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

"If you're not going to eat this yogurt, just throw it away. If you come back tomorrow morning, I'll make you another one, but next time there won't be any other flavors."

His tone softened, and he no longer intended to confront Jinyu directly. His main message was a warning, as he genuinely didn't want her to keep coming to his house unnecessarily.

Princess Jinyu was truly a prominent figure in the capital. The sects that were on good terms with the Tianji Empire, who generally only respected the emperor and empress, were able to show some goodwill towards Jinyu.

She keeps going to his house, which makes him, who wants to keep a low profile, very resentful.

Besides—he mustn't let Yongzhen misunderstand. If Yongzhen misunderstands, Madam Zhen will also misunderstand, and then his great cause of filial piety will be ruined.

Let's talk about other things when Jin Yu's mother, the Empress, stops targeting him and even shows him filial piety.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Yongzhen: Mom's Gone

Madam Zhen is very annoyed. The drawbacks of her cultivation technique haven't disappeared yet, and it's been like this for the past week. But why does Chu Mingkong seem to be so oblivious to human relationships? He already intended to send her away yesterday, and the most crucial thing is that he actually sent that kind of toy as a greeting gift. How dare she come over?!

There were rumors a while ago that he harbored ill intentions towards his elders, treated Zhang's concubine with excessive favor and leniency, and also had close ties with Cui's widowed sister-in-law.

People here tend to gossip, especially the old women. It's said that Chu Mingkong only visited the Cui residence a few times, and all the wives there praised him highly.

She was probably praising Chu Mingkong while also expressing some dissatisfaction with her husband's attitude.

Such rumors should not be believed entirely, but they should not be completely disregarded either. Even if someone is spreading rumors, Chu Mingkong's behavior is probably somewhat inappropriate, which is why these rumors have spread. Otherwise, rumors would be difficult to spread.

But after seeing the "grand gift" Chu Mingkong sent last night, Madam Zhen was already half convinced of the rumor. The person recommended by Jin Yu's mother really had a big problem!

Why didn't the Empress just give herself to that scoundrel Chu Mingkong to play with, since she found someone who specifically keeps an eye on older women in other families?

"Mingkong, what brings you here again?"

Huh? Why is Madam Zhen so solemn towards me?

Last night, she was showering me with filial piety, and I even sent her my special filial piety gift package. The packaging was so exquisite, and the thoughtful little gifts inside were so charming. But somehow, I'm even more displeased than yesterday.

...Could it be that Madam Zhen is a proud and aloof person?

Chu Mingkong decided to remain calm and composed, first fulfilling his formalities by offering a good morning greeting before stating his purpose:

“Madam Zhen, Yongzhen is unwell and should rest, but staying cooped up in her room all the time will only make her feel depressed. She should go out for a walk. Today is the beginning of the Lantern Festival, so why don’t I take Yongzhen out for a stroll?”

The look in Madam Zhen's eyes as she gazed at Chu Mingkong was filled with deep suspicion and vigilance.

She was suddenly grateful that she had swapped souls with her mother because of the cultivation technique, otherwise she would not have known that Chu Mingkong had such covetous thoughts about her mother! As long as she was there, she would never let him touch a single hair on her mother's head.

Whether it's the mother's body here, or the mother's soul in her boudoir!

“That’s not a good idea. Yongzhen still needs to recuperate. There’s no rush for the Lantern Festival. We have several days left. We can go when the crowds have thinned out. What if we startle them?”

Seeing this situation for the first time, Chu Mingkong was a little stunned. This was too forceful. Wasn't Yongzhen perfectly fine? She was even hugging me last night!

Considering how Madam Zhen showered him with filial piety messages last night, it's clear that Madam Zhen still has some affection for him. Could it be... that she's unhappy because I only mentioned bringing Yongzhen and not her?

"I see that Madam Zhen is always at home. I should accompany Yongzhen out for a stroll. It would be a pity to miss the Lantern Festival."

Madam Zhen narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, thinking to herself that this boy had indeed revealed his true intentions. He said he wanted to see Yongzhen, but after going around in circles, he just wanted to arrange a secret rendezvous with her mother!

As long as she is here today, you can't take your mother's soul out of the house, nor can you take her body out of the house.

Jin Yu's mother, the Empress, is truly vicious. She saw through Chu Mingkong's wicked hobby and deliberately summoned him to disgust her and her daughter! In her memory, her mother should have had no conflict with Empress Pei, or even any connection whatsoever, not even a conflict between their families. Yet, she is now kicking someone when they are down.

"Impossible!" She hadn't realized she'd spoken too harshly. She composed herself, regained her composure, and said, "I have no intention of getting involved in that kind of noise and commotion. Yongzhen also needs to rest. She doesn't want to go out."

Just then, Yongzhen came out, dressed and ready to go out.

“Mother, I’m willing to go out with him. Don’t worry, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to the Lantern Festival. It seems like it’s been so long since I’ve been to the Lantern Festival.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yongzhen had already taken Chu Mingkong's wrist.

Madam Zhen stared at her in astonishment, glancing at the old nanny following closely behind. She saw the old nanny shaking her head helplessly, and she stopped her young lady as well.

The old nanny had no idea what had happened; Yongzhen, the spirit of Madam Zhen, suddenly said she wanted to go to the Lantern Festival.

The old man who had served his mistress for many years knew that Madam Zhen was a very opinionated woman, and once she made up her mind, it was difficult for others to persuade her.

The phrase "I've made up my mind" deeply troubled Yongzhen, whose soul resided in her mother's body.

Why is Mother so close to Chu Mingkong? They shouldn't have met before, so why is she taking his arm as soon as they meet?

Fortunately, she at least remembered to cover her chest.

"Fine, but I have to come with you too!" the beautiful woman said through gritted teeth, her gaze towards Chu Mingkong becoming even more hostile.

When Chu Mingkong saw Madam Zhen, he immediately said he wanted to come along. He suddenly realized that this charming and mature young woman also had the proud and aloof nature of a young girl. She said she wouldn't go, but when she saw him and Yongzhen preparing to leave, she immediately changed her mind.

I was really intimidated by her fierce appearance just now. It seems I shouldn't back down later and should try to get closer to her and please her as much as possible.

I could be shameless even when I was so frustrated in the Shangguan and Zhang families, so how could I possibly back down now in front of a woman who is fierce on the outside but soft on the inside?

----------

Inside the palace.

Today is the first day of the Lantern Festival, a day of celebration across the country. In bustling cities, celebrations begin after midnight, and the ghost markets are even more lively than usual.

But this day also happened to be the "middle of the month" that Chu Mingkong had mentioned before, and Pei Mi didn't know whether she should go to accept his so-called "respectful tribute from a junior"...

After visiting the Emperor's bedchamber, the voluptuous and beautiful Empress Pei, with an air of supreme grace, emerged with a worried expression.

The imperial physician, who was known for his healing skills and came from Baicao Valley, said, "Your Majesty, please do not worry too much. You should take care of your health. I am incompetent and have not been able to find out the cause of the Emperor's illness, but Your Majesty's health has stabilized and you will surely recover soon."

"Um......"

Empress Pei was always very proper and would usually thank the imperial physician profusely at such times, but today she only gave a perfunctory reply and returned to her own palace.

It was indeed she who arranged the affair between Yongzhen and Chu Mingkong, mainly to divert Chu Mingkong's attention and prevent him from always focusing on her. Moreover, although Madam Zhen had lost power, Yongzhen had retained her title of Princess.

In terms of seniority, Yongzhen is of the same generation as the Emperor. With Yongzhen's connection, at least while the Emperor is bedridden, no one dares to do anything to Chu Mingkong. If his situation improves, it might be able to suppress his resentment and change his twisted habits.

I wonder how Yongzhen is getting along with him.

"Alright, let's go there tonight. We need to keep things stable with Feng Ying... How exactly did Chu Mingkong find Feng Ying as a backer?"

Thinking about what happened tonight, Empress Pei couldn't help but sigh again. Chu Mingkong said he wouldn't harm her health, but she knew she wouldn't have a good night.

Because on the first day of the Lantern Festival, the disciples of the Marquis of Wu will be tested to examine their cultivation results, Chu Mingkong accepted the test by the stone tablet, which would definitely not yield a good result. If he did not accept the test, there would likely be gossips talking badly about him and calling him a coward.

All of this led to Chu Mingkong taking his anger out on her tonight...

------

P.S.: I've seen several complaints recently about the male lead not looking at the gifts.

This was actually a misunderstanding I designed; it was precisely because the male lead was so "careless" that the elders misunderstood.

So why was there this "carelessness"?

Chu Mingkong only looks at what rare items he gets when drawing cards.

The author has yet to find anyone who pays attention to what "blue sky and white clouds" they pull every time they draw a card; isn't it all just skipped?

As I mentioned earlier, Chu Mingkong treated the filial piety gift lottery like a card draw, and why did he have such blind trust in this lottery?

Since the gifts he gave out were indeed met with filial piety, it means that he felt that what he gave out was recognized by his elders, so why not trust them?

And what's that lottery pool called? Filial Piety Gift Blind Box. He believes that all the gifts in this blind box are gifts that can be given to elders, and he considers filial piety to be normal filial piety.

All of the above are information points mentioned earlier, and they are also the complete psychological premises that I set for the male protagonist when I first designed this misunderstanding. None of them are things I made up on the spot.

I was worried from the beginning that some people would subconsciously think that filial piety had a strange meaning, so I deliberately marked it (unchanged). But some people still think that ordinary filial piety has also changed.

However, just like some people used to think that it was a huge flaw for a mother not to be a virgin and give birth to a daughter, I made some minor adjustments to the setting later.

I will also make some minor adjustments to the part about the gift misunderstanding.

I should mention that this book has a lighthearted tone; just enjoy it for fun.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Mother and Daughter Traveling Together

The Lantern Festival falls in summer, a time when the vitality of all things in the year transitions from its peak to its decline, and the plants gradually wither and flourish. This decline evoked sorrow in the ancients, who used this festival to commemorate the best time of the year.

The festival's celebration revolves around releasing lanterns into the night. Initially, it was just one commemorative activity, but later many other activities were added, making it convenient to spend several days in a row. Riddles and other miscellaneous activities were also incorporated, and now, the cultivation levels of the disciples of the Heavenly Empire's Martial Marquis are being tested for competition.

For Chu Mingkong, this year's festival also included an activity of traveling with his mother and daughter.

Visiting the Lantern Festival with a mother and daughter was an experience Chu Mingkong had never had before, and to be honest, it was quite novel.

But he showed no excitement or agitation, even though he had a woman on each arm.

But it can't be said that he had no happy thoughts at all, because filial piety was continuously flowing into his pocket.

This Madam Zhen is indeed a proud and beautiful woman. She spoke so fiercely when we first met, but now that he's taking her out for a stroll and she sees him playing with Yongzhen, she hasn't stopped showering him with filial piety. Even when he lets go of her hand, as long as Chu Mingkong is still holding Yongzhen's wrist, her filial piety won't stop.

Chu Mingkong thought more than once that he had mistaken the mother and daughter under the veil, and that the Yongzhen he was holding was the real Madam Zhen. As long as he held Yongzhen's hand, his filial piety never stopped.

If he lets go of Yongzhen's hand, his filial piety will be gone, which is quite amusing.

As expected, Madam Zhen loved her daughter dearly. Seeing that he didn't protect Yongzhen, she stopped showing him filial piety. Thinking of this, Chu Mingkong held Yongzhen's hand even tighter.

Why are you gripping it so tightly?

The beautiful woman suddenly spoke, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction. The veil covering her senses concealed half of her face, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes that seemed to be filled with anger.

This man was holding her mother's hand so tightly. Although it was her body, the soul was indeed her mother's! If she hadn't come out with him, she couldn't imagine where that lecherous Chu Mingkong would have taken her mother, or what outrageous things he would have done.

Faced with Madam Zhen's reproach, Chu Mingkong completely ignored it, thinking to himself that this elder was quite amusing.

Just as she opened her mouth to scold him, filial piety earned her another reward.

“Madam Zhen is right. Now that there are more people around, why don’t we find a quiet place to sit down? Yongzhen must be tired from walking.”

Looking into Chu Mingkong's sincere and concerned eyes, the woman, whose face was also covered by a veil, smiled with joy.

"I'm not tired yet, but Mingkong is right, we should find a place to sit down. But I want to find a place where I can see the street view. My mind is a little foggy, but I still remember my mother's preferences clearly... My mother likes to sit in a quiet place and watch the bustling city, and I like that too."

You remember correctly, that was indeed your mother's, but you are the "mother"... The beautiful woman looked at Yongzhen, hesitated, and then sighed helplessly.

"Yes, let's find a place to sit down. I'm tired too."

Chu Mingkong had plenty of money, so he booked a private room on the second floor of a nearby restaurant. He originally wanted to book a quieter room on the third floor, but Yongzhen, who always held the power, wanted to sit on the second floor. So he asked the waiter to put up a screen to partition off a corner, so that Yongzhen could see the street scene below, and it would also at least block the stares of the bustling customers.

Even with their faces concealed, the mother and daughter's气质 (qi zhi, a combination of temperament, bearing, and aura) and graceful figures are enough to make them a sight to behold, attracting attention wherever they go.