MCSCPM -Chapter 21 Being Followed

Mei’er, who was on guard in the courtyard, hurried forward. “Miss! You’re finally back! You scared me half to death!”

Yin Qingyue gave her a reassuring smile. “See? Nothing happened. Don’t worry so much.”

“Miss, you really shouldn’t say that,” Mei’er shook her head in disapproval.

Yin Qingyue stepped inside and sat at the table. On it was a bowl of thin porridge and a few side dishes that Mei’er had specially prepared for her. Although she had eaten lunch, she picked up her chopsticks to eat a little more, not wanting to make Mei’er worry.

Mei’er sat beside her, chattering continuously. “Miss, you absolutely cannot go off like that again. I know leaving Luochen Courtyard is risky, but with the way you go about it, you’d probably get yourself into trouble before even leaving the courtyard!”

Yin Qingyue was at a loss for words. This little girl worried too much. With the people in Luochen Courtyard, there was no way they could actually harm her. After all, she had Prince Jing’s backing, and she herself, from the modern world, was not someone these people could handle.

But she couldn’t tell Mei’er the truth—that she was no longer her original mistress and there was nothing to worry about. If she said that, Mei’er would likely go mad.

“Mei’er, you don’t need to worry about me. I know what I’m doing,” Yin Qingyue finally said, using this to calm her.

Mei’er sighed, shaking her head again. “Miss, how can I be at ease? This Luochen Courtyard is dangerous, and you have no one to rely on. Though you may now borrow Prince Jing’s influence, I know very well that you don’t even know Prince Jing personally.”

Yin Qingyue was momentarily stunned. In the end, she could only give in. Mei’er, this little girl, worried nonstop every single day and never ran out of words.

Yin Qingyue could easily deal with the malicious brutes, Xue Zhenyu, or even Nanny Zhao, but for a servant so devoted to protecting her, there was nothing she could do.

And knowing Mei’er’s personality, if Yin Qingyue told her not to worry, Mei’er would only worry more!

Defeated, Yin Qingyue sighed and gave up lecturing her.

She touched the peanut skins she had collected and decided to deal with them first.

Setting down her chopsticks, she looked at Mei’er. “Forget it. I’ll just step out for a bit. Mei’er, you stay here and watch the courtyard, so Nanny Zhao won’t come bother us again.”

“Ah, Miss! You’re going out again?” Mei’er’s brows twisted in disapproval.

Yin Qingyue patted Mei’er’s shoulder. “I’m just going to the kitchen. Nothing dangerous. You don’t need to worry.”

“But the kitchen isn’t dangerous! I can go for you!” Mei’er insisted.

Yin Qingyue rolled her eyes at the idea of letting Mei’er handle the peanut skins. What if Mei’er mistook them for trash and threw them away?

“Forget it. Only I know how to use this. Mei’er, just watch the house,” she said, finally using an excuse to appease her.

Without waiting for a reply, she walked out and shut the door, preventing Mei’er from following.

“Be good, Mei’er. Listen, you don’t want me worrying about the courtyard while outside, right?” Yin Qingyue coaxed her like a child and, in no time, slipped out of the courtyard toward the small kitchen.

Mei’er finally pushed the door closed with a chair and watched the empty courtyard, sighing.

Though Miss had grown smarter and stronger recently, she had begun taking matters into her own hands, always doing dangerous things that made Mei’er constantly worry.

Thinking of the kitchen, Mei’er stood, resolved to find out what Miss was up to this time. She couldn’t rest until she knew!

Mei’er straightened her clothes, brushed off dust, locked the door behind her, and headed toward the kitchen. She was her mistress’s maid; her mistress came first in everything. Even if she might be blamed later, she vowed to protect her mistress’s safety.

Meanwhile, Yin Qingyue left her courtyard, heading toward the kitchen. To avoid being seen, she deliberately avoided the usual stone paths and cut through the garden.

Although Luochen Courtyard was built to monitor the sacrificial girls, its infrastructure was complete, so the garden was maintained. Though not large, it had a wide variety of flowers—orchids, chrysanthemums, peaches, plums, cherries—both famous and ordinary.

The flowers were blooming brilliantly. Since Yin Qingyue wasn’t in a hurry to deal with the peanut skins, she slowed her pace, admiring them.

From a distance, a girl was walking toward her. Yin Qingyue paid her no attention and moved aside, then continued toward the kitchen.

The girl stopped after passing her and turned to look at Yin Qingyue suspiciously. It was Xing’er.

Frowning, Xing’er touched her face and tapped a few spots, then shook her head.

“This ugly girl… her mole should be on the right side of her nose, but now it’s above her lip?” she muttered.

She looked at the embroidery in her hands, deciding to set it aside for now. Something was wrong. A mole moving by itself? Definitely strange.

Xing’er tucked the embroidery into her arms and stealthily returned along her path, keeping a cautious distance behind Yin Qingyue.

Yin Qingyue, meanwhile, was distracted by a patch of lush grass not far ahead.

She stepped closer, picking a stem with leaves, feeling it between her fingers. The stem was upright, leaves opposite, ovate with serrated edges, arranged in a whorl of five on the stem. The leaf surface was greenish-purple, the underside reddish-purple, and it smelled fresh and pleasant.

Yin Qingyue tilted her head thoughtfully, then laughed quietly.

After searching high and low, the answer comes effortlessly. She had discovered that this common garden weed was the blood-nourishing herb Guanyin vegetable!

Also called red-backed vegetable because of its reddish-purple underside, it was prized for its blood-nourishing effects.

Yin Qingyue smiled. This herb was a tremendous help! Unlike peanut skins, which required frequent trips outside the courtyard and risked drawing attention, this could be collected safely in the garden.

Moreover, Guanyin vegetable was versatile: edible as a wild vegetable and medicinally useful. It was easy to grow, pest-resistant, and available year-round—a perfect blood-nourishing herb delivered right to her hands.

Bending down, she began gathering a small handful of Guanyin vegetable.

By this time, Xing’er had quietly closed the distance to about ten meters behind her, watching in confusion.

All the girls in Luochen Courtyard came from reasonably wealthy families. Yin Qingyue, naturally, was from a large household—but wasn’t a young lady of a noble family supposed to stay within the mansion? Why was this “ugly girl” picking weeds with such joy?

Suspicious, Xing’er decided to test her. This girl’s mole had moved, and now she was picking weeds. Something was off.

She quickened her pace and approached, adopting a haughty stance. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

Yin Qingyue had noticed her when she was still ten meters behind, but since Xing’er posed no real threat, she didn’t bother.

Besides, Yin Qingyue didn’t feel her actions needed hiding. Was there a rule against picking wild vegetables?

She glanced at Xing’er and waved the Guanyin vegetable lightly. “Just picking some wild vegetables.”

“You’re from a wealthy family, and you’re eating weeds? How disgraceful!” Xing’er immediately mocked her.

Yin Qingyue gave her a half-smile, standing straight. “After being used to delicacies, sometimes it’s nice to change the taste and try humble wild herbs. Don’t you agree, Miss Xing’er?”

Xing’er paused, sensing there was a hidden meaning. “What… do you mean by that?”

“Nothing much. Just that, Miss Xing’er, you don’t quite understand your own status—you’re really out of line,” Yin Qingyue teased, raising an eyebrow playfully.

“You—who do you think you are, speaking to me like this!” Xing’er stomped her foot angrily.

“Wife is not as good as concubine, concubine not as good as stolen… but stealing it is better than not,” Yin Qingyue said, lowering her head with a faint, sly smile.