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

Pei Yan’s sudden appearance made Mei Wanying want to leave the temple immediately.

She was determined to descend the mountain at the crack of dawn the next day.

It’s said that climbing a mountain is easier than descending it. Mei Wanying was pregnant and hadn’t rested well the night before, so walking down the mountain would be no easy feat.

Yet she insisted on leaving.

Seeing her red and slightly swollen eyelids, as if she had been crying, Gu Xun’s heart leaped into his throat again.

’Is she worried about my cousin?’

At this thought, a sour feeling washed over Gu Xun.

For a fleeting moment, he even thought, ’How wonderful would it be if my cousin never woke up?’

"Ms. Mei, the abbot has arranged for a sedan chair to take you down the mountain."

When praying for blessings at a temple, sincerity is what counts, so pilgrims usually descend the mountain on foot as a show of devotion.

But Mei Wanying was pregnant, so it was only natural for her to receive special consideration.

No one else thought much of it, but Mei Wanying had a nagging feeling this was Pei Yan’s handiwork.

He was always like this—one slap, followed by a sweet morsel.

That tiny bit of sweetness was enough to keep her chasing after him, year after year.

In the past, she would have defied him, preferring to walk until her legs gave out rather than ride in a sedan chair he had arranged.

But her mindset had changed.

’Let someone else suffer the hardship of walking down. I made this trip for nothing. Some people are like weeds that live a thousand years—they simply won’t die!’

Mei Wanying was filled with regret, silently vowing that from now on, Pei Yan’s business was none of her concern.

’Whether he lives or dies is his own problem.’

’Praying for him?’

’I won’t be foolish enough to do that a second time!’

Mei Wanying boarded the sedan chair without a second thought.

Ding Xiang hurried to follow, wondering to herself, ’What kind of nightmare did the young miss have last night?’

’She’s acting so strange, like someone got on her last nerve. She’s practically simmering with anger.’

Ding Xiang was inseparable from Mei Wanying and knew her better than anyone.

In Ding Xiang’s memory, only Pei Yan could provoke such a strong reaction from her young miss.

’But isn’t Pei Yan on the brink of death?’

’Don’t tell me he died and came to haunt her dreams...’

The thought sent a chill down Ding Xiang’s spine, and she shivered.

Although she detested Pei Yan, seeing him as an ungrateful wretch who had betrayed the Mei family’s kindness...

...she didn’t think he deserved to die.

’He’d better just stay alive. A ghost of him would be terrifying...’

A tall, slender figure stood on high ground, his eyes following Mei Wanying’s party as they departed.

He watched Gu Xun trailing Mei Wanying’s sedan chair from a slight distance, like a loyal guard.

Pei Yan snapped a branch as thick as his forearm.

A scornful glint appeared in his eyes. ’I’ve never seen such a shameless pest of a man.’

’He knows perfectly well who she loves, yet he still shamelessly throws himself at her.’

’Has he no shame?!’

As the party receded into the distance, Pei Yan hugged the pillow Mei Wanying had thrown at him.

’This long journey was well worth it.’

’I saw Mei Wanying.’

’I revealed my heart to her.’

’I won’t marry another woman, so she can rest easy in Jiangnan, free from the worry that I might suddenly start a family.’

’Once things in the Capital City are settled, we’ll get married and have children.’

He hugged the pillow tighter, which still carried Mei Wanying’s sweet fragrance.

’I’ll consider this a token of our love,’ Pei Yan thought.

Before returning to the Capital City, Pei Yan had thoroughly investigated the Mei family’s supposed "son-in-law."

It was just as he had expected—a fabrication by Mei Wanying, meant to fend off the relatives who were eyeing the family fortune.

The son-in-law was fake, which meant the child was fake, too.

And Gu Xun had a hand in all this.

’No one is that attentive without a reason; he’s either a scoundrel or a thief.’

Gu Xun was trying to curry favor with Mei Wanying. As a man himself, Pei Yan could see his intentions plain as day.

He arranged for men to keep an eye on Gu Xun, to prevent him from deceiving Mei Wanying.

’They must report to me the moment he makes a suspicious move!’

After arranging matters in Jiangnan, Pei Yan rushed back toward the Capital City without delay.

He had arrived alone, but he was returning with a precious pillow.

He couldn’t bring Mei Wanying with him, so having a keepsake to remember her by was the next best thing.

He was Mei Wanying’s child husband—the only man in the world who had the right to openly yearn for her.

’That Gu Xun is nothing but a contemptible clown!’

After seeing Mei Wanying, Pei Yan’s desire to eliminate the Crown Prince grew even more urgent.

He refused to drag Mei Wanying into the vortex of political struggle.

Only when the situation stabilized could he confidently bring Mei Wanying out into the open and declare to the world that she, Mei Wanying, was his wife.

In that dream, in a misguided attempt at cleverness, he had found a human shield, thinking it would keep Mei Wanying safe.

In the end, not only had he failed to protect her, but he had left her utterly heartbroken.

’In that final moment, what was she thinking?’

’Did she hate me?’

Pei Yan told himself again and again that it was only a dream, but it had still affected him profoundly.

He didn’t dare act so cleverly on his own again.

Nor would he ever again put on a show with other women and break Mei Wanying’s heart.

’I’ll take it as a warning from the heavens.’

So Pei Yan thought.

...

「Eastern Palace.」

The assassins the Crown Prince had sent after Pei Yan had once again returned in failure.

In a fit of rage, he flipped the chessboard with one hand.

"So many of you, and you can’t even deal with a man who’s practically dead! Useless! All of you are useless!"

He had thought that with Pei Yan gravely injured and comatose, sending men into the Prince Chen Mansion to finish him off would be simple. Instead, they had failed time and time again.

The Crown Prince was furious, his patience completely exhausted.

Since they couldn’t get to Pei Yan, they would storm the palace directly!

They had prepared for two scenarios, and storming the palace had always been one of their plans.

Having come this far, there was no room for retreat. One step back, and they would be doomed for eternity.

His advisors all voiced their support. If they didn’t storm the palace now, His Highness the Crown Prince would be in grave danger once Pei Yan awoke!

Someone proposed an escape route. "Your Highness, perhaps we should send the young princes away first?"

Storming the palace was certain to end in a river of blood.

If they won, the young princes could be brought back.

If they lost, as long as the bloodline survived, there would still be hope.

One day, a descendant of Your Highness could lead an army and fight their way back.

The Crown Prince sneered inwardly. ’Are they that precious? So precious they need a special escort to flee?’

’Whether they live or die, they will do so by my side.’

’That is their fate!’

’Thinking of escape before the battle is even fought? That would only sow dissent!’

The Crown Prince said, "So many eyes are watching the Eastern Palace. If I send them away now, wouldn’t that be announcing to the world that I am about to make my move?"

The advisor pondered for a moment. "What if... we choose just one to send away?"

There were many children in the Eastern Palace. The Crown Princess Consort had also borne a son—the legitimate heir, of noble status. The choice of whom to send away was actually quite simple.

He thought of his first wife, that meek, spineless woman, and suddenly felt a pang of pity for her.

’She’s so frail and indecisive, and I don’t even know who her son takes after.’

’It’s better they stay by my side. They wouldn’t survive on the outside.’

"Your Highness, as long as your bloodline endures, even if Pei Yan wins, he will never know a day of peace."

The Crown Prince frowned. "Don’t jinx it! Am I so certain to lose?"

He said as much, but he was already mulling over potential candidates in his mind.

If he truly were to lose, leaving a son behind to be a thorn in Pei Yan’s side was indeed an excellent option.

Outside the hall, the Crown Princess Consort held her breath, her palms clenched tightly, hoping to hear the Crown Prince speak her own son’s name.

If only the Crown Prince would choose them, she was willing to live and die by his side.

"I recently favored a Lamp Lighting Maid. If she is with child, send her away."