MCSCPM -Chapter 3 Loss of Property

“Fetch another set of clothes for this prince.” Chu Jingcheng’s expression was grim. A generation’s War God of Beihua, a man of iron bones and unbending spirit, had actually been stripped by a woman in the outskirts of Xize’s capital! If word of this got out, it would surely shock the entire nation.

The guard lowered his brows, suppressing the surprise and curiosity in his eyes. After bowing, he quickly withdrew. This small hillside was hidden behind a stretch of woods; outside the woods stood two contingents of Beihua guards. Prince Jing was not only a royal prince and a prince by title, but also a commanding general. On his journey to Xize, he naturally brought several units of guards with him.

There were thirty-six soldiers in total, divided into left and right squads, standing on either side of the road.

The thirty-five guards watched as their companion emerged from the woods, hurried to the carriage, and swiftly took out a set of Prince Jing’s clothes. Their expressions shifted—Prince Jing’s clothes were clean. Why was there a need to change? No matter how they racked their brains, they would never imagine that Prince Jing was changing clothes because his original outfit had been stripped off by someone—by a woman!

At this moment, Chu Jingcheng stood up from the grass, holding a bright red dudou in his hand. He stared at it intently. A pure red dudou, without any patterns or embroidery. His gaze darkened as he clenched it tightly.

That damned woman!

As Chu Jingcheng shifted his feet, he happened to touch a pouch by his foot. After examining it closely, an icy glint flashed in his eyes, cold enough to freeze everything.

The pouch had been opened—empty and deflated. He had never liked carrying much silver on him; there were always three ingots in the pouch. Had the woman who stripped him gone mad from poverty? A man’s clothes—she couldn’t possibly wear them herself. His clothes were expensive; she had probably sold them.

What Chu Jingcheng didn’t know was that the woman who stripped him and took his silver hadn’t sold his clothes at all—she had worn them! This was completely beyond his expectations. Even a mighty War God, revered by tens of thousands, could be wrong sometimes.

“Your Highness, the clothes are here.” The guard spoke cautiously. The prince had never suffered such a setback before; his mood must be terrible. He had to be extremely careful, lest he touch the prince’s sore spot.

Chu Jingcheng reached out to take the clothes, then casually tossed the dudou to the guard and began dressing himself.

The guard’s hands trembled as he caught it. Should he throw the dudou away? It was so vivid in color, as if mocking the prince. Better to throw it away!

With that thought, the guard was about to let go and fling the dudou far away. Just as it left his hand, a chilling voice reached his ears.

“When did this prince tell you to throw it away? Keep it properly!”

The guard’s legs went weak. He immediately snatched the dudou back, his face scrunched up. “Your Highness, you want this subordinate to keep the dudou? This subordinate is a man—there’s no use for a dudou!”

That sentence unintentionally struck a nerve. Hadn’t the woman left the dudou behind precisely to mock him? I took your clothes and left you a dudou—put it on properly!

The more Chu Jingcheng thought about it, the worse his mood became. His face grew colder still, and the guard broke out in a cold sweat.

“This prince never said I was giving the dudou to you.” Chu Jingcheng said coldly. He swiftly took it back, then bent down to pick up the pouch by his foot and hung it at his waist.

The little woman targeted by Chu Jingcheng was completely unaware of all this.

Yin Qingyue passed through a stretch of woods and emerged somewhere other than where the Beihua guards were stationed. She looked around—there was a wide road, lined with trees on both sides. Should she go forward or back? Or perhaps she should gamble and head left?

Just as she lifted her foot to go left, an ox cart slowly passed by. Yin Qingyue immediately called out, “Uncle, please be kind and give me a ride!”

The middle-aged man driving the cart pulled on the reins, stopping the ox. He turned to look at her. “Miss, why are you wearing men’s clothes?”

Yin Qingyue’s clear, bright eyes met his gaze. After ten seconds, her heart sank sharply. She couldn’t read this man’s thoughts! Mind reading—this body couldn’t handle it! She couldn’t focus or gather her strength!

Realizing this, Yin Qingyue cried out inwardly. She was the pride of the Yin family—not only was her medical skill exceptional, but what made the collateral branches envy her most was her ability to read people’s minds!

Now look at her—having come to this wretched place and ended up with such a body. This was really too much!

Seeing that she only stared at him without speaking, her eyes seeming to speak instead, the middle-aged man’s heart softened. Perhaps she had her reasons for dressing like this.

“Miss, come up. I’ll take you to the capital.” As he spoke, he waved for her to climb onto the cart.

She pressed her lips together, then quickly walked over. Bracing her hands on the sideboard, she used quite some effort before finally climbing up.

“Miss, tie your hair up into a single bundle. Otherwise, once you enter the capital dressed like this, you’ll definitely cause a stir,” the driver kindly reminded her. The people of the capital were nothing like them villagers—and besides, the girl was exceptionally beautiful. He went to the capital once a month to deliver straw to a wealthy household and had seen many beautiful women. Compared to the girl before him, all of them paled into insignificance.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Yin Qingyue said with a smile. She immediately began fixing her hair, taking a rather stiff stalk of straw and using it as a hair tie. Before long, her hair was neatly bound.

This body was very weak. She couldn’t make large movements, nor could she walk for long. After leaving the woods and struggling onto the ox cart, she had already expended much of her strength. She needed to rest.

Yin Qingyue lay atop a pile of straw, her body sinking slightly into it. The straw covered most of her, leaving only a dark head and a pair of embroidered shoes exposed.

The embroidered shoes were a clean, elegant shade of blue, with a few orchids stitched on either side.

Just as she closed her eyes to rest, a noise came from behind. The driver turned to look, then immediately pulled the ox cart to the side of the road.

Yin Qingyue slightly tilted her head and glanced over. She saw a group of guards with swords at their waists pass by—roughly counting, there were more than thirty of them.

All the guards marched in neat steps, dressed uniformly, their expressions extremely stern. Two guards led the way at the front, and in the center of the formation was a pale gold carriage, its roof trimmed with a circle of dark blue tassels. At a glance, she knew the person inside was either immensely rich or of noble status.

Seeing that the situation didn’t look right, the driver stopped the cart by the roadside, waiting until they all passed before continuing on.

Just then, a light breeze blew, lifting the carriage curtain. Through the gap, Yin Qingyue caught sight of a man’s side profile—handsome beyond compare, with firm, resolute lines to his face, exuding an indescribable aura.

Suddenly, the man inside turned his head.

Yin Qingyue’s heart jolted. She quickly lowered her head. She hadn’t seen his face clearly, yet she inexplicably felt that she knew him.