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

Pei Yan had said that if Mei Wanying disapproved, he wouldn’t marry Xue Yunshu.

Mei Wanying didn’t take his words to heart.

She refused to believe him.

In their last life, he had been drawn to Xue Yunshu, which proved the two of them were fated to be together.

Now that they had met in this life, there was no guarantee his heart wouldn’t be stirred.

’A man’s promises are worthless. Once he falls in love with Xue Yunshu, he’ll deny everything he’s ever said!’

Right now, Mei Wanying could barely save herself. Leaking the news to Xue Xingyao and having her prepare a countermeasure in advance was the only thing she could do.

Regardless of the outcome, as long as Xue Xingyao was all right, Mei Wanying wouldn’t blame her—not even if she was forced into the Prince Chen Mansion.

In the face of absolute power, they were just that insignificant.

Besides, their weaknesses were laid bare for all to see; even if they wanted to risk it all, they had to weigh the consequences.

...

The Mei family had vast holdings. To return to Jiangnan, they first had to settle their affairs in the Capital City.

Stewards had to be appointed to manage their shops and the manors outside the city, and staff had to be left behind to guard the residence.

After arranging the staff, they had to pack their luggage.

Once they returned to Jiangnan, they wouldn’t be coming back to the Capital City barring any special circumstances, so there was a great deal to pack.

There were countless tasks, big and small, leaving Mrs. Mei and Mei Wanying rushed off their feet.

Every day, stewards bustled in and out of the Mei Mansion.

With so much commotion, it was hard for others not to notice.

Pei Yan had previously instructed Wei Jue to handle all matters related to the Mei family.

Unless it was a matter of life and death, there was no need to report back to him.

Therefore, upon hearing about the activity from the Mei family, Wei Jue merely sent men to keep a close watch and lend a hand if they needed it.

Then he put the matter out of his mind and didn’t mention it to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan had intended to go to the palace, but an urgent matter at the military barracks forced him to leave the city. He didn’t return to his mansion for several days, completely cut off from any news concerning Mei Wanying.

As a result, Empress Gu couldn’t find an opportunity to discuss changing the prospective bride.

The flower-viewing banquet had to be postponed as well.

After all, Pei Yan was one of the key figures; without him, no matter how lively the flower-viewing banquet was, it would be pointless.

Empress Gu had previously ordered an investigation into what had happened between Mei Wanying and Pei Yan.

Otherwise, how could Mei Wanying have suddenly become a completely different person?

But after extensive investigation, they found nothing unusual.

"His Highness has only visited the Mei Mansion three times recently. The first was on the anniversary of General Mei’s death, when His Highness went to pay respects."

"Another time, when the Crown Prince visited the Mei family to inquire about an illness, His Highness went to deliver fresh fish and incidentally came to Mei Wanying’s defense."

"A few days ago, His Highness escorted Mei Wanying home but didn’t enter the mansion; he left as soon as she was there."

It was no secret that when Mei Wanying fell into the water, it was Pei Yan who had pulled her out.

Empress Gu tapped her fingers on the table. "The opportunity was right in front of her, yet she chose to let it go. Is that normal?"

Empress Gu was surrounded by her trusted palace maids and an elderly attendant who had served her since she was a young maiden.

Her surname was Feng.

Mrs. Feng also found it abnormal.

"Mei Wanying is proud and has high standards. I’ve heard many young masters from prominent families have sought to marry her, but she rejected them all. Seeing how she acted that day, I can’t help but feel she must have suffered some kind of blow."

That day, Mei Wanying had been shrouded in a cold, detached aura. Her eyes were vacant, and even His Highness’s appearance hadn’t caused the slightest ripple.

It takes a woman to know a woman.

Mrs. Feng felt that Mei Wanying must have suffered a terrible blow to become so serenely detached.

She pondered for a moment. "Could it be that His Highness said something hurtful to her after she fell in the water?"

That was a possibility.

But Empress Gu couldn’t be completely at ease.

"Mei Wanying is a wild card. Her influence over Ah Yan is too great. Don’t think I don’t know why Ah Yan suddenly appeared that day—wasn’t it because he was afraid I would make things difficult for Mei Wanying? He even escorted her back to her mansion personally. Have you ever seen him be so kind to anyone else?"

Mrs. Feng mulled it over for a moment. "Then we should marry her off quickly. Once she’s married, both she and His Highness will have to give up any lingering thoughts they might have."

"Coincidentally, His Highness also wants Mei Wanying to marry, which is why he sent her that list of talented young bachelors. Your Majesty, if you simply go along with it, His Highness can hardly blame you. You would only be acting according to his wishes."

Empress Gu’s worries began to dissipate.

She thought it was an excellent plan.

Since Mei Wanying was a wild card, they had to neutralize her completely.

Once she was married, it would be useless even if Ah Yan came to his senses and decided he wanted her.

He is meant to be the Crown Prince and is destined to ascend to the supreme throne. He can’t possibly commit the act of forcibly taking another man’s wife, can he?

That would just be handing his enemies ammunition!

Empress Gu said, "Send Mei Wanying another list, this one containing only talented young men from Jiangnan. Tell her she must choose one and settle on it. As long as she knows what’s good for her, I will personally arrange for her to marry into a good family."

"Out of consideration for the bond between the Mei family and Ah Yan, no one will dare to give her trouble. Her life from now on will be a good one, no different from that of a Royal Princess."

If Mei Wanying refused to marry, it would prove she still harbored certain feelings for Ah Yan.

If Mei Wanying wouldn’t make a clean break herself, then she couldn’t be blamed for taking action, her debt to General Mei be damned.

After giving her orders, Empress Gu suddenly recalled a detail.

"On the anniversary of General Mei’s death, when did Ah Yan leave the Mei Mansion?"

Mrs. Feng replied, "His Highness got drunk that day and rested at the Mei family’s home for several hours. He didn’t leave until the middle of the night, and went straight to the military barracks."

As she spoke, Mrs. Feng’s heart skipped a beat.

’Surely the Mei family didn’t take advantage of His Highness’s drunken state to do something improper?’

Having witnessed all sorts of turmoil, Mrs. Feng wouldn’t have found it strange even if they had.

It would just prove that the Mei family was extremely calculating.

If they dared to plot against His Highness, the Empress would surely never tolerate Mei Wanying.

How could Empress Gu not have thought of what Mrs. Feng had just realized?

But she also found the matter very contradictory.

If Mei Wanying had schemed against Ah Yan, it would prove she wanted to marry him.

At the very least, she should have reaped some enormous benefit from it.

Yet she remained silent and was even planning to return to her ancestral home in Jiangnan.

None of it added up.

’She couldn’t be just biding her time, waiting to launch a surprise attack and catch us completely off guard, could she?’

"Investigate again, more thoroughly!"

...

Although the Crown Prince was confined, he was still the heir apparent and had cultivated his own power base over the years.

A steady stream of news from the outside world flowed into the Eastern Palace.

The first message he received was a verbal edict from the Emperor, explicitly rejecting his request to take Mei Wanying.

He was also ordered to keep his distance from her.

More news followed, this time about Pei Yan.

Even the fact that Pei Yan had escorted Mei Wanying home was reported to the Crown Prince.

Pei Yan was cold by nature. The only person he had ever given special treatment to, from start to finish, was Mei Wanying.

This was the main reason the Crown Prince had targeted Mei Wanying.

He loved beautiful women, but he loved the empire more.

He wouldn’t have fixated on her for her stunning beauty alone.

’If anyone was to blame, it was Mei Wanying for her rotten luck in getting entangled with the Royal Family!’

The Crown Prince couldn’t leave the Eastern Palace for the time being, so all he could do was dispatch more men to keep a close watch on Mei Wanying.

And this surveillance quickly uncovered the unusual activity at the Mei residence.

The man’s long, slender fingers held a thin sheet of letter paper, his dark gaze lingering on it for a long time.

His thin lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes flashing with a predatory madness.

"Trying to run?"

"Too late!"