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

With just one glance, Xiao Zhi had already taken in the entire situation inside. Before she was too stunned to move, she dodged to the side and returned to her room in horror, sitting on the bed with a bewildered expression.

Xiao Zhi was upset and confused. She hadn't expected Wan Hua and Ming Kong to have this kind of relationship. The scene from just now reappeared in her mind. The soundproof barrier blocked the sound, but Ming Kong's intense embrace made the sounds of that night echo in Xiao Zhi's mind.

That night was undoubtedly awkward for Chu Mingkong. To conceal the truth about the jade dildo, it's hard to imagine how he could hold it while embracing her. But for Xiao Zhi, whose eyes were covered, it all felt incredibly real.

The rhythmic sounds of embraces, the deep, trembling emotions—all felt incredibly real on that blind night.

...Just now, Wan Hua seemed to be wearing her princess robe?

Is Wan Hua impersonating her to have intimate and pleasurable relations with Ming Kong?

--------------

Chu Mingkong suddenly froze, a question arising in his mind, because he heard a continuous stream of filial piety donations arriving.

Actually, he hadn't heard such sounds for a while, because Xiaoxiang Qin Academy was giving them out too frequently, so he asked the Filial Piety System to help block the sounds.

This time, the sound of the payment arriving came from Princess Chu, who slept in the next room...

Wasn't he sleeping? Why is he suddenly using a jade dildo to send him filial piety points?!

He was confused. The cat tail and the jade dildo had been left at the mansion after they were used. He thought Xiao Zhi had already thrown them away, but it turned out they were still there.

But why would she be here at this time...? It's understandable, everyone has some needs, and when she suddenly realized Wan Hua wasn't there, she naturally had to take care of something.

After recovering from her exhaustion, Consort Wan said:

"Mingkong, I have to go, otherwise Zhi'er will realize something is wrong when she wakes up."

"It might not be convenient over there right now," Chu Mingkong stopped Consort Wan.

"No rush, let's wait a bit... I mean, uh... let's continue!"

Chapter 240 The Secret of the Wall?

When Consort Wan returned to her room, it was already late at night. In fact, Princess Chu had finished her business quite early, but fearing that she might not be asleep yet and that some cleanup was needed, Chu Mingkong kept Consort Wan a little longer, chatting with her about all sorts of things.

She got really sleepy as they talked, so Chu Mingkong took her back to the next room.

"But what if we've been discovered?" Chu Mingkong scratched his head, unsure of what to do. "But given Xiao Zhi's personality, if she finds out, she'll probably be furious and won't be so calm... It's just that Wan Hua has been gone for so long, she must be suspicious. What if she suddenly goes back to her room?"

Both possibilities were quite convincing in Chu Mingkong's mind. He was troubled for a moment, but soon he let it go and stopped worrying about it.

Any problems can be dealt with later. What can he possibly figure out by just fiddling around here all by himself? Let me worry about this tomorrow. I've had my fun, so I should relax and rest now.

Chu Mingkong lay back on the bed like a lazy bum, turned to his side with his head on the pillow, and took out the letter that the Gu family had handed over from his storage ring.

Sure enough, the letter was full of letters from girls in the capital. Jin Yu, Yong Zhen, and Shangguan Rong all had letters. I don’t know what excuse they used to go to the Cui residence and ask Aunt Gu to help deliver the letters to Xiling.

Unfortunately, each letter contained little content, and he didn't even dare to write his name. They mostly asked how things were going and whether he would return to the capital.

It wasn't that they didn't want to write the letter clearly, but rather that they didn't know the situation in Xiling. If Xiling had been secretly taken over by the royal family or the Xiao family, their letter would definitely have been intercepted, and they would have to open it to see what was happening.

Oh dear, Chu Mingkong had an affair with the princess and even ran back to Xiling under the guise of finding medicine for the emperor. This is a direct crime of deceiving the emperor. Their concern is tantamount to harming Chu Mingkong. That's why the contents of these letters are very simple. But the simpler the letters are, the more it shows their concern and care. Otherwise, they wouldn't have written the letters.

Jin Yu's letter made it even clearer:

[To the person who can't seem to get enough milk: I've written a letter, but Sister Rong'er seems to have guessed I'd write to you, and came to warn me beforehand not to send letters to Xiling indiscriminately, and not to write too much in the letters either. When are you coming back? I want some milk.]

"Oh, if only this paper template could be finished sooner. I could go to the street during the day to buy some local specialties and send them back. I think I promised Rong'er that I would give her a Xiling inkstone."

Chu Mingkong had considered getting something from the Filial Piety Mall, but then he thought it wasn't a good idea. What if it got robbed on the way? That would be a huge loss. He decided it would be better to buy some local specialties and send them back.

Consider it a token of reassurance that I am safe and sound. If there are any new or interesting items, I will personally hand them over when I return to the capital.

Although Chu Mingkong regretted that these letters were too simple, he could still read each one carefully for a long time, trying to understand the feelings of the women who wrote them, which was quite a wonderful thing.

By the time Chu Mingkong finished reading the letter, it was already dawn. He hadn't slept all night, but he felt refreshed, cheerful, and incredibly relaxed.

"I was planning to call Wan Hua out for a rendezvous and chat for the next two nights in a row, but I feel like I might not be able to tonight. Xiao Zhi will definitely ask Wan Hua what she did last night, and if she doesn't show up for a long time tonight, it will be quite obvious."

The two rooms are separated by only one wall, but the distance becomes vast once night falls.

......Um?

and many more!

If the obstacle is a wall, then why not just make a hole in the wall?

Chu Mingkong remembered that the layout of the city lord's bedroom was such that the bed was right next to this wall. If Consort Wan slept on the inside, which was the side against the wall, wouldn't the secrecy of their actions be maximized?

It works!

He quickly took out his stack of slips of paper and first wrote "Have you arrived at the sect safely?" on the slip corresponding to Xiao Yunhan's slip. Xiao Yunhan's slip was sent to the Wenqing Pavilion by the elders, and he guessed that she had not received the slip yet.

Chu Mingkong then found Consort Wan's copy, erased the information written yesterday, and rewrote it using his finger as a pen:

[Chu Mingkong: Mother, if we cannot meet tonight, I hope that when you go to bed, you will sleep on the side of the embroidered couch against the wall.]

After the message was "sent," Chu Mingkong walked out of the room and found that his two mothers next door had not yet gotten up. So he left Tianya Tower and went to browse the shops in the city to see what local specialties he wanted to buy to send back to the capital.

The sooner this matter is completed, the better. The sooner it is sent out, the sooner the young ladies and elders in the capital will know that he is safe and sound.

After wandering the streets for a short while, Chu Mingkong sensed a message from a note. However, it wasn't from Consort Wan, as she probably hadn't gotten up yet. The message came from his master, Zuo Qiuchi.

"Sigh, this is such a hassle to search like this. The elders of Tianya Tower really need to pay more attention and quickly improve the user experience! I wonder what Master wrote over here." Chu Mingkong muttered to himself as he opened the note.

[Zuo Qiuchi: What are you doing? Bring your teacher some breakfast.]

Chu Mingkong pondered for a moment, then wrote with his middle finger:

[Chu Mingkong: I'm going to the supermarket to go on a shopping spree!]

Shortly after, Zuo Qiuchi replied:

[Zuo Qiuchi: What kind of nonsense is this?]

Chu Mingkong replied that he would bring breakfast, then put away the note and went shopping.

Choosing a gift is a difficult task, but fortunately, this time the gift sent back doesn't require too much consideration of preferences; it's more about letting people know I'm safe and sound, and bringing some local specialties.

If Chu Mingkong were to give a gift that was not appreciated, he could simply say it was a local specialty and that there was nothing he could do if the local specialty was not liked.

------------

When the Princess Consort of Chu woke up, Consort Wan was still fast asleep. She was too tired last night. If she didn't sleep, she could stay awake and keep her spirits up. But once she lay down, it would be hard for her to wake up unless there was some danger around her.

Princess Chu sat up from the embroidered couch and remained silent for a long while without making any move.

She turned around and glanced at her sister, Consort Wan. The scene she had seen through the crack in the window last night resurfaced in her mind, making her feel both agitated and shocked.

Unexpectedly, the truth behind the subtle closeness between Consort Wan and Chu Mingkong was actually this...

Upon discovering this, shouldn't she be angry and furious? She didn't understand why what she cared about more at the moment was why Consort Wan would wear her clothes and impersonate her to do what Chu Mingkong did.

Was it Chu Mingkong's idea, or Consort Wan's own idea?

With her thoughts in disarray, the Princess of Chu decided to get up and go outside for a walk to get some fresh air.

She remembered that she had discovered this secret in the note yesterday. As if possessed, she picked up the note that Consort Wan had not put away properly and discovered new contents inside.

After the woman woke up, her bewildered expression gradually turned into confusion.

"The inside of the bed? Is there any particular significance to it?" Princess Chu murmured, erasing the contents of the note.

Chapter 241 Something's Wrong!

The gifts to be sent back have been selected, including inkstones, salted fish, dried fruit, wood carvings, and pendants, emphasizing items that are easy to preserve and have local characteristics.

However, Chu Mingkong had a strong survival instinct and was afraid that the girls would start comparing themselves to each other. If Jin Yu saw that Shangguan Rong had an exquisite inkstone while she herself was just a lazy bum, it would be bad if misunderstandings arose. Therefore, Chu Mingkong did not differentiate between gifts, so everyone received the same gift.

The owner of the salted fish shop was grinning from ear to ear; someone had bought out his entire stock in one go.

If this thing can be safely delivered to the capital to report that everything is alright, then it's considered a success. If it can't be delivered, it doesn't matter, as it won't reveal anything.

During the daytime, Chu Mingkong used the gradually resuming operations of the private escort agencies to send gifts to the Cui family in the capital. For a single person, it might be a small package, but with many people sending gifts, it piled up into a small mountain.

Seeing this number, Chu Mingkong realized just how ridiculously he had been called a sea dog. But... since he had already started licking, he couldn't just suddenly become focused on licking only one, could he? He would definitely keep licking without hesitation, otherwise it would be a waste.

The remaining daytime hours are relatively free. Tianya City has recently returned to normal, and the "cleaning up" has been completed. However, this kind of thing is not like playing whack-a-mole. Everyone is eager for you to see them and stick their heads out to get hit. There are definitely some lurking and watching.

Chu Mingkong couldn't do anything about these incredibly patient guys. The only solution he could think of was to keep them in touch with him on paper.

It's not terrible that something went wrong in Xiling; what's terrible is that something went wrong but he was completely unaware of it until the situation became irreversible and he finally realized what was happening.

Now, Chu Mingkong has his own "internal network," although it is rather rudimentary. However, he can communicate with Xiaoxiang Qin Academy to establish a friendly relationship and get more disciples from Xiaoxiang Qin Academy to train in Xiling. This will basically solve the problem of the lack of support.

If Master's wife Shen Xuejun and her sister Xiao Yunhan had not gone into seclusion, contacting them would have been even more foolproof.

He returned to Qingxin Prefecture, took out the breakfast he had bought in Tianya City, and fed it to Fengying and Zuo Qiuchi.

Zuo Qiuchi gave a brief, sharp critique of the breakfast in Xiling, finding it inferior to the snacks Chu Mingkong had casually prepared. He then began to eat anyway, asking:

"Mingkong, what do you mean by the 'supermarket' and 'shopping spree' you just wrote?"

"This... is rather complicated. You can think of it as a sophisticated expression of deep respect and filial piety towards an elder, relative, or friend." Chu Mingkong nodded seriously.

Feng Ying knew that Chu Mingkong was definitely talking nonsense, or even just writing something to Zuo Qiuchi. At that time, Zuo Qiuchi asked Chu Mingkong to buy breakfast, and what Chu Mingkong meant was that he would clear out the morning market for her by shopping and bring back breakfast.

Feng Ying was surprised that Zuo Qiuchi actually started analyzing it seriously. She pondered and said:

"Judging from the pauses, it seems that shopping sprees are meant for close relatives like friends and elders, right?"

Chu Mingkong nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right."

Zuo Qiuchi possessed exceptional talent and quickly grasped how to utilize it:

"Mingkong, Fengying, you two go on a shopping spree. In my supermarket... is this how it's used?"

Chu Mingkong thought it was good: "It's not impossible, but I hope it can be a bit rough."

Kazekage: "???"

--------------

As evening fell, Chu Mingkong returned to the City Lord's Pavilion to have a heart-to-heart talk with his two mothers.

Because of what happened last night, Chu Mingkong was a little uneasy, while Consort Wan, unaware that the Princess Consort of Chu had woken up last night, was quite relaxed and chatted and laughed.

Chu Mingkong noticed something rather unusual: the Princess Consort of Chu had never asked about Consort Wan's departure and disappearance the previous night. This was something she shouldn't have left unasked about. Judging from Consort Wan's demeanor, it didn't seem like it had been mentioned during the day, otherwise she wouldn't have been so relaxed.