MCSCPM -Chapter 176 Only Prince Jing Knows

Chu Jingcheng’s lips curled into a faint smile as Yin Qingyue’s image appeared in his mind.

But soon, worry for her safety crept in.

After all, the suburbs were far from the capital; if something happened, the consequences would be serious.

He quickened his pace.

However, upon arriving at the suburban private residence, the gates were tightly shut, and no one was in sight.

Chu Jingcheng narrowed his eyes. He had clearly instructed Leng Feng to bring them here first.

Thinking this, he quickly began searching—and found no sign of Yin Qingyue.

“Your Highness, we’ve checked every room here, but Miss Yin…” Leng Yi replied honestly.

“Search everywhere!” Chu Jingcheng’s voice carried panic. In the blink of an eye, Yin Qingyue had vanished.

Had someone from Xize acted again? Or had she escaped? Questions flashed through his mind at lightning speed.

Could she have run away? Chu Jingcheng thought secretly.

In an instant, a wave of sadness enveloped the prince.

Yin Qingyue always said what she meant and did what she promised—so why would she leave Beihao?

What baffled him most was that she had left without a word. After all, this was Beihao; outsiders dared not trespass lightly.

If she had left on her own, it could only be explained as leaving without notice.

“You woman! No matter where you run, I will find you,” Chu Jingcheng said, each word full of authority.

“Your Highness, this is a note left by Miss Mei’er,” Leng Yi quickly said, handing over the paper.

On it, neat and elegant handwriting read:

Brother Leng Feng, Miss and I went out to buy some herbs. We’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.

Only upon seeing the note did Chu Jingcheng’s heart settle.

All his unease and worries vanished in an instant.

“Go fetch Leng Feng. I’ll find Yin Qingyue myself,” he said—and vanished without another word.

Meanwhile, Yin Qingyue was walking through the bustling streets with Mei’er.

“Miss, look at that building! It’s so pretty, nothing like Xize!” Mei’er exclaimed, as if discovering a rare treasure.

Looking around, the streets of Beihao were lively and bustling. The surrounding shops were all multi-story buildings, some five stories high—a sight Yin Qingyue found almost jarring.

Since arriving in the past, she had rarely seen buildings taller than three stories.

Combined with Beihao’s prosperity, the contrast with Xize was striking.

“So beautiful!” Yin Qingyue couldn’t help but admire.

“Miss, this place is so much better than Xize. Let’s just stay here,” Mei’er said playfully.

“You little rascal, stop joking around. First, let’s get the herbs. After dark, it’ll be harder to find them!” Yin Qingyue said with a smile.

Nearby, the sign of a pharmacy appeared prominently.

“Mei’er, are the coins ready? We’re buying herbs,” Yin Qingyue instructed.

“All ready, enough for you, Miss,” Mei’er replied.

Yin Qingyue led Mei’er into the “Yuelai Pharmacy.”

“Hello, miss. What herbs do you need?” asked the young shop assistant with a smile.

“Three taels of orchids, one tael of licorice, four taels of goji berries, and one tael of…”

Before she could finish, the assistant interrupted, embarrassed:

“Miss, please slow down. That’s too fast for me to remember. Can you say each one slowly so I can fetch them?”

“Three taels of orchids, pure white,” Yin Qingyue said, speaking slowly and clearly.

“One tael of licorice…”

…

After a while:

“Miss, your herbs are ready,” the assistant said, drenched in sweat, as a large stack of herbs was laid out.

“Why buy so many? Mostly health tonics—someone in your family seriously ill?” the assistant asked, curious.

Rarely did anyone—especially an ordinary-looking girl—buy so many herbs at once. If not for a sick family member, he couldn’t imagine a reason.

“These are for my mistress,” Mei’er said proudly.

“Oh, just for self-care, I see.”

“Even with all these tonics, someone this ugly won’t get prettier,” the assistant muttered silently.

On the street, a burly man leered:

“Today, I must see what Miss Qingqing looks like!”

Nearby was a brothel.

“Miss, don’t mind him. It’s common to see such excitement for Miss Qingqing,” the shop assistant explained.

Seeing Mei’er’s fearful expression, he knew these two were outsiders.

Miss Qingqing was said to be stunning, but few had ever seen her. The two women’s cautious glances proved they weren’t locals.

“This young man, excuse us. We’re from the suburban capital and came today to buy herbs,” Yin Qingyue said with a smile.

The assistant, seeing their modest attire, suspected nothing further.

“Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you. The burly man’s ‘Miss Qingqing’ is no ordinary girl. Rumor says she’s beautiful as a flower. Usually, no one sees her.”

“None has seen her, so how do you know she’s beautiful? You’re just tricking us,” Mei’er said playfully. Even if Miss Qingqing was pretty, she wasn’t prettier than their mistress, who was in disguise.

“You have no idea. I’ll tell you—very few know this,” the assistant said cautiously.

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted.

“Today, if you don’t let me see Miss Qingqing, I’ll destroy this place! Let’s see how you run your brothel!” the man shouted.

Yin Qingyue watched from a distance. She had heard of brothels before; today, it seemed she had stumbled upon a “fateful encounter.” She was curious to see how beautiful this Miss Qingqing really was.

“Miss, shall we go?” Mei’er whispered.

“If you want to see a beauty, go ahead! Why hold back? Afraid our Miss isn’t better than anyone else?” the shop assistant teased.

“Just now I thought you were kind, but your words are vicious,” Mei’er said, annoyed, holding the herbs as she prepared to leave.

“Wait, Mei’er. I have something to ask him,” Yin Qingyue said, a cold smile playing at her lips.

In Beihao, a woman with such influence must have backing. She wanted to know who supported Miss Qingqing.

“Earlier you said you had something to tell us?”

“Yes. With all that noise, maybe we’ll see Miss Qingqing. I won’t quarrel with you—just don’t tell anyone,” the assistant said cautiously.

Yin Qingyue nodded.

“Most people know only that Miss Qingqing is stunning—they don’t know her true face. And the only one who has seen her is… Prince Jing!” the assistant whispered, eyes darting around.

“Prince Jing?” Mei’er looked astonished. She couldn’t believe the prince would visit such a place for pleasure.

“See? Not many know this! I can tell you because you two seem honest and won’t spread it around,” the assistant smiled.

“Don’t worry. Since you’ve told us, we won’t tell anyone,” Yin Qingyue said, eyes glinting.

“No problem. Next time you need tonic herbs, come to us. We’ll make your Miss even more beautiful!”

As the assistant finished, Yin Qingyue left the pharmacy.

“This gentleman might scare Miss Qingqing,” an older courtesan said as she approached.

“Call her over now. I’ll pay whatever it costs. I have plenty of money,” the man said, grinning.

“Oh, sir, you must know—Miss Qingqing doesn’t meet just anyone! She must agree, or even I can’t bring her,” the courtesan replied.

“Look at the state of this brothel! Miss Qingqing will be upset!”

“Stop talking nonsense. Left and right, all I hear is Miss Qingqing! Bring her out so we can see how beautiful she is!” the man said with a wicked smile.

“Girls, go greet this gentleman!” the courtesan urged, pulling a few pretty girls forward.

Outside the brothel, a crowd had already gathered.

“Today, with all this commotion, she’ll definitely come out!”

“No way. I’ve waited here years and never even seen her shadow. How much money does he have? Dream on!” one man scoffed.

Yin Qingyue blended into the crowd. That a woman connected to the prince could be linked to a brothel was shocking.

“Is Miss Qingqing really that beautiful?” Mei’er whispered.

“You can joke all you want, but Miss Qingqing is truly stunning. Though I haven’t seen her myself, it’s the truth,” Yin Qingyue said.

“Everyone keeps saying she’s beautiful, but no one’s seen her. How can we know it’s true?” Mei’er retorted.

Yin Qingyue did not stop her—perhaps Mei’er’s words would stir desire among the crowd, and maybe Miss Qingqing would actually appear.

“If you don’t believe it, step aside.”

“Exactly.”

“Move!”

Under the crowd’s pressure, Mei’er could argue no more.

“Miss, these people are really foolish!” Mei’er muttered, displeased.

“Let’s wait and watch the show. I want to see who Miss Qingqing really is,” Yin Qingyue said, a faint smile on her lips.