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

Mei Wanyin is dead.

When Gan Cai'er heard the news, she was completely stunned. She looked at Xiao Hong almost unconsciously, seemingly not understanding what she was talking about.

Until Xiao Hong repeated once more: "Xiao Hong, the second young lady of the Mei family, Mei Wanyin, is really dead!"

How could someone suddenly die when they were perfectly fine? Gan Cai'er stared blankly, unable to understand.

Mei Wanyin's death, like Qiaoque's, came suddenly and unexpectedly, catching Gan Cai'er off guard. She hadn't even figured out how to approach her next when she was suddenly gone.

Gan Cai'er was completely stunned for several days. She couldn't help but wonder if there was some divine intervention helping her out of the dark.

Afterwards, she sent Xiao Hong and Mo Yan to the streets to inquire about all the rumors and news about Mei Wanyin's death, trying to piece together the truth of the incident little by little.

Gan Cai'er was both surprised and somewhat unsurprised that Li Aniu killed Mei Wanyin. The most surprising thing about Li Aniu was when she heard that he had personally testified in court that Qiaoque had asked him to find someone to ruin Mei Wanqing's reputation.

Gan Cai'er knew that Qiao Que wanted to ruin Mei Wanqing's reputation, but she also knew that the mastermind behind it was someone else. So when Li Aniu, as Qiao Que's brother, personally pinned all the blame on her after Qiao Que's death... Gan Cai'er was shocked and chilled.

Now it all makes sense. For a gambler, a thousand taels of silver is more than enough to betray a family bond.

"Is this guy brainless? How dare he try to extort money from the Mei family again and again?"

Gan Cai'er was shocked after hearing the rumors Xiao Hong had gathered. Shouldn't someone in this situation usually just take the money and disappear?

"I heard he was driven to desperation by people demanding gambling debts. The villagers say that Li Aniu used to gamble only in the village, and he didn't gamble much. He won and lost, and didn't spend much money in a month. Otherwise, how could Qiaoque afford to support him? Even if she emptied the entire Luoxia Courtyard, she probably still couldn't fill his bottomless pit." Xiao Hong continued gossiping.

"Later, he took a thousand taels of silver from the Mei family, and someone led him to a gambling den in the capital. At first, he was lucky and kept winning. It is said that he won two or three thousand taels."

"His gambling addiction grew stronger and stronger, and then he started losing big. In less than two days, he lost all his money and even owed the gambling house more than a thousand taels."

"The gambling den said that if he couldn't pay back the money, he would be killed. That's why he went to Miss Mei to ask for the money. He might die if he tried to extort money, but he would definitely die if he didn't ask for it. So, he had no choice but to take the risk."

"Throughout history, no one who is addicted to gambling has ever had a good ending," Xiao Hong sighed.

At this moment, Gan Cai'er recalled what Meng Yu had mentioned about Mei Wanqing's past life ending. Therefore, Xiao Qilang, this fake monk, was found by Mei Wanyin, and Qiaoque and Qiaoyan were her accomplices.

In her past life, her framing succeeded, and Mei Wanqing died because of her meticulous planning. But in this life, she failed. Thus, Qiaoque became the scapegoat, and Li Aniu became the rope that tied the scapegoat to the ground.

Originally, all of this seemed to be a perfect cover-up, especially since Mei Qingru managed to suppress Jueming's death so calmly, and Qiaoyan also died in the end.

But no one expected that Li Aniu would become the biggest variable.

"But the Mei family is very powerful in the capital. Wouldn't it be easy for them to kill a gambler? How did he manage to kill Mei Wanyin instead?" Gan Cai'er was very puzzled.

"Hey, hey, Miss, you don't know this, do you? Everyone outside is saying that Li Aniu is incredibly lucky and has a long life ahead of him," Xiao Hong continued gossiping.

"Rumor has it that the Mei family sent people to kill him at least three times, but he managed to escape each time. That's why he finally decided to fight Mei Wanyin to the death."

"Wow, is Li Aniu really that amazing?" Gan Cai'er exclaimed in surprise.

"That's why he's said to be incredibly lucky! He happened to run into the Imperial Guards on patrol twice, and he was also saved by a chivalrous hero once."

A strange feeling suddenly arose in Gan Cai'er's heart; she felt that something was not quite right.

"In the end, he jumped into the lake and ran away. Didn't the Mei family's guards chase after him? And no one rescued Mei Wanyin?" Gan Cai'er asked, revealing the biggest mystery in the whole case.

"Yes, everyone finds this very strange. But that's what Li Aniu said, so many people think he's lying, saying that there were no guards present at the time, and there must be a bigger secret behind it."

In fact, there were guards present that day, and Li Aniu was not lying. Mei Wanyin's invitation to her friend to go boating on the lake was a trap set for Li Aniu; the news was specifically leaked to him, with the aim of luring him into a trap and completely eliminating him as a potential threat.

But being killed in return was something Mei Wanyin never expected. Therefore, she died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

That day, she brought three personal guards with her, all of whom were her trusted confidants. Their martial arts skills were not the highest in the mansion, but they were more than enough to deal with Li Aniu.

She was relieved.

As a result, the three guards not only failed to stop Li Aniu from stabbing her, but also failed to save her in time. They only woke up leisurely in a back alley an hour after she died.

After listening to Xiao Hong recount all the rumors circulating in the market, Gan Cai'er rested her chin on her hand and thought for a long time before getting up and walking outside.

"Hey, miss, where are you going?" Xiao Hong asked, pulling her aside.

"I'm going to the study."

Gan Cai'er felt that Lan Tingzhou must understand what she couldn't figure out.

However, she did not wait for Lan Tingzhou in the study.

When Lanting Zhou was off duty, four men who looked like guards blocked his way.

"May I ask you gentlemen what brings you here?" Lan Tingzhou asked calmly.

"My patriarch would like to invite Scholar Lan to join us for a chat," said the leader. He spoke politely, but his attitude was firm.

Mo Yun jumped down from the carriage and reached into his robes. He had thunderbolts and tranquilizing silver needles in his robes, given to him by Lan Tingzhi, just in case.

Lan Tingzhou waved his hand at him and said, "Mo Yun, you wait for me here. I'll be right back."

After saying this, he followed the guards into a carriage with a blue oilcloth curtain. After the carriage swayed and bumped along for about half an hour, Lan Tingzhou was taken to a villa on the outskirts of the capital.

The courtyard is small, but it is very rustic and serene.

"Prime Minister Mei indeed possesses exceptional taste and discerning eye," Lan Tingzhou couldn't help but praise.

The guards walking beside him all stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide with astonishment as they all looked at him.

"It was Prime Minister Mei who invited me here. Is that so hard to guess?" Lan Tingzhou smiled faintly.

The four guards lowered their eyes and hurriedly led him into the courtyard.

In a tea room in the courtyard, Lan Tingzhou met the person he wanted to see, who was indeed Mei Qingru.

"Lan Xiuzhuan dares to come alone, he certainly has great courage." Mei Qingru's expression was solemn, her eyes were cold and deep, and her powerful aura as a superior was overwhelming.

Lan Tingzhou seemed oblivious to the palpable pressure emanating from Mei Qingru. He slowly walked up to Mei Qingru, lifted his official robe, and sat down opposite her with a composed expression.

"With a clear conscience, where would I not dare to go?" Lan Tingzhou raised his eyes and said calmly.

"Heh, what a fine claim of having a clear conscience! You set up a trap, step by step, leading Li Aniu into gambling debts and causing my son's tragic death, and you still dare to say you have a clear conscience!" Mei Qingru shouted angrily.

“Prime Minister Mei, the heavens are vast and all-encompassing, yet nothing escapes their grasp. The truth cannot be concealed.” Lan Tingzhou looked at Mei Qingru quietly.

"A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. Your wife and Miss Mei, have you been helping or hindering them? I believe that Prime Minister Mei knows the answer in his heart."

"I know what will happen to the Mei family. But Lan Xiuzhuan has overstepped his bounds. Those who love to meddle in other people's business usually die young." Mei Qingru's gaze was cold.

“What Prime Minister Mei says is true.” Lan Tingzhou nodded slightly. “I shouldn’t be meddling in the affairs of the Mei family’s inner quarters.”

"It's just that my wife is too eager for quick success and good deeds. She almost lost her life twice at the hands of your wife because of Miss Mei. Prime Minister Mei has family members who want to protect her, and so do I. Therefore, I have no choice but to interfere."

Upon hearing Lan Tingzhou mention Mei Wanqing, Mei Qingru's expression froze.

"A gambler will not gamble only once, and an evildoer will not commit only one evil. If a body has a festering sore, it will eventually die from the sore if it is not thoroughly removed."

“If you don’t clean house, someone else will do it for you sooner or later. If it’s not me today, it will be someone else tomorrow. When that happens, it might not just be Miss Mei who suffers, but the lives of hundreds of people in your Mei family.”

"I have said all I have to say. I will leave it to my beloved Wangmei to do as he sees fit."

"If Prime Minister Mei insists on regarding me as the enemy who killed his wife and daughter, then I have nothing to say."

Having said that, Lan Tingzhou stood up, turned around, and walked straight out. His steps were steady and unhurried, his shoulders and back straight and upright, without the slightest hesitation or fear.

Mei Qingru's gaze was dark and fixed on him. He knew Lan Tingzhou was gambling on his choice, gambling that he would sacrifice his arm to survive. He also knew that Lan Tingzhou had won the gamble.

When Lan Tingzhou asked Lu Qingning to secretly protect Li Aniu, Lu Qingning also asked him, "Why do you dare to go against Mei Qingru? Aren't you afraid that he won't let you off the hook in the future?"

Lanting Zhou smiled but did not answer.

He dared to gamble because Gan Cai'er told him that Mei Qingru had always been the Left Prime Minister of the Great Yong Dynasty, until she left. Such a person, able to weather decades of ups and downs in officialdom, demonstrates that he is cautious and rational when faced with major issues of principle and when weighing the pros and cons.

"Qingning, you should marry Qiuling from Yingchun Pavilion as soon as possible," Lantingzhou suddenly said.

"Ha, I'd like to marry her, but she won't."

“She has a younger brother who committed a crime and is on the run. She’s afraid he’ll implicate you in the future. It’s just that he stole two cows. Go find her brother, bring him to justice, and let him serve his sentence.”

"What?! Tingzhou, how did you find out?"

"After we get married, you can give me a generous thank-you gift," Lan Tingzhou said with a smile.