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

Having talked with her for so long, aside from her rolling her eyes in anger, I didn't see her seem uncomfortable at all. It was just that the emperor's composure, which wasn't quite complete, aroused great suspicion in Chu Mingkong.

Empress Pei didn't look Chu Mingkong in the eye; her face was turned towards the Emperor, seemingly intently waiting for the clown to appear on the show. She said indifferently:

"long time."

For a long time, such replies have been ambiguous, even more perfunctory than the "keep in touch and never grow distant" message Chu Mingkong heard from his ambiguous crush after graduation. It's all fake. Before the semester even starts, after filling out college applications, you'll see those girls already hooking up with their boyfriends in the freshman group and announcing it.

The only ones who will continue to care about him are the married women, young women, mature women, and female teachers who guide him to grow and improve. During the holidays, they are afraid that he will fall behind in the school year and will not realize the seriousness of the future competition, so they take him home and back to the bedroom for a long ideological education.

Perfunctory words are different from genuine words.

Empress Pei's words clearly indicate that the impact is still significant.

As Chu Mingkong pondered deeply, the emperor summoned his concubine Zhao Ziying, who had come to serve him in bed.

This woman was chosen as a concubine and remembered by the emperor, so her appearance must have been exceptional. She bore a resemblance to Empress Pei in terms of facial structure, and her face had a faint air of majesty, dignity, and elegance. However, she was a lower-end version of the same type of woman, and did not possess the grand aura of an empress who commanded respect and commanded the attention of all.

Furthermore, her figure was also much worse. Although her strapless dress revealed a lot of her fair and beautiful flesh, she walked in quickly and bowed to greet him without shaking at all. Naturally, her buttocks were even less noticeable.

To be chosen by the emperor, one needed only a few precious resemblances, enough to serve as a substitute.

Zhao Ziying was ordered by the emperor to wear the empress's phoenix robe and come to serve him in bed. She thought the emperor intended to choose her as the new empress, and she was extremely excited.

Unexpectedly, the emperor placed a painting of a maidservant of Empress Pei, painted by a famous artist, on the upper body of this concubine, clearly showing his dislike for her slender figure and using a painting of a court lady as a substitute.

"I've seen people who hog the street, but I've never seen anyone who 'takes someone by the hand.' This is just too hurtful..." Chu Mingkong thought to himself. The emperor's move was truly top-notch.

Fortunately, the aesthetic appreciation of painting in this era has stopped at this level. Anyway, Chu Mingkong had seen so many different styles and a hundred flowers blooming in his previous life that it was hard for him to associate this kind of lady painting with practicality.

It's fine to appreciate it as art, but when it comes to its practical aesthetic appeal, Chu Mingkong's taste is simply unacceptable.

The concubine realized the truth and felt sorrow in her heart, but she dared not show it and still greeted the emperor with a smile.

The emperor had just hurriedly gone in and out twice when he remembered something. He took out a bottle and gave it to his concubine, ordering her to do so:

"Drink it!"

Chu Mingkong was puzzled. Even if it was that kind of love potion, wasn't it the man who drank it? The woman didn't resist, so there was no need for that.

"Madam Baili, what's inside that bottle?"

Upon hearing Chu Mingkong's change in addressing her, the voluptuous and graceful peach-shaped beauty slightly twitched her eyebrows, and replied calmly:

"It's a similar extremely yang medicine to your Golden Crow Jade Marrow, but its extreme yang power is negligible; it's generally used for healing and recovery..."

Chu Mingkong was dumbfounded when he saw the concubine using the medicine in the bottle as some kind of feminine wash to cleanse her private parts!

Was the emperor really that clean and hygienic?

However, Chu Mingkong's thoughts were a bit off. The emperor's intention was not there. When he peeked into the room, he accidentally created a scene of "fallen blood"!

Strange noises soon echoed through the emperor's palace, reaching the ears of Chu Mingkong and Empress Pei. They felt a subtle awkwardness; staying here was problematic, but leaving was even more risky.

Chu Mingkong was quite curious about the emperor's strange ways of playing, and sighed repeatedly:

So the emperor wanted his concubines to produce some proof of virginity? Can extreme yang energy be used like this?

Even though Jin Yu's Extreme Yang Technique has reached its peak, I've never seen anything like this before. I guess it needs to be cleansed with medicine.

"Madam Baili, you also cared about this kind of thing, and even washed your wounds with Extreme Yang Medicine?" Chu Mingkong asked curiously.

Empress Pei still refused to answer. This strange question was exactly what Chu Mingkong wanted. He would only make things more bizarre by pressing her for answers. It was best to just ignore it from the start.

Her attention was instead drawn to the concubine who bore a striking resemblance to herself. Although the concubine's face was full of adoration, as a woman herself, Empress Pei could tell that she was faking it and remained mentally clear-headed.

Empress Pei had rarely witnessed such a thing. She had seen the young palace maids helping each other with horns, and then she saw Jin Yu and Chu Mingkong when she was trapped in the wardrobe. Then came her own experience.

Generally speaking, women are all in a sorry state when it comes to this kind of thing, and Jinyu and she were no exception. It must have been quite embarrassing for them, as they couldn't even remember who they were when passion got the better of them.

How did this concubine of the emperor manage to remain so calm and composed in dealing with him?

Having seen so many strange and unusual methods, Empress Pei now tends to focus on what kind of medicine or technique was used to guard her mind when encountering something she doesn't understand, making some simple questions seem complicated.

Amidst the awkward sounds in the palace, besides Consort Zhao Ziying's earnestly performed coquettish voice, there were also the emperor's occasional strange questions to his consorts, such as "How is my imperial dragon pillar?" Consort Zhao was quite dedicated; in order to please the emperor, she pretended to be almost distraught while still responding to his questions clearly and accurately.

Suddenly, Empress Pei abruptly slapped Chu Mingkong's pig's trotter away, her soft, fleshy thighs pressing together to stop Chu Mingkong's relentless advance.

"What are you doing? Have you forgotten that I told you it was only once!" Empress Pei scolded coquettishly. If she could suppress the blush on her face, she would have been more imposing.

The firmness of her thigh muscles sent shivers down Chu Mingkong's spine with every gentle rub. He managed to calm himself down and said:

"Madam Baili, would you be interested in trying out a method of revenge that involves destroying one's own primordial yin body with this junior?"

"I knew you had ulterior motives!" Empress Pei saw through Chu Mingkong's anxiety and his intention to manipulate him, but she quickly revealed her true purpose: "If you can assure me that Jinyu is truly safe, I might consider granting you a second chance. You have the method to contact Jinyu through that note..."

Chu Mingkong was somewhat surprised. So Empress Pei had been skeptical all this time because she didn't believe his claim that Jin Yu had been taken away by his master. But now the paper message couldn't be used to contact them. The palace was sealed off like this. The paper message wasn't some kind of divine weapon; it was just a communication device made from ordinary minerals with special materials. If it could ignore even the emperor's carefully arranged arrangements, how could that be allowed?

"But we can't contact each other by paper right now, can we?"

"Then you'd better find a way to get out and let me see Jinyu, instead of just sitting here waiting to die. Otherwise, you wicked thing, don't even think about doing evil a second time!"

Chu Mingkong had just finished laughing at the emperor's aggrieved and pathetic state when he found himself being manipulated by Empress Pei. He asked, "As long as you don't do that kind of thing, it's fine?"

"Whatever, I'll just pretend it's bugs crawling all over me."

"Good! Madam Baili, has Jinyu mentioned to you the matter of our initial exploration of the opening scene?"

"?"

Chu Mingkong wanted to test Empress Pei's kindness, but a sudden roar from the palace startled both Chu Mingkong and Empress Pei in his arms.

This melodious and vigorous voice, pouring out the pressure in his heart like rain, came from the emperor. His voice drowned out the concubines' soft whispers and coquettish moans, startling a few leaves in the courtyard outside the window.

Isn't this... a bit too fast?

Chu Mingkong found it difficult to express his feelings, as he hadn't even exchanged more than a few words with Empress Pei yet!

Even the concubine Zhao Ziying was somewhat bewildered, but her professional skills were still quite good. She only hesitated for a breath before, as if she had hit a snag, she said in a soft, weak voice, "Your Majesty, I am lost~!", providing the emperor with the best possible feedback experience.

It seems that a cultivator's physique cannot cure early arrivals, but it can help with late departures. The emperor's body felt good for a while, but his spirit did not. Soon, the second round began. The concubine Zhao was screaming so hard that her throat was practically steaming. At this point, she could only continue to "accompany and serve".

The atmosphere in the palace returned to its previous enchanting state. Chu Mingkong adjusted his mood, wrapped his arms around Empress Pei's soft and slender waist, and was about to tell her about the wonders of the brocade jade when, after only a few words, the Emperor's "humming and groaning" noises assaulted the room, turning the tender and spring-like atmosphere into a strange scene, and all thoughts of romance vanished.

This is like holding a banquet next to a cesspool—the atmosphere (and smell) are inappropriate.

Although he was holding Empress Pei's graceful body in his arms, he was still incredibly stressed. But to be honest, he had no desire left. All his good mood had been ruined, and even the slight unease and excitement he felt for Empress Pei had vanished.

Throughout the entire palace, Consort Zhao was pretending, Chu Mingkong and Empress Pei were embarrassed, but the Emperor himself was enjoying himself.

This is probably the unique enjoyment that comes with being the emperor; ordinary people don't get this kind of treatment.

However, this wasn't entirely without its benefits for Chu Mingkong. Empress Pei probably realized that Chu Mingkong no longer had that frivolous interest and figured he wouldn't do anything reckless, so she wasn't so resistant to his embrace.

As night deepened, the emperor, having finished his quick and efficient session and grown somewhat bored, finally ended his noisy assault on Chu Mingkong and Empress Pei. Consort Zhao's voice was already hoarse, and even Dao An's words were dry and choked with phlegm.

The emperor ordered someone to send her away and had the imperial kitchen prepare soup for her to soothe her throat, and then paid her no further attention.

Chu Mingkong hadn't even touched his remaining provisions, but the emperor's noise had somehow turned him into a sage, physically erect and mentally chanting Amitabha.

Just as Chu Mingkong was pondering whether he should cheer himself up, the emperor went out to the study next door. It seemed that a young eunuch brought over a pile of records of orders to confirm with the emperor which ones were to be burned.

He vaguely heard the words "Xiling". Chu Mingkong perked up and carried Empress Pei to the study to find out.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: The two updates are combined.

Chapter 133 Who exactly did it? (7.4/18)

Chu Mingkong misjudged one thing: although some secret operations might not be recorded in diaries, if they were to be passed down as mission instructions, it would be very necessary to keep detailed records in case files.

It exists as a secret dossier, recording every step clearly, including who was involved, who was responsible for giving the order, and how the mission proceeded. All of this needs to be recorded in detail, and it also makes it easier to settle scores with one's own people later.

Yes, it's about eliminating their own people to silence them, completely erasing anyone who knows about it, so that what no one knows about is as if it never happened.

In the study, the emperor glanced at the young eunuch who was carrying the scrolls over. This was the adopted son of the previous eunuch, Cheng Gao, who had been trained since childhood, knew how to do things, and was extremely loyal.

The emperor did not detect any guilty or panicked evasiveness in his expression, so he stopped staring at him and simply glanced at the file. There were no signs of it being touched by many hands, only the words "Xiling" and "Jin land" were marked on the cover.

After being stared at for only a short while, the young eunuch felt drenched in sweat and exhausted, as if he had just escaped death.

If he forgets the teachings his godfather gave him before his death, that he should not touch anything out of curiosity, he will most likely be punished later.

Now, he should have escaped a disaster, right? He was afraid that if he was too nervous and worried, he would look like he had something to hide.

fortunately......

The emperor's voice rang out, and the little eunuch immediately snapped out of his reverie and came to his senses to await orders.

“Burn down the land of Jin.”

The emperor did not immediately issue any orders regarding the documents related to the Western Mausoleum; instead, he personally picked up one of the volumes and opened it to read.

"Kodaka Maru, what do you think of the plan in this volume?"

The young eunuch immediately knelt on the ground, recalling his adoptive father's words: "Many things are better left unsaid than known."

"Your Majesty, how could this servant discern the merits or demerits of these important matters? Whatever Your Majesty decrees is surely a wise move!"

This time, the emperor wasn't trying to make things difficult for the young eunuch; he genuinely couldn't concentrate on reading. The restlessness that was hard to shake off lingered in his heart. As soon as he opened the scroll and saw the dense text, the emperor felt a surge of irritation.

He spent a few words explaining, instructing the young eunuch to read the contents of the document aloud, treating it as a dry and boring storytelling performance.

This saved Chu Mingkong the trouble of spying. He found a place to sit down and listened quietly to the little eunuch reading the contents in a low voice.

The plan mentioned here was exactly what he intended to do by ambushing him on his way to Beijing. It was very detailed, with each step carefully planned and the target was clear. Even the border guards were able to easily infiltrate and pinpoint his travel itinerary to Beijing.

After listening to a few parts, Empress Pei discerned the clues and realized that it happened when Chu Mingkong went to the capital!

She stood on the edge of the desolate realm, tiptoeing to peer into the dossier in the hands of the young eunuch Gao Wan, wanting to see if the information he was reading was indeed in the dossier.

However, Empress Pei was even more suspicious that the Emperor would suddenly have the eunuch read the document aloud because he had sensed that Chu Mingkong was nearby and wanted to use this information to provoke him into showing himself.

Otherwise, if the emperor had no need to erase the traces of such a document, he would not take it out to look at it again. How could he possibly savor it?

Why choose to read this particular document when all the other documents from Jin could be burned without a second thought?

Empress Pei knew that Chu Mingkong also possessed extremely Yin power within his body. If his killing intent was aroused and his Nirvana Domain was broken, things could become troublesome.

It would be most unwise to openly confront the emperor in the heart of the palace.

Fortunately, the Realm of Annihilation remained completely still, barely even causing a few ripples.

Chu Mingkong suddenly fell silent, resting his chin on his hand as he asked: