Nonsense! She’s Not a Bad Woman! - Chapter 63

A unique fragrance of countless herbs mingled in the air, rich and thick yet carrying a soothing freshness that calmed the senses.

Qiao Wanyan slowly lifted her eyelids. The moment she opened her eyes, she sat upright, alert, scanning her surroundings—a place completely unfamiliar.

The pale teal stone floor crackled under the charcoal fire. The room was sparsely furnished, yet every piece spoke of refined taste.

Perhaps no one usually stayed here. Although the room was warm, a faint chill of emptiness lingered.

Qiao Wanyan’s gaze fell upon the incense burner on the bedside table—the source of the calming herbal fragrance. Unlike the pungent scents of the apothecary she had known before, this aroma strangely soothed her uneasy heart.

She glanced down at her clothing. It was the same Eastern White ensemble Zi Yuan had dressed her in that morning.

Slipping on her shoes, she approached the door. Her hand had barely touched the carved wooden panel when the door suddenly swung open from outside.

A cool breeze swept in. Qiao Wanyan inhaled sharply and shrank back slightly.

Her striking peach blossom eyes blinked, taking in the young boy standing before her.

The boy glanced at her, flushed slightly, and lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. “Y-You… you’re awake.”

He wore simple clothes, likely a servant of this place.

Qiao Wanyan scanned the surroundings. Earlier, while dozing in the carriage, a masked man had broken in, drugged her, and carried her away right from the Shangshu Mansion gate—a brazen act to the extreme.

But now, this place looked nothing like a bandit’s hideout. It felt more like a secluded paradise.

Who had taken her here?

“What’s your name?” Qiao Wanyan asked.

“I… I’m Chang’an.”

Qiao Wanyan’s voice softened. “Chang’an, can you tell me where this is? Who is your master? Can I meet him?”

Chang’an shook his head. “If you need anything now that you’re awake, just tell me. I’ll prepare it for you.”

He said no more, running off, but didn’t leave the area. Instead, he slowly peeked from outside the courtyard.

He had grown up in the Apothecary Valley. The only two women he had ever seen were Zhang Momo and his young lady.

He had never seen anyone as beautiful as Qiao Wanyan. She looked like a goddess stepping down from the moon, so exquisite that even dreams would hesitate to touch her.

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a mountain stream flowing through the heart, bringing warmth with every syllable.

Qiao Wanyan watched the boy peek at her for a long while. Realizing she wouldn’t get any useful information from him, she turned and stepped inside.

The carved wooden door blocked all sight from outside. Chang’an, disappointed, withdrew his head.

Dinner was brought by Chang’an, and the hot water for bathing had been meticulously prepared.

After bathing and eating, Qiao Wanyan changed into a fresh set of clothes and sat on the bed, feeling slightly dissatisfied.

Though new, the fabric was not Shu brocade. It wasn’t cheap, but far inferior to what she usually wore.

Night had fallen, and she still didn’t know who had abducted her.

After a dreamless night, Qiao Wanyan rose early with the first light of dawn.

Outside the courtyard, Chang’an was nowhere to be seen. She donned a thick fox fur cloak and stepped out. Trusting her instincts, she headed south, and sure enough, she soon came upon a dead end.

Qiao Wanyan blinked, pressed her lips together, and cursed under her breath. Swiftly, she turned and headed north.

After a short while, she stomped her feet, muttering angrily, “What kind of broken place is this?!”

Every path was a dead end. Had the person who built this place lost their mind?

Qiao Wanyan, a girl who had never once gotten lost, now couldn’t find her way back. She couldn’t locate the residence of the place’s master, nor the courtyard she had stayed in the night before.

The surroundings were filled with plum trees—it must be a plum orchard. But no matter how she walked, she couldn’t escape.

Perfect. Today, she would be stuck admiring plum trees all day.

And, by tonight, she might just freeze to death here.

Elsewhere, Chang’an hurried to the Tingyu Pavilion. After bowing respectfully, he said in a flustered tone, “Young Master, that young lady has wandered into the Plum Garden!”

The man addressed as Young Master held a medical book in his hand, his gaze absorbed in the pages. Clad in a jade-white brocade robe, he looked as if a moonlit cloud from the immortal mountains had descended.

His skin was pale as porcelain, his profile exquisitely carved. Deep, mysterious eyes seemed to hold the ice of a thousand-year winter, entirely out of place in this mortal world.

“Young Master?” Chang’an asked cautiously, noticing no reaction.

Still, there was no response.

Chang’an didn’t dare speak further. He knew that when Young Master immersed himself in medicine, he became oblivious to the outside world. So he quietly waited at the side, though worry gnawed at him.

The Plum Garden was protected by a maze, set long ago by Young Master’s father with the help of a master. For years, no one from the Apothecary Valley dared to enter, because they didn’t know how to leave.

In the entire valley, only Young Master and the young lady knew the way out.

Without them, the goddess-like young lady might never escape the Plum Garden in her lifetime.

After a single incense stick had burned, Yun Heng finally closed the medical book and turned to look at Chang’an at the door.

His jet-black hair fell like a waterfall, fastened with a single jade hairpin. Loose strands framed his face, lending him an unworldly elegance.

“What is it?” he asked.

Chang’an explained the situation again. Yun Heng’s gaze returned, indifferent. “Hmm, noted.”

Chang’an hesitated, then added, “Young Master, if we don’t bring the young lady out, at this rate, she might freeze to death tonight.”

Yun Heng replied coldly, “I haven’t finished this book yet. Waiting until nightfall won’t kill anyone.”

Chang’an clicked his tongue. He had served Young Master long enough to know that this reaction was not surprising.

Although a healer, Young Master’s decision to save a life depended entirely on his mood and inclination. Called a medical genius, he was obsessed with medicine itself—but saving lives? Not necessarily.

The young lady had sneaked out of the Apothecary Valley. Young Master searched long and hard without success. It was only when news came from Changqing that she had been seen entering the Ministry of Household Affairs’ mansion in the capital that they learned her location.

Although the young lady knew nothing of martial arts, she was a master of poisons as Young Master’s sister.

Self-preservation was no problem at all. Sending someone to retrieve her was futile; even Changqing would fail halfway. She could poison him and vanish, leaving the searchers empty-handed, making the effort completely wasted.