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

Princess Pingyao's father was General Cheng Peng of Huaihua, and her mother was Princess Gongsun Ying, the eldest daughter of the late emperor. Cheng Peng died young on the battlefield, and Gongsun Ying, overwhelmed with grief, also passed away a few years later, leaving behind a daughter who was not yet three years old: Cheng Yanran.

The late emperor, heartbroken by the passing of his eldest daughter and to appease the Cheng family, bestowed upon Cheng Yanran the title of Princess Pingyao and granted her a fief of five hundred households. He then brought her into the palace to be raised by Consort Shu.

Consort Shu was Gongsun Ying's mother and Cheng Yanran's maternal grandmother.

Therefore, Cheng Yanran grew up in the palace from a young age, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were no less than those of a proper princess. Because Consort Shu pitied her for losing her father at a young age, she doted on her excessively, which fostered in her an extremely domineering and uncompromising personality.

Cheng Yanran had a particular fondness for refined and elegant gentlemen. At the age of seventeen, she took a fancy to Xie Xuanqing, the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination that year, and cried and begged to marry him. Later, she pleaded with Gongsun Yi, who then forced Gongsun Rui, who had been on the throne for less than a year, to issue an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon the two of them.

Xie Xuanqing was originally engaged, but under the imperial decree, he had no choice but to cancel it. Later, it was said that the young lady he was engaged to accidentally fell into the water and could not be saved. Xie Xuanqing was indeed a refined gentleman, but he was also physically weak. He couldn't withstand a cold and passed away at a young age.

At this time, it had only been three years since he married Cheng Yanran.

There are many rumors circulating about Xie Xuanqing's death, the general consensus being that the death of his former fiancée caused him great grief and excessive worry, which led to his illness and inability to recover.

After Xie Xuanqing's death, the Xie family treated her poorly, and she became even more impatient with them. Because she had been married to Xie Xuanqing for three years without having any children, she simply left the Xie residence and moved back to the palace.

In her past life, at the Qionglin Banquet, she took a liking to Lan Tingzhou, who was even more outstanding and refined than Xie Xuanqing.

In her previous life, Gan Cai'er had only met Cheng Yanran a few times. Given her social circle, she was worlds apart from Cheng Yanran and simply couldn't reach her.

However, Gan Cai'er had heard quite a bit about this princess's name and deeds. She knew that the other party was openly pursuing Lan Tingzhou without any hesitation, completely disregarding her, his legal wife.

For a time, Gan Cai'er was very puzzled as to why Cheng Yanran was so persistent in pursuing Lan Tingzhou. How could a princess of a country possibly become a concubine? Later, Gan Cai'er realized that she could never become a concubine; she would only kill herself first.

Gan Cai'er kept looking out the window, watching the parade gradually disappear into the distance, until the figure in red robes and on white horse was finally out of sight. Only then did she stand up, straighten her dress, and turn to Zhu Xiaoxiao, saying:

"Xiao Xiao, let's go too. Otherwise, we'll be late for the Qionglin Banquet."

In her previous life, Gan Cai'er did not attend the Qionglin Banquet. This was because only newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), officials of the fourth rank or above in the imperial court, and their families were allowed to attend the Qionglin Banquet.

In this lifetime, Emperor Jinghe suddenly showed extraordinary leniency, allowing newly appointed scholars to bring their families along, and it is said that the Empress herself would also attend.

In truth, Gan Cai'er in this life had long lost interest in all sorts of banquets in the capital, only feeling disgusted. But there were some banquets that she had to attend no matter how much she disliked them, such as the Qionglin Banquet before her.

She needed to curry favor with the Empress, and she also needed to meet with Cheng Yanran. After all, she had a blood debt to settle with Cheng Yanran.

As Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao arrived at the royal villa in their carriage, dusk quietly descended. Festive red palace lanterns hung everywhere inside and outside the villa, and even the palace servants coming and going wore red sashes, creating a joyful atmosphere.

Today, Qionglin Courtyard is divided into two main sections, left and right, separated by a peach grove. The left side is where the men hold banquets, while the right side is where the women gather.

Because this was a celebratory banquet, and all the women present were family members from various parties, the separation between men and women was not very strict.

Although the peach grove was guarded by imperial guards every three steps and every five steps, they would let you pass as long as you gave a reasonable explanation. As a result, there were quite a few people walking back and forth between the men's and women's sides.

Although Gan Cai'er had no official title or family background, she was seated very close to the front because she was Lan Tingzhou's wife, only three seats away from the Empress's main seat.

Looking at the extremely magnificent decorations, the palace servants moving about in complete silence, and the imperial guards in full armor outside the hall, Xiao Hong's heart trembled. She gripped Gan Cai'er's sleeve tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Miss, the storybooks say that when the Empress gets angry, she kills people, and she can kill anyone. Is that true?" Xiao Hong didn't dare to breathe loudly, chirping very quietly.

Gan Cai'er patted her arm and comforted her with a smile: "Don't worry, Her Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation, how could she be such an unreasonable person?"

Xiao Hong's timid and hesitant manner drew mocking glances from many people around her, their eyes filled with disdain and disgust.

"Miss, are they laughing at me?" Xiao Hong pursed her lips, her face turning bright red.

The stares they gave were so blatant, it was impossible to mistake them for anything else.

It was Xiao Hong's first time attending such a grand and solemn occasion, so it was inevitable that she felt timid, and her words and actions revealed nervousness and helplessness. Just like Gan Cai'er in her previous life.

“Yes, they’re laughing at us.” Gan Cai’er nodded calmly.

Having been reborn, she remained calm and composed when faced with these gazes that were malicious, disdainful, or prying.

Gan Cai'er smiled at Xiao Hong and said, "However, no matter how much they laugh at us, it can't change the fact that we are the family of a top scholar."

"Let them laugh however they want; it won't cost us a penny. Once they leave this door, who will remember them?"

"Xiao Hong, if you're feeling upset, why don't you think more about our 60,000 taels of silver?"

After hearing what Gan Cai'er said, Xiao Hong felt relieved and relaxed. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, Miss."

Just then, a palace attendant announced loudly, "The Empress has arrived!"

Everyone in the hall rose and paid their respects to the Empress.

"Today is the Qionglin Banquet. It is a rare occasion for me and all the ladies to gather together. Please do not stand on ceremony and make yourselves at home."

With a wave of the Empress's hand, everyone took their seats again.

After that, all sorts of delicacies were served up like a flowing stream, and then taken away again.

At this moment, the musicians and dancers also made their appearance, and the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the hall.

A grand feast has begun.

While enjoying the various delicacies, Gan Cai'er looked around. There were quite a few ladies and young ladies invited this time. Gan Cai'er counted them and found that there were six rows of people sitting in the front hall alone, about a hundred people, and there were even more people in the outer hall.

She looked around, but didn't see many familiar faces. In her previous life, the circles she could fit into were mostly the outer circles of aristocratic families; she rarely went into the truly elite circles of the capital's powerful and influential.

However, Gan Cai'er was a little surprised not to see Mei Wanyin in the front hall. Logically, given the Mei family's status, she should be sitting in the front row, but since she wasn't there, did that mean she hadn't come?

This person loves to seek fame and enjoys showing off and competing, so why didn't she come today? Is she waiting at home to get married?

Gan Cai'er munched on a osmanthus cake while making guesses. Then, her gaze swept once again toward the second seat to the left of the Empress.

Seated there was a woman in a magnificent purple robe, extremely beautiful, with striking features and captivating eyes that seemed to exude a myriad of charms. Although her hair was styled in a matronly updo, she appeared very young, no more than twenty years old. A golden and kingfisher-feather phoenix hairpin adorned her hair, its beak holding a large pearl, radiating an air of undeniable nobility.

This person was none other than Princess Pingyao, Cheng Yanran.

Gan Cai'er looked at her coldly. Perhaps because her gaze was too focused, Cheng Yanran, after exchanging a few words with the woman next to her, also looked up at her.

Cheng Yanran's gaze was also cold, and within that coldness was a disdainful air of someone in a superior position.

Thus, Gan Cai'er knew that Cheng Yanran knew who she was and had also met Lan Tingzhou.

"Madam Lan, Young Master Lan's six consecutive successes in the imperial examinations are nothing short of miraculous, a once-in-a-century event in our dynasty. I offer my congratulations to you, Madam." Yao Ji raised his cup to Gan Cai'er.