MCSCPM -Chapter 8 Smelling the Dudou

The group of maids was stunned. The woman who had always been timid and frail suddenly seemed like a completely different person. In the past, no matter how they bullied her, she would only cower and submit. But now, although her body was still delicate, the feeling she gave off was entirely different.

“Miss, Mei’er is so happy. You’re finally not timid anymore.” Mei’er cried tears of joy. After fiercely glaring at those maids, she supported Yin Qingyue and helped her leave.

Watching the two figures walk away, the maids began whispering among themselves. A few of them nearly cried out.

“She actually dared to be fierce with me! I came from the imperial palace—I’ve even seen the Crown Prince!” The woman who spoke was dressed more elaborately than the other maids. Because she had come from the palace, she was extremely arrogant.

“Sister Xing, don’t be angry over that shameless woman. You’ve seen the Crown Prince—your status is different from ours! Could you tell us what the Crown Prince looks like?”

Xing’er snorted coldly and glanced at the women around her with disdain. “You wouldn’t get to see the Crown Prince even in eight lifetimes. But seeing how pitiful you are, I’ll show some mercy and tell you. The Crown Prince is exceptionally handsome—the most good-looking man I’ve ever seen in my life! That feeling…”

Xing’er lifted her head, gazing at the white clouds in the sky, her face full of longing.

With her description, the other maids grew even more curious. They had never entered the imperial palace. All they knew was that the Crown Prince was of extremely noble status and would one day inherit the throne as emperor. Now, hearing Xing’er speak, they were all utterly fascinated. Born noble and incomparably handsome—what woman wouldn’t fall in love?

“Look at you all! Is the Crown Prince someone you can covet? Wipe that look off your faces—I feel sick just seeing it!” Xing’er put on a stern expression, then lifted her foot and walked away.

On the other side, Mei’er had already helped Yin Qingyue onto the bed. Seeing her lying there, weak and drained of energy, Mei’er felt her heart ache.

“Miss, those other young ladies harmed you so badly that you didn’t eat for days. And now you’ve suffered such a calamity again. If you can’t endure it and pass away, Mei’er won’t live either!” Mei’er squatted by her side, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at her.

Yin Qingyue sighed inwardly. Mei’er truly was a loyal maid. This body of hers was indeed extremely weak—deficient in qi, frail, with poor circulation of qi and blood. Using mind-reading required intense focus and gathering strength. With qi already deficient, how could she gather strength? She needed to take ginseng, angelica, red dates, and lotus seeds as soon as possible to replenish qi and nourish the blood. For now, she couldn’t use mind-reading and could only rely on her own eyes to observe everyone.

“Miss, say something! Don’t scare this servant! If anything happens to you, how could I…”
Mei’er suddenly stopped. A violent knock on the door startled her. Looking at her weak young mistress on the bed, she clenched her fists and walked toward the door.

Yin Qingyue narrowed her eyes slightly—whoever had come meant no good. She pressed her lips together, then got up from the bed, walked to the table, and sat down. Holding the teapot, she poured herself a cup of plain tea.

At that moment, the door was kicked open. A woman in a peach-pink dress stood at the doorway, her eyes full of mockery.

“How do you still have the nerve to be alive? If I were you—ugly and despicable—I’d have jumped into a well long ago!” The speaker was Xue Zhenyu, the county magistrate’s concubine-born daughter, the one who had seized Yin Qingyue’s Chaoyang room.

Mei’er was indignant. “You stole Miss’s room and now you’re still here mocking her!”

That single sentence indirectly told Yin Qingyue who the intruder was.

“Just a concubine-born daughter. You don’t look stupid—so how can you be as dumb as a pig?”
Yin Qingyue spoke softly, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.

“You!” Xue Zhenyu was so furious she couldn’t speak. This was the first time she’d ever been called a pig! She couldn’t swallow this humiliation—especially since the one insulting her was an ugly, unchaste woman.

“I’ll beat you to death today!” Xue Zhenyu strode forward. Back in the residence, she never cared for music, chess, calligraphy, or painting—she only loved martial arts. Her entry into the Luocheng Courtyard had been because, first, her age and birthdate matched the requirements, and second, she was a concubine-born daughter, an unloved child.

“Miss, be careful—she knows martial arts!” Mei’er cried out in worry, rushing forward to try to stop her.

There was a clatter as the teacup fell to the ground, followed by a sharp, shrill scream. Xue Zhenyu was soaked from head to toe, with a shattered teacup lying by her feet.

“Yin Qingyue! You broke a teacup without cause! This teacup belongs to the Luocheng Courtyard—it’s not yours! I’m going to report this to Nanny Zhao right now and have her punish you severely!” Xue Zhenyu had originally wanted to strike her directly, but on second thought, if she beat Yin Qingyue half to death, Nanny Zhao would surely punish her instead. She wasn’t about to bring trouble upon herself.

“If you’ve got the ability, go ahead and call her. It’s a turbulent time right now—do you really think Nanny Zhao will bother? Besides, I’ve just come out of the Dark Hall.”

Xue Zhenyu halted in her tracks and stared at her in disbelief. “You just came out of the Dark Hall? Impossible!”

Women who came out of the Dark Hall were covered in wounds from head to toe. How could she still have the strength to sit calmly in a chair and drink tea?

“The fact that I didn’t tell Nanny Zhao about you forcibly taking my room is already your good fortune. If you provoke me again, I’ll make you regret it.” A sharp glint flashed through Yin Qingyue’s eyes. Xue Zhenyu shuddered, as if she had seen a demon. She had wanted to say a few more harsh words, but was so frightened that she fled at once. Today’s Yin Qingyue was far too abnormal.

“Miss!” Mei’er hadn’t expected her mistress to change so drastically—not only showing no respect for Nanny Zhao, but even splashing tea on Miss Xue and smashing a teacup.

“Cough, cough. Mei’er, help me back to bed, then go boil a kettle of hot water.” After speaking, Yin Qingyue coughed repeatedly. This body was truly in terrible condition.

“Yes, Miss! I’ll also bring you some sesame cakes later. Even though you hate them the most, for the sake of your health, you should at least eat a little.” Mei’er’s words made Yin Qingyue glance sideways at her.

“Bring more sesame cakes—the more the better.” Sesame replenished qi and blood. She needed to eat plenty of it.

Mei’er’s eyes rolled in their sockets. The young miss who hated sesame cakes the most was now asking for more! She had suffered far too much. Why couldn’t Heaven be kinder to her?

“Don’t cry. It hurts me to see it. Hurry and help me back to bed.” Yin Qingyue spoke again, her voice very soft—nothing like the imposing tone she had used against Xue Zhenyu earlier.

“All right! Miss, take it slowly.” Mei’er didn’t dare delay and quickly supported her toward the bed.

When Yin Qingyue lay down, Chu Jingcheng had already arrived at the capital’s post station. To welcome him, Xize had specially built a post station for him within the capital.

At this moment, Chu Jingcheng was holding a bright red dudou in his hand. He stared at it intently, then lifted it to his nose and inhaled gently. A faint, fragrant feminine scent drifted into his nostrils.

“Your Highness, did I come at a bad time? I wonder which woman has the prince so deeply preoccupied?” A teasing male voice sounded—it was Leng Feng.

Chu Jingcheng put the dudou down. He was only smelling it to identify her unique body scent, so he could quickly and accurately track down that damned woman.