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

The Empress Dowager had poisoned Pei Yan and thought she would never see her beloved eldest grandson again.

But unexpectedly, there was a turn of events.

Fearing another mishap, she dragged her ailing body to see the Useless Crown Prince.

The entire way, she mulled over her original plan, searching for any flaws.

’Could she successfully rescue her grandson?’

When he took her hostage, the Empress Dowager froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.

This was her most beloved grandson.

His actions were often absurd, but he was exceptionally dependent on her. In private, their relationship was no different from that of any grandmother and grandson in a common family.

After more than twenty years of grandmotherly affection, the Empress Dowager couldn’t just stand by and watch her grandson die.

She had made up her mind to help her grandson escape, even activating her most deeply hidden pawn.

’As long as he gets out this door, someone will be there to meet him. They’ll do everything in their power to help him escape.’

Unfortunately, she never had the chance to tell him her plan.

"Grandmother, don’t blame me. This is my only chance. You love me so much, you must be willing to help me escape."

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, a shimmer of tears flashing in them for a moment.

’This is the Royal Family.’

’Cold, ruthless, and unscrupulous—that was the right way to be. Otherwise, you’d be devoured, with not even the scraps left behind.’

"Ah Yu, don’t look back. There are people outside to help you. You must persevere."

The Empress Dowager instructed him in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Back then, Grandmother failed to protect your father and mother. This time, I will definitely protect you."

Surprise flickered in the Useless Crown Prince’s eyes, and for a moment, a hint of struggle followed.

It was quickly replaced by resolve.

’He had to live!’

’Anyone could be used to achieve his goal.’

’Even the grandmother who doted on him most!’

Holding the Empress Dowager hostage, the Useless Crown Prince finally walked out of his cage.

She was the birth mother of the reigning Holy Emperor; no one dared to make a rash move.

This hesitation gave the Useless Crown Prince’s former subordinates the opportunity to mount a rescue.

Combined with the Empress Dowager’s own arrangements, the Useless Crown Prince was whisked away just as he was on his last breath.

Empress Gu arrived a step too late, her head throbbing as if it were about to burst.

’The man Ah Yan worked so hard to take down just escaped. This will surely lead to disaster in the future!’

"The Empress Dowager has passed!"

A eunuch’s cry, laced with piercing wails, echoed down the palace corridors.

In the earlier clash of blades, the Empress Dowager had been accidentally wounded.

Already gravely ill with little time left, the perilous ordeal was too much for her, and she died on the spot.

Empress Gu nearly ground her teeth to dust. ’That meddlesome old hag! Why couldn’t she have died sooner!’

...

News of the upheaval in the palace spread beyond its walls.

The city gates were placed under martial law, and the Imperial Guard launched a high-profile manhunt for the fugitive traitors.

Xue Xingyao had returned to the Capital City to inquire about her family’s situation, never expecting to be caught up in such an event.

Her original plan was to visit her mother in prison first, then decide whether to see Chen Shujing and what she would even say to him.

But that plan was now in tatters.

The Xue Family was implicated with the Useless Crown Prince and was now imprisoned. Once the trial concluded, the entire Xue clan would likely be exiled to the desolate, frozen north.

As a daughter of the Xue Family, her arrival in the Capital City at this critical juncture meant she would inevitably be "invited" to the local government office for questioning.

Her interrogators were fierce and menacing, immediately accusing her of colluding with the Useless Crown Prince.

How else could it be such a coincidence? The moment the Useless Crown Prince escaped, she returned to the Capital City. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Xue Xingyao had never experienced such an ordeal.

Before her marriage, her mother had always protected her. The greatest setback she’d faced since was discovering her husband held another woman in his heart.

Having experienced so little of the world’s harshness, she couldn’t help but panic.

When she saw Chen Shujing hurrying over, Xue Xingyao felt as if she were seeing her savior.

"Ah Yao, are you alright?" The concern in his eyes was genuine.

Tears suddenly welled up in Xue Xingyao’s eyes.

She was finally realizing what the fall of the Duke Mansion truly meant for her.

Without her status as Chen Shujing’s wife, she wouldn’t even have the right to stand here and speak for herself.

Xue Xingyao shook her head, then nodded, her mind a chaotic blur.

She grabbed Chen Shujing’s sleeve. "Ah Jing, I have nothing to do with him. Get me out of here."

In the end, she was just a vulnerable woman.

’How could she not be terrified?’

Chen Shujing gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Don’t worry, I’m here."

Those four words strangely calmed Xue Xingyao’s heart.

Chen Shujing stepped forward to negotiate, explaining that she had no connection to the Useless Crown Prince and had only come to the Capital City to find him.

Xue Xingyao sat on a simple wooden stool, her gaze fixed on him.

’A thought surfaced in her mind: was she overreacting?’

’Miss Shen was already dead; she could no longer come between her and Chen Shujing.’

’Most importantly, if she left the Chen Family, would her life really be any better?’

’If something like this happened again, how would she handle it on her own?’

’The Duke Mansion had fallen. She had lost her greatest support. Perhaps staying with the Chen Family was the best choice after all.’

’She could protect herself, and maybe even her mother and younger brother...’

’Was divorce really the best option?’

Xue Xingyao was lost in a daze and only snapped out of it when he drew near.

As far as Chen Shujing knew, Xue Xingyao feared nothing.

He had only seen her look so helpless once before, when tragedy first struck the Xue Family.

Chen Shujing blamed himself for the poor arrangements. "I should have known," he said. "You wouldn’t just wait in Jiangnan for news. I should have sent someone to fetch you."

’He was as considerate as ever, always shouldering the blame himself.’

Xue Xingyao lowered her gaze, hiding the struggle and confusion in her eyes.

She said softly, "It’s my fault. I should have written to you beforehand."

Chen Shujing’s eyes lit up.

A few days ago, he’d received a letter from His Highness. In it, that scoundrel had jeered at him in his usual passive-aggressive way, saying he was about to be abandoned.

Thinking about how long it had been since he’d received a letter from Ah Yao, he had indeed started to feel a little panicked.

Even if Ah Yao hadn’t come, he would have gone to Jiangnan to find her.

But now, seeing her attitude, it seemed no different from before.

’Abandon him?’

’Impossible!’

’He hadn’t done anything to wrong Ah Yao.’

He tentatively squeezed her fingers. She didn’t refuse.

Chen Shujing was completely relieved.

He quickly pulled his hand back and said to Xue Xingyao, "I know you want to see your mother and family, but with the entire city under martial law, it will likely be a couple of days before I can arrange a meeting."

Xue Xingyao drew her hand back into her wide sleeve, her fingers brushing against the handkerchief hidden within. She let out a subtle sigh of relief.

In the end, she lifted her head to meet Chen Shujing’s gaze. "Husband, I will follow your arrangements."

A smile lit up in Chen Shujing’s eyes when he heard her call him that.

The last time he was home, Ah Yao had started calling him Young Master, a change he found deeply unsettling.

Thankfully, she had changed back.

’Her strange behavior before was probably because she lost the baby.’

The two of them left the government office side by side.

Just as they were about to head back to the Chen Family’s residence in the Capital City, one of Chen Shujing’s attendants hurried forward, looking like he had urgent news to report.

He glanced at Xue Xingyao, his expression conflicted.

Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Xue Xingyao went ahead and boarded the carriage.

"Young Master, Mr. Shen was seriously injured at the barracks..."

’Xue Xingyao cursed her excellent hearing. She had just decided to play dumb, so why did reality have to shatter her illusion?’

’Digging her nails into her palm, she prayed that Chen Shujing wouldn’t go to Shen Mingji.’

’Don’t let my compromise become a complete joke!’