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

Gan Cai'er felt that Lan Tingzhou had been acting strangely lately, as he insisted on returning to his bedroom to rest every day. Even though he didn't do anything, he still had to hold her while sleeping every night.

This is so unusual.

With less than two months to go, the spring imperial examination will be held. In Lan Tingzhou's usual way, the three months before the exam are when he studies the most diligently, often reading through the night, eating and sleeping in his study, and not going out unless necessary.

In the imperial examinations, Lan Tingzhou consistently topped the list, winning first place in all four rounds of testing, starting from the preliminary examinations. To outsiders, he seemed exceptionally talented, with his outstanding achievements appearing effortless. But only Gan Cai'er knew the extraordinary effort he had put in to achieve these results.

Therefore, it seems particularly strange that he now returns to his room precisely at midnight every day.

For days, Gan Cai'er had been deeply worried about this. Although Lan Tingzhou had become the top scholar in his previous life, things were not entirely the same in this life. If something went wrong and Lan Tingzhou didn't become the top scholar, it would be a huge loss.

At that moment, Gan Cai'er suddenly understood Zhu Xiaoxiao's worries from a while ago. She thought, maybe she should find some time to persuade Lan Tingzhou to focus more on his studies?

That night, Gan Cai'er was half-asleep when she was jolted awake by the cold, instantly losing four or five tenths of her sleepiness. With such a large block of ice in her bed, she couldn't think of anything other than Lan Tingzhou.

Anyone would want to curse if they were suddenly chilled while snuggled in a warm bed. Gan Cai'er was no exception. She frowned, closed her eyes, and complained, "Why are you back so late at night?"

After saying that, she shrank to the side, trying to get away from him.

Unexpectedly, Lan Tingzhou stretched out his long arm and easily caught her, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.

"Hiss~~~~~~" Gan Cai'er shivered from the cold, her spirits lifted, and she was completely sobered up by the cold.

She couldn't help but open her eyes, glaring angrily at the other person. How many days had this been going on?! Disturbing her peaceful dreams every night in the middle of the night!

"What, you really don't want me to go back to my room?" Lan Tingzhou's cool voice came from above.

Gan Cai'er inexplicably sensed a chill even colder than the winter night. She immediately cowered, swallowing back the complaint that was about to spill from her mouth.

"Well, it's almost time for the imperial examinations. I'm worried that you'll waste time coming back every day. Besides, it's freezing cold, and you might catch a cold wind on the way. It wouldn't be good if you got sick."

"It was just cold sleeping in the study, so I came back. It's only a short walk, it won't take much time," Lan Tingzhou said calmly. Then, he pulled Gan Cai'er even closer to him.

So he's using her as a giant heater? Gan Cai'er had no choice but to let him have his way.

Lan Tingzhou has a constitution that tends to be cold, and his hands and feet are always slightly cold. In the summer, Gan Cai'er likes to rub against him, as his cool body feels very comfortable. But in the winter, she tries to stay as far away from him as possible because he is too cold.

In previous years, Lan Tingzhou didn't care about these things, but for some reason, he suddenly started to mind them recently, insisting on keeping her by his side and not allowing her to escape even a little bit.

"Yesterday, at a gathering at Lord Zhang's residence, I heard a rumor. It's said that Layman Fanjing has recently gotten himself into some romantic troubles. There's a woman who goes to Foguang Temple every day to climb over the wall, just to catch a glimpse of him." Lan Tingzhou rarely spoke of such things.

Gan Cai'er's heart tightened upon hearing this, and her body stiffened for a moment.

Just two days!! Only two days, is it really necessary for it to become the talk of the entire city of Kyoto?!

“Not every day, just two days…” Gan Cai’er buried her head in his chest and whispered.

Lan Tingzhou was never one for gossips, so since he asked, he must have guessed something. In this situation, it was best to admit it first. As long as his attitude was good enough, he wouldn't be too angry.

"Besides, I didn't peep on him." Gan Cai'er muttered softly, "He's not as good-looking as you, why would I peep on him?"

"So you mean that if there's anyone prettier than me, you'll go and spy on them?" Lan Tingzhou's eyes darkened.

Meng Yu's arrogant face flashed before his eyes. He couldn't say whether Meng Yu was as good-looking as himself, but his dashing and unrestrained temperament made him stand out in the crowd and attract attention.

Moreover, Meng Yu was the legitimate son of the Duke of Wei's mansion, with an extremely illustrious family background. Although he was uneducated and had a poor reputation, it did not stop countless women from secretly falling for him.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Gan Cai'er poked his chest hard with her finger, quite indignant.

"Do you think I'm a fickle woman who falls in love with every man I meet? Besides, were those dozens of repetitions of 'Women's Virtues' and 'Women's Script' just for nothing?"

Gan Cai'er was a little annoyed. She turned her back and refused to talk to anyone anymore.

"Who would climb up the temple's scripture pavilion?" Lan Tingzhou stared at the section of neck in his arms, white and delicate, his teeth itching slightly, wanting to take a bite.

His eyes darkened, and his voice became slightly hoarse: "If you do it again next time, you won't have to copy 'Women's Virtues' and 'Women's Script' anymore; instead, you'll have to copy 'The Laws of the Great Yong Dynasty'."

"Why copy the 'Da Yong Law'?" Gan Cai'er asked curiously, turning her head to ask.

“The laws of the Great Yong Dynasty stipulate: ‘A woman who is unfaithful shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane and stripped naked.’ If you have committed this offense, I will personally carry it out.”

After Lan Tingzhou finished speaking, he lowered his head and took a bite. When the soft, warm neck entered his mouth, the slight itch on his teeth finally subsided.

Gan Cai'er felt a chill run down her spine, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

In its previous life, Lantingzhou was not like this.

If Meng Yu found out about her affair with her... Gan Cai'er didn't dare to even think about it. Lan Tingzhou was an upright man and wouldn't resort to threats. If he said he would give her thirty strokes of the cane, he would definitely give her thirty strokes.

Gan Cai'er glanced at her delicate skin, then remembered the ebony staff he usually used to beat Lan Tingzhi—dark, cold, and heavy—and couldn't help but shudder. Thirty strokes of that staff would surely leave her skin torn and bleeding!

Therefore, she made up her mind that before divorcing Lan Tingzhou, she would never see Meng Yu again, not even a single hair on his head!

Gan Cai'er was trembling slightly, which Lan Tingzhou could clearly feel. Looking at the person curled up in his arms, he thought to himself, "It's good that she was scared; at least she still knows how to be afraid."

“I went to see Zhuge Yunzhi, and it was for a very important matter. I had no designs on him.” Gan Cai’er turned around, determined to make things clear so that she wouldn’t be wrongly punished with thirty strokes of the cane one day.

"What important matter is it?" Lan Tingzhou asked.

So, Gan Cai'er gave a brief account of Mei Wanqing's situation.

"So, I went to see Zhuge Yunzhi to ask for Buddhist prayer beads for Mei Wanqing."

Gan Cai'er omitted Ding Peilan's involvement and explained her reason for seeking out Zhuge Yunzhi in a way that was half true and half false. Her explanation, a mix of truth and falsehood, actually managed to fool Lan Tingzhou.

"Why are you interested in the Mei family?" Lan Tingzhou grasped the key point.

"what?!"

Gan Cai'er was momentarily stunned, and could only stare blankly at Lan Tingzhou. Why was she interested in the Mei family? Because she wanted to find an opportunity for revenge. But could she say that reason? Obviously not.

“Well, well, we ran into each other.” Gan Cai’er finally found a reason. “Last time, when Xiao Xiao went to the blind date arranged by Madam Chen, Mei Wanqing also went.”

"Oh, so who else went?" Lan Tingzhou's cool fingers lingered around her neck.

Gan Cai'er suddenly had a strange feeling that Lan Tingzhou was about to snap her neck with his fingers. The hairs on her body stood on end, and she was no longer sleepy at all.

She snuggled closer to Lan Tingzhou and said softly, "Oh dear, so much time has passed, how could I possibly remember?"

Lan Tingzhou chuckled faintly. "Here we go again. Whenever she doesn't want to tell the truth, she starts acting cute and pretending to be clueless." He sighed softly.

"Madam Mei has managed to maintain her position as the wife of the Prime Minister; she's not someone you can easily deal with. Stay away from Mei Wanqing, and stay away from the Mei residence as well."

“But Madam Ke Mei wants her dead, how can I just stand by and do nothing!” Gan Cai’er refused.

"Moreover, Mei Wanyin is getting married next July, so they don't have much time left to snatch her dowry. I think they'll make their move in the next few months."

"So, do you really want to save Mei Wanqing, or do you want to stop Mei Wanyin from marrying Meng Yu?"

Lan Tingzhou's voice sounded calm and serene, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if churning with heavy, dark clouds.

"It's a good thing that they're getting married, why should I stop them? Besides, it's none of my business." Gan Cai'er found Lan Tingzhou's words strange, but she didn't delve into it.

At this moment, her head was buried in Lan Tingzhou's chest, so she didn't see Lan Tingzhou's unusually cold expression. Of course, she also didn't see how Lan Tingzhou's expression warmed up after her words.

Lantingzhou hugged the person even tighter.

Gan Cai'er struggled a couple of times, then pushed him away impatiently: "Let go a little, it's too hot."

The two hugged in bed for a long time, and even if Lan Tingzhou was a block of ice, he would have warmed up by the warmth. What's more, Gan Cai'er had been frightened by him and was covered in a cold sweat, so she was quite sticky at the moment.

"It's too hot, so I'll take off a piece of clothing."

As he spoke, Lan Tingzhou flicked his finger and loosened the ribbon around Gan Cai'er's neck. Then, Gan Cai'er watched as the only garment she was wearing fluttered down and fell away.

“You…” Gan Cai’er was speechless.

"Okay, go to sleep. It's very late."

Lan Tingzhou pulled the person into his arms, then closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.

He had considered using harsh methods to interrogate his partner about his unusual behavior, and he wasn't without his own dark thoughts. However, his upbringing, education, and moral constraints had taught him restraint.

A virtuous person should know what to do and what not to do.

It is not right for him to bully women and the weak.