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

"what!"

Hearing Gu Mingshuang's exclamation, Song Linyuan said urgently:

"Mingshuang? What's wrong?"

Song Linyuan was a step too slow and hadn't even turned the corner yet.

Gu Mingshuang blurted out:

"Don't come any closer!"

The warmth of a man's palm burned against her waist.

Her hands were still pressed against the man's chest!

Gu Mingshuang instinctively tried to push Qin Mo away, but she couldn't.

She lowered her voice and said urgently:

"My lord! Can we let go now?"

She didn't dare to look up, her voice hesitant.

He was backlit, his handsome face seemingly hidden in the shadows.

He had just entered Bailong Temple, but even in the serene Buddhist sanctuary, he still couldn't calm his mind.

But the moment his soft, fragrant body bumped into his arms, it was like a fleeting moment of enchanting spring light, which moved him deeply.

Qin Mo looked at the panic on her face and the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, which was completely different from her usual composed demeanor in front of him.

"Lord Duke! Someone else is coming!" Gu Mingshuang's low voice rang in his ear.

Those misty eyes, less cold and distant, seemed to be bowing their heads and pleading with him.

"Afraid he'll see?"

He couldn't help but tighten his grip, pulling her back a step.

He pinned her against the hidden wall!

Gu Mingshuang stared at the man in front of her in astonishment, her mind going blank for a moment.

What is he doing?!

As he approached, he gazed at her pearly teeth as she bit her lip, and the darkness in his eyes intensified in an instant.

She was so nervous because she was afraid her husband would see her!

The large hand suddenly loosened its grip.

Gu Mingshuang reacted quickly, taking two steps back as if she had just seen him, and then curtsied.

"This humble woman greets the Duke of Anguo."

This is what Song Linyuan saw when he arrived.

He also never expected to run into Duke Anguo at Bailong Temple!

The thought of Qin Mo asking him for Gu Mingshuang at Ruyi Tower came to mind, and Song Linyuan's face turned pale instantly.

"Lord Duke...you..."

Just then, the voice of a monk came from behind.

"Lord Duke, the old lady hasn't finished listening to the sermon yet, please wait a moment."

Song Linyuan then realized that he had heard about Old Madam Qin worshipping Buddha on the mountain when he came to arrange the ritual.

It turns out that Duke Anguo came for the old lady.

He looked at Gu Mingshuang beside him and clenched his fingers.

Fortunately.

Coming to his senses, Song Linyuan quickly bowed.

"Lin Yuan greets Your Excellency. I was just about to take my wife to the Buddhist hall to rest when she offended you. I dare not delay Your Excellency's business, so we will take our leave now."

As he spoke, Song Linyuan stood up and stood in front of Gu Mingshuang.

Qin Mo's face darkened, and he turned and left first.

Song Linyuan frowned and quickly said to Gu Mingshuang behind him:

"Ming Shuang, the Duke of Anguo holds a high position and wields great power, but he is also tyrannical. You must stay away from him in the future."

Just then, shouts came from behind.

"Your Highness! Your Highness's Wife! The Old Madam has arrived with the Lady! They say they're here to pray for blessings for the family!"

Gu Mingshuang looked over.

"So, a carriage is coming?"

The servant quickly replied:

"The lady just lent the carriage to another lady; I wonder when it will be returned."

Gu Mingshuang frowned, said nothing more, and walked towards the meditation room.

After seeing her enter the meditation room, Song Linyuan hurriedly tried to follow, but the door slammed shut in front of him.

"Ming Shuang?"

Gu Mingshuang's voice came from inside.

"I'm not used to having other people in the room, and besides, Madam and Aunt are here. Young Master, you should go and attend to your business."

Song Linyuan had no choice but to turn around and walk towards the meditation room next door, but as soon as he turned around, he saw two guards standing at the door!

He recognized them at a glance as guards from the Duke of Anguo's residence! This meditation room was actually where the Duke of Anguo rested!

He looked at the other empty meditation rooms, but the closest one was several rooms away, and he couldn't hear anything coming from it.

At this moment, he deeply regretted not having inquired first, and that Ming Shuang had actually entered the room next to the Duke of Anguo!

"Your Highness, please."

The monk led Song Linyuan to another empty room.

At this moment, Gu Mingshuang and Lingxiang slowly sat down.

Lingxiang paced back and forth, and said urgently:

"Miss, what a terrible day! I wonder when the carriage will be fixed? I'll go take another look!"

Gu Mingshuang pressed Lingxiang down to sit.

"Alright, Lingxiang, you should rest now. That carriage probably won't be repaired today."

Lingxiang was forced to sit down in a chair, but looked up in surprise.

"Huh? What did you say, young lady?"

Gu Mingshuang whispered:

"The carriage has been tampered with."

Lingxiang gasped.

"Could it be like the murder of Duke Anguo? Was it also tampered with in the carriage?"

Gu Mingshuang curled her lips.

"The person who tampered with it wasn't that skilled; they just slashed at the carriage bearing."

"The carriage had no problems on the way here, so it must have been damaged during the ritual."

Lingxiang said urgently:

"Young lady, if this person wanted to harm you, why would he ask you to perform the ritual? Does he have other motives?"

Gu Mingshuang nodded and praised:

"Our Lingxiang is getting smarter and smarter. Yes, this person doesn't want to kill me, but rather to force me to stay on the mountain."

Lingxiang, unusually, did not feel the joy of being praised by the girl; instead, she was so worried that the color drained from her face.

"Girl, what should we do? Let's run!"

Gu Mingshuang held Lingxiang down and said:

"You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. If we hide this time, we'll only get bigger trouble in the future."

"I'd rather see how this person plans to scheme against me. Don't worry, your young lady isn't so easy to bully."

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

Gu Mingshuang frowned and asked:

"Who?"

An unfamiliar monk entered the room, set down his cups, bowls, and saucers, and placed the incense burner by the window.

"There have been many mosquitoes on the mountain lately, so the abbot asked us to prepare mosquito repellent incense for all the pilgrims in the meditation room."

After he left, Gu Mingshuang extinguished the incense and threw it out the window.

Lingxiang looked at Gu Mingshuang nervously.

"Miss! This...is this poisonous?"

Gu Mingshuang frowned and said:

"I can't tell, but it's better to be cautious."

Just then, she heard shouts coming from the doorway again.

"Princess Consort, my master invites you."

Gu Mingshuang's expression stiffened upon hearing Jian Ying's voice.

She then realized that the meditation room next door must be where Qin Mo was resting temporarily.

After thinking for a moment, she said to Lingxiang:

"Lingxiang, wait for me here, don't wander off."

Soon, Gu Mingshuang followed Jianying to the meditation room next door.

Unlike the awkwardness of their earlier encounter in the corridor, she and Qin Mo were now sitting and standing, separated by a desk, their positions clearly defined.

The door slowly closed behind her.

Gu Mingshuang's heart skipped a beat before she looked up at Qin Mo.

He seemed to be reading some letters; there was a stack of them beside him, and his brows were furrowed.

Finally, Gu Mingshuang couldn't help but ask:

"Did you summon me for that blueprint, Your Excellency? I sent it to the Duke of Anguo's residence this morning. If Your Excellency doesn't believe me, you can ask the gatekeeper."

Qin Mo put down the letter in his hand and glanced at her indifferently.

"Is the only reason I'm contacting you just because of the blueprints?"

Gu Mingshuang opened her mouth, but after regaining her composure, she dared to ask:

"I wonder if there's anything else the Duke needs from me?"

Qin Mo suddenly frowned slightly.

Looking into her confused eyes, which were clear and bright like stars when she stared at him, he was at a loss for words.

Upon entering the temple, knowing that the meditation room was reserved for her, he inexplicably changed his meditation room and moved to the one next to hers.

At this moment, his calling her over was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Looking at her fair face and the occasional wariness and vigilance in her eyes, she seemed like a small animal in the forest, cunningly probing when encountering danger.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

An impulse to hold her in his palm once again welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Her collarbone looked extremely slender, but her body wasn't thin, especially her waist, which he could easily wrap his hands around, yet it was also soft and delicate.

It always made him want to touch it again and again.

"My lord?"

Gu Mingshuang's voice rang out again.

Qin Mo's eyes flickered slightly, but his figure, still sitting in place, remained as cold as ice, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

She was constantly on edge, unable to figure out what this man wanted to do.

He suddenly put down the letter in his hand and then looked up at her.

"Do you regret it?"

The abrupt and seemingly unrelated sentence left Gu Mingshuang stunned, and she immediately gripped her sleeves tightly in nervousness.

Regret? He asked her if she regretted it. Regret what?

Is he regretting taking the blame for Xie Lanyu? Or is he regretting provoking the Duke of Anguo?

Gu Mingshuang gritted her teeth, her eyes probing as she looked at the man sitting opposite her.

Just like before, even though he was sitting, he had an aura of superiority that made people afraid to look at him for long.

She lowered her eyes and said respectfully:

"I don't understand what you mean, Duke."

Qin Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, looking at the stubborn woman in front of him.

He had known for a long time what she was like when she was stubborn, even though her face seemed calm and gentle.

He didn't know why he suddenly asked such a question; the affairs of the Marquis's mansion had nothing to do with him.

But he seemed to want to hear an answer from her.

"I ask you, do you regret marrying into the Marquis's household?"

Gu Mingshuang was stunned, staring at Qin Mo in astonishment.

In the cramped meditation room, there was only a table between the two people.

Looking at Qin Mo's cold and stern brows, her fingers trembled for a moment.

Suddenly, images from my memory flooded my mind.

A dark figure stood in front of her, reaching out to grab her wrist, its voice icy cold in the darkness.

"Trying to climb the social ladder?"

She quickly shook off the inappropriate scene.

How could she connect Qin Mo with him?

Composing herself, Gu Mingshuang lowered her head and said:

"Has Your Excellency misunderstood something?"

She didn't know how to answer, but no matter what, she didn't want to, nor should she, tell Qin Mo, an outsider, about her marriage.

Moreover, Qin Mo is an extremely dangerous person.

She couldn't fathom his thoughts, so it was even less likely that she would allow herself to have a deeper relationship with him.

They'd be better off sticking to their mutual exploitation.

With a sharp snap, the pen was slammed heavily onto the table.

Qin Mo spoke in a cold voice.

"What do you think I've misunderstood? The Marquis's mansion has been in turmoil lately, and I just don't want these troubles to affect me."

Gu Mingshuang suddenly remembered that first Qi Huan, who was handling Qin Mo's affairs, was poached, then Song Linyuan went to Qin Mo's aid for Xie Lanyu, and today she had offended him again...

No wonder he was so angry.

She bowed calmly.

"This humble woman had no intention of offending you today, please forgive me, Your Excellency..."

Qin Mo looked at her, then suddenly stood up and looked down at her.

"How are you going to apologize this time?"