MCSCPM -Chapter 5 That Damn Woman

Yin Qingyue stepped out of the room. She was now dressed in a light yellow coarse cotton outfit, with the men’s clothes she had changed out of hanging from her wrist. She walked up to Old Xu and said politely, “Thank you for the clothes.”

“No need to thank me. Coarse cloth isn’t worth much,” Old Xu replied with a smile. “Miss, I’ll give you a bundle. Put this set of men’s clothes inside. Otherwise, if you walk the streets carrying them and someone sharp-eyed notices, you might run into thieves.” As he spoke, he took a dark gray bundle down from the rack in the courtyard and handed it to her.

“You’re really thoughtful. Thank you,” Yin Qingyue said, accepting the bundle. She neatly folded the set of men’s clothes and put them inside—she was going to sell them at the pawnshop anyway.

A woman carrying a man’s clothes would inevitably arouse suspicion. In modern times it wouldn’t matter, but this was ancient times! And she wasn’t even sure whether that “vegetative” man had woken up. If he had also come to the capital, and she was carrying his clothes around, wouldn’t she just be waiting to be caught by him?

“Miss, you don’t even know about Caiyi Pavilion, so you must not be from the capital. The situation is unstable right now—be more cautious,” Old Xu reminded her.

Seeing how unusually attentive Old Xu was today, the tavern owner narrowed his eyes. This woman was connected to Prince Jing—Old Xu was fawning over her nonstop. Could it be that Caiyi Pavilion was planning to move to the Northern Hao Kingdom?

“Thank you for the reminder, shopkeeper. I’ll take my leave now,” Yin Qingyue replied with a smile, then turned and left with the bundle in hand.

Only after Yin Qingyue disappeared from sight did the tavern owner speak up. “Old Xu, you’re not really thinking of moving Caiyi Pavilion to the Northern Hao Kingdom, are you?”

Old Xu laughed heartily. “I’ve always been good at judging people. I don’t know why, but I just feel that this woman will amount to something, regardless of whether she has any connection with Prince Jing.”

“Oh? First time I’ve heard you praise a woman like that—especially such a young girl.”

“A young girl who managed to get Prince Jing’s clothes—that in itself is an ability,” Old Xu said with another laugh. He then went back inside to check on a batch of high-quality fabrics that had arrived the day before, leaving his old friend alone in the courtyard, deep in thought.

Yin Qingyue left Caiyi Pavilion early. She wasn’t in a hurry to eat—she was anxious to sell the clothes in the bundle. Keeping them on her felt like carrying a time bomb. She had a vague sense that the man whose clothes she had stripped was anything but ordinary, and that he wouldn’t stay unconscious forever.

Knowing nothing about the Northern Hao Kingdom, she walked along while searching for a pawnshop, listening to passersby as she went, hoping to pick up some useful information.

“Have you heard? Prince Jing just entered the capital, but then suddenly turned back and returned to the outskirts,” two street vendors chatted nearby. “There are several villages out there, and Prince Jing has people searching house by house. No one knows what he’s looking for.”

Their conversation reached Yin Qingyue’s ears.

She stopped walking, her eyes filled with confusion. Prince Jing turned back to the outskirts? Searching every house—was he looking for someone?

The two vendors noticed her. One of them laughed. “Miss, you look so confused—don’t tell me you don’t even know who Prince Jing is? Prince Jing of the Northern Hao Kingdom!”

Yin Qingyue’s expression remained calm. This was Xize—under normal circumstances, people should be more interested in their own royal family. Yet here they were gossiping about a foreign prince. It seemed Northern Hao was far stronger than Xize, by more than just a little.

“Miss…” The vendor was about to say more when sudden commotion erupted ahead, voices rising in a clamorous wave.

“Prince Jing has entered the capital! He’s at the city gates—this time he won’t turn back to the outskirts!”

“Hurry and go look! Prince Jing’s reputation is thunderous—he’s the number one handsome man of Northern Hao, and a war god! Northern Hao men look different from Xize men!”

The speakers were all women. Their voices weren’t delicate, but carried a robust enthusiasm. Yin Qingyue felt little interest. No matter how handsome, didn’t he still have two eyes, one nose, and one mouth? What was there to see? Besides, the man she had seen in the outskirts—honestly—was top-tier handsome, premium quality!

“Miss, please help us watch our stall for a bit. We brothers have admired Prince Jing for a long time—we have to go see him right away. Sorry to trouble you!” With that, the two vendors dashed off.

Yin Qingyue sighed. Prince Jing’s charm was truly universal—men and women alike.

At that moment, the very Prince Jing being mentally criticized by Yin Qingyue—Chu Jingcheng—was sitting inside his carriage. He was aloof by nature, disliked noisy places, and hated being watched.

In his hands was a vivid, bright red dudou. His calm eyes flashed with a dark gleam. Woman—this prince will definitely find you!

Just then, a guard approached the carriage curtain and spoke softly inside. “Your Highness, the women of Xize aren’t as gentle as the rumors say. In my opinion, the way they look at you is like wolves’ eyes—they’re about to…” The guard didn’t finish his sentence. He wasn’t Cold Peak, the prince’s personal guard, who sometimes dared to joke with the prince. He didn’t dare. He was merely describing what he had personally witnessed.

Those words only made Chu Jingcheng more uncomfortable. Once again, he thought of the woman who had stripped him of his clothes and taken his silver. Xize women—tender and affectionate, as if made of water? Hah. What kind of weak woman would do something like that to him! What’s more, that outfit was no ordinary garment—the hem was embroidered with a pattern reserved exclusively for Northern Hao royal descendants. Sooner or later, he would catch that damn woman!

With Chu Jingcheng’s arrival, the capital grew even livelier. The people automatically lined up on both sides of the street, shouting Prince Jing’s name while staring intently at the exceedingly luxurious carriage.

When the carriage passed by the small stall Yin Qingyue was watching, her heart suddenly sank. So the convoy she had encountered on the outskirts—that was Prince Jing’s.

A timely breeze lifted the carriage curtain slightly. Through it, Yin Qingyue caught sight of a man’s side profile—firm, handsome, brimming with masculine strength.

Some of the onlookers saw it too and became even more excited, especially the heavily made-up women standing in front. These were women from the pleasure houses, naturally bolder than most.

“Men from Northern Hao really are different. Different land nurtures different people. Compared to them, Xize men look rather weak. If only…” The courtesans laughed coquettishly, already imagining what it would feel like to be with a Northern Hao man—surely exquisite beyond words.

“Your Highness, should we disperse the crowd? They’re too noisy,” the guard couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke again.

“No need. Speed up and head for the palace. The Emperor of Xize has been waiting for some time,” Chu Jingcheng ordered coldly.

The convoy immediately accelerated, hooves clattering as dust billowed into the air.

Inside the carriage, Chu Jingcheng stared at the dudou for a long while. Finally, he folded it neatly and placed it against his chest.

The soft red fabric brushed against his chest with the carriage’s movement, while his thoughts remained fixed on that bold woman.