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

After several days of peace, several bloated corpses were dredged from the upper reaches of the city moat.

Soon after, some of the city’s residents began to show symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and unceasing abdominal pain.

Physicians declared that if a proper cure wasn’t found in time, these people would die from exhaustion.

Worse still, the illness was contagious.

A rumor began to spread that the corpses were highly toxic and that the people suffering from vomiting and diarrhea might have contracted a plague.

Everyone grew pale at the mere mention of a plague, knowing full well how terrifying it could be.

For a time, panic gripped the city.

The Useless Crown Prince had planned to poison the wells, but with the city under lockdown and extra patrols of government soldiers, his men couldn’t find an opportunity to act.

Pei Yu was furious and threw a tantrum.

He hadn’t expected something like this to happen so suddenly. It felt as if the heavens themselves were helping him.

Pei Yu burst out laughing. "The heavens are on my side! What does this mean? It means that I am the rightful heir!"

"What does Pei Yan think he is? He’s just a counterfeit they found halfway, he can never replace me!"

"He’s a bringer of disaster! He brings calamity wherever he goes! How can a person like that inherit the throne?"

Pei Yu’s expression was frantic. "Go! Spread the word! Only by killing Pei Yan and his bastard child will this divine punishment end!"

"If they insist on fighting against the heavens, death is the only path that awaits them!"

The man’s face was gloomy and pale. Having not seen the light of day for so long, he had a sinister air about him.

As he laughed, he looked increasingly bizarre, like a phantom.

A chill ran down his subordinate’s spine. He asked cautiously, "Your Highness, is it possible... that Pei Yan is trying to trick us?"

Only the people from the Government Office knew the truth about the corpses, and the Government Office had always acted on Pei Yan’s orders.

It wasn’t impossible that they had conspired, sent their own people to pose as poisoned citizens, and spread the rumors themselves.

Pei Yan is the Crown Prince. The forces at his command are immense, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to pull something like this off.

But their master, His Highness, had lost countless men along the way. There weren’t many forces left for him to command.

Clashing head-on with Pei Yan at a time like this would be like an egg hitting a rock.

Even if they were lucky enough to gain the upper hand, Pei Yan could afford to lose.

But His Highness couldn’t!

He had only just managed to escape the Capital City and shake off his pursuers. If things continued like this, sooner or later, he would be caught by Pei Yan’s men.

They had long since experienced just how ruthless Pei Yan’s methods could be.

Pei Yan was not a soft-hearted person. Even though His Highness was his cousin, he wouldn’t show any mercy.

If he hadn’t suddenly left the capital, His Highness would never have been able to escape.

If he truly went up against Pei Yan, there would be no second chances.

The subordinate tried his best to persuade him. "Your Highness, we mustn’t act rashly! Let’s wait and see if they’re just putting on a show."

Pei Yu’s expression turned frigid, a vicious glint in his deep-set eyes. "Are my orders no longer effective?"

The subordinate lowered his head. "This subordinate was wrong, but..."

"No buts!"

He was already a ruined man. The result of hiding would just be dying somewhere else.

The Court would hunt him down. His former subordinates... they might even turn on him, trading his corpse for wealth and glory.

During his time on the run, Pei Yu had suffered immensely. When he thought back to his days as the Crown Prince, the stark contrast nearly drowned him.

He didn’t want to keep hiding anymore.

He would rather face Pei Yan, even if it meant death! At least it wouldn’t be so humiliating!

Pei Yu said, "Do as I say!"

The subordinate clasped his fist in his palm and accepted the order.

In the dim room, a bronze mirror stood in the corner. Pei Yu paced over to it, for the first time looking directly at the person inside.

Emaciated, sickly.

’Like a drowned dog.’

He tried to lift his injured arm, but even with all his might, he couldn’t raise it an inch.

This arm was truly useless.

Frustrated, Pei Yu smashed his fist into the bronze mirror, panting heavily.

"Pei Yan, this won’t end until one of us is dead!" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It was at the other courtyard that Pei Yan had gravely injured him, crippling his arm.

The day he tried to seize the palace was also ruined by Pei Yan.

Perhaps today was also a trap set by Pei Yan, but he was accepting the challenge.

He would see if he could drag Mei Wanying and Pei Yan’s bastard child down with him, to be buried alongside him!

After sending all his men out, Pei Yu grabbed a dagger with his good hand and hacked at his long, disheveled hair.

The dagger cut through iron as if it were mud. Strands of half-black, half-white hair drifted to the ground.

Finally, he lit an oil lamp.

His face was expressionless as he casually tossed the lamp onto the bed.

Flames shot up instantly.

He couldn’t stay here any longer. With Pei Yan’s skills, his men would find this place soon.

「...」

Another rumor was stirring in the city, and Mei Wanying and the others knew full well who was behind it.

By following the source of the rumor, Pei Yan’s men found the desolate manor.

After the great fire, a large section of it had collapsed.

The manor was destroyed, and with it, all traces were erased.

"What happened?"

Seeing Pei Yan return to the estate, Mei Wanying, who had been waiting before the floral-carved gate, immediately went up to meet him.

Although the timing was off, Pei Yan still felt as though he were a husband being welcomed home by his wife.

In the years when their relationship was good, whenever he returned to the Capital City from a campaign, Mei Wanying would even ride out of the city to greet him.

But the feeling today was different.

Perhaps because they had once been married, Pei Yan always felt that Mei Wanying was his wife.

"Say something."

When the man remained silent, an impatient Mei Wanying pinched his firm, lean waist.

She didn’t know how he did it, but his body was hard as a rock.

She pinched him, only to hurt her own hand.

When she realized what she had done, Mei Wanying’s lovely face turned completely red.

The blush spread, staining even her ears and neck the color of rouge.

Mei Wanying was angry at herself, and at Pei Yan.

’This isn’t me.’

’How could I possibly do something like that!’

Flustered, Mei Wanying immediately turned to leave.

Pei Yan touched the spot Mei Wanying had pinched. It didn’t hurt, but a tingling numbness spread from it.

The tingling sensation spread all the way to the bottom of his heart.

His heart quivered along with it.

Pei Yan’s eyelashes trembled. A similar scene had happened before.

Back then, Ah Yin would twist his ear and ask if he’d gone deaf, why else wasn’t he answering her?

She would stare at him fiercely with her big eyes.

That scene... it was all so familiar.

Pei Yan’s eyes grew inexplicably moist. ’Is Ah Yin starting to forgive me?’

The man started walking, quickly chasing in the direction Mei Wanying had disappeared.

At first, it was a fast walk, but a moment later, the figure in black sprinted toward Mei Wanying like a cheetah.

Seeing the ever-composed and reserved Pei Yan actually make such a frivolous move, Ding Xiang’s eyes widened in astonishment.

’Pei Yan... he’s like a dog.’

’Just running toward our lady like that...’

Ding Xiang blinked, suspecting she had seen wrong. How could someone as cold and proud as Pei Yan act like a greenhorn kid?

"My Lady, he’s catching up."

Lost in thought, Mei Wanying turned her head and, sure enough, saw the man’s figure.

She subconsciously lifted her skirts and ran.

Ding Xiang: "..."

’No, wait, now it really looks like she’s being chased by a dog!’

Ding Xiang looked left and right, unsure if she should follow them...

At a corner of the covered walkway, Pei Yan blocked Mei Wanying’s path. "What are you running from?"