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

Gu Mingshuang's eyes flickered slightly, and a feeling of gratitude welled up in her heart.

It was already beyond Madam Qin's expectations that she wouldn't blame her, but she didn't expect her to be so protective of her.

"Madam, I..."

Old Madam Qin interrupted her.

"Judging from your face, you came here hungry."

As she spoke, Old Madam Qin looked at the nanny standing to the side.

"Take the scallions I picked myself yesterday to the small kitchen, and remember to put an egg on top of the scallion pancakes."

The old woman smiled and agreed.

Old Madam Qin pulled Gu Mingshuang to sit down.

"Don't overthink it. The Qin family is currently at the height of its power, so it's impossible for them not to be suspected. Even without yesterday's events, things might have gotten even worse."

"Don't worry, Qin Mo is no pushover either. He caused quite a stir as soon as he returned to the capital. Maybe he did it on purpose yesterday."

After a pause, Old Madam Qin patted the back of her hand and said:

"I just didn't expect that the Princess of Zhennan would withhold your divorce papers. She's not the type to make things difficult for people easily, so there must be some misunderstanding here."

Gu Mingshuang didn't want to make things difficult for Old Madam Qin any further, so she spoke calmly:

"Don't worry about me, madam. I'll get the divorce papers tomorrow."

Madam Qin nodded.

"That's good. Come to the Duke of Anguo's residence anytime if you need anything."

As she spoke, Old Madam Qin raised her eyes and smiled:

"Since you're here, accompany me for a while as I walk around the house and see where things need fixing. I only trust your judgment."

Gu Mingshuang nodded in agreement.

Soon, the aroma wafted in from the doorway, and the old woman entered with a smile, carrying a large plate of scallion pancakes.

"Madam, Yunxiangju just delivered some side dishes."

Madam Qin smiled and said:

"Who else but Qin Mo could have ordered side dishes from Yunxiangju so early in the morning?"

She smiled and pulled Gu Mingshuang to sit down.

"You can't go hungry here."

After having breakfast, Gu Mingshuang accompanied Old Madam Qin on a tour of the mansion.

The steward, who was following along, recounted the changes that had taken place in the mansion over the years.

"Madam, the original waterside pavilion was demolished by the Second Madam, who said that the two children of the Second Son's third son were too young and this place was not safe."

"Madam, this library was renovated at the second madam's request, and it is now the third young master's storeroom."

……

Old Madam Qin pulled Gu Mingshuang aside and said:

"Mingshuang, I know your abilities. I'll have to ask you to fix these few things in the manor."

As he spoke, sensing the coldness on the old lady's face, the butler couldn't help but secretly break out in a cold sweat.

After all, many parts of the mansion have been altered, and most of it was originally the territory of the eldest son's family. It seems that the second wife is taking advantage of the eldest son's absence to treat the Duke's mansion as her own home.

The eldest son's family never cared about these things before. After all, since the old Duke's leg was crippled, he had been recuperating away from home for many years, and the old lady and the young master rarely came back. Therefore, the second wife usually managed the household.

Now that the old lady has brought a young woman around the mansion, does she intend to change the Second Madam's years of painstaking management?

He thought for a moment and then quickly sent a message to the second wife.

The second madam had just received the news that the woman who came to visit today was the heir apparent of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, and she finally felt relieved.

After all, the thought of that face made her feel suffocated, as if she were about to become the woman who would enter the Duke of Anguo's mansion. Fortunately, she wasn't.

Who knew that just as I sat down to have a cup of tea, news of house repairs would arrive.

She frowned in confusion and said coldly:

"Even if the old lady is dissatisfied, why drag an outsider into it?"

So, Lady Qi led her people to the library.

By this time, Gu Mingshuang had already made major revisions to the blueprints.

Madam Qin looked at Gu Mingshuang, who was writing steadily, and sighed with admiration.

"If that girl hadn't given up the opportunity to take up a post in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion back then, she would surely have a bright future today."

Gu Mingshuang put down her pen and chuckled softly:

"If I go to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, I will mostly be dealing with royal buildings, and I may not have time to share the burden of the old lady. I will definitely feel regretful then."

Madam Qin's previously cold face finally broke into a smile, and she felt increasingly comforted.

"That's right, it's fate!"

Just as they were chatting and laughing, the second wife, Madam Qi, came over, took her three-year-old grandson, and respectfully stepped forward to pay her respects.

"Mother-in-law, your daughter-in-law has brought Yang-ge to pay her respects."

Upon seeing Qi Shi, Old Madam Qin responded with a faint sound.

"Second son's wife, you've worked hard managing the household, don't worry about the details."

As she spoke, Madam Qin asked a couple more questions about Yang Ge'er and asked the nanny to fetch a longevity lock from the storeroom.

When Madam Qi saw the ordinary-looking longevity lock, her brows furrowed slightly. How could she not know how many fine things Old Madam Qin possessed?

However, after the death of Madam Qin's eldest son and his wife, Madam Qin became very cold towards all of Qin's children and grandchildren, and only had eyes for Qin Mo, the only bloodline left by the eldest son's family.

Fortunately, Qin Mo has been fighting for so many years, and his marriage has been delayed until now. Now that he has returned to court, he is so arrogant and domineering that he has ruined his reputation in the whole city. What noble lady would be willing to marry a martial artist who is good at picking up beautiful women?

Moreover, Madam Qin has high standards, and she looks down on women from ordinary families or those with weaker personalities.

Even if they could find someone that Old Madam Qin was satisfied with, Qin Mo was not someone to be trifled with; otherwise, he would have been married long ago.

Qi Shi then felt relieved and stepped forward to serve her with a smile.

"Mother-in-law, you flatter me. It shouldn't be my responsibility to manage the household affairs, but since no one is taking care of the household chores, I've taken over."

"Once the eldest daughter-in-law enters the family, she will still have to hand over the power to manage the household."

As she spoke, Madam Qi couldn't help but laugh. She feared that Qin Mo would not be able to find a wife for three to five years. Who else could she entrust with the management of the household besides herself?

Suppressing her anger, Old Madam Qin spoke coldly:

"Second son's wife, you are now surrounded by children and grandchildren. You should spend more time on your children. The Qin family has produced civil and military officials for generations, but apart from Mo'er, no one in this generation holds an official position in the court."

Qi said with a smile:

"Mother-in-law, you may have forgotten that the third son just received his official position last year and is currently working with his superiors. He'll probably be promoted by the end of the year."

Old Madam Qin said in a deep voice:

"What kind of duties can one perform by donating to obtain a nominal sixth-rank position?"

Qi was reprimanded and lowered her head, not daring to say anything more.

Madam Qin waved her hand.

"Let's go back first, and talk about it again after the blueprints for these locations are finalized."

Seeing the expression on Old Madam Qin's face, Madam Qi had no choice but to leave.

After the group left, Old Madam Qin's face still looked gloomy.

The second wife was born out of wedlock and raised in the capital from a young age, developing a spoiled and dissolute lifestyle. She insisted on marrying a wife from a humble family, causing chaos in the courtyard and her children and grandchildren to be worthless.

Gu Mingshuang handed over a cup of tea.

"Madam, have some tea to soothe your throat."

Hearing Gu Mingshuang's voice, Old Madam Qin finally felt relieved.

After taking a sip of tea, his complexion softened considerably.

"Mingshuang, you must be tired today. You can finish the painting another day. Go back and rest first."

Gu Mingshuang nodded. She could tell that the old lady was also tired, so she got up to take her leave.

Along the way, Lingxiang kept talking about the Qin family.

"Young lady, I never expected that Madam Qin would be such a kind elder, willing to protect you."

A smile slowly appeared on Gu Mingshuang's face.

"Madam Qin is indeed very kind."

She had no mother since she was a child. When she was with Madam Qin, she would see Madam Qin protecting her own and would think that if her own mother were here, she might be just like Madam Qin.

When the carriage stopped, Gu Mingshuang immediately saw two carriages at the door, with the one behind still unloading luggage.

Lingxiang reacted quickly, frowning as she whispered in Gu Mingshuang's ear:

"This...it must be the old lady returning! What bad luck, because the Princess of Zhennan is interfering, the young lady hasn't received her divorce papers yet!"

"Young lady, will you be alright?"

Gu Mingshuang looked at Lingxiang with relief.

"Don't be afraid. My departure is already decided. Even if the old lady disagrees, the madam will try to mediate. She wants me to leave as soon as possible more than anyone else."

"It's just that we might suffer some losses, but fortunately, what we were supposed to take has already been taken, so the rest is fine to leave behind."

As she spoke, Gu Mingshuang led Lingxiang through the door.

Before they even reached Qingwu Garden, Jianlan quickly came to greet them.

"Master, Granny Yan from Shou'an Hall came by just now and asked you to go to Songhe Hall to see the Old Madam."

Gu Mingshuang nodded.

"Let's go."

Lingxiang was filled with anxiety the whole way.

"Young lady, this Madam Song is a military officer by background; she's decisive and efficient. Could she possibly make things difficult for you?"

Gu Mingshuang looked at Lingxiang with relief.

"Don't worry, we don't want anything from the Marquis's mansion now, so what can hold us back? Just think of it as watching one last show before you leave."

Sure enough, before even entering the courtyard of Songhe Hall, Lingxiang could hear a lively commotion inside.

The cries mingled, the sharpest of which came from Song Lanfang.

"Grandmother! You're finally back! If you hadn't come back, our Marquis's mansion really wouldn't have been able to hold on!"

As Gu Mingshuang stepped into the courtyard, she saw Song Lanfang being helped inside.

However, with a snap.

The teacup shattered in front of Song Lanfang, who was so shocked she almost knelt down.

A dignified voice came from inside.

"Do you think I'm really dead? Don't you know what you did at Hakuryu-ji Temple?"

Song Lanfang cried out in a shrill voice:

"Grandmother! I am already the young mistress of the Earl's mansion, how could I have stooped so low as to have an affair? It was clearly that poisonous woman, Gu Mingshuang, who ruined me!"

"I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, your own granddaughter. Her treatment of me clearly shows she doesn't respect you, her ancestor!"

A stern voice slowly rose.

"Slap him twenty times in the face, then drag him out and shave his head."

Song Lanfang's sobs stopped abruptly as she stared in horror at the person sitting at the head of the table inside.

As she traveled, covered in dust, a pair of cold, sharp eyes stared at her.

Song Lanfang's face turned deathly pale, and she pleaded urgently:

"Grandma! I don't want to go! I don't want to go... Waaah..."

When Meng arrived, she saw that Song Lanfang had been slapped twenty times and her face was swollen beyond recognition.

Just as Meng was about to faint from lack of breath, the old woman next to her took out a razor!

Meng's eyes widened, and she said urgently:

"What are you doing?!"

The old woman spoke coldly and sternly.

"The old lady couldn't bear to see the eldest young lady's reputation ruined, so she asked this old servant to send the eldest young lady to be ordained as a nun, to pray for the Song family's well-being."

Meng's face turned pale, and she hurriedly tried to stop them.

"You're all insane! Fang'er is the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family! How could she become a nun?! Don't touch her!"

As Meng screamed, a cold, sharp voice came from the side.

"Meng, is this how you raise your children? Very well! Guards, take Madam to the ancestral hall to apologize to our ancestors!"

Two strong old women immediately stepped forward, grabbed Meng, and carried her outside.

Meng was both anxious and angry, but no matter how much she shouted and cursed, no one paid any attention to her.

Seeing Song Lanfang's mouth gagged and her hair shaved, she almost fainted again.

However, the next moment, Meng met Gu Mingshuang's eyes.

Upon seeing Gu Mingshuang, Madam Meng wished she could strangle this scourge.