Nonsense! She’s Not a Bad Woman! - Chapter 27

He Yanli had already returned to the capital. Since he’d left without permission, naturally, he wouldn’t make it known to the public.

Inside the carriage, Qiao Wanyan sat quietly. The brazier burned brightly, filling the cabin with warmth. Not even a hint of the winter chill could sneak in.

Yunyao clung to her arm, still struggling to believe what she’d just heard.
“Miss Ayán, your so-called ‘brother-in-law’… is actually the Crown Prince?!”

At first, she had assumed Miss Ayán came from some wealthy aristocratic family. But that man turned out to be the Crown Prince! Then that meant Miss Ayán herself was certainly no ordinary young lady!

Yunyao’s eyes sparkled like stars. Stuck in the quiet confines of the Apothecary Valley for years, her greatest joy had always been reading romantic storybooks.

And in those books, heroines with such fateful encounters were always noble young ladies from the capital—gorgeous, dazzling, the kind of woman who could steal the spotlight in any crowd.

She clasped her hands under her chin, her eyes dreamy.
“Miss Ayán, you’re amazing!”

Qiao Wanyan: “…”

Huh?

What nonsense was this little girl on about now?

Deep in her heart, Yunyao made a secret vow: she must stay by Miss Ayán’s side and personally witness a legendary, real-life romance play out just like in the storybooks!

Just then, a commotion arose outside. The carriage came to a sudden stop.

Ziyuan jumped down to investigate, and returned moments later, her expression grim.
“Miss… the Eldest Miss has arrived.”

Qiao Wanyan’s brows tightened slightly, her heart sighing in resignation.
As expected of the heroine of the story. Fate would always push her toward the Crown Prince when the timing was perfect to deepen their bond.

Ziyuan hesitated, then added quietly, “…She’s accompanied by… by the Young Marquis.”

The Young Marquis of Jing’an Marquisate—a name infamous throughout the capital. A wild little demon in human skin. The only son of the marquis house, spoiled to the heavens.

It wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that if the Young Marquis wanted the stars or the moon, the Marquis and Marchioness would do everything in their power to pluck them from the sky for him.

Ziyuan felt uneasy—not without reason. Three years ago, the Young Marquis had been saved by the Eldest Miss. Since then, he had stayed close to her, fiercely protective, and on many occasions, he had insulted her own Miss Ayán. In public, no less—without a shred of decorum.

Qiao Wanyan remained calm. In the original story, the Young Marquis had his role to play.

It was said that all the innocent affection of his youth had been given to Qiao Yihuan. Even when he learned she loved the Crown Prince, he neither fought nor schemed—willingly helping her to marry the man she loved, asking for nothing in return.

All he wanted… was for her to be happy.

Qiao Wanyan sneered inwardly.

What a fool.
If she ever liked someone, she’d rather cage him up than offer him to another woman.

…

“Why are you here?”

Jiang Qiyun smiled brightly.
“I was traveling, just wandering about. Happened to run into Sister Yihuan, and when I found out she was heading to Qingzhou, I came along.”

The youth’s lips curled into a smile, carefree and radiant. His eyes were clear, brimming with vitality. His face was like polished jade, delicate and beautiful as a flower blooming in the early spring. Every gesture, every glance, carried the boundless brilliance of youth.

Of course, that wasn’t the full truth.

He had been wandering, yes—but it was only because he’d heard that Liuzhou had a rare kind of luminous pearl with a soft, bluish glow. He had wanted to buy it personally and bring it back as a New Year’s gift for Sister Yihuan.

Every year, Yihuan spent Lunar New Year in Yongzhou. So naturally, he went straight there to wait for her.

After hearing the full story from Xiaoying’s mouth, how could he possibly let his Yihuan-jiejie suffer such grief?

Without hesitation, he brought her to Qingzhou—to find the Crown Prince.

The position of Crown Princess… that belonged to Yihuan-jiejie. He absolutely would not let anyone snatch it away.

She wants to cut ahead and win his heart first? Dream on.

He Zhiyu removed the cloak from his shoulders and gently draped it over Qiao Yihuan.
“You’re dressed so lightly. What if you catch a cold?”

Qiao Yihuan offered a delicate show of refusal.
“I was simply in a hurry to see Your Highness and forgot to bring my cloak… How could I accept yours? If Your Highness were to fall ill because of me, I’d feel terribly guilty.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Jiang Qiyun’s eyes, but he said nothing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Wanyan approaching with a soft smile—and his expression darkened with immediate wariness and irritation.

“Elder Sister, why are you here?” Qiao Wanyan asked sweetly, her tone warm and polite.

Before Qiao Yihuan could respond, Jiang Qiyun cut in sharply.
“And what does that have to do with you? What, are you upset to see Sister Yihuan here?”

Qiao Wanyan blinked, taken aback. Her face paled.
“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Jiang Qiyun’s lips parted slightly, momentarily stunned.
She… didn’t talk back?

Had she been possessed or something?

He Zhiyu’s voice dropped coldly.
“Wanyan didn’t mean any harm. Young Marquis Jiang, must you be so sharp-tongued?”

Qiao Yihuan’s body stiffened. The gentle expression she’d worn only moments ago froze on her face.

Even back in Yongzhou, at the Jin residence, she had felt uneasy. A persistent sense of dread had warned her that staying there too long would mean losing something important. Missing something she couldn’t get back.

And now… she realized her instincts had been right.

The Crown Prince had never called her “Wanyan” before. He’d always referred to her formally as “Second Miss Qiao.”

Jiang Qiyun felt a surge of frustration.
The Crown Prince openly defending Qiao Wanyan—did he not care at all about how Yihuan-jiejie might feel?

He Zhiyu seemed to sense something. His gaze brushed past Qiao Yihuan’s now rigid expression, and he spoke calmly.
“The weather’s cold. Let’s set out. If all goes smoothly, we should reach Yongzhou by tonight.”

Then he turned to Jingyuan, adding, “Send the brazier from my carriage to Yihuan’s. We mustn’t let her catch cold.”

Qiao Yihuan bit her lip.

She glanced at Qiao Wanyan—who still wore that faint, unreadable smile—and for some reason, it felt like the smile was mocking her.

A flicker of determination passed through her eyes.

“Your Highness,” she said softly, “May I… ride with you in your carriage? That way, there’s no need for you to give up your brazier. I wouldn’t want Your Highness to suffer the cold on my account.”

He Zhiyu’s gaze briefly fell on Qiao Wanyan.

“Yihuan, I would be happy to,” he said warmly, “But rules of propriety must be observed. If we were seen alone together, it could damage your reputation. I would never want that for you.”

Jiang Qiyun, seeing Qiao Yihuan’s embarrassment, quickly jumped in.
“His Highness’s carriage is quite spacious. Why don’t we all ride together? It’ll be livelier that way!”

He Zhiyu noticed the strained look on Yihuan’s face and nodded.
“Very well, the four of us then.”

Jiang Qiyun blinked.
Four?

Wait—was Qiao Wanyan included in that?

“I’ll pass,” Qiao Wanyan said gently, her voice low. “I’m not feeling well. It’s better I return to my own carriage. I wouldn’t want to pass anything on to Your Highness.”

With that, she offered a small bow and turned to leave.

Jiang Qiyun scoffed under his breath.
“Hmph. At least she knows her place.”

Qiao Yihuan let out a soft sigh of relief. She turned to the Crown Prince with a demure smile.
“Shall we board, Your Highness?”

Before he could respond—

“Miss! Miss—what’s wrong? Please don’t scare me!” Ziyuan’s panicked voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.

He Zhiyu turned sharply. When he saw Qiao Wanyan collapse onto the ground, he immediately rushed over, striding through the cold wind without hesitation.

A gust of frigid wind swept past.

And in that chilling moment—
Qiao Yihuan’s heart… went cold too.