Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 22

Knows He’s Unlikable, Right?

Because she was also one of the people who beat up Murong Qing, Jiang Yao didn’t say anything. Instead, Jiang Heng spoke up, telling Jiang Huai not to talk about the imperial family’s affairs.

No matter what, the Seventh Prince was still a prince, not someone subjects could discuss after tea and meals.

At home, Jiang Huai was afraid of everyone. The moment he heard his father speak, he immediately covered his mouth and fell silent.

During the meal, Jiang Heng asked Jiang Yao, “Do you still remember your Ru’er-meimei¹?”

Jiang Yao was taken aback for a moment, then recalled after a moment of thought, “Of course I remember Ru’er-meimei. Are she and Second Uncle coming back?”

Ru’er was Jiang Ru², Second Uncle Jiang’s only daughter. A few years ago, she followed Second Uncle Jiang to the borderlands. Now that the fighting at the border had gradually subsided, the Emperor intended to summon them back.

Jiang Heng nodded. “It will be in the next few days. The Emperor will issue an edict to summon your Second Uncle back.”

Jiang Yao raised her eyebrows, knowing in her heart that the emperor of the current dynasty was suspicious. Her father’s prestige among the civil officials was extremely high, and her Second Uncle, grasping military power in his hand at the border, had extremely high prestige among the military officials. He was worried.

“Ru’er hasn’t returned to the capital in a long time. I’m afraid she won’t be used to it. When the time comes, take her out to have some fun more often.”

Jiang Yao’s face was full of a packed ticket³. “You can rest assured. I will definitely take Ru’er-meimei out to have a good time.”

Jiang Heng glanced at her, frowning slightly. After a moment, he suddenly said, “You’re not allowed to take her to any of those not three, not four⁴ places.”

…

Mother Jiang was in the middle of putting food on her daughter’s plate. Hearing this, she looked up and gave Jiang Heng a reproachful glare. “What are you talking about? How could Yao’er take Ru’er to a bad place? Yao’er has always been well-behaved and sensible.”

Mother Jiang had a built-in fondness for her own daughter. No matter how crude or fierce she was, in the eyes of this old mother, it was merely a case of being “truly lively.”

Jiang Heng glanced at Jiang Yao and saw her lower her head with a guilty conscience. He said helplessly, “I haven’t seen any ‘well-behaved and sensible.’ I’ve only seen how she finds trouble for me.”

The Song family’s matter was one such trouble.

When he didn’t know, he could ignore it. Now that he knows, he can’t just let the Song family suffer a potential injustice for nothing, and let a possibly innocent young lady be humiliated by people in a place like a green mansion⁵. Sigh.

Mother Jiang blamed Jiang Heng for always speaking ill of their daughter. She turned over her white eyes⁶ at him several times and even skipped him when serving soup.

Jiang Yao silently drank her soup, not participating in her parents’ small hits and small noises⁷.

After finishing the meal, they went for a walk in their own back garden to aid digestion. Jiang Huai quietly ran over and walked by Jiang Yao’s side, glancing at her guiltily again and again.

Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered with him and walked slowly on her own.

Jiang Huai poked her arm. “Hey, Jie⁸.”

“What.”

Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered with him. In her mind, she was still wondering which turtle’s calf⁹ dared to pick up her leak¹⁰. Good thing she had covered herself up tightly enough, otherwise wouldn’t she have to carry the black pot¹¹ for someone else?

Jiang Huai sidled up to her obsequiously, laughing dryly. “Hehe, Jie, about today’s matter, you won’t tell Dad and Mom, right?”

Jiang Yao’s mind wasn’t even on him. She asked casually, “What matter.”

Jiang Huai: “J-Just the matter of me going to the pleasure house.”

“Tsk, so you know to be scared now? Weren’t you quite arrogant during the day?”

“Aiya, my good jiejie¹², it’s because I’ve thought it through now, isn’t it? I’m begging you, don’t tell Dad and Mom I went to the pleasure house, or they’ll definitely beat me!”

At home, Jiang Huai was at the bottom of the food chain, mainly because his combat power was the lowest.

If Jiang Yao were to be punished, she would have long since used her qinggong¹³ to run far away, and no one would be able to catch her. But Jiang Huai couldn’t do that… He could only obediently accept his punishment.

“So you know it was wrong for you to go to the pleasure house?”

Jiang Yao shot him a sidelong glance.

Jiang Huai mumbled in a low voice, “Th-that’s because that person surnamed Lin tricked me. He said the food at Yueshang House was delicious, and that the women played the qin¹⁴ well, not losing out to the great masters of our time. That’s why I wanted to go check it out.”

Thinking back on it, he still felt wronged. He just wanted to have a meal and, while he was at it, listen to a woman play the qin who could rival the great masters. What did he do wrong! Only to be caught and taught a lesson by his eldest sister.

Jiang Yao turned her head to look at his stupid, wronged expression with his pouted lips, and was simply speechless.

No wonder he gets tricked by Murong Qing in the storybooks¹⁵. He’s stupid to death.

No wonder he can’t obtain Song Muyun’s fragrant heart¹⁶. You’re so stupid, are you even worthy?!

Jiang Yao hated the iron for not becoming steel¹⁷. “From now on, have less contact with that person surnamed Lin you mentioned. He’s tricking you, and you’re still here chuckling about it.”

‘Delicious’ must necessarily mean food?

Would someone who plays the qin better than a great master stay in a pleasure house?

The current dynasty doesn’t have many restrictions on women. Someone who plays the qin this well could have long since used money to buy her own freedom.

Jiang Huai had a face full of confusion and even chased after her to ask what the person surnamed Lin had tricked him about.

Jiang Yao couldn’t even be bothered to talk to him. She quickened her pace back to her courtyard, telling him to go do whatever he was supposed to do and not to bother her.

The next day, she arrived at Yueshang House as promised. She spent silver to request Song Muyun and talked with her about the matter of the Seventh Prince being beaten until his nose was blue and his face was swollen¹⁸.

Song Muyun also looked somewhat surprised, but she didn’t suspect Jiang Yao at all, only saying, “Perhaps the Seventh Prince offended someone while he was out.”

Jiang Yao raised her eyebrows. Yeah, of course he offended someone. Didn’t he offend me?

“Let’s not talk about irrelevant people. Want to read a storybook?”

Jiang Yao sat on the rocking chair by the window. The window was wide open, and she felt the gentle breeze brush her face as she reached a hand out to Song Muyun.

Song Muyun naturally wouldn’t refuse her. After a light nod, she was about to go move a stool over when she was stopped by the other’s voice, “Hey, just come over here and we can squeeze in. No need for the trouble.”

“Squeeze in?”

Song Muyun repeated the words as if she didn’t understand, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes. Jiang Yao nodded and shifted her body to make a spot for her, right by her side.

She walked over slowly and stood unmoving in front of the rocking chair, seemingly still not quite understanding how to “squeeze in.” It wasn’t until Jiang Yao reached out to pull her that she was pulled by the force and fell sitting onto the rocking chair.

Jiang Yao wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her a bit more into her embrace. Their shoulders were pressed against each other, extremely close.

“Jiang, Jiang Yao…”

Song Muyun was lost in a daze for a moment. She hadn’t expected “squeezing in” to be like this. This… was indeed squeezing in.

She turned her head, blushing, and could easily bury her face in the crook of Jiang Yao’s shoulder.

Hearing her name being called, Jiang Yao also turned her head. Seeing Song Muyun with her head buried in her shoulder, she asked strangely, “Sleepy? Then let’s not read the storybook and rest for a while?”

Song Muyun lifted her pair of moist, glistening eyes again, the corners of her eyes tinged with pink. She shook her head, full of shyness and timidity. “Not sleepy. Let’s read the storybook.”

“Mhm.”

Jiang Yao moved her hand up a little to hug Song Muyun’s shoulder. While placing the storybook in front of her, she said casually, “I have something to do this afternoon, so I have to leave. You wait for me to come back obediently in the room, hmm?”

Song Muyun’s gaze fell on the book, but in reality, all her heart and mind had followed Jiang Yao. Hearing her say this, she subconsciously asked, “Where are you going?”

It was just that they had been together every day for the past few days, which had made her somewhat accustomed to having her around.

The beauty by her side, from whom a subtle fragrance wafted, was very dependent on her. Jiang Yao squinted her eyes with considerable pleasure and explained to her, “Didn’t they say Murong Qing was injured? He has a horsemanship and archery class this afternoon. I’m going to go take a look at him.”

Actually, she was going to watch the joke, and wash away some suspicion while she was at it.

Although Murong Qing had made many enemies, she was the one among them with the best martial arts. Of course, she had to go and offer some guidance, to make Murong Qing think that someone else had hired a person with high martial skill to beat him up. After all, he’s unlikable; he should know that himself, right?

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The author has something to say:

Going to watch the joke!

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