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

At every small shrine they passed, Mei Wanying would stop to offer incense.

She also donated a great deal of incense money.

Mrs. Gu was touched by her sincerity and secretly decided to put in a good word for Mei Wanying the next time she sent a message to the Empress.

True sincerity was a rare thing, and Mei Wanying’s devotion to His Highness was truly undeniable.

If not for General Mei’s early passing and Mei Wanying’s eye condition, she would have been the most suitable candidate for Princess Consort Chen.

"Miss, let’s stop and rest for a moment. You must be careful with the child in your womb."

The higher they climbed, the lower the mountain air temperature dropped. Ding Xiang’s exposed hands were nearly frozen stiff.

Mei Wanying was dressed warmly and wore a cloak, but her own fair hands were also exposed to the elements.

Her once-pale hands were now red from the cold.

Mei Wanying looked up. The temple at the summit was neither far nor near.

She was not one to endure hardship, but for some reason, she hadn’t felt tired at all on this journey.

A strange emotion lingered in her heart, telling her that everything would be fine once she reached the summit and lit a Peace Lamp.

Mei Wanying once had a dream where Pei Yan still came to save her in the end.

But she had already taken her own life, and he couldn’t save her.

’Consider it my way of repaying him.’

Mei Wanying blew a gentle breath into her palms. "There’s warm soup at the summit. If you don’t want to freeze, keep walking."

With that, she took the first step up the stairs.

Ding Xiang hurried to follow, staying close to protect Mei Wanying’s side.

’Is my lady in a hurry to drink the warm soup,’ she wondered, ’or is she eager to light a Peace Lamp and pray for His Highness?’

Walking and resting in intervals, they finally reached the summit just as the sun was setting.

Kneeling at the feet of the Bodhisattva statue, Mei Wanying pressed her palms together in a posture of devout prayer.

Pei Yan stood in the shadows outside the hall, watching as the setting sun cast a golden glow upon Mei Wanying.

From his angle, he could see her face in profile—as pale as ever, though her chin seemed a little sharper.

The cloak hid her figure, but her exposed hands were delicate.

She had her eyes closed. He didn’t know what she was praying for.

’Could she be praying for my safety?’

Once the thought arose, he couldn’t suppress it, and the corners of Pei Yan’s mouth curled up.

In the past, whenever he went off to war, Mei Wanying would go to the temple to pray for his safety.

She must have heard the news—that he was gravely injured, unconscious, and on the brink of death. That had to be why she came to the temple to pray for the Bodhisattva’s blessing.

’She’s so devout. How could she possibly not care about me?’

From the moment he saw Mei Wanying, Pei Yan’s heart had been beating with joy.

He hadn’t understood it before. He’d thought Mei Wanying had some kind of hold over him, causing his body to go out of control.

He didn’t think it was a good thing.

But now he understood. This was the love between a man and a woman. His heart raced when he was near Mei Wanying, and when he was away, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Mei Wanying hadn’t cast a spell on him; he had fallen in love on his own.

The figure he longed for day and night was right before his eyes, and Pei Yan stared at her without blinking.

He had thought a distant glance would be enough to ease his longing, but now he realized it wasn’t. It wasn’t nearly enough.

He had to speak with Mei Wanying.

He wanted to hear her chatter about everything that had happened recently.

He wanted to see her fuss over him, asking if he was hurt.

This time, he wouldn’t give her the cold shoulder. He wouldn’t just walk away without a word.

He would confess to Mei Wanying that he truly, desperately missed her.

And that he had realized his mistakes.

He would have an open and honest conversation with Mei Wanying, give her a calming pill, and let her wait for him in Jiangnan with peace of mind.

This time, he would not let Mei Wanying down.

Pei Yan shifted slightly and beckoned a Little Monk over, intending to have him lead away the people with Mei Wanying.

But then he saw a young man striding forward, heading purposefully toward Mei Wanying.

The man’s gaze was focused, as if he only had eyes for Mei Wanying.

Pei Yan’s sharp eyes narrowed.

When he realized who it was, his expression instantly darkened.

Gu Xun...

His cousin, whom he had never formally met.

The very man Mei Wanying had chosen to fob him off!

’When did they meet?’

’How many times?’

’Why does Gu Xun act so familiar with her?’

Pei Yan’s face grew cold, and the air around him seemed to freeze solid.

His gaze was locked on Gu Xun, his jaw clenched tightly.

He was right. As soon as he was away, countless men would seize the opportunity to get close to Mei Wanying.

They were all trying to tempt her, hoping to make her change her heart.

This sort of thing had happened before.

Whenever he left the Capital City, the Noble Children would invite Mei Wanying on spring outings, boat trips on the lake, autumn excursions, snow viewings...

Mei Wanying’s heart was with him, so naturally, she would never accept their invitations.

So those people would take an indirect route, inviting her friends along for an outing, and Mei Wanying would actually go.

He caught her in the act once and demanded that she return to her residence immediately.

His tone must have been too harsh, because Mei Wanying cried.

I think Xue Xingyao was there too. She even called him a nosy busybody.

At the time, he had only thought that he couldn’t let disreputable people get near Mei Wanying, lest they be a bad influence on her.

Thinking back on it now, Pei Yan finally understood: it was his possessiveness acting up.

He didn’t want Mei Wanying to associate with other men, not even as mere platonic friends!

Now, his possessiveness was flaring up again.

As the hand behind his back unconsciously rubbed his wrist bone, Pei Yan became certain of one thing.

He had to marry Mei Wanying and bring her into his estate.

Once Mei Wanying became his wife, who would dare to covet her then!

The man hid in the shadows, silent, his eyes fixed on the two people inside the hall.

’If Mei Wanying dares to cheat on me,’ he thought, ’I’ll... I’ll kill Gu Xun!’

A chill ran down Gu Xun’s back. He had the strange feeling of being watched by a wild beast.

He felt a sense of unease.

He glanced around. Inside the hall, there was only Mei Wanying with her maid and old servant woman.

Lifting his gaze to look outside, he saw only the occasional figure passing by. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The young man’s sharp brows knitted together slightly. ’Was it just my imagination?’

Seeing Gu Xun, Mrs. Gu was overjoyed, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.

This was her first time accompanying Miss Mei on an outing, and she had been genuinely afraid something would go wrong.

Xun was the support the Empress had found for the child. With him here, Miss Mei and the baby in her belly would be safer.

She took the initiative to step outside the hall. "Xun, you can accompany Miss Mei to light the lamp."

She shot Ding Xiang a look, signaling for her to come out as well.

Ding Xiang stood frozen in place.

’I belong to my lady, and my lady has no desire to marry Mr. Gu. Why should I blindly play matchmaker?’

Mrs. Gu shot her a glare. ’This clueless wench! It’s like she wants her mistress to live as a widow!’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Taking her own people with her, she went to stand outside the hall.

She didn’t know if her old eyes were playing tricks on her, but she felt as if she had just seen a figure flash past in the shadows.

「Inside the hall.」

Gu Xun took the initiative to explain to Mei Wanying, "I heard an elder in your family was feeling unwell. As it happens, I have some medicinal herbs at my estate that are perfect for that condition, so I sent them over to help with their recovery."

"I also heard you came to the temple to pray for our cousin. I was worried about his condition as well, so I came uninvited. Please don’t be offended, Miss Mei."

Pei Yan, who had circled around to the back of the hall, had a scornful look in his eyes.

’Such flowery words!’

’He clearly came for Mei Wanying.’

But then, he almost wanted to laugh. ’Mei Wanying loves me so much. She’s here praying for my safety again.’

The resentment that had been churning inside him was instantly soothed.

Pei Yan thought, ’As long as Mei Wanying says a few sweet things, when we meet in a moment, I’ll let her hug me...’