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

So she found that her body had a... craving for this taste.

Moreover, my throat also felt a bit uncomfortable, like a child who greedily ate a candied hawthorn and swallowed it, only to find it stuck deep in their throat, neither going down nor down, that kind of feeling of being stretched open.

Although she unexpectedly fell into a coma today, Shangguan Rong's spirits are at their most relaxed and comfortable in a long time.

"The side effects of the Twenty-Four Palace Goddesses' Technique have actually been suppressed!"

A look of emotion appeared on her calm and beautiful face, but there was still some regret.

Her previous hasty practice had caused some damage to her spiritual meridians, which meant that once the effects of the "poisonous blood" Chu Mingkong had given her wore off, the previous discomfort would reappear.

However, there was also good news. Her situation had reached a dead end; her cultivation technique had failed, and she could not continue. The side effects would accompany her for the rest of her life.

The side effects are still present, but she can continue her cultivation!

Once you cultivate to the minor perfection of the technique, the side effects will disappear.

Perhaps even without reaching the Lesser Perfection stage, as long as one reaches the Lesser Completion stage and can withstand the extreme Yin energy in Chu Mingkong's blood, one can continue to ask him for blood to alleviate the side effects of the cultivation technique.

"But... he probably won't give me any more blood, since he won't even pour me tea." She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Lost in thought, her maid came over to help her mistress with her hair and makeup.

"Second Miss, how come you look so much better after returning from the Xiling Prince's Mansion? Your face is so rosy, like you've put on rouge. If you wore a dress, you would be absolutely stunning. It's such a waste that you always wear men's clothes!"

The mention of men's clothing stirred a strange feeling within her.

Years ago, when Shangguan Rong went to Xiling to celebrate a birthday and stayed at the Xiling Prince's Mansion, Chu Mingkong accidentally barged in while she was taking a bath and saw her naked.

So many years have passed, and today, on my first visit to his residence in the capital, he has seen everything again.

It's true... our horoscopes don't match.

"Don't talk nonsense. I just had a cup of hot tea, so I'm a little hot."

Seeing that her mistress was in a good mood, the maidservant spoke more freely and remarked:

"Second Miss, you went to Prince Chu's residence this afternoon to argue with him, didn't you? Prince Chu must be furious with you. He did such a heroic thing this morning, protecting the emperor, and this afternoon he went to the Nightblade Division and started stabbing people. There was even blood, and several Nightblade Guards died!"

Shangguan Rong subconsciously thought, "How is that possible?"

In her letter, she had given instructions on what he should not do, fearing that he might become too reckless and fall into a trap set by someone with ulterior motives.

In the blink of an eye, how long has it been since she returned to the manor, and Chu Mingkong has already gone on a killing spree at the Nightblade Division?!

"Is this a rumor?"

"It shouldn't be. The kitchen staff said the dishes delivered today weren't good enough, so they sent someone to the market to buy more. Then they saw a crowd gathered around Nightblade Division, saying that Prince Chu had just made them... There are quite a few princes and heirs in our Heavenly Empire, but there's only one with the surname Chu. There's no mistake."

"Prepare a carriage and take me to his palace!"

Hearing the young lady's serious tone, the maid dared not laugh anymore, replied "Yes," and ran out to call for a carriage to be prepared.

The Nightblade Division is the emperor's right-hand man. Offending them is tantamount to picking a fight with the emperor. Normally, even if members of the Nightblade Division commit a wrongful conviction, the government can't do anything about it.

Shangguan Rong took out a token from a hidden compartment in her boudoir.

This is a pardon from death. The emperor previously appointed her as Grand Tutor, which is the teacher of the princes and princesses. This was the betrothal gift he gave her. Ordinary Grand Tutors do not receive this treatment.

So far, the entire Tianji Empire has only issued ten tokens, which are taken back after being used once.

If something really happened to Chu Mingkong, she decided to use this item to protect him.

----------

Upon hearing the news, Yongzhen and Jinyu rushed to Chu Mingkong's palace immediately.

They met at the door and looked at each other in surprise.

"Jinyu, what brings you here?!" "Yongzhen, what brings you here?"

Chapter 51 Yongzhen, you actually brought your mother here to steal your man!

This encounter is delicate and unreasonable.

The problem lies with Jinyu.

Jin Yu's past persona wasn't that of a princess who would particularly care about any man; rather, she seemed kind and amiable, but was actually aloof and distant from everyone.

Has she ever deliberately become close to anyone?

No.

Today, Jinyu had been in rather close contact with a man surnamed Chu!

In the morning, Madam Zhen asked Chu Mingkong to take Jinyu to play and have fun during the Lantern Festival. It was true that Jinyu couldn't refuse because of the elders' wishes, but in the past, she would make an excuse of feeling unwell and go straight home as soon as she left the elders' house.

Those closest to her knew that Jin Yu would rather shop alone than be accompanied by a man she found boring and dull.

But today she really made Chu Mingkong accompany her all the way, and even stayed in his palace for a long time afterwards!

Of course, this can be explained by the debt of gratitude for saving his life, and the need to take good care of him until he wakes up; there is no problem with etiquette and sentiment.

But now that they've come again, it's really strange; you could even describe it as them being very attentive.

"That's what I should be asking you, Jinyu. What are you doing here? I heard you went back to the palace this afternoon. Why did you come all the way here?"

Yongzhen stared at her suspiciously.

After speaking, Madam Zhen slowly stepped out of the carriage behind her.

Since the souls of the mother and daughter had not yet been switched back, Yongzhen, who was still trapped in her mother's body, could not let her mother run around like this, so she naturally had to follow.

Of course, there was also a sense of concern for Chu Mingkong.

Jin Yu wanted to have a good talk with Yong Zhen and win the man back, but when she saw Madam Zhen, the princess could only hold back her words.

We're competing fairly, and you actually brought your mother along! Are you taking advantage of the fact that I didn't bring my mother to back me up?

Jin Yu's arrogance subsided somewhat, and she adopted her dignified persona, replying gently:

"The Crown Prince of Chu was injured for my sake, and his injuries relapsed. He has become irritable, which is probably why he did such a foolish thing."

If I do nothing, won't others think of Jinyu as someone who only cares about appearances and etiquette?

Isn't that right? If you're so capable, show Chu Mingkong what you did in my room... Yongzhen maintained her usual motherly expression, looking kindly at Jinyu, that little vixen.

Jin Yu took her sister's arm and looked at Madam Zhen with concern, knowing they had to find a way to get their grandmother away.

"Grandma, you should go back first! After the young master was injured, his wound will exude that cold, extremely yin energy. You need to rest and shouldn't get close!"

The young woman with her bodice wrapped in a bandage chimed in, "Yes, Mother, you should go back first."

After saying that, she felt a little embarrassed. She didn't expect that I would get used to calling my daughter "mother". But if she didn't send her back, she would not be able to act too close to Chu Mingkong in front of her daughter.

Mrs. Zhen was stunned. Her mother and my sister went to visit my "boyfriend" in the hospital, leaving me out!

She really wanted to stay and watch over her mother. Her mother had encountered problems with the soul swap this time and had been in a daze for so long without waking up. As her daughter, she couldn't rest easy without keeping an eye on her!

But now Jin Yu and "Yong Zhen" are speaking up together and forcing her to leave; it would seem strange if she didn't.

Left with no other choice, she had to return to the small courtyard.

He kept turning back to look at himself, so anxious that he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Watching helplessly as her mother carried her body into the palace with Jinyu, she had no choice but to return to her small courtyard first.

------------

With her elders gone, Jin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that now was the time!

Should I confront Yongzhen and tell her to stop paying attention to Chu Lang? I suspect she doesn't have any feelings for Chu Lang right now, since we've only known each other for two days.

From now on, Chu Lang won't need to try to please Yong Zhen anymore; he can just come and please her directly!

However, now is not the time to talk about those things; we need to check on Chu Lang's condition first!

After returning home, Chu Mingkong wondered if Gao Nanben would come looking for him that evening. He waited a while, but instead, these two showed up...

He felt guilty towards Yongzhen, who had just let him check her heartbeat and then took advantage of her sisters while he was out.

He felt very guilty towards Jinyu, guessing that Jinyu probably thought Yongzhen wasn't very close to him, similar to how she treated Shangguan Rong and Zhang Yiyi in the past, and was treating him coldly.

No, Shangguan Rong can't be considered indifferent; this girl is just quite strange.

"Yongzhen, Jinyu, what brings you here?"

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Yongzhen felt relieved when she saw him.

While Yongzhen wasn't paying attention, Jinyu glared at him, because Chu Mingkong had called Yongzhen's name first, and then hers.

But with Yongzhen by her side, Jinyu wasn't as clingy and affectionate as she was in bed.

"Your Highness, I heard from the servants that you went to the Nightblade Division to fight? No matter what, you acted too impulsively. Could it be that you haven't calmed down from your anger this morning? Perhaps I should..."

"Me?" Yongzhen looked at Jinyu suspiciously.

With just that one sentence, she felt that this girl was really close to Chu Mingkong.

"I'll have someone bring over a bowl of herbal soup to soothe the nerves and reduce internal heat," Jin Yu said with a smile.

Chu Mingkong explained, "It's nothing serious. It's just that a stranger with whom I had some connection and karma with my master was killed by Nightblade on this auspicious day. I just went to seek justice."

Knowing the trouble that might arise from fighting within the Nightblade Division, Yongzhen said worriedly, "You should stay in my courtyard from now on. Even if the Nightblade Guards come looking for you, they won't dare to do anything to you."

Jin Yu's heart was pounding. Chu Lang has moved to your courtyard. Does that mean he can only visit you from now on...? That's a bit exciting!

Chu Mingkong shook his head: "Don't worry too much. The place where I used my martial arts was the Nightblade Division's martial arts school, not inside the Nightblade Division's headquarters. Besides, do you think I can hide in Yongzhen's house forever?"

Jin Yu's eyes lit up with anticipation.

And we're going to stay in Yongzhen's house...?!

"Cough cough!"

Jin Yu composed herself, adopting a nonchalant expression as if to say, "I'm not familiar with Chu Mingkong." She took Yongzhen's arm and sat down at the table.

The moment the tender, peach-like bottom touched the stool, Jin Yu gasped and stood up reflexively.

It was only approaching evening, and there was still some time before sunset. Jin Yu hadn't recovered from the midday rain and clouds; she had been lying down when she arrived by carriage.

"Jinyu, are you... feeling unwell?" Yongzhen asked suspiciously.

"Ugh! I twisted my ankle. I just bent my leg and pulled my hamstring!" she said, her beautiful eyes secretly giving Chu Mingkong a resentful look before turning the topic to Yongzhen: "Yongzhen, you've never liked being around men, so why are you so concerned about him and even came all the way here?"