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

Lan Tingzhou's judgment was indeed correct.

Three days later, Gan Cai'er received a letter from Granny Huang, inviting her to the Du residence for a chat. Gan Cai'er knew this meant there was a reply from the royal family. So, she immediately boarded a carriage and went to the Du residence.

The gatekeeper at the Du residence was still the same old servant as before. With the two hundred taels of silver she had paid earlier, Gan Cai'er received an extremely warm welcome this time and entered the Inviting Moon Pavilion without any trouble.

When Gan Cai'er entered the room, there were still only Granny Huang and Magpie inside.

"Has the Eighth Prince gone to school again?" Gan Cai'er asked casually.

"No. He's painting in his study," said Granny Huang. "And from now on, he won't need to go to Lord Lu's place anymore."

"What happened?" Gan Cai'er asked in surprise.

So, Granny Huang told her that Du Ke was no longer Lu Yu's student, that his paintings had been destroyed, and that he had fought with Du Xuan.

"If the painting is destroyed, then paint another one. To expel the Eighth Prince from the sect for such a trivial matter is too unreasonable, Lord Lu!" Gan Cai'er spoke up for Du Ke.

"It has nothing to do with Lord Lu; it was all arranged by the master. As for that painting, I destroyed it myself," said Granny Huang with a kind smile.

"what?!"

Gan Cai'er opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

"The reason I invited Madam Lan to the residence this time is to inform you that the Lord has agreed to your request from last time."

"Really?!" Gan Cai'er was overjoyed, her eyes shining.

“Of course it’s true. How could this old servant dare to lie about such a big matter?” Granny Huang said with a smile.

"However, there is no precedent for this pardon in our dynasty. His Majesty said that he needs to carefully study the practices of previous dynasties and will grant it to you when the time is right."

"Of course, of course! There's no rush, as long as your master agrees." Gan Cai'er grinned broadly.

The biggest dark cloud hanging over Gan Cai'er's heart finally dissipated considerably. At this moment, she was in a much better mood.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do next?" she said readily.

Granny Huang smiled and looked at her: "Madam Lan, it's not that we need you to do something, but that we need Young Master Lan to do something."

Gan Cai'er was taken aback. What did this have to do with Lan Tingzhou?

“The Eighth Young Master has withdrawn from his studies under Master Lu, and in principle, he should return to Danzhou Prefecture by the same route. Unless, he becomes a disciple of someone else in the capital and can continue his studies, then he can stay,” said Granny Huang.

Gan Cai'er finally understood. After all that, it turned out that Lan Tingzhou wanted Du Ke to become his student? But Lan Tingzhou himself is still a student. It seems a bit unreasonable for him to take on a student now, doesn't it?

“There are so many talented people in the capital city. Wouldn’t it be easy to find a good teacher for the Eighth Prince? My husband is just a scholar. Is it appropriate for him to be the Eighth Prince’s teacher?” Gan Cai’er was quite skeptical.

"His Majesty's arrangements have their own considerations. Besides, with Young Master Lan's learning, how could he be just an ordinary scholar? He is a literary genius, one in a hundred years." Granny Huang smiled even more kindly.

Gan Cai'er fell silent.

She kept her business dealings with Granny Huang a secret from Lan Tingzhou. She knew Lan Tingzhou didn't want her to have too much involvement with Du Ke, because it was too dangerous.

But right now, the other party doesn't want her, but him... Gan Cai'er couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

Forget it, I'll risk it all for this get-out-of-jail-free card!

“Okay, no problem,” Gan Cai’er readily agreed.

"Why doesn't Madam Lan go home and ask Young Master Lan for his opinion first?" Gan Cai'er's straightforwardness surprised Granny Huang, who kindly reminded her.

"Don't worry, Granny. As long as I promise, my husband will definitely agree. He and I have always been of one mind as husband and wife." Gan Cai'er spoke with great certainty, leaving no room for doubt.

"That's good. In three days, this old servant will bring the Eighth Young Master to the manor to become his disciple."

"They're coming to visit in three days?" Gan Cai'er's heart pounded with anxiety.

On her way back home, Gan Cai'er had Mo Yan make a detour to Wangjing Restaurant, where she packed three bowls of osmanthus cheese and also paid a high price for a live mandarin fish from the restaurant.

Mo Yan saw that Xiao Hong was carrying a food box in one hand and a live mandarin fish in the other, and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. Surely the young master's sullen mood would be over now.

So, on his way back home, he drove with great enthusiasm and high spirits.

At dinner time, Gan Cai'er carried a large stack of food boxes into Lan Tingzhou's study. This surprised Lan Tingzhou, as Gan Cai'er hadn't stepped into his study for a long time.

He watched as Gan Cai'er brought out osmanthus cheese, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and steamed lion's head meatballs, filling the table with all his favorite dishes. His eyes darkened; such a large table suggested that her request was quite substantial.

"My husband is studying so hard for his exams, so I specially asked the cook to make some of your favorite dishes. Come and try them, and see if you like the cook's skills."

As Gan Cai'er spoke, she pulled Lan Tingzhou to sit down at the table. She served him food with great enthusiasm and consideration, her face beaming with smiles, making her look exceptionally charming and lovely.

Lan Tingzhou could tell that Gan Cai'er had dressed up specially before coming to the study. He lowered his eyes slightly, chewed slowly, and didn't say much throughout.

He hadn't seen Gan Cai'er so attentive and ingratiating towards him in a long time. Knowing she wanted something from him, and knowing she was trying to win him over, he silently accepted it without any hurry.

Watching her bustling around him like a busy little bee, the gloom that had been weighing on his heart for days finally eased a bit.

After finishing the meal, Lan Tingzhou slowly wiped his hands and said in a calm voice, "Speak, what is it?"

Gan Cai'er secretly glanced at Lan Tingzhou and saw that he looked serene and cheerful, and seemed to be in a good mood.

So she recounted her collaboration with Granny Huang in detail.

As she spoke, she noticed that Lan Tingzhou's expression was growing increasingly somber, so she immediately grabbed his sleeve, tugging at it habitually, and then spoke cautiously.

"Granny Huang said that although the Eighth Young Master comes to our house every two days, you won't actually have to spend time teaching him. It's just a nominal appointment, to give him a legitimate reason to stay in the capital. It won't interfere with your exam preparations..."

Lan Tingzhou remained unmoved, merely gazing at her indifferently.

"I know it was wrong of me to agree on your behalf without permission. But, the things they gave us are just too good. Brother Lan, please, please don't be angry..." Gan Cai'er tugged at his sleeve and said in a low voice.

"What do you need this get-out-of-jail-free card for?" Lan Tingzhou asked.

“Of course it’s a reprieve from death!” Gan Cai’er looked at him strangely.

"The Gan family are just ordinary merchants in a small town. What kind of outrageous thing must they have done to need a get-out-of-jail-free card?" Lan Tingzhou's gaze was full of scrutiny.

Gan Cai'er felt uneasy under his gaze and panicked, but she didn't know how to explain or how to smooth things over. Seeing that her humble attitude wasn't working, her guilt and panic combined, and she suddenly became angry.

She raised her head, stared at Lan Tingzhou, and said angrily, "Anyway, I've already promised Granny Huang. The Eighth Young Master will be coming in three days. So, tell me, are you going to agree or not?"

"What should I do, and what shouldn't I do?" Lan Tingzhou said calmly.

"If you agree, then everyone will be happy. If you don't agree, if you don't agree..." Gan Cai'er was speechless for a moment and couldn't explain why.

Lan Tingzhou raised an eyebrow, calmly waiting for her to continue.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll tie you to a chair and make the Eighth Young Master kowtow to you and become his disciple. Once the ceremony is done, it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not; you’ll be his teacher anyway!” Gan Cai’er frowned, a plan forming in her mind. She spoke fiercely to Lan Tingzhou, looking every bit the tyrant.

This person resorts to cheating whenever he can't win an argument.

Lan Tingzhou sighed inwardly, reached out and ruffled Gan Cai'er's hair, saying helplessly, "No need to tie it up anymore, I agree."

"Really?" Gan Cai'er was overjoyed.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Gan Cai'er hummed a song and walked away happily.

Lan Tingzhou watched her cheerful figure for a long time, unable to look away.

When it was time for bed, Gan Cai'er finished washing up and returned to her bedroom. She immediately saw Lan Tingzhou leaning against the headboard reading a book. She was stunned, somewhat bewildered. Why had he suddenly come back to his room?

At that moment, she suddenly remembered some past events and immediately felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

She really only wanted to cook a nice meal for Lan Tingzhou today, nothing more! She had absolutely no intention of inviting him to share a room with her!

No! Absolutely not!!

But when it came to asking her to leave, she couldn't bring herself to say it, no matter how many times she tried.

Finally, she had no choice but to resign herself to her fate and walk towards the bed.