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

"Of course I understand that. If Aunt Gu really wanted to curry favor with the elders, she wouldn't have come to get close to me. Anyway, there's no need to stand on ceremony over such a small matter."

"It's only in small matters that you need to be so formal. If you're always trying to take advantage of me over trivial things, what will happen if things escalate into something serious later?"

"However, since Aunt Gu returned to Xiling with me, she hasn't properly visited her parents' home yet, right? This is a good opportunity for me to accompany you to the Gu family home for a stroll."

Now, the connections around Chu Mingkong are under intense scrutiny. First, he successfully returned to Xiling, then he turned back and angrily beheaded the emperor to avenge his defeat, all while contrasting it with the plight of the people of Jin. Regardless of his public image, Chu Mingkong's prestige within Xiling is now unparalleled.

Unless he does something to damage his reputation, it's really difficult for him to lower his own standing.

He's messing around with other people's girls... The family that gets messed with is probably overjoyed.

If someone harbors murderous intent... others will probably think that those who were killed deserved it, that they had somehow provoked Chu Mingkong.

Thinking back to when Chu Mingkong had just "stolen" Pei Mi back to Xiling, Pei Mi threw a tantrum and moved out of Qingxin Mansion, only to have something happen the very first night.

Now that Chu Mingkong's reputation is even greater, he will encounter no fewer problems than before. It is because of this mentality of not wanting to cause trouble that Gu Jungui has hardly ever returned to her parents' home. At most, she will chat with her family members when she runs into them while shopping.

Now that Chu Mingkong has offered to take her back to her parents' home for a visit, she is unsure how to handle her feelings.

Should I go back with my dear younger relatives, or with a man...?

Gu Jungui's heart suddenly felt a little chaotic. She let him hold her, but her words were serious as she warned him:

"Mingkong, when you come with me to the Gu family, don't get into the habit of hugging me randomly, understand?"

"Okay, okay, I won't hug people in public. I'll hug them after they leave."

Back in the temple, she had already made it official with Aunt Gu. Although she had agreed because Chu Mingkong had worn her out of her mind, there was no going back on it.

With the medicine film, he might have been able to remain stubborn like Pei Mi, but back then, Chu Mingkong injected it more than once, and Gu Jun Gui didn't even have a chance to argue.

As I walked out of the temple, drops of fluid were still trickling down my thighs...

Now, whenever I think back, I feel like I was on a pirate ship when I set off. I had only heard that the ancient Yueqi Empire had some customs and rituals for respecting mothers and elders, but I never imagined that this was such a way of showing respect...

It has been some time since Gu Jun Gui returned to Xiling from the Crescent Moon Kingdom, but he still can't quite adjust his mindset and doesn't know how to treat Chu Ming Kong.

Fortunately, Chu Mingkong didn't mind and let her do whatever made her comfortable without being too constrained. Therefore, they continued to interact as before on ordinary days.

Privately speaking, we'll accept it privately and go along with whatever Mingkong likes.

"By the way, Aunt Gu, is your belly making any noises?"

Chu Mingkong stroked the beautiful woman's belly, and Gu Jungui lightly slapped his pig's trotter, saying irritably:

"Do you really think this is like growing chives, where you can see a harvest every few days? Even with those nausea and vomiting symptoms, it'll take at least a month!"

Chu Mingkong chuckled dryly. In his memory, the earliest symptom that could appear was actually amenorrhea, which seemed to occur around half a month later.

Unfortunately, if women cultivate their powers a little more deeply, they can "sever their own menstrual cycle," making it impossible to tell that they have stopped menstruating during pregnancy.

Chapter Fifteen: Is this place really haunted?

Family-oriented.

The Gu family of Xiling was once one of the top five prominent families, but unfortunately, that was all in the past.

After their ancestor made a wrong move, they withdrew from the center of the aristocratic family and retreated to the local area, becoming a prominent family in Xiling. Although they never rose to prominence again, they have survived to this day thanks to their heritage and cannot be considered to have declined. They live a leisurely and contented life in Xiling.

The family's address was located near Jin, and trade between the two places led to the flourishing of their clan's private school, which became one of the more prestigious academies in the region.

Chu Mingkong did not inform the Gu family immediately of his visit with Gu Jungui, as he did not want them to make any "grand" preparations. It was only when they were about to depart that Gu Jungui sent someone to inform her family of the matter.

Normally, for such distinguished guests, even a few days in advance is considered late.

Upon hearing the news, the Gu family was in an uproar. While excited about the prince's visit, they were also flustered, fearing that they might neglect him or be disrespectful.

They were completely unprepared!

Even so, the steward and the clan members in charge still hurried to make arrangements, at least to warn the younger members of the clan not to wander around, lest they offend Chu Mingkong.

Upon learning this news, the young women of the Gu family, even those who were out shopping, rushed home immediately to dress up and find good spots to peek at Chu Mingkong.

After returning to Xiling, Chu Mingkong kept a low profile and avoided any unnecessary actions that would burden the people. This low profile, in contrast to his various deeds, became a mysterious allure that was very attractive to the girl.

He felt that keeping a low profile made the girls even more mysterious and curious.

"Mother, why did you call me back? Don't you have things to attend to? The young prince will be here soon!"

A young girl grumbled in confusion and dissatisfaction. She was enjoying watching the snow outside when her mother sent someone to call her back.

"Are you stupid? What time is it and you're still looking at snow!" The young woman said, exasperated. "And let me correct your form of address. Stop calling me 'Little Prince.' If you don't understand, just call me 'Your Highness.'"

"Didn't you say that we younger generation shouldn't come out now, for fear of offending His Highness and ruining things? Besides, His Highness came here to help exorcise the ghost..."

“Mischievous boys and younger generations don’t have to come out, but the girls have to find a way to show their faces. What if His Highness takes a liking to you? Didn’t you see that the girls from those different households and branches have all come back to dress up? Even the maids are secretly putting on rouge. And all you’re thinking about is watching the snow and gossiping!”

The young woman rolled her eyes at her daughter repeatedly.

Tired of heart!

Such conversations occurred in almost every room and branch of the house, making the original victims of the ghost seem insignificant...

On the carriage.

Chu Mingkong and Gu Jungui sat side by side.

Through the thick winter clothes, Chu Mingkong could not feel the softness and warmth of Aunt Gu's skin, but fortunately, the fur coat could not block Aunt Gu's warm fragrance.

The fragrance lingered around his nose, but Chu Mingkong's mind was elsewhere.

Yes, it's this ghost story!

When he was discussing this with Yun Nongyu, he said that Xiling was a peaceful place with Jiyuan as a place to keep it quiet, and he had never heard of any ghosts. But this happened in just two days.

Moreover, this happened in the Gu family clan of Xiling. If this is the case in these wealthy families, wouldn't there be similar situations among ordinary people?

Fortunately, we learned from the messenger maid that no one had died, which was a comforting thing.

"By the way, Aunt Gu, were there often ghost stories in Xiling in the past?"

Chu Mingkong held the beautiful woman's slender hand. Apart from occasionally brushing the back of his hand against Aunt Gu's slender waist and plump buttocks, he did not make any further moves, so as not to mess up his clothes and be embarrassed to face people later. In fact, the main reason was that Aunt Gu did not allow him to touch her, otherwise he would have touched her a few times!

"No, I don't think so. We occasionally hear a little bit about it in the neighboring Jin region, but the rest are just rumors from the mountains and wastelands."

"What ghosts and monsters did my friend encounter at night?"

"Yes, they all say they're my friends, but nothing actually happened to them. I guess they were just making things up when they were drunk. But some of it is true, though. They're mostly traveling around doing business, so they might have actually encountered ghosts."

"And this time it really happened to one of our own people."

"Correct!"

Gu Jun Gui's attitude was slightly excited. At first, she was genuinely worried when she heard the news, but after learning that no one had died, her curiosity turned into a burning desire to know what had happened, what the ghost looked like, and if there was any story behind it...

What happens to one's own people is far more reliable than hearsay about "my friend."

handy!

Seeing Aunt Gu's excited expression, Chu Mingkong couldn't help but smile. He lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, glanced at the street scene, and realized that they were almost there. He then realized that he didn't quite remember who the Gu family was, or who was in charge now.

"I almost forgot something. To be honest, Aunt Gu, please don't be mad at me, but I don't remember which elders are in the Gu family. What should I call them when I meet them?" He patted his head.

"To be honest, I learned a lot about the Gu family's current situation from the maid a few days ago."

Although a supernatural cultivation system exists in this world, no matter how magical it is, it has nothing to do with ordinary people in the secular world. Communication is a major problem.

Gu Jun Gui married far away from her hometown, and it was uncertain when she could send a letter home. There was also the possibility of accidents or the letter being lost, which would gradually reduce her contact with her family.

In addition, although Gu Jun Gui was the daughter of the main branch, her mother passed away early, and her father gradually favored his new wife and daughter, so Gu Jun Gui was even less dependent on her maternal family.

In the beginning, she wasn't the one who had the good fortune to marry into a noble family in the capital. Her family paid little attention to her, so she was able to go out freely to take care of Chu Mingkong and play with the young prince of the Wangfu family. The one who was valued was kept at home as a good young lady waiting to be married.

As a result, when the Cui family of the capital and the Gu family of Xiling were to arrange a marriage, they mostly considered the compatibility of the birth dates and times. In addition, Old Master Cui, who was an anonymous old military doctor, discovered that the gifted young prince was closer to Gu Jungui of the Gu family...

Over time, Gu Jun Gui, who was not highly regarded, suddenly rose to prominence and became a wealthy family's daughter-in-law without even realizing it.

But times have changed, and many things have changed a lot.

"My family has quite a few members, but you won't see many of them. Most of the younger ones will avoid suspicion."

The first wife is Gu Zixuan, whose wife is Li Jing; the second wife is Gu Zixuan, whose husband is Gu Wenkai.

If you really can't remember, you can just call them "elder brother" and "elder sister-in-law," it'll be the same.

After Aunt Gu mentioned it, Chu Mingkong remembered it.

When he was a child, he wondered why the Gu family gave their children names with the character "子" in them... it had that certain something...

I remember a kindergarten teacher complaining about the class roster back in my past life.

The male characters include Zixuan, Zixuan, and Tianyou.

Women include Yu Xuan and Zi Yi.

However, if the woman is mentioned first in this case, then it's likely that the man married into the family, and they happen to share the same surname.

"There's something I'm really curious about," Chu Mingkong suddenly said mysteriously.

"What?" Gu Jungui subconsciously leaned closer, thinking he wanted to ask something private.

"If the husband of the second wife calls out his wife's name during sex, will he mistakenly think he is calling out the name of the eldest son of the first wife?"

Chu Mingkong even imagined the scene in his mind.

The soundproofing by Gu Wenkai, the second son's wife, wasn't done properly, and he accidentally shouted, "Zixuan, I'm about to die!" The eldest son's wife, thinking something terrible had happened, suddenly burst through the door...

"..." Gu Jun Gui fell silent, the images already forming in his mind.

......

As soon as the carriage stopped, a large number of members of the Gu family were already waiting for Chu Mingkong's arrival.

People on the street stopped in surprise at the sight of such a grand welcome, as it turned out that the main branch of the Gu family had come out to greet them. They wondered who these distinguished guests were that warranted such a generous welcome from the Gu family!

However, no one got off the carriage. Instead, a man and a woman dressed in black winter clothes slowly walked to the front of the carriage.

The Gu family and even the onlookers turned their gazes to the man, who was tall and straight, strong and sturdy, with a handsome and refined appearance. His mysterious aura was hard to fathom. Those who saw him were puzzled for a while before realizing that he was outstanding in appearance and had a dignified demeanor. He was none other than Chu Mingkong, who had not shown his face much since returning to Xiling.

The woman was elegant and beautiful, with graceful and dignified bearing. Her eyes and brows held a quiet tenderness, and her gaze towards the man was full of gentleness and happiness. She wore a woman's hairstyle and had a mature and refined charm.

Standing side by side with Chu Mingkong, they resembled a mother and son, yet also a perfect couple.

It wasn't until someone in the Gu family said, "Jun Gui, why didn't you come in the carriage with His Highness?" that people remembered that this was Gu Jun Gui, a Gu family daughter who had married out many years ago.