Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 25

Care

The next day, Jiang Yao carried her commonly used bow and arrows and went to the Eighth Prince’s residence. At the entrance, she bumped into the Seventh Prince who had also come over.

The Seventh Prince reverted to his gentle and cultivated¹ appearance; his face seemed to wear a layer of false mask. He performed a junzi² bow toward Jiang Yao. “Miss Jiang rose truly early.”

Jiang Yao secretly rolled her eyes, thinking, You guys gave money, of course I got up early. No matter what, I can’t do a disservice to the silver, right?

“Your Highness, please go inside. This subject daughter³ has some matters to attend to in a while; let us fight quickly and decide quickly.”

She spoke, making a gesture of invitation. Murong Qing walked inside, but asked at the same time, “What matter? Going to see Song Muyun again?”

Hearing Song Muyun’s name from his mouth, Jiang Yao could not help but raise twelve points of spirit⁴. She glanced at him with the tail of her eye but did not speak.

The attendant at the entrance led them inside. She heard Murong Qing give a pretentious light laugh, and then say, “You like Song Muyun this much? But I remember, you once said you hate the appearance of men being literary and crumpled⁵ the most.”

Jiang Yao’s posture was straight as a pen, her gaze looking forward, her voice faint. “Your Highness also said it, it is hating men who are literary and crumpled.”

Song Muyun was a woman, so she didn’t hate her. Not only did she not hate her, she actually liked her quite a bit.

Although her father was a civil official, she had provoked cats and teased dogs, climbed trees and scaled walls⁶ since she was small. Women with a belly full of poetry and books were not willing to play with her.

Actually, she liked that kind of woman very much. They spoke with soft voices and fine words, and were born weak and good-looking, exceptionally capable of making people raise some desire to protect.

Murong Qing suddenly said, “So you hate me and oppose me, is it for this reason?”

Jiang Yao’s footsteps paused slightly, a few points of surprise on her face. She thought, How is this Murong Qing’s face so big⁷? Where does he have the temperament of a literati?

She turned her head to size Murong Qing up and down once, confirming he didn’t have it, only a body wearing a false mask.

Tsk. “Your Highness has overthought. Why would this subject daughter hate you?”

She spoke lazily. Lifting her eyes, she saw Murong Ci standing not far away. She didn’t speak more with Murong Qing and walked over quickly, greeting him. “Eighth Highness, did you sleep well last night?”

Murong Ci nodded with a smile. “To trouble you, Jiang Yao.”

While he spoke, there seemed to be a share of closeness.

Jiang Yao nodded and was led to the martial arts training field.

“Archery, the most important thing is that the point of exertion must be correct.”

Saying this, she drew the bow and nocked the arrow. In front of the two of them, she slowed down her movements and shot an arrow, hitting right in the bullseye.

Murong Ci watched very seriously, but when the fierce arrow wind went out, his face still couldn’t help but reveal a trace of a lost expression.

Subsequently, he was a few points embarrassed and asked Jiang Yao to do it one more time.

Jiang Yao demonstrated repeatedly several times before telling them to shoot an arrow to try.

Murong Ci was a bit better than Murong Qing. Murong Qing basically found it very hard to hit the target. Although Murong Ci could not hit the bullseye, at least after repeated practice, he would no longer miss the target.

Jiang Yao held a long leaf she got from who knows where in her mouth, lying on a rocking chair like an old grandpa, watching them shoot arrows.

From time to time, she would voice some opinions.

Murong Qing saw the gap between himself and Murong Ci, and his face was so angry it turned black.

Jiang Yao didn’t mind him. She slowly asked Murong Ci, “Didn’t I hear people say Eighth Highness’s martial arts are surpassing the crowd? How is this archery technique…”

Murong Ci’s expression was somewhat awkward. He said with great embarrassment, “It is all just them letting me win. Just some three-legged cat⁸ gongfu⁹. If you have time, I still want you to give a pointer or two.”

Jiang Yao hurriedly pretended she didn’t hear; she didn’t want to find work for herself. “Your Highness should continue practicing. Wait until five arrows out of ten can hit right in the bullseye, then you can attempt to shoot prey.”

Prey also wouldn’t stay in one place without moving. A moving target was much harder than a fixed target. Fine beads of sweat emerged on Murong Ci’s forehead.

His figure was slender. Having practiced seriously for the whole morning, sweat soaked through his clothes and stuck to his body, actually appearing somewhat exquisite and well-proportioned.

Jiang Yao took a look, and this thought popped up in her heart. She then secretly cursed herself: If you don’t know how to use Chengyu¹⁰, then don’t use them. This Chengyu is clearly for describing women; how could she use it on a man? Truly no learning.

The sun rose gradually. Jiang Yao became anxious as she watched.

“Eighth Highness, this subject daughter still has matters this afternoon. How about you practice by yourself this afternoon, and this subject daughter will come again tomorrow?”

She had to spend the whole afternoon going to Yueshang House to accompany Song Muyun.

She was afraid the little young lady would feel lonely. Since no one treated her well, someone like Murong Qing could easily deceive her away.

“What matter do you have? Do you need me to help?”

Probably because Jiang Yao taught with her whole heart, Murong Ci’s attitude toward her was also very good, actively throwing out an olive branch.

Murong Qing narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed out loud. “Eighth Younger Brother, you are idle every day reading books at home, I fear you do not know. Miss Jiang has taken a fancy to a prostitute in Yueshang House. Now she runs to Yueshang House every day, not willing to miss a single day.”

Once these words came out, Murong Ci’s face had a few more points of surprise. Jiang Yao, however, sneered, “Speaking of Yueshang House, the Seventh Prince also hasn’t gone there any less. Didn’t you just go a few days ago?”

Murong Ci looked toward Murong Qing, having a few more points of surprise than just a moment ago, a face with the expression of “Older Brother, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person.” A moment later, he lifted his hand and patted Murong Qing’s shoulder. “Seventh Older Brother, it is not that didi¹¹ is scolding you. If you want women, just marrying a few side consorts is enough. A place like a green tower¹² is not suitable for us princes to go to; it is too easy to leave a handle¹³ for others.”

He seemed to be thinking very much for his sake, but Murong Qing thought, He has already left a handle!

Wasn’t Jiang Yao using these words to block him? A prince visiting a brothel could be a big matter or a small matter; it simply depended on how people spoke of it.

If Jiang Yao stood on the opposite side of him…

Murong Qing’s expression turned cold.

He had already begun to consider countermeasures.

Jiang Yao liked Song Muyun very much. If he wanted to continue snatching Song Muyun with her, the two would definitely be as incompatible as water and fire, unless he yielded Song Muyun to her.

But… this was impossible!

As soon as he thought of arching his hands to let Song Muyun go to someone else, a wave of suffocating pain diffused in Murong Qing’s heart.

The voice in the depths of his heart did not stop shouting and roaring: Cannot yield! Song Muyun is mine! Cannot yield her to others!!!

Murong Qing took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic mood, and barely pulled the corners of his mouth for Murong Ci. “Eighth Younger Brother speaks the truth.”

Jiang Yao didn’t want to engage in open spears and hidden arrows¹⁴ with two princes here. She rolled her eyes at Murong Qing, gave a greeting, and turned to leave.

Passing by Baiyu House¹⁵, she bought some pastries for Song Muyun. There was wandouhuang¹⁶, and also rugao¹⁷; they were all dim sum that ordinary young ladies loved the most.

She guessed Song Muyun also loved to eat them. In case Song Muyun didn’t love to eat them, it was fine if she ate them herself.

Today, the woman who had changed into a cyan long skirt walked into Yueshang House. The old bustard¹⁸ came head-on. Seeing her, she wasn’t surprised, only smiling with a somewhat fawning appearance. “Yo, Miss Jiang has come. Still want the old spot?”

“No need to arrange a private room. I will go to Muyun’s room to find her. Do not call anyone to disturb.”

Jiang Yao threw over a grain of silver.

The old bustard caught it and hurriedly said happily, “Good, good, good, will certainly not call anyone to disturb Miss Jiang’s good deed.”

After all, she was a person accustomed to staying in a brothel; she exuded an air of wind and dust¹⁹, and the words she spoke also made people exceptionally unadapted.

What good deed? As if she was going to do something with Song Muyun. But they were just chatting, that’s all.

Mainly focusing on companionship.

She remembered in her dream, Song Muyun had said a sentence: in this world, there was no longer anyone who loved her, no one who cared for her. Even though Murong Qing always beat and scolded her endlessly, he actually became the only person who cared for her.

Perhaps this was the reason she would be together with Murong Qing.

Hmph, she definitely had to care for Song Muyun a lot, and won’t let that tiny bit of concern leaking out from the cracks of others’ fingers deceive her away.

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