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

However, the fourth floor of the Star-Picking Tower is not a place that anyone can freely ascend.

The first and second floors of the Star-Picking Tower are open to the public, but from the third floor onwards, a pass is required. A pass is obtained by answering five riddles.

The same applies to the fourth floor, except that the number of riddles required to exchange for a pass has increased to twenty, and they must be riddles from the third floor.

The reputation of Lantingzhou as a talented scholar was well-deserved. The riddles on the first and second floors were simple, and he quickly collected fifteen answers, exchanging them for three passes to the third floor.

Although Wei Shi'an didn't like reading, he was very good at solving riddles, and he easily obtained two passes to the third floor.

So, they quickly went up to the third floor. Once they got there, they found that the situation was completely different from the crowded conditions on the first two floors. There were far fewer people; there were only about twenty or thirty people scattered across the entire third floor.

The riddles on the third floor were much more difficult, and Lan Tingzhou and Wei Shi'an were much slower at solving them.

Gan Cai'er never did anything that required so much thought, so she pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao along for a stroll in the third-floor corridor, looking up at each lantern as they walked. Lan Tingzhi followed behind them, also commenting on each lantern.

Zhaixinglou is a wooden building with a U-shaped structure. In addition to the first-floor hall being filled with riddles, the riddles on the second to fourth floors are all hung in the corridors, which contain private rooms. There are about nine rooms on each floor.

At this moment, the private room "Listening to the Waves by the River" on the fourth floor of Tianyi No. 1 was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Three or four courtesans played the zither with delicate hands, their eyes lowered, and sang softly on the side, while five or six young men who looked like noblemen sat together, clinking glasses and making merry.

With a loud "bang!", the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. A young man in purple robes rushed in, shouting excitedly.

"Hey, Huangfu, guess who I just saw?"

During the banquet, a young man in blue stopped drinking and looked at the newcomer, saying, "Zhu Laoyao, who did you see? Look how excited you are! Speak up, don't keep me in suspense!"

The person who had just rushed into the room was none other than Zhu Mingyuan, the young master of the Sinan Marquis's mansion. And the people drinking and playing around in this large room were none other than the most famous and most criticized group of纨绔 (wan ku, meaning wasted or dissolute) young masters from noble families in the capital.

Meng Yu was naturally among them.

At this moment, he was reclining on the daybed by the riverside window, his long legs crossed, a wine cup in his mouth, slowly drinking wine.

"Shen Yunxi! Huangfu, I just saw Shen Yunxi!"

"That talented Shen woman you've been longing for, she's here today too. She's right outside, aren't you going to go see her?"

Although Huangfu Xuan disliked reading, he was infatuated with Shen Yunxi, the most talented woman in the capital. To pursue her, he sent countless gifts and penned numerous poorly written poems. Unfortunately, all his efforts were rejected.

He did all sorts of things: climbing walls, delivering flowers, "chance encounters," and acting like a rogue.

Finally, Shen Jinlun, unable to bear it any longer, submitted a memorial directly to the emperor, impeaching Huangfu Renchuan for his son's upbringing. Only after this did Huangfu Xuan quiet down somewhat.

But his group of cronies knew perfectly well that his feelings for Shen Yunxi hadn't diminished in the slightest. Because of this, they often mocked him, but at the same time, they secretly helped him a lot.

Upon hearing that Shen Yunxi was outside, Huangfu Xuan's face lit up with joy, and he immediately said, "Really? Then I'll go out and take a look."

"Little Liu, quickly fetch a basin of water so I can wash my face."

"Huangfu, give it a rest. Even if you dress yourself up like a flower, the talented Shen won't even give you a second glance." A lazy voice suddenly rang out in the room.

"Meng San, shut up! You're not only not helping me, but you're also throwing cold water on my efforts!" Huangfu Xuan said indignantly.

"Hehe, helping you face reality sooner and give up is the real way to help you."

“A woman of great talent like Shen Yunxi is naturally a better match for a man of great talent. You are not a good match for her, so why make things difficult for yourself?” Meng Yu said lazily, leaning against the table.

“Oh, speaking of great talents, I just ran into one too! The one who’s supposed to be the reincarnation of the God of Literature, the Wenchang Emperor. He’s here today too,” Zhu Mingyuan chimed in.

"Lan Tingzhou is here too?" Meng Yu sat up straight immediately.

"Yes, yes, his surname is Lan, Lan Jieyuan from Danzhou." Zhu Mingyuan slapped his thigh and nodded repeatedly. "Everyone says he is a genius that only appears once in a hundred years in Dayong."

Meng Yu's spirits lifted, and he put down the wine glass in his hand.

"Go, have a look."

Huangfu Xuan, who was seriously pursuing someone, hadn't left yet, but Meng Yu had already gone ahead. Chu Mingyuan found Meng Yu very strange.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, his expression changed, and he stood up and hurriedly chased after it.

Today is the Lantern Festival. Since the Lanting Boat is here, Gan Cai'er must be here too. Not only that, Shen Yunxi is also here today. This is truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly".

He couldn't let such a great opportunity slip by, so today he would imitate the matchmaker and tie the red thread between Lan Tingzhou and Shen Yunxi tightly.

As soon as Meng Yu stepped out of the room, he saw Shen Yunxi.

Although Shen Yunxi is much younger than in her previous life and her face still looks youthful, her unique aloofness and untainted purity are unmatched in the entire capital. No one can imitate her, and she will never be mistaken for someone else.

At this moment, it hadn't been long since the riddle-guessing game began at the Star-Picking Tower, and very few people were still able to reach the fourth floor. Among the group of men on the fourth floor, Shen Yunxi and her maid Xueyan stood out. Almost everyone who passed by her would nod slightly in respect.

The reason is simple: Shen Yunxi's talent is genuine and in no way inferior to that of men. When she was twelve years old, she debated with students at the Imperial Academy, and all fifteen of them were rendered speechless by her arguments.

She became famous overnight because of this.

Shen Yunxi's talent and learning were not the melancholy and sentimentality of a young woman in her boudoir, nor the petty emotions of a girl. Rather, like a man, it was a broad reading of classics, history, philosophy, and literature, as well as a profound understanding of the thoughts of ancient sages.

Therefore, truly talented men treat her with exceptional respect. Some even forget that she is a woman when they have heated discussions with her.

Although Shen Jinlun was old-fashioned and advocated etiquette, he was extremely permissive when it came to Shen Yunxi's academic pursuits, completely disregarding the proper separation between men and women. He never restrained her and even enjoyed seeing her debate with students from various schools of thought.

However, it was this very action of his that later led to a major problem that troubled him. That was, although Shen Yunxi was renowned for her talent and people praised her highly, no family was willing to marry her.

In the eyes of all the mistresses in Kyoto, it didn't matter whether their daughter-in-law was talented or not. What mattered was that she had to work hard without complaint, manage the household affairs, keep the whole family in good order, and have many children.

Shen Yunxi has lofty ambitions, and she clearly wouldn't, and wouldn't, do these things.