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

Chu Mingkong nodded thoughtfully. The logic was indeed sound, but not everyone possessed such excellent intelligence-gathering abilities. It was like solving a math problem; anyone could look at the answer, but the key was that once the answer was closed, it was wrong...

"Is Yunhan really coming back?" Xiao Zhi's expression tightened. It was clearly a happy occasion, but she couldn't feel worried because of some concerns.

Wan Hua, not wanting the atmosphere to suddenly become heavy, tilted his head to look at Xiao Zhi, who was sitting on the other side of his son, and teased him playfully:

"I have no one to rely on and no one to care about. What will I do if Yunhan finds out about Zhi'er?!"

Normally, Xiao Zhi would at least have a heated argument with Wan Hua, a real battle of wits, exchanging barbs and hurting each other's feelings. After all, it's just talking nonsense, anyone can do that.

But the situation is different now; Yunhan is really planning to come back.

"Mingkong, how about... we tone it down for now? Yunhan shouldn't be back for too long, right?" Xiao Zhi was unsure what to do; her current mood was like...

Taking advantage of the fact that family members are away from home, they steal a lover.

But this argument is clearly wrong. Mingkong is a domesticated man, how can he be considered a philanderer? At most, he's just keeping the good stuff in the family, benefiting himself from his own husband's services...

Chapter 45 Gou Jiafang

Concealment became a common strategy.

"In that case, Zhi'er should stay away from Mingkong these days. I'll be closer to Mingkong myself!" Wan Hua said with a smile. "And I'll take charge of the competition for Zhi'er last time~"

The contest she mentioned was naturally the best-of-three match, where the winner would get priority to go out for a private rendezvous with Chu Mingkong.

The reward hasn't been redeemed yet, but Xiao Zhi isn't in a hurry. Now that Chu Mingkong has returned to Xiling, he's busy with various things, but he's just wandering around the area, unlike before when he went back to the capital and stayed for months at a time.

Xiao Zhi had no idea that her daughter would suddenly return. She had been worried about this when she first reconciled with Chu Mingkong.

However, he didn't worry for long at the time, because his mind was full of reconciliation with Chu Mingkong, and Yunhan had been in seclusion for so long that Xiao Zhi... had almost forgotten about his daughter's existence.

Now that she has suddenly returned, Xiao Zhi is completely unprepared.

"You wish! One thing at a time. After Yunhan comes back, she'll spend more time with Wanhua, and she'll have to make it up to me later."

Xiao Zhi refused to back down, but Wan Hua didn't tolerate her either, and chuckled.

"Hey~ Why should I? It's not like I stopped you from getting close to Mingkong, is it? Go talk to Yunhan about it~"

"..."

At this juncture, Xiao Zhi was suppressed, unable to get past his daughter Yun Han.

But when Xiao Zhi calmed down and put aside Wan Hua's influence, she realized that things weren't actually that complicated.

Yunhan isn't going to stay forever just because she's back. She's only pretending to be nice to Mingkong for a few days. She'll go back to normal after that. It's just that Wan Hua has affected her mindset!

After figuring it out, Xiao Zhi snorted softly, slapped away Wan Hua's jade foot that was resting on Chu Mingkong's hand, and instead placed her own feet in her son's hands.

Her white, soft feet touched my hands, the warmth and coolness of jade were indescribable. The arch of her foot was just right, and the softness was irresistible. My fingers moved over her jade-like feet, and the smooth skin on the back of her feet was another kind of pleasure.

After Xiao Zhi slapped Wan Hua's feet away, Wan Hua immediately stretched them back out. The two adjusted their sitting positions, and their two pairs of fair and delicate feet rubbed and kicked lightly in front of Chu Mingkong, each displaying its own agility.

"Mingkong, did Yunhan say how long she'll be back?" Xiao Zhi asked.

"She didn't say, but it shouldn't be too long. She'll probably be going to the auction in the East China Sea soon. I'll be going too. It's a once-in-a-century event. Do you want to come along?"

Xiao Zhi knew that cultivators would hold similar grand events every few years, some small and some large, just like medicinal herbs that only flower and bear fruit once every few hundred years.

Going along to see it for yourself would be a good idea, but...

"If Yunhan is also there, I'll feel guilty and decide not to go. It wouldn't be good if she noticed anything amiss. So how long do you plan to stay this time?"

That's not something Chu Mingkong can decide. It mainly depends on how long it takes over there, but judging from Qing Se's arrangements, it's estimated to be about half a month.

Chu Mingkong explained the plan, and Xiao Zhi nodded in acceptance. Half a month wasn't a particularly long time.

"How about letting Wan Hua go with you? It'll be a good opportunity for her to witness this once-in-a-century event."

Wan Hua glanced at Xiao Zhi in surprise, not expecting that Xiao Zhi would take the initiative to "take advantage" of her. However, if she went with her, Xiao Zhi would be left without someone to accompany her in Xiling, so she decided to pass.

Although she was thinking of Xiao Zhi, Wan Hua didn't say it aloud, but sighed:

"I won't go. Zhi'er says one thing and means another. Who knows if I go with Mingkong and then come back to settle scores with me?"

Xiao Zhi wasn't stupid; she could guess Wan Hua's true intentions, and a warmth touched her heart. However, having grown accustomed to bickering with Wan Hua these past few days, Xiao Zhi wasn't one to back down verbally.

"You're willing to accompany Mingkong out for so long, and when you come back, I'll do the math and see where you lost out. If you're so afraid of being taken advantage of, then don't go. Just stay in Xiling and keep me company!"

The two mothers were locked in a battle of wits, and Chu Mingkong, a mere mortal, could not participate. He obediently waited on the sidelines, massaging their legs on one side and patting their chests on the other to help them catch their breath.

Sometimes Chu Mingkong was puzzled and couldn't understand it. He felt that the two of them were fine when they were alone, but as soon as he came, they would bicker. It was as if they only had the interest to bicker when he was around.

But their enthusiasm came and went quickly; after a few words, the two of them lost interest in arguing.

Xiao Zhi brought up the matter of the priority rendezvous: "While Yunhan was still away, you accompanied me around these past two days, right?"

"Judging from what Consort Zhi'er is saying, you've figured out how this private rendezvous came about?" Chu Mingkong was very curious. He hadn't kept his promise these past few days, not entirely because he had been busy playing with the little girl, but mainly because he didn't know how to keep her company.

At the time, Xiao Zhi and Wan Hua were having such a big fuss. If he didn't think things through properly about this secret rendezvous, it would hurt Xiao Zhi's feelings and make her feel disappointed instead of hopeful.

"I haven't really thought it through yet. I just want to take a walk around with Mingkong before dawn these next couple of days, before the people come out. I haven't been out and about in a long time." After saying that, Xiao Zhi warned Wan Hua, "Wan Hua, let me remind you, I'm going to walk around with Mingkong alone. Don't come up to me."

"Sure, then I'll have Mingkong accompany me for a walk later, and see how you manage to shop with him!"

Before sunrise... so I guess I just wanted to take a walk in the quiet, which was surprisingly a simple wish.

Chu Mingkong didn't comment on this, but just thought about what places in Xiling were worth strolling around before dawn. Xiao Zhi didn't specify where to go, so that was left for him to figure out.

While pondering, Chu Mingkong accompanied them to finish processing today's memorials, and then went down to Tianya Tower to supervise the work.

Not long after Chu Mingkong appeared at Tianya Tower, Elder Ding immediately came to greet him.

Elder Ding was very straightforward. He knew that this current leader of Xiling was the kind of person who wouldn't come here unless there was a reason.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

Chu Mingkong was naturally happy to speak frankly, directly taking on the role of the demanding client and instructing:

"We need to speed up the improvement of paper slips. The Taoist sects already have methods for transmitting sound over long distances. Although their costs are a bit high, as they have to crush those special jade slips, you should try to move in that direction as much as possible. Once the sound transmission is achieved, move towards the direction of the image of the person who will transmit the sound."

Elder Ding fell silent on the spot. "Your Highness, why don't you just say to teleport the person directly to your side?"

"Try, try..." he said bitterly.

"Furthermore, the handling of those memorials needs to be refined. Matters that do not need to be handled by the City Lord's Pavilion need not be sent up every time."

------

P.S.: I guess... everyone here is single, right? Hopefully, there aren't any traitors among us.

Chapter Forty-Six: Jin Yu is a little tempted!

Elder Ding couldn't help but ponder and consider Chu Mingkong's words. Some words might not seem like much to outsiders, but with more experience, one can often guess a lot about someone's thoughts from just the first sentence.

A long time ago—not really that long ago, around the time Chu Mingkong secretly returned to Xiling under an assumed name to participate in the Tianya City martial arts competition—one could sense his indifference towards power from his final act of handing over power to the Chu Princess.

If he looked down on Xiling's status, then he had two opportunities to stand at different peaks and wield high-level power after gaining the approval of the first empress in the New Moon Kingdom and then killing the Heavenly Emperor.

But he did none of that. Instead, he returned to Xiling and idled away his days, even bringing back a daughter of mysterious origin.

His words, seemingly intended to alleviate the pressure on the Princess Consort of Chu, actually brought Xiling back to the state it was in when the old King of Chu had just disappeared.

Xiling relies on Tianya City and manages its own affairs, with the Princess of Chu helping to coordinate some matters.

However, a little further down the line, Xiling might really just be playing its own game, while Chu Mingkong and the Princess Chu and the others would completely disappear into the background, or perhaps into some other place.

To be honest, Elder Ding was quite unwilling for Xiling to lose such a powerful young master.

Since the world's power was divided into "the secular world" and "the secular world outside," the power within the secular dynasty was generally still subject to the power of the secular sects. However, the first time this balance of power shifted was with the Heavenly Emperor.

He forced many renowned sects to submit, and even ruthlessly beheaded several sect elders in the palace, forcing those high-and-mighty secluded forces to take the Heavenly Extreme Royal Family seriously.

Then there's Chu Mingkong, and Xiling, where he's currently living in seclusion.

He brazenly entered the palace alone and beheaded the emperor, which moved the sects and forces. Xiling was peaceful at the moment, largely because Chu Mingkong had chopped up the emperor in front of everyone just over a month ago.

The people from the secluded sects aren't stupid either. No one would think, "Although Chu Mingkong can defeat the emperor, our sect can still bully him. His Xiling should give our sect some face."

It wouldn't be a good thing if such a "guardian" were to leave Xiling one day...

What's rather strange is that those who are revered throughout history are often generous in publicizing their good reputation and their humility, wishing the whole world would know about their modesty.

When they go out for a stroll, they'd love to make a big fuss to keep ordinary people from crowding around and getting in their way, all while calling it being low-key.

But Chu Mingkong really does his own thing. He takes care of all the revenge and vengeance himself. After he's done it, he just issues a token announcement. He doesn't make a grand declaration of ambition before taking action against his enemies to stir up public sentiment.

When the people of Xiling saw the announcement that the emperor was dead, they even thought it was fake.

"Does Your Highness intend to live in seclusion?" Elder Ding asked bluntly as always.

Speaking too directly saves trouble, but sometimes it leaves people speechless. Chu Mingkong felt like he was about to abandon Xiling.

He smiled awkwardly, considered his words carefully, and then said:

"It's not exactly a retirement. After returning from the palace, I felt that many things were not as simple as I had thought. If I had stayed in Xiling, the most likely outcome would have been that I would not have been able to protect Xiling."

"Isn't Your Highness afraid that by leaving things so hands-off, Xiling might unknowingly change its surname? Even the long-established royal family has always had to guard against interference from maternal relatives and the dominance of eunuchs."

Chu Mingkong briefly imagined the situation where Xiling was occupied and power was seized by others.

He used to care a lot about this, otherwise he wouldn't have risked sneaking back to Xiling to participate in the Tianya City martial arts competition. But now...

"If that day ever comes, it can't be forced; Xiling and the creatures of this land will make their own choices. But for now, I'm more concerned that my mother won't be burdened by so many memorials."

----------

After chatting with Yongzhen for a while, Madam Zhen went to find Jinyu.

We still need to find ways to mitigate the impact of the things we were worried about before. If we really do get pregnant unexpectedly, we should try to reduce the impact as much as possible. For example, it would be a good idea to let Pei Mi get pregnant first.

We can find out about this from Jinyu.

However, going directly to her would seem a bit contrived, so she waited outside Jinyu's courtyard for a while, and when Jinyu went out for a walk, she pretended to bump into her by accident.

"Jinyu, where are you planning to go?"

As soon as the plump and beautiful Jinyu stepped out of the courtyard, she heard Madam Zhen's voice. She responded with a smile, surprised by the coincidence of meeting Madam Zhen.

"Madam Zhen~" Jin Yu shook the beautiful woman's hand warmly and affectionately, "I was planning to go play with those two little ones, to get closer to them~ Madam Zhen, what are you doing here?"