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

Yongzhen turned her pretty face to him and smiled as she stared at him.

ultra!

I shouldn't have said that to the Crown Prince back then!

He remained calm and composed, saying:

"Defile the Crown Princess? Miss Shangguan is already the Crown Princess before she's even married? Besides, wasn't it the Emperor who ordered me to approach Miss Shangguan and treat her well? I'm doing what the Emperor says, and that's considered defiling her? It seems the Crown Prince had a thing for the Emperor before he died..."

Hearing this, although everyone suspected there might be other secrets, they couldn't ask for details, as Chu Mingkong's explanation was indeed correct.

After that, Wei Qingning did not give the guest ministers a chance to ask random questions. He directly asked two questions: "Did the Crown Prince plot to harm Chu Mingkong's master?" and "Who is responsible for the harm done to the people in the suburbs?"

This decisive blow makes it difficult for the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction to make a comeback.

However, there was one thing that Chu Mingkong couldn't understand, and that was the Empress's attitude.

She was too gentle; although she occasionally seemed to be wiping away tears, she showed no extreme emotions whatsoever.

The Crown Prince was the Empress's own son, yet he was chopped off by Chu Mingkong with a single stroke. Chu Mingkong felt as if she didn't care at all.

An elderly man dressed in civil official robes said:

"Since this matter was the Crown Prince's fault, then the Crown Prince's death was not unjust. Such a cruel person should not be established as the foundation of the country. However, the Crown Prince of Chu did commit violence in the street. In my humble opinion, he should also be punished. He should be confined to the Tianji Academy for a year to study and cultivate his mind and body."

Oh, so this looks like a blow to Chu Mingkong, but it's actually just a gesture to save face.

Killing the Crown Prince only resulted in a year of confinement, which is practically no punishment. Besides, Her Majesty the Empress had no intention of targeting Chu Mingkong.

That's good enough!

It was already dawn, and many of the old men in the court, who had stayed up all night dealing with Chu Mingkong's matter, were already thinking of sneaking back to wash up and go to sleep.

The official who had been "fainting" on the ground actually fell asleep.

Seeing that the matter of Chu Mingkong killing the crown prince had come to an end, Yongzhen breathed a sigh of relief for him and prepared to leave with him.

But then Chu Mingkong suddenly said:

"I do not accept this punishment!"

Everyone's heart jumped into their throat.

What are they trying to do?! Are they really going crazy and trying to rebel? This punishment is practically no punishment at all!

In the past, if princes and princesses made a small mistake, they might be confined to the academy for half a year. You killed the crown prince, and it's only been a year!

Chu Mingkong covered his mouth and coughed, black blood dripping from his fingers. He glanced furtively at the blood that had fallen onto the hall.

Corrosion does not leave pits.

"My injury is in its final stage, and I have difficulty controlling my temper. I can't concentrate on reading; the more I read, the more irritable I become."

"And I might not even live a year. Do you intend to keep me locked up until I die? Is the death penalty just a nicer way of putting it?"

Is he dying?

The civil officials breathed a sigh of relief. The Crown Prince was protected by the dragon vein and could have cultivated the Extreme Yang Dao at a young age, but he was killed by Chu Mingkong with a single sword. It was too shocking!

If he dies of his illness on his own, that would be the best outcome. Just avoid bringing him bad luck this year!

"What does His Highness mean?" the old minister asked.

“I can be punished, but I will only accept six months. During the day I will study at the academy and at night I will have to return to the palace to rest. I will have five days off every half month. If my injuries flare up, I will ask for leave to recuperate and no one may stop me.”

You think you can act like a big shot after being punished? You think you can just walk out of solitary confinement whenever you want?

But no one dared to utter a sound.

At this point, it was up to the Empress to make the decision. The Empress seemed to have caught a cold, and her voice was hoarse, but to Chu Mingkong, it sounded more like she was deliberately suppressing her voice, not wanting anyone to hear her true voice.

"Approved. Prince Mingkong voluntarily accepted the punishment, showing he is not a bad person. His leave due to illness was out of necessity. Let's proceed with it that way..."

......

The cleanup work following the killing of the crown prince has now come to an end.

After sending Yongzhen back to rest, Chu Mingkong returned to his own residence and rested for a day. Although he acted with unparalleled ease, the burden of the Abyss's wounds remained.

As night fell, he quietly arrived at the Shangguan residence and sneaked into the women's backyard.

Compared to yesterday's celebrations, the Shangguan residence is much quieter today, with all the bright red decorations taken down.

The emergence of a Crown Princess in the palace seemed like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

However, the women's courtyard had not yet been tidied up, and red satin and the character "囍" (double happiness) could still be seen.

However, with such a terrible tragedy occurring on the eve of her wedding, she can forget about ever getting married.

Upon entering Shangguan Rong's room, Chu Mingkong was immediately taken aback.

The room was lit with bright red candles, and a bride with a red veil sat upright by the bed.

Chu Mingkong walked over, picked up the wedding scale, and lifted Shangguan Rong's red veil.

Shangguan Rong, dressed in a red wedding gown, had her long, black hair styled into a phoenix-shaped bun, adorned with a golden phoenix hairpin inlaid with jade and a phoenix crown. Her beautiful face was illuminated by the candlelight, her bright eyes shimmering with a soft, radiant light. Her red lips and white teeth, though still, exuded a captivating charm. A hint of shyness subtly revealed her allure, radiating an unparalleled beauty that left Chu Mingkong breathless.

He took two glasses of wine from the table, handed one to Shangguan Rong's delicate hand, and they drank together.

"It's a pity we can't wait for the groom."

"..."

"Do you know how to protect your family from your enemies?"

"Hmm!" The radiant bride looked up at Chu Mingkong.

The bed curtains were drawn, and two figures intertwined and twisted.

Red wedding dresses and red bellybands were laid out one by one.

The bride didn't wait for the groom, but she finally met the person she was meant to wait for.

The wedding night has begun.

Chapter Thirteen: The Body Cannot Be Switched Back

A beautiful butt is a turning point in life!

During his rest, Chu Mingkong summarized his experiences over the past period, which had both good and bad aspects, and he came to the conclusion mentioned above.

This worry is about his own injury. Although he always says that it's getting worse, in reality, there's nothing left to worsen. It's already a foregone conclusion. The rest is just a tug-of-war between Chu Mingkong and the injury from the Abyss. Let's see how long he can maintain the clarity of his Mirror Platform. As long as he doesn't turn into the ferocious beast of the Abyss, he will be the temporary victor.

The thought of such a sharp sword hanging over his head filled Chu Mingkong with anxiety...

I'm looking for someone to practice dual cultivation with!

This joy, naturally, is the method to alleviate the injury from the Abyss of Wonderful Enlightenment. Chu Mingkong used to think that this was evil and heretical, but now he has discovered that dual cultivation is really awesome!

The turning point for all of this began when I forced Princess Jinyu to open her flower bud. Going back further, the deep and pretentious relationship between myself and Jinyu started with a slap on her bottom.

Therefore, Jin Yu's buttocks were the turning point for him these days.

"Filial piety is an important duty. This Silver Thief System is indeed quite useful. I'll visit my sisters-in-law at the Cui residence in a while. Fulfilling my filial duties is the most important thing."

But these past two days, I've let it go. People treat him like a mad dog, wantonly killing people, and everyone avoids him when they go out on the street.

"Yongzhen has helped me a lot; I'll go visit her when I have some free time later."

"We also need to ask Qingning about it. Her attitude lately is different from what I expected."

As Chu Mingkong was carefully planning his recent activities, a eunuch from the Tianji Academy came to deliver a message.

The messenger eunuchs are the most fond of abusing their power, especially when they are conveying imperial decrees. They take advantage of the emperor's authority and charge him some money, otherwise they will go back and badmouth the emperor, saying that the eunuch was disrespectful when receiving the decree.

Upon seeing Chu Mingkong, whose reputation had recently spread far and wide, the young eunuch prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to get up, and didn't even dare to look at him.

"Your Highness, the academy has sent a servant to inquire after your arrival. When do you plan to go there to study?"

Are you trying to get me to go to school? Get lost! I have a ton of important things to do!

He waved his hand and said, "This matter is not urgent. When I was eliminating evil and killing the crown prince, I was seriously injured and need to rest for a few days. Go back and don't bother me with this matter anymore."

Anyone else who heard this would probably have complained inwardly. How could Chu Mingkong make it sound like he was wronged for killing the crown prince and getting injured himself?

However, the little eunuch only wanted to leave. When he heard the prince ask him to leave, he gratefully kowtowed and disappeared in an instant.

"It's time to go to Yongzhen's place. If I go to see her now, I'll be told to avoid Madam Zhen. Is Madam Zhen not in a good mood lately?"

He disguised himself, put on a goatee, and habitually strolled around the teahouse.

The killing of the crown prince has been a hot topic recently; you can hear people discussing it even standing at the entrance of a teahouse.

"That Crown Prince is truly a scoundrel. He's always been arrogant and domineering, and look what happened! He angered the Young Master, who chopped the Crown Prince down with a single sword stroke. It's a great relief!"

“This Crown Prince is indeed a beast. How could the Empress, who is so virtuous, give birth to such a vicious offspring? The lives of nearly ten thousand people in the suburbs have been lost. Fortunately, the Heir Apparent has come to seek justice for them.”

"I heard that when they searched the Crown Prince's residence, they found that he had secretly kept a portrait of the Empress. He's wicked! The young master did a good job killing him!"

Having been in Beijing for so long, this is the first time I've heard positive comments about him in a teahouse. I'm quite unaccustomed to it; I feel like these tea drinkers are trying to flatter him to death.

I mean, there are probably only about 10,000 people living in the far suburbs, but the last time I heard about it, thousands of people died.

"To say that the Crown Prince is courting death is an understatement. The Heir Apparent is naturally a womanizer and has long harbored lustful intentions towards his master. For the Crown Prince to provoke the Left Sword Immortal is simply asking for death!"

Damn it, they're spreading rumors about me even though it's not even a done deal yet. What if Zuo Qiuchi hears this and starts to be wary of me?

Chu Mingkong wanted to go in and give his own account, but when he thought about how his appearance might cause a disturbance, he magnanimously tolerated these rumor-mongers.

......

For several days in a row, the atmosphere at the Shangguan residence remained quiet.

Although the impact on the Shangguan family was not significant at this time, it was certainly not as tragic as the sudden death of the Crown Prince. Apart from losing the Crown Princess they were about to marry, everything remained normal.

The more festive and exciting the announcements were made among the neighbors a few days ago, the more awkward it becomes now, especially for the head of the family, Shangguan Mingzhe.

I ran into someone from a prominent family a couple of days ago, and this is how he talks to people.

—Brother Mingzhe, it's been a few days, how have you been!

—How did you know that my family has produced a Crown Princess, and that the current Crown Prince is going to be my son-in-law?

Now... Shangguan Mingzhe doesn't even dare to go out.