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

"Mother, my cousin is sick today and is sleeping soundly. He probably won't be able to come right now. Don't worry, Mother, I will take good care of him."

As she spoke, Xie Lanyu leaned close to Meng's ear.

"Mother, you must handle this matter well when you go to the Dali Temple. Don't worry your cousin. You know how stubborn he is."

Madam Meng's face stiffened; this was clearly a threat to prevent her from revealing Xie Lanyu's identity!

Unfortunately, she couldn't see Yuan'er even if she wanted to, as Xie Lanyu was the only one in the Marquis's mansion who could make decisions!

Xie Lanyu took a step back and curtsied.

"Mother, rest assured, I will take good care of my cousin and grandmother, and I will also manage all the affairs of the household."

Meng clenched her sleeves, holding her breath, and got into the carriage with a livid face.

Upon arriving at the Dali Temple, Meng Shi immediately saw Meng Yuanshan being pressed onto the torture bench, screaming in agony!

"Big brother!"

Meng rushed over in a hurry.

"Are you all insane! My elder brother is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review! How dare you lay a hand on my elder brother?"

Meng Yuanshan was practically half dead at this point. When he saw the Meng family now, he was filled with deep regret.

When he heard Meng complain, he thought, what's the big deal about killing a woman from Qingzhou? He could just make up a record of her sudden death and get away with it.

But who knew it would cause such a big incident!

The one who came to support this woman was actually the Duke of Anguo!

Why didn't his brainless sister investigate the relationship between her former daughter-in-law and the Duke of Anguo beforehand?

He's really done a terrible job!

Before Meng Yuanshan could speak, a clear and deep voice came from the side.

"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone Meng Yuanshan, who is only a fourth-rank official."

Upon hearing the voice, Madam Meng paused for a moment, then looked up and saw Qin Mo lounging lazily in the armchair beside her.

"Duke Anguo!"

Her hand trembled for a moment, and she hurriedly asked:

"What does the Duke mean by this? The Meng family is a respectable family, not one that can be treated so lightly!"

Qin Mo slightly raised his hand.

"Meng Yuanshan said that Madam Hou came to see him today, wanting to use her connections to send some food to the prison."

Madam Meng's face paled, realizing that her elder brother had implicated her. She gritted her teeth, turned her head, and said:

"It's just some food, why is Your Highness making such a fuss?"

Qin Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair and slowly spoke:

"Madam, why don't you first tell us your intention in hiding this deadly poison in the food?"

Meng's face stiffened, and she said in a deep voice:

"What deadly poison? You can't just say that, Your Excellency! I only sent some dumplings to Madam Gu out of consideration for our past relationship!"

"I don't know anything about poison or anything like that!"

Qin Mo's eyes flickered slightly.

"Bring that old woman up here."

Seeing Granny Yan being brought in with her hands bound, Madam Meng gripped her sleeves tightly and cried out urgently:

"What are you doing? I am, after all, a first-rank noblewoman! Are you going to torture my people?"

With a bang, the teacup beside Qin Mo fell to the ground.

His cold gaze fell on Meng Shi, and he spoke indifferently.

"Give this old woman twenty strokes of the cane. If she still refuses to talk, continue beating her."

His voice was extremely soft, yet it carried a chilling, bone-deep killing intent that sent shivers down one's spine even in the sweltering summer heat.

Meng staggered, looked at the beaten Granny Yan, and cried out urgently:

"Stop! Stop hitting me!"

Meng Yuanshan, who had just finished being beaten, was helped over. He was covered in cold sweat. He grabbed Meng Shi and said sternly:

"Second Sister! What have you done? Tell me now! Or are you going to implicate the entire Meng family?!"

Meng staggered and fell to the ground.

"I……"

Her face was extremely pale. She suddenly raised her head and shouted sharply:

"Insane! Utterly insane! That Gu Mingshuang is just a lowly maid. Do you expect me, a noblewoman, to bow down and confess my sins for her sake? Ridiculous!"

Even if Gu Mingshuang really is dead, so what?!

Meng Yuanshan immediately noticed that Qin Mo, who was sitting at the head of the table, had a gloomy expression, and the killing intent surrounding him instantly became extremely strong!

He wished he could immediately reach out and cover Meng's mouth beside him.

"Second Sister! Stop talking!"

After being reprimanded by Meng Yuanshan, Meng Shi screamed as if she had gone mad:

"Gu Mingshuang was guilty first! She schemed against the Marquis's mansion in every way, emptied it out, and even poisoned the old lady! A woman like her deserves to die!"

Meng Yuanshan reached out and grabbed Meng Shi, saying urgently:

"Stop talking!"

Meng pushed Meng Yuanshan aside and said sternly:

"She's a scourge! Ever since she came to the Marquis's mansion, everything has gone wrong! Yuan'er's future has been jeopardized by her, and he's constantly on edge!"

"Leaving aside her other crimes, the fact that she poisoned her elders is enough for our Marquis's mansion to punish her!"

Qin Mo stood up and looked down at Meng Shi.

"Madam Hou must be truly confused; she can't even remember something like this."

As he spoke, he raised his eyes sarcastically.

"Bring it up."

Upon seeing Green Lotus being carried aboard in a sedan chair, Madam Meng turned pale with fright.

"Green...Green Lotus?! How is this possible! Weren't you dead?!"

Green Lotus's eyes were filled with anger as she gritted her teeth and said:

"Yes, I'm not dead. You must be very disappointed, Madam?"

Meng shook her head repeatedly and shouted in a shrill voice:

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

Green Lotus coughed a few times, clutching her chest to steady herself. She pointed at the Lady of the Marquis and said sternly:

"You poisoned the old lady and then pinned the blame on me! Did you think that if I died, no one would know? What a kind-hearted lady you are!"

Meng's face was deathly pale, and she staggered as she cried out:

"No! I didn't! How could I have harmed the old lady? You're lying!"

As she spoke, Madam Meng turned her head and said sternly, her voice filled with anguish:

"That unruly servant is really disobedient in the Marquis's mansion. I only punished her a few times, and she's already trying to take revenge! She's talking nonsense!"

Just then, a majestic voice rang out.

"And what about what I said?"

Upon hearing this voice, Madam Meng stared wide-eyed as if she had seen a ghost and turned her head.

Upon seeing the old lady of the Song family being helped in, Meng was so frightened that she fell heavily to the ground.

"Impossible! This is impossible! The old lady is still lying unconscious in bed, how could she possibly be here!"

Looking at the old lady who had been revived, Madam Meng's expression was complicated, and a hint of frustration at her failure flashed in her eyes.

She clearly told Granny Yan to check that a small amount of poison had been added to the medicine she had been giving her these past few days; it would have caused the person to slowly wither and die within a few days.

The old lady must have been getting weaker day by day, barely clinging to life before passing away. How could she possibly have made it to the Dali Temple?

Qi Huan followed beside him, and he said in a deep voice:

"Qi sent someone to invite Physician Ning, who just revived the old lady."

Meng stumbled and bumped into a pillar.

At this moment, Madam Song looked coldly at her seemingly kind but actually treacherous daughter-in-law, her heart filled with disappointment.

Even though she learned on her way back to Kyoto that this daughter-in-law had brought the Song family to such a state of ruin, she had no intention of punishing her.

After all, she became a widow early and found Song Lian's son, who had been missing for more than ten years.

Even if someone has a bad temper and makes a mistake, it's understandable.

However, at this moment, when Madam Song thought of another piece of news she had just learned, her face turned extremely dark.

"You wicked woman! You truly are a wicked woman! Meng, Song Lian and I have treated you well! What have you been doing all these years in the Marquis's mansion? How can you face the ancestors of the Song family?"

At this moment, Gu Mingshuang in the inner room paused and slowly raised her eyes to look towards the courtyard.

She could hear everything that was happening in the courtyard clearly.

Seeing her looking over curiously, Jianlan immediately opened the window facing the courtyard more than halfway.

Only then could one not only clearly hear the sounds coming from the courtyard, but also see the figures of Old Madam Song and Madam Meng.

Gu Mingshuang frowned and said:

"The old lady's words seem to refer to more than just today's events."

Sword Orchid nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice:

"This servant noticed that the Lady of the Marquis's expression was also very strange."

Just then, Madam Meng's eyes flickered slightly, and she stepped in front of Old Madam Song, saying urgently:

"Since the old lady is alright, then our Marquis's residence will drop this case! All other matters are now internal affairs of the Marquis's residence, and the Court of Judicial Review has no further need to interfere!"

As she spoke, she turned to look at Old Madam Song, gritted her teeth, and whispered:

"My mother-in-law wouldn't want the Marquis's mansion to continue to be disgraced in public, would she? Does she want Song Lian's spirit in heaven to be disturbed?"

Madam Song's face darkened, and after a moment of silence, she finally swallowed the question she was about to ask.

She turned to look at Qin Mo.

"My lord, let's leave it at that for today. Our Marquis's residence... will withdraw the case!"

Seeing that Qin Mo did not speak, Meng gritted her teeth and said:

"The old lady herself has said she wants to withdraw the case. Does the Duke really think he can bypass the Court of Judicial Review and forcibly interfere? Wouldn't that be disregarding the law? Even if the Duke is now in a high position and wields great power, he cannot defy the law!"

However, as soon as Meng finished speaking, Qin Mo stared at her and said:

"The old lady wants to withdraw the case of the old lady of the Marquis's mansion being poisoned, but the case of Gu Mingshuang being poisoned has not yet been investigated."

Meng's face stiffened, her hands clenched, and she said sternly:

"This is a matter within our Marquis's household..."

Qin Mo interrupted her.

"If Gu Mingshuang were still the heir apparent of the Marquis's mansion, this matter could be decided by the Marquis's mansion, but she is now divorced and is no longer a member of the Marquis's mansion."

Meng frowned and said:

"Then let her come out and withdraw the case herself! A woman from Qingzhou is causing such a commotion at the Dali Temple!"

"What poison? Who knows who was behind it? Besides, she wasn't poisoned at all. What more does she want? Does she expect me, her former mother-in-law, to pay with my life?"

Just then, the door was pushed open.

Gu Mingshuang walked out the door, her legs still aching and she was stumbling.

She glanced at Madam Meng with her exceptionally beautiful eyes, then turned to Qin Mo, her voice cool and clear, and gave a firm bow.

"I beg Your Excellency to do me justice today. I will not drop the case; I want to find out who the real culprit is."

Upon hearing this, Meng was furious.

"Gu Mingshuang! How long are you going to make a scene? Tell me, how much silver do you want? Or what do you want from my Marquis's mansion!"

Gu Mingshuang looked coldly at Madam Meng and said, word by word:

"I don't need anything, I just want to find out the truth and punish the murderer severely."