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

Hearing Jinyu mention the two little cubs, Madam Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, as it conveniently brought up the topic!

"I was taking a walk along Qingxin Spring when I ran into you. I have nothing to do, so shall I come with you?"

“Okay~” Jin Yu replied, took Madam Zhen’s arm, and walked together toward the courtyard where the little guy was.

On the way, Madam Zhen took the opportunity to ask:

"Jinyu, you seem to really like children, yet you're so close to Mingkong. Don't you feel... uncomfortable because those two little girls are Mingkong's children with someone else?"

Jin Yu found this question a bit strange, but she quickly understood. She thought that Madam Zhen had lived in the palace before, and probably must have been disgusted by those concubines, which was why she had this idea.

"No, Mingkong won't be any closer to anyone just because they're pregnant with his child. Besides, Maomao and Jiao'er are quite pitiful without their mother's company. What's there to be upset about? I'm even worried that if I get pregnant, the baby will take away the care Mingkong gives me!"

Madam Zhen sighed inwardly at Jin Yu's rare temperament and open-mindedness, as she devoted herself wholeheartedly to her relationship with her lover.

She envied Jinyu somewhat, because with such a personality, it was difficult for her to recover from even the slightest injury. Fortunately, she had met Mingkong, who was greedy and never got tired of the old and wanted everything.

Therefore, Jin Yu and Ming Kong being together is a good match for both of them. Girls with Jin Yu's personality are rare, but girls with Ming Kong's personality are also rare; it's not about one person accommodating the other.

"How can you be so afraid that the baby will be favored and affect you? What if Mingkong wants your child in the future? Do you expect your mother, Pei Mi, to help you?"

Although Pei Mi and Chu Mingkong's affair was not explicitly stated, the conflict she had with the Chu Princess and the others when she first arrived in Xiling almost confirmed the fact. Everyone knew about it, so it wasn't something that couldn't be said openly.

Upon hearing Madam Zhen's words, Jin Yu initially intended to respond with, "Madam Zhen, please don't let my mother hear this joke," but then she suddenly thought deeply—

like......

That makes some sense!

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Sky Lantern's Journey Through the Mountains

Having decided to take Xiao Zhi out for a stroll, Chu Mingkong didn't delay any longer. He returned to Qingxin Mansion and found that Jin Yu had just finished playing with the two little maids.

After Jin Yu left, Chu Mingkong took the two little cubs and rode around on his sword, occasionally strolling through the villages below to scout out routes for his short morning stroll with Zhi'er and her mother the next day.

However, listening to the two little girls' clear, childlike laughter along the way, he felt it was difficult for him to concentrate on looking at the scenery.

So he decided to take the little girl's opinion into consideration.

On the flying sword, a man sat cross-legged, with a little girl on each of his shoulders. The girls sat steadily on his broad shoulders, but were still worried about falling off, their little paws tightly holding Chu Mingkong's head.

"Cat, Jiao'er, what do you think of the scenery here?" Chu Mingkong wanted them to sit more comfortably, so he reached out and supported their delicate backs, acting as a human chair back.

Moon River Cat was so scared that she wanted to wrap her little feet around him, but after sitting for a while, she calmed down:

"That's great, the villages down there grow lots of fruit."

Jiao'er, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, hugged Chu Mingkong's head tightly and was no longer afraid of heights. In response to Chu Mingkong's question, she excitedly made a few "ee-ya" sounds.

Chu Mingkong nodded seriously:

"Jiao'er, you said the plank road on that mountain is in a good location, and the view from up there must be beautiful, right? Actually, that's what I was thinking too, so it's approved by both votes."

The cat looked puzzled, glancing at Jiao'er and then at its father, whose serious expression suggested he wasn't lying.

After a moment of silence, the cat also began to babble and converse with the baby, trying to explore and master this mysterious baby language.

This time, it was Chu Mingkong's turn to be puzzled. Why was the cat joining in the "meowing"?

However, he didn't pay much attention to it. Listening to the little girls' babbling accompaniment on the flying sword, it could barely be regarded as "car music." Leaving aside the beauty of the melody, the timbre was still quite good.

Chu Mingkong's flying sword swept low through the air, attracting the attention of the people below. Occasionally, there were also cultivators from various sects passing by, mostly disciples from Xiaoxiang Qin Academy and Wenqing Pavilion.

They looked at this strange group and the innocent, carefree girls chatting and laughing, and couldn't help but smile with amusement, so they didn't go forward to disturb them.

The next day, before dawn, the sky was still dark and daylight had not yet broken.

In the stillness of the night, there lies a sense of impending life and excitement, a feeling unique to the dawn.

Chu Mingkong pulled Xiao Zhi along as they set off from Qingxin Mansion.

When Xiao Zhi saw Chu Mingkong bring out the horse, her expression was a little strange, because she and Chu Mingkong had a unique experience on horseback.

"Not flying swords, but horses?" Xiao Zhi asked, then added, "I heard yesterday that you took the girls out on swords for a spin. Were you scouting locations?"

"Exactly. We can't just do whatever comes to mind. My baby hasn't let me spend much time with her, just a short walk before sunrise. Can we just go through the motions? We still have to be more attentive."

Although the frost and snow had stopped, the earth was still covered in a blanket of white.

This morning, Xiao Zhi went out wearing her usual black and gold-embroidered princess palace dress. A mink shawl concealed her gorgeous attire and graceful figure, but her steps were light and her gait swayed gracefully, occasionally revealing glimpses of her curves beneath the shawl. Her fair and delicate body, mature and elegant face, long eyelashes, and bright, clear eyes were combined like a painting, so beautiful that even a sleepy early morning passerby was instantly roused at a fleeting glance.

Chu Mingkong led the horse and walked through the market with Xiao Zhi's mother. At this time, the bustling market was still in a sleepy state, with only a few early-morning stalls starting to prepare for the day's business.

Chu Mingkong and his wife are arguably the most famous people in Xiling today. Their low-key and mysterious nature has fueled public discussion, and even now, there is no shortage of discussion about the Xiling royal family.

However, when the two traveled together, no one recognized their identities. They were only surprised, thinking to themselves that the couple had outstanding temperament and appearance, like a perfect couple.

He wondered if they were some kind of immortal couple from some secluded sect, as he had never seen such an outstanding pair in Xiling.

"Would you like to buy a can of hot tea? But the tea is probably not as good as the one in the City Lord's Pavilion, so you should be prepared, little pheasant." Chu Mingkong pointed to a stall.

After the snowstorm arrived, similar hot tea businesses emerged, especially in the early morning. The tea was served in bamboo tubes, and its main purpose was to ward off the cold and warm the stomach. Those who were looking for better taste were overthinking it.

"Anything is fine..." Xiao Zhi replied, then parted her lips slightly, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of embarrassment and shyness, "And now that we're outside, don't call me by that shameful name!"

"I'll just activate a soundproof barrier in a bit; it'll be the same outside."

Chu Mingkong walked over and took a look at what kinds of tea were available: Yingbei ginger tea, Xiaoze black tea... Meichuan bitter tea.

What a terrible name! It's like "No Underpants".

Chu Mingkong casually bought a can of tea and then pulled Xiao Zhi away.

After leaving the city, he rode his horse at full speed.

It was still the familiar scene of the woman in front and the man behind, but there were still some differences. The last time she rode a horse like this with Xiao Zhi, she was facing Chu Mingkong and holding him. Occasionally, when she couldn't hold him anymore, she would lie down on the horse's back to rest. However, such rest was definitely in vain. As long as the horse kept bumping around, her heart would not stop.

The horse galloped all the way, only slowing down when it reached the plank road on the mountain cliff.

"Why does it seem like my baby Zhi'er isn't feeling well while riding the horse? She keeps moving around?" Chu Mingkong put his arm around her waist from behind and held Zhi'er's mother's hand in front of her lower abdomen.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to!" Xiao Zhi retorted feigned anger, a blush rising on her bright and beautiful face.

Last time, when I was riding a horse face-to-face, I was being pushed against. This time, I was riding in a normal position, but it was still the same treatment of being pushed against and pressed against.

Occasionally, when they encountered bumpy roads, Xiao Zhi felt as if he were going to pry open her skirt and crawl inside!

Chu Mingkong smiled apologetically: "I feel like this is a bit of a mood killer. Such a beautiful view and we're talking about this. But I don't think today is a festival. Why are we raising lanterns?"

He said it was a spoilsport, but his hands still reached out and gently caressed the woman's heart.

The mother and son were already high up in the mountains. Looking out, the morning mist was hazy, and the colors of the snow and the white mist blended together. As dawn broke, the rising sun dyed the morning mist orange and purple, and the scenery of the village and fields below was all in sight.

In the hazy early morning light, lanterns rose from the village below, like stars appearing at dawn.

Chu Mingkong didn't remember if Xiling had any festivals in the past few days, or if it was a local custom in the nearby villages.

"You really don't remember?" Xiao Zhi asked rhetorically, seemingly having anticipated this spectacular scene of lanterns being released into the sky. She lifted one of her long, slender, and beautiful legs from her horse and turned to sit opposite her son.

"I really don't remember. Although I don't care much about festivals, I'm not so ignorant as to not know about any major festivals. It seems like there are lantern festivals in Tianya City too." Chu Mingkong glanced back and then quickly looked away.

This is the outskirts of Tianya City. You can see the scenery of Tianya City from here, but no matter how beautiful it is, it can't compare to the beauty of the beautiful woman in front of you.

The strapless dress slipped down, and as Chu Mingkong reached a high point in the mountain, towering mountains loomed before him.

"This is the day you went to the capital, and also the day you were unfortunately injured. So I have designated today as the Xiling Prayer Festival. We won't do anything special, just release a sky lantern."

It was said so lightly, but Chu Mingkong was still a little "flattered". Although what he did was partly to help Xiling take revenge, his primary motivation was to avenge his own grudge.

The fact that even the day he got injured could become a festival in Xiling made him uneasy, as if he were occupying public resources. He suddenly felt a bit of admiration for the celebrity Giegie from his previous life; even a scrape could make headlines, her inner strength was truly remarkable!

"Wouldn't this be considered an abuse of public power for private gain?" He smiled helplessly.

"No, many places in Xiling were affected. This is also a day to pray for the people in other parts of Xiling," Xiao Zhi said grandly.

Chu Mingkong was unable to refute it for a moment, nor could he find any fault with it.

Although I know that the festival was created for him by his mother, it is indeed a day that Xiling needs to remember... Let's just consider it as a day dedicated to public service.

"Are you cold?" Chu Mingkong suddenly asked with a grin, his hand, which had been resting on his beautiful mother's slender waist, slid down to her thigh.

It feels smooth to the touch, like touching fine jade.

"Are you planning to use a scorching hot stick of firewood to warm Mother?" Xiao Zhi flicked Chu Mingkong's overheated and red head, his blood surging, his head held high in anger, making her heart tremble with excitement.

"The name 'firewood stick' sounds so ugly and unattractive, let's just call it 'firewood stick' instead?"

What's the difference?

Xiao Zhi looked up at Chu Mingkong in confusion, only to be met with his face drawing ever closer. Her delicate lips were sealed, and the slight chill left between her lips by the cold wind was meticulously wiped away.

The mature queen slowly closed her beautiful eyes, her vision filled with darkness, her mind a turbulent turmoil.

The sky lantern continued to rise, along with the consciousness of the Chu Queen.

Occasionally a gust of wind would blow by, causing the sky lantern to tremble and sway, and her heart would rise and fall with it.

In a vast and tranquil mountain trail, the soft, sweet voices of lovers murmured, tender and affectionate.

As dawn broke, the rapid hoofbeats of horses resumed, and they began their journey home towards Tianya City.

This time, Princess Chu lay prone on the horse's back, her hands behind her back, being led by Chu Mingkong as if he were holding the reins. With the Domain of Annihilation protecting her, she savored the journey home.

......

Although we had agreed to take a walk around dawn, by the time everything was back on track, it was already past noon.

After resting from the exhaustion of her early morning exercise, Xiao Zhi felt a bit lazy and didn't even want to go to the City Lord's Pavilion to "work".

She came to her senses and asked Chu Mingkong:

"Mingkong, did you not practice your internal energy this morning? Are you alright?"

Chapter Forty-Eight: I Rely on My Strong Self-Control!

After gathering the information, Chu Mingkong put away the note.

"Yunhan is almost here. I should take out my two daughters in advance for protection. I wonder if Yunhan will like them when she sees them..." Chu Mingkong thought about the generations. They should be nieces, right?

He still remembered that Yunhan liked his shrunken appearance quite a bit, which was probably due to the inheritance from his master's wife, Shen Xuejun. If that was the case, then Yunhan should also like his two little darlings!