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

Yongzhen frowned and stared intently, then quickly wrote: "Really? I don't remember anything like this ever happening, I've never even heard of it."

Chu Mingkong took Yongzhen's soft little hand and pondered:

"It's possible that Yongzhen was still young at that time, and according to Madam Zhen when she was young, even the late emperor was shocked by this matter, and the news was suppressed. It is estimated that the eunuchs and palace maids who knew the inside story were all eliminated."

Yongzhen felt uncomfortable being so intimate with her lover in front of her mother. She tried to quietly take her hand away, but Chu Mingkong held it too tightly. After failing twice, she let Chu Mingkong hold it.

She looked at her mother, her eyes seeking her opinion, wanting to hear her mother's perspective on the matter.

Madam Zhen glanced furtively at her daughter's hand, a hint of envy in her eyes. However, she did ponder the matter Chu Mingkong had mentioned:

"I vaguely remember something like that, but I can't recall it clearly, and I'm not sure."

It's like I vaguely heard someone mention something similar, but it's not really a story, or did it actually happen.

Chu Mingkong shook his head and comforted him:

"Then Madam Zhen need not worry too much. It's nothing serious. Madam Zhen need not fret. I was just shocked when I heard the news, so I told you about it as a ghost story. I will talk to Master Yun and the others about the details."

However, the fact that such an unclean thing could happen in such a solemn and magnificent place as the Golden Palace made it hard for Yongzhen to let go of this matter. But then she thought about it again and realized that in the days before she left, the palace and the royal family had become completely different from what she was used to.

What else happened back then is probably nothing outlandish. The fact that such a thing could happen in the Golden Palace is probably because it was never as beautiful and solemn as one might have imagined.

Just like a Buddha statue in a dilapidated temple, once you peel off the golden coat, it may already be riddled with holes underneath.

During tonight's spirit-summoning ceremony, Chu Mingkong didn't continue the conversation. If they continued, Madam Zhen felt she couldn't remember anything and would feel increasingly pressured, as if she couldn't help at all. Chu Mingkong directly changed the subject and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Yongzhen, how's things on your other end? Did you run into any trouble?"

Chapter 168 No Unauthorized Items Allowed to Be Put In! (16.2/18)

Yongzhen shook her head, picked up Chu Mingkong's pig's trotter to write, and suddenly realized that as long as she kept pretending to write and talk, and held his big pig's trotter first, Chu Mingkong would not be able to hold her hand.

"It's not particularly good. A conflict broke out between tribal forces within the Crescent Kingdom. The totem birds and divine oxen wreaked havoc, which was quite a sight. News of events from the Celestial Empire has also reached us. This marriage alliance has been temporarily halted, but it hasn't affected this area. You can rest assured."

As expected of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, they're always fighting; they're either on their way to a fight or in the middle of a battle.

Yongzhen said it hadn't affected her marriage procession, but being on the verge of chaos, Chu Mingkong found it hard to feel completely at ease.

"The news about the Celestial Empire has spread. What has been the reaction of your team? Besides Shaman, the lord of the Wolf Scorpion Tribe, there are some people from the Celestial Empire in your team. Hopefully, they will behave themselves."

"They reacted at first when they heard the news, but quickly calmed down because the emperor had killed an elder of a secluded sect, which boosted their morale. Shaman was initially worried that the cooperation would fall through, but after hearing about the strength the emperor had shown, she was less worried."

Speaking of Shaman, Chu Mingkong recalled the old bastard Fanle, who wore a human skin mask, back in the palace. He buried her in the garden and didn't know if she had come out.

Chu Mingkong pondered, and Yongzhen began writing in his palm again:

"Also, recently, there have been some people of unknown origin following the team. They are quite secretive. My senses can detect their movements, but I don't know what their purpose is. I've been following them all the way without making a move, just observing."

A person of unknown origin... could they be the one who's been waiting for him?

Chu Mingkong remembered that before he sneaked into the Princess's residence to play with Yongzhen, he encountered people from the Crescent Moon Kingdom gathering information outside the residence. Those people clearly did not want the Moonlit Royal Family to be restored.

He then proceeded to deceive people, saying that "Chu Mingkong" would definitely go and kidnap the bride.

Could Yongzhen be referring to that group of people?

However, it is difficult to make a judgment based on just a few words, so he did not want to draw any conclusions. He simply recounted the situation back then to give Yongzhen some clues.

When Madam Zhen heard what Chu Mingkong said, she felt a little amused and said in a gentle but slightly annoyed tone:

"This is truly... Who else would pretend to be a stranger and falsely report their whereabouts like you, and actually fool people? This is probably the experience you gained from wandering around the teahouses in the capital and spreading rumors about yourself."

"Haha~ It's not all of my own slander. A lot of it was just the tea drinkers in the city making their own accusations. It's fine if they just slander me normally, but sometimes they go too far."

However, the identities of those near the marriage procession are ultimately just speculation, and Yongzhen still needs to be very cautious. By the way, have the Taoist disciples that Master Yun Nongyu assigned to protect you been provided with adequate protection?

Yongzhen nodded and wrote, "Yes, but they don't have the ability to hide in the carriage without being discovered like you and Fengying. So they left me a paper doll-shaped talisman. I can use the paper doll to contact them. Their real bodies are around the group."

"Then I feel a little relieved. Without you by my side, I can't be completely at ease. I should have been the one to escort you."

“It’s alright, I understand what you’re thinking. Some things are hard to balance completely. Right now, you need to send all the elders on the ship to Xiling for resettlement. I can’t rest easy without your care for Mother.”

After finishing writing, Yongzhen imagined Chu Mingkong escorting her in the carriage, most likely using some strange and bizarre tricks, and then doing some absurd things with her along the way...

Madam Zhen stroked her daughter's cheek, sighed, and said:

“Yongzhen, you’re worried about me here, and I’m also worried that Mingkong won’t be able to accompany and escort you. Actually, Mingkong, you can settle us in Xiaoxiang Qin Academy and your master’s wife’s place first. We’re not in a hurry.”

Not wanting to put Chu Mingkong in a difficult position, Yongzhen hugged Madam Zhen, then held her mother's fair and delicate arm and wrote in the beautiful woman's soft palm:

“Mingkong still has many things to consider, not just you, but also the matter of Xiling. After the turmoil in the capital, he has to go back to Xiling to arrange many things personally.”

"You child, you're already thinking about Mingkong's safety? You're not even sure about your own safety yet!" She glared at her daughter, annoyed.

Yongzhen gave the beautiful woman a slightly embarrassed look, pursed her lips, and regretted that her explanations now had to be written down slowly, making them less convincing.

"Mother! This is just a normal consideration!"

Seeing the interaction between the beautiful mother and daughter, Chu Mingkong was captivated by their charming interactions, their expressive eyes and brows conveying a myriad of emotions. He lingered, mesmerized. Since they had finished their conversation and he had nothing else to attend to, Chu Mingkong took Yongzhen's arm and said to Madam Zhen:

“Madam Zhen, there are still some issues with Yongzhen’s body and soul that we need to figure out. I’m afraid we might lose contact and have difficulty communicating with her later. I’ll take Yongzhen out for a look first, and then bring her back later.”

"it is good......"

After Madam Zhen finished speaking, she slowly lay back down in bed, the blankets heaving dramatically around her ample breasts.

She wondered whether Mingkong was taking Yongzhen to confirm the doll's body, or whether they were secretly meeting in secret, avoiding her.

Previously, Madam Zhen had wrapped her hair around the witchcraft doll and was able to communicate with it a few times, but she had to be close to the doll, Yongzhen, to do so. Moreover, now that Yongzhen was in control of the doll's consciousness, she could no longer communicate with it as she had before.

But thinking that Yongzhen might be having an intimate rendezvous with Mingkong, Madam Zhen on the bed couldn't find peace of mind to rest.

She decided to try communicating with the doll Emma, ​​to see if she could catch even the slightest sensory feedback, to see what the two were doing and saying...

Chu Mingkong picked Yongzhen up from the bed, helped her get out of bed and put on her shoes, and led her back to his room.

My explanation to Madam Zhen just now contained an element of excuse, but it wasn't entirely an excuse. Regarding the confirmation of Yongzhen's physical condition, there were indeed some things that were inconvenient to say directly in front of Madam Zhen.

For example, that nine-aperture beaded chain should still be somewhere within the doll Yongzhen...

Chu Mingkong wrapped his arms around her waist and pecked at the princess's lips. Although Yongzhen felt that this guy had ulterior motives and ill intentions, she did not reject his intimacy and let him peck at her. When he knocked on her pearly teeth, she would let him in without resistance.

"Yongzhen, won't that beaded necklace be uncomfortable to wear?"

Yongzhen rolled her eyes at him and wrote, "Don't ask!"

Chu Mingkong explained helplessly, "I was just asking out of concern, and I was also worried that if you kept communicating with this puppet, it would put a burden on your mind."

Chu Mingkong had previously wanted Yongzhen to help manipulate Empress Pei's puppets to act, but operating multiple puppets at the same time would be a huge mental burden, so he had to give up.

At first, Emma had some difficulty even controlling the doll's movements, and she gradually became familiar with the doll's body movements by stepping on it.

Speaking of the doll, Chu Mingkong remembered that it was a secret that he possessed Madam Zhen's doll. He had to tell Qingning not to spread the word. He told her to say that the Empress Dowager Zhen who was invited in the ritual was a spirit and had no physical body.

Upon hearing his words of concern, Yongzhen nodded somewhat awkwardly.

“When I was lying down, and when I didn’t need to go out, I would disconnect from the spiritual connection to rest. I would occasionally communicate with them to check on them. It wasn’t too much of a burden… I was still wearing that beaded necklace.”

This sounds like someone who goes online to slack off all the time.

The fact that Yongzhen did this shows that she still has a burden on her soul. Even with the help of the item, she cannot get rid of this burden. In fact, the distance may even aggravate the burden. The beaded chain only served as a "signal reinforcement".

"But that's also a treasure for nourishing the soul. It should make the doll's body easier for the soul to communicate with, like opening up the meridians. Maybe you don't need to wear it all the time to maintain it anymore. Why don't you try taking it off? Otherwise, you'll probably feel very uncomfortable like this, right?"

Yongzhen wanted to say that at first, she was always worried that she was wearing such a strange thing while talking to her mother, which felt weird. She was also worried that someone would find out or that it might fall out accidentally.

As soon as this worry arose, her body unconsciously entangled itself around the beaded chain, making her feel even more uncomfortable...

I'm getting used to it now, and I can indeed ignore that feeling a little, as long as I don't move around too much.

"Hmm, but I can get it myself."

After Yongzhen finished writing, she stared at Chu Mingkong, hoping he would be sensible and leave to avoid her.

Chu Mingkong was naturally pretending to be stupid; he not only wanted to stay here but also help Yongzhen retrieve it! However, Yongzhen kept staring at him with a deathly gaze, so he had no choice but to abandon his pretense and take the initiative to persuade her:

"I think it's better for me to stay. What if the doll's soul connection is severed when you take off the beaded chain, and it falls to the ground and gets injured? I'll have to stay by its side and watch over it!"

"Then you're not allowed to take advantage of the situation and put things in here!" Yongzhen finished writing hastily and stared at him suspiciously.

"I won't put it away randomly!" Chu Mingkong swore, raising three fingers. "But I wonder if Yongzhen, with your main body biting that bead, it can have a similar effect?"

Yongzhen had already tried this before, and the effect was not very noticeable. It could enhance the effect slightly, but it was not as effective as the beaded necklace.

No matter what, this is just one pearl, while a pearl necklace has many pearls strung together...

Quantity does not necessarily represent quality, but sometimes a large quantity is remarkable.

Chu Mingkong held one end, and just as a section came out, Yongzhen was unable to speak and could only shake her head repeatedly, her jade hands tightly gripping Chu Mingkong's clothes.

Seeing this, he quickly blocked it back.

On Madam Zhen's side, although she could not control Yongzhen's doll, she managed to regain some of the original empathy and could feel the physical senses.

Her voluptuous body suddenly trembled, her face flushed, and she murmured in shame, "What are Yongzhen and Mingkong doing?"

Chapter 169 Time to Go Do Odd Jobs (16.5/18)

Chu Mingkong thought that the connection between Yongzhen and the puppet was about to be severed, so he hurriedly put the Nine Aperture Soul Nourishing Bead Chain back in.

Perhaps she hadn't controlled her strength a little too much in her haste, because Yongzhen was quite taken aback by this abruptness and carelessness. She went limp in the man's arms, biting his shoulder angrily and leaving a string of small, neat teeth marks.

That's the downside of not being able to communicate verbally...

"So, Yongzhen, was your reaction just because you weren't used to taking it out, or was your soul connection about to be severed?"

Yongzhen regained her senses slightly, staring at him silently without writing a reply. Her unfriendly gaze seemed to want to bite him again.

Judging from his expression, it's most likely the former... Chu Mingkong honestly admitted his mistake:

"Alright, I won't ask. Yongzhen, are you still planning to take this beaded necklace out?"

This is a subtle but difficult question to answer directly. If she takes it off, she will have to relive the strange feeling from several sections of the necklace. If she doesn't take it off, it will seem as if she really likes keeping the beaded necklace.

Yongzhen's bright eyes were clear, even revealing the shyness and annoyance hidden in them. Chu Mingkong stared at her for a while, then offered her his pig's trotters and said "Please," asking the princess to "speak."

The woman's plain white undergarment fell to the ground, leaving her only in a light-colored bodice and underpants hanging around her delicate, fair ankles.

Yongzhen locked eyes with him for a while before writing on his hand: