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

With a loud crash, the teacup in Meng's hand shattered into pieces.

"presumptuous!"

Inside Qingwu Garden, Gu Mingshuang sat by the window, clutching a five-hundred-tael silver note, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"I never imagined making money in the Marquis's mansion would be so easy."

Lingxiang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Miss, you're being too mean. I'm afraid Madam will be furious."

Gu Mingshuang said calmly:

"In the past, we filled their pockets and cleaned up their messes; now we're just collecting a little interest."

"Besides, it was they who insisted on keeping me at the Marquis's residence."

Lingxiang chuckled.

After putting down the silver notes, Gu Mingshuang was about to leave when she thought for a moment and changed into the purple dress.

Lingxiang praised happily:

"This color looks really good on you, girl."

Today, Gu Mingshuang did not wear the usual high bun hairstyle of noblewomen in the capital. Instead, she simply tied her long hair up with a hairband, adding a touch of sharpness to her bright and noble appearance.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Gu Mingshuang smiled.

Unexpectedly, what made her realize that she needed to change was a new dress that Qin Mo gave her.

Thinking of Qin Mo, she smiled.

"Let's go to the guesthouse."

However, upon arriving at the guest courtyard, Gu Mingshuang learned that Qin Mo had left early due to urgent business.

She stood in the courtyard of the guest house, looking at the tree branch she used for practice on the steps, feeling a sense of unease in her heart.

She bit her lip.

"It's better that he's not here, otherwise we'd have to waste another day here. This person is very difficult to please."

As she spoke, Gu Mingshuang left the guest courtyard and was about to head towards Qingwu Garden when she suddenly saw Meng Shi leading Xie Lanyu from afar.

Lingxiang quickly reminded him:

"Miss, Madam wouldn't be asking you to introduce me to Miss Cousin, would she?"

Gu Mingshuang frowned and simply turned around and walked outside.

"Let's go, let's leave the manor and let her wait!"

At this moment, Madam Meng led Xie Lanyu into Qingwu Garden.

As soon as Xie Lanyu entered the room, she saw the maid who had beaten her up yesterday. Her face immediately froze, and she subconsciously took a half step back.

This maid was incredibly accurate and ruthless when she hit people; she had never suffered like this since she came to this era!

Seeing how frightened she was, Meng frowned, remembering what had happened yesterday, and said:

"Did this maid bully you?"

She came today for two reasons: first, to get Gu Mingshuang to pave the way for Ayu; and second, to support Ayu.

She cannot allow her chosen future mistress to suffer such humiliation in the mansion!

Xie Lanyu realized that Madam Meng was going to support her, and was about to nod when she saw the maid come over and bow.

"This servant is here to serve the Crown Princess on the orders of the Duke."

"You..." Meng's words of reprimand stuck in her throat, and she could only force a smile.

"very good."

At this moment, Xie Lanyu's expression was also very unpleasant.

She never imagined that this maid was actually assigned to Gu Mingshuang by the Duke of Anguo!

In this era of strict hierarchy, even if she was the true daughter of a marquis, she was still no match for the master of the duke's mansion.

She dared not say anything more, suppressing her anger, but a hint of jealousy rose in her heart.

She graduated with a degree in architecture and possessed unparalleled talent for her time, yet she never even met the Duke.

The most ridiculous thing is that she has to rely on a lowly woman to introduce her to the Duke!

She simply couldn't understand why the Duke of Anguo would treat Gu Mingshuang differently.

Is it just because of Gu Mingshuang's face?

At this moment, Jianlan was casually walking around the yard with a pruning knife in her hand, her eyes fixed on Meng Shi and Xie Lanyu.

Just as the two were starting to feel uneasy, another maid came out of the room.

"This servant will make tea for the lady."

Hearing the gentle voice, Madam Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were still normal maids in Qingwu Garden.

After just one glance, Madam Meng frowned.

"What's your name? You look unfamiliar."

Green Lotus curtsied in greeting.

"This servant is Lühe, a maid recently bought by the Crown Prince's wife."

Meng's face immediately turned ugly for a moment. Gu Mingshuang was saying she was leaving, but at the same time she was buying maids?

Is this how it looks when it's about to leave?

She sat on the stone bench, took the tea that Green Lotus offered, took a sip with annoyance, and then ordered:

"My back hurts so much, give me a massage."

Just as Green Lotus reached out, a figure suddenly flashed over, causing Green Lotus to fall onto Xie Lanyu.

"Ouch!"

Xie Lanyu fell to the ground, with half of her body pinned down by Green Lotus.

Madam Meng was both angry and anxious. She pointed at Jianlan, who had bumped into her, and was about to scold her, but remembering that Jianlan was someone of the Duke of Anguo, she held back and turned to vent her anger on Lühe:

"You lowly servant! So clumsy and careless when doing chores! Slap me!"

Green Lotus lowered her head and begged for mercy repeatedly, but when she glanced at Meng Shi while slapping her, her eyes held an intense killing intent...

At this time, Gu Mingshuang had already brought Lingxiang to the cloth shop.

Lingxiang looked at the cloth shop and asked in surprise:

"Young lady, what brings us to the cloth shop?"

Gu Mingshuang's lips curled up slightly.

"Buy fabric and get new clothes."

Lingxiang was immediately delighted upon hearing this.

"It's been so long since the girl had new clothes made!"

Upon entering the fabric shop, Gu Mingshuang chose only bright colors, and Lingxiang nodded repeatedly in approval.

"These colors really suit Miss's looks!"

Just as Lingxiang was about to pick up the fabric, it was suddenly pressed down on her chest.

"Oh, who did I think it was? It turns out to be the heir apparent's wife from the Marquis's mansion, who has been studying etiquette for over a year but still can't hold her own in public."

A sarcastic remark rang out, and Lingxiang's face froze instantly when she saw the person opposite her.

This is Miss Li, the eldest daughter of the Li family in the General's Mansion, and also the cousin's close friend. She has made things difficult for her daughter in front of outsiders on several occasions.

"Miss Li, please make way!" Lingxiang's face turned pale, and she tried to dodge to the side while holding the cloth, but with a forceful movement, the cloth fell to the ground.

Li Rong raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

"You lowly servant girl, how dare you smash this young lady's property?"

Hearing the commotion, Gu Mingshuang, who was standing nearby, quickly walked over, only to see Lingxiang covering her face and not daring to speak.

Her cold eyes swept over Li Rong, who was standing opposite her.

Li Rong sneered:

"Your maid can't even hold a few bolts of cloth properly, and you've offended me. I'm just disciplining your maid for you. What? Gu Mingshuang, you want to hit her?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her toe.

Gu Mingshuang twitched her fingers slightly, and a piece of cloth fell diagonally from the shelf, hitting Li Rong's toes with great force.

Li Rong, who was used to being pampered, had never experienced such pain before, and her eyes immediately reddened.

"Gu Mingshuang! How dare you hit me!"

Gu Mingshuang said coldly:

"This shelf can't even hold a few bolts of cloth properly, it bumped into Miss Li. What, Miss Li, are you going to hold me accountable?"

Li Rong pointed at Gu Mingshuang angrily.

"You just wait!"

She turned and rushed outside, limping.

With red eyes, Lingxiang quickly walked to Gu Mingshuang's side and said worriedly:

"Miss, I'm fine. Why did you have to provoke Miss Li? She's always been at odds with you because of your cousin's matter."

Gu Mingshuang examined Lingxiang's cheeks and said in a deep voice:

"You are someone close to me. If anyone else harms you, they are going against me, and I will not let it go easily."

Lingxiang wiped away her tears.

"I know you are good to me, but the Marquis's mansion will not side with you now. It's already difficult for you to establish yourself in the capital on your own, how can you offend those nobles for my sake?"

Gu Mingshuang interrupted her.

"Don't worry, we will definitely establish a firm foothold in Kyoto in the future."

As she spoke, Gu Mingshuang led Lingxiang into the carriage. Just as she finished applying the medicine to Lingxiang, Li Rong's voice came from outside the carriage door.

"Brother! He's right here!"

Upon hearing this voice, Lingxiang's face turned pale with nervousness, and she grabbed Gu Mingshuang's hand, saying:

"Young lady, Miss Li's brother is a famous young general in the capital. He has a fiery temper, but he dotes on his younger sister!"

As she spoke, Lingxiang said urgently:

"Perhaps I should go and apologize..."

Gu Mingshuang held Lingxiang down.

"Don't move, I'll go check."

Gu Mingshuang lifted a sliver of the carriage curtain and, sure enough, saw Li Rong leading a man dressed in a tight silver outfit.

She remembered Xie Lanyu saying that Li Rong's brother was a military officer who had made a contribution last year by suppressing river bandits.

She lowered her eyes and stepped down from the carriage.

The moment his foot touched the ground, a long spear thrust forward. Li Zheng roared angrily:

"You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on my sister?!"

"Miss, be careful!" When Lingxiang saw this, she turned pale with fright and immediately rushed forward to block it.

Gu Mingshuang reacted even faster, pressing down on the spear with one hand and suddenly turning around to Li Zheng's side.

She instinctively struck Li Zheng's face with her elbow, forcing him to lose his grip on his wrist in the heat of the moment.

The next moment, Gu Mingshuang swiftly seized the opportunity to snatch the spear from his hand.

With a clang, Gu Mingshuang slammed her spear heavily onto the ground.

At this moment, she felt a deep sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection).

Qin Mo's teaching her was definitely not just for show!

She gripped the spear in her hand, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

At this moment, on the second floor of the teahouse diagonally opposite, Qin Mo had just gotten up and was about to leave with a frown, but when he saw the scene outside the window, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he slowly sat down.

Zhao Boning, sitting opposite him, paused for a moment, then asked:

"Old Qin, what's wrong with you lately? It's one thing to suddenly go and stay at someone's manor temporarily, but why are you being so easily startled now?"

He was just enjoying his tea when Qin Mo, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly stood up, looking like he was about to start a fight!

He was about to grab a weapon and follow them when he saw Qin Mo sit down again.

As he spoke, Zhao Boning sensed something was wrong and immediately followed Qin Mo's gaze to look outside.

Upon seeing this, he almost jumped up.

"Wait! Isn't that Li Zheng? That kid from the Li family who's always begging to come up to you and ask for your advice!"

"Am I seeing things? He actually got his gun stolen by a woman? Wait a minute, I remember you praised him before, saying he was pretty good at fighting!"

Zhao Boning curiously leaned on the windowsill, scrutinizing the woman opposite Li Zheng.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the woman's features were exceptionally beautiful. Unlike the aloof and dignified beauty of the daughters of high-ranking families in Kyoto, her beauty was vibrant, lively, and radiant, especially her exquisite eyebrows and eyes, which were a feast for the eyes at first glance.

"Whose daughter is this? I've been in Kyoto for so long, and I remember all the beautiful young ladies there, but I've never seen her before?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Boning's neck was tightened, and he was pulled from behind by his clothes and moved to the side.

"Still not enough?"

Zhao Boning straightened his clothes and quickly said:

"This isn't just about watching Li Zheng get the short end of the stick in front of a woman; it's a rare and entertaining show!"

Qin Mo's gaze slowly fell on the roadside across the street, and he spoke calmly:

"What difficulty is there for the people I teach to disarm me?"

Zhao Boning almost didn't realize what he was saying, and after a moment she leaned forward and hurriedly asked:

"Wait, Lao Qin, you mean you know that girl? And you even taught her?"