MCSCPM -Chapter 286 Tracking

“How did you know I didn’t sleep all night?”

“Your eyes can’t lie to me.”

“You’re so smart… sometimes I really wish you could be a little more foolish,” Chu Jingcheng said earnestly.

Yin Qingyue understood what he meant. Regarding that killer, there were clearly questions, but he didn’t want her to know yet.

She pulled him close and said, “I might want to be foolish, but before I do, you should rest properly.”

“I’m really not tired.”

“But you didn’t sleep either.”

“That’s because you underestimate me too much,” he said.

Chu Jingcheng was stubborn when he wanted to be—sometimes even more stubborn than her.

Yin Qingyue couldn’t do anything about it. Just then, a young servant from the county magistrate’s residence came over and said, “Miss Yin, Third Miss is outside requesting to see you. She’s kneeling at the main gate.”

“Cong Ling, why is she here again all of a sudden?” Last time, everything had been settled. She had already given silver… could Third Miss have another request?

Chu Jingcheng asked, “Is this Third Miss the daughter of Kong Xian?”

Yin Qingyue nodded, a bit helpless. “She’s smart. Last time she wanted me to keep her close, and now she’s kneeling again, but I didn’t agree.”

“Looks like this Third Miss is causing you trouble.”

“You guessed right. It’s not just tricky; it’s troublesome. You know her father’s death is connected to us. She wants to stay by my side for a reason,” Yin Qingyue explained her concern.

Chu Jingcheng wasn’t foolish either. Understanding the situation, he told the young servant, “Go and tell Third Miss that Miss Yin is busy and cannot see her. She should return immediately.”

The young servant hesitated, glancing at Yin Qingyue. She nodded slightly, and only then did he leave.

Yin Qingyue said, teasingly, “Since when have you started making decisions for me?”

“Why not? Do you want to see Third Miss yourself?”

“No, I don’t want to. This is too much trouble,” she replied with a shrug.

At this, Chu Jingcheng joked, “Yin Qingyue, one day you’ll marry me. Then all this trouble might become mine.”

Yin Qingyue raised the corner of her mouth, then teased back, “Who said I’m marrying you? Why do you always talk like that?”

“You’ll be mine sooner or later,” Chu Jingcheng said seriously, taking a deep breath. “When we return to the capital, I’ll ask my father to welcome you into the Jing Prince Mansion as my one and only consort.”

The words “one and only consort” touched Yin Qingyue deeply, though she found them brazen.

Turning her gaze aside, she asked, “What if your father disagrees?”

He smiled faintly. “If he disagrees, I’ll take you away from the Jing Prince Mansion.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

“I’m serious,” he said, his eyes unwavering. Then he asked, “Yin Qingyue, if it really comes to that—no rank, no wealth—would you still follow me, enduring a life of poverty?”

She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze, so intense. In those black eyes, she seemed to glimpse their future life together: carefree, waking with the sunrise, resting at sunset.

He gently held her hand. “Tell me, at that time, would you still follow me?”

Yin Qingyue didn’t want to evade anymore. She answered seriously, “Money is external. Whether I follow you depends on your actions.”

“My actions aren’t good enough?” He leaned closer, his face just inches away.

She admitted in her heart: the Jing Prince treated her so well that no one else in the world could match him.

She thought: if Chu Jingcheng is willing to have only her for life, she would follow him forever.

If love in this life came in the ancient era, then it was fate favoring her.

But then she remembered—he was a prince. Marrying him, at best, meant becoming the Jing Prince’s consort; at worst, just one of many in the royal household.

Turning away, she said, “We can talk about this when we return to the capital.”

Her sudden change in attitude confused Chu Jingcheng. He knew women were reserved, and Yin Qingyue was no exception.

“Alright. We’ll talk about this back in the capital,” he said.

He wasn’t giving in; he simply had more pressing matters to handle.

Just then, an elite guard arrived outside the hall. “Your Highness, I have something to report.”

Chu Jingcheng intentionally glanced at Yin Qingyue, and the guard stopped speaking.

Of course, Yin Qingyue wasn’t naive. She realized Chu Jingcheng was hiding something.

He held her hand. “Go rest. I’ll handle something.”

“Matters of the people?”

“Mm, resettling refugees. You know there’s a lot going on. I’ll be back soon.”

Yin Qingyue looked into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts. Within ten seconds, Chu Jingcheng looked away, so she couldn’t discern anything.

She knew one thing: he was hiding something. His gaze shifted because he felt guilty.

She tried not to let him notice her suspicion and nodded. “Alright, I understand. You go.”

“I’ll be back soon.” He held her hand for a moment, reluctant, then let go.

Watching him leave, Yin Qingyue felt a lump in her chest, almost wanting to cry.

She needed to figure this out. She knew Chu Jingcheng hid it to avoid her interfering—like yesterday, she might have given him medicine and put him in danger.

Still uneasy, she decided to follow secretly and slipped out the back door.

She trailed him all the way, staying behind him from the residence. Unbeknownst to her, Chu Jingcheng had already noticed her tailing him. To avoid trouble, he intentionally detoured through crowded streets, hoping to lose her.

But Yin Qingyue followed tightly. He walked through several streets but couldn’t shake her. He realized he needed another plan.

Chu Jingcheng deliberately knocked over a fruit stall. Fruits rolled everywhere, and careless passersby tripped repeatedly, causing chaos.

Amid the commotion, he quickly left the scene.

Yin Qingyue pushed through the crowd, but she couldn’t find him. By the time she tried to chase, several guards blocked her path.

“Miss Yin, Prince Jing is handling matters,” one said.

“Where exactly did he go?” she demanded.

The guards looked at each other, shook their heads. “We don’t know where Prince Jing went either.”

“You wouldn’t know? Wasn’t he just with you?” Yin Qingyue didn’t believe them.

“We truly don’t know. Prince Jing instructed us to escort you back to the residence,” they replied.

Clearly, they were watching her—sending her back and making sure she lost track of him.

Seeing she wouldn’t return willingly, one guard said, “Miss Yin, please don’t make things difficult for us. We’re just following orders. Go back to the residence.”

Alone, she had no chance of chasing him further. She needed a way to evade the guards.

She said, “Fine, I’ll go back with you. But first, I need to visit the dance house.”

“This—”

“Why not? One of the dancers was injured. I want to check on her.”

Knowing this, the guards relaxed and agreed. “Alright, after checking, we’ll escort you back.”

Yin Qingyue followed them to the dance house. Everyone knew, with the new magistrate dead, she and Prince Jing had to stay behind anyway.

Yuelan was much better and could walk unassisted.

Seeing Yin Qingyue arrive, she happily greeted her. “Miss Yin, why are you here?”

Yin Qingyue grabbed her hand and gestured subtly toward the guards behind her. Yuelan looked at them, understanding vaguely.

“What’s wrong?” Yuelan asked.

“Help me get away from these guards,” Yin Qingyue whispered.

“Don’t worry. I know what to do.”

Yuelan led her inside and called the other dancers. “Sisters, the weather’s nice today—let’s dance in the courtyard.”

The dancers moved to the front courtyard, distracted. Yuelan quickly led Yin Qingyue to the back, blocking the guards, keeping them from following.

In the back courtyard, Yuelan opened the rear door. “Hurry, Miss Yin, before they catch up.”

“Thank you, Yuelan.”

“Though I don’t know why you’re hiding, I won’t refuse to help.”

Yin Qingyue hurried, saying little—she couldn’t risk being seen.

“I can’t stay any longer. Thank you, Yuelan,” she said.

“Go quickly, Miss Yin,” Yuelan warned, eyes alert.

Yin Qingyue left without delay. Yuelan locked the rear door, worried the guards might pursue.

Outside the dance house, Yin Qingyue retraced the streets to follow Chu Jingcheng. After several streets, she still couldn’t see him.

She was getting tired. Clearly, Chu Jingcheng intended to evade her, and she couldn’t find him.

Yet she sensed something was wrong—not because of him, but because she felt someone was following her.