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

Perhaps since the collapse of the Moonlit Empire, the Moonlit royal family is no longer the strongest force here, but they are the most adept at surviving.

Zuo Qiuchi thought for a moment and said, "The eldest prince has split his forces into two groups to deal with you. He sent a minor swordsman to deal with you on one side, and sent someone to snatch Rong'er on the other. This feud is now set in stone."

If it weren't for the Compassionate Protector running over to find the Asura Divine Soldiers and getting into a misunderstanding with that cavalry squad, those lowly soldiers would probably have been thinking of kidnapping Shangguan Rong.

Although the Asura Heavy Sword left behind by Chu Mingkong was there to guard the room, it could only prevent Shangguan Rong from being attacked by someone who broke into the room, but it couldn't prevent her from being robbed.

If they can't break the barrier, then taking the entire building and everyone inside with them is not uncommon in this world.

Shangguan Rong thought about the situation in the underground tavern that Chu Mingkong mentioned, and analyzed:

"The one-eyed swordsman that Mingkong mentioned has cautiously avoided conflict with him. If this is told to the eldest prince, what will his reaction be? Will he send out an even stronger one, or will he negotiate peace? If he negotiates peace, what bargaining chips will he offer?"

Palace of the Moon.

"What? You mean Princess Yongzhen's admirer can't even handle you, the Sword Saint?!"

The eldest prince had just finished eating a bunch of grapes when he was so startled that he spat out the purple grapes in his mouth, like a pea shooter, spitting out several bullets.

The one-eyed swordsman, his face contorted with bitterness and resentment, said in a deep voice:

"Yes, that person is no ordinary person. His swordsmanship is at least on par with mine, and his ice-attribute spiritual energy is effective against my combat style. I would have a hard time dealing with him alone."

The eldest prince wouldn't be foolish enough to think that Zahak was lying to him. It was completely unnecessary. In the Crescent Moon Kingdom, taking the life of a stranger was nothing. If he could be dealt with easily, why would he bother to come back here and spout nonsense?

He felt completely lost and wanted to hang Ma Meng up and whip him, but he had already sent scouts to snatch him away!

Before the conversation here was over, a subordinate rushed in to report the Rangers' defeat.

The fact that they failed to snatch the person is good news, but not much better, because it has definitely created enmity.

The eldest prince, in a fit of rage, took off his white cap and threw it on the ground.

"What kind of admirer is this? Poisoning him didn't work. How can an admirer be this powerful? Why didn't the Emperor of Tianji betroth the eldest princess to him sooner? Instead, he's bringing trouble upon himself!"

The advisor with the goatee standing beside the eldest prince said:

“Your Highness, this admirer is here for Princess Yongzhen, but what Your Highness actually wants is the military support of the Tianji Royal Family in order to restore the glory of the Yueqi Empire. Is it possible that Princess Yongzhen is not actually important to Your Highness, and is more of a symbol?”

“I think it’s still very important. I’ve met this princess once, and she’s extremely beautiful.” The eldest prince’s tone was a bit heavy: “So what are you trying to say? Wise old goat, have you thought of some bargaining chip to clear up this misunderstanding?”

"Not only can it clear up misunderstandings, but it can also bring in a powerful ally, which is much more practical than those opportunists like Ma Meng!"

"Oh? Tell me!" The eldest prince's eyes lit up with surprise and anticipation.

"Your Highness, you can openly marry the Princess of Tianji and gain the support of the Tianji royal family. In private, let the princess date her admirer, Cao, without interfering. Even if she gets pregnant, don't worry about it. Use this opportunity to win over this powerful man and turn an enemy into a friend! Promise that you no longer need the Tianji royal family. Then lie and say that the princess has disappeared, and let her and Cao leave."

For the sake of the empire, a little grievance is nothing.

"..."

After a long silence, the eldest prince grabbed a wine bottle and chased after the strategist, banging it against him.

Two figures appeared chasing each other in the Moon Palace, creating a very cheerful atmosphere.

Chapter 213 Yongzhen: Mingkong must be waiting anxiously (39/42)

The eldest prince beat the goatee's advisor black and blue, but he calmed down afterward.

His suggestion wasn't without merit; Princess Yongzhen was a hot potato, not to be trifled with. Emperor Tianji couldn't possibly be unaware that Princess Yongzhen had such a powerful elder brother protecting her, yet he still sent her here for a marriage alliance—it was clear he was trying to harm him.

This woman, prouder than a swan, is inherently difficult to tame; getting along with her will inevitably lead to clashes, only causing unnecessary trouble.

Not advisable!

The strategist, his face bruised and swollen, wiped the blood from his nose and continued:

"Besides, it's really best not to touch this woman. Does Your Highness know about the situation in Xiling? The Princess Consort's family has an impressive background, which has led to the fact that for a long time, the power has been in the hands of the Princess Consort of Chu. If Your Highness does not want the Yueji royal family to be controlled by outsiders in the future, you should not mess with this arrogant princess who has a powerful background and protectors."

"If you don't interfere, and she truly has a relationship with that Cao, even if she later harbors ambitions to seize power, once this scandal is exposed, she will lose her moral standing and find it difficult to maintain her position in the Crescent Moon Kingdom."

The eldest prince nodded. He was favored by the old king because of his mediocre abilities. The eldest prince's skills and abilities were not outstanding, but he also did not have any serious flaws. He was receptive to advice and could understand most things on his own. He lacked the arrogance of a typical royal.

"That makes sense. Shall I send someone to find that Mr. Cao now?"

"We may not be able to find him, but at worst we can talk to Princess Yongzhen. She will surely have a way to contact that Cao."

"That's true." The eldest prince sighed sadly; such a thing was ultimately a heavy blow for a man.

The strategist picked up a hot egg and applied it to his eyes:

"Your Highness need not sigh. Your sadness stems from the deep-seated belief that Princess Yongzhen's marriage to you means she is yours. Such thinking is dangerous. Only what you can truly control is yours."

You've met with that princess. She clearly doesn't want to come for the marriage alliance, and she has such a powerful figure under her command. You must be careful!

He then promised her she could leave, saying, "Your Highness, please treat this marriage alliance as a matter of state, not as a selection of a woman!"

“I understand the reasoning, but I’m still troubled. You just mentioned Xiling. I heard that the Princess Consort of Chu is still in power in Xiling, but she’s on good terms with the Prince of Xiling. How did she manage that?”

“I can’t figure this out either. From the information I’ve heard, it seems that the Princess Consort of Chu has fallen out with her maternal family, the Xiao family. There must be a deeper reason behind this, perhaps they have reached an agreement on some interests.” The strategist spoke cautiously, without making any wild guesses.

The eldest prince had no intention of thinking about it anymore. He was depressed because of Ma Meng's matter, so he ordered a group of people to find Cao and apologize.

"Also, take that Ma Meng out. He can be spared physical punishment. He can tie up the child and play with his slingshot, shooting at his sparrows. This matter will be dropped. This person will not be given important positions in the future."

I'm so tired...

He summoned his childhood sweetheart and favorite concubine to his bedchamber to relieve his depression.

----------

Chu Mingkong remained lying around, cautiously considering how the eldest prince would deal with him.

Although it was Shangguan Rong who put in the brains, at least Chu Mingkong, as a member of the atmosphere-building team, also contributed his share.

"This eldest prince is a ruthless person. As soon as he heard of my existence as an admirer, he wanted to kill me and sent a sword saint to deal with me. However, that little sword saint is also sensible. From now on, he can no longer let Rong'er leave my side at will. It's better to keep her close at hand."

Shangguan Rong didn't want to complain that he had taken advantage of her by groping her buttocks, which led to this incident. She wondered if this would affect Chu Mingkong's actions in the back alley.

When troubled, think more about the goal of this trip. The main purpose is to protect Yongzhen, and then see if there is an opportunity to seize power.

But seizing power is not a simple matter. It's not as simple as just eliminating the heirs. That would only add another force to the Crescent Kingdom and drag it into chaos.

Xiling doesn't need a new battlefield; what it needs is support and teammates who won't hold it back.

It would be best to rely on the schemes of others.

Now that the eldest prince and his entourage have reached the point of marriage alliance, they must have made the necessary preparations for unifying the tribes. It would be more reasonable for them to try to seize the results by using other people's schemes.

"It seems that all we can do now is wait and see. Mingkong, didn't you prepare a life-saving method for Yongzhen by exchanging doll bodies? Let's try to exchange her body first to ensure her safety. Then we can be more daring in any future actions."

Chu Mingkong wanted to switch Yongzhen over immediately. Now that they were already at the doorstep of the Yueyun royal family, if the distance wasn't enough, he could always sneak into the Yueyun royal family's palace and switch them face to face, right?

However, this body swap must be performed by Yongzhen herself, as Chu Mingkong has not cultivated it.

"Yongzhen hasn't contacted me yet, but I've already sent her a message. If she responds, she'll definitely send a message. Let's wait and see. If we still don't hear from her, we'll go to the Moonlit Royal Family's territory to play."

After finishing his conversation with Shangguan Rong, Chu Mingkong went on to bother his lazy, good-for-nothing master.

"Master, you've looked around, have you seen any good heavy swords? Do you have enough money to spend?"

Zuo Qiuchi was so bored she didn't want to move.

"I saw a lot of novel things, but none of them were usable. The greatsword craftsmanship here is quite novel. It is said to be a technique passed down from the Steel Dynasty. It does not require any talent from the user to unleash considerable power."

Then Chu Mingkong could understand why it was inappropriate.

These cultivators followed the path of spiritual energy cultivation, but the Steel Dynasty followed a path similar to "physical body modification and mechanical ascension." The amplification of spiritual energy had no effect on the mechanical weapons, which was a waste of Zuo Qiuchi's cultivation.

"Next time we go to the Asura King's place and steal all those Asura divine weapons. Master, you don't need to worry, there will be plenty of fun then."

Zuo Qiuchi felt that such things were a bit far off; boredom was the present, and empty promises couldn't satisfy the current hunger.

She casually suggested:

"Why don't we take Rong'er with us and go to the brothels here for a stroll and have a drink? Drinking is secondary; the main thing is to gather information."

Since lying here waiting for news is pointless anyway, I might as well find a place with a wide range of information sources to wait for news.

Chu Mingkong looked troubled: "This... let me think about it."

Flower Moon Pavilion.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here? What kind of girl are you looking for?"

"Give me one with a big butt! A slim waist! And a pretty face!" Chu Mingkong said, then took out a large piece of silver.

"But why did you bring a girl with you...?"

"Would adding more money solve your problem?"

"Okay!"

Just as Chu Mingkong led Zuo Qiuchi and Shangguan Rong into the girl's room, a message arrived via paper note.

[Yongzhen: Mingkong, I'm sorry, you must have been waiting impatiently. Release my doll, I'll communicate with you through it.]

Chu Mingkong looked around and wondered if Yongzhen would be angry that he had come to the brothel because he was so anxious to see him.

Chapter 214 This eldest prince is an extraordinary person (40/42)

“Yongzhen, I’m so happy. You really do understand me and you weren’t angry because of the misunderstanding.”

Chu Mingkong said with a smile, but before his eyes, the white jade feet of the Yongzhen puppet were about to step on his face.

The foot stopped, but ultimately didn't stomp down. It would be a lie to say I wasn't angry.

Yongzhen knew that it wasn't easy for Chu Mingkong to slowly get close to the Yueqi royal family, but when her doll woke up and found him in a place of pleasure, her temper and blood pressure immediately soared.

He immediately started pinching Chu Mingkong's face, and even considered giving him a few slaps on the feet to vent his anger, but he calmed down afterward.

"Rong'er, if you're here too, then you must have some kind of scheme to come to a place like this?" The Yongzhen puppet was still unable to speak and could only communicate through writing.

Shangguan Rong hesitated for a moment, but she felt that the current situation was not urgent. Telling the truth would only result in Chu Mingkong being pinched a few more times, while lying would only leave room for suspicion.

One lie requires another to cover it up; there's no need to erode mutual trust over trivial matters.

"We were bored, but after some careful consideration, Mingkong dragged us over to gather information and wait for news. He even picked out a woman with big buttocks when we entered."

A bead of sweat rolled down Chu Mingkong's forehead, and he swallowed hard with a heavy heart.