MCSCPM -Chapter 36 The Crown Prince Arrives

Nangong Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. He forced himself to remain calm and said casually, “Is that so? I wonder which woman would dare to do something so bold?”

Nangong Chen froze for a moment, then shook his head. “I haven’t seen her myself, but I heard from the person in charge of the Luocheng Courtyard that she’s an ugly woman named Yin Qingyue.”

When he heard the words ugly woman, Nangong Xiao’s eyes widened slightly, and his breathing quickened unconsciously.

Yin Qingyue—could that be her name?

No, it couldn’t be her. Although she was unattractive, she was a woman who knew self-respect and dignity. She would never do something like sneaking around with a guard. What’s more, she had once saved him. If she were truly shameless, she could have used that favor to blackmail him, and he would have been helpless to refuse.

But what if it really was her…?

The thought startled Nangong Xiao. He immediately spoke up to refute Nangong Chen. “Third Brother, you speak so confidently, yet this is nothing more than empty words. Is it not possible that this is a wrongful accusation?”

Nangong Chen’s face turned cold. “Elder Brother, are you implying that I’m deliberately framing an innocent person?”

Nangong Xiao straightened his expression and replied solemnly, “That is not my intention. However, the Luocheng Courtyard now bears the fate of Xize. We must deal with the girls there with extreme caution. If we wrongfully accuse a girl who is meant to pray for blessings, the gods themselves will blame us!”

Nangong Chen stared at him in disbelief, as if looking at a stranger. Had he heard correctly? Nangong Xiao was actually invoking the gods to pressure him—all for the sake of an unchaste ugly woman?

If it weren’t nighttime, Nangong Chen would have wanted to look up at the sky to see whether the sun had risen from the west today.

When Nangong Lin heard that Nangong Xiao was considering the will of the gods, he felt greatly gratified. In a good mood, he decided to follow Nangong Xiao’s suggestion and said with a smile, “Xiao’er is right. The handling of the women in the Luocheng Courtyard must indeed be done carefully. Xize has not yet escaped the danger of natural disasters—we cannot risk angering the gods by acting rashly.”

“Then in Elder Brother’s opinion, how should this matter be handled?” Nangong Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, mockery and indifference on his face.

“Bring that woman into the palace to verify her identity,” Nangong Xiao answered without hesitation. “If she has truly lost her chastity, she naturally cannot be spared. But if she was framed, then the Luocheng Courtyard truly needs to be thoroughly cleaned up!”

“Xiao’er’s reasoning is sound. I’ll leave this matter to you,” Nangong Lin said with a smile, nodding as he handed the matter over to Nangong Xiao.

“Father Emperor, judging from Elder Brother’s tone, it seems he has some connection with that unchaste ugly woman. I fear it may be inappropriate to entrust this matter to him,” Nangong Chen said, his expression turning ugly at once.

“Third Brother, that’s quite laughable,” Nangong Xiao replied coldly. “Not only have I never been to the Luocheng Courtyard, but even if I truly were acquainted with that ugly woman, so what? If she is indeed unchaste, do you think I have the ability to make her chaste again?”

He shot Nangong Chen a cold glance, a chilling light in his eyes.

“In that case, guards should accompany you,” Nangong Chen retreated to a second-best option when he saw he couldn’t interfere directly. “Otherwise, with Elder Brother handling this alone, it would be hard to silence public opinion.”

“No need,” Nangong Xiao refused firmly. “I’ll go personally by myself. Am I, a grown man, incapable of keeping an eye on a fifteen-year-old girl? If too many men go, and one of them harbors ill intentions, that little girl might not only lose her innocence but also end up bearing the blame!”

Seeing Nangong Chen insist on meddling, Nangong Xiao grew suspicious and resolutely refused to allow him to send anyone along.

“That’s enough,” Nangong Lin’s authoritative voice rang out, bringing the argument to an end. “It’s just bringing a little girl into the palace—do we really need to mobilize an army? If word got out, where would Xize’s dignity be?”

Nangong Chen clenched his fists in resentment, forced a smile, and said through gritted teeth, “Father Emperor is wise.”

Nangong Xiao glanced at Nangong Chen, cupped his fists toward Nangong Lin, and said, “Father Emperor is wise. This son takes his leave.”

With Nangong Xiao gone, Nangong Chen could hardly linger any longer. He bowed and said, “Father Emperor, this son also takes his leave. Please don’t worry too much—the preparations for the body examination will be left to me.”

Nangong Lin sighed, his face full of fatigue and displeasure. “Go, go.”

After both princes had left, Eunuch Zhou stepped forward, smiling cautiously. “Your Majesty, the matter has been settled, and it’s getting late. Shouldn’t Your Majesty return to Weiyang Palace to rest?”

Nangong Lin shot him a glare. “With such a major incident at the Luocheng Courtyard, how could I sleep soundly? I plan to go to Consort De’s palace to pray in the Buddha hall and stay there for the night. Tell the Empress not to wait for me—have the palace gates locked early and rest.”

The next day at the Luocheng Courtyard, Yin Qingyue had no idea that a dramatic turn of fate concerning her had taken place in the Xize imperial palace the previous night. She kept her doors closed all day, refusing to let anyone into her courtyard.

Inside, Yin Qingyue and Mei’er worked together to build a simple earthen stove. Yin Qingyue dug the pit, while Mei’er washed and organized the herbs and fetched clean water.

After working for a while, fine beads of sweat appeared on Yin Qingyue’s forehead. She stood up, wiped them away with the back of her hand, frowned slightly, and said tiredly, “The herbs we have aren’t very complete. But under the circumstances, I can’t go out often, so I’ll have to make do with what we have for now.”

Mei’er soaked the herbs in water. Since the injury on her hand hadn’t fully healed, she couldn’t wash them by hand and could only stir them with a wooden stick before pouring out the dirty water.

Hearing Yin Qingyue’s voice, Mei’er looked up and said happily, “Miss, Mei’er thinks having these herbs already is very good. Miss, you’re amazing!”

Yin Qingyue waved her hand, half amused and half exasperated. “What’s so amazing about that? If I had enough herbs, in less than a month I’d be lively and strong again!”

Indeed, although Yin Qingyue’s body was deficient in qi and blood, there were no serious injuries or illnesses. Properly recuperating wasn’t difficult for someone from a family of physicians like her. The problem was—one cannot cook without rice. She simply lacked the medicinal ingredients.

Mei’er noticed the troubled look on Yin Qingyue’s face and comforted her. “Miss, there’s no hurry. Since you painted yourself ugly, it won’t be your turn for sacrifice anytime soon. We have plenty of time to recuperate slowly.”

Yin Qingyue had just felt a bit comforted by the first half of the sentence when the second half struck her hard.

She sighed and, for once, showed a conflicted expression. “That’s right… I almost forgot about the blood sacrifice.”

Recovering her health wasn’t her ultimate goal. Her real goal was to leave the Luocheng Courtyard—before it was her turn to be sacrificed, or before her ugly disguise was discovered!

The conflict on Yin Qingyue’s face flashed past, replaced by confidence and resolve.

“How could a mere Luocheng Courtyard trap your Miss?” she said with a smile to Mei’er, her tone light once more.

While laughter filled Yin Qingyue’s courtyard, Nanny Zhao was kneeling at the gate, trembling—more violently than the day before. Her aged face was full of terror.

Yesterday it was only the Third Prince’s visit. Today, the Crown Prince himself had arrived? Had the matter of Yin Qingyue’s impurity really blown up this much? That wasn’t her fault—who told Prince Jing to send such an unchaste ugly woman here?

Because Nangong Xiao had spoken beforehand in front of Nangong Lin, he didn’t bring many people—only a personal guard. Yet even with just two people, it was enough to make Nanny Zhao quake with fear.

“Where is the unchaste girl you spoke of yesterday?” Nangong Xiao asked impatiently, irritation evident in his tone as he looked at the cowering Nanny Zhao.

“In her own courtyard,” Nanny Zhao replied, kneeling on the ground, too afraid to lift her head. Her face was drained of color.

“Take me to see her,” Nangong Xiao ordered coldly.

He glanced at Nanny Zhao prostrating on the ground, his expression dark and unpredictable. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—the girls in the Luocheng Courtyard are tied to Xize’s lifeline. If you dare to wrongfully accuse them, I’ll drag you out and feed you to the dogs!”

Nanny Zhao shuddered violently. Now she was caught between a rock and a hard place. If Yin Qingyue were chaste, the Crown Prince definitely wouldn’t let her off. If Yin Qingyue were unchaste, as the one managing the Luocheng Courtyard, she likely wouldn’t escape punishment either…

That damned unchaste ugly woman—nothing but trouble, that wretched little bitch! Nanny Zhao cursed inwardly.

Though she was cursing in her heart, her face took on a resolute expression. “In reply to Your Highness the Crown Prince, this servant dares not lie. That ugly woman truly is unchaste!”

Since Yin Qingyue’s impurity was already considered a settled matter, Nanny Zhao would rather be punished for poor supervision than be thrown to the dogs.

“Is that so? Then hurry up and lead the way!” Nangong Xiao frowned, unwilling to waste any more words on the detestable Nanny Zhao.

Nanny Zhao scrambled up from the ground, dusted herself off, and led Nangong Xiao and his guard toward Yin Qingyue’s courtyard with her head lowered.

As they walked, Nangong Xiao’s heart was in turmoil. If the ugly woman Yin Qingyue in the Luocheng Courtyard truly was the woman who had saved him, what should he do? Handle it impartially—or let her go?

Yin Qingyue’s courtyard was remote, but they reached it quickly. Summoning her courage, Nanny Zhao stepped forward and knocked on the door. “Yin Qingyue, open the door!”

Yin Qingyue had just finished drinking her medicine and was resting inside with the door closed. She recognized Nanny Zhao’s voice but couldn’t be bothered to get up, lazily asking, “Who is it?”

Nanny Zhao cleared her throat and shouted, “The Crown Prince has arrived! Why aren’t you coming out to receive him?”

Eager to curry favor before Nangong Xiao, Nanny Zhao completely overlooked the complexity of his expression.

So it really is her… Nangong Xiao felt helpless, mixed with an indescribable emotion.

Yin Qingyue. A pleasant name—pity about the ugly face and the stain of unchastity.

Inside the courtyard, Yin Qingyue froze when she heard that the Crown Prince had arrived. No matter how softly Mei’er called her, she couldn’t come back to her senses.

Mei’er didn’t know about Yin Qingyue’s past connection with Nangong Xiao. Hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived frightened her badly. She hurriedly tugged at Yin Qingyue’s sleeve and cried with a bitter face, “Miss, the Crown Prince is here—what should we do?”