MCSCPM -Chapter 153 Intruding into Luochen Courtyard

The capital inn was shrouded in the deep darkness of night.

Prince Jing plucked the strings of his qin, letting the sound merge with the gentle night breeze.

“Your Highness, everything is ready,” Leng Yi said, walking slowly toward him.

“Go to Luochen Courtyard.” Chu Jingcheng plucked a string, and in an instant, the string shot into the bamboo grove, releasing a sharp, piercing sound.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Yin Qingyue… I will not let you die.” The prince’s eyes lingered on the palace in the distance, thoughtful.

At the capital inn, Prince Jing, accompanied by Leng Feng and Leng Yi, set off toward Luochen Courtyard, while the rest remained behind on standby.

Under the cover of night, the three moved forward, one after another.

“Your Highness, aren’t you afraid of angering Xize by doing this?” Leng Feng asked hesitantly.

“And so what?” Chu Jingcheng’s lips curved into a cold smile. To save Yin Qingyue alone, giving up the chance to build ties with Xize was nothing. He had no interest in any Xize women—only Yin Qingyue mattered.

“Well… if the Emperor finds out, he won’t be pleased. The two nations were supposed to build relations; now we’re interfering with another country’s affairs… isn’t that asking for trouble?” Leng Feng said nervously.

“Xize is a small country, unworthy of my concern,” Chu Jingcheng murmured to himself.

“Your Highness… it seems you care deeply about that Divine Physician. Otherwise, you wouldn’t risk your life to save her,” Leng Feng commented.

The prince said nothing. When a decision was made, he didn’t explain further. The moment he knew Yin Qingyue’s life was in danger, something inside him stirred. Affection had quietly taken root, though he was unaware of it.

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived at Luochen Courtyard,” someone announced. An old, worn plaque bore the name “Luochen Courtyard” in bold characters.

Numerous guards stood rigid at the gate.

“Your Highness, shall we force our way in?” Leng Yi asked calmly.

“Use lightness skill to enter.”

Before they could react, Chu Jingcheng vanished from sight in an instant.

“Your Highness is fast!” Leng Feng exclaimed. Men with deep internal strength were indeed different.

Chu Jingcheng scanned the courtyard. There was no sign of Yin Qingyue, not even her familiar scent.

“Could the ritual have already ended? There’s not a single woman here!” Leng Feng frowned, confused. He had searched nearby, and all he saw were guards—nothing else.

“Did you hear? A woman tried to escape… and was killed!”

“I saw her… over by the altar,” several guards whispered.

“It’s the Emperor’s decree. Who dares defy it?”

When these words reached Prince Jing, his first thought was Yin Qingyue—but he quickly dismissed it. With her abilities, escaping was not difficult; capture was impossible. Still, worry tugged at him. No matter what, she had a hold on him.

“Go. Bring someone here,” Chu Jingcheng said with a slight upward curve of his lips, eyes half-closed.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Where is the Divine Physician?” Leng Feng grabbed a guard by the throat. Any struggle, and the guard’s life would end immediately.

“I don’t know! So many women here… how would I know where she is?” the guard stammered, terrified.

“You’ll lead us to her. Make a sound, and you die,” Leng Feng warned.

“Yes,” the guard stammered. Leng Feng was surprised at how timid the palace guards were—so easily subdued.

“Perhaps it’s this way,” the guard pointed to a few rooms nearby, faint sounds of women’s moans drifting out.

“Whose room is that?”

“That’s Nanny Zhao’s. She got thirty strokes and is still in bed!” The guard chuckled; Nanny Zhao had been wailing all day.

“And her role?”

“She manages Luochen Courtyard.”

Leng Feng nodded, about to release the guard.

“Wait.” Chu Jingcheng pressed the guard’s acupoint, immobilizing him. Every precaution mattered; alerting other guards would be disastrous.

The prince then stepped into Nanny Zhao’s room.

“Oh, my butt!” Nanny Zhao shrieked from the bed, writhing.

Leng Feng had pushed the door open. The room was empty except for Nanny Zhao.

“Which room is Yin Qingyue in?” Chu Jingcheng asked flatly.

Nanny Zhao froze. Though elderly, she had never seen such a handsome man—and she blushed like a schoolgirl.

“Why the late-night visit? What brings you here?” she cooed, shamelessly speaking in front of three men.

“Which room is Yin Qingyue in?” Leng Feng repeated the question.

“Ask that ugly girl. Go right from here; the third room is hers,” Nanny Zhao said, her wrinkles crinkling into a smile.

“Thanks.”

“Ow, my butt!” she shrieked again.

Earlier, Nanny Zhao had thought the pain made her hallucinate. In the dead of night, Luochen Courtyard should not host such handsome men—let alone three—right in her room.

“Your Highness, you really appeal to all ages; that old Nanny Zhao seems taken with you,” Leng Feng laughed.

A cold gaze fell from behind. Leng Feng glanced back; Leng Yi gestured for him to stop.

Chu Jingcheng approached Yin Qingyue’s room. Lights were still on inside.

“Wait outside. I’ll go in myself.”

The moment he opened the door, the room was empty. Her belongings were gone, but the familiar scent lingered.

“She’s gone,” Chu Jingcheng said calmly. He hadn’t expected her to already have prepared to escape—the wheel marks on the ground showed the carriage was recently used.

“Where do we go now, Your Highness?” Leng Feng asked, puzzled. After preparing for so long to rescue this ‘ugly girl,’ now they were leaving the courtyard empty-handed.

“Out,” the prince said, eyes half-closed.

“Yin Qingyue… I will make you pay,” a white figure disappeared into the moonlight.

Following the lingering scent, Prince Jing arrived at the rear garden.

“What are you doing? How dare you trespass into Luochen Courtyard?” the guards shouted.

“Kill without mercy!”

With that, Leng Feng drew his sword; the guards fell silently, leaving no blood behind.

“A trifle. Want to fight Grandmaster Leng? You’re not even fully grown!” Leng Feng smirked proudly.

“Over there!” more guards rushed in, but they posed no threat. A battlefield king like Prince Jing feared no minor soldiers.

Without Chu Jingcheng moving a finger, Leng Feng and Leng Yi had already neutralized them.

Luochen Courtyard was left a scene of bloody chaos.

The lingering scent of Yin Qingyue stopped near the rear gate. Chu Jingcheng frowned—she had prepared to escape long ago. The carriage tracks were still fresh.

At that moment, Yin Qingyue sat in the carriage, unaware that all the guards of Luochen Courtyard had fallen to Prince Jing’s forces, all to rescue her.

Nanny Zhao remained lost in her fantasies, still wailing.

“Chase them!” Chu Jingcheng stared intently down the narrow path. If Yin Qingyue wanted to flee, he wouldn’t allow it.

“Didn’t expect this ugly girl to be so captivating… to make Your Highness go through all this,” Leng Feng muttered, following closely.

“Leng Feng, when did you get so talkative? Need a woman?” Chu Jingcheng’s eyes glinted coldly.

“I only dare if Your Highness has found one first,” Leng Feng teased.

Leng Yi joined in, “Your Highness, you need a woman too.”

Many believed Prince Jing was indifferent to women—but he had simply not met the right one.

“If the prince doesn’t find someone, we brothers will die lonely,” Leng Feng said with a grin.

Nearby, a carriage moved slowly.

Yin Qingyue watched the distant path grow smaller, a tinge of melancholy in her heart. She had first entered the capital by carriage, never imagining all that would happen. She wished none of it had.

“Miss, hurry!” Mei’er repeated, eyes closed tightly.

“This girl… another nightmare,” Yin Qingyue smiled. Now, free from palace conflicts, she could one day open an apothecary for a living.

“Miss, don’t mind me—just go!” Mei’er held her hand tightly, afraid something might happen.

“Hehe… I don’t even know your identity, but this girl is loyal,” the driver said.

“Don’t mind us. I’m just a poor girl from Jiangnan. Came to the capital to seek relatives, but they were in debt, so I ran away,” Yin Qingyue feigned innocence to avoid suspicion.

She wondered: if this driver was arranged by the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t be like this.

The carriage ride passed quietly; the driver said little, but Yin Qingyue sensed he was not entirely trustworthy.

“Ah, so that’s it!” he finally exclaimed.

“Yes, childhood hardships… luckily my brother helped. Who knows how much I would have suffered otherwise?” Yin Qingyue’s voice trembled slightly.

“The capital is turbulent now. The Emperor is preparing the ritual… those young women…” The old man trailed off, hinting at something unsaid.

“Grandfather, please drive. We’ll rest,” Yin Qingyue said, testing him for unusual behavior.

“Rest well. I’ll slow down a bit so your sleep is smoother,” he replied.

She nodded, silent.

Dawn approached. Yin Qingyue hadn’t slept all night.

The old man beside her still felt off. No odd actions occurred, but she feared something might go wrong.

What awaited her next?