Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 43

Vanished into Thin Air?

After that day, Murong Qing did not appear before them for several days in a row. Life was peaceful and comfortable. Jiang Yao heard that he had been quite active in the imperial court recently, persuading many ministers to join him in refusing to reinvestigate the Song family’s case. But her dad¹ said not to rush; for an official, the most important thing was patience.

If her dad wasn’t in a hurry, what reason did she have to be? She picked a bright, sunny day and took Song Muyun to the Zhenbao Pavilion² to buy hairpins. After looking around, Song Muyun tugged on Jiang Yao’s hand, their two equally slender, snow-white hands intertwining. She gestured for Jiang Yao to look to the side, where a jade butterfly hairpin was displayed. The butterfly was exquisitely crafted from thin silver sheets, dotted with verdant jade stones. “Is it beautiful?”

A flash of amazement crossed Jiang Yao’s eyes. “It’s beautiful. Your skin is fair, it would suit you perfectly.”

As she spoke, she was about to call someone over to pay, but unexpectedly, Song Muyun stepped forward first, placing her coin purse before the shopkeeper³ and looking at Jiang Yao with a gentle, smiling gaze. “Your skin is fair too. It would definitely look beautiful on you.”

Hearing that the hairpin was being bought for her, which was not what she wanted, Jiang Yao frowned instantly. “Why buy it for me? I have more than enough jewelry. I brought you out today to buy jewelry for you.”

Song Muyun’s eyes still held a gentle look. Ever since that time she had forbidden Jiang Yao from touching her for fear of ruining her reputation—which resulted in Jiang Yao truly not touching her at all, becoming utterly distant and scaring her terribly—she no longer dared to stop her. After a few days, she could now even hold her fingers quite naturally and say in a soft voice, “Jiang Yao, you gave me a butterfly, so I want to give you one too. We can wear them together.”

Just like other good sisters.

Song Muyun lowered her eyes in thought, a faint smile gracing the corners of her lips.

Although the silver for the butterfly had also been given by Jiang Yao…

Since she had put it that way and looked so expectant, Jiang Yao had no choice but to accept, even though she would have much preferred to give it to her.

But that butterfly hairpin was not cheap. After accepting it, Jiang Yao worried that Song Muyun would be wronged if she ran out of money elsewhere, so she stuffed some more silver into her possession.

Song Muyun naturally refused, but she couldn’t win against Jiang Yao and had to accept it. The two of them took the packaged butterfly and went strolling together. They hadn’t been walking for long when a plainly dressed servant boy ran over. His eyes lit up upon seeing Jiang Yao, and he approached, bowed, and said in a low voice, “Miss Jiang, this slave⁴ is one of the Eighth Prince’s men. His Highness has suffered some injuries and it’s not convenient to let others know. I heard you have some medical skills, so he requests you to go have a look.”

The cheerful smiles on Jiang Yao and Song Muyun’s faces froze. Was her relationship with the Eighth Prince that good?

He was injured and sought her out instead of anyone else?

Hmm…

But it did seem that the Eighth Prince had few connections with the court ministers, nor had she heard of him being particularly close to anyone. Could it be that he had no one to trust?

Jiang Yao pursed her lips. Thinking that he was the only prince she currently favored, she decided that if something was truly wrong, a trip was worth it.

She turned around, and Song Muyun immediately said in a well-behaved and understanding manner, “You should go. I’ll go back and wait for you. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Alright, I’ll come find you tonight. Don’t sleep while I’m gone, okay?”

She stroked the soft black hair at Song Muyun’s temples.

Song Muyun lowered her head and nodded lightly. “I know.”

Jiang Yao turned and left. She didn’t wait for the servant boy; her pace was too fast for him to keep up.

Seeing that he had been left behind, the servant boy wasn’t anxious. Instead, he flashed a smile at Song Muyun, revealing yellow-black teeth, before slowly walking away.

Song Muyun felt an inexplicable discomfort at that smile, but she said nothing and turned back towards Yueshang House.

Normally, besides the Seventh Prince and Jiang Yao, no one ever requested her services, so she enjoyed a measure of peace. She took out a tea set from her room and sat in the courtyard to brew tea.

The woman wore an extremely simple outfit, with no hairpins or ornaments on her head. She was elegant and refined, with an appearance that was utterly beautiful.

Suddenly, a commotion sounded from outside the courtyard, followed by the familiar voice of the madam⁵. “Your Highness, Muyun just returned from outside. The Eldest Miss Jiang is not with her.”

Immediately after, a squad of guards rushed in, completely surrounding Song Muyun.

This action startled Song Muyun, her face turning slightly pale. She looked at the richly dressed man in the lead, behind whom stood the madam, her head bowed, not daring to look at her.

“Song Muyun, you are indeed beautiful. No wonder Old Seventh⁶ is so obsessed with you, and Eldest Miss Jiang can’t let you go either.”

“What are you planning to do?”

Even though her heart was pounding with extreme panic, her words came out all the more composed and calm.

The First Prince fanned himself with a folding fan in his hand. Though he was already in his thirties, he still tried to affect a stylish and unrestrained⁷ air. “It wasn’t easy to get Jiang Yao out of the way. What do you think I’m planning to do?”

Old Seventh was truly useless, unable to even handle a woman. He had to step in. He had long ago instructed the madam to inform him immediately if Jiang Yao was ever away.

Who knew that Jiang Yao and Song Muyun would be form and shadow not separating⁸, even sleeping in the same place at night!

In the imperial court, Prime Minister Jiang was step by step pressing closely⁹. He couldn’t wait any longer and had no other choice but to have someone find a reason to lure Jiang Yao away.

As long as this delicate daughter of the Song family was alone, would he have to fear not being able to deal with her?

Song Muyun looked coldly at Murong Chun. “Did Murong Qing send you?”

“Tsk, how audacious. A mere daughter of a convicted official dares to speak a prince’s name directly. It seems Jiang Yao has truly spoiled you into not knowing the height of the sky or the depth of the earth¹⁰.”

Song Muyun lowered her head and fiddled with her teacups, not bothering to spare Murong Chun a single glance.

She naturally recognized the First Prince; she had seen him a few times in the past. The First Prince, considering himself the eldest son, was extremely arrogant. Aside from the Eighth Prince, who was a di prince¹¹, he looked down on all the other princes.

“Are you waiting for Jiang Yao to come save you? I’m afraid she won’t make it in time.”

Murong Chun had arranged for people to delay Jiang Yao on the road, but just in case, it was better to take the person away sooner rather than later.

He nodded to his left and right, and guards immediately rushed forward. The strength in Song Muyun’s hand gave way, and the teapot fell to the ground and shattered. Her palm seemed to brace against the table in a panic, accidentally knocking over another teacup. Two guards seized her hands from either side and pinned them behind her back. She didn’t even offer any extra struggle; it was useless. She wouldn’t be able to wait for Jiang Yao to return.

The madam bowed her head and asked Murong Chun for instructions. “If the Eldest Miss Jiang comes looking, what should this one tell her?”

“Hmph, just say the person vanished into thin air from the courtyard. Jiang Yao is having Jiang Heng push for a retrial for the Song family. Isn’t it just because she’s bewitched by beauty and wants to please a pretty face? If this beauty were to vanish into thin air and never appear again, do you think the Jiang family would still risk our Father Emperor’s¹² displeasure by requesting a reinvestigation of the Song family’s case day after day in court?”

Song Muyun’s heart suddenly jolted.

Prime Minister Jiang wanted to reinvestigate her father’s case?

But Jiang Yao had never told her.

She was always like this, thinking of everything for her, being so good to her, yet never telling her.

Song Muyun couldn’t help the stinging in her nose, and a mist of water filled her beautiful phoenix eyes.

But she couldn’t cry. Jiang Yao wasn’t here. There was no one to coax her now…

Murong Chun considered his scheme to be excellent and perfect. He was currently vastly pleased with oneself¹³. After having her tied up, he waved his hand and said, “Take her away!”

To cover people’s ears and eyes¹⁴, they left through a secret passage.

After everyone had left, a woman stumbled out from inside the room with a clattering sound, a customer’s requested bell clutched in her hand.

Heaven knows how terrified she had been just now, afraid that if she moved and the bell rang, she would be discovered.

The woman’s name was Yan Luo. She was already over twenty this year and had long become an unpopular “old-timer.” The men who came to the music hall preferred younger dancers and musicians. Today, she had finally gotten a customer who wanted her to fetch a set of bells to liven things up. She had rushed back in a hurry, only to run into this. Yan Luo was terrified, afraid of being found out for eavesdropping here. Once the people were gone, she quickly left.

Who knew that upon returning to the private room, she would learn that the customer had already been lured away by the zither music of another sister…

Yan Luo clenched the bell tightly, her heart once again filled with extreme hatred for this place.

Her dancing and music were not the best. She had no talent, and no amount of desperate practice could let her surpass others. Now she was getting older, and the silver she had saved was nowhere near enough to buy her own freedom…

Faced with this endless darkness, she felt she couldn’t endure another day.

Jiang Yao left the street and soon arrived outside the Eighth Prince’s Manor. Recalling the servant’s words that Murong Ci’s injury shouldn’t be known, she didn’t use the main gate, instead vaulting directly over the wall.

The prince’s manor was quiet. Murong Ci was on leave today. He had only gone to the Jiang family for an hour of training in the morning before returning to his manor to rest and recuperate. At this moment, he was in his room changing clothes.

Jiang Zhi’s training methods were not something an ordinary person could endure. Right now, even lifting his arm made it ache terribly, and his two legs trembled nonstop on the floor, unable to find solid footing, as if they no longer belonged to him.

After taking off a black long-robe that didn’t show sweat, Murong Ci pressed on the white cloth wrapped around his chest. With trembling hands, he unwrapped the cloth, circle by circle. When the two small, snow-white rabbits were finally revealed, she let out a long, comfortable sigh. Suddenly, a figure flashed before her, jumping down from above and landing on the floor. The person stood with her back to her, then turned around as soon as she was steady, calling out, “Your Highness the Eighth Prince, you were looking for me…”

Her words abruptly stopped. Murong Ci was completely frozen. From the moment the figure landed to the moment she turned, she couldn’t react at all.

She desperately wanted to scream but didn’t dare, afraid that more people would rush in. This was her only remaining shred of reason.

Jiang Yao pointed at Murong Ci’s snow-white, slightly raised chest in disbelief, her hand shaking like a sieve for the first time. “YOU-YOU-YOU-YOU-YOU—”

Murong Ci finally snapped out of it. She snatched a nearby piece of clothing and clutched it to her chest. Her usual gentle and refined demeanor was gone as she ground out through clenched teeth, word by word, “Why did you come in by yourself, Jiang Yao! Where are your manners!”

Jiang Yao had naturally never seen Murong Ci like this and was startled. After coming to her senses, she knew this was a major issue that allowed for no misunderstanding and quickly explained, “I ran into a servant from your manor on the road. He said you were injured and it wasn’t convenient for others to know, so he asked me to come take a look. I figured since you didn’t want people to know, I should just sneak in!”

Damn it, she was the one who felt wronged here! Suddenly learning such a huge secret, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

Murong Ci’s temple throbbed, so angry she was about to faint. “I did not send for you. Jiang Yao, who deceived you?”

Having spent years in the palace witnessing endless schemes and deceptions, her first reaction was that Jiang Yao had been tricked, and that person was using her as a pawn. Had they discovered something?!

A rare look of ferocity appeared on Murong Ci’s face.

Jiang Yao also came to her senses in an instant. “Crap.”

Her figure flashed, and without so much as a word, she burst through the door of Murong Ci’s room and left. Murong Ci truly wanted to strangle her, but she had to calm down. She hurriedly put on her outer robe, called a servant to close the door, her heart both shocked and panicked. A moment later, she shouted out the door again, “Someone, saddle a horse! I’m going to the palace!”

Jiang Yao rushed to leave the Eighth Prince’s Manor, heading straight for Yueshang House. She never expected to run into hooligans harassing a young woman on the way. Of all the men on the street, the young woman in a white long dress with a delicate expression didn’t seek help from anyone else, but threw herself at Jiang Yao’s feet.

“Miss, Miss, I beg you to save me! They want to sell me into a qinglou¹⁵! Please save my life, Miss. This slave family¹⁶ will surely repay you by being your horse and ox.”

Jiang Yao was extremely anxious, but she couldn’t just watch someone die without helping. She frowned deeply, casually pulled the delicate girl up, and drew the soft whip from her waist. She had intended to resolve this quickly and get to Yueshang House to find Song Muyun, but having just been deceived today, her mind was particularly sharp. She suddenly sensed something was wrong. She had been in the capital for several years, and public security here was much better than elsewhere. Aside from those dandies, what kind of hooligans would dare cause trouble? Are they tired of living?!

Jiang Yao’s face turned cold. She looked up and saw a squad of the capital’s patrol guards. Without a second thought, she raised her voice and shouted, “You, the one in the lead, Yang Xiao¹⁷, get over here.”

The captain of the patrol squad on duty today happened to be someone she knew, a capable woman.

Yang Xiao heard someone call her from a distance. Turning her head and seeing it was Jiang Yao, she quickened her pace and cupped her fist. “Miss Jiang.”

“These people are behaving suspiciously. I’ll trouble you to find a cell for them. I’ll come to interrogate them later.”

The entire group was stunned, especially the woman in white whom Jiang Yao had pushed over. Panic filled her eyes. “Miss, Miss, this slave family has done nothing! It was them who wanted to sell me for silver! I beg for your pity, Miss.”

She was crying, a pear blossom bearing rain¹⁸. But Jiang Yao had no mind to deal with her now. She just threw out a single sentence, “Separate the men and women for confinement,” and vanished.

Even Yang Xiao didn’t have time to react, but once she collected herself, she still ordered her subordinates to take away the group of hooligans who hadn’t had a chance to perform and were now trying to slip away, along with a woman who looked extremely delicate.

In the back courtyard of Yueshang House, by the time Jiang Yao arrived, the place was already empty. She called Muyun’s name several times with no answer. It was clear something had happened.

Damn it.

Jiang Yao slammed her fist into a pillar in anger. The furnishings in the room were exactly as they had been when they left. There wasn’t even the scent of knockout incense, which meant Muyun had been taken away while fully conscious and without a struggle.

Unless the person’s status was so high that she felt struggling was useless.

Jiang Yao left the courtyard, her heart both panicked and furious. The madam was downstairs soliciting customers. Before she could even react, a hand clamped around her neck, pinning her to a pillar. Seeing it was Jiang Yao, her expression was one of terror. “Aiyo, Miss Jiang, what are you doing? Let’s talk this out, please, let’s talk this out! These old bones of mine can’t take this kind of rough handling from you.”

All the customers in the building looked towards Jiang Yao, whispering among themselves. Some said Jiang Yao was arrogant, others cursed her for being a woman who frequented a music hall, bringing utter disgrace to the Jiang family’s name. Jiang Yao acted as if she heard nothing. The hand gripping the madam’s throat tightened as she lowered her head and asked, “Song Muyun, where did she go?”

The madam was already prepared. The moment she heard her ask about Song Muyun, she immediately put on a bewildered expression. “Muyun? Isn’t Muyun in the courtyard? Where could she have gone?”

“She’s not in the courtyard. She’s gone. Someone snuck into your Yueshang House and took her away. You’re telling me you don’t know?”

Jiang Yao didn’t believe it for a second.

Seeing this, the madam started to cry again. “What? Muyun is gone? Heavens, that poor child! She finally had a couple of peaceful days, how could she be abducted again? We don’t even know if she’s dead or alive now, what are we going to do?”

Jiang Yao was choking the madam of Yueshang House in public, so naturally, none of the other customers wanted to miss out on their dispute. On the surface, they were all listening intently to the music, but in reality, their eyes were practically twitching from trying to look in their direction.

The madam wasn’t afraid of being heard either, loudly proclaiming that Song Muyun had been abducted, shocking everyone around.

“Song Muyun? I’ve been coming to Yueshang House for a long time, how come I’ve never heard of a woman with that name?”

“Aiya, how long has it been since you’ve been out? Song Muyun is the legitimate daughter of the Transmission Commissioner¹⁹ Song Yunqian²⁰, who was beheaded for deceiving the monarch. She was sentenced to the music hall.”

“Ah, then how did she get abducted?”

“Who knows? I heard that Song Yunqian amassed a lot of wealth when he was in office. It’s possible some enemy he offended is taking revenge on his daughter.”

“Ai, if you put it that way, it seems Song Muyun won’t fare well after being abducted?”

“But of course. Firstly, touching someone’s wealth is like killing their parents. Secondly, Song Yunqian’s daughter is a renowned beauty. Who could leave a beauty like that untouched? Wouldn’t that make them a weakling!”

They thought they were keeping their voices low enough, but Jiang Yao’s hearing was sharp; she could hear even the quietest sounds.

She abruptly released the madam’s neck. She watched the madam hastily retreat a few steps away from her, then turned to look at the men chewing the root of their tongues²¹ behind her. Her sharp, exposed eyes glinted with ferocity, scaring them into immediate silence, not daring to utter another word.

She tightened her grip on the whip at her waist. “This had better have nothing to do with you. Otherwise, I will smash this Yueshang House of yours!”

A fire raged in Jiang Yao’s heart. After speaking, she swept a cold gaze over everyone and walked step by step towards the door.

Her aura was so intimidating that even the madam’s legs felt a little weak. She only managed to stay upright with the support of the girls behind her.

The madam had been immersed in the world of pleasure for decades, and this was the first time she had been frightened by a woman. After regaining her composure, she subconsciously patted her chest, hoping the First Prince would handle everything cleanly. And even if it wasn’t clean, she hoped it wouldn’t involve her. She had spent half her life on Yueshang House; it was best if it didn’t involve Yueshang House either.

Jiang Yao felt like a headless fly,²² not knowing where to go to find Song Muyun, so she first returned to the Jiang Residence, storming over to knock on the door of Prime Minister Jiang’s study.

The moment Jiang Heng heard the sound, he knew it was Jiang Yao. His tone was one of utter helplessness. “Come in. Always so wind wind fire fire²³.”

Jiang Yao pushed the door open urgently and shouted, “DAD!!!”

Her dad wished he wasn’t her dad. To seek him out so urgently, she must have more trouble for him.

Sure enough, the next second Jiang Yao said, “Dad! Muyun is gone, she’s been abducted! Can you give me a team of men to search for her?”

Hearing that Song Muyun had been abducted, Jiang Heng first frowned. Then, hearing his daughter ask to borrow a team of men to search, his vision went black. He flung his sleeves and glared at her angrily. “Do you think searching for someone is that easy? Do you have a search warrant? Whose house are you going to search? Can’t you use your brain? I’ve worked my fingers to the bone to reach my position today, how did I end up with two children who don’t like to think!”

Jiang Heng was grief-stricken.

Jiang Yao rubbed her nose after being scolded, but she was still anxious. “Dad, what do you suggest we do then? Muyun is a weak woman who’s been abducted. She must be so scared.”

Jiang Heng glared at her. “What are you panicking for? Panicking won’t find her!”

“How can I not panic? Dad, she’s been gone for almost an hour! Please think of something, quick!”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking. How was she taken?”

“Inside Yueshang House. The madam said she vanished into thin air.”

“Weren’t you with her every day? How could you let her get abducted?”

Besides loving to scold his daughter, the Zaixiang could actually be considered a good father. Right now, he was helping his daughter think of a solution.

But a solution was truly hard to come up with. He had to ask for the details clearly to get a clue.

“I wasn’t there. Someone came and told me the Eighth Prince needed me for something, so I went over.”

At this point, Jiang Yao’s face darkened. She felt she was utterly stupid to have fallen for such an obvious ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain.²⁴

Jiang Heng also fell silent. He looked at his daughter, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back. He only asked, “So you found her gone when you returned?”

“Yes. The room was untouched, no signs of a struggle. The madam said she didn’t know anything.”

Jiang Heng pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. “First, have someone report it to the authorities. Then go wait at Yueshang House. The Emperor is about to relent and order a thorough investigation into the Song family’s case. Some people are getting anxious and will naturally do foolish things.”

“Okay. Dad, Muyun is my best friend. After we find her, can she live with us? Yueshang House is too dangerous, as you’ve seen.”

The person wasn’t even found yet, and Jiang Yao was already thinking this far ahead. Jiang Heng’s face was expressionless as he raised a hand and pointed outside. “Get out.”

Jiang Yao: …

Alright, getting out now.

She ordered someone to first report the case to the Jingzhao Residence, while she herself returned to the back courtyard of Yueshang House. She didn’t even use the main gate, coming face to face with a group of servants as she vaulted over the wall.

Jiang Yao squinted at the group of servants dressed in dark clothing. One of them was bending over to pick up broken porcelain pieces from the ground, as if trying to clean them up. Jiang Yao stood in the corner of the wall, bared her teeth, and barked in their direction, “Put that down for your old lady²⁵, or I’ll break your dog legs!”

She was a familiar face at Yueshang House. When the servants turned and saw it was her, their faces turned pale with fright.

Jiang Yao’s face was cold. “What, the people from the Jingzhao Residence aren’t even here yet, and you’re already trying to wipe away the evidence?”

The servants looked at each other, none daring to speak, until Jiang Yao spoke again. “All of you, scram for this young miss²⁶.”

Jiang Yao was considered a tyrant in the capital; no one dared to offend her. The servants had heard of her infamous reputation—a person who even dared to confront the Seventh Prince. The moment she told them to scram, they all scrambled to ask the madam for instructions.

After the people had left, Jiang Yao stepped forward and looked at the teacups on the table. In the entire courtyard, only she and Song Muyun would occasionally brew tea here, so this tea set should be…

Huh? Why was there no teapot?

Jiang Yao looked around and saw a teapot spout among a pile of shards on the ground.

Muyun had a steady hand; she wouldn’t have knocked over the teapot for no reason. She immediately guessed that the group had come in and taken her away while she was brewing tea.

Damn it, why hadn’t she noticed this earlier? Time had been wasted.

“Why do the teacups seem to have decreased?”

There were only eight teacups in total. Seeing them every day, one would notice if one was suddenly missing. Jiang Yao counted twice, and there were still seven.

She didn’t hesitate, immediately thinking of the Seventh Prince, Murong Qing.

Besides there being seven cups, the celadon cups, which were originally arranged in a small circle, had been deliberately laid out in a single straight line. And there were exactly seven of them. This was definitely Muyun trying to say something!

When she thought about it, the only ones who held a grudge against her or Muyun were the Seventh Prince, and the First Prince, who was close to the Seventh Prince. This ‘one’—wasn’t it referring to the First Prince?

Jiang Yao’s face was grim by the time the people from the Jingzhao Residence arrived.

The man in the lead was the second son of some family in the capital. Jiang Yao couldn’t remember, nor did she have the time to. Her slender fingers pointed at the items before her. “This is the crime scene. One teapot and one teacup are broken on the ground. There are seven teacups left on the table, arranged in a straight line, possibly a message from the victim. I haven’t touched anything, you can ask the servants of Yueshang House. There are no signs of a struggle in the room. The only people she has ever offended are the First Prince and the Seventh Prince.”

Jiang Yao finished her series of clearly indicative statements, her dark eyes staring at the man in the lead wearing a red official’s robe.

Just being stared at made the man break out in a cold sweat. Jiang Yao didn’t remember him, but he remembered Jiang Yao. Among the dandies who had been beaten up by Jiang Yao back then was his own elder brother…

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The author has something to say:

Sorry, my period might be coming soon. I was in a bad mood all day and couldn’t write, so it’s been delayed until now and is still a thousand words short. I’ll make it up tomorrow depending on the situation.

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