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

but,

How could this be agreed to? It's utterly absurd...

“I know you’re in a difficult position, but if you don’t take this path, no one in the Cui family can really help you. The clan leader is watching you, and your husband is useless. What if the clan leader loses his patience one day… In short, you should think it over carefully.” Gu Jun Gui didn’t say anything more.

Feng Keqing seemed to see that there was only one fork in the road ahead of her, and she had to choose one.

She was being forcibly taken by her father-in-law.

She was offering herself to her brother-in-law.

Both paths are despicable and abysses; if the truth comes out, she will be condemned and drowned in a pig cage either way.

"Sister-in-law, may I go with you to Mingkong's place to temporarily avoid the clan chief's affairs?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll have Mingkong come back with me tonight. I'll say I'm not at ease tidying up and can't sleep without being familiar with the bed. I'll ask you to come and keep me company for a while."

"Okay... thank you, sister-in-law!"

Chu Mingkong felt uneasy after hearing this.

He inexplicably reaped the benefits without lifting a finger, enjoying the romantic encounter of a beautiful woman offering herself to him.

Although I felt excited and secretly pleased at the time, after calming down, I felt mostly sympathy and regret.

When did a woman's right to choose become so humble?

“Cui Jiazhen, the patriarch of the Cui clan, had improper thoughts about Aunt Gu and tried to give her ‘small gifts’ twice…Qing’s husband, Cui Rong, wanted to use me as a knife to kill her.”

The latter is just my business, but the former concerns Aunt Gu.

Is this something someone my age should have to put up with?

Obviously not.

But if Cui Jiazhen were killed and his scandalous deeds exposed, Aunt Gu, as the "daughter-in-law of the Cui family," would also suffer a stigma, and most people would probably speculate that she had also been poisoned.

Social morality doesn't care whether a woman consents or not; it only cares whether she has lost her virginity, and if she has, she should be condemned!

Let's go talk to Shangguan Rong later and see if there are any other solutions.

......

After packing their luggage, Gu Jungui took Chu Mingkong to the tea room to formally say goodbye to the old lady.

The previous visit was to inform the elders of my plans, but this visit is a farewell before I leave.

Missing even one basic courtesy is disrespectful to elders.

Chu Mingkong found these rules annoying, but he had no choice but to follow Aunt Gu's lead.

Before leaving, Chu Mingkong suddenly asked Gu Jungui in front of the old lady:

"Aunt Gu, are you sensitive to unfamiliar beds? And the room arrangement is too much for you to handle by yourself. Would you like to bring someone over to help you for a few days?"

Gu Jungui was surprised that Chu Mingkong would ask such a question, and secretly glanced at Feng Keqing.

"They might be a bit too busy. They'll probably need some time to get used to the sleeping quarters over there."

Keqing knew this was an opportunity, and quickly said, "Grandma, my sister-in-law and I have always been close. Shall I go and keep her company for a few days...?"

The old lady was reluctant; the whole thing was absurd: "This... both of our Cui family's daughters-in-law are trying to get close to Mingkong, what kind of situation is this—"

She saw Chu Mingkong take out a box, inside which were two thousand-year-old ginseng roots.

Chu Mingkong, deeply filial, glanced at Gu Jungui with a sincere look. His earnest gaze fell upon the old lady, who then heard him say:

"I really wish Aunt Gu would stay at my place more comfortably, but I need someone familiar to help me adjust. I hope you can be understanding! The old man still needs a lot of medicinal herbs to prolong his life. I have a few good herbs at my place, and I will send them over later."

"Alright! Keqing, you may return with the king. Do not be impolite."

"Thank you, Grandma!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Crown Prince Gets a Real Scolding

After sending his two sisters-in-law to their residence, Chu Mingkong wanted to call Zuo Qiuchi out to meet them and clarify their relationship.

Otherwise, Aunt Gu would have started by calling her "Little Miss Zuo"...

However, it's unclear whether this master went off to pursue a female Taoist priest, as he couldn't find her.

Gu Jun Gui and Feng Ke Qing were left to make their own arrangements at the mansion, while Chu Ming Kong went to Tianji Academy to make an appearance.

The Tianji Academy covers a vast area, and from the outside it only appears as a library. Only by carrying a student token and entering through the gate can one truly enter the Tianji Academy.

This place is like a hidden paradise.

When Chu Mingkong arrived, he went to the Shangguan residence and summoned Shangguan Rong.

The academy had many students, and the two did not act too close, but the students in the academy still vividly remembered the reputation of the second young lady of the Shangguan family.

"Wow, good heavens, which unlucky guy has been targeted and disciplined by the Second Miss this time?"

"I hope that in a couple of days, he won't be forced to stand in the central courtyard and recite texts like those princes before. That would be too embarrassing."

"Who is this guy? It's not often you see someone wandering around in black clothes."

The overall style of clothing in the Tianji Empire is predominantly white, elegant and refined, befitting a gentleman.

However, Chu Mingkong dislikes white clothes, and this is partly due to his pragmatic thinking in guiding his clothing choices.

The phrase "a white dress as pure as snow" sounds nice, but in reality, it gets dirty easily in battle and looks sloppy. Black is much more dirt-resistant!

"Something's not right. Isn't that the Crown Prince of Xiling? Why are those two together? Didn't they break up?"

"I'm very curious now, will the Second Miss continue to chase after this crazy... elegant young master and scold him, or will the young master get angry and retort so that the Second Miss doesn't dare to say a word?"

Chu Mingkong could hear these whispers from a great distance, and he guessed that Shangguan Rong could hear them too.

However, dressed in men's clothing, she walked briskly towards the library, unaffected by those people.

Chu Mingkong followed slowly, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and asked in a voice that only Shangguan Rong could hear:

Did you bring a dress?

"...I brought it, I'll change it later."

Shangguan Rong stopped in her tracks. The thought of being asked by him to cultivate together in the solemn and serious place of the library made her subconsciously put on a serious face to hide her inner unease.

In the distance, the students who were spying on her were observing the Second Miss Shangguan's expression closely: "She's here, she's getting fierce. Before, when she had this expression, princes and princesses would be chased and scolded by the Second Miss with gold medals! As expected of the Second Miss, she even dares to not give such a volatile prince a hard time. I admire her."

"Look, the Second Miss doesn't even glance at the Young Master when she speaks; she's clearly disgusted!"

Shangguan Rong looked away, her gaze lingering on his heart out of the corner of her eye:

"You... have too much extreme Yin energy in your body. What's going on? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"I need to discuss this with you later. As for the discomfort caused by the injury, that's to be sure. By the way, should I cough up blood?"

"Coughing can wait. Come with me into the library first, let me see your injuries."

There are no fewer than ten study rooms in Tianji Academy. Two of them are used for ordinary students to be confined, while the other is a "VIP confinement room" reserved for students from prominent families.

However, these three study pavilions did not attract students because of their uniqueness. They were considered the pillars of shame in the academy, and being locked up here was considered disgraceful.

Anyone with a little ability would run away in the blink of an eye if they were punished here. What decent person would obediently stay locked up here?

"Given the Crown Prince's temper of committing violence in the street, I estimate he'll be out in about half an incense stick's time."

"I bet that the Second Miss is meticulous in teaching and educating people. The princes and princesses can't do anything about her. Now that they've entered the library, the Second Miss will probably be urging them on with her ruler again. I don't believe the Crown Prince can keep his temper in check."

"Of course they can't stand it! With the Second Miss's temper, anyone would tremble at her. She's rigid and inflexible!"

"I'm really afraid something will happen to the Second Miss. She already has a bad relationship with the Young Master, and she almost became the wife of his enemy. That would only compound their hatred. I hope no one will die..."

In the study, before Shangguan Rong could even change her clothes, Chu Mingkong closed the door and embraced her from behind.

"Rong'er, hold onto the wall for support."

"This is the entrance hallway!" Shangguan Rong said shyly, turning back to glare at him, but her hand had already been pressed against the wall by Chu Mingkong.

"But there's no one else here, just the two of us. Could you please make an exception?"

"...Just this once, once we're in the study, you're only allowed to talk about serious matters!"

"Yes, seriously."

Chu Mingkong recalled the system's words: it's best to cultivate dual skills in stages, and not to rush things. Practicing without restraint will only affect efficiency.

It seems the only option is to do what Jinyu did last time.

Several gossipy students, worried about the second young lady's safety, ran over, holding their breath, trying to listen for any sounds of fighting. If they did, they would have to call for help.

Otherwise, something bad would have happened to the second young lady!

Soon, they heard the Second Miss angrily rebuking Chu Mingkong. Their voices were very close, as if they hadn't even entered the study yet.

Why don't you find the right door before you go in?!

"That's the Second Miss's voice. Wow, the young master is so pitiful. He was scolded for his manners as soon as he entered the door."

"The etiquette in the academy is indeed a bit complicated. I didn't expect that the Second Miss would be so dedicated to her duties and not back down at all. She still disciplined them as required!"

[Have you found the right spot? Or is there a special rule at the academy that you have to walk in quickly? I'll go out and come back in again.]

"The young master and the second young lady are at odds. It's true what they say, enemies are always eyeing each other with hatred."

【Ouch~ Why did you slam so hard? Ouch...】

"He deliberately bumped into the Second Miss when entering the room, and it sounded like he hit her hard. Huh? Why is there no sound?"

"Idiot, they must have discovered we were eavesdropping and put up a soundproof barrier. Let's go, or they'll copy our books later!"

......

"That's roughly the situation at the Cui residence. As for the Cui family, can I expose Cui Rong's insidious methods and then resort to violence?" Chu Mingkong leaned back on the soft couch, sipping his wine.

By the window, Shangguan Rong, who had been reluctant to sit down, had changed into a woman's dress and looked ethereal.

She looked somewhat angry, and upon hearing the word "violent," she seemed to recall something and became even angrier.

Despite her anger, she still answered Chu Mingkong's question seriously.

"No, if you want Madam Gu to bear the most unbearable infamy because of her family's scandals, then go ahead and use force."