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

Two days later, the Wei family's carriage arrived early in the morning to pick up Gan Cai'er, and then she went to Foguang Temple with Zhu Xiaoxiao and Madam Wei.

The day was beautiful, with clear skies, a refreshing autumn breeze, and a pleasant drizzle – a perfect day for an outing.

Gan Cai'er and the others sat in the carriage, chatting and laughing all the way. Zhu Xiaoxiao had almost no pregnancy symptoms; if the doctor hadn't diagnosed her with a slippery pulse, she wouldn't have felt anything at all.

Mrs. Wei smiled and said that her baby would definitely be a healthy, chubby boy who wouldn't cause his mother any trouble. Babies who don't bother their mothers are usually very robust, healthy, and easy to take care of.

Zhu Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly, smiling in agreement, saying that the doctor had told her the same thing. Babies who don't let their mothers have morning sickness tend to have very strong vitality.

Gan Cai'er felt a lump in her throat and turned her face to the car window, looking out. She thought back to when she was pregnant with her first child; he was just like that, never bothering her, allowing her to eat and sleep well... If she had been born, he would have been a healthy and loving child too.

Foguang Temple is located on Zhongshan Mountain in the eastern suburbs of Kyoto. After more than an hour, the carriage arrived at the temple gate.

The monks of Foguang Temple along the way all changed their expressions upon seeing Gan Cai'er, and then quickly left. As they entered the mountain gate, they saw several high-ranking monks approaching in a hurry.

"Madam Lan, it is the birthday of the Duchess of Xinguo. Layman Fanjing went down the mountain and returned home ten days ago."

Seeing the monks' tense expressions, Gan Cai'er touched her nose and said awkwardly, "I came here to accompany a friend to burn incense, not to see the master."

Zhu Xiaoxiao glanced sideways and whispered, "A-Cai, what did you do to her?"

"Tch, I've only climbed over the wall a few times." Gan Cai'er pouted, somewhat unconvinced. "These monks are so petty, they still remember it for so long."

After saying that, she grabbed Zhu Xiaoxiao and quickly left.

The most efficacious blessing for a safe delivery is Guanyin Bodhisattva. Madam Wei bought several sticks of incense and then took Zhu Xiaoxiao into the Guanyin Hall.

"Miss, let's go and pray too," Xiao Hong suggested.

Gan Cai'er shook her head; she didn't want to have a child.

"Xiao Hong, I want to light a lamp of immortality."

Xiao Hong felt a pang in her heart. She knew that her young mistress was being moved by the scene and wanted to light a lamp for the young master she had never met in her previous life.

On either side of the main hall of Foguang Temple, there are two longevity pavilions, which enshrine numerous longevity lamps. The longevity lamp on the left is for praying for the living, while the one on the right is for the deceased.

Gan Cai'er wrote down the time of her miscarriage in her previous life, then carefully folded it and handed it to the monk in the pavilion. The monk chanted incantations over the paper and finally gave Gan Cai'er a copper oil lamp.

The Longevity Pavilion is divided into inner and outer halls. The inner hall is dedicated to those who died young. Gan Cai'er enshrines those who were never born, so she lit the longevity lamp in the inner hall.

She stood before the lamp, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and silently prayed in her heart that the child with whom she had no mother-child bond could be reborn into a good family in this life, with both parents alive, no worries about food and clothing, and a smooth and healthy life.

As she prayed again and again, she suddenly heard a very faint rustling sound. Apart from the oil lamps, there was no other lighting in the Longevity Pavilion, so the light was very dim, and people could not see clearly beyond five steps.

Suddenly, there was an unusual noise, which startled Xiao Hong. She held Gan Cai'er tightly and then took out a handful of silver needles from her bosom.

"Miss, let's go out quickly," Xiao Hong said.

Today was not a holiday, so there weren't many worshippers at Foguang Temple, and even fewer at Changsheng Pavilion. At this moment, only the two of them, mistress and servant, were in the entire right-hand Changsheng Pavilion.

As soon as Xiaohong finished speaking, the rustling sound disappeared without a trace, as if it had never happened.

Gan Cai'er felt a chill run down her spine, so she nodded and started to walk out. However, after only two or three steps, a strange feeling suddenly flashed through her mind.

She stopped and turned around, looking at the layers of eternal life lamps burning on the wooden frame, like twinkling stars.

She doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but she believes in karma. She had only lit a lamp for her child from a past life when she encountered something strange. Perhaps she should ask a few more questions?

"Who, who is there?" Gan Cai'er asked.

A soft rustling sound rang out again, but still no one responded. Gan Cai'er thought for a moment, then took a few steps back.

"Miss, don't move, I'll go take a look." Xiao Hong stopped Gan Cai'er. Then, holding a pair of silver needles, she carefully moved slowly towards the source of the sound.

When Xiaohong walked to the inside of the room, she saw a small figure sitting in the far corner.

"Young Master Du, it's you?!" Xiao Hong exclaimed.

Gan Cai'er was shocked to hear this and quickly walked over. Then she saw Du Ke huddled in the corner.

"Why are you here?" Gan Cai'er squatted down to help Du Ke up.

Du Ke broke free from her hand, but did not get up. He just sat there silently without saying a word.

At this moment, Gan Cai'er clearly sensed his unusual behavior.

"Young Master Du, has something happened?" Gan Cai'er simply sat down on the ground next to Du Ke.

Du Ke did not answer, but stared blankly at the rows of longevity lamps.

After an unknown amount of time, Du Ke suddenly spoke up: "Madam Lan, are these lamps really effective? Can they truly ensure that the deceased will be happy in their next life because of someone's prayers?"

Gan Cai'er's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely guessed what was going on. She knew that the longevity lamps here were only lit for those who died young.

"Of course I will," Gan Cai'er said with absolute certainty, without the slightest hesitation.

"Everyone says Foguang Temple is the most efficacious. If it weren't effective, why would so many people come to pray? I just lit a longevity lamp for the family member who died young. I believe that with my prayers, he will surely be happy in his next life!"

"Is that so?" Du Ke turned his head and looked at Gan Cai'er, his eyes filled with confusion and pain.

“Of course.” Gan Cai’er patted Du Ke on the shoulder. “When have I ever lied to you?”

"By the way, why did you come here alone? Where are Granny Huang and Magpie?"

Du Ke buried his head in his knees and answered irrelevantly, "Madam Lan, I want to go back to Danzhou. I miss my mother."

"You knew all along?" Gan Cai'er asked cautiously.

Du Ke nodded slowly: "Master Kang is a secret guard of the Yao family."

So, Gan Cai'er learned from Du Ke that he had recently survived two assassination attempts, and that Yao's secret guards had saved him. Then she learned about her own background.

He couldn't accept it, so he secretly ran away. He didn't want to be a prince; he wanted to go home and find his mother.

He heard that the Empress had lit an eternal life lamp here for the real Du Ke who died in his place, so he wanted to come and see it before he left.

Gan Cai'er broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. It was truly fortunate that she had encountered Du Ke. Otherwise, she wouldn't even know how he died. However, even now, he wasn't far from death. Since someone had tried to assassinate him, Gongsun Yi must have discovered his background.

“Silly child, if you insist on going home, won’t you be causing trouble for Aunt Zhao?” Gan Cai’er patiently advised Du Ke.

"The Regent dares to kill even princes, let alone a mere concubine from the Du family? Only if you are in the capital will they not go to Danzhou to cause trouble for Concubine Zhao."

“Young Master Du, your life was saved by so many people, you must cherish it. Otherwise, that child died in vain. You must live well for him so that you can be filial to Aunt Zhao.”

Du Ke was a bright child to begin with, and in the past year or two, his talents in all aspects had improved by leaps and bounds. However, he was so shocked by the sudden news of his origins that he couldn't accept it and ran away on his own.

At this moment, a few words of advice from others gradually brought him back to his senses. If it weren't for the protection of his bodyguards during the previous two assassination attempts, he would have been a victim of their swords long ago. Under these circumstances, for him to return to Danzhou alone was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Then I'll sneak back again," Du Ke said, head down.

"Are you trying to kill yourself by running around like this?" Gan Cai'er ruffled his hair and said helplessly, "You should stay with me for now."

"Xiao Hong, have the Xuan Ying Guards send a message to Meng Yu, saying that Du Ke is here. Also, go and get some cosmetics; I'll disguise him."

When Zhu Xiaoxiao saw Gan Cai'er leading a little beggar out, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Ah Cai, where did you pick up this child?"

“I just met him at the temple. I felt sorry for him, so I took care of him,” Gan Cai’er replied.

"I think this child has a good sense of style. Could he be a lost young master from some family?" Madam Wei looked him up and down.

Gan Cai'er silently turned around and glanced at Du Ke, whom she had meticulously dressed. She had already torn Du Ke's clothes into shreds and rolled them in mud several times... and yet, Madam Wei still thought he had good taste in clothes? If she had known this would happen, she should have sent Xiao Hong to steal a tattered monk's robe.

"Really? Hehe, Madam Wei has a good eye. I didn't notice it. In that case, once we get to the city, I'll take him to the Jingzhao Prefecture so he can go home sooner."

“That’s right,” Madam Wei nodded. “However, there’s no rush. There’s a Dharma assembly at the temple tomorrow, and I’ve already booked a meditation room in the back temple. We’ll listen to the assembly before we go down the mountain.”

Gan Cai'er thought for a moment and decided that it was better to remain still than to act rashly. Since the assassin had not yet arrived, it was clear that no one knew Du Ke's whereabouts.

That's fine too.