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

These words pleased the women of the Cui family, but pleasant words are not always feasible, Gu Jun Gui said:

"How can that be? I promised to help Old Master Cui manage the Cui family. If only a few women are left, what will become of the Cui family's wealth and resources built up in the capital over the years? Besides, being penniless in Xiling is no different from being dependent on others. It's unpleasant!"

The Cui family's businesses are naturally not limited to those in the capital; their branches in other regions also have businesses. However, given the power dynamics of this era, would these branches truly come to the rescue and shelter of the main family when it falls from power?

No, they'd love to distance themselves from the main clan. These local branches offer tribute to the main clan every year for the sake of their lineage and reputation, to gain some fame. The relationship isn't as close as it sounds.

So if it's really as Chu Mingkong says, that they'll disregard the family property and just send their wives over, then once they leave the capital, they'll be all alone, only the name of the Cui family remaining. And a "name" is useless without something real to back it up. At that point, what difference will there be between them and Chu Mingkong's wives?

"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Old Master Cui doesn't want me to preserve the Cui family's assets, but rather to cultivate the land for the Cui family and ensure it bears good fruit. No one can protect the land without someone else."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jungui lightly slapped Chu Mingkong, scolding him for talking nonsense. The fact that he had a child on Keqing's belly was a private family matter, and how could he talk about it in front of Rong'er? What if he frightened her young lady?

Shangguan Rong was unaware of the agreement between Chu Mingkong and Old Master Cui. She only felt that Chu Mingkong was being particularly protective of the Cui family because of Gu Jungui, and she didn't quite understand what that outcome meant.

As the only man present, Chu Mingkong gave them a preliminary idea:

"Regarding this matter, let's make two plans and prepare for both possibilities. In the worst-case scenario, if we really can't take this industry with us, then we'll just abandon it and protect the people! I don't care how much money or property the Cui family can leave behind; I only care about your safety."

Hearing his resolute and unquestionable words, the wives of the Cui family felt a sense of security, and their gazes toward him became even more tender and moved.

"Then what's the best option?" Zhong Feihuang asked.

"Then naturally we'll do what you said: try to preserve the assets. If that doesn't work, then we'll take the worst-case scenario: let Cui Lian enjoy the family fortune in the capital. That would be doing justice to Old Master Cui."

Cui Lian's behavior does indeed suggest cerebral palsy, but if he weren't cerebral palsy and were even slightly normal, Old Master Cui, who values ​​his clan so much, wouldn't have been forced to resort to surrogacy.

Out of respect for Old Master Cui, Chu Mingkong still wanted to spare Cui Lian's life, to preserve a member of the main bloodline, and not to go too far.

Well, how else can I put it... Looking at his sisters-in-law, so beautiful and graceful, Chu Mingkong felt a little unworthy of their attention.

"But we still need to find a way to keep him in line recently. Is it feasible to give him some money as a way to appease him and make him more stable?" Chu Mingkong asked.

Zhong Feihuang shook her head in disgust, gritting her teeth as she said:

"No way! He's an insatiable ingrate. The more money you give him, the more he'll squander it. If you give him less later, he'll accuse you of withholding his monthly allowance. Before, he emptied his wallet by spending money on tips for those 'male prostitutes,' and he even stole money from me. When the old lady found out, she told us to support each other!"

Chu Mingkong scratched his head, a plan forming in his mind:

"After Cui Lian's antics today, he got some silver and is probably thinking about going out to have a good time. I'll make him look bad and then I can punish him with family discipline and beat him until he's drenched in blood. I'll make him stay at home for ten days or half a month and he won't be able to get out of bed. That way he won't be able to cause any trouble."

Zhong Feihuang listened and said:

“Then I’ll go with you, that way we’ll have a legitimate reason to make trouble for him.”

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Corruption of Power

Chu Mingkong first concealed himself and surveyed the Cui residence, mainly to see if Cui Lian was having a good time at home.

However, Zhong Feihuang was also traveling with him. In order to remain hidden, she had to hold onto Chu Mingkong's arm. Although she had played the spring flute for Mingkong once before out of a desire for revenge, after not seeing each other for a while, there was a subtle sense of estrangement and impropriety when they got close again.

The beautiful married woman, Zhong Feihuang, felt her heart pounding. To suppress the strange feelings in her heart and distract herself, she said as she walked:

"Where did that damned idiot go? Is he off having a good time?"

"Sister-in-law Huang, don't rush. There's no need to walk so fast. We still need to be careful if we run into people. Besides, my cultivation technique is unstable. It might suddenly malfunction and be seen by someone," Chu Mingkong said with a soft laugh.

These words startled Zhong Feihuang quite a bit. If the servants saw her walking arm in arm with another man right now... she probably wouldn't be afraid. Right now, they were just walking together in a normal way. Didn't Sister-in-law Gu walk arm in arm with Mingkong before? It was just like an elder taking a walk with a younger person.

The real problem is feeling guilty.

"So what if he saw it?" Zhong Feihuang scoffed. "That Cui Lian has been causing trouble quite a bit these days. I've even run into him once, but I'm too lazy to expose him. I sleep with Ke Qing at the neighboring house every night. Now, whenever I go back to my main room, I feel unlucky; it smells like filth."

This really surprised Chu Mingkong. He was surprised that Zhong Feihuang, with her fiery and assertive personality, could remain silent after meeting her.

Some women have very fiery tempers. They might be able to tolerate certain things if they find out about them, but if they are directly confronted, they will lose their temper and lash out.

"So, how have you been doing, living like this, turning a blind eye for a while?"

"I'm so happy~ After finishing my chores each day, I can go and cultivate myself after greeting that old lady. Occasionally, I can bring my sister-in-law and Keqing along. I'm carefree and don't have to put up with any of that nonsense!"

Zhong Feihuang led the way, her pace quick, the ripe peaches beneath her skirt swaying with each step, her demeanor alluring and seductive, a reserved yet fiery young woman.

"Living for yourself is easier. Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation? If you're looking for advanced techniques or spiritual treasures, feel free to tell me."

Cultivation, in the end, is all about resources. Zhong Feihuang hesitated for a moment, but still felt it was better not to ask Chu Mingkong for help. She understood the principle of being indebted to others, and now that she was relying on him in everything, she would lack confidence to stand up straight in the future. What she hated most was being in a relationship where someone had the upper hand and she couldn't even express her anger.

For example, the old lady, taking advantage of the principle of filial piety and being the head of the family, endlessly favored Cui Lian, while Zhong Feihuang still had to pay her respects to the old lady every day.

“…I’ve hit a bottleneck right now, and I want to figure it out myself,” Zhong Feihuang said, bowing her head.

Forcing cultivation resources onto Zhong Feihuang, given her personality, might make her uncomfortable in his presence later on. Chu Mingkong decided not to force her.

"Row."

After wandering around the Cui residence for quite a while, Chu Mingkong was starting to wonder.

Something's not right. Why haven't I run into that bastard Cui Lian after wandering around for so long?

Before leaving the capital, he could easily run into Cui Lian messing with his father's concubine, so why hasn't he reacted for so long?

"Could it be that damned Cui Lian, who set up some kind of barrier to hide? He caused a ruckus today, and after the old lady's persuasion, my sister-in-law gave him the money from selling several shops to keep for safekeeping. Could he have used it to buy some kind of barrier to cheat on me at home?"

The thought of this possibility made Zhong Feihuang grit her teeth in frustration. The money from selling the shop was the result of her and Gu Jungui's long and painstaking negotiations, and now this guy had given it all away!

"Sister-in-law Huang, please wait a moment," Chu Mingkong reassured her.

Then, he took out a Dust-Free Talisman, which was left over from before, but the spiritual power inside was almost gone, only enough to hide for five or six breaths.

Since such a short time of invisibility was useless, Chu Mingkong decided to keep it as a keepsake.

Could it be that this Dust-Free Talisman has some kind of "inherent opportunity"?

Under the suspicious gaze of his beautiful sister-in-law, Chu Mingkong activated the Dustless Talisman, and the two of them disappeared again. In just a few breaths, the voices of Cui Lian and a maid could be faintly heard in the distance.

Chu Mingkong was startled and stared in astonishment at the Dustless Talisman. Could it really be that outrageous?

I used Fengying's "Colorless Shadow" to conceal my tracks for most of the day without encountering anything, but when I activated a "dying" Dustless Talisman, there was a sudden reaction?!

I feel this shouldn't be called a "dust-free talisman," it should be called a "watching the show talisman."

No wonder it used to be so easy to stumble upon gossip happening in the mansion.

It seems I really need to hurry up and find that blindfolded Taoist priest Yun Nongyu to get a few more boxes of Dust-Free Talismans, otherwise I'll miss out on so many interesting things.

Zhong Feihuang, unaware of Chu Mingkong's wild thoughts, listened intently to the sound she had just heard, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, and murmured:

"Why does that sound like Ping'er's voice? Ping'er has been secretly having an affair with this scoundrel?!" She felt a surge of anger at being betrayed.

Ping'er was her most trusted personal maid.

"Don't rush, don't rush!"

Chu Mingkong grabbed Zhong Feihuang, activated the "Colorless Shadow Technique" to hide her again, and then rushed towards the direction of the sound.

The reason why they hadn't been able to find Cui Lian was now known: Chu Mingkong and Zhong Feihuang had been searching in the secluded guest rooms and maids' rooms, but this time Cui Lian had gone straight to his father's room to play.

This vacant room is rarely visited, but Cui Lian has secretly taken it over.

In the long corridor leading there, there were several old maids standing guard, seemingly waiting for orders to serve them, but in reality, they were keeping watch for Cui Lian!

Zhong Feihuang recognized these three or four maids. One or two of them were close to him when he asked the old lady to accompany him shopping. Because he was afraid of Zhong Feihuang, this tigress, he didn't dare to get too close to the maids at home. He was afraid of being scolded and made a fuss by them, so he only dared to take them out of the mansion and pretend to get close to them by shopping.

There were also one or two maids who Cui Lian had taken from the clan chief's mansion a few days ago when he saw that Zhong Feihuang was ignoring him. Keqing had told Zhong Feihuang about this in private.

After further investigation, it was discovered that Cui Lian and Cui Rong had previously colluded with the sons of military officers outside... to have their maids come and play with them!

Now, seeing these maids she didn't want to see again, and with Cui Lian even making advances on her personal maid, Zhong Feihuang's pretty face was stern, her expression as cold as a deep pool, and her phoenix eyes frosty.

Chu Mingkong hadn't known the maid named Ping'er for long, but he had a good impression of her and didn't think she was the type to seduce Cui Lian. He whispered a reassuring remark to Zhong Feihuang:

"Don't worry, let's go and see what's going on."

He led Zhong Feihuang into the courtyard quickly, his pace so fast it created a gust of wind, causing the maids on lookout duty to look around in confusion.

"Strange, the branches didn't move at all, so how did a gust of wind just rush past me from behind?"

----------

In the room, wisps of incense smoke drifted from the incense burner.

Ping'er had just been forcibly dragged into the room by Cui Lian. When she saw the stove, she realized something, quickly covered her nose, and glared at Cui Lian with panic and helplessness in her eyes.

"Second Master Lian, please have some self-respect. This is the master's room!"

"What are you talking back to, you slave who's been sold into servitude in my house? Do you really think you can ride roughshod over me just because you're with that slut? You don't know your place! I'm in a good mood today, so I won't slap you!"

Cui Lian sat on the table, inhaled the scent of incense to invigorate his desires, then took a sip of tea and coldly snorted:

“I have something more important to tell you. Ping’er, you saw it today too. Those wives wanted to embezzle money and hide it away. The old lady was on my side. Besides, I am now the only male in the Cui family. In the end, it will all be mine. I believe you can see that.”

You're quite pretty, and if you're smart, you'll definitely get a concubine. But you'll have to offer a token of your loyalty... I heard that tigress controls some of the best-performing shops on Wangfu Street. Bring me the deeds, and you'll be mine!

In the past, Cui Lian was always suppressed by his wife, and he could not retaliate against her. Zhong Feihuang was in charge of the accounts, and he was not as powerful as her. He had neither power nor fists, so he could only occasionally take advantage of the old lady's support to act arrogantly.

But things are different now. After making a scene today, with the old lady's help, he successfully obtained a huge sum of money from several shops. Cui Lian had only ever seen so much money since he was a child, but he had never handled so much money before.

At that time, the attitude of the acting clan elder's sister-in-law and his wife Zhong Feihuang, who glared at him but could do nothing about it and dared not speak out against him, truly stimulated a sense of satisfaction that Cui Lian had never felt before.

It's a kind of exhilarating feeling that...everyone in the clan has to watch his face and listen to his will, and they have to suppress their dissatisfaction. That seems to be the feeling of clan authority.

He began to understand how Chief Cui Jiazhen felt back then, and why he liked to wait for women to take the initiative, because that feeling was truly wonderful.

You don't need to do anything, yet maids and women of all kinds admire you and come to you to flatter you. Go to a brothel and watch those courtesans flirt; they only smile because they're eyeing your purse. The fuller your wallet, the more alluring their smiles.

But once he gains power, people will fawn over him and offer themselves up just to win his favor, without him having to do anything.

After his triumphant display today, the maids who used to associate with him now treated him differently. They were all working so hard and smiling just to get the status of a concubine, which made Cui Lian feel even more different.

The more my wife looked down on me in the past, the more ashamed and inferior I felt, and the more I had to endure her disdain. But after experiencing that feeling, I became even more addicted to it.

Considering Chu Mingkong's status, he still had to shamelessly fawn over women, making himself a laughingstock in the city, while pretending to be indifferent and nonchalant. It was truly laughable.

But Cui Lian is now slowly reaching the pinnacle of his life, and any sensible woman would have to take the initiative to him.

"I can't do anything that would betray Second Grandmother!" Ping'er continued to cover her nose, speaking cautiously, trying to find an opportunity to escape.

"Okay, keep thinking about it. You'll soon realize how smart you are."

Cui Lian lifted the lid of the incense burner, letting the smoke rise thickly. Once it reached a certain level, Ping'er would naturally know what was going on.

He has taken her virginity. From now on, she will either have to listen to him or he will falsely accuse her of having an affair with another servant. Without the virginity pill, she will be kicked out of the house. Without a livelihood, she will still have to die.