Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 66

Mother Song

In the Jiang residence, the little girl was sitting dazedly on the bed. When Jiang Yao walked in and saw her, a smile immediately touched her lips. “Ah Yun,” she called, “you’re awake?”

Song Muyun looked up at Jiang Yao and instinctively stretched out her arms. Jiang Yao strode over, scooped her up—blanket and all—and settled her on her lap.

“Are you hungry?” she coaxed, her voice as gentle as water as she toyed with Song Muyun’s fingers. “I can take you out for some pastries.”

Song Muyun shook her head and leaned into her embrace. “I’m not hungry. I don’t need to eat. Where did you go? I couldn’t find you when I woke up.”

At her question, Jiang Yao’s back suddenly stiffened. She hadn’t yet figured out how to tell her, so she tried to change the subject. “Did you have any nightmares while you were sleeping?”

The little girl shook her head obediently but then insisted, asking again, “Where did you go?”

Looks like she absolutely has to know.

Jiang Yao sighed in resignation and had no choice but to tell her. “The Eighth Prince sent someone to summon me.”

As expected, the moment Song Muyun heard the Eighth Prince’s name, her full red lips puckered in a small pout. She nuzzled her head against Jiang Yao’s chest, rubbing back and forth, but she still couldn’t resist digging up the root to ask the bottom.¹ “Why did the Eighth Prince want to see you?”

She wanted to know everything about Jiang Yao’s affairs, especially those involving other people. She didn’t want to miss a single thing.

Song Muyun’s eyes seemed naturally dewy, and as she gazed at Jiang Yao, she looked unbearably endearing.

This time, Jiang Yao went completely rigid. She was still hesitating about whether she should say anything.

Seeing her hesitation, Song Muyun’s gentle voice sounded. “Is it inconvenient to tell me, Yaoyao?”

Jiang Yao:！！！

When Muyun started calling her that, it meant she was a little displeased.

Fine. It wasn’t right to hide this from her anyway. It was, after all, a matter concerning her family; she had a right to know.

As she thought this, Jiang Yao silently tightened her embrace around Song Muyun.

“No, that’s not it. I was just thinking about how to tell you.”

“Hm? Whatever the Eighth Prince said, you can just tell me directly. You don’t have to think about it.”

Song Muyun was the very picture of obedience, still completely unaware of what had happened.

Jiang Yao pressed her lips together, her expression still hesitant, but her hand had already moved to grip Song Muyun’s tightly.

“Murong Ci said… the Emperor has agreed to let the Song family return to the capital. But… your mother is gravely ill.”

When she said the first sentence, Song Muyun’s eyes instantly lit up. But by the time she finished, the light in them died faster than anything. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Jiang Yao. “What did you say?”

Jiang Yao’s heart ached for her, but the words were already out.

She squeezed Song Muyun’s hand and continued, “Your mother is gravely ill, and I’m afraid things don’t look good. The Song family is on their way back to the capital now. How about I go with you to see her?”

At first, Song Muyun just stared blankly, not reacting. She tilted her head slightly and asked, “What?”

After Jiang Yao repeated herself, a fragile look slowly, so slowly, crept onto her face. She looked panicked and flustered. She didn’t cry, but both her eyes lost their light, which to Jiang Yao was far worse than if she had just thrown herself into her arms and sobbed.

The little girl’s heart refused to accept it. How could this be? Mother’s health was always so good. She had already been thinking about how she would tell her mother about Jiang Yao once she returned to the capital.

How she would get her mother to approve of her and Jiang Yao being together…

But now, she was hearing shocking bad news.²

Song Muyun said nothing, remaining silent all through the evening. She was so upset she couldn’t even eat her dinner. Jiang Yao had to beg her to take two sips of porridge, but she didn’t touch anything else.

Jiang Yao knew how much she was hurting. That night in bed, she gently patted Song Muyun’s back, coaxing her over and over. “It’s okay. I’ll go with you to see Auntie.³ Be good, don’t cry now. I’m here, don’t be afraid. I’ll be with you.”

The person in her arms made no sound, but every so often a choked sob would escape. Jiang Yao could, of course, tell she was crying. Her own inner clothes⁴ were soaked through, sticking damply to her skin.

“Jiang Yao.”

When her Little Ancestor⁵ called her name in a hoarse voice, Jiang Yao unconsciously straightened her back. She cleared her throat and asked, “What is it?”

Song Muyun sniffled again before saying, “I got your clothes dirty.”

“It’s fine. If they’re dirty, I’ll just take a bath. You should stop crying, or your eyes will be swollen tomorrow.”

Song Muyun pressed her lips together and nodded meekly. “Okay, I won’t cry.”

For some reason, though she had been devastated just a moment ago, she now seemed to have calmed down. Her gaze was vacant, fixed on a single spot. Jiang Yao got up to wash herself and change into clean inner clothes. When she returned, she found Song Muyun sitting on the bed, looking completely lost.

She went over and held her without a word, then began to gently pat her back, hoping to soothe her at least a little, to ease some of her pain.

“Jiang Yao, I want to see my mother. Will you take me? Please?”

Held in Jiang Yao’s arms, Song Muyun suddenly looked up and asked.

It was a bit of a willful request, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn’t stop herself from asking Jiang Yao for help. No one else would help her. No one but Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao’s expression was soft, her gentle eyes meeting Song Muyun’s anxious ones. She seemed to be worried she would refuse.

Silly girl, what’s there to disagree with? I already told you, your business is my business.

Jiang Yao gave a light laugh, bent down to nuzzle her cheek, and promised, “Alright. I’ll take you out of the city tomorrow.”

The Song family was already on the road back to the capital, but now that Muyun knew her mother was gravely ill, she was filled with an urgent desire to see her at once.

“Thank you, thank you so much…”

Hearing her agree, the little girl immediately started to choke up again, even managing to say “thank you.” Her teeth gently bit into her bottom lip as Jiang Yao tilted her chin up and used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

“We’re family,” Jiang Yao coaxed helplessly. “Your mother is my mother. What is there to thank me for? Please, stop crying. Alright? If you keep crying like this, I’ll have to go bathe and dry off again.”

When she cried, the tears flowed like rain, pouring all over her.

After a good while, Song Muyun finally managed to compose herself. She opened her red-rimmed eyes wide, looked at Jiang Yao, and nodded in agreement. “Okay, I won’t cry.”

No matter how sad she was, she knew that crying couldn’t solve the problem. She had to go see her mother…

As long as they left the place of exile, they could find a doctor and get medicine. Maybe she would be alright?

Maybe…

All night, Song Muyun’s heart felt like it was floating, unable to find purchase. She drifted in a state between sleep and wakefulness. The next day, she was up early, urging Jiang Yao to take her.

With Mother Song in trouble, Jiang Yao gave a brief explanation to Jiang Heng and Liang Qingyin, then left the capital with Song Muyun.

It was just the two of them, riding out of the capital city on horseback.

Song Muyun didn’t know how to ride, but she still begged Jiang Yao to go faster, and then faster still. She was desperate to see her mother.

The two of them galloped all day. That evening, when they found an inn to stay at, Jiang Yao forcefully pushed her onto the bed and, without a second thought, pulled off her trousers.

Song Muyun was shocked, her face flushing with shame and indignation. She struggled with all her might to escape Jiang Yao’s grasp, but Jiang Yao wouldn’t let her. She was strong and pinned Song Muyun down with ease.

“What—what are you doing!”

Song Muyun was so ashamed her eyes turned red, not from sadness, but from pure mortification that brought tears to her eyes.

Jiang Yao hummed softly. “What could I be doing? Just checking your injuries and putting on some ointment, so that your butt isn’t raw before you even get to see Auntie.”

Her words were so vulgar, with no attempt at restraint. Song Muyun was even more ashamed and didn’t dare to look up.

“What—what are you saying!”

Before Jiang Yao were the two soft, smooth cheeks of a beauty, unwillingly exposed. The rest of her skin was snow-white, but the area that had been in contact with the saddle was terribly red, some of it even chafed raw. She reached out and poked it. The beauty, who had just been protesting, immediately cried out in pain, her brow furrowed tightly.

“Tsk, still trying to act tough.”

The beauty wasn’t used to riding and didn’t know how to do it in a way that was less strenuous and more comfortable. After a full day, it was only natural that she would be injured.

Jiang Yao bent down, scooped up a dollop of ointment, and applied the cool paste to Song Muyun’s reddened buttocks.

This time, she finally stopped struggling. With her face beet red, she buried her head in the blankets, allowing Jiang Yao to do as she pleased behind her.

Jiang Yao’s fingers kneaded the soft flesh, spreading the ointment evenly.

The cool sensation washed away the faint stinging pain. Jiang Yao let the ointment air out for a while before calling Song Muyun’s name. After a few calls with no response, she looked down in surprise, only to see that the little girl had buried herself in the blankets and had already fallen fast asleep.

Jiang Yao was taken aback for a moment, then she realized with a sense of helplessness that it made sense. She hadn’t rested properly for days because of the nightmares; of course she would be exhausted.

She let her sleep for a while. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly and not waking up from any bad dreams, her sleep growing deeper and more peaceful, Jiang Yao felt a wave of drowsiness herself. She simply got onto the bed, pulled the girl into her arms, took her pants off completely and tossed them aside, then tucked them both into the blankets to sleep together.

Neither of them had managed to have their evening meal. They slept through the night until dawn, waking up one after the other.

After a good night’s sleep, Song Muyun’s spirits had finally improved a little, but her eyes still held a trace of worry.

Jiang Yao took her hand and led her downstairs to order some food. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they mounted their horses again and headed toward the place of exile.

Her medicine was excellent; the soreness on Song Muyun’s backside was gone by morning.

They traveled day and night, and within a few days, they came across the carriage convoy returning the Song family to the capital.

Jiang Yao recognized the men as the Emperor’s escorts at a glance. She dismounted with Song Muyun and strode forward, presenting the Jiang family token⁶ to gain entry.

Song Muyun was in such a hurry she didn’t even spare Jiang Yao a thought. She climbed into the carriage alone, and as she pulled back the curtain, she was hit by the thick, overpowering scent of medicine. Her gaze met the people sitting inside, and then fell on the person lying with her eyes tightly shut. Song Muyun’s voice choked as she called out, “Second Aunt, Third Aunt, how is my mother?”

The women she called Second Aunt and Third Aunt seemed stunned. They stared at Song Muyun, as if they didn’t recognize her. After a long moment, one of them cried out in surprise and gently shook First Madam Song, who was lying in the carriage. “Eldest Sister-in-law, Eldest Sister-in-law, look who’s here! It’s Yun’er! Yun’er has come to see you!”

Mother Song was clearly weak, but the sound of Song Muyun’s name still elicited a reaction. She managed to open her eyes, and after staring intently for a good while, a flicker of life suddenly returned to her pale face. “Yun’er, it’s Yun’er. How did you get here?”

Song Muyun bit her rosy lip, wanting to cry but not daring to. Her mother didn’t like it when she cried.

She fought back her sobs with difficulty, her voice slightly hoarse as she spoke. “Mother, it’s me. I heard you were ill, so I came.”

Mother Song had her sisters-in-law help her sit up, a rare glint of tears in her own eyes. Her pale lips trembled. “How… how did you get here? I remember the Emperor sentenced you to the Jiaofang Division.⁷ How did you get here?”

A woman who enters the Jiaofang Division has no freedom. What’s more, the entire Song family was exiled. With no one to help her, how could Muyun, a weak young woman, have found her way here?

“It was Jiang Yao, the Prime Minister’s daughter. She brought me here.”

Jiang Yao…

The name was somewhat familiar to Mother Song. Her husband had mentioned her once, saying she was a rare woman who hated evil as if it were an enemy⁸ and did not fear the powerful. She excitedly grasped Song Muyun’s hand, but the agitation made her cough violently. Still, she couldn’t hide the joy in her expression.

“The Emperor has issued an imperial edict.⁹ Our Song family’s deep grievance has finally been redressed.¹⁰ Were you also released from the Jiaofang Division by the Emperor?”

Song Muyun didn’t dare say she had been in the Music House¹¹ and just nodded vaguely. “Yes, Mother. I’ll wait for you to return to the capital, and we’ll live a good life together.”

She squeezed her mother’s hand.

But Mother Song shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t have many days left to spend with you. You must live well. If you need anything, ask your paternal younger cousins¹² for help. And find a good family to marry into…”

If she had the energy, she would never want her daughter to marry so young. But she knew her own body; the great limit was about to arrive.¹³ Her only choice was to have her daughter find a family to protect her as soon as possible.

“Mother! Don’t you dare say such things! We will both be fine, we will definitely be fine!”

Song Muyun clutched her mother’s fingers, her expression filled with sorrow, helplessness, and self-blame. “I should have come to find you sooner. I should have come sooner…”

The Song family’s Second and Third Aunts couldn’t bear to watch any longer and turned to look out the window. But outside, a strange woman on a tall-headed, large horse¹⁴ was riding alongside them. When she saw them lift the curtain, she turned her head and offered them a gentle smile, one that was the very picture of steady reliability.

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