Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 105
by Little PandaExtra 1: The Original Female Lead is Reborn (9)
The moment Jiang Yao heard Song Muyun say her butt hurt, she froze solid.
Her butt hurt? What was she supposed to do about that? How would she know how to treat a sore butt?
Song Muyun was facing Jiang Yao directly. The moonlight was especially bright tonight, spilling into the room and allowing them to vaguely make out each other’s expressions.
Jiang Yao was already incapable of forming an expression, but Song Muyun’s face was full of innocence. She stared with wide, clear eyes, occasionally rubbing her body lightly against Jiang Yao’s.
“It really hurts,” she murmured, each word laced with grievance. “What should I do, Jiang Yao?”
Jiang Yao was speechless.
No, just let me calm down first.
How could a fairy’s butt hurt!
Yun’er was reserved, introverted, well-behaved, and easily embarrassed. How could she possibly say her butt hurt!
Could she have been possessed by some fox spirit?1
Unable to control herself, she subconsciously reached out and pinched Song Muyun’s cheek. The pinch was just hard enough to make the girl let out a soft whimper, her eyes turning watery as she gazed at Jiang Yao.
Well, it didn’t seem like she’d been replaced by someone else. It was still her. So how had she… gotten even stranger?
No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t that she was getting stranger.
Jiang Yao thought with a deadpan expression that it seemed they had been like this from the very beginning. Yun’er had always been naturally close to her, never hiding anything, always telling her about everything she encountered each day. So… this was still Yun’er.
But while it was true they talked about everything, did they really need to talk about a sore butt?
Besides, she wasn’t a physician!
Jiang Yao looked at Song Muyun, at a complete loss.
Song Muyun snuggled closer, pressing her cool, soft cheek against Jiang Yao’s.
“It hurts a lot,” she urged again, asking what to do.
Jiang Yao was numb, her eyes filled with despair. She was even starting to regret spending the entire afternoon reading military treatises. A sore butt? What was one to do about a sore butt… She had no idea.
Hearing that sweet, soft voice in her ear, begging her to think of something, Jiang Yao steeled herself. “I don’t know what to do,” she said bluntly. “Tell me what you want me to do. What can I do to make it stop hurting? I can’t very well fetch a physician for you.”
She touched her temple, her expression complicated. For some reason, she didn’t want to tell anyone else about such a private matter, not even the residence physician. It was fine for Yun’er to talk about these things in front of her—she wouldn’t blame her for it—but she wouldn’t permit her to go and tell others.
Nestled in Jiang Yao’s arms, Song Muyun’s voice came out muffled. “Who wants you to fetch a physician? Can’t you just… rub it for me?”
It had taken a great deal of courage for her to say that. Her face was as red as rouge, and she buried it in Jiang Yao’s chest, refusing to look up no matter what.
She was mortified.
Jiang Yao turned to stone once more.
Rub… rub it?
It was hard to imagine such words coming from the mouth of a well-bred maiden like Muyun.
Jiang Yao’s fingers, which were resting on Song Muyun’s waist, curled slightly. Only then did she realize that half of her hand was already on her rear. The flesh was soft and plump, even better to the touch than the little fox she had once accidentally caught.
“It really hurts. I’m not lying to you.”
She lifted her head from Jiang Yao’s chest, her eyes glistening with a pitiful moisture.
Who on earth gets a sore butt just from sitting and reading military treatises for a while?
Jiang Yao couldn’t understand it, but she was also afraid that Song Muyun was in real pain. Her hand kept clenching into a fist and then relaxing, hesitating over Song Muyun’s lower back.
What a dense block of wood, Song Muyun thought. In this life, if I don’t take the initiative, I’m afraid you’ll never come to like me.
At this thought, a trace of melancholy crept into her heart. She nudged Jiang Yao’s chest, then, in one bold move, took Jiang Yao’s hand and pressed it firmly onto the soft curve of her own backside.
Using the darkness as a shield, she didn’t dare look at Jiang Yao’s face, her own cheeks burning.
Jiang Yao’s entire body was rigid. It wasn’t until her hand was pressed into place that her eyes finally moved, shifting to look at Song Muyun.
She couldn’t see her face, only the top of a dark, fluffy head.
So proactive, yet after making her move, she didn’t dare to look at her, waiting only for Jiang Yao to act.
Jiang Yao gritted her teeth and asked one more time, “Are you sure?”
She was afraid of offending her. The fairy had always been distant with people, disliking physical contact.
But the person in her arms nodded obediently. Though her voice was laced with shyness, she urged, “Hurry up.”
Jiang Yao had no choice. She tentatively began to knead the area, as if rubbing a stomach. The girl in her arms remained buried in her chest, silent.
But whenever she paused, Song Muyun would move her hips, pressing into her palm as if to urge her on.
Jiang Yao was speechless.
She could only continue rubbing.
The girl was terribly thin; every part of her was slender, except for this one place.
At first, Jiang Yao hadn’t dared to touch it. Now that she was actually massaging it, her heart felt as if it were wrapped in cotton, softening along with the flesh beneath her hand.
She kneaded the sore spot meticulously, bit by bit. Song Muyun didn’t dare to look at her, waves of heat rising to her face. She was utterly abashed. It was her own request, yet now she was the one who felt shy.
A soft chuckle escaped Jiang Yao’s lips, sounding all the more distinct in the silent night. Mortified, Song Muyun gave her a light punch but didn’t dare lift her head. It was too embarrassing.
Jiang Yao slid one arm around her waist from below while the other continued to knead her soft backside. “Does it still hurt?” she asked gently. “I won’t make you sit for so long next time.”
“Then next time, you have to get up and walk with me.”
It didn’t hurt anymore, actually. It felt very comfortable. Curled up in Jiang Yao’s arms, Song Muyun happily kicked her feet.
Her feet, which Jiang Yao had been warming until they were toasty, were now free. As she kicked, one foot slipped out from under the covers. A cold draft blew in through the gap. Jiang Yao noticed immediately. “Put your foot back in. Don’t catch a chill.”
“Oh.”
Song Muyun was obedient. The fair, delicate foot that had strayed was pulled back in. With a hook of her own foot, Jiang Yao guided it between her legs, continuing to warm it.
“You’re so cold. You’re not allowed to just throw off the covers.”
In this matter, Song Muyun was very obedient. She knew that if she didn’t take care of her body, Jiang Yao would get angry with her. Nothing made Jiang Yao more upset than when she neglected her own health.
“Mm, I know. It slipped out by accident just now. I won’t do it again.”
After she promised, Jiang Yao brought the hand that had just been rubbing her butt back up and stroked her fluffy head.
“Mm, so good.”
Hearing her praise, Song Muyun couldn’t help but look up at her. The familiar face seemed even kinder and gentler in her eyes. Without thinking, she asked, “If I’m this good, will you like me a little more?”
Jiang Yao’s movements paused.
The word ‘like’ always felt as if it shouldn’t be used casually. But for Song Muyun…
A hint of tenderness suddenly appeared in her expression. “Mm, I will.”
After saying that, she felt it wasn’t enough and added, “I’ll like you even if you’re not good.”
At that moment, Jiang Yao didn’t think too much about it. She just felt that being with Song Muyun was exceptionally comforting. She liked this girl very much. She found her every frown and every smile especially beautiful and alluring. When she spoke, her voice was so sweet and soft that it made one want to listen to her, to indulge her every whim.
Hearing this, Song Muyun’s eyes instantly lit up, as if she had received some wonderful promise. She grabbed Jiang Yao’s arm and demanded, “Then you have to always like me. You’re not allowed to go and like anyone else.”
“Mm, alright.”
Jiang Yao agreed. Song Muyun finally smiled, satisfied. The soft flesh of her rear was kneaded again in Jiang Yao’s hand, and she heard her ask, “Does it still hurt? Do you want me to rub it a little longer?”
Already at the peak of her embarrassment, Song Muyun quickly shook her head. “No, it doesn’t hurt anymore! You don’t have to rub it.”
It had already been a long time.
She shyly settled back into Jiang Yao’s embrace. Jiang Yao held her and said, “Then let’s get to sleep. It’s not good to stay up too late. You still need to recuperate.”
“Mm, I know.”
Perhaps it was the familiar warmth of the embrace, or perhaps it was the sheer comfort of the massage, but Song Muyun soon fell into a deep sleep in her arms.
Only Jiang Yao remained, holding her on one side while practicing her breathing exercises on the other.
Alluring. Too alluring. A strange, humid heat was spreading through her entire body. She couldn’t sleep at all.
She finally managed to endure until the sky was just beginning to lighten the next day before she fell into a heavy sleep.
After that night, Song Muyun was convinced that reading storybooks together was effective, and she insisted on having Jiang Yao read with her for another day.
On the third day, when Jiang Yao went to pick up her brothers-in-arms, she was in a daze. She truly couldn’t believe that a storybook that looked so plain on the outside could be so outrageous on the inside!
On horseback, on the corner of a table, in a tree, in a teahouse, even in a bustling market—the women’s antics were more varied and more shameful than the men’s!
She didn’t want to keep thinking about these things, but she just couldn’t help it.
Jiang Yao’s face was a mask of bewilderment.
When she met up with the group, Sima Jushan even teased her. “Which male goblin sucked you dry of your vital essence? Look how weak you are.”
Normally, Jiang Yao would have already raised a fist to hit him.
But today, she didn’t have the strength.
She heaved two long sighs and shook her head. “Don’t mind me. Where do you all want to go have fun? Pick a place yourselves.”
Hearing this, someone’s interest was immediately piqued. His dark face was full of eagerness. “The Flower House, of course! I’ve heard the girls in the capital are a world apart from elsewhere. I have to go see for myself!”
Jiang Yao was speechless.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Taking me to a Flower House.”
Jiang Yao shot him a mild glare, but she wasn’t angry, which only made him bolder. “I hear there aren’t just flower maidens in the Flower Houses, but male entertainers,2 too. You can order one or two for yourself, and we can all have a good time together. Wouldn’t that be great?”
The man who said this was immediately jabbed in the ribs by Sima Jushan’s elbow. “She’s still an unmarried young lady! Are you trying to lead her astray? Do you want to anger the Prime Minister or get beaten up by my dad?”
The martial general who got hit was indignant. Sticking his neck out, he retorted, “Unmarried men can still frequent Flower Houses, so why can’t women? Are you looking down on our Eldest Miss?”
Jiang Yao was the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family, the first among all the children. When she had first arrived at the borderlands, they had all thought some delicate young lady had shown up, so they had called her “Eldest Miss” one and all, a habit that stuck to this day.
Although Jiang Yao had no interest in Flower Houses, she felt the man had a point. If all men could come and go from Flower Houses as they pleased, why couldn’t women?
She agreed with a sound and, with a grand wave of her hand, declared, “Today is for welcoming you all back and washing away the dust of your journey. Naturally, we’ll do as you wish. If you all want to go to the Flower House, then let’s go. My treat.”
The group, already excited to be back in the capital, grew even more ecstatic upon hearing that Jiang Yao was treating. They boasted that they would eat her out of house and home.
Jiang Yao just smiled without a word. If they could manage to eat her into poverty, that would be a skill in itself.
Someone tugged on her sleeve, a gesture so similar to Yun’er’s that Jiang Yao turned her head instinctively. She saw the face of her personal maidservant, Cui Zhu.
Cui Zhu looked frantic. “Miss,” she whispered, “are you really going to the Flower House with them? If the Master finds out…”
She made a throat-slitting gesture.
The martial generals, with their sharp ears, had already pricked them up, afraid that Jiang Yao would change her mind at the last minute.
Jiang Yao glanced at the group of generals, who were pretending to be nonchalant but were actually anxious as could be, then looked back at her trembling little maidservant. “What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, I’ll be here to hold it up. Going to a Flower House is a small matter. Father won’t be angry.”
Since she insisted, the maidservant couldn’t say anything more. She could only follow behind with a woeful expression, determined to protect her mistress’s innocence at the critical moment!
Yue Shang Fang was the capital’s famous “gold-melting den,”3 a place where people threw away vast sums of silver. The dancers, musicians, and flower maidens inside, to say nothing of their looks, were also exceptionally talented, making them favorites of the literati who liked to follow the fashion of the refined.
This group of coarse brutes, fresh from the army, demanded the top courtesan the moment they walked in, only to be kicked into a room by Jiang Yao. The nerve! Did they think the top courtesan was someone you could just have for the asking?
The top courtesan had already earned enough silver and now only received clients based on her mood, thank you very much!
She told the madam to send in a few handsome and talented men and women, intending to properly edify the brutish air of this lot.
When the group of martial generals saw beautiful men and women entering with qin, xiao, and di,4 their faces looked as if they’d been struck by lightning.
They had spent years in the borderlands. At most, they could appreciate a graceful dance. What did they know about listening to this stuff? All they wanted was to get their hands on them. If Jiang Yao hadn’t been there to keep them in line, they would have already slung one over their shoulder and left.
“Jiang Yao, did you bring us here just to watch them play instruments?”
“Mm, is it not a good show?”
…
“What’s the point of playing instruments? Don’t tell me you’ve been back in the capital for too long and have started cultivating your moral character and nourishing your nature?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not like you lot.”
They spent their days in the military camp telling dirty jokes and just assumed all martial generals were like them.
As they spoke, the male and female musicians finished a piece. They rose gracefully and walked in small steps toward the men.
With a thump, one of the less disciplined men was so mesmerized that he knocked over his wine cup.
Jiang Yao shot him a disdainful look. He had already pulled the approaching female musician into a full embrace, been coaxed into pulling a silver ingot from his robes to give her, and then disappeared with her from the private room.
One after another, the men were lured away. Jiang Yao’s head ached. She called over Cui Zhu, who had been standing guard by her side, and sent her to buy some sobering-up soup.
Cui Zhu was reluctant to leave, her face full of hesitation. It was only after Jiang Yao said she knew what she was doing, and seeing that there were still people left to eat and drink with her mistress, that she finally went.
The Miss will probably have a little wine. It’s best to have some sobering-up soup ready, just in case she gets drunk later.
Who would have thought that the moment her little maidservant left, a dark red figure would flash past the door? Sima Jushan stood up. “This is my first time in a Flower House, brother.”
“This isn’t a Flower House, it’s a Music House,” Jiang Yao corrected him. “And stop trying to flatter yourself. My father doesn’t have an illegitimate son as old as you.”
Sima Jushan was righteously indignant. “Godfather gave me my name, so of course I count as half his son! There’s nothing you can do if you don’t acknowledge it. Alright, I know you’re a rebel. I won’t argue with you. I’m off to be carefree and happy, and you should hurry up, too. Once Godfather finds out, there’ll be no more fun to be had.”
Jiang Yao waved her hand. “Go play. I don’t need you to manage me.”
She hadn’t even finished her food yet. Ever since she started living with Yun’er, she had developed the good habit of not wasting food, all to avoid being nagged.
Sima Jushan spotted an old acquaintance and ran off faster than a rabbit, closing the door behind him.
Jiang Yao ate a few more bites of food. Someone poured a cup of clear wine in front of her. The aroma was rich, and the five fingers holding the cup were long, slender, and fair.
They were not the kind of hands her friends had.
Jiang Yao looked up and only then realized—good heavens, her friends had all left long ago. All that was left was her and three male entertainers!
How awkward.
“Why are you all still here?”
She didn’t take the cup of wine, asking them with her head lowered.
The three male entertainers exchanged a smile and spoke in unison, their voices deliberately soft and gentle. “This servant is staying to serve you, Miss. Please, Miss, try the fine wine of our Yue Shang Fang.”
He offered the cup in his hand toward Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao had no choice but to accept the cup, but she placed it in front of her without drinking. She looked at the three men who refused to leave.
Their clothes were worn extremely loosely, revealing large patches of snow-white chests. They didn’t look like proper performers at all.
Could it be that they were primarily here to sell their bodies?
She didn’t remember telling the madam she wanted men. How could that person make such a decision on her own?
Jiang Yao’s brow furrowed tightly. She glanced at the expanse of white skin for only a second before looking away, unwilling to see more.
She had always considered herself to prefer fair-skinned men. Why did looking at them bring her no joy, but instead a sense of revulsion?
Jiang Yao’s expression was listless. Tapping the white jade wine pot with her chopsticks, she said, “Since you’re here to serve me, it’s no fun for me to drink alone. You drink, too.”
The soft voices sounded by her ear again as the men whispered their assent.
Jiang Yao frowned, disgusted by their effeminate manner. She detested it when others acted so frail and weak—with only one exception.
Thinking of the person who had sewn a scent pouch for her this morning and told her to carry it with her, a gentle smile involuntarily touched Jiang Yao’s lips.
The wine pot was in the hands of the male entertainers. One by one, they poured wine into the white jade cups.
A rich, alcoholic fragrance filled the room. The three cups were filled. Just as they were about to speak, the door was suddenly thrown open with a BANG!
Jiang Yao and the male entertainers were both startled and looked up.
The moment she saw who it was, Jiang Yao’s heart seized, and her brow quickly furrowed. “Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home?”
The way she said it sounded exactly like a husband carousing outside, displeased that his wife had come to find him.
Song Muyun’s eyes instantly turned red, her voice practically trembling.
She said, “I was waiting for you obediently at home, but what about you! You came to Yue Shang Fang behind my back! You ordered male entertainers behind my back! If I had come any later, were you planning to do even more?!”
She looked like she was about to cry. No, she was already crying. While Jiang Yao was still stunned, a string of crystal-clear tears fell from her eyes.
Those reddened phoenix eyes, that despairing expression—she looked exactly like a wife catching her husband turning clouds and creating rain with another woman.5
That was Jiang Yao’s only thought. A flash of astonishment crossed her eyes, but before she could think further, she saw Song Muyun’s pale face and falling tears and immediately stood up to coax her.
But before she could get there, Song Muyun had already run over. The high-quality jade waist pendants Jiang Yao had specially picked for her collided, creating a crisp, tinkling sound.
She ran to a stop in front of Jiang Yao, pointing at the bewildered-looking men with red-rimmed eyes, her voice chillingly cold. “Are these the ‘friends’ you were talking about?”
She was clearly furious. Though Jiang Yao didn’t know why, she habitually began to explain. “Of course not. These are people I invited to play music and liven things up.”
Hearing the words “liven things up,” Song Muyun’s expression grew even uglier. The few times she had witnessed things being “livened up,” they had not left a good impression on her.
And now Jiang Yao wanted to liven things up? Liven things up for whom?
Cui Zhu came running in belatedly, still carrying a pot of sobering-up soup. Seeing the standoff inside, she quickly turned to close the door, then scurried to Jiang Yao’s side to explain. “Miss, I ran into Miss Song just now when I was buying the soup. Miss Song asked me where you were, and I… I thought your relationship with Miss Song was very good, so I told her…”
They slept in the same bed. How could their relationship be merely “very good”? They all whispered behind their backs, wondering if the Miss and Miss Song were “polishing mirrors.”6
Jiang Yao pressed her forehead. She didn’t see any problem with Cui Zhu telling Yun’er. So what if she came to a Music House? Besides, she hadn’t come alone. Oh, wait. By now, all those men had gone off to enjoy themselves with the female entertainers. Yun’er didn’t think she had lied to her, did she?
Song Muyun’s gaze toward the three men was practically hostile. She was trembling with rage. Why? Why did that her get to be doted on, but when it was her turn, Jiang Yao liked men?
If she didn’t like men, she wouldn’t have invited three of them into a private room with the door closed!
If she hadn’t come, would they have done… everything?
Just the thought of it made Song Muyun feel suffocated. It was as if someone had carved a huge hole in her chest, and blood was gushing out. She was heartbroken. No one could dislike someone as considerate and gentle as Jiang Yao.
Unwittingly, she had already come to like her immensely, to the point where she wanted to be with her every second.
But she…
She liked men!
Even if Jiang Yao had never admitted it, in her heart, it was true! It was!
Jiang Yao helplessly tried to explain. “I was just asking them to have a drink with me. We haven’t done anything. You arrived before I even had a sip of wine. My friends all left with the female musicians, that’s why they’re not here. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them.”
Jiang Yao was always straightforward. If she did something, she did it. If she didn’t, she didn’t. She would never lie to her. Besides, she didn’t like her in that way right now, so there was even less reason to lie.
Hearing this, Song Muyun was already half-convinced, but she was still deeply aggrieved and furious.
Her eyes, practically shooting fire, turned to the three bewildered male entertainers.
The three looked nervously at Jiang Yao and asked in their most effeminate voices, “Miss, should we… still drink?”
The moment they spoke, Song Muyun’s face turned pale again. She suddenly gritted her teeth, her gaze shifting from them to Jiang Yao, fierce and vicious, like a tiny, ferocious wolf cub protecting its food. “Drink, drink, drink! Who said you could drink together! I forbid it! I forbid it!”
With that, she snatched a wine cup from the table and, before Jiang Yao could react, downed three cups in a row.
Jiang Yao was dumbfounded. She never knew Song Muyun could drink. Was she… was she going to get drunk?
She was just about to raise a hand to steady her when she saw Song Muyun’s eyes fix on the cup in front of her. She snatched it in a flash and tilted her head back to drink it down.
Her neck was long, white, and fragile. Jiang Yao stared, stunned. It was only when Song Muyun staggered that she snapped back to reality, rushing forward to catch her in a tight embrace. She wrapped an arm around her and said to Cui Zhu in a low, stern voice, “Quick, pour the sobering-up soup!”
Held in Jiang Yao’s arms, Song Muyun raised a hand and pinched Jiang Yao’s arm, glaring at the male entertainers who were now huddled together, trembling. Her tone was fierce. “Tell them to leave! You tell them to leave!”
Seeing her snatch the wine, Jiang Yao knew just how angry she was. At this point, she only wanted to soothe her. She immediately pulled a silver ingot from her robes and tossed it over. “What are you waiting for? Get out,” she said without even looking at them.
The three were only there to entertain clients for money. Since she had paid them without them having to do anything, they scrambled out one after another. The last one even thoughtfully closed the door for them.
The only ones left in the room were Jiang Yao, who wanted to comfort someone but didn’t know where to start; Cui Zhu, who was trying to breathe as quietly as possible; and Song Muyun, whose face was flushed red but whose anger was still blazing.
The author has something to say:
She got caught! Alright, I probably won’t be able to finish this in the next chapter. It might take two more. They have to get intimate at some point.
(They didn’t do anything else! What’s wrong with rubbing a sore butt? Can’t a 2D character have a butt?!)
Footnotes
- A ‘fox spirit’ (húlijīng) in Chinese folklore is often a beautiful, seductive demon that bewitches people. Jiang Yao is wondering if Song Muyun’s uncharacteristically forward behavior is due to possession.
- Original: xiǎo guān’er. A term for young male entertainers or courtesans in historical China, who served both male and female clientele.
- An idiom (xiāo jīn kū) for a place of extravagant spending, like a high-end casino or brothel.
- The qin (a zither), xiao (a vertical bamboo flute), and di (a transverse bamboo flute) are all traditional Chinese musical instruments associated with scholarly refinement.
- ‘To turn clouds and create rain’ (fān yún fù yǔ) is a classical Chinese literary euphemism for sexual intercourse.
- A classical and literary euphemism for female homosexuality, literally ‘mirror polishing’ (mó jìng).
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