[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let":3,"chapter-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1326584,1761,"Chapter 33: Being Mei Wanying’s Crutch","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>The carriage collecting Mei Wanying took a detour, bypassing the palace and heading straight for the city gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying suppressed the unease in her heart and asked, \"Sir, where are we going?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Empress Dowager is unwell and has gone to the Royal Villa to recuperate. Miss Mei, you won’t need to enter the palace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying’s eyelid twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If I were going to the palace, I could still find a way to ask the Empress for help.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’With so many people and prying eyes there, I could have found a chance to turn the tables.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’But now that I’m being taken to the villa, what will I do if Pei Yan doesn’t come to save me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since her rebirth, Mei Wanying had avoided Pei Yan at every turn. She never imagined a day would come when she would so desperately long for his appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If I had known this would happen, I should have coaxed Pei Yan into personally escorting me from the Capital City.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying was filled with regret, but it was useless to dwell on it. She could only take things one step at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Thankfully, Pei Yan hasn’t left for the Border yet. Otherwise, I’d truly be without hope.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in the carriage, Mei Wanying lifted a corner of the curtain. Her stunning eyes swept over the scenery outside, her expression pensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch noticed her action but didn’t stop her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Unless the Empress Dowager gives the word, does she really think she can escape? That would be defying an imperial edict!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No one has that kind of courage.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’As long as Prince Chen doesn’t come and make trouble, this Miss Mei will certainly become the Crown Prince’s woman.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’To be fancied by the Crown Prince is a blessing for her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled and said, \"The spring scenery is lovely. Miss Mei, you should enjoy the view. Don’t disappoint the Empress Dowager’s kind intentions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying’s chest tightened, the weight of Imperial Power suffocating her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even have the energy to put on an act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her slender hand went limp, and the curtain fell, concealing her beautiful face once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch clicked his tongue internally. ’This Mei family’s girl has quite the temper.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Anyone else would have been showering me with compliments by now, trying to indirectly curry favor with the Empress Dowager.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’But not her. She’s brazenly showing her displeasure.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Attending to the Empress Dowager during her illness is a tremendous honor, yet she’s not even grateful!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No wonder she can’t win Prince Chen’s favor. With a temper like that, she might as well be a revered ancestor!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke with a sarcastic edge, \"Miss Mei, you’d best check that temper of yours when you’re before the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, not even the Crown Prince will be able to protect you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A derisive smile touched Mei Wanying’s lips, her eyes turning to ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’So it really is about the Crown Prince!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone was flat as she replied, \"Thank you for the reminder. To be noticed by the Empress Dowager is my honor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s the right way to think, Miss Mei.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer they got to the Royal Villa, the tighter Mei Wanying’s clasped hands became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Has Pei Yan received the news? When will he get here?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Military Barracks.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan was about to depart the Capital City and had a great deal of official business to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been staying at the barracks, hoping to arrange his affairs as quickly as possible before heading to the Border to resolve the trouble there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His power base was in the military. If the Crown Prince wanted to fight him, he would surely try every means possible to plant his own men within the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he was away from the Capital City, he couldn’t give others an opportunity to exploit any openings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immersed in this work, the emotions Mei Wanying had stirred up in him gradually dissipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only in the dead of night, when he saw the handkerchief embroidered with an orchid, that his heart would stir again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A corner of the handkerchief had been burned, and the embroidered character for \"Yan\" had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’The evidence of Mei Wanying’s designs on me is gone,’ Pei Yan thought. ’So now it’s just an ordinary handkerchief. There’s no need for me to pick a fight with a handkerchief. That would just make me seem petty.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, he had kept the item as a matter of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even carried it with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan decided he would go see Mei Wanying on the day of his departure to return her things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If she leaves it with me any longer, she can’t blame me if I set it on fire!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter from the Mei family arrived while Pei Yan was in a meeting with several generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The messenger placed the letter in Pei Yan’s office and withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the meeting ended, four hours had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the desk were official documents and two stacks of letters. One stack pertained to Court affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was for routine matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting behind his desk, Pei Yan, for once, didn’t immediately turn to his official duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out Mei Wanying’s handkerchief and stared at it for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bloodstains on it had been washed clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s not right for a young lady’s possession to remain with me. Perhaps I should go return it to her now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Once my military affairs are in order, I’ll head straight for the Border. That way I won’t have to waste time seeing Mei Wanying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She’s spoiled, and she loves to cry.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She cries when she’s happy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’And she cries when she’s not.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Every time she sends me off, she cries until her eyes are red and swollen.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Her eyes are already weak. If she cries too much, they might be ruined before she’s even old.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I have no intention of being Mei Wanying’s crutch when I’m old and gray!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice in his heart told Pei Yan to go see Mei Wanying at that very moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he could return her things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, today could serve as their farewell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying didn’t know when he was leaving the Capital City. If she didn’t come to the city gates to see him off, she probably wouldn’t cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan let out an imperceptible sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Being Wanying’s guardian is so troublesome. I always have to think about these things for her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Let her cry if she wants to cry. It’s not my eyes that will be hurt, anyway.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’But if I don’t let Wanying see me off, she’ll just write letters scolding me again!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying had done that sort of thing before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Fine, one more meeting it is. I’m going to the Border soon enough. Then I’ll finally have some peace and quiet.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having made his decision, Pei Yan tucked the handkerchief close to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat up straight and began to read through his letters, occasionally taking up his brush to pen a few confidential replies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing one stack, the man rose and walked outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the sky had grown dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s face was a mask of nonchalance, but his steps were quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness, the Crown Prince’s men are making a move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s steps halted. He rubbed his fingers together, his expression turning dark and unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he patted the spot on his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Holding on to it for Mei Wanying a while longer isn’t such a difficult task.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning on his heel, Pei Yan headed back the way he came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Royal Villa.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Mei Wanying arrived, she did not see the Empress Dowager. Instead, she was led to a remote courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villa was heavily guarded, yet this particular courtyard was unnervingly desolate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside was only a Mute Maid, who brought Mei Wanying food at mealtime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying tried to ask her for information but found that the maid was not only unable to speak, but also could not hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtyard was utterly silent. There was no one to even talk to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nightfall, there were no candles, no lanterns. The entire small courtyard was enveloped in darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying was afraid of the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to see, she was like prey that had fallen into a trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tumultuous waves crashed within Mei Wanying’s heart. It felt as though she were walking along a cliff’s edge, with not a shred of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When one’s eyes cannot see, one’s ears become exceptionally sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying could even hear her own heart, pounding like a drum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In spring, the rain comes without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clap of thunder exploded across the sky. The deep RUMBLING grew closer, accompanied by the PATTER of raindrops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It masked any sound of movement nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying couldn’t see, nor could she clearly hear the commotion at the door. Every nerve in her body grew taut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never experienced anything like this. An unknown fear began to spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’What are they trying to do? Are they trying to torture me this way, to make me break down?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying clutched a butterfly hairpin in her hand and murmured, \"Pei Yan, when will you come?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1537,"2026-06-05T19:26:55.228Z",1,"novelbin.me","da5b2530b4399463561f485d935eab35ce8d693e465af7faf1fdb1d8c497fbf5","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-34","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-32",175,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-cover.jpg"]