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

"Just a few days? You should at least consider interest when you borrow money, a few days isn't enough."

"Then Princess Jinyu, how about we compensate you for a few days' worth of milk?"

Jin Yu leaned against him, raised her eyebrows in thought, and said:

“This princess is not as domineering and greedy as Yongzhen, so I won’t make things too difficult for you. These few days of suffering, including interest, will take at least a year and a half. Considering that you might be under pressure to supply goods, Mingkong, I can give you a reasonable extension, and you can pay back in ten years or so, and come to pay every day.”

How can the installment interest be so outrageous? Is this predatory lending? Even capitalists would weep at their own incompetence.

Chu Mingkong exchanged for a bottle of milk and asked:

"Does Princess Jinyu want this flavor of milk to repay the interest, or something else?"

Jin Yu slowly slid off Chu Mingkong, bent her legs and sat on the carpet in the carriage, holding the bottle of milk in one hand and the sturdy dust handle in the other.

"Pay off my debts? Of course, I'll pay them off with whatever I have. You're already thinking about hoarding goods before you've even finished paying them off?"

"That was indeed my oversight. It would be appropriate to give as much as possible." Chu Mingkong stroked Jin Yu's rosy cheeks.

The beautiful princess smiled charmingly, opened the milk bottle, poured the thick yogurt onto Chu Mingkong, and then enjoyed the milk herself without missing a beat.

Chu Mingkong suddenly thought that one day he should really let Jin Yu and Feng Ying have a match to see who can play more fancy moves.

------

PS: In some Ming and Qing dynasty novels, "尘柄" (chenbing) refers to a man's genitals, for example, in "The Monk with the Lampwick," etc.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lost

Inside the princess's residence.

Chu Mingkong lay on Jin Yu's bed, while the girl nestled in his arms, occasionally taking Chu Mingkong's hand and placing it on her pink thighs or fleshy buttocks.

Chu Mingkong naturally wouldn't refuse, and then try to act like a virtuous gentleman, remaining unmoved by his touch. As he touched her, Jin Yu's little mouth would occasionally hum a comfortable and lazy sound, just like a lazy Persian cat that had been being petted and made comfortable.

"It's been a while since I last saw you, and Jinyu has become even more enthusiastic towards me."

"It's not getting any more enthusiastic! I've always been this enthusiastic towards Chu Lang. When we first met, you slapped my bottom, but I didn't even hold it against you. That's how enthusiastic I am!"

Chu Mingkong could hardly remember what happened back then, but the soft and bouncy feel was still vivid in his mind. Even the feelings he had at that time had never faded from his memory. The feel was really good!

If the initial one or two slaps to Jinyu were just to annoy her, later it was simply an addiction to hitting her, and she wanted to do it whenever she had the chance.

He smiled, rubbed his plump, full-moon-shaped palm, and said:

"So, was Jinyu angry back then?"

“Yes, I was so angry that I even stepped on you, Chu Lang… You can’t even touch a tiger’s butt, let alone a princess like me!” Jin Yu’s head rested against his chest.

"You got angry later?"

"...That's partly true. I can't be angry because I have a good relationship with Chu Lang," Jin Yu replied guiltily, her words not entirely sincere.

I should say that I'm not angry at all; on the contrary, I like that feeling.

Sometimes, when she bathed without the maids' help, she would wash her thighs and knead her breasts herself. The intimacy between her hands and skin gradually brought her comfort and pleasure, though it was tiring to do it herself. It would be much better if Chu Lang could do it for her.

He enjoyed touching her, she felt comfortable being touched, and Chu Lang liked her even more because he was comfortable touching her, so it was a win-win situation.

Chu Mingkong sensed the girl's restless desires and her somewhat unruly behavior.

He fed Jinyu once in the carriage, and when they returned to the princess's residence, he lay there like this, with Jinyu lying on top of him, her plump and soft thighs pressed tightly together, pressing against Chu Mingkong's troubled root.

She was too shy to bring it up first. Although she was eager to do so, she wanted to leave a glimpse of her reserved and demure demeanor in Chu Lang's mind. So she made some small moves to make Chu Mingkong lose his composure first and make him act rashly.

"Jinyu, now that I've rubbed it all out for you, can you tell me why you looked so worried when you got on the carriage?" Chu Mingkong was afraid that something had happened to her in the palace.

"It's about Yongzhen and Madam Zhen... It makes Jinyu a little worried. Once they leave, who will I be able to talk to?" Jinyu muttered.

Without seeing her attitude, Chu Mingkong had forgotten how good Jin Yu's relationship with Yong Zhen was at the beginning. It was the night he first entered the princess's courtyard to spy and confirm the situation that he saw Jin Yu not wearing her undergarment anymore, swaying her breasts and showing off to Yong Zhen.

If their relationship were just average, Jin Yu wouldn't have trusted him to this extent. However, Jin Yu's angry words later made Chu Mingkong very suspicious of their fake sisterhood.

“That’s true. You can never have too few people to talk to. Losing even one person will make you sad for a long time,” Chu Mingkong agreed with her.

"Well, and what's more, this marriage arrangement was made without any warning. It just happened out of the blue... I don't know what Father Emperor was thinking. If the person being married off to was the heir of a powerful country like the Celestial Empire, then it would be a good match. But for a small power like the Crescent Moon Kingdom, they could just find a daughter from a collateral branch of the royal family to marry into that country. Why send Yongzhen?"

Jin Yu's words sound like she has a sense of superiority and looks down on others, but... she probably doesn't have a sense of superiority, but she does look down on the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

The Crescent Kingdom may have the word "kingdom" in its name, but it's actually a complete mess. The so-called legitimate line of the old royal family of Crescent Moon is, in reality, just a small tribe with the bloodline of the old royal family. They can't even conquer other tribes and can only seek help through marriage alliances.

In Jin Yu's eyes, what was the difference between this and her best friend marrying into a bandit stronghold? The bandit stronghold could manage its own territory well and be its own local emperor, while the Crescent Kingdom couldn't even hold its own and was not even as good as the bandit stronghold.

Respect is earned, not given by others. How can the old royal family be respected?

“Yongzhen is suddenly going to be married off without any discussion. What if I end up like that someday?” Jinyu said, her mood becoming quite downcast.

Chu Mingkong grinned heartlessly, unable to suppress his amused feelings as he looked at Jin Yu's reaction.

Previously, Jin Yu had repeatedly said that she would propose a marriage alliance with Xiling to her father. Now that Xiling's situation has changed and Chu Mingkong's circumstances have also changed, Jin Yu understands that such a thing is unlikely. Therefore, she no longer naively says that she will try to seek understanding from her father by saying something like that.

"I'll find a way to sneak you out during this time, so you don't have to worry about anything else. Just be happy every day." Chu Mingkong stroked the princess's smooth, pink back.

Jin Yu smiled sweetly upon hearing his assurance; many of her concerns were dispelled by his words. She then heard Chu Mingkong continue:

"But you'll have to wait a bit."

The theft of people is basically a one-shot operation. If someone is missing from the beginning, Chu Mingkong's plan might be discovered, the royal family's vigilance would be heightened, and it would be difficult to smuggle the people still in the capital out.

To be on the safe side, either do nothing, or if you do move, take them all in one go.

"I can wait, as long as Chu Lang is by my side." Jin Yu answered cheerfully, then whispered softly, pleadingly, "...Ming Kong, I'm itchy~"

"If it itches, just scratch it. Where does it itch?" Chu Mingkong pretended to be confused.

"My heart is itching again, can you massage and rub it for me?" Jin Yu continued to hint, her soft thighs rubbing against each other.

"Is this alright?" Chu Mingkong placed his hand back on her beloved.

"...and other places are itchy too~" Jin Yu's face was flushed, her eyes were alluring, and her shy charm was particularly captivating. She said coquettishly, "Ming Kong, stop pretending. Your thing is so hard it's trembling. I've been telling Jin Yu for a while that I wanted to come in and play. Don't just listen to your gentlemanly words and make that honest thing feel bad!"

Chu Mingkong smiled incessantly. He and Jin Yu turned over, placing the beautiful woman's delicate body on the soft couch. Jin Yu took the initiative to place her jade-like feet on Chu Mingkong's shoulders in advance.

"Why aren't you moving again!" Jin Yu said, feigning anger.

"I'm a bit lost. I've come to a fork in the road, with paths leading up and down. I don't know which way to go to exorcise demons."

"...It's been a long time since we last met, Mingkong, you've been so busy... These are all wonderful places, we have to explore them all!"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Jin Yu: I also want to experience what it's like to be the Princess Consort of Chu

Chu Mingkong had already learned a lot from Yongzhen, but now that he had actually met Jinyu, he couldn't help but ask again. Perhaps he would make some new discoveries?

"Jinyu, after the Emperor awoke, did you seek out your father?"

"We've searched, but haven't found anything. Since Father Emperor woke up, he hasn't left his palace. Even the imperial physicians he summons have to stay near the palace and aren't allowed to enter or leave without permission. At first, they said his injuries had just healed, but now they say there are doubts about his initial illness, and they're investigating from all sides until things are clear before he goes out."

But who in the palace could lay a hand on Father Emperor? This has forced Mother Empress to minimize her movements and spend most of her time in her room to avoid suspicion.

Chu Mingkong knew some of the inside story. Back then, "Lady Baili" had told him a story, and the dog emperor's sudden illness was related to her.

Now, Empress Pei is no longer trying to avoid suspicion; she is genuinely starting to worry.

Not to mention herself, Chu Mingkong was already thinking about what kind of misfortune would occur if Empress Pei's true intentions were exposed.

Chu Mingkong asked:

"So now... what's the situation in the palace? Has security become tighter as a result? What's the situation like during court sessions?"

Jin Yu quickly said:

"Mingkong, you mustn't risk going into the palace these days. It's heavily guarded. If it weren't for the incident with Yongzhen that gave me an excuse to leave, I might still be stuck in the palace right now."

Even a casual stroll around the palace is accompanied by a large group of people, making me feel uncomfortable everywhere.

As for attending court, it's still the mother who represents him. However, many matters are no longer discussed in court; even if the ministers do discuss them, it's pointless. There are piles of memorials delivered to the door, but the Emperor barely pays any attention to them.

That was truly formidable. There were countless power struggles in the imperial court, but regardless of whether a decision was good or bad, it had to be finalized in the court before those below knew what to do.

Just like when a drought or famine occurs, the imperial court has to make a decision before the people below will take action. Otherwise, the prefectures and cities will remain inactive, watching and letting the famine and chaos continue.

"That's outrageous! Doesn't he just stay there all day recovering and sleeping? Doesn't he get bored?"

"How would I know? But I did see some Buddhist practitioners with hair still attached, holding prayer beads in their hands, hanging around near Father Emperor's palace. I don't know if they were offering advice on Father Emperor's illness or something, but it seems they were helping Father Emperor handle some political affairs."

Listening to this, Chu Mingkong thought it sounded like... bypassing the imperial court and establishing their own decision-making body? And they were even becoming pro-Buddhist?

Forget it, there's no use worrying about these things. We can rest easy for now on Xiling.

We might have to go to the palace again sometime in the future, so it's best not to risk going in without proper preparation.

Chu Mingkong made up his mind and then said:

"Jinyu, you should stay at the princess's residence outside the palace for the time being. I will try to visit you as often as possible."

Jin Yu thought the same thing. She had thought that even if it was boring in the palace, she could at least chat with her mother occasionally. If she couldn't find Yong Zhen outside the palace, it would be even worse than being in the palace.

Now that she knows her lover has returned, she no longer cares about the Empress Dowager or anything like that.

"Well, Mingkong, where are you staying now? You can't go back to your palace, right? The Cui family?"

You can't say he had a good time at Princess Yongzhen's residence all night; if you did, Jinyu and Yongzhen's sisterly bond would be broken again.

"...That's right, I just found a place to stay. I'm pretending to be a stranger now, a member of the Yongzhen royal family. Which inn would be willing to pay me to stay!" Chu Mingkong finished speaking and regretfully realized that he had become a flirtatious man. "Besides, it's nothing for cultivators to live in the open. They use the ground as their bed and the sky as their blanket. Where to stay is a small problem."

Jin Yu didn't think too much about it or have any doubts. Mainly, she didn't think Chu Mingkong had anywhere to go. The most likely place he would go was the Cui family, but he might accidentally expose his whereabouts and cause them trouble. So, it was understandable that he would have to sleep in the open.

"Then Mingkong, why don't you stay here with me? Anyway, you have the ability to become invisible, so just stay here and keep this princess company. It's easy to support a pretty boy like Mingkong~" she said, hooking her arm around Chu Mingkong's neck.

"I'll come back to keep you company later. I plan to leave the capital first to find my master and the others and see how things are going on their end. If you really get bored, you can contact me with that note."

Chu Mingkong began to tell his story after leaving the capital. Thanks to having told it many times before, he could now appreciate it himself when telling it to Jinyu. He added some artistic descriptions to some parts, making Jinyu extremely nervous, as if she were there herself.

"...I never expected that the demonic monk would actually manifest a powerful Dharma form that illuminates the Abyss with Buddha's light. In order to defeat me, he actually refined his wife into a 100,000-year-old relic to deal with me!"

"Do monks have wives? And his wife has a lifespan of 100,000 years?" Jin Yu asked in confusion, but still hugged Chu Mingkong tightly with nervousness.

"So he's a demonic monk. How can a demonic monk be explained by common sense... I had already resigned myself to my fate, but the black relic that brought me so much trouble at Xiaoxiang Qin Academy actually reacted and transformed into a huge Dharma image to help me deal with that demonic monk."

This is probably a case of fortune and misfortune intertwined!