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

"I know, please continue."

“She sobered up and started denying everything again, but I think she was just shy. Everything was normal, but for some reason, she refused to come back to my manor. She would rather sleep with some shady women outside than come back!” Chu Mingkong wiped his tears with the beautiful woman’s breasts in heartache.

Gu Jungui felt annoyed. It was really his fault. His master was probably not ready yet, but Mingkong's relationship with her was indeed getting closer step by step. But he revealed his hand to Mingkong in advance, and his master couldn't accept such a directness.

Before she could reply, Chu Mingkong revealed his true intentions, staring at Aunt Gu's delicate lips:

"Aunt Gu, I'm wondering if I was wrong when I kissed her. I tried to kiss her, but I immediately thought of her spitting me out. Now I'm a little scared when I see most women's small mouths."

"The only person I don't feel that kind of resistance or fear towards is Aunt Gu, who took care of me as I grew up."

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Touching but Not Kissing

"Then, Mingkong, what you mean is...?"

Chu Mingkong was conflicted and "ashamed to speak," so he said with difficulty:

"...Aunt Gu, could you practice with me for a bit?"

Gu Jungui was stunned: "Huh?"

Chu Mingkong's face shifted again, reluctantly leaving those soft peaks. He raised his head slightly, bringing his face very close to Gu Jungui's. Their eyes met, their noses touched, and their lips were almost touching. But then he suddenly buried his head in the beautiful woman's graceful neck.

The hot breath of the big boy in her arms clung to her neck, like a force striking her heart. Gu Jun Gui realized for the first time how sensitive her neck was, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

The woman was in a panic.

"No, no, that won't do. We are... In short, this is not good."

If you think Sister-in-law Keqing is good enough, why are the other wives of the Cui family not good enough, apart from Sister-in-law Huang?

Chu Mingkong didn't push his luck too much. He touched Aunt Gu's lips; her cheeks were as smooth and slippery as the inner membrane of a freshly peeled egg.

"It's not about touching lips, it's just getting close. I want to get used to it. Even if we were to actually kiss, I couldn't kiss Aunt Gu's lips. At most, I'd just kiss around her lips, like kissing her cheek."

"A kiss on the cheek..."

Gu Jun Gui instinctively felt something was amiss. Even kissing a child on the cheek was an intimate gesture reserved for childhood, and Ming Kong was already a tall, strong man...

However, it should only be a cheek kiss. Mingkong is looking for a wife now, how can he be so resistant to even kissing a girl!

"Is that alright?" Chu Mingkong asked.

Gu Jun Gui pulled his head off her neck, his breath making her feel strange, and asked:

"Aside from your master, would you also object to kissing other girls on the lips?"

To be honest, that's definitely not the case. Yongzhen kissed me really hard.

"Yes, it's fine when we're talking normally, but if I think about kissing her, the memory of my master spitting in my mouth comes to mind, and I instinctively want to back away, and my expression gets a bit... contorted like a bitter gourd."

Gu Jungui imagined it for a moment, then found it amusing and nodded:

"When a girl finally musters up the courage to kiss you, and you give her that kind of look, it's not just you who'll be traumatized; the girl will start to wonder if she said anything inappropriate."

Chu Mingkong remained true to his original aspirations, and the conversation always revolved around the main theme. He looked deeply at Gu Jungui:

"Yes, so... Aunt Gu, can I get some exercise?"

Gu Jungui still had reservations and couldn't get over his inner hurdle, but he was clearly starting to waver:

"I won't make you resist?"

"How could that be!"

When I was a child in Xiling, my mother disliked me a lot. Every time she brought food to the private school, it was always just for Yunhan and her siblings. On those occasions, Aunt Gu would bring me a portion as well.

My brain knew that Aunt Gu was only good to me, and I was certain that she wouldn't throw up on me.

As for Chu Mingkong's mother... Gu Jungui could actually understand the princess's feelings. Her son's position as heir apparent had been taken by her adopted son, so she was bound to be resentful. However, Gu Jungui felt that if anyone was to blame, it should be the Prince of Chu, not Mingkong. Therefore, she had taken good care of him when he was young.

Now, upon suddenly hearing him mention things from his childhood, Gu Jun Gui was surprised that Chu Ming Kong remembered them so clearly.

"You still remember such a small thing? You're a thoughtful child!"

[System Treasure has arrived in your account, 300 points of filial piety (undesirable).]

Is it because the system has been upgraded that I'm getting more filial piety points? It seems like I'm getting much more than at the beginning.

"You must have a conscience, and you must also be filial!"

"Well... okay then, but not a kiss on the cheek, just my cheek will brush against your lips once!" Gu Jun Gui emphasized very seriously, "Understand?"

"I know, at most I just bump into things."

Chu Mingkong had already placed his hands on the back of Aunt Gu's head and was rubbing against her, but it was really just a slow rubbing of their cheeks, without moving closer to her delicate lips.

Gu Jungui was initially worried that it might be a bit... improper, but being rubbed so intimately by him felt similar to when he used to rub his face against him when he was a child.

There's nothing excessive or romantic about it; it's just a very ordinary relationship between an elder and a younger person!

However, there are still differences. When Chu Mingkong was a little kid, he had chubby baby face, which was tender and incredibly cute!

As a result, after she got married, in the blink of an eye, that little boy had become a notorious troublemaker in the capital, but in her arms, Chu Mingkong still seemed to be that child who hadn't grown up.

Gu Jungui soon began to worry about the younger generation's marriage:

"Mingkong, is your master coming back? You need to find a chance to get closer to her again. You can't just not go to her if she doesn't come looking for you!"

Chu Mingkong thought to himself that he would bring her back soon. He would also bring her over whenever Daoist Yun Nongyu returned from the sect's holy land.

You dare to seduce my master? I'll arrest you and keep you in the manor day and night making me dust-free talismans.

I wonder if there are any other highly practical talismans besides the Dust-Free Talisman. I should ask about them next time I see one.

"Yes, I'll see if I can bring her back today."

"That's good."

Gu Jun Gui decided not to make connections for Chu Ming Kong before he fully understood this Master Zuo, lest he do more harm than good.

But Keqing knows her very well, so she doesn't have as many concerns.

Gu Jungui asked:

"As for Keqing, Old Master Cui wants you to have a son, right? You don't need to go and marry Keqing, otherwise it will be awkward for both of you. Just take care of her a little more."

Doesn't this basically mean I'm not responsible?

"Yes, but let's wait until the turmoil at the Cui family has subsided before we can discuss it further."

"Still too slow! This is a crucial matter for you to continue the family line!" Gu Jun Gui was even more concerned than Chu Ming Kong himself: "By the way, regarding the future of the Cui family, did the old man say anything to you? Suddenly appointing me as the acting clan leader, I have no idea what this is all about..."

Old Master Cui appointed Gu Jungui as acting clan leader simply to win over Chu Mingkong. Given who Chu Mingkong is closest to in the Cui family, Gu Jungui is undoubtedly the one. Chu Mingkong is now saying he'll take Gu Jungui to the Prince's mansion temporarily, but who knows if he'll actually take her away after a while?

With Gu Jungui gone, Chu Mingkong will definitely not care as much about the fate of the Cui family anymore.

"Old Master Cui's idea... he's already treating the Cui family as gone, leaving us to fend for ourselves. If it were me, I would hope that Aunt Gu and you wouldn't continue to be trapped in this situation, stop being dependent on your 'husband's family,' start cultivating yourselves, think more about yourselves in the future, and not put your 'husband's family' first."

"This..." is a bit outrageous.

"I hope that Sister-in-law Keqing and Sister-in-law Huang are the same. They are much more outstanding than their husbands and don't need to live in the shadow of their husbands' families all the time."

The younger generation from collateral branches also need to diligently cultivate themselves and improve.

The Cui family's current reputation rests entirely on their ancestors, the "Cui family ghosts," and has absolutely no connection to the current Cui family members. I'll see if I can bring back someone with brains to offer some advice.

Chu Mingkong wanted to bring Shangguan Rong over.

Chapter 58 Kidnapping (29/43)

"Mingkong, my advice is that you run away as soon as possible, far away from the capital. The Fifth Prince wants to frame you for having an affair with Consort Wan, and this case will be very difficult to overturn!"

Moreover, when it comes to royal scandals, the authorities won't give you time to overturn the verdict. To protect the royal family's image, they will deal with it as quickly as possible!

As soon as Chu Mingkong returned to the academy's library, Shangguan Rong rushed over and began to admonish him.

After morning, Shangguan Rong kept thinking of a good solution for him, but she really couldn't think of one. The reality was that there were no conditions to overturn the case.

"Is it really that serious that there's absolutely no way to deal with it? Running away isn't my style!" Chu Mingkong deliberately showed a defiant expression, not revealing to the moment that Consort Wan had killed the Fifth Prince.

"Don't be reckless! You'd better leave the capital and hide for a while. We don't know yet if the Fifth Prince will really be that ruthless. He might not do it."

"It's not too late for you to come back after this period has passed; that's the safest way!"

Shangguan Rong was genuinely worried for him.

Chu Mingkong walked to the window and looked into the distance: "Maybe I have a way. Believe me, the Fifth Prince might die unexpectedly."

The beautiful woman walked up to Chu Mingkong, annoyed by his nonchalant attitude. She was so angry she almost stomped her feet. She scolded him:

"This is a matter of life and death, how can you be so careless and irresponsible!"

Lessons alone weren't enough; Shangguan Rong then meticulously analyzed the current situation for him:

“The traces of Consort Wan’s visit to your place are hard to erase. Even if she has tried to conceal her whereabouts, the fact that she borrowed the Fifth Prince’s imperial horse makes it difficult to escape the Fifth Prince’s notice.”

Then there's Consort Wan herself. To plead for the Fifth Prince, she secretly ran away from the palace to find you. What if, to protect the Fifth Prince, the Imperial Clan Court questions her about your affair, and she readily admits it? If she does, the Fifth Prince won't even need to provide evidence; Consort Wan can drag you down with her!

"And if you want to retaliate against the Fifth Prince, you must first overcome Consort Wan's obstruction!"

Seeing that Shangguan Rong was so anxious she wanted to hit him, Chu Mingkong stopped teasing her and said frankly:

"Consort Wan has given up on the Fifth Prince and decided to kill him. Now the Fifth Prince is basically a dead man. I estimate that we can see him being executed in the streets in the next couple of days. Let's go and take a look then."

"Impossible! This morning, Consort Wan risked her life to plead for the Fifth Prince. How could she have given up on him in just one day... Are you serious?"

Chu Mingkong chuckled. Although he had little to do with the events that had occurred—it was simply because Consort Wan was disappointed and had her son killed—he was still amazed to see Shangguan Rong's shocked expression, as if to say, "What on earth happened?!"

He felt inexplicably happy.

Chu Mingkong pulled Shangguan Rong to sit down and told her in detail what had happened after he entered the palace.

Upon learning what had happened, Shangguan Rong was even more dismayed. She never expected that the person who had completely killed the Fifth Prince was actually his birth mother, whom he had always despised, and the Empress, whom the Fifth Prince had tried to please the most, didn't care about him at all.

Well, it's too early to draw conclusions now, but Shangguan Rong doesn't think Empress Pei will speak up for the Fifth Prince. She's the kind of woman who doesn't even care if the Crown Prince dies.

"If the Fifth Prince had trusted his mother a little more, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation..."

"This must be what is called 'stubbornness'. However, judging from his ruthlessness in 'sacrificing chrysanthemums' to win over his retainers, the Fifth Prince probably only trusts himself and the people he has won over. Since his mother, Consort Wan, failed to elevate him to the throne of Crown Prince, he no longer trusts Consort Wan."