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

"Lord Yao, you must have come here to make a wish, right?" Lan Tingzhou handed him a red silk ribbon.

"I was just taking a casual stroll, but since I've come across you all making wishes, I thought I'd join in." Yao Jue reached out and took the red silk.

He glanced at the red silk in Du Ke's hand, smiled and nodded, saying, "This young master wrote well. I'll borrow his words to express my hope that my parents and elders at home are in good health."

After saying that, he quickly wrote the words on the red silk with a few swift strokes.

Du Ke was overjoyed to see that another person had approved of his blessing and even adopted it. His little face couldn't contain his excitement, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

It is said that the higher the red ribbon is hung on the tree, the more likely the wish will be fulfilled.

Gan Cai'er glanced at the few sparse red ribbons at the top of the wishing tree and couldn't help but feel envious. How were they all hung up like that? Then she looked down at the lower branches, which were densely covered with red ribbons, some even overlapping each other.

Gan Cai'er clenched the red silk in her hand, unwilling to hang it too high, yet also reluctant to hang it too low. Du Ke stood beside her, also gazing longingly at the treetop, his eyes filled with yearning.

"If only Little Bean were here," Gan Cai'er sighed, gazing at the tree.

“Young Madam, I can climb trees. How about I climb to the top and help you hang them?” Mo Yan stepped forward and volunteered.

"Tch, what nonsense are you spouting! You can't climb a wishing tree!" Xiao Hong spat at Mo Yan.

"If you could climb a tree, wouldn't that mean stepping on other people's wishes to get there? If someone saw that, they'd beat you to death!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan quickly waved his hand and said, "Then I won't climb."

"I have a way," Yao Jue said with a smile, calling out to someone behind him, "A-Liu."

A man who looked like a servant walked over from a distance and bowed to the group. Then, he took the red silk from Yao Jue's hand, and with a light tap of his feet, he flew towards the treetop like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, he tied Yao Jue's red ribbon to the highest branch of the wishing tree.

Du Ke's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide open, staring intently at A Liu, his face filled with shock and admiration.

"Young master, would you like me to hang yours up too?" Ah Liu asked respectfully.

"Yes, yes," Du Ke hurriedly handed over the red silk.

Seeing Ah Liu turn his head and look at her again, Gan Cai'er immediately handed him the red silk in her hand without saying a word.

"Thank you for your help, young man."

Ah Liu, holding the red silk, swayed and soared into the sky again. In no time, he had tied the red silks for all of them.

"I never imagined that even a servant in the Yao family would possess such formidable martial arts skills. It seems the Yao family's focus solely on literature is a waste of their talents," Lan Tingzhou exclaimed in admiration.

"Hehehe, who said that my Yao family only pursues literature? Brother Lan is being too biased." Yao Jue laughed.

“My grandmother was the eldest daughter of a noble family with a regular army. She had worn armor and ridden into battle, and had actually killed enemies with real swords and spears. If she hadn’t been a woman, she could at least have led troops to guard a region.”

“Ah Liu is the guard she trained.”

"Is Madam Yao really that powerful?" Gan Cai'er asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Hmm." Yao Jue nodded slightly, looking at her gently. "Grandmother was a legend in Kyoto when she was young. She was a true heroine."

"That's why she was left with a lot of injuries and illnesses. Every winter, her health would be poor, and she would come to the temple to meditate and recuperate."

Gan Cai'er fell silent.

She wasn't particularly clever, but she wasn't truly stupid either. The words had already been delivered to her lips; she knew perfectly well what the other person wanted to do.

Gan Cai'er thought about the pardon and her own house. So, she did as he wished and said to him, "Lord Yao, may I go and pay my respects to Old Madam Yao?"

Her eyes were filled with admiration and adoration, appearing genuinely sincere. And indeed, she was genuinely sincere. After all, the other party had paid first for the deal!

Yao Jue was very satisfied.

Then, he looked up at Ah Liu and saw the other person nod very slightly.

So he smiled and said, "Of course."

"The old lady is getting on in years, and what she loves most is seeing the younger generation. If Madam Lan goes to pay her a visit, she will surely be delighted."

"There's no time like the present, Lord Yao, let's go then." Gan Cai'er turned around briskly.

Lan Tingzhou and Yao Jue walked in front, Gan Cai'er and Du Ke walked behind, and their personal servants followed at a distance.

From Lan Tingzhou's casual conversation with Yao Jue, Gan Cai'er learned that the man in front of her was the eldest son of the Yao family, the eldest son of Yao Yong, the Minister of Rites, and also the current Empress's elder brother, named Yao Jue.

He is currently serving as an assistant director in the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official position, but it's a sinecure; besides clocking in every day, he has nothing to do.

Gan Cai'er couldn't help but sigh. Emperor Jinghe was truly miserable as emperor. He couldn't even see his son, and his brother-in-law only had a sinecure.

Suddenly, she gained a profound understanding of the saying, "The regent can control everything."

The group hadn't walked far when they arrived at an exquisite and extremely quiet Zen temple.

Gan Cai'er looked closely and realized that this Zen temple was the deepest part of all the Zen temples in the back temple. It was the Bodhi Zen Temple, which was said to be the highest level and not to be approached by ordinary people.

Three or four people stood outside the courtyard gate, dressed exactly like Ah Liu, presumably servants of the Yao household. Upon seeing Yao Jue, they all bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Young Master."

Yao Jue nodded slightly, then led Lan Tingzhou and the others straight into the Zen temple.

Inside the meditation room, Madam Yao was talking with a middle-aged man. When they saw the group enter, they stopped talking and glanced over.

Du Ke immediately became very nervous.

Although he had attended many gatherings with Lan Tingzhou in the past month or two, most of them were attended by students, most of whom were quite young, and their behavior was rather casual as they talked and discussed.

But right now, these two people in the room, one with white hair and a kind face, and the other with a refined demeanor, both exuded a kind of oppressive aura that made people feel intimidated.

Du Ke secretly grabbed Gan Cai'er's clothes, timidly shrinking back. Gan Cai'er gently held his small hand, comforting him.

Gan Cai'er easily guessed the man's identity: Yao Yong, the Minister of Rites.

Yao Jue was the first to step forward and pay his respects. Lan Tingzhou followed suit.

It really was Yao Yong.

Then, everyone's eyes fell on Du Ke, who became even more nervous, his palms sweating profusely.

Gan Cai'er's heart softened, and disregarding all etiquette, she took Du Ke's hand and walked to the two of them. She bowed and said, "This humble woman greets Madam Yao and Minister Yao."

With Gan Cai'er leading him, Du Ke was no longer so afraid, so he followed suit and said, "This junior greets Madam Yao and Minister."

Du Ke's voice was clear and crisp, still carrying a hint of childishness, yet he spoke with such maturity that it was quite amusing.

Madam Yao's eyes lit up, and a loving smile appeared on her face. She waved to Du Ke.

"Oh my, where did this little fairy come from? He's so adorable, come here, let this old woman take a good look at him."

Du Ke hesitated, unwilling to step forward, but Gan Cai'er directly took his hand and walked to Madam Yao.

Madam Yao pulled Du Ke over, looked him over carefully for a moment, and then said, "Look at you, all sweaty. Be careful not to catch a cold from the wind."

"Young master, come with me to wash your face." Granny Zhang hurried over and led Du Ke out.

"What are you all standing there for? Come and sit down," Madam Yao said to everyone, in a very good mood.

So everyone found chairs and sat down. After sitting down, Yao Yong and Lan Tingzhou started chatting.

At this moment, a few young monks came in and served them hot tea.

"Madam Lan, this is longan and red date tea. It can not only dispel the cold, but also replenish qi and blood. It's perfect for drinking in winter," a clever little maid said.

Gan Cai'er glanced at her; she looked very familiar. If she remembered correctly, this maid was the one who had almost bumped into her last time, wasn't her name Yingge'er?

Gan Cai'er couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "In this high-class inner courtyard, everyone is a master of acting."

"Madam Lan, are you getting used to living in that house?" asked Old Madam Yao.

Gan Cai'er almost spat out her tea!

"That house is my private property, which I don't own. It was only renovated a few years ago, so it's still quite new. If you have any complaints, please feel free to mention them," Old Madam Yao continued.

Gan Cai'er stole a glance at Old Madam Yao, feeling uneasy. Her original intention was to leverage Emperor Jinghe's power to lower housing prices and snag a bargain. Little did she expect that she'd actually get a bargain from Old Madam Yao!

Emperor Jinghe is so inconsiderate!

Seeing Gan Cai'er's guilty look, Old Madam Yao patted her hand with amusement and said, "Don't worry, I'm not here to ask you for an explanation. You've helped the Yao family so much and taken such a huge risk. Let alone one house, I'd give you ten, I'd give them to you."

"I am already content to be alive to see Yun'er one more time."

Just then, Granny Zhang returned with Du Ke.

As soon as Du Ke entered the room, everyone inside fell silent, and Gan Cai'er looked utterly astonished.

This...this is Du Ke?!