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

Chen Shujing agreed to the divorce. He signed the divorce paper and had his attendants deliver it to the Mei Mansion.

He also sent word to Xue Xingyao, telling her not to involve Shen Mingxiao in their affairs.

The dead deserve respect.

She was already gone; she shouldn’t be disturbed even in death.

Upon receiving the divorce paper, Xue Xingyao felt liberated, but Mrs. Xue was filled with a bitter unease.

The man who had been so dead set against the divorce had suddenly relented.

He had even signed the divorce paper and sent it to Ah Yao, hastily severing their marital bond.

’It was proof enough that Miss Shen was no ordinary person, that she held a uniquely important place in Chen Shujing’s heart.’

’In his heart, Ah Yao could never compare to Miss Shen.’

A heavy weight settled in Mrs. Xue’s chest. ’My poor daughter... How did she end up following my own bitter fate?’

’Ah Yao has been wronged so terribly.’

’No wonder she had steeled her heart for a divorce. Chen Shujing is a monster!’

’They had all been fooled by his gentle, courteous, jade-like facade!’

Although she supported her daughter’s decision to divorce, Mrs. Xue’s heart still ached now that the moment had arrived.

Her eyes welled with tears as she applied ointment to her daughter’s wounds.

’Such a wonderful girl like Ah Yao... how could Chen Shujing not know how to cherish her?’

Lying on the daybed, Xue Xingyao’s tone was light. "Mother, put a bit more ointment on. I want to heal as quickly as possible so I can take you all to Jiangnan."

Her expression was serene, completely devoid of sorrow.

There was only profound relief.

Mrs. Xue took a sharp breath, blinking back the sting in her eyes.

She chided, "You silly girl. Your wounds haven’t even healed and you’re already thinking about Jiangnan. Do you wish they hurt more?"

Xue Xingyao whined playfully, "I miss Ling. You have no idea how adorable she is, with her round little head, just like a cherubic good-fortune doll."

"I haven’t seen her in so long. I wonder how much she’s changed, or if she’s started teething yet."

They say children grow up in the blink of an eye, and Xue Xingyao truly missed Ling.

On the day Ling was born, Mrs. Mei had been rushing to check on Ah Yin, so she had been the first to hold the baby.

The baby was the flesh and blood of her dearest friend. Xue Xingyao already adored her, and with such a fated connection, how could she not constantly think of her?

Mrs. Xue lowered her voice. "Did the Mei girl really have a child with His Highness?"

Xue Xingyao hedged. "Well, the baby was born. But as for who Ling’s father is, that’s for Ah Yin to decide."

’As long as Ah Yin doesn’t give her approval, Pei Yan can forget about claiming his child!’

Mrs. Xue thought Mei Wanying was incredibly bold. ’There’s no such thing as a perfect secret. Getting pregnant out of wedlock... if word got out, she’d be endlessly condemned by gossip.’

’No wonder Ah Yao had the courage to seek a divorce; she was likely influenced by Mei Wanying.’

’The two of them had been close since they were little girls.’

Mrs. Xue was relieved that her daughter hadn’t been influenced by her and developed a weak, timid personality.

Though the Duke Mansion had fallen and she and her children had lost their power and prestige, being able to live on and have a chance to start over was the best possible outcome.

The talk of children inevitably made Mrs. Xue think of her own unborn grandchild.

’That wretched Chen Shujing!’

Mrs. Xue’s tone grew serious. "Ah Yao, don’t ever go back."

Xue Xingyao sighed. "Mother, I won’t go back. Please don’t worry about me."

’When I first returned to the Capital City and Chen Shujing came to the Government Office to meet me, my resolve wavered. Ultimately, it was because I still held out some hope for him.’

’But now that I’ve seen his true, heartless nature, how could I possibly turn back?’

Xue Xingyao hated being mistreated more than anything, and she despised dishonesty. Every single thing Chen Shujing had done was a violation of her principles.

’If I went back, it would mean lowering my standards. Then, the next time something happened, Chen Shujing would just choose to degrade me again.’

The mere thought of such a life terrified Xue Xingyao.

’I will absolutely not go back!’

With the divorce paper in hand, Xue Xingyao didn’t want to delay another day. She entrusted the steward of the Mei Mansion to submit the document to the government on her behalf.

She also dispatched people to the Chen family to retrieve her dowry, with instructions to send it directly to their residence in Jiangnan.

When Xue Xingyao had married, her dowry had been lavish, including shops and rural estates in the Capital.

At the time, she was a wife of the Chen family, so the Duke Mansion’s downfall hadn’t implicated her.

Thus, those assets were saved.

A dowry was meant to be a woman’s security, and now it had become the only thing she and her family had to fall back on.

Their life was no longer what it once was, but at least they wouldn’t have to worry about food and shelter.

Xue Xingyao said, "The culture in Jiangnan is more open-minded. When we get there, I’ll learn to do business. I certainly won’t just sit idly by and squander our savings."

Having been a noblewoman for most of her life, Mrs. Xue still believed, deep down, that merchants were a base and lowly class.

Hearing her daughter say this, her eyes reddened again. "We can get by on simple meals. You don’t need to expose yourself to public life. If it comes to that, let your brothers do it. They are young men; a true man knows when to be flexible."

’The sons of the Xue family can no longer become court officials. Business is indeed a viable path for them.’

The corners of Xue Xingyao’s lips lifted into a genuine smile. "Mother, as long as our family works together, we can certainly build a good life for ourselves."

"It doesn’t matter that we’ve fallen on hard times," Xue Xingyao said. "As long as we don’t lose heart, there’s no obstacle we can’t overcome."

’Knowing Ah Yin’s character, she would certainly try to take care of her, but she refused to become a burden to her friend.’

’She certainly didn’t want to be a leech, draining her friend dry.’

’There’s a saying: you help in a crisis, you don’t support the perpetually poor. Ah Yin had already helped her when the Xue family’s disaster struck.’

’If she were to show up with her entire family and latch onto Ah Yin, it would be a betrayal of their friendship!’

Xue Xingyao was determined to find a way to make a living, whether it was by going into business, working as an Embroidery Girl, or teaching the four scholarly arts.

To be able to support herself—that was the greatest dignity of all.

No sooner had the Chen family elders received a letter from Chen Shujing—stating that Xue Xingyao wanted a divorce and asking for their help in convincing her to stay—

than the people dispatched by Xue Xingyao arrived at the Chen family’s door.

"Our mistress and the Young Master have divorced. We have come today to retrieve our mistress’s dowry."

The Chen family was a noble family; they would never do something so shameful as to illegally keep Xue Xingyao’s dowry.

’But... how did they get divorced?’

Madam Chen was baffled. "Ah Jing didn’t want a divorce. He even asked me to persuade Ah Yao. How could they have suddenly divorced? There must be some mistake."

The head steward presented the divorce paper. "This is the divorce paper, signed by the Young Master himself. It has already been filed with the government. Our mistress is now a free woman."

Madam Chen took it and saw that it was, indeed, her own son’s handwriting.

"Did... did something terrible happen? Why else would Ah Jing have agreed to this?"

The steward remained respectful. "We are not privy to the Young Master’s thoughts. We have come only for the matter of the dowry."

Madam Chen was about to say more, but Second Madam Chen tugged at her sleeve.

"You have all come a long way. Please, go have some tea and rest."

It was a clear dismissal. The steward bowed and was led away.

Madam Chen murmured to herself, "How did it come to a divorce?"

Second Madam Chen said, "Marriage is a matter of matching social status. Now that the Duke Mansion has fallen, a divorce might actually be the best option."

"For one, Ah Jing won’t be dragged down by his wife’s family."

"And for another, our niece-in-law’s mind can be at ease. She’s a proud woman; she would never want to feel inferior to others."

Madam Chen disagreed. "But what will people think? They’ll say our Chen family has no honor, that we abandoned Miss Xue in her time of need."

Second Madam Chen replied, "As long as you don’t rush to find Ah Jing a new wife, it will just be idle gossip. It will all blow over in time."