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

Although they were lucky that the Crown Prince's affair didn't implicate them, they were too ashamed to show their faces!

Shangguan Rong rested in her room for two days, pretending to be deeply shocked, but today she took the initiative to find Shangguan Mingzhe.

"Father, there is something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" The man adjusted the lid of his teacup.

"His Highness will soon be entering the academy to study in seclusion. I will be his teacher, reciting scriptures and explaining texts for him, and instructing him to focus on his studies," Shangguan Rong said calmly.

Her tone was not one of discussion, but rather an announcement that Shangguan Rong had made a decision and did not intend to listen to Shangguan Mingzhe's opinion.

Shangguan Mingzhe paused in his tea-stirring motion, staring blankly at his graceful daughter, bewildered and incredulous.

Whose idea was this?

"It was my daughter's own decision."

Shangguan Rong retained her position at Tianji Academy, but since all the princes and princesses had graduated, she no longer needed to go to the academy.

"Nonsense!" Shangguan Mingzhe shouted, "Don't you know how cruel the Crown Prince is now? Don't I know? When he gets angry, he dares to kill the Crown Prince in the street! You just had a falling out with him a few days ago, going back would be suicide!"

I don't understand? He was so aggressive that he shoved something into my mouth, how could I not understand?

Shangguan Rong's attitude remained unchanged: "This is a temporary measure. Father, you know that the young master is now cruel and ruthless. What if he starts to seek revenge? What if he thinks of how cold his daughter was to him and becomes vengeful, thus implicating the Shangguan family? One should take responsibility for one's own actions. It's best if I go."

Therefore, my daughter might stay overnight at the academy instead of coming home for a while.

Shangguan Rong's mother watched from the side without saying a word.

She found it strange. Rong'er rarely argued with her father in the past, but this time she was determined and wouldn't listen to reason.

It's like... a daughter who has a husband to support her after she marries out.

......

In Madam Zhen's room, the plump and beautiful woman stared blankly at the bronze mirror, lost in thought for a long time.

Within the body, the soul of the original Yongzhen was momentarily lost and bewildered.

This time, a big problem has arisen. She and her mother swapped bodies, and it was supposed to end in a week, with her returning to normal, but now she finds that she hasn't switched back.

For some reason, her soul could not return to her body!

"Does this mean... I'll have to live my whole life in my mother's body?"

Chapter Fourteen: Whose Soup Dumplings Are the Best?

The princess's courtyard is secluded in a corner of the capital. It looks deserted, but this tranquility is something that many households cannot obtain.

When Chu Mingkong arrived, he didn't dare to enter through the main gate because Yongzhen had told him to quietly go through the back so as not to disturb Madam Zhen.

Although climbing over the wall to enter Yongzhen's boudoir from the back resembled the behavior of a lecherous thief, Chu Mingkong had taken this route the first time he came here, so it was much more familiar to him than entering from the front.

That's right, Chu Mingkong really liked entering from the back. Although the path was narrow and cramped, it had a unique charm of exploration.

"Let's go see Madam Zhen first, find out what's troubling her, and if we can get something from the system to send her, that would be even better," Chu Mingkong decided.

Although he always referred to this place as a small courtyard, its scale was similar to that of a middle-class wealthy merchant's courtyard in the capital. The mother and daughter's rooms were some distance apart, and one had to walk around an exquisite little garden to reach Madam Zhen's room.

The window in Madam Zhen's room was only slightly ajar for ventilation. Through this crack, one could vaguely see that Madam Zhen's face was clouded with worry. She made no rash words or actions, but simply sat sullenly on the edge of the bed, her brows furrowed.

Whether she was pondering a solution or simply stunned with anger, her sorrowful and helpless expression, along with her softly biting her lips, was so delicate and pitiful that even Chu Mingkong wanted to go in and comfort this voluptuous and graceful mature beauty.

"It's a pity I've run out of dust-free talismans. I'll ask Master Yun for a few more next time."

After observing for a while without success, Chu Mingkong returned to Yongzhen's room and jumped in through the window.

The girl in the black palace dress with gold trim stood by the window, waiting for him to come in.

Yongzhen had small lips, and when Chu Mingkong first met her, he felt that she was a girl from a modest family, yet she also had the elegance of a lady from a prominent family.

Today, she applied bright red rouge to her fragrant lips, giving them a glossy sheen and adding a touch of assertive power.

"Why did you think of my mother first after you arrived, and put me second instead?" Yongzhen looked at him coquettishly.

Her face was bare, but her bright red lipstick stood out, and Chu Mingkong's gaze kept falling on her crimson lips.

"Isn't this because I'm thinking of my elders? You even specifically reminded me not to disturb Madam Zhen. How could I not take it seriously? What if I find out that Madam Zhen is troubled and I don't care? Yongzhen, what if you get angry?"

Yongzhen didn't know whether to be happy or worried. It was good that Chu Mingkong cared about his elders, but his care wasn't the kind of care she wanted.

“You’re right… If you come looking for me again in a few days, you have to go to my mother’s place first. Only if my mother tells you to come to me will you be allowed to come.”

I guess Madam Zhen would want to send me over without saying a word, no, she would want to send me out of the courtyard.

Chu Mingkong sensed that Madam Zhen was quite resistant to his excessive contact with Yongzhen. Was it because of his identity?

"I'll do whatever you say~ I'm very grateful that you stood up for me in court back then. I thought you would help me contact some prince or princess, but I didn't expect you to take action yourself. You've worked hard all night."

"It's nothing, but you have to remember how hard I worked all night!"

"Of course I have to remember that."

Chu Mingkong was pulled to a seat by Yongzhen. On the small table was a bowl of soup dumplings, steaming hot.

Based on his purchased max-level cooking skills, Chu Mingkong judged that this soup dumpling wouldn't taste very good; it was a bit bland, with no scallions and no oil on the soup.

"Yongzhen, did you do this?"

"Hmm, try it. Is it as good as what your sisters-in-law at the Cui family make?" She looked at Chu Mingkong expectantly, waiting for his evaluation after he finished eating.

How did Yongzhen end up clashing with Aunt Gu and the others? How did she find out about this? Did she personally visit the Cui family?

He prepared himself to savor the fine wine and downed the soup dumplings in one gulp.

“It’s good. It’s a different style from Aunt Gu’s. Aunt Gu is from Xiling, so her food is all strong in flavor. Yongzhen, yours is healthy and light. Each has its own characteristics.”

"Is the 'jack-of-all-trades' comment trying to please both sides?" Yongzhen saw through his little scheme at a glance.

Chu Mingkong was speechless and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "I've been recovering from my injury recently, and I prefer light flavors. I'm looking forward to something light, and Yongzhen's taste is just what I like!"

"It tastes like soup dumplings, not like me~"

"I love any place that tastes like Yongzhen!"

To be honest, clear soup dumplings taste just like Gougou. Don't be fooled by the fact that instant noodles have flavor just by soaking them in boiling water; cooking is not that simple.

Yongzhen also prepared a bowl of soup dumplings for herself. Just as she was about to try it, Chu Mingkong, unable to bear the thought of her learning the truth, snatched the bowl of soup dumplings away.

"Yongzhen, make me some dumplings. I don't like to eat for free, so I'll have some noodles for you!"

Without saying a word, he first devoured Yongzhen's bowl of plain dumplings, then sneaked into the kitchen and, following the same treatment he had given Shangguan Rong last time, made a bowl of plain noodles. He even used what was available to make a small dish of spicy raw radish to serve with the noodles.

The steam from the hot noodle soup made Yongzhen's face glow red. She carefully picked up a strand of chewy noodles and slowly pursed her red lips to blow on it.

She became unhappy when she saw Chu Mingkong staring at her, and pushed the noodles in front of him.

"Blow it for me! Why are you staring at me like that?"

"A feast for the eyes."

Chu Mingkong slowly blew on the noodles for her, but the noodles he made were so delicious, especially since he had just finished eating clear soup dumplings. He couldn't help but slurp up a mouthful of noodles, finishing half a bowl in one go.

Yongzhen was stunned and quickly snatched it back to herself to blow slowly.

After the noodles had cooled, she asked seriously:

"Mingkong, you need to give me a straight answer about the extent of your injury!"

Chu Mingkong himself couldn't answer the question of how badly he was injured.

Chu Mingkong picked up a piece of radish and put it in his mouth: "I can't give it to you. I don't know the extent of my injuries. I might become completely annihilated one day. But at least right now, my mood is no longer suppressed by it like it used to be."

“I can feel it. Mingkong, you’re much more bold than before. You were so arrogant in the Golden Palace. You used to be so composed.” Yongzhen was unsure whether to be worried or happy about his reply.

Seeing how relaxed he was now, I thought he had improved a lot. But when I saw him coughing up blood and claiming that he was about to die in court, Yongzhen was restless after he returned.

Chu Mingkong wholeheartedly agreed with what Yongzhen said: "Ha~ I feel more relaxed now because I've found an outlet for the long-term pressure. But it's more about the bottom line. They attacked my master. I don't care if I suffer a little, but I can't let my master suffer along with me."

Regarding the injuries, well, there's always a way out.

There's a saying in the martial arts world that if someone is poisoned by a certain poison that will kill them within a hundred paces, there will be an antidote within fifty paces.

Similarly, when his injuries reach their worst point, there will be a woman within fifty steps who will perform dual cultivation with him; theoretically, that's how it is.

Yongzhen's expression turned serious as she looked at Chu Mingkong without a hint of jest:

"Mingkong, the Golden Palace is a dangerous place, and it's the same for you. Something's wrong with that place!"

"how you said that?"

"During the reign of the late emperor, Mother must have discovered something and had her memories erased for three whole years. Anyway, something's not right about that place. You should go there as little as possible, or even avoid it altogether!"

Chapter Fifteen: Radish Slices Lost

Whether it's a thirst for knowledge or a gossipy nature, Chu Mingkong has a great deal of curiosity about royal affairs, but most of this curiosity stems from a desire for self-preservation.

It's like an ordinary person going to a brothel to choose a girl. If they don't know their own strengths and weaknesses or the girl's abilities before going, they'll be completely clueless and it'll be over in one round. Going there is just a waste of money.

Chu Mingkong wanted Yongzhen to tell him the secrets behind it, but unfortunately Yongzhen didn't know either. She only mentioned her mother's experience, which left her with a lingering sense of unease and wariness about the Golden Palace.

If there was anything special about that golden palace, Chu Mingkong only sensed a sense of "balance." He, the murderer of the crown prince, was standing in the imperial court, yet no one attacked him. This shouldn't be the case.

Although the crown prince would die with a single blow, he still held considerable status and influence. It wouldn't make sense for the murderer, Chu Mingkong, not to take action against him.

However, carelessness is the beginning of all bad things to come, so Chu Mingkong decided to keep the advice to "stay away from the imperial city" in mind.

Yes, this refers only to the imperial city where the Golden Palace is located, not the imperial palace.

It's not that Chu Mingkong is interested in the empress, concubines, princesses, female officials, or palace maids in the palace; he has absolutely no interest in them. He just needs to visit Jin Yu!

They briefly mentioned the matter of the imperial city, but didn't discuss it in depth, and the room fell silent.

Chu Mingkong was lost in thought, popping one piece of spicy radish after another into his mouth. The crunch was so satisfying that the taste could only be described as "okay," but the crunchy sound was very relaxing.

Yongzhen had already finished half a bowl of noodles. She rested her soft and clear profile on one hand, watching Chu Mingkong eat with a "crunch" in a daze. When he finished the last piece of radish, she took the initiative to offer her chopsticks.

Two pairs of chopsticks collided on the same piece of radish.

Chu Mingkong snapped out of his daze, subconsciously removed his chopsticks, and said apologetically: