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

Gan Cai'er was utterly shocked; the person before her was none other than the eldest daughter of the Mei family!

It took her a long time to calm herself down.

Seeing that Gan Cai'er was terrified upon hearing her name, Mei Wanqing's face darkened.

She knew that her reputation for "bringing bad luck to relatives and friends" was too frightening, and no one wanted to be her friend. She couldn't help but turn to the side, moving a little further away from Gan Cai'er.

Gan Cai'er noticed Mei Wanqing's hesitation and felt that something was wrong.

The Mei family was a family whose mere presence could shake the capital. A family of high-ranking officials for three generations, a century-old clan of renown—this was no small feat. In the court, the Mei family had countless protégés and former officials; even the Regent Prince Gongsun Yi had to greet Mei Qingru with a smile.

His daughter must be as pampered and precious as a princess.

In her past life, Mei Wanyin was so arrogant that she looked down on everyone and could do whatever she wanted in the Duke of Wei's mansion. How could Mei Wanqing be so timid and even ostracized?!

Gan Cai'er was shocked and puzzled.

Moreover, given the status of the Mei family, it would be impossible for Mei Wanqing, as the eldest daughter of the Mei family, to attend the gathering hosted by Madam Chen. After all, Lord Chen was only a fifth-rank official, which was basically considered a low-ranking official in the capital.

There must be a reason for this.

"Miss Mei, have you been living in Kyoto all this time?" Gan Cai'er started a conversation, trying to get closer to her.

Gan Cai'er's words startled Mei Wanqing. She turned to look at Gan Cai'er and saw that the other woman's eyes were full of smiles, kind and friendly, without any disgust or fear. She was taken aback.

Oh, right. This Lady Lan has just arrived in Kyoto and is probably unaware of her infamy. However, even if this kindness stems from ignorance, she cherishes it.

“Yes, I’ve lived in Kyoto since I was a child,” Mei Wanqing said softly.

"Miss Mei, could you recommend some fun places in Kyoto? This is my first time in Kyoto, and I don't know where to go when I want to go out for a stroll."

Mei Wanqing hesitated for a long time before replying, "I have been in poor health since childhood and rarely go out to play. The places I visit most often are temples and Taoist temples. If Madam Ruolan wants to know where to go in the capital, she may have to ask someone else."

Upon hearing this, Gan Cai'er couldn't help but scrutinize Mei Wanqing more closely. She noticed that Mei Wanqing had rosy lips and white teeth, fair and smooth skin, and eyes as clear as autumn water... She didn't seem like a sickly person at all.

"I know an old doctor in Danzhou. He's very skilled. He can cure any difficult or complicated disease." Gan Cai'er began to make up stories.

"Miss Mei, is there anything wrong with your health? Why don't you tell me, and I can ask him to come and take a look at you."

"It's not some intractable disease, just a weak constitution, a weakness I've had since birth," Mei Wanqing forced a smile, unwilling to say more.

Seeing this, Gan Cai'er decided not to pry any further and changed the subject.

"Miss Mei, are you here to meet someone today too?" Gan Cai'er laughed and teased.

She meant to liven up the atmosphere, but to her surprise, Mei Wanqing actually nodded and said in a soft and honest voice, "Yes, I heard that Madam Deng was coming to admire the plum blossoms, so my mother told me to come and see as well."

"Mrs. Deng?" Gan Cai'er asked in confusion.

“She is the wife of Lord Deng, the Director of the Ministry of Revenue and Finance.” Mei Qingwan’s cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered.

A senior official in the Ministry of Revenue!

Gan Cai'er was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.

Judging from Mei Wanqing's expression, she felt she couldn't be wrong. Mei Wanqing really was here for a blind date today, and it was the son of a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue!

The official rank of the Ministry of Revenue Secretary was only fifth grade, the same as Lord Chen, and there were many such officials in the capital.

With Mei Wanqing's status, she could marry even a prince or nobleman. But now, she's to marry into the family of a fifth-rank official?!

It's important to know that in her previous life, Mei Wanyin married Meng Yu. The Meng family not only held hereditary dukedoms and marquises, but also commanded a large military force. The old Duke and Meng Yan were both first-rank officials, standing at the very top of the military hierarchy.

A bold guess suddenly flashed through Gan Cai'er's mind: was this Madam Mei not her biological mother, but her stepmother?!

"And who is Madam Deng?" Gan Cai'er leaned closer to Mei Wanqing and asked in a low voice.

Mei Wanqing stretched out her finger and raised it slightly forward. Gan Cai'er looked in the direction she pointed and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a dark green embroidered brocade jacket sitting by the charcoal fire, chatting and laughing with someone, without glancing at Mei Wanqing at all.

Such a dismissive attitude not only clearly showed that he didn't think much of Mei Wanqing, but also deliberately embarrassed her.

Gan Cai'er is very familiar with this kind of embarrassment.

A surge of heartache mixed with anger suddenly rose in Gan Cai'er's heart and rushed straight to the top of her head.

She pulled Mei Wanqing up and pointed to a cluster of red plum blossoms in full bloom in the distance, saying, "That branch of red plum blossoms is so beautiful, Miss Mei, let's go pick one."

Mei Wanqing nervously tugged at her clothes, unsure how to answer. Just then, the maidservant beside her spoke up.

“Madam Lan, my young lady is frail and the woods are cold. I’m afraid she’ll catch a chill, so let’s not go.”

Gan Cai'er clearly saw that Mei Wanqing's eyes, which had been somewhat bright, suddenly dimmed.

Gan Cai'er turned her head to look at the little maid and suddenly thought of Qiao Que.

So she turned cold and said sarcastically, "Didn't your young lady walk here before? She wasn't sick while walking, but now that she's strolling around with me, she's getting sick?!"

"You have repeatedly spoken rudely to me. Do you look down on me?"

Gan Cai'er's face darkened, and she shouted sternly. Her expression was quite fierce, which frightened the little maid so much that she trembled and immediately fell silent.

"Madam Lan, please stop scolding Qiaoyan. She doesn't look down on you; she's doing this for your own good," Mei Wanqing said softly.

"For my own good?" Gan Cai'er looked at Mei Wanqing, puzzled.

"Your Majesty has just arrived in the capital, so you are unaware that because of the inauspicious time of my birth, I will bring misfortune to my relatives and friends. If you get too close to me, you will either suffer bad luck or even lose your life." Mei Wanqing's voice was soft, but tinged with difficulty.

“Those red plum blossoms are indeed beautiful, but please, Madam, go ahead.”

Gan Cai'er watched as the light in Mei Wanqing's eyes gradually faded until only solitude remained.

"Calamity to relatives and friends"? What utter nonsense! If it were really that bad, why didn't it kill everyone in the Mei family?

She's someone who's already died once, what's there to be afraid of?

Besides, this was a rare opportunity to get close to the Mei family, and she couldn't let it go.

Looking at Mei Wanqing's weak and timid appearance, and how even her own maid dared to openly bully her, she would never believe there wasn't something fishy going on!

Gan Cai'er grasped Mei Wanqing's hand.

"Don't worry, I'm tough, I'm not afraid of being cursed."