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

Empress Gu had made a concession, no longer forcing Mei Wanying to marry.

But still, she couldn’t rest easy, so she had left Mrs. Gu by Mei Wanying’s side.

The official reason given was to have an extra person to serve her and ease her burdens.

But anyone in the know understood that this woman was Empress Gu’s spy, and Mei Wanying’s every move was now under constant watch.

Being watched all day long, Mei Wanying was already simmering with resentment. Mrs. Gu’s lecture was the spark that finally set her off.

"This is the Mei family. If you’ve come here to throw your weight around and act like the mistress of the house, then leave immediately! This humble home is too small to accommodate a personage as great as you!"

"And I wasn’t wrong. The people from the Capital City who contact you are only doing it to curry favor with His Highness, are they not?"

Mei Wanying reiterated, "This is the Mei family. If you can’t figure out who the master is, then you’d best get out."

Mrs. Gu’s face flushed red, then drained of color in humiliation.

In all her years, she had never been driven away like this.

She was a servant born and raised in the Gu Family and had been held in high regard by her masters since she was a child.

Her masters had even bestowed their surname upon her. What an immense honor that was!

It was no exaggeration to say that her status and connections far surpassed those of the mistresses of many minor noble houses.

She had never been so wronged!

And to be humiliated by a mere slip of a girl, of all people!

Mrs. Gu’s expression turned ugly. "Miss Mei, do you dare defy the Empress’s orders?"

Ha...

’Using the Empress’s name to bully people again.’

"You’re just a dog throwing its master’s weight around. Get out!"

Mei Wanying had never been a patient person to begin with. It was only because she had been tormented to the point of utter exhaustion in her past life that she hadn’t quite recovered, even after her rebirth.

This was why people had mistakenly believed she had turned over a new leaf.

Mei Wanying’s expression was glacial. ’The more I tolerate them, the more they push their luck.’

’Fine, then none of us will have an easy day!’

The word "out" was truly hurtful. Mrs. Gu was humiliated beyond belief, and tears welled up in her cloudy eyes.

She had truly never been subjected to such humiliation.

Never!

She choked out, "I was only doing this for your own good, yet you’re so ungrateful. No wonder everyone says you’re spoiled and domineering. I thought they were spouting nonsense, but it seems this is your true face."

"No wonder His Highness doesn’t like you! Look at you. You don’t have an ounce of a noble lady’s gentle grace. You’re rebellious to the core. You’re certainly not fit to be His Highness’s principal wife!"

’A man marries a wife for her virtue,’ she thought. ’Mei Wanying was neither gentle and virtuous nor deferential and accommodating.’

’She might pass as a pampered, arrogant concubine, but if she became the matriarch, the whole family would know no peace.’

Mei Wanying sneered. "You’re the one who’s most suitable! Go on, run to your masters and wag your tail, begging for favor. See if they’ll reward you by making you a principal wife!"

For Mrs. Gu, it was as if the sky had fallen.

’Listen to that vulgar, filthy language. To think it was coming from the mouth of a lady from a prestigious family.’

’How did the Mei family even raise her?’

’This is utterly preposterous!’

Her voice rose, becoming sharp and shrill. "Miss Mei, you can take your anger out on me if you must, but to be so disrespectful to the Empress and His Highness—that is treasonous!"

Having thrown all caution to the wind, Mei Wanying’s eyes filled with scorn. "You want to go report me? Be my guest. Isn’t that your daily routine anyway?"

Mrs. Gu’s face flushed crimson, and she nearly choked on her own breath.

’Was that tattling?’

’She was merely fulfilling her duty by reporting Mei Wanying’s daily activities to the Empress.’

If it weren’t for the gold lump in Mei Wanying’s belly, she really wouldn’t have stood for this humiliation!

With no outlet for her rage, Mrs. Gu experienced for the first time what it felt like to be angered to the point of tears.

And she couldn’t just walk away from it all. It was utterly infuriating!

"Miss Mei, if you find me so disagreeable, you can report me to the Empress as well. If the Empress feels I’m not doing my job properly and wants me to return to the Capital City, I won’t stay a moment longer!"

’What kind of noble lady talks back like that?’

’This Mei Wanying was just too difficult to manage!’

’She dares to talk back to me now, before the child is even born. If she gives birth to a son, I’m afraid Mei Wanying will walk all over everyone!’

Mrs. Gu had met countless well-bred young ladies, but she had never seen one as defiant and untamable as Mei Wanying.

’And to think she had previously mistaken Mei Wanying for some delicate, clinging vine.’

’It was all an act, it seems.’

’Sharp-tongued, unreasonable, and domineering—that was her true nature!’

’His Highness must have been foolish to let such a woman carry his child.’

’He doesn’t even like Mei Wanying, so why bestow this honor upon her?’

’He never should have touched her.’

’He shouldn’t have given her the chance to gain status through her child!’

Mei Wanying actually considered "reporting" her. As long as she used the child as leverage, she wasn’t afraid that Empress Gu wouldn’t compromise.

But if one Mrs. Gu left, the next would be a Mrs. Zhao, or a Mrs. Li...

The next one might be even more difficult to handle.

Mei Wanying was weary. She didn’t want to engage in a battle of wits with these people.

"What’s going on here?"

Gu Xun had come to visit Mei Wanying again. He saw Mrs. Gu crying, with two young maids supporting the old woman, one on each side.

Mei Wanying sat in the pavilion, her face a mask of indifference. Ding Xiang stood beside her, equally expressionless.

It looked like they were in a standoff.

Upon seeing Gu Xun, it was as if Mrs. Gu had seen one of her own.

She poured out the whole story in a rush, like spilling beans. "I only meant well, I never thought Miss Mei would get so angry."

With that, she dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, looking utterly wronged.

The man listened, momentarily stunned.

Then, his heart began to pound, filled with an indescribable excitement.

’This was the Mei Wanying he remembered. If she were timid and withdrawn, how would she have dared to so openly pursue her cousin?’

’Bright and bold, even a little bit arrogant—that was the real Mei Wanying!’

’She shouldn’t be so downcast and morose, so shrouded in gloom.’

The corners of Gu Xun’s mouth lifted uncontrollably as he gazed at Mei Wanying with a faint, unreadable smile.

His gaze made Mei Wanying, who was maintaining a cold expression, feel awkward and ill at ease.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was up to no good, that he was probably laughing at her inwardly.

But Gu Xun hadn’t provoked her, so she couldn’t just curse him out for no reason.

So she simply averted her gaze, refusing to look at them. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Gu Xun rubbed the tip of his nose. ’Looks like Miss Mei sees me as the "enemy" now.’

’Then again, what could he do? His surname was Gu...’

Seeing that Gu Xun wasn’t speaking up for her, Mrs. Gu looked aggrieved. "Xun, everything I said is true! If I’ve exaggerated in the slightest, may I be struck down by lightning!"

Gu Xun clicked his tongue. "Why are you making such a vicious oath over nothing? Do you feel this situation isn’t chaotic enough and want to add more fuel to the fire?"

Mrs. Gu’s lips trembled, but she didn’t know how to respond.

Her heart was in turmoil.

’Is Xun... taking Mei Wanying’s side?’

’But she was the one from the Gu family! Mei Wanying had even refused to marry Xun, so how could he possibly take her side?’

Mrs. Gu had grown up in the Gu Family and was completely devoted to her masters. In her eyes, Mei Wanying was the outsider.

She felt truly awful at this moment.

Back in the Capital City, everyone she met out and about treated her with respect.

This kind of treatment was a first for her.

It was one thing for Xun not to help her, but to scold her in front of Mei Wanying and cause her to lose face...

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Mrs. Gu said, "If she had just listened to the Empress and married you with the child in her belly, I wouldn’t have to be here watching over her, getting on everyone’s nerves for no reason."

As soon as these words were spoken, Mei Wanying’s face flushed a deep red.

It wasn’t from shyness.

It was from humiliation.

It was from fury!