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

"Coming right up~"

Jin Yu, Yong Zhen, and Qing Ning opened the door one after another to look for her. Although Jin Yu knew the inside story, she still wanted to ask more questions, but she saw that Chu Mingkong had gone to Shangguan Rong first, so she could only block the door for now.

"Sister Rong'er, you're so skilled at stealing men!"

Chapter Twenty-One: The Magpies' Chirping

Hearing the sounds outside the door, Chu Mingkong inexplicably thought—you've got the guts to steal a man, so why don't you open the door?!

Before her stood Shangguan Rong by the bed. On the coffee table was a dressing box decorated with red ribbons, and on the bed was the exquisite and dazzling red dress.

That red dress contrasted sharply with Shangguan Rong's simple and elegant dress, yet it also evoked some memories.

She almost became the Crown Princess, and then in her boudoir, she was dressed in red gauze and tormented for a while, barely managing to drink the nuptial wine with Chu Mingkong.

"Mingkong, what are you doing? The maids just gave me these things without any explanation..."

Her tone was somewhat hesitant, and her gaze lingered between the red dress and Chu Mingkong, with a hint of evasion.

"The meaning is quite obvious, isn't it? It's a gift for you to dress up in, so what's so unclear about it?"

"But......"

Shangguan Rong pursed her lips, her bright and straightforward eyes looking at Chu Mingkong.

She was somewhat incredulous, or perhaps uneasy.

Because she felt that she was at most the one who would be forced into marriage. Although she was happy with it, she would still have a "bad record" of getting married. Shangguan Rong would not be surprised if any of Jinyu, Yongzhen, or Qingning had the opportunity to wear a red dress in the future, but she herself would not have much of a chance.

You might only be able to sit on the sidelines as a spectator, or as a participant in a wedding banquet.

"But I thought I had no chance..." Her voice was soft, filled with surprise and a long-standing sense of grievance.

Chu Mingkong held her hands and gazed intently at her beautiful face, which was described as stunningly gorgeous. He could look at her endlessly and never tire of it. At first glance, she had a clean and elegant beauty, but upon closer inspection, it felt like appreciating a master's ink painting, where the spirit and charm were all contained within.

Group 6③ba③0liusi⑨qi

Her unadorned appearance always filled Chu Mingkong with admiration whenever he saw her true figure.

But what Chu Mingkong liked even more was her somewhat clumsy earnestness.

"Why do you feel like you don't have a chance? I'd love for you to wear it yourself. Last time in the capital you were forced to, but in the end, didn't I still drink with you and do something stupid?"

This time you'll wear the red dress I gave you~

Because of her father's expectations, Shangguan Rong has always had a somewhat awkward personality, hiding her emotions and working hard silently to be self-reliant and not want to be looked down upon.

She rarely shows her emotions.

But now she was almost crying with joy, biting her lip, her eyes red-rimmed, a bright, glistening tear swirling in the corner of her eye.

"Thank you, Mingkong... But why did you wait until now to tell me? Was everything arranged?"

"Why are you thanking me? You're my girl, and I feel like I owe you something, but don't get too excited yet!"

Chu Mingkong made a joking expression and continued to explain:

"This time it might be even simpler than your previous marriage in the capital. It'll just be a symbolic gesture of carrying you out, and then everyone will have a meal together at the end of the year! And you'll have to have it with Jinyu and the others too~"

Shangguan Rong had long considered that Chu Mingkong's personality wouldn't allow him to choose someone as his nominal first wife; he would most likely break with ancestral tradition and marry them all at once, and then marry them along with Jin Yu and the others. Shangguan Rong didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

"I'm satisfied just wearing this dress, simplicity is fine too!" Shangguan Rong wiped her eyes.

"Hmm, shall I bring Jinyu and Yongzhen, who are blocking the doorway, in to explain things to them?"

Outside the door, Jin Yu's muttering could be heard from time to time: "Yongzhen, don't push me. I need to make sure Chu Lang hasn't done anything wrong." "Sister Yongzhen, Sister Jin Yu, why don't we knock on the door and ask?"

Shangguan Rong also heard the discussion and nodded, saying:

"Ah."

Chu Mingkong walked over and slowly opened the door. Jin Yu, who was eavesdropping by pressing her ear against the door, almost tripped and fell.

Chu Mingkong reacted quickly and steadily supported Jin Yu in his arms. Yongzhen, now of high status, watched Chu Mingkong supporting Jin Yu with a stern face. Chu Mingkong understood and quickly put his arm around hers as well.

Jin Yu naturally refused, and she was determined not to fall behind Yong Zhen even slightly, so she also took Chu Mingkong's arm on the other side.

Qingning was very sensible. She hugged Chu Mingkong for a moment, then went into the house and sat down to wait for her brother's explanation.

In the short distance from the coffee table to the door, Chu Mingkong had a princess on each side, slowly serving them as they entered the room.

The girls had similar questions to Shangguan Rong's earlier: why were they suddenly given a red dress and a makeup box?

The reason is obvious, but I still feel uneasy if I don't ask, and I have no peace of mind.

Chu Mingkong then continued to report the truth, and the three women finally learned the whole story.

Jin Yu had known beforehand, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. She asked:

"Tonight? I don't know anything about this yet. I've heard that you have to know a lot of procedures before you get married!"

Qingning also said, "I heard that the bride has to learn a lot of things, and the matchmaker tells her a lot of things."

Chu Mingkong smiled and said:

"Your nervousness and anticipation are actually putting pressure on me. Just think of it as wearing special clothes; we'll all have a year-end feast together. There's no need to be so nervous~"

At most, it'll just involve a few more small rituals like lifting the veil?

Yongzhen hasn't yet developed the habit of gently rubbing her lower abdomen from time to time, but her demeanor and actions are already somewhat cautious and "old-fashioned," which is quite adorable.

She shifted her ample hips, adjusted her posture, and said:

"What do you do when you sleep at night?"

Qingning also perked up her ears; this was indeed a pointed question.

Ever since Bai Niang helped her mother Li Lu's soul recover, Qing Ning has been staying by her mother's side, even sleeping in her arms. It's hard to say whether she's too attached to her mother or too protective of her, afraid that her mother might bump into something.

Does this mean we'll have to find somewhere else to spend the night?

"Yes, brother, what are you going to do tonight? Are you spending the night in your own rooms? You must be having a hard time managing everyone, right?"

Chu Mingkong looked at them and saw that they were even more enthusiastic than he was.

"Let's lift the veils in your respective rooms first, and then we'll take you all to one room? But please don't argue about lifting the veils, it's putting me in a difficult position~"

Upon hearing this, Jin Yu indeed extinguished her desires and stopped mentioning the matter of Chu Mingkong being the first to lift her veil.

Chu Mingkong's words carried some weight.

"So what should we do now? Let's send you back first, and you can all go back to your homes and explain to your elders. I bet they're really curious and eager to know."

He had just mentioned what the elders needed to do, thinking that they should each go back and relay it to them later, otherwise Chu Mingkong would have to run around to each door to answer their questions.

Shangguan Rong spoke up for Chu Mingkong, saying:

"Mingkong still needs to continue making arrangements, and we also need to prepare to bathe and change clothes."

"Then I'll say thank you for your hard work, brother~" Qingning got up to leave, but still hugged Chu Mingkong one last time.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Master's Wife Appears at the Wedding Banquet

Chu Mingkong leisurely escorted the girls back to their respective rooms, but once he finished, he also got to work on setting up.

Even though I kept saying I wanted to keep things simple, I wasn't complacent or lazy at all. I was thinking about perfecting every detail that could be improved.

Shangguan Rong had no relatives around her, so she didn't need to explain to Jin Yu and the others or to anyone around her. While this saved her trouble, she still felt somewhat lonely.

She took out the note and murmured:

"I heard that here, paper notes can still be used to send messages, but they can no longer deliver the contents of the letter instantly; there will be a delay."

Shangguan Rong gathered her thoughts, filled with excitement to share with her family. Although she knew she would struggle to write the rest, she wrote the first sentence without hesitation.

Mother, your daughter is getting married! How are you doing in the capital? I was hoping to bring you to Xiling sometime, but I miss you so much...

......

Jin Yu returned to her room and saw her mother lying there like a salted fish, for reasons unknown.

"Mother, why are you lying down like Master?" Jin Yu asked with a happy smile.

The maids delivered red dresses to their rooms, as well as dresses for the elders.

Actually, the elders' dresses weren't anything special; they were mostly just elegant dresses adorned with a red collar flower, but they were still considered new clothes for special occasions.

"Can't I be tired? Even lying down is a problem for me, you really are..."

Pei Mi muttered something in an annoyed tone, sounding like she was in a bad mood.

She lay flat on the embroidered couch, the quilt covering her body accentuating her alluring figure. Pei Mi tossed and turned in bed.

Listening to her daughter humming a cheerful tune with silly glee, she couldn't be bothered to complain.

Pei Mi knew she should be happy for her daughter. This was a major event in her life, and although Mingkong had arranged it simply this time, its importance remained unchanged.

But I still feel a little... strange.

Why do I feel inexplicably listless?

This is a time to make Jin Yu happy. Even if Chu Mingkong were to give Jin Yu another complete experience in the future, it would likely not be as memorable as this one.

"Mother, what's wrong? Do you want Chu Lang to give you a performance too?"

"Stop fooling around."

Jin Yu moved closer to the bedside, leaning against Pei Mi's soft and beautiful body, and wrapped one arm around her, gently stroking her.

The girl could sense her mother's affection to some extent, but maliciously, she didn't say anything, nor did she tell her that Chu Lang had also made preparations for their elders tonight.

......

Yongzhen returned to her room and told her mother, Madam Zhen, the news.

Madam Zhen was primarily thinking of her daughter; a sincere smile graced her gentle, round face.

"Then your mother is truly happy for you, Yongzhen. This is no exaggeration to say it's a double celebration! You just won the baby, and now Mingkong is arranging a wedding for you with red candles~"

"Yes, thank you, Mother." Yongzhen hugged Madam Zhen, and the joy between mother and daughter blended into a warm fragrance.

Madam Zhen then said: