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

Lingxiang covered her mouth.

"The young lady went to so much trouble to get the young master to treat her that way, and for the madam to be unable to live without her, only to find out that what she really wanted was to leave the Marquis's mansion? How can there be such a person?"

Gu Mingshuang spoke calmly:

"It would be safer for someone as troublesome as her to stay in the Marquis's mansion."

That's why she took the opportunity to join forces with the Meng family.

The next day, Gu Mingshuang got up very early, but Song Linyuan arrived even earlier.

Although it was inconvenient for him to show his face, he still came to Qingwu Garden in person and even took out his own private savings.

Gu Mingshuang did not mention that Meng had paid for it, and accepted all of Song Linyuan's banknotes without question.

Song Linyuan glanced at Gu Mingshuang and placed his hand on the back of her hand.

"Mingshuang, I'm only making arrangements for her in my brother's name. Next time it's your birthday, I'll personally take care of everything and put in even more effort."

Gu Mingshuang withdrew her hand subtly, her voice calm.

"The young master treats Miss Biao so considerately, she will surely understand his feelings."

When Song Linyuan saw her withdraw her hand, clearly still resisting his touch, he frowned and his face darkened.

He had bowed his head to her many times during this period, and he had never been so humble when he was her childhood sweetheart.

But she's still throwing a tantrum, and who knows how long she'll keep it up.

Song Linyuan, still fuming, stood up and said:

"I'm going back to my study now."

Gu Mingshuang didn't look up, flipping through the list that the manager had brought this morning, and casually responded.

Song Linyuan's expression worsened, and he quickened his pace to leave.

Seeing his retreating figure out of the corner of her eye, Gu Mingshuang immediately looked up and instructed Lingxiang beside her:

"I'll time it right, and then I'll stop the prince on the way and say I have something to say to him, inviting him to the tea room in the small garden."

Lingxiang nodded and immediately turned around and followed him out.

After calculating the exact time, she caught up with Song Linyuan.

"Your Highness, my young lady says she has something to discuss with you. She's waiting for you in the tea room behind the small garden."

Song Linyuan's expression finally softened a bit; it seemed that Ming Shuang had finally understood.

It's okay to act a little spoiled and coquettish with your husband, but to keep doing it like that is just being immature.

He nodded, turned and walked towards the small garden. There was still a long time before the birthday banquet started, and this was enough time for the couple to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Soon, Song Linyuan arrived alone at the tea room in the small garden.

Arriving at the small garden, looking at its exquisite and unique layout, he couldn't help but sigh once again.

He had already visited many mansions of powerful and wealthy people in Kyoto. He originally thought that the mansions of the powerful and wealthy people in Kyoto must be extraordinary, but after seeing them, he felt that they could not compare with the Marquis's mansion.

Although the mansion is small, its layout, where every flower and tree is a scenic view, is rare in the capital.

This little garden, in particular, is unique and exquisite from every angle, and it looks different in each season.

He loved coming here, so Mingshuang had a teahouse built here.

Once inside, there was no one there. Song Linyuan smelled the refreshing fragrance and slowly sat down on the couch where he usually rested.

A thought stirred within him as he considered how to appease Mingshuang and whether he should tell her about his mother's final decision to let him marry Ayu as a secondary wife.

He had carefully planned for her. Her background made her unsuitable to be the Crown Prince's wife, and forcibly occupying the position would only lead to a difficult life. It would be better to let the more suitable Ayu become the Crown Prince's wife.

Ayu has no powerful maternal family, yet she possesses the dignified and elegant demeanor of a noblewoman. She can be a good matriarch of the Marquis's mansion, and she is also willing to be on equal footing with Mingshuang.

With this arrangement settled, his mother would be happy, everyone in the clan would be satisfied, and he would no longer have any disputes that would cause him trouble.

The aroma grew stronger, and he shed all his fatigue, gradually closing his eyes.

At that moment, a figure slowly approached.

Half-asleep, Song Linyuan saw Gu Mingshuang lying in his arms, her gossamer-thin dress barely concealing her allure.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he reached his hand under the gauze skirt...

Outside the tea room, Madam Meng heard Granny Yan whisper that it was done, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Granny Yan said with some concern:

"But if we give Miss Ayu that kind of medicine, won't she resent Madam when she wakes up?"

Hearing the creaking and clanging of the wooden couch in the tea room, Madam Meng's face was full of satisfaction. She spoke:

"How could that be? I've tested Ayu many times. Her heart and eyes are full of Yuan'er. It's just that she's too shy for a young lady like her. If I don't give her a push, how can it work out?"

"There was no trace of the medicine. She just thought that her old illness flared up when she came here to pick flowers, and that she just happened to run into Yuan'er."

"Once she wakes up, I'll arrange for Yuan'er to marry her, and then we'll hold a birthday banquet! Wouldn't that be double happiness?"

Madam Meng raised her lips, but she also had her own selfish motives. Whether she had learned it from her son or from Miss Li, she could tell just how outstanding Ayu's talent was.

If she hadn't acted beforehand, things might have changed after the birthday banquet.

She didn't want the daughter-in-law she had chosen to end up with someone else!

Just then, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Madam, it's time to give me what I asked for."

Just as she was thinking about the glorious days to come for the Marquis's mansion, Madam Meng suddenly heard Gu Mingshuang's voice and immediately frowned.

She glared at Gu Mingshuang, but there was none of the self-consciousness and humiliation she had expected to see on Gu Mingshuang's face; she remained calm.

It was as if the man she had been with for ten years was not the one engaging in sexual acts with another woman in the teahouse.

Although she had wanted to get rid of Gu Mingshuang for a long time, Meng was still looking at her with great displeasure.

"Are you so eager to sever ties with the Marquis's mansion?"

Gu Mingshuang spoke calmly:

"Only by severing ties with the Marquis's mansion can the lady achieve her wish."

Meng said angrily:

"I can also refuse your divorce and demote you to a concubine!"

Gu Mingshuang chuckled softly.

"Madam wouldn't do that. Otherwise, if I accidentally spread the word today that Madam personally poisoned our son, the Marquis's mansion would become the focus of the entire city."

"How dare you!" Meng said with a dark face, taking out the divorce papers from her sleeve.

"Remember this: although it's a divorce agreement, it means my Marquis's mansion no longer wants you!"

Gu Mingshuang reached out to take it, but Meng's eyes flickered slightly, and she put the divorce papers back into her hand.

"etc."

She looked at Gu Mingshuang and said:

"The birthday banquet isn't over yet. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving it to you now. You can focus on managing the banquet. I'll give you this document today."

After saying that, Meng turned to leave.

A fierce glint flashed in Gu Mingshuang's eyes.

Lingxiang, standing to the side, was so angry that her eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth and said:

"Madam, you've already agreed, why are you going back on your word again!"

Gu Mingshuang suppressed her anger and said slowly:

"Fine, if she wants to stall, I'll let her. Anyway, I want to stay and watch the show a little longer."

Lingxiang, thinking about the good show to come, finally straightened up.

"You're right, young lady. Today, I'll see just how much of a mess the Marquis's mansion can make!"

However, as she spoke, Lingxiang looked in the direction of the tea room and bit her lip in frustration.

"Young lady, this little garden and this tea room were all designed by you personally, and you personally selected and arranged each flower and plant."

"Now the young master and his cousin..."

Lingxiang turned her face away.

"The more I think about it, the more wronged I feel."

Gu Mingshuang's eyes were devoid of any extra emotion as she spoke:

"It's fine, we can just take it down before we leave."

Lingxiang was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed her young lady.

"Young lady? You're going to demolish this place?"

She suddenly remembered that her young lady had asked the craftsmen to be prepared yesterday, so it was all for the purpose of demolishing the Marquis's mansion!

Lingxiang immediately felt incredibly relieved.

"Girl, that's wonderful!"

Gu Mingshuang sat in the pavilion not far away, no longer looking at the tea room behind her where noises were constantly coming from.

She had expected that today's events would stir something within her, but standing here, she felt no sadness whatsoever.

On the contrary, I felt much more open and free.

For Song Linyuan, after today, he no longer needs to try to keep her for the sake of so-called responsibility and face.

She was already tired of that kind of hypocritical affection, so she might as well give him a push.

Father is right, one must keep moving forward and never look back...

A scream rang out.

Lingxiang, who had been gathering information, quickly returned and said:

"Miss, Madam has already entered the tea room with her men, and there's chaos right now!"

As she spoke, Lingxiang whispered:

"The young master is, after all, the master of the Marquis's mansion. If he investigates the matter of the drugging, isn't the madam afraid of alienating him?"

Gu Mingshuang calmly sipped her tea and said:

"The Meng family has already figured out the young master's personality. He looks aloof, but he is actually soft-hearted and easy to manipulate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been pushed to this point today."

"As for the matter of drugging, Madam Meng can simply push out a maid to take the blame and cover it up."

Sure enough, a short while later, a maid was beaten with a board at the entrance of the tea room.

After a flurry of activity, Granny Yan hurried over.

"Madam requests that the Crown Princess make a trip."

Gu Mingshuang nodded and got up to walk towards the tea room.

As they approached, Gu Mingshuang heard Meng's scolding voice coming from inside.

"Yuan'er! How can you say such a thing? Ayu is destined to be a wife! What if Ayu wakes up and finds out you want her to be a concubine? What will happen to her?"

Song Linyuan had lost his gentlemanly composure and aloofness; his voice was now filled with urgency.

"I already have Mingshuang, I can't marry anyone else as my principal wife! Mother, didn't we agree before that Ayu would be my secondary wife..."

Meng interrupted him.

"That was when I was confused. Now I understand. A concubine is just a euphemism. Ayu must never be a concubine!"

Song Linyuan's face was deathly pale, his outer robe was haphazardly draped over his body, and he looked more dejected than ever before.

He clenched his fingers, not knowing how this could have happened!

Hearing footsteps, Song Linyuan looked up in surprise and met Gu Mingshuang's beautiful eyes.

His handsome face flushed, but he still rushed forward anxiously, pointing to the maidservant being beaten at the door, and explained in a hurry:

"Mingshuang! I came to the teahouse to wait for you, but that maidservant drugged me here! I don't know what happened, I was so foolish to end up with Ayu..."

His refined manners prevented him from saying such things.

He caught a glimpse of the disheveled clothes on the ground, his face flushed, and he hurriedly reached out to press down on Gu Mingshuang's shoulders.

"Mingshuang, Ayu and I are innocent! Please believe me just this once! Just this once! Okay..."

Gu Mingshuang brushed Song Linyuan's hands away, calmly raised her eyes, and fragmented images from the past ten years flashed through her mind. Suddenly, she couldn't help but ask:

"Has the Crown Prince already decided to marry his cousin as his secondary wife?"