MCSCPM -Chapter 41 An Unaccountable Stirring of the Heart

Leng Feng didn’t take it seriously. He leaned closer, his eyes curved into a mischievous smile. “Tell me, Leng Yi—our prince never had anything to do with women back in the Northern Hao Kingdom. How is it that after arriving in Xize, he keeps getting entangled with women one after another? Could it be that His Highness has run into a peach-blossom romance in Xize?”

Suddenly, Chu Jingcheng’s calm voice drifted over. “Leng Feng, you’re talking an awful lot. Could it be that you’ve found that woman?”

The teasing expression froze on Leng Feng’s face. He immediately dropped to one knee and cupped his fist. “Your Highness, please forgive me. This subordinate is incompetent. The search for that woman has made no significant progress.”

Lately, driven to desperation, he had begun questioning the guards on duty, checking how many women had entered the forest during that time. The results nearly made him faint with frustration.

Everyone said that during the time the Prince of Jing was humiliated and stripped, let alone a woman—there wasn’t even a ghostly shadow entering the forest. After all, at the far end of the forest stood a steep mountain towering into the clouds, with no path leading down at all.

If a woman had entered, she would surely have been spotted by the guards at the forest entrance.

Including Leng Feng, no one had ever imagined that Yin Qingyue would enter the forest in such an “unconventional” way.

At the time, the guards, fearing an assassination attempt on the Prince of Jing, thoroughly inspected everyone entering the forest. But they paid far less attention to those passing by from the grassy fields beyond the forest, since those people had entered earlier and had no idea the prince would be stopping there.

After all, no one could have imagined that a woman would jump down from a cliff, coincidentally land near the meditating Prince of Jing, dare to strip him of his clothes, and even take his silver!

Unfortunately, this almost absurd speculation happened to be the truth.

Thinking of that mysterious woman, Leng Feng couldn’t help sighing.

A woman who had slipped into the forest without anyone noticing, secretly stripped the Prince of Jing of his clothes and silver, then vanished without a trace.

Could she be some mountain spirit, imitating the Goddess of Wushan, coming to offer herself to the prince?

Seeing Leng Feng’s troubled face, Leng Yi knew how difficult this mysterious woman was to find. Though Leng Feng was usually carefree and unrestrained, he was absolutely loyal when it came to serving the Prince of Jing. If he said he had no leads, then there truly were none.

Chu Jingcheng turned around. His sharp eyes were calm and unreadable, his thin lips uttering a few cold words: “Continue the search. Find her—no matter what.”

That single sentence nearly made Leng Feng cry. Find her no matter what? At this rate, he might search his entire lifetime and still not find her!

Sensing Leng Feng’s predicament, Leng Yi thought for a moment and cupped his hands to Chu Jingcheng. “Your Highness, please allow this subordinate to assist in searching for this woman.”

Chu Jingcheng pondered briefly, then nodded. “Granted.”

Leng Yi immediately dragged Leng Feng—whose hope had just been rekindled—into a salute. “We take our leave.”

Once again, only Chu Jingcheng remained in the room. He lowered his eyes slightly, lips pressed together. His peerlessly handsome face showed neither joy nor anger, yet his gaze wandered, as though lost in thought.

After a long while, he returned to the desk, grabbed the piece of paper, and crumpled it into a ball. Circulating a bit of internal energy, he crushed it instantly into powder.

Chu Jingcheng walked back to the window and lightly scattered the powder from his hand. In the blink of an eye, it was blown away without a trace.

He frowned, a flicker of anger dancing in his eyes. “Woman—let’s see where you can hide!”

Meanwhile, in the Xize Imperial Palace.

After agreeing to Yin Qingyue’s request, Nangong Lin left the imperial study, leaving the roomful of people staring at one another.

After a while, Nangong Chen shot Yin Qingyue a glare and swept his sleeves as he left. Passing by her, he muttered in a low voice, “We’ll see about that.”

Nanny Lai still wore her smiling expression, as if nothing had happened. “Miss Yin, shall we go as well?”

Nangong Xiao immediately quickened his steps to Yin Qingyue’s side. “Today’s matter caused Miss Yin to suffer grievances. I’ll escort you.”

Yin Qingyue glanced at him calmly and didn’t refuse. She merely gave a slight curtsey. “Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness.”

Thus, Nanny Lai led the way, followed by the palace maids assigned to serve her by the Empress. Nangong Xiao and Yin Qingyue walked at the rear.

The two walked in silence as the surroundings gradually shifted from bustling splendor to a quieter, more austere atmosphere. The mood grew subdued.

After a while, Nangong Xiao broke the silence. “Does Miss Yin need this prince to arrange for her maid to enter the palace as well?”

Yin Qingyue shook her head, worry etched on her face. “No need. Please allow Mei’er to stay temporarily at the Crown Prince’s residence. The palace waters run too deep. Mei’er is simple by nature and not suited to this place.”

This wasn’t an excuse. Though Mei’er had grown up in the Yin household, she was no more scheming than the body’s original owner—otherwise she wouldn’t have been bullied alongside her.

If Mei’er entered the palace, she would become a weakness. It was better to leave her with Nangong Xiao. Given his attitude today, he likely wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

Nangong Xiao paused and turned to look at Yin Qingyue. Though her face remained ugly, it seemed unable to conceal the loneliness in her heart.

He opened his mouth, his voice slightly hoarse. “If Miss Mei’er isn’t suited for palace intrigue, then what about Miss Yin?”

Though she was born with an ugly face, she was still just a young girl who had recently come of age. Why was she not at all afraid of the complicated palace struggles, even voluntarily stepping into this battle for imperial power when she could have stayed out of it?

Yin Qingyue froze for a moment, then turned to him with an amused look. “At this point, does Your Highness think I still have a way out?”

Nangong Xiao was taken aback again, guilt and admiration stirring in his heart.

Indeed, once Nangong Chen dragged her into the body-inspection scandal, she was destined to no longer be an outsider.

Yin Qingyue turned her gaze forward, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. “Since I’ve been swept into the game anyway, rather than drifting along like duckweed—entrusting my fate to waves stirred up by others—I’d rather be the one who rides the waves myself. If I win, I’ll win decisively; if I lose, I’ll lose with clarity!”

Nangong Xiao’s eyes widened, the last trace of guilt swept away by astonishment.

At this moment, Yin Qingyue was no longer an ugly woman in his eyes, but a confident, courageous, and resilient one.

Facing the complexity of the palace, countless beauties throughout history had lamented their fate and pitied themselves, yet never resisted or fought back, silently aging and dying within the deep palace walls.

But Yin Qingyue was completely different. She lacked beauty—was even unbearably ugly—yet she dared to step into the vortex of palace strife, preferring mutual destruction to drifting along with the tide.

In Nangong Xiao’s heart, something was quietly ignited, while a tiny sprout began to push through the soil of his heart, on the verge of breaking free.

As Yin Qingyue walked, she suddenly sensed something strange beside her, a peculiar fluctuation in her eyes.

She couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Her eyes were the medium through which she used her mind-reading ability. Such a sensation meant that someone nearby was experiencing an extremely intense emotion toward her—like love, hatred, or aversion—so strong that it affected her eyes.

But her mind-reading ability had not fully recovered yet; she shouldn’t be feeling this. To provoke such a sensation despite her incomplete ability—how powerful must that emotion be?

Yin Qingyue stopped and looked suspiciously at Nangong Xiao, who also seemed to have halted, lost in a daze. “Your Highness, what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

Nangong Xiao snapped out of it when he saw Yin Qingyue’s unsightly face. He shook his head slightly, indicating it wasn’t her fault, though inwardly he was astonished. Had he gone too long without women, to feel something unusual toward such an ugly woman?

How could he possibly like a woman who looked like this? Ignoring her face, her figure was indeed graceful—but if he had to look at that ugly face every day, he probably wouldn’t even be able to eat.

He forced away the strange emotion rising in his heart, and the earlier flutter subsided. Yet the sprout of that feeling remained buried deep within him, lying dormant, waiting for the day it would fully break through the soil.

“We’ve arrived at the Buddhist hall. Your Highness, please return,” Nanny Lai’s smiling voice suddenly rang out.

Nangong Xiao halted and gazed at the somewhat desolate Buddhist hall, letting out a soft sigh. To escort someone a thousand miles—one must still part in the end. It was time for him to leave.

“Qingyue respectfully sees off the Crown Prince.” Yin Qingyue lowered her head in salute. She was smaller than Nangong Xiao, and in this posture, he couldn’t see her ugly face—only her cloud-like black hair and delicate figure.

Breathing in the faint fragrance coming from her, Nangong Xiao couldn’t help but have the urge to pull this petite girl into his arms and give her a solid refuge.

Seeing that Nangong Xiao didn’t respond, Yin Qingyue raised her head in confusion and tilted it slightly. “Your Highness?”

Looking at her ugly face, Nangong Xiao was jolted awake. He guiltily averted his gaze, not daring to look at her. “It’s nothing. You may rise.”

He really had gone too long without a woman—to develop such strange thoughts even toward this ugly woman. She had only saved him and shown some uncommon qualities, yet again and again he felt these inexplicable stirrings?

Could it be that his illness hadn’t been fully cured, leaving behind such side effects?

Nangong Xiao shook his head lightly, trying to banish the bizarre thought. Afraid that he might feel something strange again, he didn’t dare linger. Turning abruptly, he strode away.

Yin Qingyue tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding why Nangong Xiao had suddenly become so odd.

“Miss Yin, please come inside. This old servant has a few matters to explain to you,” Nanny Lai said with her ever-present smile, as kindly as an ordinary elderly woman.

Yin Qingyue turned around, took a deep breath, and at that moment, her eyes grew deep and unfathomable.