MCSCPM -Chapter 330 An Auspicious Wedding Date

“Well…” Ding Ying naturally couldn’t explain the reason. She only said, “I don’t know either, Father. You must help Leng Feng.”

“Help?” Ding Heng sighed and said, “Ying’er, let me advise you this—Prince Jing is extremely anxious right now because he’s searching for the Divine Physician. Leng Feng stopped him, so of course he would be punished. At this time, you must not go begging the prince out of worry for Leng Feng. That would be like pulling the tiger’s whiskers—only asking for trouble.”

“But we can’t just let Leng Feng stay locked up like this,” Ding Ying said anxiously.

“The prince was only angry for the moment. He won’t keep him confined forever,” Ding Heng sighed, doing his best to comfort her.

But Ding Ying clenched her teeth. She didn’t believe Prince Jing would release Leng Feng so soon—after all, Leng Feng had offended him.

Seeing his daughter crying like this, Ding Heng gently patted her and continued, “Ying’er, stay in the residence for now and don’t go out. Leave this matter alone.”

With that, Ding Heng shook his head and left.

Ding Ying felt helpless. She was only a woman and couldn’t do anything. Even though both Leng Feng and her father said Prince Jing was merely acting out of anger, she was still worried that Prince Jing, obsessed with finding Yin Qingyue, wouldn’t release Leng Feng at all.

Thinking about it now, she felt she should have rushed in earlier and argued with Prince Jing herself.

With a sigh, she decided that if Prince Jing still hadn’t released Leng Feng in a few days, she would go to Prince Jing’s residence again.

Meanwhile, Yin Qingyue’s plan had taken effect, and Shangguan Jiaoran and Chu Yifeng were indeed about to be paired together.

A prince’s marriage naturally shook the entire imperial palace and all of Beihuao.

Although Chu Helian was overwhelmed with state affairs, his son’s wedding was still a major event that had to be handled grandly. The ceremonial officials had already selected several auspicious dates and presented them to the emperor for his choice.

A ceremonial official said, “Your Majesty, these dates were all chosen by us after carefully consulting the calendar. They are all auspicious days. We do not know which day Your Majesty prefers, so we have brought them for your review.”

Chu Helian looked them over and nodded. “These dates are all good. However, I am concerned that Prince Yi’s health has not fully recovered yet. Would it be appropriate for him to marry now?”

Eunuch Sun reminded him from the side, “Your Majesty, perhaps you could summon the imperial physician who has been treating Prince Yi and ask whether Prince Yi is currently fit for marriage.”

“Yes, that would be good. Summon the physician.”

“Yes.”

Eunuch Sun summoned the physician. When he arrived, he bowed and said, “This humble servant greets Your Majesty.”

“No need for formalities,” Chu Helian said. “I summoned you to ask—since you have been treating Prince Yi, you must understand his condition well. I have already issued the imperial decree granting him marriage, and several auspicious dates have been selected. Is Prince Yi’s current condition suitable for marriage? What do you think?”

The physician lowered his head and thought carefully, looking somewhat helpless. “To be honest with Your Majesty, Prince Yi’s condition has worsened recently. I have tried many methods, but they only treat the symptoms, not the root. It is not impossible for him to marry now, but there are always risks. If Prince Yi were to fall ill on his wedding day, it would not sound good if word spread.”

Chu Helian nodded in agreement. “So, Physician, you do not recommend it?”

“Your Majesty, since you have already decreed the marriage, there is no need to rush. It would be better to wait until Prince Yi’s condition stabilizes before proceeding.”

“The physician is right. If Prince Yi were to fall ill on the wedding day, it would indeed be inappropriate,” Chu Helian said. He was also concerned it might affect the royal family’s reputation. A prince’s marriage was a major affair tied directly to imperial prestige. Besides, the decree had already been issued and Shangguan Qingyun had accepted it—there was no possibility of refusing it anyway.

Very well, then delay it for now, Chu Helian thought.

The ceremonial official asked, “But Your Majesty, what about the auspicious date?”

“Choose a later date for now,” Chu Helian said. “But if the date arrives and Prince Yi’s condition still hasn’t improved, we will proceed regardless. The entire capital is already talking about this matter—this wedding must be held sooner rather than later to silence rumors.”

The emperor’s intention was clear: to quiet public gossip and preserve imperial authority.

The ceremonial official accepted the order and went to set the date.

Eunuch Sun suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, since you’ve decided on this matter, should you inform Consort Shu?”

Chu Helian abruptly raised his hand to stop him. “No need. I alone can decide this. Didn’t she say before that I didn’t care about Prince Yi? Now I’m granting him a marriage—to General Shangguan’s daughter, no less. What more could she possibly say?”

Chu Helian disliked being spoken to that way, and Consort Shu’s earlier words had left a thorn in his heart.

Eunuch Sun hesitated, then said, “But Your Majesty, Consort Shu is Prince Yi’s mother after all.”

“So what?” Chu Helian snapped. “Eunuch Sun, do not mention Consort Shu in front of me again. Otherwise, I’ll send you to serve in the Cold Palace.”

“Yes, this servant deserves death. I will never mention it again,” Eunuch Sun replied hastily.

The Cold Palace was a place for those who had lost favor. If Eunuch Sun were sent there, it would mean complete abandonment by the emperor. At his age, he could not afford to spend his remaining years there.

Elsewhere, Yin Qingyue had just finished her work at the front hall and was about to rest when a shop assistant ran over and shoved a basket into her hands.

“Ugly girl, I’ve got something urgent to take care of. Go to the street and buy some vegetables for me first.”

As he spoke, he stuffed some loose silver into her hand. “Spend it sparingly!”

Before Yin Qingyue could figure out what was going on, the assistant hurried off.

She sighed helplessly. She had been busy in the front hall these past few days and was already exhausted. Finally she could rest, yet that fellow Xiao Hu just loved to bully her.

If not to avoid drawing attention, she would have thrown the basket and the silver straight back at him.

With a sigh, she had no choice but to go out.

Carrying the basket onto the street, she glanced down at herself—she really did look like a housewife now.

When she reached the vegetable stalls, she realized she had never bought vegetables before and had no idea how much to buy.

Just then, several children were playing on the street—the same ones from before. Yin Qingyue was wearing her ugly disguise, so they didn’t recognize her.

One child said to another, “That fairy sister was really nice. She even bought us sugar figurines last time. A few days ago, a big brother came asking about her—he must want sugar figurines too.”

The older child said, “Those people must be looking for the fairy sister. She’s so pretty—they must like her, that’s why they’re asking about her.”

“Nonsense, it’s obviously for the sugar figurines.”

“No, they like the fairy sister.”

“It’s for the sugar figurines…”

“It’s because they like the fairy sister!”

…

The two children actually started arguing loudly in the middle of the street. Hearing them talk about this, Yin Qingyue felt uneasy.

She should have thought of this earlier—Chu Jingcheng was too clever not to guess that the “fairy sister” was her. Now he had begun searching for her. It seemed his health had improved considerably.

Thinking of that, she let out a small sigh of relief.

Still, she couldn’t appear—not yet. For Chu Jingcheng’s sake, she absolutely could not appear now.

Even though the emperor’s attention had shifted to Chu Yifeng, she still couldn’t take such a risk. Better safe than sorry.

Moreover, the true culprit behind Mei’er’s murder had yet to be identified. If it wasn’t Shangguan Jiaoran, then who could it be?

Yin Qingyue pondered carefully. Targeting Mei’er was really targeting her; targeting her was meant to restrain Prince Jing.

Under the current circumstances, who would want to restrain Prince Jing? Other than the emperor, there was Prince Yi. But the emperor wouldn’t treat human life so lightly—so that left only Prince Yi.

Could it really be Prince Yi?

The thought shocked Yin Qingyue. If Prince Yi wanted Chu Jingcheng dead, then even his own brothers were disposable—how would a mere maid matter?

No, she couldn’t rely on speculation alone. She had to find out the truth.

“Miss, are you buying that cabbage or not? If not, don’t just hold it—you’re crushing it,” the vegetable vendor said.

Yin Qingyue snapped back to her senses and realized she was holding a large cabbage.

“Auntie, I’m choosing carefully. Once I’m done, I’ll pay you.”

The vendor’s expression softened, a smile spreading across her face. “Take your time, pick more. These vegetables were just harvested from the fields—very fresh. Once cooked, they’re guaranteed to be delicious!”

Yin Qingyue smiled faintly and said nothing. She then bought some basic vegetables—ginger, garlic, long beans, peas, and the like.

By the time she returned to the inn, it was already getting late. After a bit of preparation in her room, Yin Qingyue quietly slipped out again.

She planned to infiltrate Prince Yi’s residence once more—to read his intentions and see whether he was truly Mei’er’s killer.

However, when she reached Prince Yi’s residence, she discovered guards everywhere. Strangely, they weren’t Prince Yi’s guards, but those from Prince Jing’s residence.

Yin Qingyue couldn’t quite understand it—why would Chu Jingcheng secretly station guards to patrol Prince Yi’s residence? Was he monitoring Prince Yi?

But she had no time to think about that now. She had to find a way into the residence as soon as possible.

In truth, Chu Jingcheng had done this to draw her out. He had already guessed that Prince Yi’s sudden illness and forced acceptance of the imperial marriage were all part of Yin Qingyue’s scheme.

Her sudden disappearance had been partly to divert the emperor’s attention, and partly to continue helping him in silence.

Chu Jingcheng knew this well. Though Yin Qingyue never openly expressed her love, her actions made it clear—everything she did was for him.

But at this moment, Yin Qingyue’s mind was filled only with Mei’er’s case. Mei’er’s death could not be delayed any longer—she had to uncover the truth. Otherwise, what was the point of her hiding in the inn all this time?

Yet Prince Jing’s guards were posted everywhere, watching every corner of Prince Yi’s residence. Sneaking in seemed virtually impossible.

Still, she had to get inside tonight.

Just then, a cart delivering firewood happened to enter Prince Yi’s residence. This was usually the time firewood was delivered. An idea struck her—if she wanted to get in, this might be her only chance tonight.