Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 1

The Fault Lies in Your Stupidity

“Prime Minister Jiang Heng¹, for colluding with the enemy and committing treason, by order of the Emperor, your entire clan is to be executed²——”

The blade fell, splattering blood all over the ground. Red filled her vision. Jiang Yao³ awoke with a start, lying in bed and gasping for breath.

She’d had a dream. A dream that she was living inside a storybook⁴.

She dreamed that the Seventh Prince, who she’d never gotten along with, was the male lead of the storybook. And that he’d long held a secret affection for Song Muyun⁵, the daughter of the Deputy of the Office of Transmission⁶, who had just been beheaded a few days prior for deceiving the emperor.

Lord Song was beheaded, the men of the Song family were exiled to the borderlands, and the women were forced into the brothels⁷.

In the storybook, she learned that the Seventh Prince had always adored Song Muyun. He had once confessed his feelings, willing to take her as a side consort⁸, but was gently rejected. Feeling humiliated, the narrow-minded prince began to hold a grudge against her. When she ended up in the Yuefang⁹, he immediately went to kick her while she was down, visiting daily to humiliate her and demanding she serve him as a slave. Later, he even bought her and kept her by his side just to torment her.

And then… her stupid younger brother took a liking to Song Muyun.

In order to win the Jiang family’s support, the Seventh Prince actually gave Song Muyun—who had just begun to develop a sliver of affection for him—to her brother.

She was like a bystander, watching with wide-open eyes as the Seventh Prince laid trap after trap, ensnaring both her brother and her father, all for the price of a single woman.

Unbelievably, her brother had something wrong with him. He clearly liked the girl, but he just wouldn’t say it, choosing instead to humiliate her. This led Song Muyun to despise him. After getting together with the Seventh Prince, she helped him use the Jiang family for all they were worth, then casually slapped them with the crime of rebellion and had the entire clan executed.

She hadn’t known a thing, and then disaster struck!

She was clearly the most innocent one in all of this!

Oh, and her father, for having sired an unfilial son like Jiang Huai¹⁰ and sending the whole family to the Hall of King Yama¹¹.

Jiang Yao didn’t want to believe in tales of strange forces and chaotic spirits¹², but the pain and despair from her dream felt like they hadn’t left her yet. They swirled around her, leaving her in a state of panic. The feeling was just too profound.

“Miss, you’re awake. Would you like some white fungus soup¹³?”

Jiang Yao’s heart had yet to calm when a clear voice sounded by her ear. It was her personal maid, Cuizhu¹⁴.

Right. This wasn’t her dream. None of what happened in the dream had actually occurred yet!

Who was it that brought the Jiang family to that state? It was her stupid younger brother!

Jiang Yao’s eyes lit up. Her objective was clear. She leaped out of bed, leaving behind a single “No, I don’t,” and sprinted toward her brother’s courtyard.

Jiang Huai was on leave from his duties today and had just invited a few friends over. Suddenly, a whip appeared out of nowhere, nearly lashing him to the ground.

“Who—who dares to ambush this young master¹⁵!”

Jiang Huai spun around in anger, only to come face-to-face with his own sister, her fiery, flame-like figure clad in martial attire.

“Jie… Jiejie?”¹⁶

The last syllable was drawn out in utter astonishment.

A moment later, he sputtered in frustration, “Jie! Why’d you suddenly hit me?!”

“Tsk. You’re the one I’m beating, you unfilial son.”

As she spoke, Jiang Yao whipped the lash in her hand, beating him until he was fleeing with rolling farts and flowing urine¹⁷ around his few good friends.

He yelled for help as he ran, “Aiyo, holy shit, Jie, what’s gotten into you? Stop hitting me, stop! Ah, my ass! You bunch of fox friends and dog pals¹⁸, aren’t you going to save this young master? I’m gonna be beaten to death!”

Those friends had been to the Jiang estate several times and remembered Miss Jiang as a gentle and virtuous lady, with a personality that made people feel like they were bathing in a spring breeze¹⁹. But today, how could she be so… so…

After racking their brains for a good while, the group of scholars couldn’t come up with an adjective. One of them, dressed in a viridian long-robe, was the first to act, attempting to grab Jiang Yao’s long whip.

He was sent sprawling to one side with a single crack of her whip.

A young master in a ginger-yellow long-robe didn’t dare to intervene, so he could only shout, “Miss Jiang, whatever crime Jiang-xiong²⁰ has committed, you should at least give a reason for the beating! Any more and you’ll kill him!”

“He’s alive and kicking, where does he look like he’s about to die? Get lost! If you don’t, this young lady will beat you too!”

“Hey, don’t hit me, don’t hit me, not the face! Dad, Mom, help, my sister’s gone crazy——”

Jiang Huai yelled randomly for his father and mother, but he was destined for disappointment.

The Prime Minister and his wife were both out visiting friends today. Only the two of them were home.

Jiang Yao was determined to vent the bitter anger she’d suffered in her dream. Just as she was about to strike again, she heard Jiang Huai’s excited voice, “Your Highness the Seventh Prince! Your Highness, save me! My sister has lost her mind!”

The Seventh Prince?

Jiang Yao’s expression froze. She subconsciously recalled the emperor from her dream—dressed in bright yellow dragon robes, his beloved woman in his arms, ordering the execution of the entire Jiang clan without a shred of regard for their past ties.

He could punish Jiang Huai in any way for his stupidity, but the one thing he could not do was order the execution of the entire Jiang clan!

Her Jiang family had once done Murong Qing²¹ a favor. Murong Qing and her brother had been the best of playmates. In the dream, the Prime Minister’s estate had stood with Murong Qing, helping him clear away many obstacles. But once Murong Qing became emperor, he actually hid the bow away now that the birds were all gone²²?

That heartless bastard.

Although she couldn’t be sure if the dream was real, it had affected Jiang Yao to some degree. When the man’s clear voice rang out from behind her—”Stop”—she paused, then turned around with an expression that was nearly ice-cold.

Her face was hostile.

Murong Qing was just about to ask Jiang Yao why she was whipping someone when he was startled by her cold expression.

Why is Jiang Yao looking at me like that? he thought. It’s as if… she utterly despises me.

Murong Qing was baffled, but he recovered quickly, a gentle and refined smile on his face. “Miss Jiang, I wonder what mistake Ah Huai has made to deserve such a punishment from you?”

“Oh. He was unfilial.”

Jiang Huai nearly jumped up to protest. “You’re lying! When have I ever been unfilial? Don’t think you can bully me just because Mom and Dad aren’t here!”

Murong Qing also said, “Being unfilial is a grave crime. I wonder, Ah Huai, were you unfilial to Lord Jiang or to Lady Jiang?”

Jiang Yao said without expression, “Me.”

Murong Qing: “What?”

He hadn’t quite understood and frowned slightly.

Jiang Yao repeated, “To me.”

Murong Qing: …

You’d better not be messing with me.

He put on a somewhat surprised expression. “Miss Jiang, you are neither Ah Huai’s parent nor his elder. Why should Ah Huai show you filial piety?”

Jiang Yao was getting impatient. Her hand was itching to act, but in the end, she refrained from doing something as vicious as assaulting a prince. Her displeasure, however, was plain to see. “I say he should, so he should. Seventh Prince, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Mind your own business, she thought. Whether that dream is real or not, I will not let Father side with the Seventh Prince. It’s best to remain neutral and support no one. What if the dream turns out to be true? I need to observe for a while longer, just in case the Seventh Prince is as two-faced as he was in the dream.

Jiang Yao shot Murong Qing an irritated glance.

Murong Qing froze. He couldn’t think of anything he’d done recently to offend Jiang Yao. What in the world had gotten into her?

Jiang Huai was scared, too. With a miserable look on his face, he cried, “Jie, what did I do wrong? Even if you’re going to beat me to death, I want to die knowing why!”

Damn, not even the Seventh Prince’s arrival can save me. Did I accidentally commit some colossal, death-worthy mistake?

Jiang Huai’s heart was like dead ashes²³.

After experiencing that dream of being beheaded for no reason, Jiang Yao got angry just looking at Jiang Huai. She glared at him. “Your fault is that you’re too stupid. You’ve truly failed to live up to my teachings.”

Jiang Huai was in disbelief, dying to shout back, What teachings?!

But looking at the whip in his dear sister’s hand, his lips trembled a couple of times before he shakily shut his mouth.

I’m afraid of getting hit. I’ll endure it!

Jiang Yao shot him a sidelong glance. Seeing that he’d shut up, she decided to spare his life. Her eyes fell upon the Seventh Prince, and she said abruptly, “Jiang Huai, next time, wipe your eyes clean. Don’t just believe anyone’s words or befriend just anyone.”

After saying this, she walked away, swinging her whip, without giving the Seventh Prince another look. Murong Qing was left feeling rather uncomfortable. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling he’d just been subtly dissed²⁴. You were talking, so why were you looking at me when you said it? What was that supposed to mean?

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The author has something to say:

This is my first time trying to write baihe. God bless, I hope someone reads it!

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