Nonsense! She’s Not a Bad Woman! - Chapter 28

“She’s faking it, obviously!”

Jiang Qiyun’s voice rang with fury as he made a move toward the carriage, intending to drag that scheming woman, Qiao Wanyan, out of it—only to be stopped by Qiao Yihuan.

“Qiyun, stop making a scene,” she said quietly, a shadow of sorrow clouding her delicate features.

She had already embarrassed herself enough.

Jiang Qiyun’s chest tightened at the sight of her sad expression. He hated it. Hated seeing her so upset. And all because of that manipulative woman—Qiao Wanyan—who kept bullying her, stealing everything that rightfully belonged to her.

The Crown Prince’s carriage was large and warm. Without hesitation, He Zhiyu carried Qiao Wanyan inside.

Qiao Yihuan glanced at the moving curtain of that carriage, then clenched her fists and silently returned to her own.

The door closed behind her—and in that instant, the tears she had been holding back fell freely.

Jiang Qiyun, his heart simmering with rage, climbed into the Crown Prince’s carriage as well.

He was going to keep an eye on this shameless woman. Let’s see how long she could keep up this act.

Alone time with the Crown Prince? Dream on.

The traveling physician examined her and declared it a case of wind chill—likely caught from the cold. Nothing serious, just some medicine and warmth would do.

Ziyuan scoffed quietly in her heart. Of course she caught a chill. Didn’t she soak herself in cold water for half the night yesterday? Who wouldn’t fall sick after that?

At the time, she had thought her mistress was going too far—why not just fake an illness with some powder and clever makeup? Why torture herself like this?

But her mistress had said something she would never forget.
“Without real sacrifice, how can you expect real rewards?”

And besides, the accompanying physician wasn’t some gullible fool. A little powder wouldn’t fool him.

The convoy resumed its journey. In the carriage, Jiang Qiyun kept his eyes fixed on Qiao Wanyan like a hawk—as if his stare alone could peel away her layers of deception.

He stared for two full hours.

At first, Qiao Wanyan had been uncomfortable, but after a while… she simply got used to it. She kept up her act of sleeping—until eventually, real sleep took over. Her breathing softened. She drifted off, utterly unaware of the world around her.

Jiang Qiyun’s eyes grew dry and itchy. He rubbed them, blinked, and kept staring.

He Zhiyu sighed and was just about to speak when—

Bang!

The carriage suddenly shook violently. A moment later, the horses went wild, and the carriage lunged forward uncontrollably.

“Assassins! Protect His Highness!”

The clash of blades rang out alongside the guards’ shouts. Before Qiao Wanyan could fully awaken, a sharp arrow streaked past her face.

Thwack!
It buried itself into the carriage wall.

Qiao Wanyan gasped, drawing in a sharp breath—
But before she could even react, she was yanked into a strong embrace. He Zhiyu pulled her close and leapt from the carriage in a single fluid motion.

Just in time.

The frenzied horse dragged the carriage over the edge of the cliff.

Had she stayed inside a second longer… she would’ve gone over with it.

“Yihuan-jiejie!” Jiang Qiyun’s gaze snapped toward Qiao Yihuan’s carriage. He saw her and Xiaoying clinging to each other outside, clearly panicked and cornered.

He immediately stepped forward to run toward her—but then stopped, turned, and shouted,

“Your Highness! Go save Yihuan-jiejie!”

If the Crown Prince saved her, Yihuan-jiejie would be so happy!

He Zhiyu hesitated.

Jiang Qiyun added quickly,
“I’ll take care of Qiao Wanyan! Go now—there are no assassins here, but over there, she’s in real danger!”

He Zhiyu looked once more into the distance.
“You watch over her.”

With those words, he turned and sprinted toward Qiao Yihuan, his guards following close behind. But their first priority was not rescuing the Qiao family’s eldest miss—it was protecting the Crown Prince.

Jiang Qiyun watched them disappear into the chaos, then gave a cold laugh.

“As if the Crown Prince would ever abandon Yihuan-jiejie for a woman as conniving as you,” he sneered, eyes narrowing at the pale figure in his arms.

“You really are shameless.”

“That woman should’ve died here. Only then would the world finally know peace!”

Qiao Wanyan glanced at him coldly, her tone dry as dust.
“You’re still alive—why should I be dead? Don’t worry. I’ll outlive you. And when you’re rotting in the afterlife, I’ll burn incense just to wish you misery down there.”

Jiang Qiyun’s eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a sneer.
“So you’re done pretending, huh?”

Qiao Wanyan gave a faint nod.
“Do I need to pretend in front of you? You’re not even important to me.”

“Like I care if I’m important to you!” Jiang Qiyun fumed, utterly provoked.

Qiao Wanyan ignored him, turning her full attention toward the chaos in the distance.

These assassins weren’t after the Crown Prince—they had come to rescue the corrupt governor of Qingzhou, Li Xiao, the man behind the stolen disaster relief funds, a man who had bled the people dry with no bottom line.

In the end, Li Xiao was not rescued. The assassins were captured or killed. But even so, a lone attacker remained hidden in the shadows.

From the narrative in the storybook she had once read, Qiao Wanyan knew what came next.

That assassin would fire a poisoned barbed arrow—and somehow, miraculously, Qiao Yihuan would spot it and throw herself forward to take the hit for the Crown Prince.

The arrow wouldn’t strike a fatal point, but the barbed head would cause excruciating pain when removed. Qiao Yihuan would nearly die. The Crown Prince, devastated and heartbroken, would fall even deeper in love—and once back in the capital, he would personally request an imperial marriage decree.

Qiao Wanyan’s eyes narrowed. She suddenly broke into a run toward the chaos.

Jiang Qiyun caught her by the arm. “Where do you think you’re going?! Can’t you see how dangerous it is over there? What do you plan to do—throw yourself into the mess?!”

Qiao Wanyan jerked her arm free without hesitation.
“Mind your own business!”

As if she would ever throw herself in front of an arrow.

Just thinking about a barbed arrow wound made her skin crawl. No thanks.

If she wanted to prevent the inevitable romantic development between the Crown Prince and Qiao Yihuan, there was a better way: stop Qiao Yihuan from getting the chance to save him.

All she had to do was keep her away. Problem solved.

As for warning the Crown Prince about the ambush, that wasn’t an option—she didn’t even know the direction it would come from. The original story never specified the exact spot.

Besides, it wasn’t even a fatal shot. The Crown Prince would survive.

He Zhiyu—sword in hand—slashed open an assassin’s throat, only to catch a glimpse of Qiao Wanyan running toward the battlefield.

He lunged forward just in time, running a blade through an assassin that had nearly crept up behind her.

“Why did you come over here?” he asked sternly.

Qiao Wanyan, inwardly rolling her eyes: Seriously? Would I risk my life if I wasn’t trying to stop the plot from progressing?

But aloud she simply said, “I was worried about Your Highness… and my sister.”

She hurried over to Qiao Yihuan and clutched her arm with concern. But Qiao Yihuan didn’t feel even the slightest warmth from the gesture.

If He Zhiyu weren’t standing right there, she would’ve already flung Qiao Wanyan’s hand away. She couldn’t bear her fake kindness.

The last wave of assassins was swiftly eliminated. Those attempting to rescue Governor Li Xiao were executed on the spot, save for a few taken alive to be questioned back in the capital.

Qiao Wanyan didn’t loosen her grip on Qiao Yihuan’s arm. She was just waiting… waiting for that fateful moment when the final arrow would fly from the shadows.

And sure enough—

Qiao Yihuan’s gaze flicked sideways, catching a faint glint of silver behind the stone pedestal to the east. Her pupils shrank in alarm.

A feathered arrow soared through the air—straight toward the Crown Prince.

Her breath hitched. That arrow—was aimed at His Highness?!

Without thinking, she yanked her arm free—
And in the next heartbeat, shoved Qiao Wanyan aside with all her strength.

“Unhh—!”

“Wanyan!”

“Miss!!”