MCSCPM -Chapter 256 Playful Teasing

“Miss, what do you need?” the shopkeeper of the medicine shop asked.

Yin Qingyue glanced at the medicinal herbs on the shelves, then handed the shopkeeper a list she had prepared long ago. “Please prepare the medicines listed here. No matter how expensive, it’s fine.”

“Alright.” The shopkeeper took the list, glanced over it, then suddenly looked up at Yin Qingyue and asked in surprise, “Miss, the way you’ve combined these medicines—I’ve never seen anything like it before! You must be a physician yourself. How come I’ve never seen you around?”

Yin Qingyue thought to herself that this shopkeeper was quite the smooth talker. She only wanted him to prepare the medicine, yet he had to wander off topic.

She smiled politely. “I’ve only been here a short while. I’m not really a physician—just someone who’s learned a bit. Please help me prepare the medicine quickly.”

“Very well.” The shopkeeper stopped chatting and hurried to prepare the herbs.

Yin Qingyue waited nearby. At that moment, a young maid entered, looking like she belonged to some noble household.

As soon as the maid walked in, she spoke familiarly, “Doctor Liang, is our young lady’s medicine ready?”

The shopkeeper, called Doctor Liang, was the same person preparing Yin Qingyue’s medicine. While busy measuring herbs, he turned his head and replied, “Miss Cui’er, please wait a moment. I’m preparing some medicine for this young lady.”

Upon hearing this, Cui’er looked toward Yin Qingyue. Seeing a woman who looked like a celestial fairy, she couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.

She thought to herself: Who is this woman? I’ve never seen her before. That appearance—like a freshly emerged lotus, utterly stunning.

Noticing her gaze, Yin Qingyue deliberately turned sideways. After all, she wouldn’t be staying here long, and being stared at like that was uncomfortable.

Cui’er realized her stare was inappropriate and quickly withdrew her gaze.

At this point, the shopkeeper had already finished preparing one prescription, but he still handed the medicine meant for Cui’er over first, instructing her, “Cui’er, be sure to tell your young lady that although this medicine can heal injuries, if she drinks too much of it—even after she recovers—it will weaken her body in the future.”

Cui’er took the medicine and replied, “I understand. I’ll tell my young lady.” She placed some silver on the counter and left.

After Cui’er left, Doctor Liang continued preparing Yin Qingyue’s medicine, muttering to himself, “That young lady from the Yan residence is really strange. She’s neither sick nor injured, yet she comes every day to get so much medicine.”

Yin Qingyue had no interest in listening to his muttering and simply urged him to hurry.

Once the medicine was prepared and wrapped up, the doctor said, “Miss, these medicines are all for treating inflammation and infection. But I really have to admire your prescription. If you were a physician, the people of Tuoshui County would all be lining up to see you.”

“Doctor Liang, you’re quite good with words,” Yin Qingyue said kindly. “But I have no interest in being a physician.”

“How did you know my surname is Liang?” the shopkeeper asked in surprise.

“Didn’t Miss Cui’er just say it?” Yin Qingyue replied. With that, she took out some silver and handed it to him, then turned and left without looking back.

That evening, Yin Qingyue ground up the herbs she had bought. When she went to change Chu Jingcheng’s bandages, she discovered that his body was burning hot.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She quickly removed the bandages—there was no serious problem with the wound itself, but his body temperature was extremely high.

After examining him carefully, she determined that the heat was caused by the wound. Fortunately, it wasn’t a fever—otherwise, it would have been disastrous.

Yin Qingyue applied the newly acquired anti-inflammatory herb to his wound and re-bandaged it. She then fetched cold water and a towel, placing it on Chu Jingcheng’s forehead. Yet his body remained scorching hot.

After some thought, she considered removing his clothes to help cool him down. But that didn’t seem appropriate—she had already stripped him once before. Doing it again… wasn’t that a bit much?

But if she didn’t, wouldn’t he practically be burned alive?

With no other choice, she removed Chu Jingcheng’s outer garments one by one. His well-built chest instantly filled her view—his physique was truly impressive.

She suddenly smacked her own forehead and scolded herself, “Yin Qingyue, what are you thinking?”

Pulling herself out of her wandering thoughts, she used the cold towel to wipe down Chu Jingcheng’s body, hoping to help dissipate the heat.

But perhaps because she wiped a bit too hard, Chu Jingcheng suddenly furrowed his brows and opened his eyes from the pain. His vision gradually cleared, and the first thing he saw was Yin Qingyue wiping his body.

“Yin Qingyue, do you enjoy stripping this prince’s clothes that much?” His voice was weak, yet his tone remained as domineering as ever.

Yin Qingyue was startled. When she looked up, she met Chu Jingcheng’s unfocused, exhausted eyes. Her own eyes filled with joy, but she quickly tried to withdraw her hand—only for Chu Jingcheng to grab it. Despite his weakness, his grip was still strong.

“You just woke up and you’re already saying things like that?”

“Aren’t you happy that I woke up?” he asked.

“Of course I’m happy. I’ve taken care of you for so long—if you didn’t wake up soon, I was going to stop bothering with you,” Yin Qingyue pouted.

Chu Jingcheng smiled faintly. “If you’re worried about me, just say it—no need to hide it. After all, didn’t you strip this prince’s clothes again?”

“That was unavoidable,” Yin Qingyue said, pulling her hand back and rinsing the towel in the basin.

But Chu Jingcheng’s gaze never left her. “Yin Qingyue, do you know? I truly thought… I’d never see you again. Being able to see you the moment I woke up made me truly happy.”

Though his voice was pale and weak, his words were sincere and deeply affectionate.

Yin Qingyue set down the towel and turned to him, tears welling in her eyes. At that moment, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore, yet she still tried to restrain her emotions. Meeting Chu Jingcheng’s gaze, she said, “Prince Jing, do you know that if something had really happened to you, Qingyue probably… wouldn’t have been able to go on living either.”

What she meant was clear: without Prince Jing, she couldn’t live. Words like these were, in their own way, words of love.

Chu Jingcheng was no fool—he understood her meaning perfectly. Overjoyed, he smiled, a hint of wicked charm in it. “Yin Qingyue, I want you to live. As long as I’m alive, I won’t let anything happen to you. However—since you’ve stripped this prince’s clothes twice now, once I recover, I’ll collect both principal and interest from you.”

Through her tears, Yin Qingyue replied, “Alright. I’ll wait.”

They exchanged smiles. Perhaps because he had only just awakened, the movement tugged at the wound on Chu Jingcheng’s chest, and he let out a sharp hiss.

“What’s wrong? Does your chest hurt?” Yin Qingyue asked anxiously.

Chu Jingcheng held her hand and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m just tired and want to rest for a while.”

“Alright, then rest. I’ll stay here with you.”

Chu Jingcheng said no more and slowly fell asleep. Though he had awakened, his body was far from fully recovered. Still, the fact that he could wake up at all was a blessing.

Yin Qingyue didn’t leave the room, keeping watch by Chu Jingcheng’s side throughout the night.

At dawn, Leng Yi came over and gently knocked on the door. Yin Qingyue opened it, stepped outside, and closed it again.

She told Leng Yi, “Prince Jing has already woken up, but he’s too weak and is resting now.”

“The prince has really woken up? That’s wonderful,” Leng Yi said, delighted.

“Alright, let’s talk over there.” Yin Qingyue led Leng Yi to a corner of the courtyard and asked, “How is it? Any news about Leng Feng?”

Leng Yi sighed and shook his head. “Not yet. We searched in another direction—after passing through the trees, there’s a cliff. Below the cliff is a rapid river. I don’t know…”

“You’re worried that Leng Feng fell off the cliff.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m worried about. The water below is swift. Even a healthy person would struggle to survive—Leng Feng was injured. If he fell in, the chances are very slim.” Leng Yi was deeply anxious.

Just as he finished speaking, a sound of something shattering came from behind them. They turned around and saw Ding Ying frozen in place, her face pale. The bowl of freshly prepared medicine in her hands had spilled all over the ground, and the bowl itself lay broken.

She must have heard everything they said.

“Ding Ying?” Yin Qingyue exclaimed in surprise.

Ding Ying stood there in a daze, unmoving. She looked at Yin Qingyue, then at Leng Yi, before crouching down to pick up the shards. As she did so, she blamed herself softly, “I’ll brew another bowl. This was for Prince Jing.”

She picked up the fragments one by one, forcing herself not to cry.

Yin Qingyue softly said to Leng Yi, “Leng Yi, go search along the river downstream. Check all the villages downstream as well—don’t miss a single one. Search thoroughly.”

Leng Yi glanced at Ding Ying. Matters of the heart were better handled by another woman. He nodded and left.

Yin Qingyue walked over to Ding Ying, feeling both heartache and helplessness. She crouched down and said gently, “Ding Ying, stop picking them up.”

“I’m sorry, Qingyue. I broke Prince Jing’s medicine. I’ll go brew another batch.”

“That’s enough, Ding Ying. Don’t be like this.” Yin Qingyue held her hands, stopping her from picking up the shards, and pulled her to her feet.

“I’d rather you cry it out than see you like this.”

“I’m really fine.”

Yin Qingyue nodded. “Those are the words I’m most afraid of hearing from you.”

Ding Ying pressed her lips together and admitted honestly, “I heard what you said just now—about the cliff. I’m really worried.”

“I’ve sent Leng Yi to search along the river. The moment there’s any news, he’ll come back and tell us.”

Ding Ying didn’t say anything more. On the way back to her room, her thoughts were in turmoil.

Seeing how haggard Ding Ying looked, Yin Qingyue felt deeply distressed. The girl’s health was already poor—if Leng Feng couldn’t be found, she likely wouldn’t be able to go on living either.

Yin Qingyue returned to Chu Jingcheng’s room. He was awake and was about to get out of bed.

“Your injuries haven’t healed yet—you can’t get up,” Yin Qingyue said as she rushed over to stop him.

Bare-chested, Chu Jingcheng smiled. “What, this prince can’t even get up to put on some clothes?”

“I’ll get them for you,” Yin Qingyue said, turning to take his clothes from the rack.

“You help this prince put them on. My hand hurts,” Chu Jingcheng said deliberately, wearing a smug, mischievous expression.

Yin Qingyue was speechless. Fine—he was a patient, after all.

So she didn’t refuse. She slipped the clothes over Chu Jingcheng and dressed him piece by piece. Her expression was focused, her movements gentle, careful not to touch his wound.