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

This way you can earn money and reduce expenses at the same time, it's like picking up money for free! If you take this free money to another place, it's like you didn't spend any money at all!

The problem arose when it turned out that he had been tricked by a group of people. The government confiscated the brothel that Cui Lian had built with a lot of money, citing the lack of a "chrysanthemum license."

Without the help of his wives at home, and with his relationships in official circles gradually becoming distant, he could only suffer in silence. It was clearly a scheme set up by those officials who had been on good terms with him in the past.

Although the Cui family still had considerable financial resources, the money lost this time was only a part of their financial pain. However, Cui Lian, unable to save face, could only act like a shrew and make a scene.

Such an outcome is not surprising.

Back then, when Chu Mingkong saw Cui Lian causing trouble at a crucial moment, he wanted nothing more than to slap him back into his mother's burlap sack for a makeover, but he held back. Now, however, he no longer felt that urge, as if he were watching a monkey led by a monkey showman.

Chu Mingkong had no interest in doing something that would cause trouble for someone in a bad situation. He secretly returned to the Cui residence in a few steps, leaving some spirit stones for You Sanniang as her private savings, so that she would have some savings if she wanted to run away in the future, giving her more options. He also left a simple letter, telling her to take care of herself and think it over, and signed it in the name of You Erniang.

Having been delayed by Cui Lian's matter, Chu Mingkong remembered the favor Shangguan Rong had asked him to do, so he took a note to Shangguan's residence to visit her mother.

Shangguan Rong's parents both had excellent bone structure. Her father-in-law, Shangguan Mingzhe, had some issues with how he treated his clansmen, but that didn't detract from his handsome features. Shangguan Rong's mother was also very beautiful, passing on her captivating bright eyes to her daughter. Unfortunately, she didn't have much talent for cultivation. She was younger than her husband, but she already had faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, and the marks of time were becoming clearer with each passing year.

Chu Mingkong naturally wouldn't show himself, lest Shangguan Mingzhe expose his whereabouts. But fearing that the colorless shadow mark might suddenly malfunction, he prayed that his luck wouldn't be overdrawn. Holding the dustless talisman, he entered Shangguan Rong's room, intending to use the viewing stone to photograph Rong'er's mother and show it to Rong'er when he got back.

Unfortunately, they happened to run into the couple trying to conceive, which was quite embarrassing.

"Damn, this Dust-Free Talisman is truly heaven-defying..."

Fortunately, Shangguan Mingzhe, being middle-aged, had no choice. Chu Mingkong didn't have to wait long before the couple finished. Shangguan Mingzhe rested briefly before going to handle other matters, while the woman left in the room quietly prayed that her womb would cooperate and give birth to a strong son, so that Rong'er wouldn't have to bear too much pressure...

Chu Mingkong left some longevity elixirs for his mother-in-law, who was nominally his mother-in-law, as well as letters and notes.

I'm leaving now.

Chapter 116 Under the Bandeau

The Imperial Palace.

After Chu Mingkong left, everything in the palace remained as usual. However, when he was running amok in the palace, eating peaches and acting as if nothing was wrong, at least others still thought everything was normal. Even the guardians of the emperor's dragon vein felt that nothing had happened.

After the emperor was freed from the control of the Realm of Annihilation, he sat up somewhat blankly, his brows furrowed as he looked out the window at the sky, which was already at dawn when the fog had lifted.

He instinctively felt that something was wrong; there seemed to be something covering his face, and his perception of time seemed to be missing.

Although cultivators can immerse themselves in meditation and seclusion without being aware of the passage of time, that is only for seclusion of ten, twenty, or even a hundred years. This is only one night, and any cultivator can maintain their awareness of the outside world.

He wondered, "Am I too engrossed? Why does it feel like tonight is much shorter, yet nothing else has happened, and the two Yin-Yang dragons on my body haven't moved at all? I must be overthinking it."

Having dabbled in those supreme powers, some side effects are unavoidable. His emotions have been fluctuating frequently lately, which are all drawbacks of the extreme Yin power. However, compared to the power's strength, these side effects are almost negligible.

After meditating for a while, the slight doubts he had when he woke up in the morning vanished, and a sublime power filled his body. The emperor felt better than ever before.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Empress Pei, who was still sleeping on her side with her arm as a pillow on the cold ground. Her figure was exquisite and curvaceous. When she turned to the side and her back was turned, the curves of her waist and hips were hot and graceful. Her slender waist was narrow and her plump and rounded hips were wide, and there was no abruptness in the way they appeared on the same woman's body at the same time.

It is said that cultivators can better control their emotions, but this woman nurtured by the Golden Crow Phoenix Body is so beautiful and graceful that she seems to be rooted in a man's heart, making it difficult to regard her as a vulgar woman.

The emperor only glanced at it a few times before he had to muster his consciousness to calm the strange anger in his mind.

Be patient, be patient, lest you ruin everything!

Endure for a day or two, and you will gain unparalleled power and a grand future!

Don't let a woman ruin your important life. Women are like fine wine and peaches; they need time to mature before they can be enjoyed. It's not too late to enjoy them later. Once you find a way to prolong your life with the Golden Crow Phoenix Body, you can leave her however you wish in the future!

As long as Empress Pei is by her side, she can't escape anywhere!

Many people say that no matter how beautiful a woman is, you'll get tired of looking at her after a while. A woman is always most beautiful in a man's eyes when he hasn't yet won her over.

However, Pei Mi was a woman the emperor had been interested in and longed for for many years. From the moment he made her empress, although he understood that she was nothing more than a beautiful consumable for the Tianji Empire and that there would be many more Golden Crow Phoenix bodies waiting for him in the future, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever had in his position as emperor, and his first empress.

For the sake of his great cause, he never dared to lay a finger on the Empress. Sometimes, though he harbored desires for her, the Emperor would only summon other favored concubines to vent his lust, and would never touch Empress Pei.

I heard that it was an enormous accident that the late emperor was able to inherit the throne.

The previous emperor also tried to restrain his desire for the empress, but he couldn't resist. He wanted to play with and admire her, and made her dance naked with her snow-white body exposed. He couldn't help himself and directly ruined the empress's body. At that time, there was a vacancy for the Golden Crow Phoenix Body, and the throne collapsed. The previous emperor inherited the throne in a daze.

His Majesty has kept this lesson from our ancestors in mind and will never do anything unnecessary to Empress Pei.

I've endured so much for so many years and paid so much; if I can't hold back anymore, I'll lose a lot.

Therefore, in a sense, the emperor never truly possessed Empress Pei, and always harbored a longing interest in the peach wine he had never tasted.

Empress Pei heard the rapid breathing on the dragon bed and slowly sat up from the ground. Her beautiful face was indifferent, and although the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were smiling, it was a very obvious, beautiful indifference, polite and distant, keeping people at a distance.

She adjusted her tube top. In the fashion of the Tianji Empire, it was acceptable for a woman's tube top to reveal a little cleavage; it had always been so, and no one would think there was anything wrong with it.

Now, Empress Pei deliberately pulled her strapless top up so high that only the end of her cleavage remained, as her breasts were too large to be covered, and were almost completely hidden.

When the emperor saw this scene, he thought it was just Empress Pei's resistance and targeting. After all, he had ordered the beauty to sleep on the floor all night.

He curled his lips into a mocking smile, but did not show any anger at the Empress's cold gaze:

"The Empress can simply cover her face with a curtain to prevent me from seeing her. Cherish the few remaining moments of resistance you have. Before long, I will no longer indulge the Empress!"

Spoiling them? They're clearly just afraid to touch them.

Empress Pei really wanted to pull her bodice down again so her husband could see the hickeys that Chu Mingkong, that rebellious fellow, had left on her breasts last night. She wanted to see how her emperor husband would react to those hickeys and whether he could still maintain his composure.

However... Jin Yu had not yet left the capital, so Empress Pei did not act rashly.

She sneered and turned her face away, saying, "Your Majesty, I'll be waiting!"

"it is good!"

The emperor also sneered, but this time he couldn't help but glance at his empress a few more times. Perhaps the empress was angry, because her face was rosy and beautiful, with a unique charm, exuding a more captivating allure than usual, like a flower that had been watered freely, blooming with a different kind of beauty.

Realizing he had inadvertently glanced at the Empress a few more times, the Emperor exhaled again to calm himself, not giving himself any more chance to act impulsively, and stopped looking at the stunningly beautiful Empress Pei on the ground.

When his ancestor admired his empress, he must have thought he could control her, but in the end he lost his composure and ruined his future glory, which led to his father's ascension to the throne.

The emperor could be arrogant in any way, but when facing the empress with her golden phoenix-like figure, he was extremely cautious in controlling himself and gave her no chance.

The best way to maintain self-control is not to constantly tell yourself to be moderate, but to prevent yourself from touching the things you want to control.

He was even contemplating whether to send the Empress back to her palace to keep her from constantly appearing in front of him and affecting his mood.

However, this is a critical moment, and the Empress cannot be allowed to fall. She must stay by his side at all times.

Let her stay by my side at all times for now. It'll be a good opportunity to pretend to be a loving couple and keep the officials from getting distracted by those boring and vulgar cosmetics, which would affect the cohesion of the empire's imperial lineage.

"But tonight, let's prepare a small room in the palace for her to stay in. It's not appropriate for her to lie in front of me. Just make sure she's always by my side."

--------

P.S.: I felt like I was a bit lazy with my update volume last month, but when I checked at the end of the month, the word count was the same as before. I guess the occasional 3000 or 4000-word chapters made me feel like I was slacking off...

This book's style is quite different from those on the bestseller list, and its sales performance is also significantly lower. Currently, it's mainly relying on the frequency of updates to maintain its popularity. It's estimated that it will lose its appeal in a few months and won't be able to compete with other best-selling books.

The editor wants me to level up again, so I'll give it my all while the momentum is still going strong.

6月加更规则：与上个月一样 50月票/1更，3500券/1更。

However, let's make one more change: all the extra chapters mentioned above will be counted after the 18-word full attendance bonus.

In other words, this month's update schedule is: a minimum of 18 words + bonus chapters for monthly votes.

If I don't write 18 words, it won't count as paying off the debt; I'll have to pay it off next month.

Chapter 117 Adding Fuel to the Fire

A day or two is fleeting for a cultivator and doesn't carry much weight in their entire life. However, Chu Mingkong found the days of waiting for his master's wife to arrive extremely difficult. He dared not relax and couldn't even concentrate on playing with Yongzhen's doll.

With the mark on Jin Yu's neck still visible, Chu Mingkong had to be constantly on guard against the emperor taking action against her. Therefore, Chu Mingkong would check on Jin Yu every now and then, and then run back to the Princess's residence to accompany Yongzhen in practicing manipulating puppets.

"How are you feeling now? Is it easier to manipulate this puppet now?"

Chu Mingkong looked at the doll Yongzhen in front of him, picked up her jade feet and helped her change her stockings, while silently counting the time in his mind, wondering whether he should go and check on Jinyu's condition.

Because Jinyu was born a little older than him, he could also be bound to the Filial Piety System. The Filial Piety System could also monitor Jinyu's safety. Back when Master was searching for female bodhisattvas for him, he used this function to find her.

Chu Mingkong is now relying on this thing to "monitor" Jin Yu's condition in real time, but it's still not as reassuring as actually seeing her in person. This thing can't tell him immediately whether Jin Yu's princess residence has been broken into or anything like that.

Yongzhen's cool voice came from behind him. Yongzhen herself was lying on the embroidered couch, focused on controlling the puppet. If the puppet could speak, she probably wouldn't even use her true self to speak.

"It's a bit easier, especially when you pinch my toes until I want to kick you. It's easier to control the puppet's movements with my soul."

Hearing the sharp tongue in her words, Chu Mingkong gave a wry smile:

"That's good. It means that the stronger your will to do something, the easier it is for you to control it."

After a day or two of training, Yongzhen was already able to manipulate the puppet to perform simple daily activities, such as dressing, walking, pinching Chu Mingkong's face, wrestling, and pushing the waves.

Without knowing that it is a doll, it is difficult to tell whether this doll is Emma herself or a stand-in. However, this kind of activity puts a heavy burden on Emma's soul, making it difficult to keep the doll active for a long time.

The key issue is that the puppet's spiritual energy also depends on Yongzhen's level of control over it. When Yongzhen's spirit is exhausted, his control over the puppet weakens, and the puppet's cultivation energy weakens drastically. This is a significant problem.

It's pointless to expose it.

Yongzhen suddenly brought up something else, her tone almost reproachful as she questioned her husband about why he frequently went out late at night and didn't return:

"These past few days, every time you made an excuse to go out and check on the neighborhood, did you actually go to Jinyu's place?"

“…Yes.” Chu Mingkong nodded frankly. Yongzhen had already guessed this much, so there was no need to hide his whereabouts anymore.

However, he thought he was hiding very well, because every time he went to Jinyu's place, he would make a round to make sure she was safe and that there was nothing unusual near the princess's residence before sneaking back to Yongzhen's place.

"Why did you go there in the middle of the night, only to take a quick look and then come right back?"

"Don't be angry... Jin Yu has also been targeted by the Emperor. The Emperor has left a mark on her. The Emperor has mastered the power of extreme Yin, and his whereabouts are unpredictable. I can only check on Jin Yu from time to time to make sure she is safe."

"Yongzhen, you're becoming increasingly adept at controlling the puppets. Leave the puppets here, and I'll take you and Jinyu with me!"

Chu Mingkong pulled the white stockings off Yongzhen's slender legs. The stockings had a slightly glossy and matte finish, and on their own, they were rather ordinary, lacking the unique pure and clean beauty of white stockings. Especially in dim lighting, the white stockings didn't make her skin appear whiter... But fortunately, when Yongzhen actually wore them, the effect was quite good. Her milky white skin and beautiful leg curves supported the stockings, and the light lingered on them, giving them a moist and dewy sheen, as if she had walked through a rainforest in the morning and her white stockings were covered with dewdrops.

"Don't try to change the subject." The puppet Yongzhen lightly stepped on Chu Mingkong's hand with her white silk-clad jade feet, and her voice came from the real body: "You can just tell me this directly, there's no need to be so sneaky. But what is the emperor after, that he's eyeing Jinyu? Is he trying to lure you out?"

Yongzhen remembered that Empress Pei had done a good job of covering for Jinyu. After the physical examination in court, she publicly helped Jinyu to distance herself from Chu Mingkong. Chu Mingkong naturally told her about the speculations he had recently learned.

“This is getting more and more outrageous…” Yongzhen pondered for a moment and said, “Mingkong, I have a plan, but I don’t know if it’s feasible.”

"What good plan do you have?" Chu Mingkong asked curiously.

"Do you have a puppet of Jinyu? Can I manipulate Jinyu's puppet to stay in the capital and create confusion, and then you can take me and Jinyu with you?"

Chu Mingkong recalled that Madam Zhen could manipulate Yongzhen's puppets, and Yongzhen might also be able to manipulate other people's puppets. This plan was worth trying at least a little. If he could also get the Empress... no, wait.