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

"This kind of thing is nothing new. Since a new dragon king is rising to power, he naturally has to find ways to consolidate his foundation, otherwise he won't be able to sit on the throne for long. He will inevitably have to take risks. It's just a pity that he's gone a bit too far." Xiao Yunhan was not emotionally affected by this.

Zuo Qiuchi pondered for a moment, then nudged Chu Mingkong with his elbow:

"Mingkong, aren't you planning to go to the East Sea in a couple of days? Why don't you secretly open that tomb so that it doesn't fall into the hands of the Little Mirage Girl's enemies?"

Looking at his beloved daughter's sleeping face, Chu Mingkong was undecided.

He just wanted to go and check out the auction, and maybe gather some information along the way; he didn't really want to get involved in any more trouble.

Chu Mingkong felt a bit disgusted, probably because he saw that this new Dragon King's lineage was willing to do anything to covet the treasure in that tomb.

I keep this little darling by my side so she can be happy and cute, not because I want any treasures from her.

"No, there are priorities. Let's not make too many enemies for now and focus on the auction first."

Moreover, since the Dragon King's tomb explicitly states that it can only be opened by bloodline, it means it is reserved for his descendants. When Jiao'er grows up and becomes sensible, she can take it according to her own will.

However, in a sense, since Jiao'er was resurrected through the body of the Mirage Maiden, the new Dragon King of the East Sea can also be considered Jiao'er's enemy. I'll keep track of this for Jiao'er."

Xiao Yunhan didn't think much of it, but Zuo Qiuchi and the Wei family found Chu Mingkong's words, "Don't make too many enemies for now," rather abstract.

That's outrageous coming from his mouth!

Zuo Qiuchi could understand Chu Mingkong's attitude towards the Dragon King's tomb. If the remnant soul of that little mirage girl were to emerge now and ask Chu Mingkong for help in taking revenge, he might just give the new Dragon King a surprise under the guise of retrieving the treasures from the tomb.

But Jiao'er can't speak yet, so if Chu Mingkong has designs on the Dragon King's Tomb, it seems like he's just after the child's "lucky money".

"Speaking of which, is the remnant soul of this Mirage Woman still there?" Zuo Qiuchi looked at the Wei family elder, hoping that this expert could give him some advice.

Old man Wei Satu sighed and shrugged:

"The original owner of this girl's body has been lifeless for who knows how long. If nothing changes in the first seven days, her soul will basically dissipate. In addition, this girl is not particularly powerful, so there is no way to ask the gods to come back and ask her questions."

"Is that so?" Zuo Qiuchi was a little disappointed. "Didn't I hear that shamans in rural villages can bring back the souls of villagers who died in other places, so that husbands and wives and families can reunite?"

Wei Satu was immediately enraged. This was a typical charlatan, a disgrace to the reputation of the witchcraft tradition. The old man snapped:

"Those who swindle money might die nearby, or even in a foreign land, but we can bring them back. I could even bring back the Emperor's soul so His Highness can beat him up again!"

Chu Mingkong smiled and ignored it, turning his gaze to the Night-Shining Mirage Pearl:

"Now that the East Sea Dragon Clan has personally delivered a luminous mirage pearl to our door, can we use this to find that mysterious treasure?"

Weissato suddenly became excited:

"It really is possible! Our family's ancient books record such a ritual, but unfortunately we've never had the means to acquire a luminous mirage pearl to try it out. Now we have the perfect opportunity! However, it will take some time to prepare. If all goes well, we should be able to find that thing in the next two or three days!"

Chu Mingkong wanted to be polite and suggest that Elder Wei, who had been busy all night, should go back and rest before making further preparations, but Xiao Yunhan made the decision directly:

"Then I'll have to trouble Elder Wei to go through the trouble again. If you encounter any difficulties with the materials for the ceremony, please let me know."

Is Yunhan so eager to urge Elder Wei to find the treasure there because she wants Jiao'er to find her mother's care as soon as possible after learning about Jiao'er's situation?

But then again, a treasure that can revive the entire town might still offer some hope, and Jiao'er unconsciously connected with that treasure at the time.

Chu Mingkong wanted to smooth things over for his sister, but Elder Wei seemed eager to try as well, so Chu Mingkong decided not to say anything more.

Place your hopes on fate.

--------

The next day.

The two little ones, who had been fussing all night, were now well-rested and playing happily in Qingxin Mansion.

Meanwhile, the Wei family was busily preparing for a major event, attempting a ritual they had never had the chance to try before. Even Qingning rushed over to help, her eagerness resembling that of someone exploring a treasure left behind by their ancestors.

Aside from those nights when he ignored the risks and continued to visit, Chu Mingkong asked himself how he could possibly have such enthusiasm for anything.

He had originally planned to go and help out, but a friend happened to be visiting, so Chu Mingkong had to change his plans and go visit him instead.

Entering the Xianzhen Pavilion, Chu Mingkong easily found his way to Qingse's "office" private room.

"Your Highness, how are your preparations going? If we're late, we'll only be able to snag some of the leftovers from the auction." Qingse said something serious, then glanced curiously at Chu Mingkong's side: "Why is it only Your Highness who came alone? Didn't you bring the little girl with you so I can meet her?"

Chu Mingkong was a little embarrassed to explain the situation directly, so he said tactfully:

"If you want to meet my little girl, just go to Qingxin Mansion."

“Bringing it along is the same thing, it’s not like this is a secret conversation.” Qingse couldn’t quite understand his subtle attitude.

Chu Mingkong sighed. Sometimes, you really have to be straightforward when dealing with people.

"If the little girl asks what Sister Se does or what this Immortal Treasure Pavilion sells, I'm not sure I can explain it..."

Qingse's blood pressure spiked instantly, her fists clenched, and she wanted nothing more than to punch this guy a couple of times.

She gritted her teeth and retorted sarcastically, "Afraid the little girl will find out this is where you sell her father's jade dildos, huh?"

"..." Chu Mingkong also felt guilty, so he cleared his throat: "Ahem, let's not talk about that. What's the situation outside now?"

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Evolution of the Celestial Pole

Putting aside the impact of various factors on Qingse's personal image after her business gradually grew and became stronger, she herself is also a beautiful woman with great charm.

Qingse wore a white cheongsam embroidered with elegant chrysanthemums, which made her look even more graceful and relaxed. Her exquisite figure leaned against the mahogany chair, her beautiful figure and gentle demeanor exuding charm and a captivating allure.

The description that followed would have been absolutely brilliant in the past, but it seems a bit contrived now.

It's likely that Qingse herself also wants to rebuild her image.

With feigned gentleness, she sighed and described the situation outside:

"Your Highness has truly shattered the peace that the Heavenly Empire has maintained for who knows how long, just as the saying goes, spilled water cannot be gathered up again."

When the emperor died, the first people to want to sit on the throne were naturally the imperial relatives and nobles who lived near the capital. Unfortunately, they did not dare to sit on it because Your Highness had killed someone and left without making any statement. At first, they pretended to be handling the emperor's funeral arrangements and avoided talking about the throne.

I inquired about it at the time, and the news was that His Highness had a glorious past, killing every prince he encountered. They feared that his illness might worsen, and he might kill every new emperor who came along. Therefore, the situation was at a stalemate. It should have been chaotic, but no one dared to act rashly, because if chaos ensued, no one would dare sit on that throne.

Chu Mingkong imagined it for a moment, and found it quite funny.

A group of people who coveted that seat wanted to offer to sit there so that others wouldn't take it first, but they were worried that Chu Mingkong would retaliate if he turned around.

What was he doing at that time? He must have just returned from the snow mountain tribe and was playing with his daughter.

"But this stalemate won't last long. An empire can't be like Xiling, where a single Tianya Tower can manage all matters, big and small."

Ministers who had no interest in the throne argued that the country could not be without a ruler for a day and that many matters needed to be decided by a proper ruler. As a result, the imperial relatives in the capital began to fight amongst themselves.

At first, it was all covert assassination and infighting, but later it escalated into heated arguments.

"In this situation, shouldn't powerful relatives of the empress take advantage of the situation, such as the empress dowager or empress ruling from behind the curtain?" Chu Mingkong recalled his knowledge from his previous life, and these two types of people should be the most likely to succeed.

Qingse looked at him with disdain, not knowing whether Chu Mingkong was showing off on purpose or pretending to be confused.

"The Empress Dowager and the Empress have both been taken away by someone, along with their daughters. How can they rule from behind the curtain?"

Moreover, the rules of the Tianji Empire's royal family are set in stone; it's extremely difficult for maternal relatives to interfere in politics. This royal family has been in existence for so many generations, and only one empress has ever existed. She disappeared shortly after assuming the throne, most likely eliminated by members of the royal family themselves.

The state of the Tianji Empire was what it was; the Empress was treated as a expendable asset, so it was normal that she couldn't interfere in politics. Before the power could even be established, the Empress's people were gone, and all efforts were in vain.

Chu Mingkong was aware of many of the inside stories and understood even more the immense difficulty of a woman becoming empress.

"What is the background of this empress?"

"It was around the time when the Tianji Empire had just passed down to the third or fourth generation. At that time, the Tianji Empire was at its peak, with more than fifty royal heirs, many of whom were outstanding talents. One of the princesses was exceptionally capable and had even greater ambitions. In addition, the emperor died suddenly, and she won the struggle for the throne and ascended to the throne."

However, after this princess ascended the throne, she destroyed and altered many historical records. There are rumors that she almost became empress, and it's unclear whether there was some strange relationship between her and her siblings.

So they're royal children! I thought it was just the Empress with her golden phoenix-like figure smoothly interfering in politics.

Chu Mingkong clicked his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "More than fifty descendants! That emperor was quite formidable; it's not surprising he died suddenly. Let's not talk about that anymore and get back to the original topic. What happened after that?"

Qingse took out a map, which was a map of the Tianji Empire, but different places on it were distinguished by different colors of ink.

"What do you mean?" Chu Mingkong didn't understand.

"This is the current state of the Tianji Empire. Let's just break it up! I don't even know where to go to do business anymore."

After the royal family fought amongst themselves for a while, the sects joined in, supporting the local prefectures and cities. This had happened before, but now it was more direct; they were practically treating those prefectures and cities as their own sect branches.

"Huh? What are these sects after? If they need talent, they've been sending people over before. Are they afraid that if the situation becomes unstable, their future 'resources' will be affected, so they're seizing the opportunity to occupy the land first?"

"No, I think it's because all the sects, big and small, near and far, were frightened by the emperor a few days ago. Now that the emperor is dead, they have become greedy and want the protection of the dragon vein and the emperor's secret of manipulating yin energy. They think that is the new way to become stronger."

Putting aside other matters, much of the wisdom the Emperor and Prince Jin had gleaned was indeed shared. The current situation is that even the reclusive sects have abandoned their detached aura and directly entered the world. The capital, once the center of attention, has suddenly become deserted, while the people there have become quite at ease.

The Extreme Empire still exists on the surface today, but... you know, just think of it as a separate country.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the gentle clinking of teacups on saucers.

Qingse didn't continue, because this was roughly what had happened in the months since the emperor's death.

Chu Mingkong killed the emperor but refused the position, which inevitably led to the current situation.

Those secluded sects that had endured humiliation under the emperor's oppression for some time would definitely participate.

All of this seems to be evolving in the direction of the Crescent Kingdom, but ironically, the Crescent Kingdom has now actually entered a rare period of stability.

However, no sects would covet the area surrounding Xiling, because these places are adjacent to Xiling, and Chu Mingkong is there to protect it.

Seeing that Chu Mingkong had come out of his reverie, Qingse knew he had almost finished contemplating the changes, and teased him:

"I'm a little curious, why haven't any of the sects come to show you goodwill? Have you been playing with your daughter all this time?"

"Otherwise what? But I think it's normal that those sects aren't coming to me for the time being. They're currently sharing the emperor's flesh, so they're bound to be wary of me coming to my senses and taking the food from them. Besides, I already have a sect I'm close to." Chu Mingkong answered matter-of-factly.

Besides, he already had close sects, Xiaoxiang Qin Academy and Wenqing Pavilion, both of which currently have many disciples training in Xiling.

No one dares to occupy these places around here. Perhaps I can talk to Senior Sister Qu and Master's wife later to see if they have any ideas. Why not take advantage of it?

Seeing his composure, Qingse refrained from discussing the matter, but instead speculated:

"These sects don't dare to come looking for you now, but they'll definitely send all sorts of alluring female disciples to approach you at the East Sea auction later. Don't go out and end up bringing back a few more women to the little girl."

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Sands of Time

It's unlikely they'll bring him back, right?

The things at home are already quite presentable, but it's best not to display such flags.