Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

It's truly outrageous and shady; you can only get it if you're in a good mood.

"So you mean I have to flatter you and fawn over you before I can buy blind boxes? It's like some kind of mystical ritual, you can't get anything without some mystical stuff, right?" Chu Mingkong was speechless. He stopped worrying about it for now and asked, "Is there anything like a female corpse that I can buy to cover up something and burn?"

Yes, it's available in the Filial Piety Shop, under the Forging Materials section.

Since the upgrades, the store has had many more category options, which dazzled Chu Mingkong.

Following the system's instructions, Chu Mingkong indeed found the "Human Body" option in the forging materials. He could even customize his character's appearance by purchasing it.

"In that case, we have the props to make it look like Madam Han died. But it's really strange to put something like this in forging materials. Is it meant to be used as a mannequin?"

Chu Mingkong returned to the Prince's Mansion and first found the Han couple.

These two elegant women had already been given two rooms in the Chu Prince's mansion by Gu Jun Gui, but since they wanted to stay together, they only needed one room.

As soon as Chu Mingkong appeared in their room, Han Jing and Han Bi knelt down in front of him gratefully, and Chu Mingkong quickly helped them up.

"No need for that. I just came to see if you're used to it, not to see your attitude."

Han Bi lowered his head and said with a complicated expression:

"Young Prince, my sister and I have no way to repay you. Even if we were to serve you as your maids, it wouldn't be enough to cover our ransom... and besides, my husband's family..."

Perhaps their heated tone disturbed the baby girl in the swaddling clothes. The baby girl on the bed cried softly. Han Bi was afraid that her child would bother Chu Mingkong, so she hurriedly took the child and comforted her, saying worriedly, "Don't cry, don't cry."

Han Jing, standing nearby, also said:

“Young Prince, we are willing to serve you like a slave, but I’m afraid my sister and I can never repay your kindness in redeeming us from our servitude and saving our lives.”

Thinking of the life-saving grace, Han Jing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she dared not look Chu Mingkong in the eye.

Chu Mingkong shook his head:

"I don't need you to do anything. I didn't buy you back out of kindness. I just want to know about Han Bi's husband's family. So, whether it's useful or not, just tell me anything related to her husband's family."

These clues are very important to me, worth as much as your ransom, so don't hide them from me. I'll call someone over later, and you can tell her what they're about to say.

Seeing that her older sister Han Bi was too busy to reply to Chu Mingkong and was busy calming the baby down, Han Jing replied on her behalf:

Yes, yes!

Chu Mingkong nodded. Han Bi's child was crying violently, which was probably related to his appearance. Children are very sensitive to ominous signs, and crying is just a way for babies to express their anxiety.

"Han Jing, I remember you were implicated after visiting Han Bi's family, right? Has anything happened to your husband's family?"

The young woman shook her head, her face turning pale as she thought about her husband's family.

"No, but I should have been divorced... A woman like me was arrested and sent to the brothel without any reason, how could there be any room for me?"

Chu Mingkong nodded, somewhat expecting this situation, and said:

"Then you will work as maids here for now, handling miscellaneous tasks in the manor. Your regular wages will be paid as usual and will not be deducted from your redemption money. It will be fifteen taels of silver per person per month."

Even in the Cui family, a head maid's monthly salary was one string of cash, or one tael of silver. A personal maid would receive a little more, but it would still be two or three taels of silver. When Han Jing and Han Bi were wives, their monthly allowance was only six to eight taels. They had never heard of any family giving servants such a large sum of money.

"Thank you, Your Highness! But... isn't this a bit too much? We were already exhausted enough that Your Highness had to spend money to redeem us, and now you're giving us so much monthly pay."

"Because I don't have many maids in my household, you will have to work harder. When you have saved enough money and feel that you can go out and be independent, or go back to your husband's family, just tell me."

Chu Mingkong gave them some instructions, such as not to leave the palace casually this month, to dress ugly when in the palace, and not to reveal their surname and identity to strangers.

Besides the restrictions he himself placed on his palace, Zuo Qiuchi also left restrictions, making it quite difficult for someone to sneak in and cause damage. However, Chu Mingkong couldn't stop spies from outside from finding a high place to spy on his palace.

He was afraid that the Han woman would be seen moving around in the courtyard, otherwise all his efforts to create the illusion that they were dead by making up female corpses would be in vain.

This will require them to dress rather unattractively when they are active in the mansion.

I'll go to the brothel another day and ask Qingmei how she got that sallow-faced woman makeup done.

After giving his instructions, Chu Mingkong returned to his room to rest, but he saw Ping'er waiting at the door of his room, looking around. When she saw him return, she quickly came to greet him.

"Young Prince, you're back!"

"Hmm, what are you doing guarding my door? Is something urgent?"

Ping'er explained, "It was Second Madam Huang who sent me to find you, Your Highness, saying she has something to discuss with you..."

Zhong Feihuang came to me to discuss something. Whatever it is, we can discuss it.

Seeing the anxiety on Ping'er's face, Chu Mingkong pressed for an answer:

"Ping'er, is there something you're hiding from me? Tell me honestly."

Ping'er didn't want Chu Mingkong to know about Zhong Feihuang's scandalous affair, but she was also afraid that if Chu Mingkong went to see Zhong Feihuang, he wouldn't understand why Zhong Feihuang had such a bad temper, and the two would have a conflict.

She had no choice but to give Chu Mingkong a brief overview: "...So now, Second Madam Huang is in a bad mood. If she throws a tantrum, please be patient with her, Your Highness."

"Row."

Chu Mingkong quickly appeared at the West Mansion and opened Zhong Feihuang's bedroom door.

stunned.

Black stockings and briefs.

This art style is a bit off!

He closed the door, took a deep breath, and then reopened it.

Chapter 106 Verbal Retaliation (5/17)

Zhong Feihuang was just changing out of the clothes Chu Mingkong had given her: a pair of black stockings called "silk stockings" and a pair of underpants that were as narrow as ropes.

Just as she finished changing, Zhong Feihuang heard the sound of the door opening. Turning her gaze back, she saw Chu Mingkong staring at her for a few seconds before the door slammed shut.

Zhong Feihuang blushed crimson with embarrassment, her heart pounding, and a hint of annoyance flashed across her exquisitely beautiful face. This Chu Mingkong really was something else; he never knocked when he came to see people, and he saw it all.

She was still not used to having her stockings exposed, so while Chu Mingkong was closing the door, Zhong Feihuang put her conservative trousers back on to cover her black stockings underneath.

She sat back on the bed properly, her heart filled with turmoil.

Outside the door, Chu Mingkong thought he was seeing things and hallucinating, seeing his second sister-in-law, Huang Er, with her plump, snowy buttocks sticking out in his direction.

However, it must be said that women's body structure is really amazing. A slender young woman with narrow shoulders and a slender waist has a hip that is not at all thin.

That art style just now was off.

I've heard that art style is a bit like Schrödinger's cat; if you find the art style isn't right one day, you can just start over with a different style.

Chu Mingkong silently counted a few times, then opened the door again. His domineering sister-in-law was sitting elegantly on the edge of the bed, her arched eyebrows arching across her beautiful phoenix eyes. She looked at Chu Mingkong with annoyance.

See, this time the art style is correct.

Chu Mingkong entered her room, and before he could even sit down, he heard Zhong Feihuang say in a somewhat uneasy tone:

"Ahem, Mingkong, lock the door. I have something to tell you."

Chu Mingkong took two steps back and, feeling puzzled, locked the door from the inside.

The words Shangguan Rong had just spoken to him flashed through his mind: Zhong Feihuang, his sister-in-law, was proud and might be plotting her own escape... Could it be that she was secretly telling him that she planned to run away and that he should apologize to Aunt Gu?

Thinking about what Ping'er had said, Chu Mingkong felt it was even more likely.

This is actually not a good thing, at least not for the Cui family. Although saying this might be a bit of a denigration of Aunt Gu's role, Zhong Feihuang is currently handling all the Cui family's affairs, big and small, perfectly.

If Zhong Feihuang leaves, it will be like a tower of building blocks having a block removed from the bottom, making it easy for it to fall apart instantly, especially at this critical juncture when the turmoil in the Cui family has just subsided.

Furthermore, if Zhong Feihuang were to return to her family home in the sect to focus on her cultivation, Gu Jungui would suddenly have to shoulder so many responsibilities for the Cui family all by herself, and Chu Mingkong was quite worried that she would get overworked.

But if Zhong Feihuang really makes that decision, Chu Mingkong can't say she did anything wrong. It's perfectly normal for her to be so angry with Cui Lian that she wants to leave.

However, from Chu Mingkong's perspective, he had to persuade her!

Chu Mingkong put himself in Zhong Feihuang's shoes and thought about what she needed right now, and what would be the easiest way to keep her.

An aid to cultivation!

It would be inappropriate to use grand principles and moral condemnation to make her stay. Chu Mingkong also disliked those moral guardians. Therefore, he wanted to make her feel that staying in the Cui family was meaningful!

Although being Cui Lian's wife made her feel inferior, Chu Mingkong could fulfill Zhong Feihuang's needs in cultivation!

In the past, Chu Mingkong would just try his luck with blind boxes at times like this, but not this time. He found a few pills to aid cultivation in the cultivation section of the shop, as well as the same cultivation robe as the one he gave to Gu Jungui.

Zhong Feihuang wanted to reprimand him for always opening the door so rashly, and first establish the dominant position of the elder in this conversation, but Chu Mingkong silently took out a few toys and placed them on her lap.

Zhong Feihuang didn't know how to address his earlier rashness, and asked in confusion:

"Mingkong, what are you doing?"

Chu Mingkong naturally couldn't be so utilitarian and blatant; he explained:

"I heard that Brother Lian made you angry again, Sister-in-law Huang. I'm not good with words and I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing and make you angry again, so I picked out a gift for you. Put your anger aside for now. Sister-in-law Huang, please take a look and see if my gift is suitable?"

Zhong Feihuang now understood why Gu Jungui doted on this precious child so much; he was simply too good at coaxing people. Zhong Feihuang herself didn't lack anything, but she valued that desire to please and make the other person happy.

The shame and dissatisfaction she felt at being caught changing clothes vanished, and she thought it wouldn't hurt to let him see, since that little bastard had already seen her once before.

Her fondness for Chu Mingkong deepened, but she remained sharp-tongued, glancing casually at the gift in her hand and saying sarcastically:

"Oh~ I still remember Mingkong, last time you stuffed me with forgetfulness potion and aphrodisiac dew. Those gifts really shocked us respectable young women. Now that I hear you're going to give me a gift, I'm worried sick. What if your Aunt Gu misunderstands? What if Keqing finds out and gets jealous of me?"

“Then I’ll go and explain. I can’t let you worry about this, Sister-in-law Huang. You’re always so concerned about the affairs of the Cui family. You even took care of the funeral arrangements at the East Mansion for several days. It’s no exaggeration to say that you’re the backbone of the family.”

Zhong Feihuang felt a pang of sadness. She had gone to great lengths to take care of the Cui family. The old lady was getting on in years, and whenever she fell ill, it was Zhong Feihuang who went to find famous doctors. In the end, when Cui Lian did such a thing, the old lady didn't say a word in her defense, only protecting her grandson.

"...Hmph, you have sharp eyes, so what did you send this time?"

Chu Mingkong explained, referring to the words in the product description:

"This is the Jade Maiden Bone-Changing Pill, which is perfect for your current cultivation level, Sister-in-law Huang, to cleanse your marrow and refine your meridians. It's a fourth-grade pill, and its effects are excellent."

The process of cleansing the marrow and purifying the meridians is a necessary step between the second and third stages of cultivation. It is painful, but the benefits are immense. In reality, one can undergo this process at every stage, but it requires elixirs. However, the conditions for refining these elixirs are demanding, and their formation is extremely difficult. Only core disciples of cultivation families have the opportunity to obtain a few.

"This gauze dress might look a bit... alluring, but it's also suitable for you, Sister-in-law Huang, to use while you're seriously cultivating. With your help, Aunt Gu and Sister-in-law Keqing's cultivation levels are rising rapidly, but you, Sister-in-law Huang, are being held back and have no time to cultivate. So I found a couple of suitable toys for you."

In the future, Cui Lian might do some absurd things that annoy you, Sister-in-law Huang. Just treat it as a fly bothering you for a moment, and focus on your cultivation. With these things, cultivating in the Cui family won't be any slower than cultivating in a sect's sacred ground.”

Zhong Feihuang: "......"

Zhong Feihuang called him over specifically today, partly out of revenge against her husband, and partly out of a momentary impulse.

Irrational impulses come and go quickly.

She had just impulsively put on the stockings and underpants that Chu Mingkong had given her, but after putting them back on, she had calmed down.