MCSCPM -Chapter 6 Men and Women

The convoy rolled past in a great surge, while the common folk were still immersed in the shock brought by Prince Jing. Some of the women who had caught a glimpse of his profile began whispering among themselves, their eyes shining brightly.

Seeing this, Yin Qingyue’s eyelid twitched. The intensity of gossip in ancient times was no weaker than in the modern age.

“Thank you, miss. Although we didn’t get to see Prince Jing’s true face today, just knowing that he was in that carriage is enough to make the two of us excited just thinking about it.”

She could tell the brothers really were excited—their eyes were already moist! Prince Jing of Beihou wielded such enormous influence in Xize, and yet the emperor of Xize simply allowed it?

“Miss, why do you have no expression at all? Don’t you know who Prince Jing is?” the two brothers said in unison, their eyes widened into perfect circles, disbelief written all over their faces.

Yin Qingyue smiled faintly. “Of course I know who Prince Jing is—the number one handsome man, a generation’s God of War, brave and battle-hardened, so handsome it offends both gods and men… loved by men and women alike.”

The two peddlers’ eyes widened even further, as if their eyeballs were about to fall out. This was the first time they had ever heard anyone describe Prince Jing like this! Being so handsome it offended gods and men—that was still acceptable. But loved by men and women alike? How could a young lady say such a thing so casually! Was she secretly calling Prince Jing a cut-sleeve?!

“Let’s part here,” Yin Qingyue chuckled softly. She turned and walked away, leaving the two brothers standing stiffly where they were.

She had gone barely a dozen meters when a tall figure blocked her path. A deep, resonant voice sounded. “Miss, where did you hear this talk about Prince Jing being loved by both men and women?”

Yin Qingyue lifted her head and carefully sized up the man before her. He was tall and slender, his arms strong—clearly a martial artist. He extended a long arm to bar her way; facing him, she could see only his profile.

“Only someone loved by both men and women can truly show how handsome Prince Jing is. I was just speaking casually, yet you took it seriously. Do you know Prince Jing?”

“Miss, be careful that disaster doesn’t come from your mouth. Prince Jing is not someone you can casually slander.” The man lowered his head to look at her.

Yin Qingyue met his gaze directly. He had a pair of deep gray eyes. This body of hers was weak and could not read people’s hearts, so she had no idea what relationship this man had with Prince Jing.

Seeing that Yin Qingyue did not reply, the man examined her closely for a moment. Then he moved his feet, his figure flashing swiftly; in no time at all, he vanished from sight.

Yin Qingyue tightened her grip on the bundle in her hands. This set of clothes had to be disposed of quickly—keeping it would only bring trouble. As expected, one mustn’t randomly strip others of their clothes, nor randomly take other people’s money.

So she sped up her search for a pawnshop. This outfit would certainly fetch a high price, but she only wanted a medium price; demanding too much might invite trouble.

She walked along the street, searching as she went. She didn’t ask anyone for directions, relying instead on her instincts.

The capital’s streets were filled mostly with taverns and teahouses. After passing two streets and turning into another, she finally found a Li Family Pawnshop.

Seeing the character Li, she suddenly thought of her father’s friend, Li Qing. That man had always given her a mysterious feeling; she often heard him say strange, cryptic things, and she couldn’t tell what sort of occult arts he understood.

Yin Qingyue clutched the bundle tightly, preparing to head into the Li Family Pawnshop. Just then, a petite woman dressed in green suddenly rushed toward her.

The woman reached Yin Qingyue and grabbed the hem of her clothes, tears streaming down her face. “Miss, this servant has finally found you! If you hadn’t shown up again, this servant would have been beaten to death by Nanny Zhao!”

Yin Qingyue’s body stiffened. Was she the daughter of some wealthy household in the capital of Xize?

“Miss, this servant knows the bitterness in your heart. But since we’ve already entered the capital and arrived at the Luocheng Courtyard, we have no way back. Only by listening to Nanny Zhao can you delay becoming a sacrificial offering…”

Yin Qingyue’s eyelid twitched, and she immediately cut her off. “Luocheng Courtyard? Sacrificial offering?” Wasn’t that the place where a hundred fifteen-year-old maidens were detained? A place that killed without bloodshed, slowly torturing women! The owner of this body was actually from the Luocheng Courtyard?!

“Miss, there’s no other way. When you ran away this time, Nanny Zhao suppressed the matter. If it were to reach the emperor’s ears, the Yin family would be guilty of extermination of the entire clan! Miss, quickly return to the Luocheng Courtyard with Mei’er!”

As she spoke, Mei’er moved to the corner of the street, wiped some wall ash and mud, then returned to Yin Qingyue.

“Miss, you’re too pretty. Luckily, you’re wearing coarse cloth now, and you haven’t eaten for days, so your complexion is a bit sallow. Add some wall ash and mud, and you’ll look even uglier. This servant is doing this for your own good—at the Luocheng Courtyard, the most beautiful women are always the first to suffer.”

Watching Mei’er approach, Yin Qingyue took a step back. She needed time to process Mei’er’s words. She was a woman of the Luocheng Courtyard, living miserably, eating plain food and wearing plain clothes, thanking imperial grace—only to become a blood sacrifice when necessary!

She didn’t belong to the modern world, so Heaven had sent her to Xize, turning her into a sacrifice!

“Miss, hurry and put it on!” Mei’er urged anxiously, raising her hand to smear her face.

Yin Qingyue tightened her hold on the bundle. At that moment, a noise came from ahead. Mei’er’s body trembled. “Nanny Zhao is here! Miss, quickly let this servant apply it!” Mei’er immediately rose on tiptoe and deftly smeared the wall ash and mud onto Yin Qingyue’s face.

Yin Qingyue saw a middle-aged woman in brownish-yellow clothes approaching with a group of people.

She was holding a bundle. If Nanny Zhao discovered the set of men’s clothes, there would surely be endless trouble. But if she threw the bundle away, she couldn’t bear it—it could at least be sold for some silver!

Nanny Zhao hurried over with a group of guards. When she saw Yin Qingyue, filthy with ash and dirt, she snorted coldly and ordered the guards to seize her.

The guards came forward and shoved aside Mei’er, who was blocking Yin Qingyue.

“How dare you!” Yin Qingyue shouted loudly, her eyes shooting out a sharp light that startled the guards into stopping.

The fragile-looking woman before them, though her appearance hadn’t changed, seemed like a completely different person. The guards froze, afraid to speak.

“You’re rebelling! If I hadn’t suppressed this matter, would you still be alive now?” Nanny Zhao walked to her side and spoke softly.

This was the street, not the Luocheng Courtyard. Nanny Zhao didn’t dare speak too loudly—drawing unnecessary trouble would be bad.

“The Luocheng Courtyard is under your management. If even one person disappears for no reason, you won’t be able to keep your own head. Suppressing this matter is your duty. I’ll go with you—but don’t touch me!” After speaking, Yin Qingyue walked forward, her entire being radiating a ruthless aura.

Mei’er caught her breath. Was this really her miss? Though the miss was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yin family, her mother had died early, and the power of the main branch had fallen into the hands of the concubine branch. The miss was often bullied by the second young lady—delicate, weak, unable to withstand a single blow. And now, she seemed like a completely different person! Even the arrogant Nanny Zhao could do nothing to her.