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

After Gu Mingshuang called out "Brother Qin Mo," the carriage fell silent for a moment.

Qin Mo was about to lift the carriage curtain when his hand paused in mid-air. He turned his head to look at Gu Mingshuang.

The lantern's warm yellow light cast varying shades of light and shadow on his eyebrows and eyes, obscuring the expression in his eyes.

Gu Mingshuang's face stiffened slightly, and she belatedly blushed. Could she have misunderstood? Was that not what he meant?

She clutched her sleeve and whispered:

"Since you're not allowed to call me 'Lord Duke,' there has to be some form of address. If this doesn't work, then pretend I didn't say anything, and we'll find another one..."

"It's just a form of address, there's no need to change it."

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion, as he gently stroked the carriage curtain with his fingers.

"It's late at night, and there are still some matters to attend to in my unit."

Gu Mingshuang was in a daze for a moment before getting out of the car with the pastries.

Watching the carriage leave, Gu Mingshuang bit her lip.

The man's expression was completely unreadable, and it was impossible to tell whether he disliked the title or not.

She withdrew her gaze, gritting her teeth and thinking to herself:

Who cares what he thinks!

Footsteps came from behind, and Du Cang and Lingxiang hurried over.

"girl!"

Lingxiang's eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying for a long time. Gu Mingshuang felt sorry for her and pinched her cheek.

"Look at those eyes, they're almost swollen shut. Don't you trust your young lady's abilities?"

Seeing the bloodstains on her mistress's body, Lingxiang was about to cry again when Gu Mingshuang grabbed a piece of hibiscus pastry and stuffed it into her mouth.

"I'm really fine. I'm covered in other people's blood. But now that the Duke is here, all those villains who were against me are dead."

Lingxiang, biting into a hibiscus pastry, wiped away her tears and cried:

"What if the Duke doesn't go? Wouldn't that mean the young lady...?"

Gu Mingshuang quickly hugged Lingxiang and said with a smile:

"Even if the Duke doesn't come, your young lady will definitely be able to get out of danger."

Du Cang also quickly advised:

"When Miss Jianlan came back just now, she brought some medicine for her wounds, saying that you would need to change your dressing in a little while."

Upon hearing that the dressing needed to be changed, Lingxiang hurriedly helped Gu Mingshuang inside.

"Be careful, young lady."

After changing the dressing, Gu Mingshuang changed into a clean set of clothes.

Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, Lingxiang said in surprise:

"Where did you get this hairpin, young lady? I've never seen it before."

Gu Mingshuang came to her senses and saw that there was indeed an unfamiliar hairpin among the long hair that was casually tied up on her head.

She quickly took off the hairpin.

The petals of the begonia, inlaid with gold and purple jade, trembled slightly with each movement. The purple jade on top was carved into a butterfly, lifelike, exquisite, and lively.

Such craftsmanship is clearly not something an ordinary jewelry shop could produce; even the best craftsmen at Wanbaoge probably couldn't make such petals.

Gu Mingshuang suddenly remembered that Qin Mo had casually tied up her long, loose hair when they were at Dali Temple, but she hadn't expected that Qin Mo would use such an expensive hairpin.

"It's the Duke..."

Lingxiang stared at the hairpin in surprise and couldn't help but say:

"The Duke treats the young lady very well."

Gu Mingshuang stroked the hairpin in her hand, reluctant to voice her guess.

Lingxiang suddenly realized and said with emotion:

"No wonder the Duke always treats you so well, and has even saved you several times. It turns out it's because of your younger sister whom you lost when you were little."

"Young lady, if only the Duke could truly be your brother! With the Duke backing you up, not only the Marquis's mansion, but the entire world would be unable to find anyone who would dare to bully you!"

Gu Mingshuang carefully put away the hairpin, then thought of his calm expression when she called him "brother".

He shouldn't be unhappy, right?

At this time, inside the northern camp of the city.

Seeing his master walk all the way to the training ground, Jianying quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Is the master here for an inspection?"

However, Qin Mo weighed the spear beside him and looked up at the sword shadow.

"Practice with me."

Sword Shadow stared wide-eyed in astonishment. Was his master in a bad mood today?

But upon closer inspection, he noticed that his master's lips were slightly curved and his eyes were slightly narrowed, showing that even after winning battles, he was still like this!

He snapped out of his daze, quickly grabbed a long spear, and followed.

Half an hour later, Jianying sat down on the ground, panting, and waved his hand, saying:

"No! I really can't do it!"

Qin Mo wielded the spear, and with a beautiful flip, the spear landed steadily in the rack.

He leaned against the pillar, gazing at the scattered stars in the night sky.

"The scenery is quite nice today; it's rather interesting..."

Sword Shadow gasped for breath, then looked up for a long time before frowning and saying:

"You can't see many stars in Kyoto, nothing like the beautiful starry sky I saw in the northern desert."

Qin Mo glanced at him lightly.

"What do you know?"

Sword Shadow fanned himself, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"When did I ever enjoy admiring beautiful scenery? Prince Zhao has invited me to go sightseeing countless times in the past, but I have always ignored him."

Qin Mo narrowed his eyes.

"What do you know?"

Sword Shadow caught a glimpse of his master looking at the starry sky and smiling. He was stunned for a moment, almost thinking that there was something wrong with his eyesight tonight.

"Master, are you alright?"

Suddenly, Qin Mo grabbed the spear again.

"One more round!"

Sword Shadow's lips twitched, and he got up with a face full of resentment.

Who on earth offended the master...?

At this time, the Gu residence in Qinghe Lane.

Du Cang's voice came from the doorway of Gu Mingshuang's house.

"Miss, Green Lotus has just taken her medicine and is feeling better now. She says she wants to see you."

Gu Mingshuang had Lingxiang casually tie her hair up with a jade hairpin, then stood up and said:

"Let's go take a look."

Soon, Gu Mingshuang entered the room where Lühe was placed.

Green Lotus lay on the bed, with Yunxiang taking care of her beside her.

When Yunxiang saw the young lady arrive, she quickly stood up and said:

"Young lady, Green Lotus just vomited blood. The doctor said that most of the toxins are still there, so we can't rush it and can only treat it slowly."

Green Lotus saw Gu Mingshuang at a glance and struggled to get up and kneel down, but Yunxiang quickly helped her up.

Green Lotus insisted on kneeling, so Yunxiang had no choice but to help her kneel down in front of the girl.

She was pale, but she still insisted on finishing her kowtow.

"Thank you so much, young lady, for saving me despite past grievances!"

Gu Mingshuang frowned slightly and gestured for Yunxiang to help her up.

"There's no need for such formalities between us. You know I saved you not because I have any good intentions towards you, but simply because I wanted to learn something from you."

Just as Lühe was about to speak, she coughed. Yunxiang quickly helped Lühe lie down on the couch.

Green Lotus clutched her chest, panting, and looked at Gu Mingshuang.

"I originally thought that you were no different from those people in the Marquis's mansion, but now I see clearly that you are open and honest, a hundred times better than those vicious people in the Marquis's mansion who devour people without spitting out the bones!"

"I was narrow-minded before, and mistakenly thought that the girl was taking advantage of me. Now I regret it too late."

After another bout of coughing, she caught her breath and finally spoke:

"Young lady, the matter of the young master's disappearance back then was not as the rumors say, that my mother was malicious and deliberately seeking revenge against the Lady of the Marquis. Rather, my mother was acting under orders and had no choice but to obey!"

Gu Mingshuang frowned.

"You mean someone instructed your mother to lose the heir apparent while delivering the baby for Lady Meng, the wife of the Marquis?"

Green Lotus nodded, a deep hatred rising in her eyes.

"You'd never guess who this person is..."

Gu Mingshuang walked out of Lühe's room, her brows still furrowed as she thought about the news she had just received.

She never imagined that Green Lotus's mother was being hunted down and silenced because of this incident.

Now, Green Lotus has gone to great lengths to return to the Marquis's mansion, intending to use someone else to do her dirty work. Unfortunately, she didn't fall for the trap, as the Xie Lanyu whom Green Lotus has chosen again is a kind-faced but ruthless person.

Therefore, Green Lotus was exposed right under Meng's nose. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and managed to get here despite being poisoned; otherwise, she would have already been dealt with.

Looking towards the Marquis's residence, Gu Mingshuang suddenly thought of Old Madam Song's strange behavior tonight.

It seems that Madam Song must have known something as well.

Her eyes narrowed slightly; it seemed the Marquis's residence was about to become quite lively.

Sure enough, Lingxiang woke Gu Mingshuang up early the next morning.

"Miss, Uncle Du just sent word that something terrible happened at the Marquis's residence last night!"

Gu Mingshuang raised her eyes sleepily.

"What's the big deal?"

Lingxiang said with satisfaction:

"Last night, after the old lady returned home, she personally whipped the lady with a horsewhip and locked her in the Buddhist hall. I heard she even sealed the door shut!"

As she spoke, Lingxiang almost burst out laughing.

"Who told the lady to treat the young lady like that? It's truly the old saying: justice will prevail, and retribution will be swift!"

When Lingxiang learned about this early in the morning, her appetite returned, and she ate an extra small bowl of chicken noodles.

Gu Mingshuang really didn't expect Old Madam Song to be so ruthless.

It seems he was truly angered by the Meng family, and didn't even care about the Meng family's reputation anymore.

Thinking of what Green Lotus had said last night, she clicked her tongue and said:

"This is probably just the beginning."

If the Ningyuan Marquis's residence hadn't been so disgusting, she would have liked to stay there a few more days to witness the recent commotion.

Then, seeing the sun high in the sky, Gu Mingshuang lazily got out of bed.

Suddenly, Gladiolus called out from outside the door:

"My lord, the Duke has sent someone with some gifts!"

Gu Mingshuang blinked.

"The food at Yunxianglou?"

Jianlan, with half her body inside the house, laughed:

"Master, you'll see for yourself."

Seeing that Jianlan was smiling, Lingxiang's eyes lit up and she immediately rushed outside.

Gu Mingshuang had a foot injury and walked a step slower. When she got outside, she saw Lingxiang and Jianlan squatting next to a cage.

Upon hearing a "meow," Gu Mingshuang's eyes lit up.

"It's a cat!"

Squeezing in, Gu Mingshuang immediately spotted a small cat with silver-white markings all over its back. The cat had a round face, and apart from its forehead and ears which had silver-white markings, most of its face was clean white.

Upon seeing people, it kept rubbing its little head against the iron cage.

Gu Mingshuang squinted, smiled, and reached out to tease the cat. She couldn't help but look up and ask:

"Why would the Duke send over a cat?"

Gladiolus said with a smile:

"Brother Jianying said this is a Western Region cat that arrived at the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden early this morning. The Duke personally picked it out at the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden early this morning, and seeing that the cat was well-behaved, he had it sent over to his master."

A look of joy appeared in Gu Mingshuang's eyes.

"Is it really a gift for me?"

Gladiolus nodded.

"The Duke also said that the cat is male and that the young lady can name it herself."

Gu Mingshuang carefully took the cat out of the cage.

Unlike the cats I see around me, this cat from the Western Regions has a round face and looks very pleasing.

She smiled and pinched the kitten's cheek.

"Let's call it wealth and honor."

Lingxiang nodded emphatically and said with a smile:

"This is a good name! May Fugui bless our girl with a lifetime of wealth and prosperity, and endless enjoyment!"

Fugui snuggled comfortably in Gu Mingshuang's arms, and soon began to whine.

Gladiolus smiled and reached out to stroke Richie's soft fur.

"I'll go and make a nest for Fugui in a little while!"

Gu Mingshuang touched the soft, luxurious item, her eyebrows curving into a smile.

In the afternoon, Gu Mingshuang was playing ball with Fugui under a tree, while the other maids laughed and joked around beside them.

At this moment, Du Cang strode over.

"Miss, Lord Qi has arrived and is waiting in the flower hall."