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

「The Border.」

The plan to lure the snake out of its hole had worked splendidly. The spy was caught by Pei Yan’s men while communicating with the enemy.

Following the clues, the investigation led straight to the Supervisor.

The Supervisor had been sent by the Court a few years ago. He didn’t lead troops into battle directly, but his influence in the army was substantial.

He not only monitored the words and actions of the generals but also participated in military affairs.

The army’s disunity and lack of morale were the results of the Supervisor’s deliberate machinations.

Pei Yan never dallied. The moment the traitor was identified, he had the man apprehended.

He possessed absolute authority; no one could say a word against it.

The generals had long had enough of him. Now, they felt a great sense of relief and vindication.

"That son of a bitch! Reporting us to the Emperor on one hand while sowing discord on the other, constantly stirring up trouble and disrupting morale. I’ve had it with him for a long time, but I never thought he’d dare collude with the enemy!"

"No wonder we lost battle after battle before His Highness arrived. That bastard must have been leaking our secrets!"

"If not for the bravery of our soldiers, the Border would have fallen long ago! Death by a thousand cuts wouldn’t be enough to quell the hatred in my heart!"

"..."

As the generals chattered away, venting their frustrations, those who had previously been at odds took the opportunity to bury the hatchet.

They were hot-tempered by nature, and with a vile character fanning the flames of discord between them, it was hard not to get into arguments!

Someone suggested, "Now that the traitor is gone, shouldn’t we take the initiative and attack? Crush them completely! If we keep cowering like this, I’ll be too ashamed to go home and face my people!"

"Attack! We must attack!"

The men started up again, each more excited than the last.

Their morale was higher and more unified than ever before!

Suddenly, someone asked, "Doctor Xue was captured by the enemy. Should we send people to rescue her? Or should we wait for them to contact us and then negotiate?"

"Ugh! Don’t get me started on that..."

Pei Yan had arranged everything perfectly, but he couldn’t account for Xue Yunshu’s own foolishness.

Terrified of dying at the Border, she had tried to be clever and fled during the skirmish.

Fleeing was one thing, but she ran in the wrong direction and was captured by the enemy!

Pei Yan had never met such an imbecile.

’If it had been Mei Wanying, she wouldn’t have acted so rashly, no matter how scared she was.’

’Xue Yunshu, on the other hand, talks a good game but is a spineless coward at heart.’

’If she were truly on a battlefield, she’d probably abandon the wounded and flee for her life!’

All eyes turned to Pei Yan in unison, waiting for his decision.

Pei Yan looked at the sand table nonchalantly and drew a route. "We have three days to assemble the troops. Then, we march!"

’Since war is inevitable, then we fight!’

If they won, the people of the Border could live in peace, and the one who was captured could naturally be rescued as well.

The atmosphere in the camp was grim. As the commander-in-chief, Pei Yan had many decisions to make and could only rest for two hours a day.

At night, the oil lamp in his tent was still lit.

Pei Yan closed his eyes for a short rest. In his drowsy state, he dreamed of Mei Wanying again.

She wore her hair in a married woman’s bun, her smooth forehead bare. Dressed in simple, light clothes, the only ornament on her was a single golden hairpin.

Pei Yan recognized that golden hairpin. It was the hairpin ceremony gift he had given Mei Wanying.

She seemed to have traveled a great distance. When she appeared before him, she was covered in dust and grime.

"Ah Yan!"

That was what she called him.

At first, she waved happily and ran toward him, but in the next instant, her eyes reddened.

She looked deeply wronged, stopping a short distance away.

Pei Yan instinctively took a step forward, but his feet froze when he saw Mei Wanying’s pregnant belly.

Her belly was already quite prominent; its distinct shape was visible even through her loose-fitting dress.

’Mei Wanying is pregnant!’

Pei Yan’s expression changed drastically. "Mei Wanying, go back!"

"Go back to the Capital City! This is no place for you!"

Tears suddenly streamed down Mei Wanying’s face, falling like pearls from a broken string.

They rolled down her cheeks, finally gathering at the tip of her chin.

She was terribly thin, which made her pregnant belly seem all the more pronounced.

She looked so fragile, as if she would shatter at the slightest touch.

A vein throbbed on Pei Yan’s temple. ’What was she thinking, coming to such a dangerous place?’

’Does she have a death wish?’

"Mei Wanying, go back! Don’t make me say it a second time!"

Mei Wanying only cried harder. Between sobs, she said, "I’m not leaving."

When he didn’t move toward her, she walked toward him.

She tentatively reached for his hand, wanting him to touch her belly. "The baby misses you."

Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, but Pei Yan could clearly see the longing and dependence within them.

’It was clearly Mei Wanying who missed him, yet she insisted it was the baby.’

The belly beneath his palm suddenly moved, as if something had kicked him.

Pei Yan’s chest tightened. He was suddenly afraid.

He snatched his hand back and ordered his trusted aide to escort Mei Wanying away. "Leave at once!"

A look of despair crossed Mei Wanying’s face. She reached for him, but her body went limp and collapsed.

She had fainted.

The doctor said the fetus was disturbed. She had to remain on bed rest, as her body could not withstand a long journey.

Pei Yan sat by the bed, staring at her small face for a long time.

’Why is she so thin?’

’Do the people in the manor not feed her?’

’And why did she come to the Border? Doesn’t she know there’s a war here, that people could die at any moment?’

Pei Yan was furious. He reached out and pinched Mei Wanying’s cheek, wanting to teach her a lesson.

But all he felt was a thin layer of skin and flesh. Mei Wanying was far more frail than he had imagined.

Pei Yan’s grip slackened, and he gently caressed her cheek. "Why aren’t you afraid of anything?"

Mei Wanying wasn’t afraid, but he was.

He placed his hand on Mei Wanying’s belly again, and the little thing inside stirred once more.

It kicked his palm again and again, lively and strong.

Pei Yan was suddenly overcome with anger and cursed, "Can’t you just be still? You’re nothing but trouble!"

’With that thing kicking and punching inside her, it’s no wonder Mei Wanying’s body isn’t well!’

After he said this, a trail of moisture slid from the corner of the unconscious woman’s eye.

Pei Yan wiped it with his thumb, but he couldn’t seem to wipe it dry.

’She really loves to cry.’

Her crying threw him into turmoil.

He could only try to scare her. "If you keep crying, I’ll wash my hands of both of you."

But what he was really thinking was that he needed to set up a shield for her before she left.

The scene shifted. Mei Wanying had been captured by the enemy, who demanded that he cede a city in exchange for her life.

They had grown up together; at times like this, they had a tacit understanding.

She would rather die than live in disgrace.

A voice told Pei Yan to hurry and save Mei Wanying, or she would do something foolish.

’Don’t be fooled by her delicate appearance; her heart is filled with righteousness.’

’She would not let the common people suffer for her sake, nor would she give him the chance to be put in a difficult position.’

He tried to prove to the enemy that Mei Wanying was not his weakness.

He sent a letter in reply.

Immediately after, he led his trusted aides to rescue Mei Wanying, but he was a step too late.

She had lost so much blood. She lay there silently, lifeless, never again to call him ’Ah Yan’ with her usual vivacity.

The weapon that had taken her life was the hairpin ceremony gift he had given her.

Holding Mei Wanying in his arms, Pei Yan’s eyes were dead. ’If only he had never given her that gift.’

The smell of blood filled his nostrils, and the dreaming Pei Yan was forced awake.

It felt as if something was lodged in his throat.

He coughed, and his palm was stained crimson.