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

However, Shangguan Rong ignored her maid and followed Chu Mingkong inside.

As soon as the gates of the Prince's mansion closed, Shangguan Rong said:

"Desperados will stop at nothing. I thought you'd be worried about what to do after revealing your strength on Qing'an Street, but it turns out you've already figured it out."

Even if someone still has strength, they will not be feared if they are nearing the end of their life.

The more fierce you appear, the more others will think you don't have much time left, and the less they will fear your existence.

You look much better this time than before!

Chu Mingkong frowned. So that's how it works?

Chapter 47 Shangguan Rong

Shangguan Rong was a shining pearl of the Shangguan family. When she was born, the fortune teller sighed and lamented, "If she had been a boy, the Shangguan family could have produced a prime minister." The Shangguan family had indeed produced prime ministers, but unfortunately, very few, and they could not compare with the Cui family.

His father would often sigh later, saying that all the talents of the Shangguan family's generation had been taken by her alone, and there were few outstanding brothers among them.

This isn't praising how good the daughter is, but rather complaining that she's taken all the brothers' talents, causing the rest of the family's children to be mediocre.

When Shangguan Rong was five or six years old, she could memorize thick classics and was very skilled in literature. At sixteen, she was stunningly beautiful. There was a word in the list of beauties that specifically described her: "exquisitely beautiful."

However, Shangguan Rong did not like this assessment. As her beauty grew more and more radiant, she rarely wore heavy makeup anymore, and she even wore men's clothing. She also became less expressive.

Perhaps because her elders sighed in front of her from time to time, Shangguan Rong would spare no effort to "promote" those around her who showed potential, and this "promotion" had a somewhat coercive and controlling tendency.

If she saw that her cousins ​​or maids had any talent in calligraphy or painting, she would sternly demand that they practice hard, even to the point of neglecting their meals and sleep, until they achieved something. It was as if she wanted to prove that the children in the manor were not all mediocre, and that she had not only not taken away their talents, but had also made their outstanding qualities stand out.

Shangguan Rong's talents in various aspects are indeed remarkable, but others only see that she can recite most of the classics when she is five or six years old, but they do not see her hard work in studying by candlelight late into the night.

She used the same ruthlessness she had for herself to "help" others succeed, and few people could stand her. As a result, Shangguan Rong's reputation in the capital was generally poor.

Her first meeting with Chu Mingkong was several years ago, at the birthday banquet of the King of Xiling. Many noble families who could not attend in person would send their members to offer their congratulations.

At that time, there were competitions among the children of different families, which were somewhat like showing off their own children. A bunch of kids in their early teens would fight each other for fun, but Chu Mingkong was the only one who competed with officers and older people in swordsmanship and knife skills.

At that time, Shangguan Rong felt a sense of joy when she looked at this handsome boy, but it was not the joy of romantic love; it was simply an appreciation for an outstanding person.

If only a boy like that were born into her Shangguan family, he would be so outstanding that her family wouldn't just focus on her.

If he grows up to be even more capable, she might be able to tell the elders that he has taken over all the bravery and courage of all the young men in the world, and that they should stop pointing fingers at her.

Time flies, and several years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Crown Prince of Xiling entered the capital.

Shangguan Rong was no longer as "ruthless" to those around her as before, showing more restraint. She understood that pushing others to succeed was useless, and she didn't want her father's childish and discouraging words to affect her. He himself had a frustrating career and wanted to see his children achieve something, but he found them all to be mediocre, so he simply blamed her.

Even though she knew this, Shangguan Rong still cared deeply about her father's words.

However, when she saw Chu Mingkong again that year, she couldn't accept that the outstanding boy from back then had become like this!

At eleven or twelve, he was full of vigor and competed with officers without being outmatched. But as an adult, he has become so cowardly that he doesn't argue back when anyone provokes him.

Shangguan Rong knew that he might need to hide for a while, but she still wanted to confirm that the boy from back then had just hidden away, rather than really disappearing.

As long as we can confirm this, that's fine!

Unfortunately, Chu Mingkong's ability to endure was even greater than his shrewdness, and his acting skills in playing the submissive role were quite good. Even when others ridiculed him and Shangguan Rong beside him didn't speak up for him, he still didn't show any temper.

Shangguan Rong had been indifferent to him for a long time and couldn't tell if he was hiding his talents, so she really thought that the young man in her memory had disappeared.

After that, Shangguan Rong stopped testing him and pulled him into her room, directly questioning him whether he was hiding his talents or had truly fallen into depravity.

If he has truly fallen into depravity, Shangguan Rong hopes to give him a jolt and help him rediscover his former self.

Chu Mingkong was unaware of her background and thought she might be a member of the royal family testing him, so he continued to hide and remained unmoved by anything she said.

However, Shangguan Rong, who was mature by nature, somehow lost control of her emotions, probably due to the anger that had been suppressed over the years.

This led to the later rumors that Shangguan Rong had quarreled with the heir and kicked him out of the mansion.

......

She was also present at the events on Qing'an Street today, and witnessed Chu Mingkong daring to step onto the dueling platform with the most powerful Wang Ya, and standing in front of the Abyss Wolf for Princess Jinyu.

Although it had nothing to do with Shangguan Rong, she still felt a sense of relief for some reason. The joy of the festival couldn't compare to seeing that young man display his prowess once again.

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Chu Mingkong was still not quite sure why he had come, and he touched the teapot.

It's cold. I was so busy playing with the princess at noon that I forgot to change the tea. I remember Shangguan Rong doesn't like cold tea.

His hand hovered over the cups prepared for the guests for a moment, then he poured himself a cup of tea, frankly admitting:

"Actually, I didn't think that much at the time, I just couldn't control my emotions... Miss Shangguan, what brings you here today?"

"......oh."

Shangguan Rong noticed Chu Mingkong's little actions just now and remembered how attentive he had been to her before.

Feeling this disparity, the joy of seeing the once-faded gem shine again on Qing'an Street suddenly subsided.

Now even the tea is gone... Oh well, it should be this way. I did go too far before.

She cleared her throat, the slight joy she felt upon entering the Prince's residence dissipating from her beautiful face.

"Two things, this is the first one."

She took out a purple wooden box, about the size of her forearm.

"Inside is a Yang Soul Flower, a plant that can barely be considered to have absorbed some extreme Yang energy. You can place it by your bedside; it might help you recover from your injuries."

There are many criteria for judging whether something is precious or not, but anything that is associated with extreme yin or extreme yang is unlikely to be bad.

"This treasure is far too valuable. Where did it come from?"

"I planted these flowers to observe myself during cultivation and see the effects of my cultivation. However, they are no longer of any use to me. I am giving them to you, as they may still be of some use."

This external object cannot heal Chu Mingkong's injuries, not even before they worsened, but it can be used to suppress the Yin energy emanating from his body.

"Then I shall accept your kind offer and return the favor another day. Miss Shangguan just mentioned two things; what is the second one?"

"After thinking about it for you a bit, you can do whatever you want, but after doing something 'quick,' show weakness so that people know you are about to die, and the royal family's hostility towards you will lessen."

But you can't be dead forever. If you want to turn things around, say that you have obtained a miraculous medicine that has healed your injuries. Then spread the word that you are ashamed of your previous atrocities, donate some money, and reflect on your mistakes in seclusion. No one can do anything to you in terms of justice.

Using this excuse of self-reflection in seclusion, you no longer need to concern yourself with the previous difficulties the royal family had imposed on you.

Chu Mingkong had mixed feelings. He had really been giving up, but in the blink of an eye, his "ex-girlfriend" told him what he could do next and how he could avoid being harassed by the royal family, because he had a legitimate reason to stay in his own palace.

You want me to fawn over other girls? I'm sorry, I made a mistake before, how can I be in the mood for romance? Does Your Majesty think that my past mistakes don't even warrant reflection?

This is practically using moral javelin as a weapon. An emperor might not care about the opinions of one or two troublemakers, but he cannot afford to be indifferent to his moral reputation. If word gets out, it will be seen as condoning the sons of princes and nobles to break the rules and fostering a violent temperament.

In this way, if the royal family were to do anything to Chu Mingkong, they would only be able to wait until they decided to kill him. Until then, Chu Mingkong could live a carefree life in his own palace and wouldn't have to accompany girls everywhere like before.

Damn it, it was clearly his own predicament, but he never thought of all that.

Shangguan Rong took out a letter and said:

"This is a general outline I've come up with for you. You can use it as a reference for what you can and cannot do, but you don't have to follow it exactly as described above."

Well then... I'll take my leave now.

She got up and left, but when she reached the door of the room, she suddenly grabbed the door handle.

Chu Mingkong was wondering why she had stopped walking. Just as he was about to ask her if there was something else, he saw her body go limp and fall forward.

He rushed over to support her, but Shangguan Rong had already lost consciousness.

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P.S.: There will be another update later.

Chapter Forty-Eight: Chu Mingkong cleverly discovers the antidote; Shangguan Rong bites to save her life.

Chu Mingkong confirmed Shangguan Rong's condition. Her unconscious expression showed no signs of pain; it was more like she had succumbed to sleepiness and passed out.

Could there be a sleeping potion in my room?

But I didn't sense anything. No one could have been in my room, and there couldn't be any lingering incense here. Otherwise, Jin Yu wouldn't have been tormented by him for so long before she could finally take a nap.

He felt uncomfortable letting Shangguan Rong sleep on his own bed because of Jin Yu's scent, so he helped her to a clean guest room to lie down.

When Shangguan Rong was unconscious, she was more feminine than when she was awake. The angles of her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and she no longer maintained the cool and graceful demeanor she had when she was awake.

Her fair face quickly became covered in beads of sweat, not only on her cheeks, but also on her neck and hands exposed outside her clothes. Her collar was gradually soaked with sweat.

Chu Mingkong called her name several times, but she showed no sign of waking up.

"His breathing is steady, and he doesn't seem to be in pain, but why can't he wake up? And the amount of sweating is abnormal; his sleeves are soaked with sweat."

Should we let her maid come in and help tidy up?

No, that's not a good idea. Shangguan Rong is currently unresponsive, so she'll most likely be misunderstood as having been drugged with some kind of sleeping potion. Her maid certainly doesn't trust me, and it'll be troublesome to explain.

"In this urgent situation, let's help her change her clothes first."

This menswear emphasizes a flat chest and straight waist, requiring clean and neat lines, which can be understood as a slimming effect, especially since the belt is much tighter than that of women's waistbands.

When Chu Mingkong untied Shangguan Rong's men's clothing belt and opened her clothes, his clear eyes reflected a magnificent scene that was "straight to the point".

On a clear morning, as if the window frames the snow-capped peaks of the Western Mountains, I opened the seemingly ordinary window of my room and suddenly two towering, majestic snow-capped mountains came into view. Looking into the distance, I could see that the mountain peaks were planted with red plum blossoms.

A touch of red stands proudly against the snow and welcomes winter.

The mountain bounced in front of him.

"I never noticed you had such a deep cleavage before, since you always wore men's clothing."

Chu Mingkong found a towel to wipe away her sweat. The towel slid along her flat stomach and then over her narrow waist and wide hips.

Chu Mingkong wiped every corner clean.

His gaze lingered on a barren patch of land where a pale golden mark of virginity could be seen.

The "virginity mark" is very common in this world, especially on women, because many cultivation techniques require women to retain their virginity, and the virginity mark will appear as long as one cultivates.