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

Chu Mingkong was somewhat surprised that she didn't immediately think of visiting her son. Could it be that she had completely given up on the Fifth Prince?

"I don't want to go there for now. Can I lean against you for a while? You don't need to worry about what my son said."

No, how could I not worry about this aunt who is so loving and tolerant towards her son? She's stealing the imperial concubine's mantle!

This is far more serious than stealing a princess!

Chu Mingkong then heard the mature, noblewoman in his arms say, haltingly:

"The Fifth Prince, still harboring wicked intentions, sent someone to disguise himself as his birth mother, Consort Wan, and ride the imperial horse bestowed by the Empress away from the palace to meet Chu Mingkong at the library. He even deliberately left the imperial horse at the academy for Chu Mingkong to ride, attempting to frame his birth mother for having an affair with the Prince of Xiling. The evidence is that the Fifth Prince had placed a disguised palace maid to monitor Consort Wan's movements, and naturally, he also had other subordinates who could disguise themselves as Consort Wan when going out."

I'll blanch it...

If we follow Consort Wan's method, we can really turn the tide!

Even if the Fifth Prince really did give the Zongzheng Temple the evidence that could punish Chu Mingkong for stealing the Imperial Concubine, Consort Wan's counterattack could directly put the Fifth Prince to death!

There's no need to worry about the Fifth Prince reporting him. Besides, he just framed Princess Jinyu at the morning court, and now he's framing the Imperial Concubine. The royal family can't keep him even if they want to.

Chu Mingkong doesn't even need to kill him!

Chu Mingkong thought of Shangguan Rong again. She had mentioned that... Consort Wan was able to stay in the harem peacefully because she was a wise woman, but her weakness was her son.

Has the Fifth Prince now eliminated his mother's weakness?

Chapter 54 Other People's Sons Are Always Better (26/43)

Chu Mingkong stood still and let her hug him, wondering if he could hear the "task completed" notification from the Filial Piety System.

As expected, there isn't one.

Consort Wan was certainly in despair over the Fifth Prince, but naturally she was heartbroken to have sent her own son to his doom.

Chu Mingkong couldn't empathize with Consort Wan, so he couldn't say anything to comfort her and could only let her adjust her mindset on her own.

This imperial garden is a pavilion in the middle of a lake, surrounded by shimmering blue waters, a truly breathtaking sight.

Chu Mingkong tried to appreciate it, but he simply wasn't in the mood.

Not long after, a palace maid came to find Consort Wan. Since something had happened to the Fifth Prince, someone would definitely come to inform her.

When the palace maids saw the Imperial Concubine hugging thin air, they guessed that the Imperial Concubine was probably imagining that she was hugging her own son. The palace maids all knew how ungrateful the Fifth Prince was to his own mother.

To an uninformed person, it would seem that Consort Wan had developed hysteria, but to someone who knew the truth, it would only elicit sympathy for her plight.

All my good intentions were wasted.

But they were palace maids and couldn't speak carelessly.

"Your Highness, I've been looking for you for ages..." the palace maid whispered.

Consort Wan released Chu Mingkong without making a sound, but to confirm that he was still beside her, she pressed the back of her smooth hand against Chu Mingkong's body.

"I'm here to relax. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Something has happened to the Fifth Prince."

"What?! What happened to my son?!" Consort Wan wiped away her tears and looked at the palace maid with anxious worry.

The palace maid didn't know how to explain to Consort Wan that the Fifth Prince's state when he was discovered was just too...

"The situation is difficult to describe. The Fifth Prince was assassinated, but his life is not in danger and his injuries are not particularly serious. However... this servant does not know how to say it. Your Highness, I would like to go and see for yourself."

Consort Wan pulled the invisible Chu Mingkong over to "visit" the Fifth Prince; this was a necessary act.

Consort Wan, who always cared about her son, did not go to see the Fifth Prince after hearing that something had happened to him, which was very suspicious.

However, Consort Wan was unable to see the Fifth Prince because she was stopped by the imperial physician.

After paying his respects, the imperial physician advised, "Your Highness, the Fifth Prince is currently very emotional. He suffered a great blow after being attacked by the assassin, and he is unable to see outsiders at this time."

Consort Wan, a loving mother, said worriedly, "Outsiders? That's my son! If even I can't see him, who else can?"

The imperial physician hesitated, then sighed and said frankly, "Your Majesty, to be honest, the Fifth Prince is currently in his room talking nonsense, and his words contain many slanders against you. Your Majesty should not go there. Please wait until His Highness has calmed down before visiting him!"

Consort Wan tilted her head in confusion, her face showing pain: "Slandering me? What did he say?"

"...His Highness said that you left the palace without permission and he caught you red-handed."

The Fifth Prince must have said something else, but the imperial physician dared not relay it. He bowed again and quickly left.

It's a good thing that the Fifth Prince doesn't want to see anyone; Consort Wan doesn't really want to see him either.

Chu Mingkong felt a little regretful, as he wanted to see if the Fifth Prince's stitching surgery went smoothly.

Consort Wan pulled Chu Mingkong back to her palace. The first thing she did was to have a palace maid summon people from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to deal with the disguised palace maid who had died suddenly.

This move was intended to gather witnesses, letting them know that the Fifth Prince had "unjustifiably" sent an outsider to monitor her.

"Should I leave and give you some space to calm down?" Chu Mingkong asked.

But he only asked the question casually. He certainly wouldn't go far. At most, he would find a corner to hide in. He wouldn't leave with peace of mind until he saw Consort Wan dispose of the dead palace maid with his own eyes.

Surprisingly, Consort Wan shook her head slightly. Looking at the luxurious palace, she suddenly felt that everything was meaningless, and the beautiful eyes that were once so charming lost much of their luster.

That was a disheartened and gloomy feeling.

"Stay a little longer, stay by my side a little longer... At least you have to personally see how the evidence of the palace maid is handled. If you are not careful in your future actions, you will run into problems sooner or later and cause a disaster."

Is this... teaching him how to do things?

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

"...I'm not used to it." Consort Wan smiled bitterly. "My son used to get annoyed and talk back whenever I gave him pointers. I never knew that the son of the Xiao family girl was so considerate and obedient."

Are you referring to my mother?

Chu Mingkong thought for a moment about how to answer, and tried to joke, "Then how about I talk back to you, Auntie, so you won't feel uncomfortable?"

The two couldn't continue their conversation because people from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs arrived, and their speed of arrival was truly frightening.

The officials who came were all quite distinctive. The leader from the Ministry of Justice was as fat as a ball, while the leader from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was as thin as a stick, which was quite complementary.

"Your Highness, you've been frightened! I just heard from your maid that a fake maid has infiltrated your palace!" the fat official said worriedly.

Consort Wan took Chu Mingkong's hand and went to greet him.

The fat official from the Ministry of Justice stared at Consort Wan's hand, took another look, and wondered: Why does Consort Wan's hand sway unnaturally when she walks?

Chu Mingkong keenly noticed the fat official's eyes. How come this fat man is so thin?

He gently withdrew his hand from Consort Wan's delicate hand. Consort Wan's face stiffened slightly, puzzled as to why Chu Mingkong wouldn't let her hold his hand anymore.

Immediately, she felt Chu Mingkong's hand lightly resting on her shoulder, and Consort Wan knew that her little action had probably been noticed.

She looked at the officials with concern, her hand trembling slightly, and said:

"My lords, this palace maid who could disguise herself suddenly died. I asked the head maid, and she said that this new palace maid was arranged by the Fifth Prince and instructed me not to inform me."

I don't know if it was because Your Highness foresaw the presence of assassins in the palace that you secretly sent people to protect us, but allowing outsiders to disguise themselves as palace maids and sneak in is, after all, a serious crime.

Therefore, we hope that you gentlemen will be lenient with the prince. He is currently weak, so if possible, please turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened!

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs sighed inwardly, lamenting the plight of parents!

He immediately recognized the disguised palace maid as someone sent to monitor Consort Wan. The maid who had died suddenly was of mediocre strength; she couldn't possibly have been sent to protect her, at least not to guard against assassins capable of infiltrating the palace.

Although it's unclear why the Fifth Prince would send people to spy on Consort Wan, the fact that Consort Wan summoned them immediately after this incident, seemingly to cover for the Fifth Prince, is truly...

Wait a minute! I just heard someone say that the Fifth Prince, who is mentally disturbed, keeps shouting something like... Consort Wan secretly left the palace, and Chu Mingkong defiled her, and they even say they have evidence!

Disguise...

Would the Fifth Prince be so depraved as to try to use disguise to frame his mother and thus eliminate Chu Mingkong to gain merit?

The officials looked solemn and serious, clearly having the same idea.

The fat official inquired about how the palace maid had died suddenly, but Consort Wan only replied that she didn't know.

Unable to get a clear answer, they had no choice but to give up, leave Huaxian Palace, and gather together to discuss the matter.

"What do you think of this matter? Does the Fifth Prince have such intentions?"

"It should be... But what about the attack on the Fifth Prince? Was there really an assassin? Or was it a ruse, to make others believe that Consort Wan killed Chu Mingkong's son, which would then naturally lead to the fabricated evidence of 'Consort Wan's affair with the Crown Prince' that he used disguise?"

"Consort Wan is truly pitiful! She is so worried about keeping the Fifth Prince safe, but the Fifth Prince wants to take advantage of her."

Chu Mingkong stood aside, marveling at how terrifying the women in the palace were.

With just a few words, Consort Wan cleared herself of suspicion and subtly led the officials to associate her with the Fifth Prince.

Chapter 55 Aunt Gu: Which sister-in-law do you prefer? (27/43)

The matter of the Fifth Prince is no longer something Chu Mingkong needs to worry about.

Chu Mingkong sat with Consort Wan for a while, then went to stay with Jin Yu for a bit, but left quickly afterward.

Because the Ministry of Justice had contacted the Imperial Guards to begin searching the palace for the assassin, Chu Mingkong was worried that if he lingered too long, he would have difficulty leaving, so he did not stay with Jin Yu for too long.

Only after successfully leaving the palace did Chu Mingkong feel a sense of relief, as if he had seen the light of day again.

The real pressure always comes from the unknown, and there are still many things that Chu Mingkong doesn't understand about the palace.

The part of the imperial city that handles key court affairs is alright, at least it's integrated with the capital. But the inner palace is a completely different world. What Chu Mingkong is most worried about is being trapped like a turtle in a jar, locked up and beaten.

I remember the last time I took him to the court, Chu Mingkong deliberately spat blood on the ground, but not a trace of it could be left on the floor of the hall.

Imagine if one day, the battlefield were to take place in the imperial palace.

I'm afraid his extreme Yin power won't gain much advantage in this situation, and his Five Elements cultivation hasn't fully recovered yet. After several dual cultivation sessions, he can now circulate 50% of his power without any burden.

Without the advantage of extreme Yin power, it would be unwise to attempt the Imperial Palace dungeon with only half of one's peak strength.

"If I were ever really trapped in that harem, I would have no choice but to devote myself to dual cultivation in the emperor's lair."

"I can only say that this trip to the palace was a decent success. I only managed to resolve the trouble caused by that horse. I didn't get to shit on the emperor's head, nor did I get a chance to see the empress's backside. It's quite a pity."

We entered the palace in the morning and came out in the evening.

He returned to the palace bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, and Gu Jungui greeted him immediately.