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

Overnight, the situation in the Capital City had changed dramatically.

Mei Wanying was staying at the Prince Chen Mansion. No one dared to disturb her, so she naturally had no idea what was happening outside.

She had suffered no physical injuries, only inhaling a specially made incense that had left her body weak.

The incense had aphrodisiac properties, but after taking some medicine and resting for a night, her body had recovered.

Although Pei Yan hadn’t thrown them out and had even instructed the butler to take good care of them, it was highly inappropriate for them to continue staying at the Prince Chen Mansion.

As soon as the sky brightened, Mei Wanying planned to leave.

Before they left, Mrs. Mei wanted to take Mei Wanying to thank Pei Yan in person. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But the butler told them he was not at the mansion.

Mei Wanying thought for a moment and decided to leave Pei Yan a thank-you letter.

’Pei Yan had rescued her from peril this time. They were even now.’

When she said she wanted to write a letter, the butler immediately prepared a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. His attitude was warm and enthusiastic, as if he feared slighting her in any way.

At this inopportune moment, Mei Wanying recalled her past life. After she had forced a marriage with Pei Yan, everyone had looked down on her.

Pei Yan had left right after the wedding. In the eyes of others, she was a new bride loathed by her husband. Securing her position as Princess Consort Chen seemed impossible.

Throughout the entire Prince Chen Mansion, no one treated her as its mistress.

Back then, the butler had been respectful yet distant, as if she were an unwelcome guest.

Compared to this moment, his attitude was completely different.

Mei Wanying felt more and more that her past self had been so cheap. She had shamelessly thrown herself at Pei Yan despite his cold shoulder, leading everyone to look down on her.

’Fortunately, I still have a chance to see the light. I won’t be so foolish in this life.’

Mei Wanying’s thank-you letter was simple, containing only two sentences.

"Thank you for saving me, Your Highness. Wanying is endlessly grateful."

"Knowing Your Highness is busy with official duties, I will not disturb you further and will take my leave."

She sealed the letter and handed it to the butler.

"Please trouble yourself to deliver this to His Highness."

The butler smiled kindly. "Rest assured, Miss Mei. I will find someone right away to deliver this letter into His Highness’s hands."

Mei Wanying nodded. "Then my mother and I will take our leave."

The butler looked a little concerned. "How are you feeling? If you are still unwell, you can stay in the mansion for a few more days. His Highness has arranged for an Imperial Physician, who has been waiting in the mansion."

’Wei Jue was right. His Highness truly treats Miss Mei differently.’

’Last night, he said to kick them out at dawn.’

’But before the sky even brightened, His Highness sent a messenger with an order that they must take good care of Miss Mei.’

’If anything happened to Miss Mei again, they would be severely punished.’

The butler thought to himself, ’His Highness’s mind is truly hard to guess.’

’One moment he’s stormy.’

’The next he’s sunny.’

’He’s so difficult!’

’I don’t know how Miss Mei managed it, chasing after His Highness for so many years.’

Thinking about it, the butler felt a bit of admiration for Mei Wanying’s perseverance.

’Miss Mei’s feelings for His Highness must be true love.’

’It’s a pity His Highness’s mind isn’t on matters of love. If he were to marry, it would be to a young woman who could be of assistance to the Prince Chen Mansion.’

’Miss Mei’s devotion is one-sided; she’s destined for heartbreak.’

In her previous life, Mei Wanying hadn’t lived a single good day in the Prince Chen Mansion.

Naturally, she had no good impression of this place.

She even found it a bit suffocating.

Seeing the familiar plants and trees reminded her of the days she was abandoned in the rear courtyard.

"Mother, let’s go back."

Mrs. Mei felt a little bad that they hadn’t thanked Pei Yan in person.

But it was indeed inappropriate for them to stay any longer.

After repeatedly asking the butler to help convey their gratitude, they finally left the Prince Chen Mansion.

The moment Mei Wanying stepped out of the mansion, many people received the news.

Including Xue Xingyao.

She had been worried sick. Ignoring her "battle" with Xue Yunshu, she rushed to the Mei family estate without stopping.

She wanted to see with her own eyes whether her dear friend was hurt.

Seeing that they hadn’t unloaded their luggage, she knew Mei Wanying still intended to return to Jiangnan and would probably set off in the next day or two.

After this incident, Xue Xingyao was even more reluctant to ask Mei Wanying to stay.

’The Crown Prince is a madman. Who knows what he’ll do next!’

’It’s better to be far away.’

The Crown Prince’s power was concentrated in the Capital City. Only by leaving could Uncle Mei’s former subordinates protect Ah Yin.

To reassure Xue Xingyao that she was all right, Mei Wanying invited her to a restaurant for a meal and a proper farewell.

"Alright. Once you leave the Capital City this time, it will be hard to eat its delicacies again."

Xue Xingyao said, "My treat. Don’t you argue with me."

"Alright, alright, I won’t argue."

Being with her good friend, Mei Wanying felt much more relaxed. The gloom from the previous night’s events gradually began to dissipate.

Mrs. Mei couldn’t have been happier that Xue Xingyao was accompanying her daughter to take her mind off things.

She had asked Ah Yin what happened at the villa, but Ah Yin was evasive and wouldn’t tell her the truth.

Fortunately, the Imperial Physician had given her some reassurance, saying Ah Yin had not suffered any other kind of harm.

’Talking with her sworn sister will make her feel better.’

Not long after returning to her own residence, Mei Wanying went out again with Xue Xingyao.

Their carriage headed toward the city center. There was a restaurant there whose dishes were second to none. Mei Wanying used to love going there, but after entering mourning for her father, she had gone out less often.

Xue Xingyao said, "They’ve come out with a lot of new dishes this year. You have to try them."

In Xue Xingyao’s view, once her dear friend went to Jiangnan, she probably wouldn’t return to the Capital City again.

She cursed under her breath, "It’s all Pei Yan’s fault!"

’If he had just married Ah Yin, none of this nonsense would have happened.’

’No matter how shameless the Crown Prince is, he can’t just steal his younger brother’s wife. If he dared to do that, the condemnation from the people would be enough to drown him!’

Mei Wanying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "But he was the one who saved me this time."

Xue Xingyao: "Let’s keep the accounts separate. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have run into this mess in the first place."

Seeing that Mei Wanying didn’t want to talk about it, Xue Xingyao changed the subject.

"Xue Yunshu is being ridiculous. She’s afraid I’ll ruin her plans, so she’s been hiding in her courtyard recently. I bet she’s trying to figure out a way to deal with me."

’Xue Yunshu knows medicine. If she wants to cause trouble, it would be almost impossible to guard against.’

’She could cause a lot of trouble just by using incompatible foods.’

Mei Wanying’s expression grew worried. "You have to be careful. Don’t be without someone by your side. Why don’t you hire a Medical Woman to stay with you at all times?"

Xue Xingyao said helplessly, "You sound just like my mother. She’s been so nervous too."

Mei Wanying squeezed her hand. "Your life is precious. You absolutely cannot let your guard down."

’Having died once before, she understood better than anyone how wonderful it is to be alive!’

"Don’t worry. I haven’t married the man I love yet, so I’m not about to die," Xue Xingyao said, a shy look on her face.

Mei Wanying teased her, "If Mr. Chen knew you were thinking of him so much, he’d probably show up at your door tomorrow with a marriage proposal!"

Xue Xingyao’s face quickly turned red, and she stammered, "The tables will turn! When you get married, just you wait and see how I tease you!"

Pei Yan was meeting a friend. Standing on the top floor of a restaurant, he saw Mei Wanying’s carriage.

He called Wei Jue over and asked, only then learning that she had left the Prince Chen Mansion early in the morning.

And she had left him a thank-you letter.

Pei Yan was very curious about what Mei Wanying would write in the letter.

After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the envelope.

Inside were only two short sentences, polite and distant.

If not for the unmistakable handwriting, Pei Yan would have suspected someone else wrote this letter.

He flipped the paper over. There were indeed only two sentences.

He clicked his tongue. "Did we not feed her enough?"

Wei Jue: "Huh?"

’What is His Highness talking about? I don’t understand...’