Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 27

Auction

Time passed day by day, and soon it was the day of Song Muyun’s first auction.

Jiang Yao had prepared the silver early on and communicated with her father, but she didn’t expect that when the day finally arrived, she would suddenly be tripped up by various matters. First, a military general she was acquainted with in the past rushed back to the capital from a thousand li¹ away; immediately after seeing the Emperor, he came to see her, insisting on drinking two cups with her. Then it was Princess Heyi² from the palace. In the past, their relationship was such that they wouldn’t even greet each other, yet now she inexplicably came out of the palace to seek her out to play, wanting to stroll the flower streets³ with her at night.

She was a princess, both an imperial daughter and a female; Jiang Yao naturally couldn’t treat her with too poor of an attitude. She spoke nicely, explaining that she had matters to attend to tonight and could not accompany her to stroll the flower streets. But the princess, spoiled and pampered since childhood, simply would not accept it, pouting her lips and insisting on going no matter what.

Jiang Yao’s face turned black from anger.

After a long while, she opened her mouth and ordered Cuizhu⁴ beside her, “Go invite the Young Master over.”

Cuizhu responded with a sound of affirmation and hurriedly walked outside.

Princess Heyi tilted her head to look at Jiang Yao, seemingly somewhat confused. “Is Jiang Huai going to stroll with us?”

She thought Jiang Yao had agreed to go shopping with her.

However, Jiang Yao only kept a cold face and did not speak.

Heyi was actually very unfamiliar with this Eldest Miss of the Prime Minister’s estate, who had always liked to dance with knives and play with spears. If not for being entrusted by someone, she wouldn’t have specially come looking for her!

She didn’t expect Jiang Yao’s heart to be as hard as she had imagined!

She spoke to her in such a soft voice, yet not only did she not have a single pleasant word, but she also kept a cold face. Even Father Emperor had never shown her such a cold face.

Damn it, she thought.

Very quickly, Jiang Huai was invited over. The youth was high-spirited, dressed in black and red clothes that danced with the wind. He hopped in front of Jiang Yao. “Jie⁵, what do you need me for? Speak quickly, I still have an appointment with a few friends to go boating today.”

Jiang Yao lifted her eyes to look at the somewhat dimming sky. “Boating at night?”

She looked at her brother with the eyes one uses to look at a fool.

Her brother was unhappy. “What do you know? Scholars are just different from others; boating at night is what truly has yijing⁶!”

Jiang Yao: …

Must be sick in the head!

“I don’t care what boat you want to row with your friends, go tomorrow. I have business today; you help me entertain Princess Heyi.”

As soon as these words came out, both people were shocked.

Only then did Jiang Huai share his line of sight with the gorgeously dressed woman standing to the side, in disbelief. “This is Princess Heyi? My heavens, how could there still be a princess blind enough to come looking for you to play, ao!”

Jiang Huai clutched his butt, which had been ruthlessly kicked, and hopped a bit further away. He didn’t dare say any more words that would make his older sister unhappy, shrinking his neck in a manner that was utterly cowardly.

Heyi was also startled. She silently took a step back, similarly shrinking her neck back. How could she have imagined that Jiang Yao would directly get physical? This… this Miss Jiang is too fierce, isn’t she?

She hesitated again and again, building up her mental preparation, before lifting her chin again to say, “I don’t want Young Master Jiang to entertain me, I want you to entertain me. I want to go with you to stroll the flower streets!”

Jiang Yao refused without hesitation. “Apologies, Your Highness Princess. I do not like strolling the streets with others. Your Highness Princess is knowledgeable and sensible; surely you wouldn’t force someone to do something difficult?”

Her Highness Princess very much wanted to force someone to do something difficult, but she had been crowned with a high hat⁷ in advance. The words to force her couldn’t come out no matter what, so she could only stare at Jiang Yao with a pair of beautiful eyes.

Jiang Huai had heard of Heyi’s difficult reputation from before and didn’t want to accompany her out at all. However, his sister grabbed the back of his neck of destiny⁸, forcefully hoisting him over, and made the decision with a cold face. “You two go together. I truly have matters today. You accompany the Princess well; put the expenses on my tab.”

Jiang Huai originally wanted to struggle a bit more, but upon hearing that sentence, his round apricot eyes immediately widened. He stood up straight, his expression taking on a look of fawning and ingratiation. “Can anything I buy be put on your tab?”

Jiang Yao glanced at him and responded, “En. Take good care of Princess Heyi.”

Heyi still wanted to say something, but Jiang Yao didn’t listen at all. She turned and performed a greeting to Heyi, then channeled her qinggong⁹ to leave at lightning speed.

Heyi reached out but didn’t even touch the corner of her clothes. Looking at the human figure disappearing not far away, she didn’t have time to get angry, instead wearing a face full of amazement. “Jiang Yao’s martial arts are so good. It looks even better than my Seventh Imperial Brother’s.”

Jiang Huai was just about to speak but suddenly paused, his whole person extremely confused. “The Seventh Prince has such a thing as martial arts?”

Wasn’t it said that the Seventh Prince’s martial arts were even worse than his?

He only had the kung fu of a three-legged cat¹⁰; the Seventh Prince should be approximately equal to knowing no martial arts, right?

Who would have thought that when he asked this, Heyi would choke him off, extremely angry. “Seventh Imperial Brother naturally has martial arts. His martial arts are very good, don’t you speak nonsense!”

Jiang Huai: …

“Oh, if it’s good, then it’s good.”

“Hmph, what business does Jiang Yao have? Why won’t she go out to play with me?”

She was a princess!

She rarely took the initiative to ask to play with anyone. If not for Seventh Imperial Brother asking for her help, she wouldn’t have come!

“My sister is busy, don’t mind her. What do you want to play?”

Jiang Huai didn’t dare interrupt regarding Jiang Yao’s affairs, nor did he dare disobey the orders she handed down. He could only pinch his nose and coax this princess.

Inside Yueshang House, the auction time had been moved up for some unknown reason. When Jiang Yao arrived, it had surprisingly already begun. On the stage, Song Muyun wore a floor-trailing white dress, her face pale, eyes containing a bit of watery mist, looking as if she were teetering on the verge of collapse.

A man in brocade clothes shouted beside her, “Fifty liang¹¹, is there anyone else who wants to raise the price?”

For just an auction of one night, being able to sell for fifty liang was already considered a high price.

Jiang Yao ran extremely fast the whole way. Hurrying desperately, before her breath was even even, she heard that sentence and hurriedly raised the price, “One hundred liang, I bid one hundred liang!”

An obvious female voice rang out. The crowd below the stage immediately emitted noisy clamoring sounds. One after another, they twisted their necks to look back, only to see a red-clothed woman standing not far away, bracing her hands on her knees and panting.

She was born extremely gorgeous as well; it was just a pity she liked women. Some men shook their heads with considerable regret.

Jiang Yao smoothed her breathing, lifted her face covered in sweat, and walked forward step by step. The crowd consciously made a path for her. Waiting until she walked to the very front, she looked at the man on stage, her eyes both fierce and cold. “I said one hundred liang, can you not hear?”

That man seemed to be scared as well. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly looked toward the white-clothed man on the other side.

Jiang Yao also cast a sidelong glance over.

Even though the other party was wearing a mask, Jiang Yao could still recognize him. It was that bastard Murong Qing. To buy Song Muyun, he deliberately let Princess Heyi come to block her, right?

Believe it or not, she’d beat him up again. Shameless thing. Still a Prince? His thoughts are deep and treacherous, yet outside he pretends to be a light breeze and clear moon¹².

Murong Qing, wearing the mask, looked at Jiang Yao. His heart jumped upon seeing the look of disdain and contempt in Jiang Yao’s eyes.

That one glance felt as if she already knew his identity.

“This Miss wants to offer one hundred liang to buy Muyun for one night?”

Jiang Yao looked back at the stage. Song Muyun was looking at her blankly, having looked at her like that since she first spoke. She gave the person a reassuring look, then affirmed to the brocade-clad man, “Correct. If no one can afford a higher price, I am taking her.”

The brocade-clad man looked again at the masked white-clothed man, Murong Qing.

Under the mask, Murong Qing clenched his teeth tight. He hated Jiang Yao to the extreme; every time, it was she who appeared to ruin his good deeds!

Everyone was looking at him. After a long while, he finally opened his mouth, trying hard to make himself appear at ease, yet his vocal cords remained tight. “One hundred ten liang.”

Jiang Yao looked down on him even more. Mother, truly poor. Being this poor, what could Song Muyun see in him? A beauty needs to be raised with refinement; being this stingy and searching, does he want the beauty to live a bitter life with him?

Jiang Yao raised the price without hesitation. “Two hundred liang.”

Murong Qing: …

Where is there someone who increases it by this much at once? Do you know how to shout bids!

“Two hundred ten liang!”

Murong Qing raised the price again.

In the whole venue, just the two of them kept calling prices.

Jiang Yao glanced at him. “Two hundred fifty¹³.”

Murong Qing: …

Why is her gaze so despising?

“Three hundred!”

“Four hundred.”

No matter how much he called, Jiang Yao could always unhurriedly add to the price. Murong Qing only wanted to end the auction at a low price because he saw that others didn’t dare to openly buy a criminal minister’s daughter. An adult prince’s monthly stipend was three hundred liang; he was indeed stingy to be able to call out fifty liang.

Jiang Yao insisted on fighting with him and didn’t look willing to back down. Murong Qing stared at her with gloomy eyes, like a venomous snake. A moment later, he suddenly spoke, “This young master¹⁴ did not know that Eldest Miss Jiang has a mirror-grinding¹⁵ hobby. Prime Minister Jiang should also not know, correct?”

His words carried a few points of threat. Jiang Yao sneered; which matter she did nowadays hadn’t passed through her dad’s open road?

Could she be afraid of a few words of threat from Murong Qing, a powerless prince?

“Control yourself, Your Highness Seventh Prince. Could it be you have no silver?”

The crowd’s clamoring noise became louder.

“Seventh Prince? How could the Seventh Prince want to spend a spring night¹⁶ with a criminal minister’s daughter?”

“Is this plainly not putting the Emperor in his eyes?”

“The Emperor doesn’t know about this matter, right? The Song family was just punished a short time ago; isn’t this move by the Seventh Prince slapping the Emperor’s face?”

“Must not discuss the Emperor. The Song family girl’s talent was famous far and wide in the past; perhaps the Seventh Prince has admired Miss Song for a long time.”

…

Murong Qing was startled. No matter what, he hadn’t expected Jiang Yao to directly break open his identity!

---

The author has something to say:

Caught up, caught up. Sweet, sweet, sweet is the purpose of this text!

---

---