist, but instead, he was unusually compliant, his eyes soft and obedient. Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but feel a change in himself. He felt that every expression and gesture of Chu Lishu carried a seductive allure. This version of Chu Lishu left Lin Qingyang completely defenseless.

Lin Qingyang’s hand moved down, and Chu Lishu’s expression instantly became fragile and sensitive. Lin Qingyang, unable to control himself, leaned in closer, and Chu Lishu responded in kind, leaning his head against Lin Qingyang’s chest, cooperating with everything.

The intensity in Lin Qingyang’s eyes grew, and he realized that his desire was gradually spiraling out of control. He shouldn’t have gotten so close; once he did, he couldn’t control himself. He even felt the urge to overpower Chu Lishu.

He really wanted to ask Chu Lishu, “Do you know I have feelings for you? Yet you’re acting so recklessly. Are you deliberately provoking me? Are you playing games with me, knowing the circumstances? It’s despicable, do you know that?”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Lin Qingyang’s shoulder, causing his heart to tremble. In that instant of stimulation, his mind went blank, his gaze dimmed, and a dangerous thought emerged. Chu Lishu disregarded his feelings and acted recklessly, provoking him into losing control.

Without realizing it, Lin Qingyang’s grip on Chu Lishu’s hand tightened. As Lin Qingyang took a step forward in the water, a bell chimed in his mind.

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