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

Pei Yan’s trusted aide came to the wounded soldiers’ camp looking for someone and announced loudly, "Miss Xue, His Highness said this is no place for you. He has ordered me to escort you back to the Capital City!"

The trusted aide’s attitude was respectful, and it was clear he was treating her as a Noble.

Xue Yunshu felt a mix of sweetness and apprehension.

The sweetness came from the thought that Pei Yan cared about her and couldn’t bear to see her suffer, which was why he was sending her back to the Capital City.

The apprehension was because Pei Yan hadn’t given her a clear answer, and she feared she had read him wrong.

’After all, he can turn hostile in the blink of an eye!’

If she left now, it would be difficult to see Pei Yan again. She wanted to fight by his side, to build a bond between them.

’Otherwise, if she returned to the Capital City, some shameless vixen would just try to seduce Pei Yan again.’

’Other women wouldn’t dare venture to the Border, but she, Xue Yunshu, had. The title of Princess Consort Chen should belong to her.’

’Those delicate noble ladies in the Capital City only know how to engage in pretentious, useless pastimes.’

’How could they possibly compare to her?’

’Those women couldn’t hold a candle to her!’

Pei Yan had chosen her, yet he treated her so coldly. But ultimately, he was still worried about her safety. He was so capricious, so difficult to understand.

Xue Yunshu guessed that this was just his personality.

He was of such noble status that he never had to curry favor with anyone; it was only natural for him to be so temperamental.

Xue Yunshu had always been confident; only with Pei Yan did she suffer one setback after another.

Unfortunately, his status was so exalted that even invoking her own father’s name was useless.

The more she couldn’t have him, the more she wanted him.

It would be hard to find another man in the world as handsome, formidable, and powerful as Prince Chen.

The Crown Prince was handsome, to be sure, but the Eastern Palace was overflowing with his consorts, and it was said he had intimate female friends outside the palace as well.

The man was amorous yet fickle—not a suitable match.

Besides, he wasn’t the Emperor’s biological son; his current position was merely that of a cuckoo in another bird’s nest.

’Sooner or later, he’ll have to give up the title of Crown Prince!’

No matter how she looked at it, Xue Yunshu felt that Pei Yan was the most captivating man in the world.

’If she could marry him, she would wake up laughing in her sleep!’

Xue Yunshu asked curiously, "Why does His Highness want me to leave?"

’Didn’t we agree to use me to lure out the traitor? We haven’t even finalized the plan, so why is he sending me away now?’

Xue Yunshu didn’t want to take risks, but her mother had once told her that the more valuable the prize, the greater the risk required to obtain it.

Only by seizing this opportunity would she have a chance to become Princess Consort Chen and grind everyone who looked down on her into the dust.

’At that point, whether it was Xue Xingyao, Mei Wanying, or any of those other arrogant noblewomen, wouldn’t they all have to bow to her will?’

How glorious that would be! Xue Yunshu thrilled at the very thought.

The trusted aide looked troubled. "Miss Xue, please stop asking questions and just come with me."

Xue Yunshu didn’t care whether he was troubled or not; she just wanted to get the answer she was looking for.

She asked cautiously, "Does His Highness think it’s dangerous here? Is he worried something might happen to me?"

The trusted aide was speechless. "..."

’He hadn’t said a thing, and Miss Xue was already jumping to all these conclusions?’

’How on earth did Duke Xue raise his daughter to be this... self-assured?’

’No wonder none of the noblewomen in the Capital City wanted to associate with her...’

Before he could answer, Xue Yunshu declared with an air of self-righteousness, "I studied medicine to save lives and heal the wounded. The people here need me. If Prince Chen is worried about my safety, then tell him to win this war, and we can return to the Capital City together!"

The trusted aide said, bracing himself, "War is a man’s affair. You just need to stay in a safe place and wait for news."

A small smile touched Xue Yunshu’s lips. The frustration from being thrown out by Pei Yan time and again instantly vanished.

’So that’s just the Prince’s personality. He isn’t deliberately targeting me.’

’If he were easy to approach, Mei Wanying would have succeeded long ago!’

Xue Yunshu said, "Thank His Highness for his kind intentions, but I am staying. As long as there is no peace at the Border, I will not return to the Capital City!"

She turned, ducked into a tent, and went back to bandaging the wounded soldiers.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, her demeanor was much better this time. The man she was bandaging, however, looked terrified.

Xue Yunshu comforted him in a gentle voice, "Don’t think of me as the young lady of the Duke Mansion. Just treat me as an ordinary physician. Don’t be nervous; it’s not good for your recovery."

Her words had the opposite effect, making the wounded soldier even more tense.

’She’s a lady of noble birth, and one with a close connection to Prince Chen, at that. How can we let her do this kind of work?’

He tried to take the bandages to wrap the wound himself but was snapped at by Xue Yunshu, "Don’t move!"

She was so stern in that moment, she seemed like a different person from the careless woman she had been just a while ago.

As soon as Xue Yunshu finished the bandaging, the trusted aide forcibly led her away.

"These are the Prince’s orders. Please don’t make things difficult for us."

Xue Yunshu blurted out, "I haven’t said goodbye to the Prince yet."

The trusted aide heard her but chose to feign deafness.

’He used to think Miss Mei was clingy, but now he saw that this Miss Xue was the truly scary one.’

’Not only was she deluding herself about their relationship, but she also loved to twist people’s words to fit her narrative. He couldn’t tell if she was playing dumb or was genuinely unable to read the room.’

’She was nothing like Miss Mei.’

’Miss Mei was charming and sweet, sincere and friendly to others. It was fun to be around her.’

’But this Miss Xue radiated calculation from her very pores.’

’She was not someone to be trifled with.’

’For her own benefit, she would likely stop at nothing.’

’It was a good thing Duke Xue spoiled her, raising her to be so unsubtle. If Mrs. Xue had raised her personally, with her medical skills on top of that, this Miss Xue would be a truly formidable woman.’

’If they were to truly clash, Miss Mei would be at a disadvantage.’

All of Pei Yan’s trusted aides knew Mei Wanying; many of them had interacted with her.

In their eyes, Miss Mei and Prince Chen were a match made in heaven.

They were childhood sweethearts, and their bond was deep and pure.

Unlike others, whose motives for getting close to the Prince or even Miss Mei were full of calculation.

Some sought power.

Some sought beauty.

None of them were sincere.

The trusted aide glanced at Xue Yunshu. Her brows were knitted together, and she looked deep in thought, her expression unreadable.

’I wonder how the Prince feels, being the object of this Miss Xue’s affection?’

The trusted aide suddenly felt a touch of "schadenfreude."

’If the Prince had just committed to Miss Mei sooner, they might have children by now. Then where would others get the chance to pester him?’

’Comparisons are odious.’

’After this whole mess, the Prince should realize just how wonderful Miss Mei is.’

’Remembering the clothes Miss Mei had made, now lying in the Prince’s quarters, he had a gut feeling. Once this war was over, they’d all be drinking at the wedding of the Prince and Miss Mei!’

’The spirit of General Mei would surely be happy as well.’

’With someone to protect Miss Mei and her mother, the General could finally rest in peace.’

The trusted aide escorted Xue Yunshu for part of the way before handing her off to others for the rest of the journey. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

They made swift progress after leaving the military camp, and the constant jolting on horseback left Xue Yunshu feeling dazed.

A faint sense of unease crept over her.

It wasn’t until they were surrounded and ambushed that she finally understood: Pei Yan had taken her suggestion.

But the execution was completely different from what she had imagined.

In her version of the plan, Pei Yan would treat her wonderfully. They would be inseparable, seen everywhere together, acting intimately.

They would deceive the enemy while simultaneously cultivating a genuine romance.

The reality, however, was that Pei Yan had thrown her directly into the path of danger!

The moment she was abducted, Xue Yunshu finally, truly panicked.

She wanted to get close to Pei Yan, but she never intended to die for it!