MCSCPM -Chapter 297 The New Grave

“Qingyue…”

Yin Qingyue suddenly pushed Chu Jingcheng away and looked at the guard. “Where is Mei’er’s grave?”

“Not far from here.”

“Take me there.” Her voice was pale and weak.

The guard looked at Chu Jingcheng, waiting for his order. Chu Jingcheng nodded, and the guard led Yin Qingyue to Mei’er’s new grave.

When they arrived, Yin Qingyue could no longer control her emotions. Her legs grew weak, and she walked to Mei’er’s grave, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t know what to say. She fell to her knees in front of Mei’er.

This time, Chu Jingcheng didn’t stop her. He knelt beside her and held her tightly, trying to give her some warmth.

She continued to cry silently, her hands grabbing a handful of soil and clenching it fiercely.

“It’s my fault… it’s all my fault, Mei’er. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have died. Shangguan Jiaoran came for me, not her.”

“I failed her. I wanted to protect her, but instead, she lost her life. It’s all my fault.”

Yin Qingyue repeated these self-blaming words over and over. She had brought Mei’er to Beihai thinking she could protect her, but instead, she had caused her death.

This guilt weighed heavily on her heart—she would never forget it, and she could never escape it.

In the end, it was her who had caused Mei’er’s death.

Yin Qingyue cried until she had no sound left. In her mind, she had made herself the criminal.

Finally, it was Chu Jingcheng who carried her away.

Back in her room, Yin Qingyue remained in a daze, sitting at the edge of the bed, holding one of Mei’er’s garments. She stayed like that the entire night.

She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything. When the guards brought food, Chu Jingcheng stopped them at the door. “Give it to me.”

The guards obediently handed the food to Chu Jingcheng and left.

He carried the food inside and gently placed it on the table. Then he approached Yin Qingyue. “Qingyue, Mei’er is dead. You don’t need to grieve like this.”

She still didn’t speak.

Chu Jingcheng was naturally worried. He sat beside her, wanting to take Mei’er’s garment, but she clutched it tightly. He couldn’t take it from her.

“Even if you hold on like this, Mei’er won’t come back. Think about it—if she were still alive, she wouldn’t want to see you like this. You haven’t eaten all day. Eat something, or you won’t last,” Chu Jingcheng said softly.

But Yin Qingyue didn’t respond. She stared at the garment, speechless. Human hearts are made of flesh, after all. Even if she didn’t regard Mei’er as her true lady, Mei’er had served her faithfully every day, and yet this was her tragic end.

Chu Jingcheng knew the place Mei’er held in Yin Qingyue’s heart. Though they were technically master and maid, Yin Qingyue had always considered Mei’er her sister.

In the end, he could not force her. She refused to eat, so he stayed with her without food. She refused to sleep, so he stayed awake beside her the whole night.

It wasn’t until the next day that Yin Qingyue moved. She began to pack Mei’er’s belongings, saying, “Mei’er loved cleanliness the most when she was alive. I need to take care of her things properly.”

Chu Jingcheng watched as she packed Mei’er’s garments item by item. He worried she might be too shaken by the loss.

But Yin Qingyue was not as fragile as he imagined. Once she had organized Mei’er’s clothes, she called for some food.

She pushed the dishes toward Chu Jingcheng. “Prince Jing, you didn’t eat anything yesterday either. Your body isn’t well yet. Eat something.”

“Qingyue, are you really alright now?”

“You’re right. She’s gone. If Mei’er were still here, she wouldn’t want to see me like this.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to terms with it.”

“I have. I want to go confront Shangguan Jiaoran, to find out if she really did this to Mei’er,” Yin Qingyue said. It seemed she had spent the entire night thinking about it.

Chu Jingcheng, however, didn’t approve and immediately stopped her. “No, you can’t go. Even if you did, you probably couldn’t enter the general’s mansion.”

“But I have to know. I need to see if it was Shangguan Jiaoran. Mei’er’s body has already been cremated. There’s no evidence left. I just want to ask her directly, to see if it was really her.”

“And if it was?”

“If it was… you’ve surely heard of the law: even the Emperor is not above the law. If Shangguan Jiaoran killed someone, she must face the consequences,” Yin Qingyue said, clearly agitated.

Chu Jingcheng knew that if Yin Qingyue didn’t find out the truth, she wouldn’t sleep all night again.

“I understand you want answers, but the general’s mansion isn’t a place we can just enter. It’s daytime now; we can’t act rashly.”

“Then what do we do? Does Mei’er’s death go unresolved?”

“I never said we wouldn’t act. We just need to lure Shangguan Jiaoran out first.”

Yin Qingyue didn’t understand and grew anxious.

Seeing he wouldn’t be swayed, Chu Jingcheng wrote a letter and summoned a guard.

“Deliver this letter immediately to the general’s mansion. Give it to Miss Shangguan. Remember, no one can see you. It must be done without a trace.”

The guard took the letter and quietly went to the general’s mansion. He left the letter at Shangguan Jiaoran’s door, knocked, and quickly climbed over the wall to leave.

The door opened, and Yun’er came out. She looked around but saw no one. Strange, she thought, scratching her head. She was about to close the door when she noticed a letter on the ground. She quickly picked it up, stepped outside, and looked around—still no one in sight.

Shangguan Jiaoran found it strange. She called out, “Yun’er, where are you?”

Hearing her mistress, Yun’er hurried back and handed over the letter. “Miss, there was a letter outside the door. I don’t know who left it. I checked, and no one was around.”

“Oh?” Shangguan Jiaoran took the letter, curious. When she opened it, her whole demeanor brightened.

It was a letter from Chu Jingcheng, asking her to leave the mansion. The bottom bore his seal. She clasped the letter to her chest like a treasure.

“Prince Jing is back… he’s really back!” she exclaimed, almost jumping for joy.

Yun’er was confused. “Miss, is this Prince Jing’s letter? Why was it on the ground?”

“Why do you care? As long as it’s from Prince Jing, that’s enough.” She jumped up, hurriedly applied some rouge, and decorated her hair with several expensive hairpins before preparing to leave.

Yun’er, worried, whispered, “Miss, is the master at home now? If he finds out…”

“If you keep quiet, no one will know,” Shangguan Jiaoran said sternly.

Yun’er didn’t dare speak further. She had learned from past experience to fear Shangguan Jiaoran.

Shangguan Jiaoran, excited to leave, dressed flamboyantly. She didn’t expect to run straight into her father, Shangguan Qingyun.

Seeing her attempting to leave, he immediately scolded, “Where are you going?”

“Father, I just want to take a walk. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Do you take me for a fool? You’re not going. Stay at home. I’m home today, so you’re not going anywhere either.”

“But Father, you love me so much… just let me go out.”

“Where exactly do you intend to go?” he asked.

Shangguan Jiaoran would never mention that it was Prince Jing who invited her. She smiled, took his hand, and said, “Father, just let me go. I promise I won’t cause trouble. I’ll go and come back immediately.”

Shangguan Qingyun sensed something was off. Normally, she was willful, yet today she was unusually sweet and obedient.

“I’ve already said—you’re a young lady. Staying at home is best. When you marry, I’ll naturally stop interfering.”

“Father, please let me go out. I beg you.”

“No. You can’t go.” His tone was firm.

Shangguan Jiaoran pouted, furious. She stomped her foot. “Father, how can you be so authoritarian? I just want to take a walk!”

“Listen. You are my daughter. I will control you. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t bother. Every time you go out, you cause trouble. If you still want to become Prince Jing’s wife, stay home.”

Mentioning the prince annoyed her. She pouted, eyes brimming with tears.

Seeing his daughter’s stubbornness, Shangguan Qingyun became even harsher. “If you dare go out, you won’t be my daughter anymore, and the position of Prince Jing’s wife will be lost, destined for someone else.”

Realizing he was serious, Shangguan Jiaoran didn’t dare argue further. She retreated to her room, sulking, fists pounding the table, eyes burning with anger.

Yun’er didn’t dare speak. Her mistress was furious; one wrong word, and the whip might fall on her.

Shangguan Jiaoran’s mind was filled with thoughts of Prince Jing. She wished she could leave immediately to see him, but she couldn’t.

Word of her inability to leave quickly reached the suburban residence.

The guards reported that Shangguan Jiaoran couldn’t come out.

Hearing this, Yin Qingyue panicked. If Shangguan Jiaoran didn’t appear, how could the truth about Mei’er’s death be revealed?

“I can’t wait. I must go to the general’s mansion and get answers,” she said urgently.

Chu Jingcheng stopped her. “Don’t rush. I’ll help you. We’ll seek justice for Mei’er.”

“But what can we do now? We can’t enter, and she won’t come out. Do we just wait?”

“Let me think.” Chu Jingcheng knew Yin Qingyue might lose control over Mei’er’s matter—but he wouldn’t.