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

Consort Wan was stunned, feeling melancholy and reluctant to part:

"If you want to spend more time with your mother, then take her to an inn and book a room..."

Chapter 123 Listen to Yongzhen (20/26)

When Chu Mingkong escorted Consort Wan back to the Minister's residence, it was already late at night, perfectly aligning with the timeline of Madam Zhen's visit.

Damn it, do we really have to work overtime this much today?

If it weren't for the impossibility of their positions and logic, Chu Mingkong would have begun to suspect that these royal noblewomen were doing it on purpose, each dividing up their time slots to plot against him, not even giving him time to rest after finishing with one person, and rushing directly to the next.

While at the inn, Chu Mingkong tried some other things with Consort Wan, and it seemed he now knew how the kind elder of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy had sent him three acts of filial piety at the same time.

...Although he had only used the jade's power and his own efforts just now,

It put Consort Wan in a pincer movement, but one can imagine how hard that kind-hearted elder must have worked.

Before going to Xiaoxiang Qin Academy, I must take a few more jade dildos to give to the elders there!

They all cared for him so warmly, fearing that he wouldn't have enough money to spend while he was away, so they gave him pocket money every day. How could they let their enthusiasm go to waste because of insufficient resources?

Don't let waiting become a regret!

We strive to provide each female elder with three sets of equipment, working together on all three fronts!

Chu Mingkong walked out of the Minister's residence, supporting his lower back. Although he didn't feel any problem with his strength, he was still experiencing some phantom pain.

"Consort Wan is really ruthless... Women who have practiced dancing do have extraordinary waist strength. But it's good, I managed to say goodbye to all the people I needed to say goodbye to in one go today, so I won't have so many worries when I leave later."

As Chu Mingkong approached the princess's courtyard, he checked again to see if he had any feminine scent or marks like lipstick or strawberry prints on his body.

Actually, he didn't need to be so nervous during the inspection, because Madam Zhen wouldn't turn on the lights later. Madam Zhen was even more nervous than Chu Mingkong, so there was no chance to check for any traces. As long as the smell wasn't too obvious, it would be fine.

"I feel like if I leave the yard before dawn, I'll probably have to lean against the wall to get out."

----------

In the princess's boudoir.

Only one candle was lit in the room, its dim, yellowish light standing steadily on the edge of the bath tub, its glow transforming into shimmering ripples on the surface of the water where petals floated.

Yongzhen lay in the bathtub, the dim candlelight unable to conceal her flawless, jade-like skin. Her breasts floated on the water's surface due to buoyancy, and two pink petals perfectly covered the peaks of her white breasts.

She stared at the ceiling in thought, her bright eyes slowly closing as her fair body sank into the water, leaving only the gurgling sound of the pool.

“Something of mine has been transferred to my mother’s side,” Yongzhen thought.

The spiritual connection between Yongzhen and Madam Zhen sometimes results in something being left behind in the other person during the exchange.

Yongzhen occasionally receives fragmented memories from her mother, memories that are indistinct and difficult to understand. However, through repeated exchanges, Yongzhen gradually begins to deduce some of the secrets of the palace.

These memories would sometimes transfer back to the mother, and sometimes back again. Yongzhen had long suspected that one day they might not be able to transfer them anymore, and that one day their memories would become completely confused, and they wouldn't be able to tell who was who.

However, so far, the one most affected is the mother, Madam Zhen.

While soaking in the water, Yongzhen pondered what she had "left behind" with her mother this time.

When Yongzhen discovered Chu Mingkong meeting with her mother in private today, she knew what it was—it was affection!

At first, Yongzhen was indeed dissatisfied with Chu Mingkong's random gift-giving, but he kept making the mother and daughter happy with his witty remarks, accompanied them to the Lantern Festival, and later stood up for Jinyu on Qing'an Street. Yongzhen should have had some good feelings towards Chu Mingkong.

She recalled her feelings towards Chu Mingkong back then, and realized she must have had some affection for him. However, seeing him secretly meeting with her mother today, Yongzhen didn't feel much.

"Did my slight goodwill towards Chu Mingkong get transferred to my mother?"

This is a tricky matter, but putting in all her effort is useless. It's like she recently discovered that her soul can't be returned, and she can only passively accept it. If she wants to make a change, the only way right now is to find a way to cultivate her skills to a higher level.

...However, my mouth gets so tired from holding this crystal bead in my mouth for so long.

During this time, even when she was reading during the day, she would wear a veil and bite the bead under the veil.

She was also worried that her mouth might stretch out and become ugly as a result.

Yongzhen took the bead off her lips, and after a moment of melancholy and exhaustion, she put it back on her lips.

"Forget it, I was just a little bit away from advancing this broken cultivation technique to the next level. I wonder what changes this level will bring, and whether I can completely get rid of this passive soul-exchange problem?"

----------

After entering the room, Chu Mingkong, following the previous rules, took out the bellyband given to him by "Yongzhen" and covered his face and eyes.

Then, like a bride waiting for her veil to be lifted, he sat on the edge of the bed waiting for "Yongzhen" to come to him.

"What if things are exposed? This can't go on forever. How can I confess to Madam Zhen and also to Yongzhen without upsetting her...?"

Yongzhen, although you are a little older than me, we will call each other by our own names from now on. I will spoil you like your father would. If you say that, Yongzhen will probably get angry and chop him up.

"I'm exhausted. I'd better not think about this for now. Anyway, we won't be exposed for the time being. Maybe I'll come up with a solution after I leave Beijing?"

Madam Zhen could sense Chu Mingkong approaching the courtyard. In Chu Mingkong's assessment, her mental strength was not particularly strong, but she could always detect his presence in the vicinity.

Chu Mingkong heard the door open and began to feign ignorance:

"Yongzhen, you're here! I was so worried about you. Madam Zhen said you weren't feeling well."

Madam Zhen replied in a soft, concise voice, using a high-pitched tone:

"That was a lie to my mother; I just wanted to invite you over."

Chu Mingkong wanted to tell Madam Zhen that, even with her voice, she didn't quite sound like Yongzhen. Although Yongzhen's voice was gentle, her tone was somewhat aloof and arrogant, quite different from Madam Zhen's. But if she was playing dumb, she shouldn't have so many opinions.

"I knew it was like that. Luckily, I was just worrying for nothing. I'm glad you're not really sick. Is your throat still not better?"

"Not yet." Madam Zhen went over and first warned him not to touch her indiscriminately, before taking his hand in hers. "Mingkong, I heard from your mother that you plan to leave the capital?"

Chu Mingkong hummed in agreement and nodded.

"This is all I can do. I'm so sad to part with you, Yongjin."

Hearing him call out his daughter's name so affectionately, Madam Zhen felt a pang of pain in her heart. She had thought about many things, but she still couldn't think of a way to be honest with Chu Mingkong and maintain their relationship.

Thinking that she would not see her for a long time to come, Madam Zhen felt a deep sense of loss.

Anyway, there's nothing particularly valuable about this body.

"Mingkong, how about we do something different tonight?"

Chu Ming thought to himself, "Just as I thought... I really will have to lean on the wall to leave tomorrow."

"Listen to Yongzhen."

------

P.S.: Taking a break tonight, feeling a bit sleepy while fishing, so please don't wait up.

Chapter 124: Shayna-style empathy (21/26)

How long have I been playing games and joking around with Madam Zhen like this? It feels like a long time, ever since the "Yongzhen" era. I've always felt that she's very good at taking care of his feelings when playing games.

Now that Madam Zhen had actually brought it up herself, Chu Mingkong had anticipated this day, but when he actually heard Madam Zhen say it, he was extremely uneasy.

This unease stemmed from Madam Zhen and Yongzhen's martial arts techniques. Chu Mingkong was not fond of using his brain, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it. It just meant that he spent a lot of mental energy thinking about those wild and unrestrained thoughts.

He still didn't understand how Madam Zhen and Yongzhen's soul swap had happened. From what he knew, it seemed to be related to their cultivation techniques; such techniques involving soul cultivation were extremely rare. Chu Mingkong was worried that when he merged with Madam Zhen, Yongzhen might swap souls with her again...

If he were facing an enemy, Chu Mingkong would simply need to know where the other party was, then rush over and attack them; if he couldn't win, he would run away. However, in this special situation, he needed to face Yongzhen. Chu Mingkong couldn't handle this matter with such crude logic; he hadn't figured out how to face Yongzhen yet.

Once such a thought entered his mind, Chu Mingkong found himself completely stunned.

No, this isn't me. Could it be that after a long day of running around, I've become a sage, contemplating the meaning of life?

I can only try some foreplay to distract myself.

"Yongzhen, can I touch you tonight? It's been so long since I've touched you."

Madam Zhen was uneasy. She felt that there was a difference between her body and Yongzhen's, and if Chu Mingkong touched her randomly, it would be easy to give herself away.

"I can't let you touch whatever you want. Wherever you want to touch, I can hold your hand and guide you to touch it."

That works too, as long as I can touch her. You don't need to look directly at Madam Zhen's charm; just touch her skin, which is as smooth as a freshly peeled egg, and all your unease will be overwhelmed by desire.

"Then, I want to touch Yongzhen's bellyband."

The woman took Chu Mingkong's hand, chuckled softly, and placed his hand on his face—there was a bodice covering his eyes.

Chu Mingkong: "...That's not what I wanted to touch."

"This is also the undergarment I gave you, Mingkong. Although I washed it before giving it to you, it should still have my scent on it, right?"

"What? It's been washed? No wonder it smells a little unfamiliar. Yongzhen, shouldn't you give me a new one to cover my eyes? I'll turn my back and not peek at you. Can you help me change into a bellyband to cover my eyes?"

"But we don't have any clean undergarments in this room. I'll get you a new one next time."

“When did Yongzhen become so stingy with me? I feel like you’re only wearing one piece of clothing.”

Chu Mingkong had already turned around, his hands behind his back groping haphazardly, feeling the soft fullness of her bodice with his palms. The woman slapped his hands away impatiently.

"You know it's something I'm wearing, and I've been wearing it all day! It might smell a little..."

"Wouldn't that be even better?" Chu Mingkong didn't mind at all. "Come on, time is precious, Yongzhen, hurry up and change. Otherwise, I'll just leave you alone. Don't you even want me to smell your fragrance?"

Madam Zhen had already taken a bath before Chu Mingkong arrived, but she hadn't changed her clothes. She was afraid that changing too many clothes in one day would arouse Yongzhen's suspicion, so when she arrived, she was wearing the undergarment she wore during the day.

She hesitated, because the undergarment she gave Chu Mingkong last time was one she had swapped with Yongzhen's. Even if there was a lingering scent, it was definitely Yongzhen's and wouldn't arouse Chu Mingkong's suspicion. But now...

Madam Zhen couldn't persuade Chu Mingkong otherwise, so she covered his face with her own undergarment and blindfold, and walked to his front to check if it was tied properly.

Chu Mingkong, inhaling the rich, sweet scent of milk, felt his heart flutter, and his unease vanished. He feigned ignorance and said:

"Yongzhen, why does it taste a little different from before? It seems kind of familiar."

The woman hurriedly pinched his nose through the fabric of her bodice to stop him from smelling it, and explained:

"It smells like cosmetics, very ordinary. They must have changed their cosmetics, so it smells different. Why don't we change it back? You're not allowed to touch it."

Chu Mingkong seized the opportunity to grasp her hand and said:

"No need to change it, this smells nice too, I like it."

Madam Zhen's cheeks flushed, and she abandoned the idea of ​​exchanging them, unsure of what to say.