My Royal Stepbrother's Obsession - Chapter 9 - Elder Brother, I Want Her

Xie Guanlan had his hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing scarlet arrow sleeves with leather military boots, his sharp bone structure carrying a bow and arrow, holding the reins with a commanding presence like a poised narrow blade ready to strike.

Exclamations arose around him: “It’s the Heir Apparent!”

The girls’ excitement visibly surged, and some who admired Xie Guanlan even shyly adjusted their attire.

One girl quietly asked Wen Xingluo, “Isn’t the Heir Apparent your stepbrother? Do you know if he has a girl he fancies?”

“And also,” another girl leaned closer to Wen Xingluo, “what does he like to eat? What are his hobbies?!”

Wen Xingluo: “…”

She knew nothing about Xie Guanlan’s preferences.

Wen Yueyin covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, “You shouldn’t ask my sister. Although she followed our mother into the Prince of Zhenbei’s Manor, how could the manor’s young masters easily accept her? My sister probably hasn’t even spoken privately with the Heir Apparent, let alone know him well.”

Especially Xie Guanlan.

This person, with a friendly face but a black heart, caused her much suffering in her past life.

Even if Wen Xingluo could handle Xie Shian, she definitely couldn’t manage Xie Guanlan.

In this life, if anyone were to be hastily married off to a petty official by Xie Guanlan’s thunderous methods, it would be Wen Xingluo!

Wen Xingluo’s face showed no emotion.

She ignored Wen Yueyin and focused on listening to Xie Guanlan’s lecture.

Xie Guanlan was explaining to everyone how to mount a horse.

Wen Xingluo followed his instructions to climb onto the horse’s back, when suddenly a noble lady at the end of the line screamed, “Help!”

Her horse was startled for no apparent reason and bolted away with her!

Xie Guanlan reacted the fastest, leaping onto his horse and galloping after her in an instant.

But somehow, his steed suddenly went mad, raising its front hooves in a frenzy, threatening to throw him off!

Xie Guanlan’s expression remained calm, and seeing he couldn’t control the horse, he decisively drew a dagger and swiftly stabbed it into the horse’s neck.

The horse let out a mournful cry and collapsed mid-gallop.

Xie Guanlan stepped onto the fallen horse’s back, his movements as swift as the wind, appearing behind the noble lady in a flash and promptly gaining control of her horse.

The students rushed forward.

The noble lady, frightened and crying, was surrounded by her friends and taken to see the physician.

Today’s riding and archery lesson was effectively over.

Wen Xingluo saw Xie Guanlan return to the spot and pick up a sharp stone.

It must have been this stone that startled the noble lady’s horse.

Xie Guanlan pocketed the stone, and his trusted attendant Fushan came to report, “I just checked the horse you were riding; someone drugged it, causing the beast to go mad and lose control.”

Wen Xingluo recalled the bucket-carrying servant she encountered at the stables.

She suspected, “I might have seen the person who did it.”

Xie Guanlan summoned all the grooms from White Crane Academy for Wen Xingluo to identify.

Wen Xingluo looked around and shook her head, “He’s not among them.”

Fushan frowned, “Could it be-”

Xie Guanlan raised his hand, stopping him.

He looked at Wen Xingluo, “Since Lady Wen has seen the person, please accompany me to the Yamen, so the Secretary can sketch him based on your description.”

While describing the person’s appearance to the Secretary, Wen Xingluo’s gaze couldn’t help but drift to Xie Guanlan.

Today’s incident was aimed at him.

Had he faltered even slightly, he would have been thrown off the horse.

At best, he’d be injured; at worst, crippled.

Someone wanted to harm Xie Guanlan.

The Secretary said, “The sketch is done. Please take a look, Lady Wen.”

Wen Xingluo glanced at it and said, “You’ve drawn him accurately; he looks just like this.”

Xie Guanlan ordered the sketch to be distributed and immediately began the search for the culprit.

That night, as Wen Xingluo was bathing and changing, preparing for bed, Cuicui suddenly came in to report, “Young Lady, the Heir Apparent says they’ve found the culprit and asks you to come identify him.”

Wen Xingluo wondered what there was to identify; since they caught the person, they should just interrogate him.

But upon arriving, she found the person was dead.

The place was a Corpse Depot on the outskirts of the city, with many bodies laid out in the hall, the air heavy with the stench of decay.

Several lanterns hung from the beams, casting a pale light.

Wen Xingluo covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, following closely behind Xie Guanlan, soon arriving at a corpse.

Standing by the corpse was another person.

He held a candlestick, his snow-white brocade robe accentuating his graceful and elegant demeanor, his refined eyebrows carrying a hint of a smile, with a vermilion mark on his forehead, resembling Guanyin¹ seated on a lotus throne.

“You’ve arrived.” His voice was gentle, his gaze falling on Wen Xingluo, “This must be our new sister? Hello, sister, I am your second brother.”

Wen Xingluo’s body stiffened.

So this was the Prince of Zhenbei’s second son, Xie Yanchen.

His words were gentle, but his gaze was unsettling, as if it could turn into a blade, dissecting her from the outside in…

Xie Guanlan asked Wen Xingluo, “Look and see if this is the person from earlier today.”

Wen Xingluo steeled herself and looked at the corpse.

The corpse was unclothed, with a long, neat incision across the chest.

Her face turned pale, and she quickly averted her gaze, “It’s him.”

Xie Yanchen set down the candlestick, donned deerskin gloves, and opened the corpse’s chest cavity.

He said, “He consumed Crane’s Crest Red², causing his death. I found a flatbread in his stomach, made with chives, pork, eggs, and Chinese toon. This season, Rong City doesn’t have Chinese toon yet, but Yang City, thirty miles south, does. Brother knows who resides in Yang City.”

As Xie Yanchen opened the corpse’s stomach, a pungent, acrid stench filled the air.

Wen Xingluo was overwhelmed, her eyes stinging, and she rushed outside to vomit.

She leaned against the outer wall of the Corpse Depot, nearly retching up bile.

A soft laugh came from behind her.

Xie Yanchen approached with the candlestick, offering her a bowl of water, “Rinse your mouth.”

“Thank you…”

Wen Xingluo accepted it cautiously, careful not to touch his hand.

Xie Yanchen’s Guanyin-like face smiled even more, “Sister has been very brave.”

Wen Xingluo thought to herself that she couldn’t compare to them, but humbly said, “Second brother flatters me.”

Xie Yanchen’s appreciative gaze lingered on her face, then followed the line of her neck downward.

Wen Xingluo instinctively protected her stomach, fearing he might dissect her.

Xie Yanchen praised, “Sister is very beautiful, with delicate skin; the Corpse Depot has never had such a lovely corpse.”

Wen Xingluo: “…”

Firstly, she wasn’t a corpse yet.

A drop of hot wax dripped from the candle onto Xie Yanchen’s fingertip.

Yet he seemed unfazed by the burn, instead curling his finger in an indescribable manner.

That Guanyin-like face revealed a peculiar interest in the candlelight.

He looked longingly at Xie Guanlan, “Elder Brother, I want her.”

Footnote:

1. Guanyin(观音):The Bodhisattva of Compassion, classically depicted with a serene, benevolent countenance, often in white robes, seated on a lotus throne, and bearing a red mark (urna) on the forehead. Used here to describe Xie Yanchen, creating a subtle irony/contrast with his corpse-examining actions.
2. Crane’s Crest Red(鹤顶红):A traditional Chinese euphemism for highly toxic arsenic trioxide (white arsenic), named for its red color in some forms/contexts. Not related to actual crane’s crests. A potent symbol of deadly poison.