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

"Hey, look! Look! Young Master Wu is practicing his sword dance!"

Suddenly, someone in the pavilion exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone stopped gossiping and looked towards the waterfall.

A man dressed in a wide, bright red robe was seen dancing with a sword. The sword flashed, and he moved gracefully, like a dragon in flight. The roar of the waterfall beside him made his movements even more impressive.

The faint sound of drums could be heard, as if they were cheering him on with his sword dance.

"It's too far away to see clearly. Let's go outside and take a look!"

One person calls out, and several respond.

In no time at all, everyone in the pavilion had left. Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao also joined in the fun, following behind the crowd.

"Miss Zhu, why didn't you say a word in support of my young lady just now?" Xiao Hong complained in a low voice.

"Your young lady did try to clarify things, but hardly anyone listened," Huan'er said, glaring at Xiao Hong and speaking up for Zhu Xiaoxiao.

"If you ask me, your young lady should just reveal her identity directly. That would be far better than anything else. It would definitely shock them!"

"Hey, you two should stop arguing."

Zhu Xiaoxiao wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and spoke up to stop the two maids from arguing.

“Xiao Hong, you should know that ‘rumors stop with the wise,’ but they won’t stop with gossipy busybodies. Even if A Cai and I talk until our lips are sore today, it won’t do any good.”

It was rare to see Gan Cai'er get the short end of the stick, and she almost laughed herself silly just now. You have to understand, Gan Cai'er is practically a tyrant in Qingshui Town, and there aren't many people who can make her suffer.

However, after laughing, she still showed concern for Gan Cai'er.

"Ah Cai, how did you become the subject of such outrageous rumors?"

"How would I know!" Gan Cai'er said irritably.

"It's just something someone with designs on Lanting Boat made up to disgust people."

"What's the point of spreading these rumors?" Zhu Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled. "Does Lan Tingzhou think he'd divorce you because of these rumors?"

Gan Cai'er glanced at Zhu Xiaoxiao but didn't reply.

Little did Zhu Xiaoxiao know that the marriage she had painstakingly maintained for twelve years in her previous life collapsed amidst various rumors and gossip.

"Many voices can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy bones"—that was the first time she witnessed the power of rumors.

She doesn't take the rumors circulating in Danzhou Prefecture to heart. The more outrageous the rumors, the less credible they are; a rumor that's nine parts truth and one part falsehood is the most deadly weapon.

"Hey, look, isn't that the bookworm who's drawing?" Huan'er suddenly raised her hand and pointed forward.

The group looked closely, and sure enough!

The young scholar they had met in the grove was the one who was writing calligraphy at the desk by the fence.

At this moment, the young scholar was no longer the awkward and shy man he had been before. Holding the wolf-hair brush, his movements were bold and unrestrained, flowing like clouds and water, exuding a free and easy spirit, revealing a touch of youthful ambition and confidence.

The boy's silhouette, splashing ink, inexplicably gave Gan Cai'er a sense of déjà vu.

Where have I seen this person before?

"He really can draw!" Zhu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, having previously thought he was just trying to fool her.

“How could Young Master Wei not know how to paint? He’s from the Wei family, a family of painters and calligraphers!” someone nearby chimed in.

The words "Wei family" were like a ray of light, dispelling the fog in Gan Cai'er's mind. It was him all along!

More than a decade later, it was Wei Shi'an, a master of Northern School painting who was as famous as Lan Tingzhou! No wonder he looked familiar.

Although his name was widely known, Gan Cai'er had only met him a few times. She vaguely remembered visiting the Lu family mansion, where Old Master Lu insisted on having him compete with Lan Tingzhou; that was how she met him a few times.

"Nanting Beishi" will be renowned throughout the entire Dayong in the future.

Wei Shi'an came from a family of painters and calligraphers. He was passionate about painting and was an upright and sincere person. Lan Tingzhou had a very high opinion of him.

Such a talented young man cannot be let go.

What a wonderful surprise! This trip was definitely worthwhile. Gan Cai'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately decided that he would be Xiao Xiao's husband!

Gan Cai'er was overjoyed, grabbed Zhu Xiaoxiao, and strode forward.

"Come on, let's go closer and take a look."

"Hey, hey, hey, A-Cai, don't pull me! If we go any further, I'll bump into the bamboo fence."

“There’s a small gap ahead, Xiao Xiao, let’s crawl through there.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao stopped abruptly, glaring helplessly at Gan Cai'er.

“Ah Cai, that’s all men over there. It would be against etiquette for us to go there. ‘Men and women should not sit together.’ If we really go there, we’ll be drowned in spittle.”

"Ha, what's the point of talking about etiquette today? It's just a place for men and women to observe each other. I didn't see anyone avoiding each other while climbing the mountain. So why talk about etiquette?"

"Let's go tease that bookworm."

"Oh, well, okay then."

After saying that, Zhu Xiaoxiao ran a few steps, bent down, and crawled through the gap first.

"Xiao Hong, look! Your young lady has corrupted my young lady again!" Huan'er stomped her feet angrily from behind.

"Oh dear, your feet are your young lady's body, how can you blame this on my young lady? Hehe, your young lady has already gone over there, why don't you hurry up and catch up?" Xiao Hong pushed Huan'er with a grin.

The Zhu family was considered a scholarly family, and Zhu Xiaoxiao was carefully raised to be a lady of a prominent family. In particular, she had the appearance of a typical Jiangnan noblewoman: gentle and graceful, with beautiful features, petite and delicate, and full of scholarly air.

Originally, everyone thought Zhu Xiaoxiao would grow up to be a lady, until she met Gan Cai'er.

Then, she embarked on a path of inconsistency, appearing gentle on the outside but wild on the inside, from which there was no turning back.

Although the observation deck is large, it is flat and open, offering a panoramic view of everything except the inner pavilion.

So, when Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao, carrying their skirts, cautiously and discreetly crossed the bamboo fence, many people on the viewing platform were watching them crawl through the fence.

After all, Gan Cai'er's crimson and gold-threaded dress was too dazzling.

Lan Tingzhou felt the veins on his forehead throbbing, and a breath suddenly caught in his chest, making him feel like he was going to vomit blood!

How could she behave like this in public?!

In particular, when he noticed that the men around him were glancing at Gan Cai'er, he gritted his teeth. He really wanted to tear off the curtain, wrap her up, and carry her down the mountain!

Lan Tingzhou, his face dark, was about to walk towards Gan Cai'er when he saw Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao walking hand in hand towards the desk by the railing.

"Bookworm, you can really draw?" Zhu Xiaoxiao peeked at the desk.

The sudden female voice startled Wei Shi'an so much that he almost threw his pen away.

He turned around in a panic and saw Zhu Xiaoxiao and Gan Cai'er standing behind him. In an instant, his face flushed red.

Then, he suddenly turned around, presenting his back to the two of them, and stammered, "You, you, how did you get here?"

"We're here for an autumn outing, why can't we be here?"

Seeing Wei Anshi's helpless expression, Zhu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh.

"Then, you, shouldn't you be in the pavilion?" Wei Anshi spoke with his back to the two men, not daring to turn around even slightly.

Zhu Xiaoxiao laughed in exasperation: "Is your name written on the observation deck? Can't I come and take a look?"

"you you you......"

"Brother Wei is simple and honest, I hope the two young ladies will not tease him." Another man beside the desk couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up to help Wei Shi'an out of the predicament.

Zhu Xiaoxiao blushed, stopped laughing, straightened her posture, and said softly to the man, "It's not that I wanted to tease Young Master Wei, but I heard in the pavilion that Young Master Wei's painting skills are extraordinary, so I wanted to come and see what he painted."

"Young Master Wu performed a sword dance, which inspired Brother Wei to create this painting," the man said gently.

"Oh, is it finished?" Zhu Xiaoxiao peeked out again.

"It's finished."

Before the man could answer, Wei Shi'an spoke up. Then, he moved to the side, displaying the finished painting to Zhu Xiaoxiao.

It was a freehand ink painting of a sword dance, vividly depicting the thunderous force of the waterfall and the graceful movement of the swordsman. Even through the paper, one could feel the unbridled freedom and exuberance between the figure and the waterfall.

"It's beautifully drawn!" Zhu Xiaoxiao praised sincerely.

Gan Cai'er watched with great interest as Wei Shi'an's ears gradually turned from white to pink, then to red, until they were completely red.

It was just that Zhu Xiaoxiao praised him once. Ha, how simple and naive she is.

Gan Cai'er felt there was a chance.

After all, Wei Shi'an is not yet famous throughout the Great Yong Dynasty. He is two years younger than Lan Tingzhou, making him only seventeen this year, so it's best to strike first.

She looked around in a good mood, when suddenly her eyes widened and she stared at the front left.

A man dressed in a black robe is leaning on the railing to view the waterfall.

Even if Gan Cai'er were beaten to death, she would never mistake this person for Huang Tinghai, who had falsely accused Lan Tingzhou of falsifying his identity in her previous life!