Nonsense! She’s Not a Bad Woman! - Chapter 88

Inside the Shangshu Manor, Minister Qiao and Madam Jin politely saw the Crown Prince out.

“Wanyan, His Highness personally escorting you back proves he truly has you in his heart.” Madam Jin couldn’t hide the joy in her voice. “But what about Qiao Yihuan? Didn’t she leave with His Highness as well? Why hasn’t she returned?”

Minister Qiao already knew the matter. “She should be at the estate. I heard that woman fell ill, so she rushed back from Apothecary Valley to visit her birth mother.”

The mere mention of that woman made Madam Jin’s mood sour. She immediately shifted the topic. “Wanyan, you must have suffered a lot. When I heard you had gone missing, this mother nearly worried herself sick!”

Qiao Wanyan smiled gently. “Mother, don’t worry. Am I not back safe and sound? I was originally going to the estate, but just as I reached the gates, I overheard Madam Wu cursing at me and you. Before I even stepped in, His Highness escorted me home.”

At those words, Minister Qiao’s face darkened.

Madam Jin shot him a sharp glare. “This is the debt from your ‘romantic past’ before marrying me! Back in Yongzhou, what did you promise me? You said in this lifetime you would only marry me, that I could enter the Qiao family without a care in the world. And now look—because of you, I’m being scolded, and even my daughter has to endure humiliation!”

Madam Jin grabbed Wanyan’s hand and pulled her toward the inner courtyard, not sparing him another glance. “Come, Yanyan, let’s ignore your rotten father!”

Qiao Wanyan turned back and gave Minister Qiao a curved-eyed smile, the look of a daughter who could only helplessly follow her mother.

Minister Qiao shook his head with a bitter smile and hurried after them. He didn’t bother explaining, only kept apologizing.

“It’s all my fault, wife. Please don’t be angry. If you hurt your health from anger, what should I do then?”

Madam Jin didn’t stop walking, but Minister Qiao couldn’t bring himself to get angry at her.

As his wife and daughter’s figures disappeared from sight, his eyes turned cold. He gave quiet instructions to the steward beside him: “Since they’re determined to tear off the last shred of dignity, then send her on her way.”

The steward bowed deeply. “Understood, Master. Rest assured.”

Minister Qiao asked, “How is Young Master Xu?”

The steward replied, “He only caught a chill, nothing serious. The physician said with proper rest, he’ll recover quickly.”

After a pause, the steward cautiously added, “Though truth be told, such a minor illness shouldn’t have caused him to faint on the roadside… and just so happened to be rescued by the young lady.”

Minister Qiao’s brows knitted, his expression heavy with thought.

“See to him carefully, but don’t make it obvious. Xu is merely one of my students—nothing more.”

“Yes, Master. I will handle it properly.”

The steward respectfully withdrew. On his way out, he happened to see the eldest young lady returning. He bowed slightly. “Welcome back, Eldest Miss.”

“Steward Chen.” Qiao Yihuan acknowledged him, then turned to her father. “Father, I’ve returned.”

Minister Qiao’s earlier warmth vanished. His voice turned stern. “Go kneel in the ancestral hall. You may rise after dinner.”

With that, he turned and left, never explaining what she was being punished for.

Xiaoying, her maid, was indignant but dared not speak too much. “Miss did nothing wrong. Why would Master make you kneel?”

A mocking smile tugged at Yihuan’s lips. “Qiao Wanyan returns home with tears in her eyes—how could Father not be distressed? With my mother gone, who else would bear the punishment but me?”

Xiaoying’s heart ached at her mistress’s lonely figure, wishing she could take on all her grievances in her stead.

Miss was such a good person—she should be cherished and treasured by everyone.

It was all Qiao Wanyan’s fault. If not for her birth, Master would only have one daughter. Then he would never treat Miss with such indifference.

Qiao Yihuan knelt in the ancestral hall, her thoughts heavy. Her mind drifted back to her trip to Apothecary Valley, where Yun Heng had refused to give her the ointment to remove scars. The two scars on her shoulder—how could she ever get rid of them now?

She couldn’t let scars remain on her body—absolutely not!

Those two ugly marks already disgusted her every time she looked at them. She had to find another way.

The next morning, an invitation from the Princess’s residence was delivered to the Minister’s manor.

The Tenth Princess’s birth mother had never been favored. She was only a palace maid by the Empress’s side who somehow climbed her way up. Because of that, the Empress detested this princess.

Now that she had returned to the capital, she wasn’t even allowed to live in the palace. Instead, she was sent straight to the Princess’s residence—out of sight, out of mind.

But He Baozhu was more than pleased. The palace, with its endless rules and suffocating restrictions, had nearly crushed her spirit. The Princess’s residence wasn’t as luxurious as the palace, but it gave her freedom, and that was enough.

Her father, the Emperor, had no time for her today, so he summoned her to enter the palace tomorrow to explain the full story. For now, she decided to receive her “saviors” at the Princess’s residence.

When He Baozhu learned her guests had arrived, she went out herself to welcome them.

“Yihuan, I’ve been waiting for you forever!”

After greeting her, He Baozhu glanced behind her. “And your sister? Why didn’t she come with you?”

Her invitation had gone to both young ladies of the Minister’s manor, yet only the eldest daughter, Qiao Yihuan, and her friend Liu Yanran had arrived.

Qiao Yihuan explained, “Wanyan wasn’t feeling well this morning, so she couldn’t come. I came with Yanran instead. Once her health improves, we’ll come together to apologize to the Princess.”

He Baozhu was a little disappointed. “Ah, so that’s how it is. Forget about apologies. That day, you acted out of righteousness and saved me—that was a life-saving grace. Today, I just want to properly thank you.”

She had actually been quite eager to meet Yihuan’s younger sister. That day, she hadn’t had the chance to properly admire her, which she still found a pity.

After all, He Baozhu had no other real hobbies—she simply loved beautiful people. Male or female, it didn’t matter. She was, in essence, a shameless admirer of good looks.

Yesterday, when she saw that girl crying at the gates of the estate, He Baozhu felt her worldview shift.

Beauty itself was justice!

Qiao Yihuan gave a soft smile. “Your Highness is too kind. Anyone who encountered such a situation would have stepped forward. Though I was also afraid of those assassins, I couldn’t just walk away and leave you behind.”

Liu Yanran, holding onto her arm, added playfully, “That’s just Yihuan—kind-hearted and always ready to help others. She’s like Lei Feng, always doing good deeds!”

He Baozhu’s gaze flicked sharply toward her, lingering for a long moment before she quietly looked away.

…Lei Feng?

In ancient times, how could there be any “Lei Feng”?

Could it be that this Liu Yanran… was also like her—a person from modern times?

The thought sent a chill down He Baozhu’s spine. Could there really be such a coincidence? She herself had already experienced the impossible by transmigrating—yet now, could there actually be a fellow traveler?

“Princess, is something wrong?” Qiao Yihuan noticed her distracted look and asked gently.

He Baozhu smiled and shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just too cold out here. Let’s go inside and talk.”

In the modern world, she had seen the phrase ‘Chinese people don’t deceive Chinese people’ thousands of times online. But in reality, the ones who lied and betrayed you most often were usually so-called “your own people.”

Even if Liu Yanran might be from modern times, that didn’t mean she could be trusted. The world was vast; who knew what kind of person she truly was?

What if Liu Yanran was foolish or malicious, and ended up dragging her into a pit?

Now that she had become a princess—even an unloved one—she still had food, clothing, and security guaranteed.

She had to be cautious. She had to think ahead.