Worried her mother would face trouble, Mei Wanying came to the front courtyard alone to see what was happening.
She ran into Nanny Liu on the way and learned that the Crown Prince was insisting on seeing her. Mei Wanying then followed Nanny Liu to the main hall.
Just as she drew near, she heard what Pei Yan was saying.
In the past, she would have been overjoyed. She would have thought that Pei Yan defending her like this proved she held a special place in his heart.
But after everything she had experienced in her past life, she now understood just how ridiculous she had been.
Pei Yan was only protecting her to repay a debt.
She wasn't special at all.
'Stop flattering yourself!'
Mei Wanying was no fool; she wasn't about to contradict Pei Yan at a time like this.
If she could use Pei Yan's influence to resolve the trouble of the Crown Prince forcing her into marriage, nothing would be better.
Once the dust settled, she would take her mother back to Jiangnan and never return to the Capital City.
And, of course, she would never see Pei Yan again.
Having been reborn, she was already prepared to make a clean break.
Mei Wanying lifted the hem of her moon-white dress slightly and stepped gracefully into the main hall.
She entered against the light, her figure slender and graceful, her lovely face seemingly wreathed in a thin mist. Her dark hair wasn't styled in an elaborate coiffure but was simply held back by a silk ribbon, the strands catching the light in a soft golden halo. Her long, swan-like neck was held in a delicate pose. When a breeze blew through, the simple ribbon fluttered, making her look like a goddess descending to the mortal world.
Pei Yan casually glanced up. The long fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair froze, and his pupils dilated involuntarily.
A faint, uniquely feminine fragrance drifted in on the breeze. Pei Yan, who was sensitive to smells, caught the scent instantly.
It was the scent of orchids.
Faint and elegant.
Utterly refreshing.
Yet Pei Yan's breathing grew ragged.
'Mei Wanying really is my bane,' he thought. 'She always makes me uncomfortable!'
His gaze swept over to the Crown Prince, whose eyes were fixed on Mei Wanying like a venomous snake's.
Those eyes held an obsession, a look that said he was determined to have her.
Pei Yan was displeased.
His face darkened. "Go back!"
Mei Wanying had prepared herself, but his tone still affected her.
'What's he so fierce about?' she thought. 'I haven't done anything to provoke him.'
Casting a cool glance at Pei Yan, Mei Wanying didn't argue. With him here to back her up, her mother wouldn't be left isolated and helpless.
Pei Yan was the one telling her to leave. If the Crown Prince wanted to cause trouble, he should take it up with Pei Yan.
With that thought, Mei Wanying truly turned to leave.
The Crown Prince spoke up. "Miss Mei, a moment."
Mei Wanying stopped in her tracks, a flicker of helplessness in her downcast eyes.
He was the Crown Prince, a member of the Royal Family, powerful and influential. Even with Pei Yan intervening, she still felt a sense of dread.
If Pei Yan were to disregard their past and stop protecting her, Mei Wanying truly didn't know what she would do.
If she were alone, she could fight to the bitter end, never compromising.
But she had her mother, and that was her weak spot.
Mei Wanying stared at the silver floral embroidery on her dress. 'I won't pester Pei Yan anymore. I just hope that since I know my place, he'll help me resolve this mess quickly.'
'Once this matter is settled, I'll leave the Capital City.'
'I won't stay a moment longer than necessary.'
'And I certainly won't appear before Pei Yan again and get in his way.'
'From then on, we'll each go our separate ways!'
The Crown Prince concealed the aggression in his eyes and said with a smile, "Second Brother, you can't be so rough with a young lady. With that ice-cold demeanor of yours, it's no wonder all the other girls avoid you."
'Only a blind girl like Mei Wanying would chase after Pei Yan!' the Crown Prince thought.
'Then again, she really does have trouble with her eyes.'
A hint of malice entered the Crown Prince's eyes. "Isn't that right, Miss Mei?"
Mei Wanying was disgusted at being used as a pawn in their rivalry.
But alas, both were sons of the Royal Family; she couldn't afford to offend either one.
How could Mrs. Mei stand by and watch her daughter be harassed?
She took Mei Wanying's hand and led her forward to pay her respects. "His Highness made a special trip to check on your health. You should thank him for his kindness."
Just as Mei Wanying was about to curtsy, the Crown Prince caught her by the arm.
She tried to pull away instinctively, but he clamped down firmly on her wrist. A smirk played on the Crown Prince's lips. "Miss Mei, there's no need for such formalities."
As he spoke, his thumb traced a subtle, suggestive circle over her wrist.
Even through the fabric of her sleeve, Mei Wanying felt as if a cold, slithering snake had just crawled over her skin.
The hairs on her arms stood on end, and goosebumps erupted across her skin.
Mei Wanying struggled harder, trying to pull her hand back.
But the Crown Prince wouldn't let go.
Even with her mother present, he provoked her brazenly, showing no regard for anyone's dignity.
Humiliation threatened to drown Mei Wanying.
'When Father was alive, no one would have dared treat me so flippantly!'
Mei Wanying had her back to Pei Yan, but her frame was slender, and her struggle with the Crown Prince was in his clear line of sight.
Pei Yan's pupils constricted.
A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes.
His body reacted before his mind even caught up.
He shot to his feet.
The Crown Prince released her at just the right moment, his expression a mask of calm. "I wasn't going to eat Miss Mei, Second Brother. Your reaction is a bit much."
Pei Yan sneered, pulling Mei Wanying behind him. "She is not a concubine of the Eastern Palace, nor is she one of the little songbirds you keep on the side. Show her some respect!"
The Crown Prince's behavior was outrageous, and many scandalous rumors circulated about him.
But the Crown Princess Consort was too meek to restrain him, and while the Emperor punished him every time, the punishments were always severe in word but gentle in deed.
The Emperor having no sons of his own had left the Crown Prince with no sense of urgency, allowing him to act with dissolute abandon.
As for the Empress... some said that after the pain of losing her own son, she had poured all her affection onto the Crown Prince, spoiling him rotten.
"To spoil a son is to kill a son," as the saying goes, and in the past, Empress Gu had even been impeached by the court censors for it.
Now that Pei Yan had been found and returned, the Crown Prince had a sudden, terrible realization: Empress Gu had done it all on purpose.
'She wanted to raise me to be a useless waste.'
'All to make way for her own son!'
In recent years, his Eastern Palace had become increasingly chaotic—one moment, someone would turn up dead; the next, some other strange incident would erupt.
His reputation had plummeted as a result.
The Crown Prince refused to believe that Empress Gu didn't have a hand in it all.
The Crown Prince hated them all, and Pei Yan most of all.
'He was the one who was swapped out, so why didn't he just die out there?'
'And then there was General Mei. If he hadn't saved Pei Yan, none of this would be happening now.'
'Therefore, anything he did to Mei Wanying was justified.'
'It's her own fault for liking Pei Yan.'
'It's her own fault her name is Mei.'
'She isn't innocent. She must pay the debt!'
He stared intently at Pei Yan, who was still shielding Mei Wanying, not yielding an inch.
The smile vanished from the Crown Prince's face.
His skin was pale, a sign of a pampered life, which now gave him an inexplicably sinister air.
"Second Brother, are you really going to fight me for her?"
Pei Yan's tone was cold. "She was never yours to begin with. How can it be called 'fighting'?"
'Mei Wanying is her own person,' Pei Yan thought. 'She's a living, breathing human being, not some object to be fought over.'
'He shouldn't think I don't know what he's planning.'
'If Wanying were truly sent to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince would torture her to death himself, without his other women even having to lift a finger.'
'She's unarmed and defenseless, her eyesight is poor, and she wouldn't even know how to use a weapon if you gave her one.'
'She's naive and easily fooled, like a little white rabbit.'
'And the more fragile a person is, the more it excites the destructive desires of others.'
The mere thought of certain possibilities made a fiery anxiety burn in Pei Yan's gut.
He saw Wanying as a younger sister. She was under his protection. While he held no romantic feelings for her, that fact changed nothing.
'Anyone who wants to hurt her will have to get past him first!'
Pei Yan was talking about Mei Wanying, but the Crown Prince felt his words carried a hidden meaning.
He was insinuating that his own position as Crown Prince was illegitimately obtained!