A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go

Xue Xingyao and Ding Xiang were blocked outside the courtyard by Pei Yan’s men. The estate’s guards were no match for Wei Jue and his people, so the two groups were locked in a stalemate.

Seeing Mei Wanying appear, Xue Xingyao’s eyes lit up, her confidence soaring.

She forcefully slammed into Wei Jue’s shoulder, trying to shove him aside with an air of arrogance and go to greet Mei Wanying.

Wei Jue’s feet were planted as if they were stakes driven into the ground. The consequence of her forceful shove was that she was thrown back several steps, landing on her butt on the ground.

It was so humiliating she almost burst into tears.

She cursed, "Like master, like dog! You’re just as detestable as Pei Yan!"

Wei Jue’s lips twitched.

’How am I detestable?’

’Aren’t I just following the Crown Prince’s orders?’

’Miss Xue Er dares to speak His Highness’s name directly. She must have a death wish.’

’Her maternal family is still locked up in prison!’

’If not for Miss Mei’s backing, she’d definitely be charged with the crime of great disrespect.’

Wei Jue glanced at her and replied expressionlessly, "As for a dog flaunting its master’s power, you’re not so bad yourself."

Xue Xingyao shot him a vicious glare. ’That foul mouth of his is exactly like Pei Yan’s!’

Meanwhile, Ding Xiang jogged over to meet her.

"Miss, are you all right?"

Ding Xiang’s gaze drifted toward the bridal chamber, wondering why Pei Yan hadn’t come out.

’For someone so thick-skinned and black-hearted, is there actually a time when he’s too ashamed to show his face?’

Mei Wanying’s face was cold, too furious with Pei Yan to speak.

’I just want to get out of here.’

’Far, far away from Pei Yan.’

She had walked quite a distance before it hit her. ’This is my home. The one who should leave is Pei Yan!’

"Throw them out!"

Ding Xiang was on the verge of tears. "We tried! They’re utterly shameless. They even grabbed Ling and used her to threaten Mrs. Mei."

If they hadn’t, we would have caused a scene during the wedding ceremony. Why would we have let Pei Yan have his way for so long?

Mei Wanying grew frantic. "Where’s the child?"

Ding Xiang quickly replied, "Mrs. Mei and Nanny Liu are with her. She was frightened and cried until her voice was hoarse."

The thought of Ling crying nonstop made Ding Xiang’s heart ache.

’Pei Yan is truly a plague. He used to make our mistress cry, and now he’s making Ling cry.’

’He’s just the absolute worst!’

Mei Wanying breathed a sigh of relief that her daughter hadn’t been taken away by Pei Yan’s men.

She hurried to the front courtyard with Xue Xingyao sticking close by her side.

The guests hadn’t left yet. Watched by Pei Yan’s men, they sat there drinking the wedding wine.

The atmosphere was very strange.

Knowing Pei Yan’s identity, no one dared to defy his orders.

He was the Crown Prince, after all.

The man who would one day ascend the throne!

They had actually attended the Crown Prince’s wedding feast. When they returned home, they could brag about it for days and nights!

The Mei family’s son-in-law had suddenly changed from Mr. Gu to the Crown Prince. His Highness had condescended to crash the wedding.

There was so much to talk about in all of this!

Everyone present was thrilled, but with Pei Yan’s men watching them, they didn’t dare to whisper amongst themselves.

’To gossip about the Crown Prince? That’s asking for death!’

The Mei family’s relatives didn’t even dare to raise their heads, too scared to even breathe loudly.

Pei Yan had protected Mei Wanying in the past, but his attitude toward her had been cold, and he had been resolute in not marrying her.

They had assumed that what little kindness Pei Yan showed Mei Wanying was just to repay a debt of gratitude.

They never expected he would do something like crashing the wedding.

He had just brazenly walked into the Mei family’s home, completed the wedding ceremony with Mei Wanying, and completely disregarded what anyone else thought.

They couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could Ling be Pei Yan’s child?’

If that were true, it would explain why Gu Xun was so eager to be a stepfather.

’Ling would be considered Gu Family blood in a way...’

’Calculating the timing, it’s not impossible that Mei Wanying got pregnant with Ling while she was in the Capital City.’

’Ling is built like a little ox; she doesn’t look like a premature baby at all.’

They couldn’t afford to provoke Gu Xun, let alone Pei Yan. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

He was now the Crown Prince, second only to one and above all others. Who could possibly stand against him?

The relatives exchanged glances.

’Why is it so hard to seize the inheritance of this heirless branch of the family!’

Mei Wanying’s cousin muttered under her breath, "What’s so great about her? Is she worth the Crown Prince coming all this way to crash her wedding?"

"Besides a face like a vixen’s, what else does Mei Wanying have?"

"Her father is dead, so she offers no support at all. Wouldn’t His Highness be at a huge disadvantage marrying her as the Crown Princess Consort?"

Mei Wanying’s aunt’s eyes darted around, and an idea suddenly struck her.

’If we can’t get the Mei family’s fortune, we can have Mei Wanying introduce us and marry the girls from our clan into the Capital City.’

’It would be best... best if one could become a concubine to the Crown Prince.’

’If she gives birth to a son or even a daughter then, wouldn’t glory and riches be within our grasp?’

’Why keep staring at this one piece of fatty meat, drooling with greed every day?’

She nudged her daughter’s shoulder, signaling for her to stop muttering. "From now on, you’d better suck up to Mei Wanying. There will be endless fortunes to enjoy."

The cousin pouted. "She won’t even give us a penny of the family fortune. Why would she be generous enough to let me serve the Crown Prince alongside her?"

Thinking of that handsome and martial man, she felt even more resentful.

’How could Mei Wanying be so damn lucky.’

’Her father was successful!’

’And the man she found is a dragon among men!’

’Mei Wanying gets all the good things. No wonder the side branches of the Mei family are so unsuccessful.’

’She must have sucked all their good luck dry!’

"Listen to your mother. I won’t lead you astray. If you get on Mei Wanying’s good side, you’ll have a chance to get close to His Highness, won’t you?"

’That Pei Yan is hard to get along with, and he doesn’t dally with women. The process might be difficult, but it wouldn’t kill us to try.’

’We’re Mei Wanying’s relatives. No matter how displeased Pei Yan is, it’s not like he can kill us, right?’

...

Seeing the lively scene, Mei Wanying felt a rush of blood to her head and ordered the steward to see the guests out.

Since the order came from Mei Wanying, Pei Yan’s subordinates didn’t dare to stop them for long.

The guests were even less inclined to stay and watch the drama unfold.

Soon, the front courtyard fell quiet.

Mei Wanying rushed to her daughter’s side and saw her lying in her mother’s arms, her eyes following a rattle-drum as she occasionally made soft, babyish sounds.

The taut string inside her finally loosened a little.

Mrs. Mei was too ashamed to face her daughter. She explained in a low voice, "At that moment, his men were holding Ling. I... I was truly panicking, afraid they would snatch Ling away."

By doing this, Pei Yan was clearly threatening them.

Mei Wanying took her daughter, gently patting Ling’s back as if she were coaxing the child, and also as if she were coaxing herself.

After a long moment, Mei Wanying finally spoke. "His name isn’t on the marriage certificate. This is a fraudulent marriage. It doesn’t count."

If she had seen Pei Yan’s face earlier, she would have died before completing the ceremony with him.

She had returned to Jiangnan precisely to draw a clear line between herself and Pei Yan. How could she possibly marry him?

Since he was acting so outrageously, she could just as easily refuse to acknowledge it.

’I learned it all from Pei Yan.’

’To deal with a scoundrel, you have to use a scoundrel’s methods!’

Mrs. Mei’s heart was pounding with anxiety. "As for Mr. Gu, I don’t know what’s happened to him. After being so brazen today, I’m afraid Pei Yan won’t let this go easily."

Wanying had rushed into marriage to deal with Empress Gu.

And in the end, it was ruined by Pei Yan.

Mrs. Mei was beginning to wonder if they owed some kind of debt to the Royal Family.

The General sacrificed his life for the Pei Family’s empire, and now his only daughter is being relentlessly pushed into a corner by them.

"The Pei Family is truly going too far!"

Mei Wanying didn’t know where Gu Xun was either. How could a normal person ever be a match for a madman?

She felt both anxious and guilty.

’If I had known Pei Yan would be this crazy, I never would have dragged an innocent person into this mess.’

She said in a cold voice, "If he dares to lay a hand on Gu Xun, he will become my enemy!"