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

Chu Mingkong went to find the babies alone, but unfortunately the two little ones were already asleep, and had only just fallen asleep. It wasn't good to disturb their sleep so soon, so Chu Mingkong chatted with Aunt Gu in the yard.

The conversation included the baby's condition over the past few days, as well as the matters Chu Mingkong was handling while he was away, and then the familiar storytelling segment.

Having been a storyteller for so long, Chu Mingkong had gained some insights, not about storytelling techniques on the street, but about interpersonal relationships.

To summarize this insight, it is this: talking a lot of "nonsense" is a necessary way to maintain a good relationship.

For most people, common topics are rare. It's impossible to talk about only one or two things throughout one's life. Therefore, it is especially necessary to talk about trivial or insignificant things in many situations.

What the other person enjoys is not necessarily your topics, but the process of chatting with you. "Nonsense" is the bridge, but the premise is that the other person is willing to chat with you, otherwise it becomes nonsense and harassment.

Although Gu Jun Gui couldn't accompany him to do all sorts of things all the time, being able to listen to what he was going through was a kind of satisfaction.

"By the way, Mingkong, Princess Chu and Jinyu have been coming to feed the kitten Jiao'er these past few days, and it seems the Empress has too... Why are you looking for them everywhere to get milk?"

How can you blame me for this? Chu Mingkong doesn't remember asking for it, but to be fair, he did enjoy it!

"This was Jin Yu's bad idea. She first saw my mother drink that secret medicine, and then she went to Master Yun to get the prescription and brewed it for Pei Mi to drink... But I did drink it quite happily myself, and I only found out about it after I came back."

It turned out to be Jinyu's idea...

Gu Jun Gui had Jin Yu accompany him for a while, and he could sense that this girl was not as well-behaved as the rumors in the capital had suggested. Well, it wasn't that she wasn't well-behaved, but rather that she was a little "lively." However, she was definitely not a bad person.

"It's best not to give this medicine to the babies indiscriminately. If they can't take it anymore, then Pei Mi and the others will just have to endure the swelling on their own."

"I know, I'll tell Jinyu when I get back not to brew medicine randomly," Chu Mingkong readily agreed.

He suddenly stood up, squatted down next to Aunt Gu, and gently pressed his head against the beautiful woman's soft belly. As he did so, her warm body fragrance seeped out through her clothes.

"Aunt Gu, is your belly a little bigger?"

"Huh? No, is it that obvious?" Gu Jungui asked, somewhat flustered.

Changes in physical appearance may not be noticeable when you see someone every day, but the difference becomes particularly obvious after three to five days apart.

Chu Mingkong wasn't joking; he did indeed feel that Aunt Gu's lower abdomen wasn't as flat as usual, and had started to undulate slightly.

Actually, when Chu Mingkong led her to sit down in the courtyard, he noticed that Aunt Gu's movements had slowed down considerably without her noticing.

At first, pregnancy is only reflected in changes in appetite and other physical sensations, with little change in body shape. However, if even a slight change in body shape occurs, the belly will swell up very quickly afterward.

It's estimated that within the next ten or twenty days, even if Aunt Gu uses taking care of the cats as an excuse, she won't be able to hide her pregnancy.

"Don't panic. My mother will be there to keep Aunt Gu company. She's even considering moving in with you, but she's worried you might not be comfortable with it."

Chu Mingkong hugged Aunt Gu, his mind temporarily free of lustful thoughts, while Gu Jungui buried her head slightly in his strong chest.

Although she often treats Mingkong like a son and cares for him, she can also find a sense of emotional support in him right now, a feeling that cannot be obtained without a reliable person.

"It's fine if the Princess Consort of Chu is willing to come; she and Jinyu get along well anyway."

"Alright, I'll pass on the message later. But Aunt Gu won't be able to continue taking care of Maomao and Jiao'er in a few days, she'll need to rest... Should I try calling Yongzhen and Rong'er over as well?"

Chu Mingkong wanted the people in Qingxin Mansion to gradually learn about this matter, or rather, to formally reveal it to them once they had already made some guesses.

As for the new baby, if it were announced in a grand hall, Aunt Gu probably wouldn't be able to handle it. It's better to talk about it privately, one by one.

Gu Jun Gui certainly had a bit of an escapist mentality. What she really wanted was to find another courtyard to secretly give birth to the baby and then return to Qingxin Mansion, but that would be too... idealistic.

It's impossible to hide it forever. Once people see the time you disappeared and the baby you brought back, they'll definitely know what's going on.

Moving out brings no benefit other than adding trouble and deceiving yourself.

"Okay, then have them come over one by one, don't let them all come at once..."

"I know, I'll talk to Yongzhen about it later."

The two chatted for a while, and then they heard Jiao'er's voice from the inner room, presumably because the babies had woken up.

It's likely that Jiao'er heard Chu Mingkong's voice; she was making little noises, as if trying to attract his attention.

Chu Mingkong helped Aunt Gu back into the house. Jiao'er was very eager to get close to Chu Mingkong, whom she hadn't seen for several days. Her little hands clung to the railing of the crib, and she stared at him with her big, bell-like eyes.

As soon as he held her in his arms, the little girl started rubbing against him with her tiny horns. This was probably because the adults had touched her pink horns so often that they had come to regard it as a sign of affection.

The little kitten naturally woke up as well, but just stared longingly at her father without showing any affection. However, seeing that he didn't come to hug her for a long time, she suddenly became a little anxious, and her little mouth immediately pouted high.

Only when Chu Mingkong scooped her into his arms did the little girl's expression calm down. She grabbed Chu Mingkong's pig's trotter and started gnawing on it, her toothless little mouth grinding against it.

So who did this jealous cat get her personality from? It doesn't seem like her mother Yuehe's at all.

But perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for a few days, the little girl missed him. This time, before Chu Mingkong even started licking Jiao'er, he went straight to sucking on the cat's little face, and she didn't react with much of a spoiled, whimpering cry.

"Next month, Kitty, you're getting a new one again. I wonder if you still remember how delicate and stubborn you are now... It seems that this stubbornness is quite like your mother's."

Chu Mingkong spent some time with the babies, acting as their leader, before putting them back in their beds and then going to wander over to Yongzhen.

--------

P.S.: I originally planned to write two chapters before posting, but revising the Queen's Fountain chapter took too much time, so I'm posting this first. I'll try to update the second chapter as early as possible tonight.

┗( '∧｀)┛

Chapter 306 You agreed so readily

When Chu Mingkong went to find Yongzhen, he turned back as soon as he left and took the baby away.

The topic we're going to talk about is, after all, babies. Even though it's Aunt Gu's unborn baby, the principle is the same: bringing the cats and the others along will give Chu Mingkong some confidence.

Of course, there was also the matter of using the cat's face to make Yongzhen unable to lash out even if she was surprised. The main tactic was moral blackmail, using the cat and her daughter as a shield!

When they arrived at Yongzhen's courtyard, Madam Zhen was not outside; she was probably changing clothes inside.

Yongzhen, however, did not have Yijian today; instead, he sat in the courtyard in a daze.

Their courtyard was largely converted from the former princess's courtyard, but the courtyard was larger, allowing for the placement of decorations such as stone tables and benches.

Yongzhen and her doll were sitting at the stone table, facing each other. At first glance, it looked like she was facing a mirror, and the other Yongzhen was her reflection in the mirror.

Chu Mingkong carried one baby in each arm and sat down. He took out a piece of animal hide and spread it on the cold stone table before placing the little girls on it.

"Yongzhen, what are you daydreaming about?" Chu Mingkong said, while placing his hands slightly on either side of the table to prevent Maomao and Jiao'er from rolling onto the floor.

The two little girls didn't know much about Yongzhen's doll form, nor had they seen it much.

At that moment, the two little creatures looked around blankly with surprised expressions, completely bewildered as to what was going on.

How can there be two people who look exactly alike?

They all reached out and touched left and right, seemingly to check if there were any mirrors or similar objects. It seems that the little ones already have a certain understanding of most things.

"Looks like your doll-like form scared them," Chu Mingkong said with a smile.

Emma, ​​however, was multitasking, petting a cat in her physical form while cradling a baby in her doll form. She said:

"I am indeed thinking about things, especially about the baby."

Ok? !

Chu Mingkong raised an eyebrow. He was also about to talk about Aunt Gu's baby. Could it be that Yongzhen had learned some kind of precognitive ability from Yun Nongyu? But it didn't seem to be the case.

"You're so preoccupied with thinking about the babies? Or are you missing your cat, Jiao'er? I just happened to bring her along." Chu Mingkong looked at the two babies.

The little ones were unusually well-behaved because Yongzhen was deliberately making her movements synchronized, making her look like a reflection in a mirror, even her way of holding the baby was identical.

Cat and Jiao'er felt as if they were looking in a mirror, but the reflection of the beautiful woman holding the little princess in the mirror was not Cat/Jiao'er themselves.

Puzzled, Jiao'er wanted to return to Chu Mingkong's embrace, but Yongzhen refused.

“I’m thinking about these two little darlings, but it’s not just about them. It’s about the ridiculous thing Jin Yu did not long ago, taking out the dumpling and squirting it around,” Yongzhen said.

"Haha..." Chu Mingkong laughed awkwardly, waiting in silence for Yongzhen to continue.

Yongzhen lowered her head and played with the babies' faces. Compared to her aloof expression, her caresses were much gentler. She didn't pinch them, but rather gently poked them.

She said:

"Jinyu's reckless behavior was most likely just a provocation. Her stomach is definitely empty. I just don't understand why she would do such a thing. Was it at your behest, Mingkong?"

Chu Mingkong had already learned Jin Yu's thoughts from her own mouth, while Yongzhen had actually figured out Jin Yu's true intentions in an orderly manner. It seemed that Jin Yu's little scheme of "malicious competition" with her sisters was destined to fail.

"That couldn't possibly have been at my behest. How should I put it? It was her own doing, and her intentions really are just as you've guessed, but I'm not entirely sure what she was thinking..."

Yongzhen nodded. Her conclusion was similar. Chu Mingkong wouldn't let Jinyu do such a thing, and if he really had that idea, he would most likely talk to her directly.

"How did Jin Yu manage to have such a beautiful chest?"

"The secret medicine given by Master Yun... but Jin Yu asked for it herself. She just wanted to try feeding these two little guys, and now that the medicine's effects are almost worn off, she's come over to mock you?"

"Just taking medicine can cause that? Are there any side effects or anything?" Yongzhen was quite surprised.

"No, if it were, Master Yun wouldn't have given such a dangerous prescription to Yongzhen. This kind of prescription is meant for women who are weak after childbirth and can't feed their babies. It just turned out that Jinyu took it and played with it."

Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on Jin Yu's whimsical idea. In the beginning, it was Zhi'er who went to Yun Nongyu to get the prescription. She simply wanted to experience breastfeeding the baby in advance and didn't want to wait several months.

Yongzhen wore an "I see" expression, seemingly muttering something to herself. Seeing this, Chu Mingkong asked:

"Yongzhen, you don't want to try drinking that kind of herbal medicine too, do you?"

A hint of disdain appeared on the princess's pretty face as she calmly exposed the truth:

"Don't ask me, it's probably Mingkong who has that kind of idea, wanting to try other flavors from me. You licked randomly before and gnawed on me quite a bit..." Yongzhen said the second half of her sentence in a softer voice, considering the babies.

Chu Mingkong replied matter-of-factly, "It's only natural to be curious about the taste! I'm asking on behalf of the babies!"

However, Chu Mingkong did not make a direct request. It was better to let Yongzhen think about it herself. If he forced her to do it, she might have objections. Not everyone likes the feeling of being swollen and cramped.

Yongzhen's thoughts returned to what she had been pondering earlier, and she asked earnestly:

"Mingkong, it's one thing for Jinyu to try to trick me and Rong'er with a goading tactic, but what about you?"

"Me, what?"

"Have you considered adding another member to your household?"

Chu Mingkong thought to himself, this is not just one more, but two! And these are two babies that are already confirmed.

"Of course I'll accept anything offered, but these things really depend on luck; you can't just get them if you want them." He explained his current Abyss Physique.

A prime example of someone who tries to cultivate a flower but fails to see it bloom is Sister-in-law Keqing in the mansion. Chu Mingkong certainly tried his best to seduce her, but unfortunately, she lacked Aunt Gu's luck...

Yongzhen nodded, her voice suddenly becoming hesitant and conflicted as she pinched the cat's little paws and said: