I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 219

Chapter 219

【Main Mission 2, Mission 16: Help the male lead complete the Pei family’s split plan.】

Pei Jin tightly held onto her clothes, emerging from the hot spring, feeling chilled to the bone. She curled up and knelt on the ground, everything clearly exposed, yet she instinctively tried to hide.

A pair of bright yellow boots stopped in front of her, and a hand reached out to push aside her wet hair, lifting her chin.

She finally had to face the person in front of her. “I greet… Your Majesty.”

“Pei Jin… in a female guise… does look much better than as a man. Perhaps you should consider dressing as a woman in the future.”

Pei Jin was already trembling all over.

The Emperor, unusually gentle, said, “Don’t be afraid. I don’t blame you for your disguise, and you shouldn’t blame me for intruding here and startling you.”

Pei Jin’s face had turned deathly pale, and all she could do was shake her head, but tears still overflowed from her eyes uncontrollably.

The Emperor chuckled lightly, released Pei Jin, and said, “Tidy up and come out. Don’t catch a cold.” With that, he stepped away.

But at that moment, Pei Jin was so overwhelmed with grief and anger that she couldn’t breathe. Gasping for air as if she might suffocate at any moment, tears of shock finally streamed down her face, and she silently cried out in agony for a long while before finally, in a disheveled state, she wrapped herself in her clothes and left.

Upon stepping out, Pei Jin immediately saw Pei Qianyu’s grim expression.

Pei Jin stared straight at her, while Pei Qianyu’s eyes turned red. She stepped forward and said, “Sister, your clothes are all wet. Go back and change.”

“Why, Pei Qianyu?” Pei Jin already knew that her father had arranged everything to force her into compliance. She couldn’t understand why Pei Qianyu could deceive her like this without any burden, especially when she had always been protective of her younger sister.

Pei Qianyu supported Pei Jin as they walked back into the house, her voice hoarse as she said, “Sister, don’t blame me. Father forced me. What else could I do? I had to obey him.”

Pei Qianyu’s words seemed to imply that she always followed their father’s orders, but Pei Jin wasn’t fooled. She remained silent for a moment before coldly laughing, “I see. If I refuse to enter the palace, then you’ll have to go, right?”

Pei Qianyu instantly felt guilty and couldn’t meet Pei Jin’s gaze. She could only say, “It’s father’s decision, and I don’t want this either. Since you already understand, you should know that it’s your responsibility now. If you escape, it will affect me. Sister, you promised to protect me, so how could you harm me?”

Although Pei Qianyu felt somewhat guilty towards Pei Jin, she didn’t think she had done anything wrong. Unlike Pei Jin, who could bravely refuse, she was just a woman of the inner chamber. If their father ordered her to enter the palace, she had no choice but to comply. She dreaded becoming a thorn in the eyes of Empress Cheng and Concubine Pei. Since Pei Jin was the first choice for the Pei family, why make her go?

Pei Jin looked deeply at Pei Qianyu and said, “You make a valid point.”

In truth, she understood Pei Qianyu’s reasoning. They were now like two people standing in the same target range. If she dodged, the arrow would hit Pei Qianyu. Naturally, Pei Qianyu wouldn’t want her to dodge. But Pei Jin felt a chill in her heart. Despite their years of sibling affection, Pei Qianyu didn’t even bother to inform her, instead choosing to help their father deal with her. If Pei Qianyu cried and said she didn’t want to enter the palace, could Pei Jin still force her?

Pei Qianyu was also feeling uncomfortable, but she still led Pei Jin back to their room.

As soon as they entered, Pei Jin noticed that everything for women’s attire had already been prepared.

Pei Jin had nothing else to change into except for the half-wet men’s clothing she was wearing. Looking at the beautiful hairpins and dresses that she had never imagined wearing, she felt as if her heart and body had fallen into an icy abyss. She had harbored hopes…

“What does Father want me to do?”

“Just now, His Majesty came out, and Father asked him if he wanted to stay overnight here. His Majesty nodded. So…” Pei Qianyu whispered.

It turned out that it wasn’t just about letting the Emperor come to inspect the goods; they wanted to directly send her to the Dragon Bed, making a final decision.

Tears streamed down Pei Jin’s face again, but she couldn’t even cry out. She could only breathe slowly to barely keep herself composed.

“Sister…”

“Get out…”

Pei Qianyu reluctantly left, closing the door behind her. But before Pei Jin could calm down, her father’s voice came from outside the door.

“Pei Jin, don’t blame me. This is for the sake of the Pei family. We have no other choice. Only you can handle this. Now that the Emperor knows you’re a woman, there’s no going back. Judging from the Emperor’s reaction, he seems quite interested in you. Everything will be fine in the future. Don’t be stubborn. As children of the Pei family, we should be prepared to make sacrifices. We’ve spoiled you too much. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

Pei Jin felt a deep pain in her heart. She was never one to easily surrender to anything. She had always been determined to achieve great things like a man. Being involved in the palace intrigue was never her desire. Naturally, she wanted to refuse. But faced with both paternal and imperial authority, Pei Jin couldn’t utter a single word of objection.

the head of the Pei family  advised her to think it over.

Pei Jin could only cry alone in her room. She felt it was ridiculous, her whole life was ridiculous. In the end, was she still powerless to change the fate of being a woman?

At that moment, Pei Jin really wished there was someone who could appear and tell her that she didn’t have to comply, that she didn’t have to choose, that she could resist to the end. She needed a reason to fight back.

But there was no one.

Pei Jin slowly stood up, feeling as if she had lost her soul, and walked to the dressing table. She reached out to take the hairpin placed there, lost in thought. The tip of the hairpin pricked her finger.

Pei Jin looked at the blood flowing out, feeling stunned.

Suddenly, she remembered what Lin Qingyang had said to her in the autumn hunting tent, the time when she had even scolded him.

Pei Jin sighed bitterly, and suddenly a glimmer of light shone in her eyes.

An hour later, a large number of guards from the Pei residence secretly sneaked out and searched along the road for someone. As a carriage passed by, they looked up and saw it was coming from County Princess Yawen’s residence. Naturally, they couldn’t stop the carriage for inspection. The carriage passed by them and continued forward. Not long after, a lone and slender figure appeared ahead of the carriage, wearing partially dry clothes, walking along the road.

The carriage slowed to a halt and stopped in the middle of the road.

Pei Jin was lost in thought when suddenly she was intercepted. Her heart tightened, thinking that her father had sent someone to arrest her.

But when she looked up, she saw someone lifting the curtain of the carriage door and looking at her.

“Are you tired from walking? Where do you want to go? We’ll take you.”

Lin Qingyang stood smilingly on the carriage, waving at Pei Jin.

Pei Jin’s eyes welled up with tears again as she walked towards the carriage.

As the sound of the wheels rolling continued, Pei Jin finally regained her senses. She had truly…escaped.

Pei Jin looked at the two people inside the carriage, speechless for a moment.

Lin Qingyang reached out to pour tea for Pei Jin, a smile playing on his lips, his mood surprisingly good. Beside him, Chu Lishu glanced at Lin Qingyang with an expressionless face, but his mood was foul.

Actually, in the hot spring pool, the sudden noise in Lin Qingyang’s mind caused him to slip and fall into the water, nearly choking. Amidst the chaos, any romantic atmosphere vanished instantly. Both of them were so startled that their minds were distracted from any desire, leaving them in an awkward half-dazed state. Just then, Lu Yi arrived to report that Chief Steward Sheng had been found. Since Chief Steward Sheng usually stayed close to the Emperor…

Lin Qingyang quickly pieced things together. In the original plot, it was Chu Lishu who orchestrated and guided Pei Jin’s offer to the Emperor in exchange for dividing the two families. This not only served to divide the families but also allowed Pei Jin to rely on him again in a moment of crisis. However, Lin Qingyang couldn’t shake the feeling that the current Chu Lishu wouldn’t do such a thing.

But Chu Lishu seemed to know what was going on. Upon inquiry, it became clear that when Chu Lishu attempted to arrange some minor conflicts to gradually drive a wedge between the two branches of the Pei family, he discovered some of the Pei family’s intentions. It turned out that without Chu Lishu’s deliberate guidance, the Pei family would still choose to sacrifice Pei Jin.

Chu Lishu had decided to stay out of the matter altogether. After all, if he intervened, it would inevitably be seen as him using Pei Jin.

From their perspective, if Pei Jin entered the palace, the Pei family would undoubtedly support her, making her development more difficult to handle than Concubine Pei and the Third Prince. It would be detrimental to them in every way.

So in the original plot, Chu Lishu’s intention was to prevent Pei Jin from entering the palace by creating a situation where she was almost taken in by the emperor, thereby stimulating Concubine Pei and dividing the Pei family. However, he also devised a plan for the Pei’s separate courtyard and used his charm to entice Pei Jin to make a choice. After all, he didn’t want to eliminate one enemy only to cultivate an even more powerful one.

So logically, he should now take the same approach as in the original plot to prevent everything from happening at the Pei family’s separate courtyard, maximizing Pei Jin’s value and not giving the Pei family any chance of a comeback.

However, he knows that Lin Qingyang has developed some friendship with Pei Jin, so he turns a blind eye and waits for the results before considering his next move. If it’s not too troublesome either way, he can make concessions for Lin Qingyang once.

Chu Lishu’s mockery of Pei Jin, implying that she couldn’t escape the fate of being mistreated by the Yuan family even if she didn’t marry the Third Prince, made Lin Qingyang feel embarrassed for him.

However, this situation is quite awkward. From Pei Jin’s perspective, it seems like she missed a chance for redemption, which leaves Lin Qingyang feeling conflicted. But he can’t just force Chu Lishu to go over there with him—it’s just not feasible.

Indeed, this time is different from the situation with the Third Prince. Back then, it was a case of male coercion against a female, and Lin Qingyang bringing Chu Lishu along would have been a heroic act. However, this time, the Emperor is not the Third Prince. Even if he’s repulsive, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to force a woman into his bed. As the Emperor, he can have any woman he desires, and if he does develop an interest, he would wait for the woman to come to him voluntarily. So, regardless of how the Pei family tries to persuade her, as long as Pei Jin refuses or expresses unwillingness, the Emperor would simply leave without wasting any time with them. This is how events unfolded in the original story.

Therefore, the decision ultimately lies with Pei Jin. In the original story, Chu Lishu may have been just an additional bargaining chip. However, this time, since Chu Lishu and Pei Jin never developed any emotional connection from the start, this bargaining chip holds no weight. Whether Chu Lishu goes or not is no longer the key issue; the crucial factor is Pei Jin’s decision. Lin Qingyang knows he’s not a savior and therefore has no right to interfere with someone else’s autonomy and choice.

Just as Chu Lishu said, even if Pei Jin agrees to enter the palace and fight for the Pei family, we would still be on opposing sides.

So they made a bet…

“You both conveniently showed up here, do you know what’s going on?” Pei Jin was sharp and quickly caught on, looking flustered.

Lin Qingyang didn’t hide anything either. “We figured it out somewhat.”

Chu Lishu’s tone was not very good as he said, “Looks like you’ve left the Emperor all by himself. Quite bold of you.”

Pei Jin’s face paled.

Feeling a bit sorry for her, Lin Qingyang added, “Following your heart is good. Don’t force yourself if you don’t want to.”

Pei Jin glanced at Lin Qingyang. In fact, when she first escaped, she wanted to find Lin Qingyang, but she ultimately gave up. Breaking down in the arms of someone she liked wasn’t something she could bring herself to do. She just wanted to escape temporarily—yes, temporarily, because she hadn’t figured out how to make her choice yet. She just wanted to escape the suffocating environment that prevented her from making a calm decision.

“My true feelings? I don’t even know what my true feelings are.”  Pei Jin said with a hint of self-deprecation.

Lin Qingyang felt awkward. Just as in the original plot, Pei Jin had her own concerns, and without Chu Lishu’s emotional manipulation, she couldn’t make a decisive choice.

Lin Qingyang looked at Chu Lishu. In terms of the mission, whether Pei Jin entered the palace or not didn’t affect him at all, as the necessary events had already taken place. However, on a personal level, Lin Qingyang didn’t want a major change in the plot, nor did he want Pei Jin to face such a dilemma. He had indeed come to see Pei Jin as a friend and couldn’t bear to see her sacrifice for her family.

Chu Lishu looked at Lin Qingyang’s almost pleading eyes and sighed. “Forget it, let’s admit defeat.” Then he instructed Lu Yi, who was driving the carriage, to change direction and head to a certain location.

Pei Jin asked in confusion, “Where are you taking me? What do you mean by admitting defeat?”

Lin Qingyang also didn’t know where they were going, but the bet was their own affair. Lin Qingyang didn’t want to say anything, as it seemed impolite to bet on whether someone would escape or not.

Back then, Lin Qingyang bet on whether Pei Jin would escape, and Chu Lishu promised that if Lin Qingyang won, he would help Pei Jin out of the predicament.

Chu Lishu didn’t respond to Pei Jin’s question but instead said bluntly, “Pei Jin, my cousin gave you advice before, and I’ll give you the same advice now. Let’s go, leave this place.”

Pei Jin was first surprised, then her guard immediately intensified. After all, when Chu Lishu spoke seemingly for her benefit, it was most likely a trap. She had been burned once and wouldn’t easily trust again.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Pei Jin remained calm and composed, responding calmly.

Chu Lishu sneered, “Have you ever thought about why they insist on sending you to the palace?”

There was a slight change in Pei Jin’s expression, while Lin Qingyang looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning behind Chu Lishu’s words. Sending Pei Jin to the palace was because the Pei family wanted to secure support from the inside. Pei Jin was the most suitable candidate—smart, capable, and not beholden to anyone else. That should be the Pei family’s intention, right? That’s what the original plot said. Could there be some hidden agenda?”

Chu Lishu leaned casually against the carriage wall, tilting slightly until his shoulder touched Lin Qingyang’s. He nonchalantly remarked, “If they really wanted someone from the Pei family, Pei Qianyu would be the more legitimate choice. They could have simply decreed her entry into the palace. After all, she’s your own blood sister. You would undoubtedly support her wholeheartedly, and she would be obedient. Moreover, any children born would be the Pei family head’s own grandchildren. Why go through the trouble of bringing the emperor into the equation? It risks exposing the truth and angering the emperor. Making you the candidate seems unnecessarily troublesome.”

“It’s… it’s to eliminate future risks. They fear that the Third Prince and others might use my female identity against me. Besides, I’m better equipped to handle the dangers of the harem than my sister.” Pei Jin’s expression gradually turned blank, but she continued to defend the Pei family’s decision. She had harbored suspicions before, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask why her sister wasn’t chosen.

But Lin Qingyang found these reasons quite far-fetched. After all, if the Pei family was willing to take the risk of letting the emperor know the truth and succeeded without punishment, how could they be afraid of the Third Prince using it against them?

“Hmm, that’s quite a reason,” Chu Lishu remarked sarcastically, looking at Pei Jin. He continued, “It’s absurd, isn’t it? Clearly, it would be most advantageous for one to be in the harem and the other in the previous dynasty. Now, it doesn’t matter whether Pei Qianyu goes or not, but you must go, even disregarding your own dignity. Without a solid reason, isn’t it all quite ridiculous?”

As Lin Qingyang listened, he became fully convinced by Chu Lishu’s words. When he looked at Pei Jin, he noticed that her complexion had changed entirely. It was evident that she knew there must be some other reason behind it all. Perhaps she wasn’t sacrificed by the Pei family due to carelessness after all.

“What… reason？” Pei Jin’s voice was hoarse.

“Arrived. You’ll see when we get there. If you decide to leave then, we’ll make arrangements for you,” Chu Lishu said no more, instead leaning against Lin Qingyang and closing his eyes to rest.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened, as if it were about to rain. Lin Qingyang handed Pei Jin a blanket, suggesting she cover herself. Whether from actual cold or emotional chill, Pei Jin wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, curling up quietly in the corner, lost in thought.

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