I just got divorced, and this cold, ruthless, and powerful minister is begging for a third child eve

When Granny Yan met Gu Mingshuang's eyes, she felt inexplicably intimidated.

"Your Highness has misunderstood. Madam did indeed send the divorce papers to the yamen yesterday. You may question me if you wish, but this matter has not yet been resolved today."

Gu Mingshuang walked outside.

"In that case, I'll go and urge Madam myself; perhaps we can get it done that way."

Granny Yan hurriedly stepped forward to stop her:

"Princess Consort! The Madam is not at home! She went to the Earl's mansion to visit the eldest daughter!"

Gu Mingshuang stopped and gave Granny Yan a cold look.

"Okay, I'll wait for her to come back."

Granny Yan secretly broke out in a cold sweat. Looking at the Crown Princess who had calmed down, she felt increasingly afraid.

She can smash up even Shou'an Hall without a second thought. I wonder what other trouble the Crown Princess might cause!

She hurriedly left and sent someone to deliver a message to the Earl's mansion.

After the person left, Lingxiang was both angry and anxious. She stomped her foot and cursed:

"Girl, we clearly agreed on this yesterday! This is obviously taking advantage of the fact that you have no one to back you up!"

Gu Mingshuang stood still, her eyes seemingly covered with a thin layer of frost.

"She can't delay this paperwork for long; she should move her things first."

Upon receiving the letter, Meng rushed back immediately. As soon as her carriage stopped at the door, she saw five cargo wagons about to leave.

Hearing the commotion outside, Song Lanfang, who was beside her, lifted the curtain and, seeing how many carts were loaded with the dowry, gritted her teeth and said:

"Mother, look at this! How could I be at ease if I didn't come back with you?"

"Not only did she extort your private savings while Lin Yuan was away, but now she's even trying to move your things. What else is she incapable of?"

She immediately ordered the guards to stop them.

"Go! Stop all the carriages!"

The guards surrounded and blocked the carriage, but Lingxiang jumped off first and said urgently:

"What are you doing! This is all my daughter's dowry! Why can't we move it!"

Song Lanfang scoffed.

"Does anyone know if there are any items from the Marquis's residence smuggled inside?"

Lingxiang's face turned red with anger.

"My daughter has never taken anything from the Marquis's residence!"

Song Lanfang pointed to the box and said:

"Alright, then everything you're moving out today must be opened and inspected! Otherwise, you won't be taking a single thing with you!"

Lingxiang's face paled, and she turned to look at Gu Mingshuang, who had followed her out of the car.

"Girl! We can't agree to that!"

What a humiliation it would be if a girl's dowry were all opened and inspected at the gate!

When Song Lanfang saw Gu Mingshuang, she could hardly hide the anger in her eyes.

"Gu, back then, everyone in the city knew that you, as the Crown Prince's consort, were begged on your knees by Lin Yuan. You were married into the Marquis's household from a high social standing!"

"Since you keep claiming to be noble and unwilling to take anything from the Marquis's mansion, then bring me the dowry list and open the chests so I can check everything carefully!"

"You dare!" Gu Mingshuang coldly blocked Song Lanfang's path.

"I don't need to prove anything to people like you."

Enraged, Song Lanfang shouted angrily at the guard standing nearby:

"Smash it!"

Lingxiang's face turned pale. She instinctively stood in front of the carriage, and the stick slammed down on her shoulder.

Gu Mingshuang rushed forward quickly and put her hand in front of Lingxiang to block her!

She quickly dodged half a step, but the wooden stick grazed her hair, causing the jade hairpin to slip off and her long hair to fall down.

Seeing Gu Mingshuang suffer a loss, Song Lanfang finally felt relieved and shouted sharply:

"Beat them! Beat them hard!"

The wooden stick flew towards Gu Mingshuang and Lingxiang.

In order to protect Lingxiang, Gu Mingshuang disregarded the carriage, and several boxes were smashed on the ground, with clothes and jewelry scattered everywhere.

Lingxiang saw this and, with reddened eyes, tried to stop them.

"Don't touch it!"

The wooden stick slammed down on her with tremendous force.

Gu Mingshuang only had time to rush forward and shield her from behind.

"girl!"

Lingxiang's tearful cry rang out.

However, the stick didn't come down; a figure blocked their way from behind.

The wooden stick landed heavily on Song Linyuan's back, making a dull thud!

Gu Mingshuang turned her head in surprise.

She didn't expect Song Linyuan to appear, and she certainly didn't expect him to block the blow.

Without looking again, she averted her gaze and helped Lingxiang walk to the side.

At this moment, Song Linyuan grunted and steadied himself by holding onto the carriage.

The excruciating pain in his back caused his forehead to be covered in a layer of cold sweat!

That blow was a deadly strike!

He was filled with lingering fear at that moment.

What would happen if that blow landed on Ming Shuang?

He reached out and grabbed the wooden stick, shaking off the guard who was attacking him, his face extremely gloomy.

"Stop! This is the heir apparent's wife from the Marquis's mansion! You've all gone mad!"

The group of guards, seeing the prince so angry for the first time, were so frightened that they immediately knelt down.

Song Lanfang also froze on the spot.

She didn't expect Song Linyuan to come back so quickly.

Coming to her senses, Song Lanfang immediately said sternly:

"Lin Yuan! You have no idea what she did after you left home. She went too far, threatening Mother and swindling her out of three thousand taels of silver..."

Meng stepped forward and said urgently:

"Yuan'er, this time Gu Shi really went too far. She was so unruly. Your elder sister just wanted to teach her a lesson..."

It's those same accusations against Ming Shuang again!

No manners! No upbringing! Too wild! Unfit to be the Crown Prince's consort!

He'd heard these words enough over the past year!

I thought it was all true, after all, Ming Shuang came from a humble background and did not have the grace and manners of a noblewoman.

He had also been disappointed, scolded, and regretted.

But now, he felt an overwhelming rage that he couldn't suppress.

"Stop talking!"

His furious roar silenced the surrounding curses and accusations.

Song Lanfang's face flushed red, and she wanted to speak again, but seeing Song Linyuan's eyes, she swallowed her words.

Meng was stunned and stood there, never expecting that the gentle Song Linyuan would get so angry.

"Yuan'er..."

Song Linyuan looked at them and clenched his fingers.

"I just want to ask one question: after all this time, have you ever considered her family?"

Song Lanfang frowned and stepped forward, saying coldly:

"We've been good enough to her! What more do you want from her? To treat her like royalty?"

Meng murmured, her face growing increasingly grim.

"Yes, Yuan'er, we've always treated her with sincerity..."

Song Linyuan interrupted sharply.

"Enough! I have eyes! I can see!"

But Song Linyuan had already walked towards Gu Mingshuang.

He saw Gu Mingshuang squatting by the carriage, picking up the clothes and jewelry that had spilled out of the boxes.

Her hair was loose and disheveled, and she wasn't wearing any makeup, which made her porcelain-white face appear even paler.

That bright face now had a rare hint of fragility.

Song Linyuan felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

Back at Bailong Temple, he and Mingshuang made a vow that his heart would never change, whether she became his adopted son or the heir of a marquis's family.

He thought he was now capable enough to protect her from the storms of life, but now he realizes that all those storms were brought about by him!

"Mingshuang, does it hurt...?"

He noticed the scratches on Gu Mingshuang's cheek, bent down, and carefully reached out his hand.

Before he could even touch her face, Gu Mingshuang had already stood up and quickly took half a step back.

"Your Highness, may I continue moving?"

The word "Your Highness" was devoid of any warmth, and Song Linyuan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He could hardly remember when it started, but she stopped calling him "husband" and his name, and instead began to call him "prince" in a proper manner.

He used to think she wasn't well-mannered enough, and that she called his name with a vulgar, uncouth tone.

But now, the polite address of "Your Highness" made him feel suffocated, as if a wet cotton ball was stuck in his throat, heavy and uncomfortable.

Upon noticing the red mark on Gu Mingshuang's hand, Song Linyuan stood up and reached out to grasp her wrist.

"Did you hurt your hand just now?"

Gu Mingshuang frowned, instinctively trying to pull her hand back, but it was the first time he had held it so tightly.

"Your Highness, relax, I'm fine."

Song Linyuan looked intently at her fair hands and said:

"If such bruises are not treated promptly, they will hurt for several days."

Then, Song Linyuan gave the instructions:

"Go and fetch some medicine for your wounds!"

He felt terrible.

Although the Gu family was of modest means in Qingzhou, Gu's father cherished his daughter like a precious jewel.

She disliked extravagance, and if she were still in Qingzhou, her life would be quite comfortable. Why would she suffer such injustice?

Gu Mingshuang frowned even more. She didn't understand what was wrong with Song Linyuan, and forcefully pulled her hand back.

"Your Highness, it's just a minor injury. I'm not that delicate."

Song Linyuan's breath hitched as he looked up and saw the impatience in her eyes.

It seemed that his touch had just offended her.

His chest felt even tighter and more constricted.

"May I speak with you alone for a few minutes?"

Seeing that he insisted on standing in front of her, Gu Mingshuang finally raised her eyes and looked at him directly.

Song Linyuan was covered in dust and grime, his forehead was damp with sweat, and he had bluish stubble on his lips.

His usually gentle eyes looked tired and haggard, as if he had been traveling for a long time.

Even back in Qingzhou, he had never been in such a sorry state.

"Ming Shuang, that's all I have to say. If you still want to move out after this, I won't stop you."

Gu Mingshuang asked Lingxiang to tidy up the clothes on the ground first, and then she and Song Linyuan walked to a corner to the side.

"Does Your Highness have something to say?"

Song Linyuan took out a hairpin from his sleeve.

"When spring came, you liked this kingfisher feather butterfly hairpin at Duobaoge. I searched for several shops and finally found the last one."

Gu Mingshuang looked at the exquisite hairpin in his hand, but her eyes remained completely unmoved.

When spring arrived, she chose this branch, but Song Linyuan saw Xie Lanyu standing next to her looking dejected.

So, the hairpin was placed in Xie Lanyu's hair.

Gu Mingshuang did not reach out her hand, but spoke calmly.

"Your Highness, please take it back. I don't like it anymore."

Song Linyuan then took out many more things from his sleeve.

"These earrings, bracelets, and beads were all picked out for you, Mingshuang. If you don't like them, I'll go exchange them..."

Gu Mingshuang looked at the glittering jewelry, but there was no joy in her eyes.

She frowned and pushed those things away.

"Your Highness, I don't need these."

She paused, then spoke earnestly:

"If there's nothing else, I still need to move some things."

Song Linyuan put down the jewelry in his hand and hurriedly chased after him.

"Okay, I agree, but could you let me finish one last thing?"

Gu Mingshuang frowned and looked up at him.

"Your Highness, I don't need you to do anything for me anymore."

Song Linyuan said earnestly:

"Mingshuang, your father's funeral ceremony hasn't been held yet this year. I truly want to hold one for him. Please consider it as me fulfilling my filial duty, okay?"

As he spoke, Song Linyuan said urgently:

"Don't worry, it won't be delayed, it'll be today!"

"I'll set off for Hakuryu-ji immediately. What happened last time will not be repeated. No one can be delayed!"

He lowered his eyes, his gaze reddening, pleading with utmost humility.

"Mingshuang, please, let me do something more for him as his son-in-law, don't let me regret it for the rest of my life..."

Even Lingxiang, who had harbored resentment for a long time, softened. After all, they had spent many years together and were like family. With tears in her eyes, she said:

"Girl, please agree. It's just a religious ceremony."

Gu Mingshuang remained silent for a long time before raising her eyes to look at Song Linyuan.

"Okay, today it is."

She won't delay any longer.

Seeing Gu Mingshuang nod, Song Linyuan took a deep breath.

"Mingshuang, let's go now!"

Seeing Song Linyuan rushing to help Gu Mingshuang into the carriage, Meng Shi called out urgently:

"Yuan'er! Come back! Come back!"

As the carriage departed, Song Lanfang helped Meng Shi stand still, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.

"Mother, this is the best chance to ruin Gu Mingshuang..."