After being reborn, her aloof ex-husband and her crazy deceased husband got into a fight.

Mo Yan, who was guarding the door, heard a low laugh coming from inside the house. Then Lan Tingzhou came out with a sullen face. Mo Yan's heart skipped a beat. Who was the person inside who had angered the young master so much?

Hearing Lu Qingning's cheerful laughter behind him, Lan Tingzhou made up his mind: Lan Tingxia's living expenses for the next few months were no longer an option.

Lan Tingzhi was his younger brother, six years younger than him. When the Lan family moved to Qingshui Town, Lan Tingzhi was only five years old.

Due to malnutrition, Lan Tingzhi was very thin and weak as a child, like a kitten, and was often sick. The Lan family were outsiders in Qingshui Town, so he was often bullied by the neighborhood children.

When Gan Cai'er learned of this, she immediately stood up for him, severely punished the children, and even forced those who had bullied him to apologize. Later, Lan Tingzhi gradually became friends with the children.

However, this also led him to develop a bad habit of fighting. He couldn't concentrate on his studies at all, spending all his time wielding knives and sticks. Over the years, relying on Gan Cai'er's support, he had practically become the local tyrant of Qingshui Town.

Lan Tingzhou was afraid that he would grow up to be crooked and that his martial arts training would go astray, so he sent him to Xuancang Mountain to learn martial arts.

He was gone for several years. The last time he went home was when he asked his master for leave to go back home for his own wedding.

Unexpectedly, this kid is such a chatterbox that he wrote down all the family's trivial matters for outsiders to know!

Lan Tingzhou thought to himself with a cold face, "I still haven't taught him enough lessons."

When Lan Tingzhou returned to the inn, Gan Cai'er had already rested and changed into some light clothes. She was reclining on a low couch by the window, reading a storybook. Xiao Hong was beside her, quietly knitting a knot.

Seeing Lan Tingzhou return, Gan Cai'er put down her book, stood up, and went to greet him.

"You're back so soon? Have you had dinner yet?"

"No." Lan Tingzhou shook his head.

"That would be wonderful. The Drunken Crispy Duck at this inn is a specialty of Danzhou Prefecture. Young master, you should try it." Xiao Hong said with a smile.

"Have you eaten yet?"

“How could that be! Miss has been waiting for the young master to come back on an empty stomach.” Xiao Hong’s words were clear and crisp.

Gan Cai'er rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Xiao Hong was constantly trying to match her up with Lan Tingzhou, which made her feel extremely awkward.

"Xiao Hong, go and arrange dinner."

Gan Cai'er sent Xiao Hong away, afraid that she might say something outrageous again and cause Lan Tingzhou to misunderstand.

“Actually, you don’t need to wait for me.” Lan Tingzhou’s voice was calm.

Gan Cai'er chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Sure enough."

She took a deep breath and composed herself. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, she changed the subject.

Are you free the day after tomorrow?

"The day after tomorrow? Is there any plan?" Lan Tingzhou asked.

“When Mother heard that we were coming to Danzhou Prefecture, she gave me an invitation, saying it was for a lotus appreciation banquet. She said it was a rare grand event in Danzhou Prefecture and that we should go and see it when we had time.”

Lan Tingzhou was taken aback.

An invitation to a lotus-viewing banquet?! This is truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly!"

"This lotus-viewing banquet was initiated by Prefect Du Zhong, and most of the literary talents in Danzhou will attend, making it a truly grand event. Since I have the opportunity to go, I certainly shouldn't miss it. I must thank my mother-in-law properly later."

Seeing the sudden light in Lan Tingzhou's eyes, Gan Cai'er's lips curled up slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy in her heart. As long as she could make him happy, it wouldn't have been in vain for her efforts.

Thinking back to my past life, I realized how wrong I was to obstruct the Lanting Boat in various ways because of my own anxieties and fears.

Recalling her past misdeeds, Lan Tingzhou had always treated her with courtesy, and even when he was angry, he would only be indifferent and distant, ignoring her.

Gan Cai'er felt that Lan Tingzhou was a rare person in the world with a very good temper.

Lan Tingzhou has a good temper, but only Gan Cai'er thinks so.

The consensus among most people who have dealt with or worked with Lan Tingzhou is that he has a terrible temper.

Early spring of the twenty-fifth year of Jinghe.

The heavy snow and ice that had covered the entire winter finally began to melt slowly, spring buds quietly peeked out from the trees, and all things began to revive.

"My lord, the Duke of Wei requests an audience," the gatekeeper announced.

"not see."

"My lord, the Duke of Wei is here again." The gatekeeper reported again the next day.

"not see."

The gatekeeper came to announce the time again on the third occasion.

Lan Tingzhou finally lifted his eyelids, glanced at the gatekeeper, and spoke in a clear, cold voice.

“If such irrelevant people report this again, you will be sent to stay on the estate for three years.”

The young doorman immediately fell silent and retreated meekly.

He was completely bewildered. As a mere gatekeeper, shouldn't he announce the arrival of a visitor? Especially since the visitor was the Duke of Wei, who had just been promoted to the rank of First-Class Duke!

The following day, after the court session ended, Meng Yu blocked the path of Lan Ting's boat.

Lan Tingzhou looked at him indifferently and gave a casual bow: "Why has the Duke of Wei stopped me?"

Meng Yu returned the greeting perfunctorily and said, "Grand Tutor Lan, it has been five years since we last met. Now that I have returned to the capital, I would like to invite you to catch up."

Lan Tingzhou said coldly, "This humble official has no past with the Duke. Farewell!"

Meng Yu's face darkened; he had never been a good-natured person.

He said coldly, "My daughter has been very grateful for Grand Tutor Lan's care over the past few years. However, from now on, there is no need to trouble you any further. This afternoon, I will personally go to fetch her back to the manor."

Lan Tingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice: "Where in my humble abode would I find a young lady from a duke's mansion?"

Meng Yu said slowly and deliberately, "Fu'er is my daughter with Nannan."

The word "Nannan" seemed to strike a nerve with Lan Tingzhou. He suppressed all expression and stared at Meng Yu with a cold gaze.

He said, just as clearly and deliberately, "A-Cai is my wife, and Fu'er is my daughter. What do these two have to do with you?"

"Lan Tingzhou, don't push your luck!" Meng Yu roared in fury.

"Going too far? Heh heh." Lan Tingzhou lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. "Fu'er's surname is now Lan, and she is listed in my Lan family genealogy. She has nothing to do with your Meng family."

"If Your Excellency wishes for a harmonious relationship between father and son, you may return to the Duke's Mansion. There are many young masters and ladies in your household."

Meng Yu narrowed his eyes, a mocking glint in them: "Lan Tingzhou, is this your own inability to have children, so you're trying to forcibly take someone else's daughter?"

"Meng Yu!" Lan Tingzhou shouted sharply, a chill flashing in his eyes. "You dare utter the words 'forcibly seized'!"

After saying that, Lan Tingzhou suddenly punched Meng Yu in the stomach.

Lan Tingzhou was no weak scholar. In his youth, he did a lot of hard work, such as chopping wood, carrying water, and hunting, which gave him a strong physique. Although he later stopped doing manual labor, he insisted on practicing martial arts to discipline Lan Tingzhi.

The punch sent Meng Yu staggering.

Meng Yu grinned, his teeth clashing against his back molars, then threw the tablet in his hand to the ground and punched Lan Tingzhou in the face.

Lan Tingzhou was not to be outdone, and swung his scepter at Meng Yu.

The two exchanged blows and started fighting.

"They've started fighting! They've really started fighting!"

There was an uproar all around.

Even before the two men stood together talking with unfriendly expressions, many nosy courtiers stopped and kept glancing at them.

It's no wonder the court officials were watching the spectacle; the gossip between these two had been so sensational and outrageous.

"If these two get together, how can they not start fighting?"

"Sigh, so many years have passed, why haven't these two come to terms with it yet?"

"Hehe, General Wang, if you encountered that kind of thing, could you take it in stride?"

"Oh dear, Lord Zhang, you can't say things like that. My wife is very virtuous."

"May I ask you gentlemen, is there some long-standing grudge between the Duke of Wei and Grand Tutor Lan?" a young official asked curiously.

"The two of them have a feud over the theft of a wife."

"Wow, this is such a big piece of gossip!" The young official was even more curious.

"Who stole whose wife?"

"Uh, so... it's considered mutual takeover?"

"Huh?!" The young official's eyes widened. Was it really that explosive?

"Alas, this is a long story."

......

Zhang Dezi rushed into the imperial study and said urgently, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Lan and the Duke of Wei are fighting outside the Taiji Hall!"

Gongsun Rui paused in his writing as he reviewed the memorials, and looked up at the document.

A first-rank duke and a second-rank Hanlin Academy scholar, fighting in broad daylight in public?!

Zhang Dezi understood the disbelief in Gongsun Rui's eyes and nodded repeatedly, "It's true, it's true!"

"Your Majesty, you should go and take a look. There are many people gathered outside the Taiji Hall, and it is said that the official robes of the two men are torn."

Why did he go to see it? Was it because he felt his most trusted right-hand man wasn't embarrassed enough?

Gongsun Rui said expressionlessly, "Issue my imperial decree: the Imperial Guards are to immediately seize both men and escort them back to their residences, where they will each be confined for five days!"

Zhang Dezi accepted the order and left.

Gongsun Rui sat on the dragon throne and sighed helplessly.

"She really is a femme fatale. Even after she's gone, she can still cause these two no peace."