MCSCPM -Chapter 4 Prince Jing’s Lover

Chu Jingcheng squinted through the carriage curtain, looking at the person with their head buried in a haystack. The stack was piled high, and the entire body of that person was sunk into it, making it impossible for him to discern their build clearly.

Fearing trouble, the old man driving the cart immediately lifted his head and smiled at him with an honest, simple grin. The carriage was extremely luxurious, and the man sitting inside emanated a cold, austere aura—nobility seemed to be born into him. At a glance, he was clearly someone not to be trifled with!

Chu Jingcheng swept his gaze over the old driver, then lowered the curtain. The carriage rumbled forward and sped past, disappearing into the distance in no time.

“Miss, does the person in that carriage know you? That man kept staring at you,” the driver said casually, but his words made Yin Qingyue’s heart sink.

The clothes she was wearing had been stripped off a man. She couldn’t wear them for long—her first task upon entering the capital was to buy a set of coarse cloth clothes and take off these men’s garments.

“Miss, once you enter the capital, be extra careful. Xize Country is rather unsettled these days!”

Yin Qingyue looked at the old driver. So the place she had transmigrated to was called Xize Country. Even a mere villager knew the nation was in turmoil—clearly, Xize was far from stable now.

After some thought, she smiled at the old man. “Thank you for the reminder, Uncle. I’ll be careful. Are you taking this hay to some wealthy household in the capital?”

“Yes. I’m delivering hay to the residence of a yuanwai—they need it for cooking. I usually just grow vegetables on my one mu and three fen of land,” the old man said with a hearty laugh. He then hopped onto the ox cart, flicked his whip, and the cart began to trundle forward slowly.

The ox cart moved at a leisurely pace. By the time they entered the capital, it was already noon—the busiest hour for taverns and restaurants. After thanking the old driver, Yin Qingyue immediately went off in search of a clothing shop. She had to change out of these clothes!

At this moment, Yin Qingyue was dressed in elegant, noble men’s attire. Coupled with her handsome features, she attracted countless lingering gazes from women. Some of them were rather bold and even stepped forward to block her path.

Yin Qingyue stopped and lifted her eyes to look at the woman in front of her. The woman had a demure, delicate appearance; such behavior, in an ancient setting, was exceptionally daring.

“Young master, may I know your name? For you and this humble woman to meet on the street is fate,” the woman said, lowering her head and feigning shyness.

Yin Qingyue’s mouth twitched. This was the first time in her life she had been hit on by a woman—should she laugh? Sorry, she wasn’t into girls.

To avoid trouble, Yin Qingyue said nothing. She simply sidestepped the woman and continued forward. A burst of mocking laughter rose behind her.

“Aren’t you always calling yourself a beauty? That handsome man didn’t even glance at you—how embarrassing!”

“Shameless! With a face full of pits and scars, you dare call yourself a beauty? Go home and look in the mirror!”

Yin Qingyue couldn’t be bothered to listen to the rest of the vulgar remarks. She was in a hurry to change clothes! The man she had stripped was not someone to provoke—if he found her, it would be trouble.

As she walked, she looked around. From the entrance of the capital onward, the street was lined with restaurants, taverns, and teahouses. She walked several dozen meters further before finally spotting a clothing shop.

Upon entering, she found that there wasn’t a single person inside. Bolts of fabric were piled in the outer room, and several finished garments hung on the walls.

Where was the shopkeeper? Not interested in doing business? Yin Qingyue called out a few times. When there was no response, she walked into the inner courtyard.

The outer room and the inner courtyard were connected by a long corridor, about ten meters in length. When she reached the end of the corridor, she saw a row of rooms. As she moved forward, she heard voices.

“Pitiful girls of the Luocheng Courtyard—over a hundred of them, all only fifteen! How could His Majesty truly believe that mystic official?”

“That mystic diviner cast a hexagram and claimed there was a strange celestial phenomenon—a sudden appearance of the Red Luan Star—saying Xize might face calamity. Those poor girls will never be able to marry, and they even face the danger of blood sacrifice.”

Yin Qingyue halted in her tracks. No wonder the old driver said Xize was in turmoil. It turned out the emperor was superstitious—seeking divine favor, he had gathered one hundred fifteen-year-old girls into the Luocheng Courtyard, to be used for sacrifice if necessary!

Poor girls—at the bloom of youth, yet reduced to sacrificial offerings! Thankfully, the heavens hadn’t let her transmigrate into the body of a Luocheng Courtyard girl!

However, at this moment, Yin Qingyue didn’t know that something even more tragic was awaiting her.

The sound of her footsteps interrupted the conversation of the two people in the inner courtyard. One of them was the shopkeeper. Having done business for decades, he could tell at a glance that the person standing before him was a woman.

“Miss, buying clothes?”

Yin Qingyue nodded. “I’d like to buy a set of coarse cloth clothes.”

The shopkeeper froze. All the clothes in his shop were made of fine materials. In decades of business, he had never heard of anyone coming here to buy coarse cloth!

“Haha, Old Xu, this young lady is interesting! Miss, haven’t you heard of Caiyi Pavilion?”

The middle-aged man who spoke was a friend of the shopkeeper and the owner of a tavern.

Yin Qingyue smiled. “I’ve just arrived here. I only want a set of coarse cloth clothes. Caiyi Pavilion is famous, but it doesn’t have what I’m looking for.”

Old Xu’s eyes darkened slightly before he spoke again. “Miss, the outfit you’re wearing now is quite fine—top-grade material. Only high-ranking noble households or imperial royalty would have such fabric. Of course, I won’t ask about your affairs. Since you want coarse cloth clothes, I have some. I won’t sell them to you—I’ll give them to you.”

With that, Old Xu went into a room and quickly returned with a set of coarse cloth garments.

Having spent many years in business, he knew the young woman before him had an extraordinary background. He couldn’t afford to offend her.

Yin Qingyue accepted them with a smile. “Thank you, shopkeeper. Do you have a storage room where I can change clothes?”

Old Xu nodded and raised his hand to indicate a room. “Miss, just go to that room.” As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Qingyue headed toward the door.

The moment her figure disappeared inside, Old Xu was pulled aside by the tavern owner.

“It’s a turbulent time right now. That girl’s identity is probably not simple. Didn’t you see that outfit? We’re both experienced people—those clothes are only worn by the Beihou imperial family. The pattern at the hem—one look and you can tell!”

“In today’s Xize, the only person connected to the Beihou royal family is Prince Jing. She must be someone of Prince Jing.”

Caiyi Pavilion was the number one fabric and clothing shop in Xize, with great renown and dealings with merchants from various countries as well as the Xize royal family.

“If she’s on good terms with Prince Jing, then helping her is fine. But if she’s his enemy, you’ll be in deep trouble. You know what Prince Jing is like—cold-faced and cold-hearted. When he turns ruthless, he’s vicious and merciless. Everyone fears him.”

Old Xu shook his head, then burst into laughter. “That girl looks delicate and frail—could she have forcibly stripped Prince Jing of his clothes? More likely, Prince Jing personally bestowed them on her. With such a good relationship with him, how could she be his enemy? She’s probably his lover.”

The tavern owner pondered for a moment, then nodded. “That makes sense. No matter what, she’s got something going on with Prince Jing.”