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

The book was laid out in front of Lan Tingzhou, but his gaze didn't fall on it. He couldn't concentrate on more than a few words all afternoon. He had been restless and irritable lately, a hidden anger burning within him, yet he couldn't vent it.

Lan Tingzhou clearly noticed that Gan Cai'er was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him.

Yesterday, Gan Cai'er even offered to let him move into the study, saying that the bedroom was too dilapidated, drafty, and leaky, making it unsuitable for living. She also said that the bedposts were too rotten and might accidentally fall on someone. He couldn't be bothered to ask any further questions about such lame excuses.

Is his family short of money to buy a bed? Or does she think he's too strong and will shake the bed apart?

Moreover, even if there were no bed, given Gan Cai'er's personality, if she wanted to be with him, she would do it even under the open sky.

Lan Tingzhou knew there must be a reason for this, and that Gan Cai'er didn't want him to know it. Since that was the case, he would investigate himself, without letting her know that he knew.

"Mo Yun," Lan Tingzhou called out softly.

"Young Master, what can I do for you?" Upon hearing this, Mo Yun quickly entered the study.

"Go and deliver a message to Qingning, telling him I need to speak with him," Lan Tingzhou said.

"Yes, sir. I'll go right away."

After Mo Yun nodded in agreement, he turned around and immediately left the study, his movements so swift that he didn't linger for even a moment.

It's not that Mo Yun was quick to run away; it's just that the atmosphere on Lantingzhou has been too low lately, and even Mo Yun couldn't handle it.

Although Lan Tingzhou was kind and lenient and rarely punished his servants, it didn't mean he never punished them. Moreover, once he did punish someone, it was so severe that the punishment was unforgettable, and the person would cry and swear never to repeat the offense.

Lan Tingzhou was extremely strict in his administration. Sometimes, he only needed to give Mo Yun and Mo Yan a cold glance to make them tremble and immediately reflect on whether they had done something wrong.

Recently, Lan Tingzhou's cold gaze has become more and more frequent, so frequent that Mo Yun and Mo Yan feel immense pressure. They live in constant fear, unable to sleep soundly, and dare not linger in his presence for long, lest they be caught making a mistake that would be disastrous.

Hearing that Mo Yun had accepted the errand, Mo Yan looked on with envy. He sat on the veranda outside the study, sighing, wondering how long his young master would hold onto this grudge. He wished the young mistress could visit him more often.

Lu Qingning arrived that evening.

"Oh, you've moved into the study?" Lu Qingning clicked her tongue, looking at the drastically changed study. Hmm, very cozy, uh... also quite cramped.

"What's wrong? Did you offend your sister-in-law?" Lu Qingning teased with a smile.

Lan Tingzhou glanced at him indifferently.

His gaze was icy, and Lu Qingning immediately fell silent, straightening her posture and abruptly changing the subject: "Um, what brings you here today?"

"What's the result of investigating that house I asked you to investigate last time?" Lan Tingzhou asked.

"Oh, the investigation is complete. I was planning to tell you soon anyway," Lu Qingning said.

"There's something strange about that house."

Upon hearing this, Lan Tingzhou raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Qingning.

"The owner of the house was originally surnamed Huang, and he was a silk merchant. A few months ago, someone suddenly offered a high price to buy the house, so Mr. Huang sold it."

"This is a common occurrence, but what is unusual is that although the other party bought the house, they demanded that the house still be registered in Mr. Huang's name, saying that when someone else comes to buy it, the name will be changed."

After hearing this, Lan Tingzhou frowned slightly and said slowly.

"In other words, the person who bought the house doesn't want others to know who he is."

“Not only that,” Lu Qingning interjected, “it’s obvious this person bought the house not to live in it. Moreover, he clearly knows that someone else will be buying it soon. Isn’t that strange?”

"You mean, there might be some secret hidden in this house? That's why he set up these strange rules, just to wait for the real buyer to appear?" Lan Tingzhou thought for a moment and said.

"It's hard to say. Kyoto has been the capital for hundreds of years, so it's not surprising that some secrets are hidden there," Lu Qingning said.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Lan Tingzhou lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head.

“I happened to pass by a few days ago and took a look. Although I didn’t go inside, judging from the gate and the surrounding environment, the house was newly built, not a renovated old house.”

"If there were any secrets, they should have been moved long ago, and they wouldn't have sold them so easily."

"How about this, could you help me find out where Boss Huang is? I'd like to meet him."

"Seriously? Tingzhou, why are you so fixated on this house?" Lu Qingning exclaimed. "Kyoto is so big, can't you just buy another one?"

Lan Tingzhou glanced at him coolly and said in a low voice, "My wife likes it."

Lu Qingning choked for a moment, then could only nod: "Okay, okay, okay, I'll help you look it up, okay?"

"By the way, I heard from Lord Zhang that Lord Shen values ​​you highly?" Lu Qingning asked.

The "Old Master Shen" that Lu Qingning mentioned refers to Shen Jinlun, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Just thinking about him gave Lan Tingzhou a headache.

"Hmm." Lan Tingzhou nodded, a rare hint of helplessness appearing on his face.

It's unclear who strongly recommended him to Shen Jinlun, but Shen Jinlun became extremely interested in him. He attended the scholars' gatherings two or three times in a row, and then wouldn't let him go, constantly giving him questions to test him, leaving him nowhere to hide.

"Hahaha, why are you looking so gloomy?" Lu Qingning laughed gleefully.

"Master Shen is a great Confucian scholar and a famously strict teacher. To gain his approval is to stand at the top of all students and earn a good reputation. Even if you don't get a good ranking in the imperial examination, you will still be able to establish yourself firmly in the capital."

"I'll give you this good reputation, do you want it?" Lan Tingzhou glanced at him indifferently.

"Hahaha, no, I don't want to!" Lu Qingning laughed and waved her hand.

Gaining Master Shen's approval is extremely rare because working under him involves enduring immense suffering. When Master Shen disciplines someone, he usually combines beatings and scoldings, each word sharp and biting, enough to make you doubt whether you're a human or a donkey.

Even someone as self-disciplined, principled, and exceptionally talented as Lan Tingzhou found it unbearable. The last time they met, he was scolded for using a classical allusion inappropriately, leaving him so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground. After returning home, he didn't dare leave the house for three days straight.

Lan Tingzhou had never been insulted like this before, from childhood to adulthood.

"I heard from Lord Zhang that Mr. Shen wants to take you as his disciple."

"What?!" Lan Tingzhou's expression changed for the first time, and he said firmly, "No, absolutely not."

"Oh, this is something so many people long for, yet you avoid it like the plague."

"Although Master Shen is a bit strict, he is a truly learned man. Take his granddaughter for example, she has become the most talented woman in the capital in just a few years since she was brought to live with him."

"It is said that in one debate, none of the dozen or so students present could defeat her."

Lan Tingzhou seemed to suddenly remember something, and his gaze sharpened as he asked, "What is the name of Lord Shen's granddaughter?"

"Oh, this one, I think her name is Shen Yunxi?"

"I heard he's the dream lover of countless students in Kyoto."

Lan Tingzhou's eyes darkened. That night, Meng Yu kept mentioning a name in his ear: Shen Yunxi.