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

She immediately gave Lingxiang a look, signaling someone to go to Shou'an Hall to inform them.

Upon hearing that the Duke of Anguo was coming to stay for a while, the expressions of Madam Meng and her son Song Linyuan were completely opposite.

Meng said happily:

"That's wonderful! The fact that Duke Anguo is willing to stay here temporarily must mean he is very satisfied with Ayu's talent and has great trust in our Marquis's mansion."

"As long as we can serve Duke Anguo well and make him look at you and Ayu with new eyes, with just one word from him, Yuan'er, you will have hope of entering the court as an official!"

However, Song Linyuan, who was standing still, had a complicated expression on his face.

He clenched his fingers and blurted out:

"No! We can't let him stay!"

Meng grabbed Song Linyuan and, frowning, urgently advised him:

"You're overjoyed, aren't you? It's already a blessing that the Duke of Anguo didn't pursue the matter last time. Now he's even willing to be close to our Marquis's mansion. Aren't you going to seize this opportunity? He's a benefactor to our Marquis's mansion!"

Song Linyuan said urgently:

"Mother, we absolutely cannot let him stay here temporarily!"

He simply couldn't bring himself to say that Duke Anguo coveted his wife, nor could he say that Mingshuang sought the antidote from Duke Anguo after taking the medicine.

Especially when you think about how all of this happened because of him! He was the one who pushed his wife out!

Thinking of these things, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart!

Madam Meng frowned and stopped Song Linyuan, saying to the steward:

"The Crown Prince is confused; he can't receive such an important guest. Pass on my message: instruct the Crown Princess to treat the Duke well!"

Song Linyuan was about to speak again when Meng interrupted him:

"Yuan'er, this is your best chance, why are you so unwilling? Is there some hidden reason?"

Song Linyuan hesitated, unable to speak. He had a premonition that once he revealed it, he would no longer be able to keep Ming Shuang!

Finally, Song Linyuan swallowed the words he wanted to say, sat down, and said in a deep voice:

"Mother, what's wrong? Nothing's wrong..."

Meng breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"That's good. You should also get to know the powerful and influential people in the capital, especially someone like the Duke."

"If we can be used by him, it will be worth any price our Marquis's mansion has to pay!"

Song Linyuan was so frustrated that he could barely speak.

"Mother, I have something to attend to. I'll come see you again later!"

Seeing that Song Linyuan was about to leave, Madam Meng hurriedly instructed him:

"You must serve the Duke well! Do you hear me?"

Song Linyuan's face flushed red as he strode out of Shou'an Hall.

He stopped in his tracks after walking for a short while.

Beside the small bridge, two figures stood side by side.

Gu Mingshuang swayed slightly, and the figure in black beside her gently raised his hand to support her.

The wind blew through the shadows of the trees, causing the two people's clothes to entwine.

Song Linyuan's eyes seemed to be stung by something, and he was about to step forward when someone called out to him from behind.

"cousin."

Song Linyuan paused for a moment, then turned around and saw Xie Lanyu. For some reason, seeing Xie Lanyu now also made him feel annoyed.

"Ayu, weren't you busy in the yard? Why did you come over?"

Xie Lanyu looked at Song Linyuan and asked in surprise:

"Cousin, I heard from Ru Hua that the Duke of Anguo will be staying at the Marquis's residence for two days?"

Song Linyuan nodded and said:

"That's right. The Duke of Anguo said that his warm pavilion in his mansion was smashed and he was unhappy living there, so he came to stay at the Marquis's mansion for two days during the repair period."

As he spoke, he looked at Xie Lanyu reassuringly, afraid that she might overthink things.

"Ayu, don't be afraid. Duke Anguo didn't pursue the matter further before, so this shouldn't be related to that incident."

He considered Ayu's courage and was about to suggest sending her to a manor outside the village to avoid trouble, but Xie Lanyu spoke first:

"Cousin, is there any way I can meet the Duke of Anguo?"

Song Linyuan was stunned for a moment.

"Ayu? What do you want to see Duke Anguo for? Duke Anguo won't know that this matter involves you..."

Xie Lanyu raised her eyes and said:

"Cousin, the news that the Duke of Anguo's mansion is building a garden has spread throughout the capital. If this garden could be entrusted to me, I would definitely be able to help the Marquis's mansion become famous in the capital!"

Song Linyuan said with a complicated expression:

"I already mentioned it to Duke Anguo last time, but he didn't agree..."

He recalled the aftermath of that conversation at Ruyi Tower, and suddenly felt as if his chest was blocked with cotton, making it hard to breathe.

Xie Lanyu frowned.

Did my cousin mention me in detail?

Song Linyuan frowned, and his voice deepened.

"Ayu, it's not gentlemanly to beg for favors so readily. You have talent, so why insist on taking on this task?"

"Besides, the garden that Duke Anguo wants to build isn't exactly a respectable project. Many in the court have already accused him of extravagance and debauchery. Taking on this task will likely do your reputation no good!"

As he spoke, Song Linyuan turned around and said:

"I have something to attend to, so I'll head back to my study first."

Watching Song Linyuan leave, Xie Lanyu, who was standing still, had a gloomy expression.

The dog she spent so much time training can now bark at her!

Could it be that she's been busy keeping Qi Huan in check lately and has neglected Song Linyuan?

Xie Lanyu's face turned cold as she reached out and crushed the flower beside her.

Just bear with it a little longer!

However, at this moment, Song Linyuan had no time to think about Xie Lanyu's thoughts. He was chasing after Qin Mo and Gu Mingshuang's figures, only to find that the two had disappeared.

Having finally run into the butler, Song Linyuan asked urgently:

"Where is the Crown Princess?"

The steward was taken aback; he had never seen the young master so anxious to find the princess before. He quickly said:

"The Crown Princess took the Duke of Anguo to the guest courtyard."

Song Linyuan hurried toward the guest courtyard.

However, inside the guest courtyard.

Gu Mingshuang, along with her maids and servants, cleaned the guest courtyard, added items, picked flowers to arrange in vases, and prepared incense, directing everyone to tidy up the guest courtyard in an orderly manner.

Qin Mo leaned against a pillar, watching Gu Mingshuang bustling about, his eyes narrowing slightly.

I never imagined that the willful and spoiled little girl from back then would look like this now.

The thought that all of this was related to another man made him instantly cold, his expression becoming extremely icy.

The maids and servants around felt an intense sense of oppression, lowered their heads and dared not even breathe, and hurriedly walked away from this menacing Duke.

Gu Mingshuang walked into the courtyard, feeling quite impatient after working for so long.

"What does the Duke think of this courtyard?"

Qin Mo spoke calmly.

"Not very good."

Gu Mingshuang gritted her teeth.

"Everything in here was moved from my own yard; I wouldn't take anything from ordinary people!"

"Moreover, the location of this courtyard is excellent, and I personally modified every corner of it."

Qin Mo's eyes flickered slightly, and his chilling aura softened a little.

"You have certainly put a lot of effort into this Marquis's residence."

Looking at the bricks and tiles before her, a hint of sadness rose in Gu Mingshuang's eyes.

"That's natural."

In Qin Mo's eyes, this expression was clearly one of deep reluctance to part with Song Linyuan and the Marquis's mansion.

"Gu Mingshuang, do you like this place that much?"

Gu Mingshuang was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Mo.

"What did the Duke say?"

Qin Mo looked away.

"It's nothing. Didn't you say you were going to serve me?"

Gu Mingshuang pursed her lips and got up to fetch the teapot.

"Very well, then this humble woman will serve the Duke tea."

She had a servant bring a tea stove and tea set, and Gu Mingshuang personally brewed tea in the courtyard.

Just as the tea was almost ready, Jianying brought over some refreshments.

Upon seeing the pastries from Yunxiangju, Gu Mingshuang's eyes flickered slightly. It was indeed he who had given her the extra Yunxiangju pastries in her meal at Bailong Temple.

She was distracted for a moment, and the tea overflowed from the teacup.

"hiss……"

Qin Mo, with a stern face, reached out and pressed down on her wrist.

"How could you be so careless? You even hurt your hand while making tea!"

He fetched some burn ointment and held her down to prevent her from moving.

She always did these small things herself, and even Song Linyuan never asked her to do them.

Gu Mingshuang said with a blush:

"My lord, I can do this little thing myself."

Qin Mo said coldly:

"Are you trying to injure your hand on purpose so you don't have to serve me?"

Gu Mingshuang was speechless and had no choice but to sit down again.

"Thank you, Your Excellency...it hurts!"

Who knew he would strike so swiftly? Gu Mingshuang was caught off guard, and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

Seeing her red eyes and biting lip, looking wronged, Qin Mo said in a stern voice:

"So delicate?"

Gu Mingshuang was in so much pain that she couldn't care less about anything else and blurted out:

"Yes, that's how spoiled I am. There are so many better places outside, but why did the Duke insist on staying here temporarily?"

Qin Mo saw that there were still tears in her eyes, but she was still being sarcastic. For some reason, he wasn't angry at all, and even curled his lips into a smile.

"You're so unforgiving after I just said one thing to you."

Although his tone was still reprimanding, his hand movements became much gentler.

Gu Mingshuang looked at Qin Mo, who was bending down to apply medicine to her, and felt a strange feeling in her heart.

She was no longer a naive girl; she didn't know what it was about her that made the dignified Duke treat her with such deference.

As for her face, that's even more impossible. She heard that after Qin Mo returned to the court, the Duke of Anguo's mansion was filled with all sorts of beauties of all styles.

How could Qin Mo possibly be interested in her?

After applying the medicine, Qin Mo picked up the teapot first, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Gu Mingshuang.

"Are you calm now?"

Gu Mingshuang blushed and lowered her head, saying:

"How could I dare let the Duke pour me tea?"

Seeing her cowering like a quail, Qin Mo suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

"That's strange, what else wouldn't you dare to do?"

Gu Mingshuang, in a moment of panic, looked up and said:

"I'm very timid, is there some misunderstanding, Your Highness?"

Qin Mo nodded slowly, but couldn't help but laugh out loud inside.

How dare such a cunning fox brazenly claim to be cowardly?

"Yes, not only are they timid, but they also have no manners."

Gu Mingshuang immediately bit her lip.

What does he mean by this? He comes here to torment her, and then criticizes her for this and that!

Gu Mingshuang got annoyed and turned her head to say:

"My manners are indeed poor; perhaps someone else should serve the Duke!"

Just then, the courtyard gate rang.

When the door opened and Gu Mingshuang saw Song Linyuan standing outside, she was stunned.

She thought Song Linyuan wouldn't come, since he was always a filial son and would surely be at Shou'an Hall guarding Meng Shi right now.

But who knew that Song Linyuan would actually come over.

Unlike his previous travel-worn appearance, he had clearly changed his clothes in the courtyard and taken good care of himself.

Song Linyuan even changed into a newly tailored blue brocade robe.

"Lin Yuan greets the Duke."

Qin Mo did not raise his eyes, and slowly spoke:

"Since Prince Song has arrived, please come in and have some tea with me."

Song Linyuan froze. This was his home, but he felt awkward as if he had intruded into someone else's home!

He took a deep breath, secretly straightened his clothes, and glanced at Qin Mo sitting there.

Compared to Qin Mo's somber and old-fashioned black attire, he looked much younger at this moment.

Moreover, it was Ming Shuang who arranged his clothes.

So Song Linyuan stepped forward and sat down, then spoke as the male host:

"Mingshuang, the Duke is a distinguished guest of the Marquis's residence, so we must treat him with the utmost hospitality."

Qin Mo spoke calmly.

"Your Highness, rest assured, she treated you extremely well."

Song Linyuan gritted his teeth and nodded, saying:

"Yes, fortunately Mingshuang is very meticulous. I owe my new clothes to her personal measurements, otherwise the size would not be right."

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than the teapot crashed onto the table with a loud thud.

Before Song Linyuan could react, he was splashed with hot tea!

"what!"