A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go Chapter 29: Want to Run? Too Late

Pei Yan had said that if i Wanying disapproved, he wouldn’t marry Xue Yunshu.

i Wanying didn’t take his words to heart.

She refused to believe him.

In their last life, he had been drawn to Xue Yunshu, which proved the two of them were fated to be together.

Now that they had t in this life, there was no guarantee his heart wouldn’t be stirred.

’A man’s promises are worthless. Once he falls in love with Xue Yunshu, he’ll deny everything he’s ever said!’

Right now, i Wanying could barely save herself. Leaking the news to Xue Xingyao and having her prepare a counterasure in advance was the only thing she could do.

Regardless of the outco, as long as Xue Xingyao was all right, i Wanying wouldn’t bla her—not even if she was forced into the Prince Chen Mansion.

In the face of absolute power, they were just that insignificant.

Besides, their weaknesses were laid bare for all to see; even if they wanted to risk it all, they had to weigh the consequences.

...

The i family had vast holdings. To return to Jiangnan, they first had to settle their affairs in the Capital City.

Stewards had to be appointed to manage their shops and the manors outside the city, and staff had to be left behind to guard the residence.

After arranging the staff, they had to pack their luggage.

Once they returned to Jiangnan, they wouldn’t be coming back to the Capital City barring any special circumstances, so there was a great deal to pack.

There were countless tasks, big and small, leaving Mrs. i and i Wanying rushed off their feet.

Every day, stewards bustled in and out of the i Mansion.

With so much commotion, it was hard for others not to notice.

Pei Yan had previously instructed Wei Jue to handle all matters related to the i family.

Unless it was a matter of life and death, there was no need to report back to him.

Therefore, upon hearing about the activity from the i family, Wei Jue rely sent n to keep a close watch and lend a hand if they needed it.

Then he put the matter out of his mind and didn’t ntion it to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan had intended to go to the palace, but an urgent matter at the military barracks forced him to leave the city. He didn’t return to his mansion for several days, completely cut off from any news concerning i Wanying.

As a result, Empress Gu couldn’t find an opportunity to discuss changing the prospective bride.

The flower-viewing banquet had to be postponed as well.

After all, Pei Yan was one of the key figures; without him, no matter how lively the flower-viewing banquet was, it would be pointless.

Empress Gu had previously ordered an investigation into what had happened between i Wanying and Pei Yan.

Otherwise, how could i Wanying have suddenly beco a completely different person?

But after extensive investigation, they found nothing unusual.

"His Highness has only visited the i Mansion three tis recently. The first was on the anniversary of General i’s death, when His Highness went to pay respects."

"Another ti, when the Crown Prince visited the i family to inquire about an illness, His Highness went to deliver fresh fish and incidentally ca to i Wanying’s defense."

"A few days ago, His Highness escorted i Wanying ho but didn’t enter the mansion; he left as soon as she was there."

It was no secret that when i Wanying fell into the water, it was Pei Yan who had pulled her out.

Empress Gu tapped her fingers on the table. "The opportunity was right in front of her, yet she chose to let it go. Is that normal?"

Empress Gu was surrounded by her trusted palace maids and an elderly attendant who had served her since she was a young maiden.

Her surna was Feng.

Mrs. Feng also found it abnormal.

"i Wanying is proud and has high standards. I’ve heard many young masters from prominent families have sought to marry her, but she rejected them all. Seeing how she acted that day, I can’t help but feel she must have suffered so kind of blow."

That day, i Wanying had been shrouded in a cold, detached aura. Her eyes were vacant, and even His Highness’s appearance hadn’t caused the slightest ripple.

It takes a woman to know a woman.

Mrs. Feng felt that i Wanying must have suffered a terrible blow to beco so serenely detached.

She pondered for a mont. "Could it be that His Highness said sothing hurtful to her after she fell in the water?"

That was a possibility.

But Empress Gu couldn’t be completely at ease.

"i Wanying is a wild card. Her influence over Ah Yan is too great. Don’t think I don’t know why Ah Yan suddenly appeared that day—wasn’t it because he was afraid I would make things difficult for i Wanying? He even escorted her back to her mansion personally. Have you ever seen him be so kind to anyone else?"

Mrs. Feng mulled it over for a mont. "Then we should marry her off quickly. Once she’s married, both she and His Highness will have to give up any lingering thoughts they might have."

"Coincidentally, His Highness also wants i Wanying to marry, which is why he sent her that list of talented young bachelors. Your Majesty, if you simply go along with it, His Highness can hardly bla you. You would only be acting according to his wishes."

Empress Gu’s worries began to dissipate.

She thought it was an excellent plan.

Since i Wanying was a wild card, they had to neutralize her completely.

Once she was married, it would be useless even if Ah Yan ca to his senses and decided he wanted her.

He is ant to be the Crown Prince and is destined to ascend to the supre throne. He can’t possibly commit the act of forcibly taking another man’s wife, can he?

That would just be handing his enemies ammunition!

Empress Gu said, "Send i Wanying another list, this one containing only talented young n from Jiangnan. Tell her she must choose one and settle on it. As long as she knows what’s good for her, I will personally arrange for her to marry into a good family."

"Out of consideration for the bond between the i family and Ah Yan, no one will dare to give her trouble. Her life from now on will be a good one, no different from that of a Royal Princess."

If i Wanying refused to marry, it would prove she still harbored certain feelings for Ah Yan.

If i Wanying wouldn’t make a clean break herself, then she couldn’t be blad for taking action, her debt to General i be damned.

After giving her orders, Empress Gu suddenly recalled a detail.

"On the anniversary of General i’s death, when did Ah Yan leave the i Mansion?"

Mrs. Feng replied, "His Highness got drunk that day and rested at the i family’s ho for several hours. He didn’t leave until the middle of the night, and went straight to the military barracks."

As she spoke, Mrs. Feng’s heart skipped a beat.

’Surely the i family didn’t take advantage of His Highness’s drunken state to do sothing improper?’

Having witnessed all sorts of turmoil, Mrs. Feng wouldn’t have found it strange even if they had.

It would just prove that the i family was extrely calculating.

If they dared to plot against His Highness, the Empress would surely never tolerate i Wanying.

How could Empress Gu not have thought of what Mrs. Feng had just realized?

But she also found the matter very contradictory.

If i Wanying had sched against Ah Yan, it would prove she wanted to marry him.

At the very least, she should have reaped so enormous benefit from it.

Yet she remained silent and was even planning to return to her ancestral ho in Jiangnan.

None of it added up.

’She couldn’t be just biding her ti, waiting to launch a surprise attack and catch us completely off guard, could she?’

"Investigate again, more thoroughly!"

...

Although the Crown Prince was confined, he was still the heir apparent and had cultivated his own power base over the years.

A steady stream of news from the outside world flowed into the Eastern Palace.

The first ssage he received was a verbal edict from the Emperor, explicitly rejecting his request to take i Wanying.

He was also ordered to keep his distance from her.

More news followed, this ti about Pei Yan.

Even the fact that Pei Yan had escorted i Wanying ho was reported to the Crown Prince.

Pei Yan was cold by nature. The only person he had ever given special treatnt to, from start to finish, was i Wanying.

This was the main reason the Crown Prince had targeted i Wanying.

He loved beautiful won, but he loved the empire more.

He wouldn’t have fixated on her for her stunning beauty alone.

’If anyone was to bla, it was i Wanying for her rotten luck in getting entangled with the Royal Family!’

The Crown Prince couldn’t leave the Eastern Palace for the ti being, so all he could do was dispatch more n to keep a close watch on i Wanying.

And this surveillance quickly uncovered the unusual activity at the i residence.

The man’s long, slender fingers held a thin sheet of letter paper, his dark gaze lingering on it for a long ti.

His thin lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes flashing with a predatory madness.

"Trying to run?"

"Too late!"