Is It Forbidden to Bully the Heroine of the Novel? - Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Murong Qing knew well that the seasoned Duke could no longer stand by his side. His attitude towards Li Xiting also changed, no longer gentle and mild as before, but instead carried a hint of subtle coldness, admitting, “Yes, it happened before our engagement.”
Li Xiting of course knew it happened before her. She just never expected that the man she finally got close to, that lofty prince, would actually be fond of Song Muyun, and even after being rejected by Song Muyun, would harbor hatred out of love, tormenting her.
No wonder Song Muyun was always so disrespectful to the Seventh Prince, and no wonder Jiang Yao also inexplicably disliked the Seventh Prince. She understood it all now.
Li Xiting couldn’t accept that the man she loved loved another woman, couldn’t accept that he lost his reason because he was rejected by that woman, even going so far as to kidnap her. Her face turned pale, and she knelt down, suddenly covering her face and crying in pain.
Then, the seasoned Duke showed his vigor by picking up his granddaughter and taking her back, scolding her, “How did your parents teach you manners! It’s a serious crime to lose decorum in front of the palace, do you want to implicate the entire clan?!”
His words were too harsh. Li Xiting couldn’t bear the accusation, soon dared not to cry out loud anymore, only whimpering softly with swollen eyes.
Inside the great hall, the situation continued, and the Emperor looked at his son, whom he once thought had some goodness in him, and said coldly, “So, you did indeed kidnap Song Muyun, but pushed all the blame onto your elder brother?”
He glanced at his eldest son, thinking the eldest was too foolish to see through such a young brother’s schemes, wondering how at his age he could still be manipulated by his younger brother.
Murong Qing naturally did not want to take all the blame himself. He knelt down and said without hesitation, “It was the elder brother who ordered people to kidnap Song Muyun, imprisoning her in his own mansion. I knew about this but did not speak out, instead I aided the tyrant, it’s my fault!”
Murong Chun: …
He had never seen someone so good at sophistry!
Absolutely shameless!
“You’re talking nonsense, it was clearly you who made me kidnap Song Muyun, saying you had a way to make Jiang Heng stop investigating the Song family. Now you want to bite back at me, Murong Qing, have some shame!”
He thought he was shameless enough, but Murong Qing was even more so.
Murong Qing, with a pale face, just looked at the Emperor with a shaky gaze, trying to gain the pity of this father who never cared for any of his sons.
The Emperor’s face was cold, asking him, “Is what the eldest said true?” This work is provided online for reading by Si Tu Net!
Murong Qing immediately shook his head in denial, “No, I never said that.”
His eyes were sincere, filled with tears.
If all these were to be confirmed, he feared he could not escape death, now it was merely an instinct to survive, resisting desperately.
“Hmph!”
Murong Chun sneered.
“Then you must have been to my dungeon to beat Song Muyun. I only kidnapped her, but didn’t lay a finger on her. It was you who beat her!”
The Crown Prince roared angrily.
Murong Qing had no rebuttal, only silence remained.
Soon, the eunuch guarding the door came in again, bowing with a respectful expression, but this time he said, “Your Majesty, Princess Heyi requests an audience.”
“How did she come too?”
The Emperor was puzzled. Upon seeing this, Hai Gonggong whispered in the Emperor’s ear, “Princess Heyi has a good relationship with the Seventh Prince.”
Oh, so it’s another plea for Murong Qing.
“Let her wait outside as well.”
These were all people unrelated to the case with the Song family, and he naturally didn’t want to let them in to cause trouble.
The following interrogation was entirely handed over to the Minister of Dali Temple.
The Minister of Dali Temple first performed a subordinate’s salute to the two criminal princes, saying sorry for the offense.
Then, he questioned them as if interrogating prisoners.
Being unaccustomed to such a situation, the princes inadvertently panicked, and soon enough, gave themselves away.
The young Minister of Dali Temple squinted at Murong Qing, “How did you know that the tokens of that group of dead men were all engraved with the character ‘Chun’?”
In a moment of urgency, Murong Qing said that the tokens of the dead men were engraved with the character ‘Chun’. If they were his own men, he would never engrave someone else’s character, and just this statement revealed the flaw, his face instantly turned pale, and he stuttered in defense, “It was, during the autumn hunt, those dead men were carrying tokens engraved with the character ‘Chun’.”
Murong Chun was proud at this moment, glaring at Murong Qing, “Nonsense, I never ordered those dead men to engrave any tokens with the character ‘Chun’. Am I stupid? To engrave ‘Chun’, clearly, you intended to frame me, doing it on purpose!”
Murong Qing swayed, only able to bite his lip and remain silent, still thinking inside, they had no evidence, they couldn’t convict him.
But when the Minister of Dali Temple questioned Meng Xia, Meng Xia immediately pulled out a ledger from his bosom, “This is the ledger of the disaster relief silver’s usage, what was bought, everything is clearly recorded. The Seventh Prince also wrote a few pages, compare them and you’ll know.”
Murong Qing’s face changed drastically, he didn’t write much in this ledger, just casually recorded a few days’ expenses, never expecting that Meng Xia would bring it even in such an urgent escape?!
Comparing Murong Qing’s handwriting, there was almost no room for denial.
Murong Qing, however, refused to admit defeat, sweat beads the size of beans almost wetting the ground he knelt on, his back also sweaty, “Perhaps someone forged my handwriting, trying to frame me, please Father Emperor investigate clearly!”
The Emperor’s mouth twitched slightly, finding it absurd, with so much evidence laid before everyone, yet you still refuse to admit?
This thick-skinned, comparable to the new concubines in his harem.
Just then, Jiang Heng spoke up, “Since the Crown Prince said he didn’t order the dead men to engrave such tokens, then what about the autumn hunt assassination attempt on the Eighth Prince? This matter may also need to be re-examined.”
He just put forth his opinion and then shut up, stepping back, leaving the rest to the Emperor and the Minister of Dali Temple.
Both of them: …
Reminded by him, Murong Chun immediately remembered that frame-up and wanted to defend himself, his eyes filled with anger, “Father Emperor, I didn’t do that thing. How could I have such capability, being confined in the capital, still able to control dead men to assassinate the Eighth Brother? If I had such scheming, why would I agree to Murong Qing’s
request to keep Song Muyun in my mansion, waiting for someone to frame me? Father Emperor, I don’t have such a brain!!!”
Setting aside everything else, the Emperor believed this point.
He really thought Murong Chun lacked brains, being used as a scapegoat time and again.
Another matter was brought up, Murong Qing’s face turned as white as paper, finally showing some fear. Song Muyun, leaning in Jiang Yao’s arms, looked at Murong Qing with hatred in her eyes, feeling extremely gratified at this moment, seeing the joy of revenge in the eyes of her family members.
The evidence Meng Xia presented was enough to prove that the riverbank breach was related to Murong Qing, even more so than what Murong Chun had done, including training that group of dead men.
Initially, they were trained at Meng Xia’s home, just ask a few of Meng’s servants, and they would know. Since those dead men with ‘Chun’ tokens were trained by Murong Qing and followed his orders, and he also went on the autumn hunt, it was more likely for him to have ordered those dead men to act against Murong Ci.
At this moment, Jiang Yao remembered something else, she held Song Muyun’s slender waist with one hand, patting it as if to comfort, then turned to look at Li Xiting, crying silently beside the seasoned Duke.
“That time Miss Li appeared in the hunting forest, was it a coincidence? Muyun doesn’t know martial arts and usually stays far away from the hunting forest. Miss Li, likewise untrained in martial arts, yet had the courage to enter. Truly admirable,” Jiang Yao said.
Li Xiting couldn’t cry anymore.
Her face turned pale, her body stiffened.
The seasoned Duke almost wanted to kill this granddaughter. How could she cause so much trouble!
Everyone else looked at Li Xiting, under multiple pressures, she almost couldn’t stand.
But it was the seasoned Duke, who always had a bit of affection for this beautiful jade-like granddaughter, slightly shielding her from many gazes, then lowered his voice, “What exactly happened, what were you thinking at the time, say it all. If there’s no issue, no one can blame you.”
Li Xiting’s legs were weak, and she involuntarily looked at Murong Qing in the center of the hall, meeting his pleading gaze.
The seasoned Duke narrowed his eyes, sweeping over Murong Qing, then his voice became stern again, “If you don’t tell the truth, letting the family be disgraced, even if I can’t bear it, I will have to send you to a nunnery to accompany the ancient Buddha and green lantern, then don’t blame your grandfather for being heartless!”
Li Xiting couldn’t believe it and suddenly looked up, shouting, “Grandfather!”
She was desperate. Today, she had already lost her beloved, and now her grandfather was saying this to her. She naturally didn’t want to accompany the ancient Buddha and green lantern; how could that be a life for anyone?
Even if she still pitied the pale-faced Murong Qing at this moment, she had to speak the truth.
Finally stopping her sobs, Li Xiting slowly opened her lips, her eyes flashing with despair, “It was, it was the Seventh Prince…”
Murong Qing seemed to lose all strength and knelt on the ground.
Song Muyun felt even more gratified, exchanging glances with her family, seeing the joy of revenge in each other’s eyes.
Everyone heard Li Xiting’s words, “It was the Seventh Prince who said the Eighth Prince always liked to ingratiate himself, saying his own archery was not good, but better than the Eighth Prince’s. The Eighth Prince might not be satisfied being the lowest among the princes, perhaps letting his bodyguards hunt in his stead, pretending it was his own achievement. He asked me to pretend to accidentally enter the hunting forest, too scared to stand up, to lure away his bodyguards. I, I didn’t know so much would happen afterwards, if I had known, I definitely wouldn’t dare, wuwuwu.”
Li Xiting cried again.
Everyone present, almost had the word “speechless” written on their foreheads.
You actually believed that?
You actually dared?
After the Emperor’s rage, he looked at the seasoned Duke with a complex expression, but felt strangely balanced in his heart. It turned out not only his sons were foolish, but others’ granddaughters were just as foolish. Well, that’s good then.
The seasoned Duke, his white beard trembling, pointed at Li Xiting, unable to speak for a long while, then finally said through gritted teeth, “Kneel down!”
Li Xiting instinctively obeyed, immediately kneeling on the ground, with tearful eyes.
The seasoned Duke also did not say anything else and knelt beside her, full of regret, “It’s the old minister’s fault for not teaching the family’s children properly, leading her to be blindly ignorant, to do such brainless things, I ask the Emperor to forgive us!”
Jiang Yao, holding Song Muyun, made a snide remark, “Tsk tsk tsk, deceiving the Emperor is a grave crime.”
What Li Xiting did to her wife on the street earlier, she hadn’t forgotten, and she wouldn’t let Li Xiting off easily given the chance.
The seasoned Duke’s body stiffened completely, hating Jiang Yao for adding fuel to the fire, not daring to mention Li Xiting deceiving the Emperor, afraid the Emperor would punish her with the crime of deceiving the Emperor.
If looked at seriously, she indeed deceived the Emperor, committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor. But on the lighter side, the assassin wasn’t arranged by her, the Eighth Prince wasn’t seriously harmed, she didn’t cause a severe impact, and didn’t need to be severely punished.
The seasoned Duke was extremely anxious, Jiang Heng glanced at Jiang Yao, quietly telling her to stop talking.
Jiang Yao wasn’t intent on pushing Li Xiting to death. Hearing this, she really stopped talking, focusing on holding her increasingly silent wife from earlier.
This scene was one that Song Muyun had been waiting for since her previous life. She felt a sense of gratification in her heart, but amidst this gratification, thinking of her parents who died unjustly, she felt sorrowful again.
All for those rights and silver, Murong Qing had killed her parents.
And yet he dared to bother her!
Thinking of this, Song Muyun couldn’t help but secretly tear up again.
Jiang Yao noticed and quickly comforted her in a low voice, while the Song family members were anxious, fearing that this scene would be discovered by the Emperor, resulting in Song Muyun being charged with the crime of disrespect in front of the palace.
Fortunately, the Emperor was currently so angered by the two princes that he didn’t bother with them.
His sharp gaze still fixed on the two, oh no, the four kneeling in the center of the great hall.
At this point, it was very clear. The Emperor did not rush to deal with Li Xiting but asked, “Did you use those relief funds to support those dead men?”
The crime of supporting dead men was somewhat lighter than that of the army.
He saw the ledger presented by Meng Xia, detailing the expenses for supporting the dead men and forging weapons, which darkened the Emperor’s view.
Murong Chun was initially emotional because Murong Qing refused to admit, but now that Murong Qing had admitted, he began to fear, unsure of how the Emperor would punish him…
The Emperor, being benevolent, would, should, spare his life, right?
Not being the Emperor was fine, living as an idle prince was also not bad.
In any case, he couldn’t continue being a scapegoat endlessly!
Murong Chun thought he could live, even if they took the disaster relief silver, causing so many people in Luzhou to die, and even for shifting attention killed the benevolent Song Yunqian. He didn’t think the Emperor would kill him, his eldest son, after all.
At worst, returning the money would suffice.
The Emperor indeed couldn’t bear to let them die, appearing very conflicted and troubled.
The initial anger dissipated, and after calming down, he didn’t know what to do.
They were his blood, after all.
The Emperor frowned tightly and finally ordered that Murong Chun and Murong Qing be temporarily imprisoned in the Dali Temple jail, awaiting a decision from the officials.
As for Li Xiting, seeing the seasoned Duke’s face, the Emperor did not severely punish her but ordered her to be taken back for strict discipline. After being disciplined, she was to apologize to the Eighth Prince.
Hearing this punishment, Li Xiting fainted from fear.
Murong Qing and Murong Chun had committed a serious crime by stealing the disaster relief silver; logically, they could be executed. However, the Emperor spoke of discussing with other officials, clearly showing mercy.
So be it.
Jiang Heng had his own plans and did not comment on this. Murong Qing, sitting on the ground, seemed to have lost his previous arrogance and confidence. When Murong Chun was taken away, he even stealthily kicked Murong Qing.
The incident quickly spread throughout the palace and even reached the citizens of the capital, who began to curse at Murong Chun.
Why only curse Murong Chun?
Because Murong Chun had a history of oppressing the common people and had a bad reputation.
Murong Qing was different; his maternal family was noble, all scholars, and he always appeared as a handsome and gentle gentleman. His mother, crying daily in the palace pleading for his innocence, led many citizens to think that Murong Qing might truly be wronged.
When this was heard by Murong Chun and Meng Guifei in the palace, they couldn’t help but curse out loud. The servants in the palace and the jailers in the prison could hear their cursing, making it known to everyone that the Crown Prince’s faction and the Seventh Prince’s faction were likely to become irreconcilable enemies.
Suddenly, rumors surged among the people, wishing to trample Murong Chun into the ground. The reason was that officials proposed that one of the princes must be executed to appease the public.
Otherwise, with so many unjust deaths in Luzhou and the disaster that befell the Song family, the people would not rest.
This opinion led to Murong Qing’s maternal family spreading rumors before the Meng family could act.
The Emperor was still pondering, and the officials were arguing. Some said the Crown Prince had a noble status and his wrongdoings were not as severe as the Seventh Prince’s, while others said the Seventh Prince was always kind to people, even catching thieves for the citizens, making his reputation far better than the bullying Crown Prince. If the Seventh Prince were to die, the people would not accept it.
The court was in endless debate, and Jiang Heng never personally joined these arguments. He only brought the news back to Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao then informed Song Muyun.
The two princes not yet dead, Song Muyun was unhappy, her eyes teary all day long. Jiang Yao approached, lifted her from the soft couch, and sat her on her knees.
Holding her soft waist with one hand, she asked in a low voice, “Why are you unhappy, can I make you happy?”
The girl’s mood was a bit off, her eyebrows drooped, she shook her head weakly, whispering, “You can’t.”
“What can make you a little happier?”
Song Muyun couldn’t say that she would be very happy if she could personally kill Murong Qing. She had replayed such a scene in her mind too many times.
But… she couldn’t.
Murong Qing was imprisoned in Dali Temple, she couldn’t get in, and he couldn’t get out.
Seeing her silent, Jiang Yao didn’t ask further, just gently patted her slender back, silently comforting her.
After a while, the teary-eyed girl leaned on her shoulder, asking in a hoarse voice, “Will the Emperor not kill Murong Qing and Murong Chun?”
Both were involved in killing her parents, and she didn’t want any of them to live.
Jiang Yao paused, a dark flash in her eyes, but comforted Song Muyun, “I will avenge you.”
She had always said this and indeed did well. It was the Jiang family who exposed the true faces of Murong Qing and Murong Chun, but it wasn’t enough. Just exposing them was far from enough.
She wanted them to pay with their lives.
To repay her father’s injustice, to die in agony, and to repay those who also lost their loved ones and were displaced, she wanted them to die.
Jiang Yao’s heart actually thought similarly to Song Muyun.
She wasn’t new to killing. In fact, she had been on the battlefield and killed people before. If the Emperor really was so merciful, then she would have to make the two die in an accident.
But these plans couldn’t be told to Muyun.
Her girl was pure and clean, fragile and thin; she feared scaring her.
Jiang Yao pressed her face against Song Muyun’s, rubbing their faces together involuntarily.
Song Muyun’s face was damp, she moved her face slightly, rubbing all the tears on Jiang Yao’s face.
Jiang Yao didn’t mind, her smile became more doting, holding soft buttocks and lifting her up. In her light exclamation, she carried her out of the courtyard.
Song Muyun, with her face flushed, shyly pushed at Jiang Yao, becoming even more bashful, “What are you doing? What if someone sees us, it wouldn’t be good.”
Jiang Yao held her like holding a child, chuckled softly, “So what if they see? Who in the Jiang residence doesn’t know you are my wife?”
…
That was indeed true…
At least the maids in Hengwu Court were used to it, seeing the two of them come out like this, they didn’t even lift their heads, just went about their business.
Song Muyun still felt embarrassed, lowering her head and muttering softly, “Still, you shouldn’t, please put me down, I can walk.”
Distracted by Jiang Yao, those negative emotions gradually faded away, leaving only the pure joy of the woman. She was assimilated by her, feeling joy in any gesture of intimacy from Jiang Yao.
Her heart raced, wishing to be closer to her.
But as a woman, it wasn’t appropriate for her to mention such things…
And since she wouldn’t mention it, Jiang Yao didn’t either, never having brought it up before.
Thinking of this, Song Muyun’s eyes dimmed slightly with disappointment.
But she quickly cheered up, quietly reprimanding herself. Jiang Yao wasn’t hers; she was just a soul squatting in someone else’s body, already having received so much, how could she greedily ask for more?
Song Muyun suppressed those thoughts, showing Jiang Yao a soft smile.
Jiang Yao felt like her heart was melting, couldn’t help but hold her tighter, nuzzling her more forcefully, turning her soft cheeks red.
“My wife is really cute. Don’t worry about the revenge; I’ll handle it. Let’s go out for a walk today to cheer you up, okay?”
Song Muyun had indeed been cooped up at home for a long time and had no reason to refuse, obediently nodding her head.
Then, she was carried by Jiang Yao all the way to the gate of the Jiang residence before being put down.
If it weren’t for Song Muyun’s mortified protest that she would never speak to her again, Jiang Yao would have likely carried her openly through the streets to show off.
After all, she was quite thick-skinned.
At the persistent request of the little girl, she didn’t even hold her hand, simply accompanying her on the side as she leisurely browsed, showing interest in various trinkets, happily running over, her only role being to obediently take out her purse to pay for her.
The embroidery on the purse was very familiar, Song Muyun recognized at a glance, it was her work.
It felt good, to have her things on her.
That her, was also her, wasn’t it?
Thinking this, Song Muyun’s mood visibly improved, her beautiful eyes squinting, pointing towards a wonton stall next.
The hardworking middle-aged couple was busy at the stall. From Song Muyun’s memory, she knew they had eaten wontons there before. They had walked through the streets and alleys of the capital together.
“I want to eat wontons.”
Naturally, she requested.
Jiang Yao glanced at the wonton stall, nodded in agreement, “Okay, then let’s have wontons.”
She approached and called out, “Boss, two bowls of fresh meat wontons, please.”
The busy couple responded in standard Mandarin, “Alright, please have a seat, it’ll be ready soon.”
“Okay, you sit here.”
Jiang Yao skillfully wiped the stool and the table, then scalded the bowls and chopsticks with hot water, acting like a server.
These tasks were usually done by Muyun, Jiang Yao, the rough one, wouldn’t notice, but as they went out together more often, Jiang Yao gradually learned, taking over the tasks to spare the girl from tiring her hands.
The fresh meat wontons were quickly prepared. The lady boss served two bowls, garnished with a few greens and scallions, the aroma enticing.
“Try it.”
This was her first time taking the female lead to eat wontons.
The steam from the wontons made Song Muyun’s nose tip form fine beads of sweat. She opened her small mouth slightly, gently blowing on it several times before she could eat, managing only half a wonton at a time.
So slow.
By the time Jiang Yao was left with only soup, she had only eaten two. Unintentionally looking up to see only clear soup with scallions in Jiang Yao’s bowl, Song Muyun suddenly became anxious, softly exclaiming, “Wait for me, why eat so fast, I can’t keep up.”
Jiang Yao was puzzled, “If you can’t keep up, then don’t. I’ll still wait for you after I finish.”
Seeing she didn’t understand, the girl got somewhat upset, tightening her grip on the chopsticks, suddenly petulant, “Then, I don’t want to eat anymore.”
Jiang Yao: ???
Confused, “What did I do?”
“You ate too fast, I haven’t had much, and you’ve finished.”
Song Muyun wanted them to eat together, not for her to watch her eat. That had no meaning.
The girl felt aggrieved, quietly eating her wontons, taking tiny sips of the skin, eating very slowly, but ignored Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao couldn’t stand seeing her unhappy, that beautiful cold face tinged with sorrow, something she least wanted to see.
She had to give up her stool, sitting beside Muyun to coax her, her voice soft and gentle, “I’ll eat slower next time, definitely waiting for you, okay?”
“But you’ve already finished this time.”
Only a little soup was left, while she still had a full bowl.
Song Muyun suddenly felt very down.
Jiang Yao frowned, thought for a moment, inadvertently looked down at Muyun’s full bowl, then had an idea, “Then you share some with me, I’ll eat slowly this time?”
Knowing her ancestor, this full bowl of wontons, she wouldn’t be able to finish, and it would end up in her stomach anyway.
Hearing this, Song Muyun’s eyes lit up, quickly nodding, transferring most of the wontons into Jiang Yao’s soup bowl.
This time she dared not eat quickly, taking one bite at a time, occasionally glancing at Muyun, chatting with her, seeing the corners of her mouth lift higher, her eyes shining brightly, Jiang Yao was reassured. When her wife was in a good mood, she had good days ahead.
After eating the wontons, the two didn’t linger and returned to the Jiang residence. In a secluded moment, Jiang Yao called over four shadow guards, pointing at the bewildered Song Muyun, “From now on, she is your new master. You obey her, follow her, and protect her well.”
The four shadow guards, two women and two men, were all among Jiang Yao’s best in martial arts.
Song Muyun was startled, the oppressive aura from the strangers was too strong, she instinctively held Jiang Yao’s hand tighter, leaning closer, whispering, “What are you
doing?”
Jiang Yao also held Song Muyun tighter, softly saying, “I’m not always around. Assigning a few shadow guards to protect you makes me feel more at ease. They’re very skilled in martial arts.”
Saying this, Song Muyun glanced at the shadow guards again, “Will they all listen to me?”
“Yes, from now on, they will all listen to you.”
“Even more than they listen to you?”
Jiang Yao glanced at the four shadow guards, ordering, “From now on, your new master’s commands are more important than mine, understand?”
The shadow guards bowed in unison, their voices firm, “Understood!”
“From now on, you can command them as you please; they are your people.”
Gifting her four martially skilled shadow guards, Jiang Yao was giving her such a significant resource?
Song Muyun’s eyes shone even brighter.
In the palace, Princess Heyi was confined by her mother and couldn’t come out. Meng Guifei and Ning Zhao Yi knelt outside the Imperial Study every day, begging the Emperor to spare the lives of the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince.
The Emperor refused to see them, so they turned to the Empress and the Eighth Prince, both of whom were very tactful, neither agreeing nor refusing, sending them back the way they came. They had no choice but to plead with the Emperor again, their knees nearly broken and tears nearly dried, until the Emperor finally relented and met with them. Though they came out looking ashen, news spread in the capital that the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince were about to be released from Dali Temple.