Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 51

Mirror Polishing… What’s It Like?

Jiang Yao’s heart had long been soaked soft by Song Muyun’s tears. Hearing this, she roughly pulled the person into her embrace. She wanted to pat her head, but then she thought about how dirty her own hands were and decided against it.

She lowered her hands and coaxed with a smile, “What’s there to be afraid of? I’m fine, aren’t I? Don’t cry.”

Song Muyun looked at her with a pair of tear-washed, aggrieved eyes and whispered, “But you’re hurt. Does it hurt?”

She had examined every single wound with extreme care, her eyes filled with unstoppable heartache.

Being looked at like this made Jiang Yao’s heart soften even more. Her voice grew gentler as she shook her head. “It’s nothing, I don’t feel any pain. Let go of me first, let me wash up, alright?”

When Song Muyun heard she wanted to wash, she also worried that the sticky filth would make her uncomfortable. She nodded lightly and then, very carefully, released her.

Jiang Yao was covered in grime. Since Song Muyun had hugged her so recklessly, her own clothes were now stained with a fair bit of dust.

“Who told you to hug me? Now you’ve gotten yourself dirty,” the disheveled but still sharp woman in front of her chuckled, raising a hand to flick the mud from her clothes.

Song Muyun bit her thin lip and tilted her head slightly, revealing only her fair, slender neck. Her voice was clear and cool, like a mountain spring, but it carried a wisp of yin-yang strange air.¹ “I just wanted to hug you. If I get dirty, I can just wash. You can block a blow for the Eighth Prince, but you can’t let me hug you?”

At this point, she turned her head back. Her eyes were still red, tears threatening to fall. The sight gave Jiang Yao another fright, and she quickly said, “I can, I can, I can! I was just joking. If you want to hug, then hug. Hug me however you want. Would I really not let you?”

Only with such indulgence was Song Muyun somewhat satisfied. She looked up, pursed her lips, and gave her a soft, warm smile.

That smile nearly stole Jiang Yao’s soul away.

“En.”

As she spoke, she reached out to hug her again, but Jiang Yao quickly dodged. Seeing the look in her eyes instantly turn cold, Jiang Yao smiled helplessly. “What’s your hurry? At least wait for me to wash up. I’m filthy. Once I’m clean, you can hug me however you want.”

Only then did the young lady’s expression soften, but she still mumbled under her breath, “I don’t mind you being dirty.”

That delicate and soft appearance of hers was something Jiang Yao adored.

“It’s not about you minding if I’m dirty; it’s that I mind it myself.”

She had rolled around in the mud today, and a lot of people’s blood had splattered on her. If she didn’t wash soon, she really couldn’t stand it.

Jiang Yao called for a palace attendant to prepare hot water and took a good bath, washing away all the dust and blood. Then she changed into a snow-white set of inner clothes² and went out.

Song Muyun had also gone to take a bath and change her clothes. The woman’s natural fragrance was now even more distinct, and it smelled wonderful.

Jiang Yao raised her arms and hugged Song Muyun, burying her head in her still-damp neck and taking a deep sniff. Then, as if mesmerized, she leaned against the woman’s fair neck and whispered, “Yunyun, you smell so good.”

Song Muyun’s cheeks had long since turned completely red. She shyly turned her head to look elsewhere.

Jiang Yao had thought that such improper words would surely get her pushed away, but they didn’t. Not only did Muyun not push her away, but she even snuggled deeper into her embrace.

Today’s little fairy… is a bit strange.

Jiang Yao thought this but didn’t say it out loud. One who doesn’t take an advantage is a turtle egg.³ She had long felt that the little fairy’s body was soft, like a ball of dough.

She held her for a while longer before letting go, her arm still around the small of her back. “You wait for me in the courtyard first. I have to go out and check on things. Someone tried to assassinate Murong Ci in the hunting forest. I helped her block them for a bit, but there were too many of them for me to beat. I was afraid I’d die there, so I came back first. That group went after Murong Ci again, so I have to go see what’s happening.”

Song Muyun grabbed Jiang Yao’s hand and instinctively said, “I want to go too.”

She had always loved to follow Jiang Yao everywhere.

Jiang Yao froze, then patted her hand and frowned in disapproval. “What would you go for? You don’t know Wugong.⁴ If you go, I’ll have to protect you. Besides, I suspect these people were sent by Murong Qing. What if they try to capture you too? It’s safest for you to stay here in the courtyard.”

Song Muyun didn’t want to stay in the courtyard; she wanted to go with her. But she also knew that she would only be a burden to Jiang Yao if she went. For a moment, her eyes filled with disappointment. She lowered her head, her red lips pressed tightly together, and said no more.

Jiang Yao knew she had always been clingy, but today she seemed even more so than usual.

A moment later, just as she thought the young lady was upset, her soft, small voice made one last, sullen request. “Then hug me. If you hug me, I’ll let you go.”

Jiang Yao was stunned. She had thought she was going to get angry, but she was asking for a hug?

When she didn’t speak, Song Muyun started to feel wronged. She raised her slightly red-rimmed eyes and glared at her. “What, I can’t even get a hug?”

Jiang Yao shuddered. Almost before she could react, she pulled the person into her arms and explained in a fluster, “You can, you can, of course you can! Little ancestor,⁵ please don’t cry.”

Her words seemed to contain countless parts indulgence and helplessness.

Song Muyun hummed softly, nuzzling against her chest, then gave her a serious reminder. “You can go, but you have to be careful. If you run into those assassins, just run if you can’t beat them, you hear me? Don’t feel like running is losing face. I’ll be waiting for you at home. Don’t get hurt again.”

Her words were filled with heartache. Jiang Yao was inexplicably reminded of scenes from storybooks,⁶ where a husband is about to leave home and his young wife holds onto him, whispering reminders.

It’s a little strange, but quite cute.

“En, I know. You’re still waiting for me at home, and I need to come back to protect you. Of course nothing will happen to me.”

Jiang Yao wouldn’t put herself in danger. She hadn’t taken down Murong Qing yet. If she died, Murong Qing would still become the Emperor and then come to bully her little Yun’er. What would she do then?

Just the thought of it was unbearable to Jiang Yao.

Her little Yun’er was born beautiful and endearing. No one is allowed to bully her.

Hearing this, Song Muyun’s heart settled a little. To protect her meant he would stay by her side.

“En, you still have to be careful with everything.”

The two of them applied medicine in the room first before Jiang Yao changed into a set of tight-fitting attire⁷ and went out.

However, she hadn’t gone far when a person who looked like a palace attendant came running over to tell her that Jiang Ru was missing.

All the other noble young ladies were present, but Jiang Ru was gone. The attendant didn’t dare to make a scene and, knowing she was Jiang Ru’s Jiejie, had come to find her.

After hearing this, Jiang Yao’s vision nearly went black. She asked with a cold expression, “Have you searched everywhere?”

The palace attendant was absolutely certain. “This servant⁸ has searched everywhere. There’s no trace of the Second Young Miss. I asked the other noble ladies who were with her, and they said the Second Young Miss went to retrieve a kite. They never expected that she wouldn’t return.”

Retrieving a kite. Jiang Yao’s heart went cold.

Without saying much more to the palace attendant, she left at a brisk pace, eventually breaking into a run and even using her Qinggong.⁹

Jiang Zhi needed to protect the Emperor’s safety and was still on patrol. Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered with formalities. She flew down and landed in front of Jiang Zhi. Before he could ask, she spoke urgently, “Second Uncle, Ru’er is missing.”

Jiang Zhi’s sun-darkened face couldn’t help but turn a little pale. He stared with wide, tiger-like eyes in disbelief. “What happened?! Wasn’t Ru’er playing with the other young misses?!”

“A palace attendant said she went to retrieve a kite and never came back. The wind today…”

Jiang Zhi’s expression was extremely grim. The wind today was blowing towards the hunting forest. Even if the possibility was small, they couldn’t help but wonder: had Jiang Ru mistakenly entered the forest and gotten caught up in the Eighth Prince’s affair?

“I’ll take some men and search for her immediately.”

“If you go, what about the Emperor?”

“My second-in-command will stay behind. If I don’t find Ru’er soon, my mind won’t be at ease, and I won’t be able to protect the Emperor properly. I believe His Majesty will understand.”

Jiang Zhi said with a cold face. He and his wife had only one daughter, Jiang Ru. They usually doted on her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Now that their only daughter was missing and there were assassins in the forest, he was naturally anxious, wishing he could appear by his daughter’s side to protect her that very instant.

“I’ll go with you, Second Uncle.”

What she feared most was her Meimei¹⁰ running into the Eighth Prince. Wouldn’t she be dragged down by her then?

Before, she had only been slightly worried that the Eighth Prince wouldn’t be able to escape. Now that Jiang Ru was missing, that worry had magnified tenfold.

The people hunting in the forest had already started returning one after another. As the two of them led a team out, they happened to run into Murong Qing. He was carrying his pitifully small catch and approached them, his brow furrowed as if in concern. “I heard there are assassins in the forest. Why is the Longhu Great General¹¹ not staying here to protect Father Emperor? Where are you going?”

Jiang Yao already suspected Murong Qing was behind this. His words only deepened her suspicion. Jiang Zhi, at least, maintained a degree of the rites between ruler and subject.¹² He saluted him and said that the assassins were numerous and they were going to rescue the Eighth Prince.

He couldn’t very well say he was leaving his post protecting the Emperor to save Jiang Ru; it would be bad for her reputation.

However, Murong Qing actually blocked their path, his words sounding perfectly reasonable. “This Prince is also anxious about Eighth Brother’s situation, but the General’s duty is to protect Father Emperor’s safety. With assassins present, you should remain here all the more, lest the assassins become bold and disturb Father Emperor. How can you so easily abandon your post?”

Jiang Yao was already highly suspicious of him, and now he was saying these things, which was even more irritating. This disgusting business was most likely Murong Qing’s doing.

Thus, she didn’t hold back. She looked at Murong Qing, the corner of her lips curling into a mocking smile, and suddenly shouted, her face a mask of surprise, “What? Your Highness the Seventh, the Eighth Highness is your blood brother, yet you’re telling us not to save him? The assassins who wanted to kill the Eighth Highness claimed loudly that you sent them and told us to bind hands and submit to execution.¹³ I always thought they were just using your name to trick us, but since you won’t let us go save the Eighth Prince, could it be…”

Jiang Yao left her sentence unfinished, letting the onlookers think and speculate as they pleased, while her face maintained a look of feigned shock and doubt.

The surrounding sons of noble families and noble young ladies all looked over in shock.

The Seventh Prince’s face instantly darkened, looking like he was about to eat someone alive. Jiang Yao became even more certain. It was Murong Qing, that shameless and ruthless piece of work.

Murong Qing absolutely hated Jiang Yao. He had always been polite to the Jiang Clan, one could even say he went out of his way to curry favor. Who knew what was wrong with Jiang Yao? It was one thing for her to go crazy and fight him over a woman, but now she was hounding him every day!

“What nonsense are you spouting, Young Miss Jiang? This Prince has always considered Eighth Brother my own flesh and blood. How could I possibly do something worse than birds and beasts!”¹⁴

Jiang Yao responded lazily, “Is that so? But that’s what the assassins said.”

“Then someone must be trying to frame this Prince! If I had truly ordered it, how could I let the assassins announce it so openly, without a shred of caution? Young Miss Jiang, please stop repeating such absurd claims!”

He flicked his sleeve, his face furious, as if he had truly been wronged.

Jiang Yao snorted with laughter. “Since the Seventh Highness didn’t do such a thing, can you please move aside? The sooner we catch the assassins, the sooner we can clear the Seventh Highness’s name.”

With just a few words, she had practically convicted Murong Qing. He was so angry he nearly fell over backward, yet he couldn’t say anything, nor could he stop them any longer. Otherwise, it would confirm that he was the one who sent the men to assassinate Murong Ci. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as they left.

Jiang Zhi, sword in hand, led a troop of men behind him. They first searched the area where the young ladies had been flying kites. Finding no one, they proceeded into the forest in a great procession. On the way, he frowned and asked Jiang Yao, “Did those assassins really say that?”

Jiang Yao shook her head. “I made it up. Who told him to block our way? The most urgent thing right now is to find Ru’er.”

Jiang Zhi nodded in understanding. He didn’t place much importance on imperial power, so he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Jiang Yao bluffing a prince. “I’ll take my men this way, you go that way. Search the foot of the mountain thoroughly, and check the surrounding woods.”

“En.”

Jiang Yao agreed and led her men down another path.

That group of men in black probably hadn’t found the Eighth Prince either and were currently spread out searching. Any who were unlucky enough to run into Jiang Yao were either captured with their jaws dislocated or killed on the spot.

Her Meimei was missing. Jiang Yao’s eyes had turned red from killing. When she found her Meimei’s accessory by the cliff’s edge, she almost couldn’t catch her breath and fainted.

“Search! Search below the cliff first! We must find her!”

Just like in the storybooks she often read, whenever something major happened, it was bound to rain. At that moment, a drizzle began to fall, gradually turning from a light shower into a torrential downpour.

The rain practically blinded Jiang Yao and washed away the bloodstains on her body.

Jiang Yao leaped off the cliff with her sword. Her intuition told her that her Meimei would be here.

The cliff wasn’t particularly high, but a fall would definitely result in some injuries. Her Meimei was delicate and had no Wugong; she wouldn’t be able to withstand such injuries.

The forest floor was littered with corpses. The dozen or so guards following Jiang Yao continuously called out Jiang Ru’s and the Eighth Prince’s names, hoping the two would hear and make a sound.

Unexpectedly, the shouting actually worked. A slender female figure ran out from the heavy rain not far away, panting and leaning against a tree for support. Her cheek was even smudged with mud as she waved at them. “Jiejie, Jiejie, I’m here, Jiejie!”

“Eldest Young Miss, look! It’s the Second Young Miss!”

Jiang Yao was speechless.

I’ve read too many storybooks and thought it would be extremely difficult to find someone under these circumstances.

Storybooks really are just for deceiving little girls.

Jiang Yao hurried over with her sword. Jiang Ru also ran over, grabbing Jiang Yao’s hand as she got close and leaving a muddy handprint.

…

“How did you get like this? The palace attendant said you went to retrieve a kite. How did you end up here?”

The muddy print on her hand was quickly washed away by the rain.

Jiang Ru’s hair was plastered to her face. For the first time, she was completely without her usual grace, but she couldn’t be bothered. She tried to shout loudly, “Someone wanted to kill me! Luckily, the Eighth Highness saved me! Jiejie, the Eighth Highness is injured! You have to come with me and check on her!”

Jiang Yao didn’t understand any of it. She let Jiang Ru pull her along, her mind thinking, Murong Ci can save people? With that three-legged cat gongfu¹⁵ of hers, if she ran into someone trying to kill Ru’er, shouldn’t she have just surrendered?

Jiang Ru pulled Jiang Yao along, with everyone else following behind. They walked until they saw a small cave where Murong Ci was huddled, barely sheltered from the rain. She was covered in scratches and mud, looking like she was breathing more out than in. She had held off those assassins for her for so long, so why did she look even more seriously injured?

Jiang Yao frowned. Jiang Ru rushed over to help Murong Ci up, letting her rest her head in the crook of her shoulder and comforting her, “Your Highness, it’s alright now. My Jiejie is here. Jiejie will protect us. It’s alright.”

The sixteen-year-old girl had immense trust in her Jiejie, believing her to be the most capable person in the world besides her Father.¹⁶

Murong Ci heard the gentle female voice by her ear and slowly came to. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jiang Yao. “Jiang Yao, you’re here. Si,¹⁷ can you give me a hand? I can’t stand steady.”

Jiang Yao handed her sword to the person behind her and squatted down to help Murong Ci up, her expression cold and stern. “This isn’t the place to talk. We’ll talk when we get back. Should I have someone carry you back?”

“No, don’t have someone carry me. Just you supporting me is fine.”

Jiang Yao was confused.

“It’s faster if someone carries you. We don’t know how many more assassins are hiding in the forest. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

Murong Ci struggled to refuse. “No, there’s no need for someone to carry me. You supporting me is fine.”

Has this Eighth Prince had her brains beaten out of her? Jiang Yao thought.

She looked at her own Meimei, who had just shared a life-and-death experience with the Eighth Prince, hoping she would persuade her to be more clear-headed. But unexpectedly, her Meimei also spoke up for the Eighth Prince. “Jiejie, it’s fine. The Eighth Prince isn’t at the point of needing to be carried. Or… or I can support the Eighth Prince?”

With a cold face, Jiang Yao grabbed Murong Ci and hauled her away. How could she possibly let her Meimei support her?

Her Meimei is so delicate she looks like she would break. How could she support the Eighth Prince, who has no strength left in her body?

Being hauled along by Jiang Yao, Murong Ci didn’t feel embarrassed at all. In fact, she found it quite effortless. It was just that the rain was really heavy, and as it dripped onto her wounds, she felt like she was about to die again.

As soon as they left the area below the cliff, they saw that the ground outside was covered with the bodies of men in black. A rough count showed several dozen of them.

The sight was shocking to see for Murong Ci. She wondered which of her brothers had spent so much to have her killed!

Jiang Yao sent someone to find Jiang Zhi and call him back, while she personally escorted Murong Ci and Jiang Ru back.

Despite the heavy rain, a crowd of people was gathered at the entrance to the temporary imperial palace.¹⁸ The palace was now on lockdown, so they couldn’t leave, but it looked like they were waiting for them.

Jiang Yao had good eyesight and saw the group from a distance. She quickly supported Murong Ci properly.

This was to prevent people from seeing her treating a royal Prince so crudely, which would only be adding frost to snow¹⁹ for her already poor reputation.

Someone saw them returning and came out with an umbrella to greet them. But the one running at the very front, Jiang Yao looked closely, was her little Yun’er.

Ze,²⁰ it’s still my little Yun’er who cares about me the most.

Song Muyun held up an umbrella and immediately shielded Jiang Yao’s head, protecting her from the downpour. Behind her were other noble ladies, holding umbrellas for Jiang Ru.

One of the noble ladies was well-known in the capital for her gentleness. As she walked, she carefully used a handkerchief to wipe the yellow mud stains from Jiang Ru’s clothes. “Oh my, how did you get like this? I told you not to go so deep to retrieve the kite. You must not be so careless again.”

So this was the woman who had been flying kites with Jiang Ru today.

“I know, Liang-jiejie. I won’t do it again.”

As soon as they returned, the noble ladies surrounded them, chattering and asking what had happened and why Jiang Ru had returned with the Eighth Prince. Jiang Ru didn’t hide anything, only saying that she was grateful to the Eighth Prince for saving her.

The Second Madam of the Jiang Clan hadn’t come on this autumn hunt,²¹ only the First Madam. The First Madam held an umbrella and, upon seeing them return, quickly had someone summon an Imperial Physician. She then helped Jiang Yao escort the Eighth Prince back. After settling the Eighth Prince, she took the opportunity to have the Imperial Physician take a pulse²² for each of them. After confirming that everyone was fine, she took Jiang Yao and Jiang Ru back to get the full story.

Before leaving, Jiang Yao glanced up and saw Murong Qing standing under the corridor with a cold and gloomy expression. Their eyes met for a moment before Murong Qing reverted to his usual gentle, scholarly appearance.

Jiang Yao sneered and left with Madam Jiang.

Song Muyun followed her, to follow in someone’s footsteps,²³ constantly using a handkerchief to dry Jiang Yao’s soaking wet hair. Madam Jiang looked anxious. The moment they stepped into the room, she asked, “What exactly happened? How did Ru’er end up with the Eighth Prince? I heard you encountered assassins in the forest. Are you hurt?”

She looked Jiang Yao up and down, but her injuries were on her body, hidden by her clothes, so Liang Qingyin couldn’t see anything. Jiang Yao had no intention of mentioning her injuries to avoid worrying her mother. She only said,

“Someone was trying to assassinate the Eighth Prince, and I happened to run into them. I saved her life on a whim. As for Ru’er…”

Jiang Yao’s brows furrowed so deeply you could kill a mosquito between them. While holding Song Muyun’s fingertips to comfort the worried beauty, she looked at Jiang Ru. “You, explain clearly. What do you mean someone wanted to kill you, and the Eighth Prince saved you?”

Jiang Ru had always been kind to others. How could someone want to kill her, unless she was implicated by someone else?

Hearing that someone wanted to kill Jiang Ru, Madam Jiang’s face turned deathly pale. She quickly felt Jiang Ru’s body. “Oh my, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? If you feel any pain, you must tell your Aunt.²⁴ You can’t just bear it on your own.”

Jiang Ru shook her head, her mind still on Murong Ci’s situation. It seems that her soul isn’t in its house.²⁵ After a pause to collect herself, she said, “No, I didn’t fall anywhere. The Eighth Highness protected me. We accidentally fell off a cliff. She used her body to cushion my fall, so I’m fine.”

Jiang Yao thought of that cliff, and her expression turned grim. That cliff wasn’t low, yet her Meimei had fallen from it. She must have been terrified.

“Heavens, you fell off a cliff?”

Evidently, Madam Jiang was terrified as well.

Song Muyun, standing close behind Jiang Yao, asked, “Ru’er-meimei, how did you run into the Eighth Highness?”

Both Madam Jiang and Jiang Yao looked intently at Jiang Ru.

Jiang Ru recalled the scene, a lingering fear in her expression. “I… I was flying a kite with Liang Clan’s Jiejie today, but the wind was strong, and the kite string broke. The design was hand-painted by Liang-jiejie, so I felt it was a pity and wanted to retrieve it from the forest. I didn’t expect that just as I found the kite, a person dressed all in black appeared and walked towards me. I felt he didn’t look like a good person, so… so I ran. I accidentally ran deep into the forest and ran into the Eighth Highness. The Eighth Highness was also being chased, so she wanted to run with me. But after running for a while, we reached a cliff. She couldn’t stop her horse, so we fell.”

Thinking of the secret she had accidentally seen on the Eighth Highness today, Jiang Ru bit her lip and said nothing, pretending she didn’t know.

Song Muyun whispered to Jiang Yao, “Where did you find Ru’er-meimei?”

“Below the cliff. I called for her, and she came out.”

“You fell off the cliff too?”

The young lady looked up, urgent and astonished, and immediately tried to check Jiang Yao for any additional injuries.

What injuries could Jiang Yao possibly have? She gathered both of Song Muyun’s flailing hands into her own and said helplessly, “I didn’t fall. I took another path down. Don’t worry, I brought a lot of people this time, so I wasn’t hurt.”

Just as she was speaking, a man’s gruff voice sounded in the courtyard. “Ru’er, is Ru’er back?”

Jiang Ru quickly answered, “Father, Ru’er is back. I’ll come out after I change my clothes.”

It was pouring rain outside, and they were all soaked.

Song Muyun tugged on Jiang Yao’s sleeve and took the initiative to ask Jiang Ru, “Could I borrow a set of clothes for Jiang Yao? I’m afraid she’ll catch a cold if she stays in wet clothes.”

Madam Jiang also felt Jiang Yao’s drenched body and nodded. “Yes, yes, get a set for Yao’er too. You two hurry up and change. Don’t catch a cold.”

“I know, Aunt.”

“How could I catch a cold so easily? Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going.”

Jiang Yao was about to refuse but was met with a glare from Song Muyun, so she had no choice but to go into the inner room to change.

Song Muyun and Madam Jiang stood outside. The two were not familiar with each other, and Song Muyun felt nervous, not knowing what to say to make Madam Jiang like her a little more.

Madam Jiang, however, was gentle with her. She asked, “Are you used to living with Yao’er? Yao’er has a bad temper. If she’s ever too fierce with you, you don’t have to put up with it. Just tell me.”

Song Muyun stood up straight, her expression reserved and obedient. She quickly said, “I’m used to it. Jiang Yao has a very good temper. She’s not fierce with me.”

At the mention of Jiang Yao, a faint blush appeared on her ears.

Jiang Yao came out from the inner room after changing, a look of dissatisfaction on her face. Her hearing was excellent. “Are you two talking bad about me out here? When have I ever had a bad temper? It’s clearly very good.”

Madam Jiang looked helpless. “You. Even Huai’er gets a beating if he displeases you, and you still dare to say you have a good temper.”

“Qie,²⁶ he brought that on himself. I’m not like that with others.”

Jiang Ru was petite, while Jiang Yao was a bit taller than her. The dress that was originally floor-length now barely reached her ankles.

When Jiang Ru came out and saw this, she couldn’t help but smile. “Ru’er already picked a dress that was a bit ill-fitting for Jiejie, but I didn’t expect it to still be so short.”

“It’s just for casual wear. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little short.”

As Song Muyun spoke, she reached out to straighten the hem of Jiang Yao’s clothes and retied the sash neatly. Not a single detail was overlooked.

Jiang Yao had intended to just go out as she was, but she hadn’t expected Song Muyun to come over and tidy her up. For some reason, a strange feeling crept into her heart.

It feels… too intimate. In my memory, this is something only my Father and Mother did for each other.

She felt slightly unnatural and shifted her body, whispering, “It’s fine. Second Uncle is still waiting outside. We’re family. He won’t blame me if something isn’t perfectly proper.”

Song Muyun tied the sash into a beautiful knot before standing up straight beside Jiang Yao. She smiled radiantly. “I’m done. One must be presentable so as not to be impolite.”

Jiang Yao felt that something was off, yet at the same time, it seemed like nothing was off. She could only nod.

Madam Jiang gave Song Muyun a warm, smiling glance but said nothing. She only thought to herself, My daughter is kind-hearted. She pulled this girl out of the mire, and the girl knows to be grateful, being so attentive to my daughter. This is a good thing. Yao’er is mischievous and careless. She really does need someone meticulous by her side to remind her now and then.

The Second Master of the Jiang Clan was still waiting outside. Once they were ready inside, the door was quickly opened.

Jiang Zhi stood outside like a mountain. He had come over without even changing his clothes. The moment he saw them come out, he first looked Jiang Ru and Jiang Yao up and down before asking, “How is it? Are you hurt?”

Jiang Ru shook her head obediently. “No, thanks to the Eighth Highness protecting me. Is the Eighth Highness… alright?”

When Jiang Zhi heard that his daughter had been attacked along with the Eighth Prince, he was furious. He felt that the Eighth Prince was extremely unlucky and had no mind to care about him. Now that his daughter was asking, he gave her a perfunctory reply. “The Eighth Prince has an Imperial Physician from the palace with him. What could happen to him? It’s you who is delicate. Did those assassins do anything to you?”

Jiang Ru shook her head obediently. “I’m fine. It was the Eighth Highness who protected me.”

Jiang Zhi’s face was dark as he tried to make his daughter understand something. “It wasn’t the Eighth Prince who protected you. Those people were after the Eighth Prince in the first place. If it weren’t for the Eighth Prince, you wouldn’t have been in this situation at all!”

Perhaps feeling that she was being scolded, or perhaps disagreeing with her father’s words, Jiang Ru’s delicate brows furrowed in grievance. She argued on behalf of the Eighth Prince, “That’s not true! That person was coming for me! It’s a good thing the Eighth Prince took me and ran, otherwise I would definitely be dead by now!”

Thinking of the dangerous scenes from today, the young lady’s eyes turned red. She looked extremely pitiful when she cried.

Jiang Yao spoke with a cold expression, “Second Uncle, what Ru’er said is probably true. The Eighth Prince is close with our Jiang Clan, and some of the other princes are getting restless. If they killed Ru’er, it would make us think that Ru’er’s accident was because of the Eighth Prince. The Jiang Clan and the Eighth Prince would surely grow suspicious of each other. This is something many people would be happy to see.”

As Jiang Yao finished speaking, a fierce glint appeared in her eyes. Just let me get my hands on the evidence. Daring to lay a hand on a member of the Jiang Clan, see if I don’t stomp him into the mud!

Jiang Zhi had just seen his daughter on the verge of tears and was already at a state of hands and feet at a loss.²⁷ Hearing what Jiang Yao said, he immediately believed her. His expression turned grim. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Then in your opinion, which Prince could be behind this?”

“There were two groups of people trying to kill Murong Ci today. Both groups failed. One side must have reported their failure to their master, which led to the second attempt to frame her. I only know that one of the groups was likely the Seventh Prince’s men. I don’t know about the other group.”

They wanted to kill Murong Ci simply because they thought she had won over the Jiang Clan. If they found they had failed to kill her, then linking the death of a Jiang Clan girl to her would surely cause the Jiang Clan to break ties with her. What a fine calculation.

“The Seventh Prince, Murong Qing? Hmph, not much skill, but a ruthless heart.”

“Since you two are fine, I’ll continue searching for the assassins. I’d like to see if those assassins’ heads can withstand my fist!”

Jiang Zhi’s tiger-like eyes were wide open. He looked so fierce that even the Emperor would be scared to tears.

Seeing her father about to leave, Jiang Ru quickly spoke in a choked voice, “Father, I want to go see the Eighth Highness later. Can I?”

Jiang Zhi was afraid his daughter would be tricked away by one of those princes and was about to refuse, but Jiang Ru looked like she was about to cry.

Jiang Zhi was speechless.

With a cold, expressionless face, he said, “Have your Jiejie accompany you. You’re not allowed to go alone.”

“Okay, thank you, Father!”

Jiang Zhi left in a huff. Seeing that they were fine, Madam Jiang also said she had to leave. She needed to go back and write a letter to the capital about today’s events.

After the elders had all left, Jiang Ru withdrew her gaze and turned to look hesitantly at Jiang Yao. “Jiejie, I want to go see the Eighth Prince now.”

Second Uncle didn’t want Ru’er to see Murong Ci because he thought Murong Ci was a man and was afraid something might happen between them. But I know the truth. Murong Ci is a woman, so nothing is possible between her and Yao’er. A visit is just a visit. It’ll also ease her worries.

“Let’s go, shall we go see her together?”

She asked Song Muyun, who was beside her.

Song Muyun had, at some point, taken her hand again. Her tone was a bit coquettish. “You’ve already said you’re going. If I don’t go, you won’t stay behind to keep me company. So I might as well go with you.”

How could I possibly let Jiang Yao and Murong Ci be alone?

That’s absolutely impossible.

The young lady was clearly smiling, but for some reason, Jiang Yao felt a chill run down her spine.

Their hands were joined again. Song Muyun swayed them. “Let’s go. Don’t delay. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back.”

Jiang Yao noticed their posture. Her fingers had, at some point, slipped between her own, their hands now in a state of five fingers interlocked.

She tentatively tried to pull her hand away, but Song Muyun only gripped it tighter, looking up with a radiant smile. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say we were going to see the Eighth Prince? Let’s hurry.”

Jiang Ru looked at Jiang Yao with expectant, round eyes. Jiang Yao had no choice but to lead Song Muyun over, their hands still clasped.

She thought to herself, Muyun is probably always feeling insecure, which is why she likes to be so close to me. This is normal.

The Song Clan was framed, and Muyun was reduced to a music hall, where she was bullied. Her background is so tragic. I should dote on her more, indulge her more. What’s just holding hands?

As if she had given herself a reason, she relaxed completely and held Song Muyun’s hand tightly.

“En, I’ll take you there.”

The Eighth Prince’s room was crowded with people. First, there was the Imperial Physician, then the Emperor, and also the various princes. The moment Jiang Yao arrived at the door and saw them, she felt she had come at a bad time. But the palace attendant guarding the door had already gone to announce them…

And then Jiang Yao was invited in.

Great.

“Your subject-daughter²⁸ (this commoner) pays respects to the Emperor and greets Your Highnesses.”

The Emperor was sitting on the edge of Murong Ci’s bed. He looked down at them. “The Jiang Clan’s girl, and the Song Clan’s girl?”

As the elder Jiejie, Jiang Yao looked up and replied, “Yes. Your subject-daughter is Jiang Yao. This is my Meimei, Jiang Ru, and this is Song Muyun.”

The Emperor’s gaze towards Song Muyun was quite complicated. It was probably because he had wrongly executed her father that he didn’t quite dare to look her in the eye. He only looked at Jiang Yao and, on the other side, Jiang Ru.

“So that’s Ru’er? Truly gentle and virtuous. I saw you when you were little.”

Jiang Ru straightened her back, looking dignified and proper. “Yes. Your Majesty is too kind.”

The Emperor clapped his hands with a smile. “Are you all here to see Ci’er?”

“The Eighth Prince is injured. We could not rest easy and came especially to see her,” Jiang Yao said with her head bowed.

Murong Ci coughed weakly at the appropriate moment. “Father Emperor, I owe my life to Jiang Yao today.”

The Emperor looked down at Murong Ci and nodded, seemingly casually. “Then you must thank her properly.”

“Yes, Your Child-Subject understands.”

The Emperor had never been close to his own sons, and sitting here was rather useless. He had shown the concern he needed to show, so he stood up. “Alright, you rest well. I will give you an explanation for what happened today.”

“Alright. Father Emperor, take care.”

“You few, you should also take good care of your younger brother these next few days. Be more brotherly. Do you understand?”

“Father Emperor is right.”

These few princes had been standing there, and if they hadn’t spoken up just now, Jiang Yao wouldn’t have even noticed their presence. They were so quiet they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

After the Emperor left, Jiang Yao and the others also stood up. Song Muyun very naturally pressed herself against her side again, slipping her slender fingers between her own. Jiang Yao curled her fingers, and the two of them held hands tightly.

Jiang Ru was over asking Murong Ci if she was feeling unwell anywhere and if her head was still dizzy, when a cold sneer suddenly echoed in the room.

Jiang Yao looked over coldly. Murong Qing’s face was dark and gloomy as he stared at their joined hands. His words were half-mocking, half-jealous. “Even if Young Miss Jiang is mirror polishing,²⁹ you should be more discreet. It’s one thing to tarnish your own reputation, but don’t drag down the Second Young Miss’s reputation with you. To be mirror polishing with a woman from a music hall, aren’t you afraid of completely disgracing the Jiang Manor?”³⁰

Jiang Yao thought to herself, an elephant’s tusk cannot grow from a dog’s mouth.³¹ She was about to open her mouth to curse him, but the hand in her palm struggled and slipped away.

She looked over. The person who had been perfectly fine just a moment ago now had eyes shimmering with moisture. With a blink, a string of crystal-clear water droplets rolled down. She asked, aggrieved, “Did I tarnish your reputation? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I don’t have any family left in the capital. I saw you as my most important family. I didn’t mean to tarnish your reputation…”

Jiang Yao was instantly jolted. Why is she crying again?!

At that moment, she wished she could stuff Murong Qing’s mouth shut and kick him out. But she couldn’t be bothered to curse him now. She rushed forward in front of everyone and pulled the person with the utterly wronged expression into her arms, patting her back and coaxing her in a soft voice as if she were a child.

“Alright, alright, I know, I know. I know you didn’t mean to. Why are you crying again? You’re crying more and more easily. Aren’t you embarrassed with so many people here, en? Hey, no, why are you crying even harder? I… I don’t think you’re embarrassing. You didn’t tarnish my reputation either. That’s just nonsense people are spouting. My reputation has been this bad ever since I came to the capital. What does it have to do with you? Why do you care so much about what others say? Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s fine, really, it’s fine. Here, let me wipe them for you.”

Jiang Yao’s sleeve was soaked.

Everyone in the room was stunned. No one had expected Song Muyun to burst into tears on the spot. Back when Murong Qing had bullied her so much, trying to make her cry, he had never succeeded. But now, she was crying?

She cried over a single sentence?

Even Murong Qing, the instigator, was frozen in place. When he came to his senses, his eyes were filled with jealousy and disbelief. He had once admired Song Muyun and had been admired by others. He naturally knew what Song Muyun’s posture meant. It was nothing more than… asking for her beloved’s pity!

The next second, unable to wipe away the tears of the person in her arms, Jiang Yao said directly, “There’s a martial arts competition in a few days. How about I go on stage, invite Murong Qing to a match, and give him a good beating to vent your anger for you? Don’t cry. I don’t care about reputation at all. You just stay by my side and don’t worry about what anyone says. If anyone dares to say anything to your face, I’ll help you beat them up, okay?”

Song Muyun wasn’t crying very hard, just shedding silent tears. Her soft, slender body leaned against Jiang Yao’s embrace as if drained of strength. Hearing her words, she grabbed the hand Jiang Yao was using to wipe her tears, looked up with bright, watery eyes, and stared at her intently. “Can I?”

Can I just stay by your side when I’m scared, and you’ll help me beat up anyone who says anything about me?

Jiang Yao understood her meaning and nodded solemnly.

Murong Qing suddenly felt a pain in his body, but the most painful part was the heart he had long since given to Song Muyun. The woman he liked was now crying and acting spoiled in another woman’s arms, and even looking at him with hostile eyes! How could this not break his heart?

With her promise, the young lady finally stopped crying. Jiang Yao breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously pressed the back of her head, pulling her into her embrace. Song Muyun’s face turned red, but she didn’t hide, instead nuzzling gently against her chest.

Everyone, including Jiang Ru, was stunned. Jiang Ru, in particular, was extremely curious about this novel term, mirror polishing. So this was what her Jiejie was doing, mirror polishing. But what did mirror polishing mean, and why would it drag down her reputation?

Mirror polishing… what’s it like?

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The author has something to say:

I’ve been trying to keep the chapters around 7,000 characters, but for some reason, I can’t seem to control it. I’ll definitely do it next time QAQ, otherwise the updates will be too late.

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