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

Gan Cai'er had no idea that after her death, Emperor Jinghe would actually send insults to the Gan family's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Of course, Emperor Jinghe also sent greetings to the ancestors of the Lan family for eighteen generations and the ancestors of the Meng family.

If Lan Tingzhou and Meng Yu weren't Gongsun Rui's most steadfast allies in reclaiming imperial power, and also his close friends of over a decade, then he really wanted to issue an edict to have them both beaten and driven out of the palace!

Out of sight out of mind!

If possible, Gongsun Rui would love to drag Gan Cai'er in front of those two men and let her choose who she wants to be with.

Unfortunately, he sent out a hundred elite guards, but they still haven't found Gan Cai'er.

He already had a vague suspicion in his mind.

After all, the blizzard was so severe that many people disappeared without a trace.

He wasn't the only one who had this guess; he believed Lan Tingzhou and Meng Yu also had it, but neither of them was willing to admit it.

Now that only the title remains, are these two really going to fight to the death over it?!

Gongsun Rui had a headache.

His gaze fell on the memorial on the desk in which Mei Xiang had requested sick leave, and his head began to ache even more.

He glanced at the Imperial Guards at the door and considered again whether to throw the two kneeling men in front of the hall out.

"You two, please rise."

Gongsun Rui finally sighed and accepted this hot potato.

The affairs of the inner court are related to the affairs of the court, and the family matters of this key minister are not merely family matters. As the emperor, he cannot afford to be careless and must find a way to resolve them.

The chaotic winds of the twenty-fifth year of Jinghe did not reach the late autumn of the fourth year of Jinghe.

That year, Gan Cai'er was not yet involved in the power struggle between the two powerful ministers. Her life was still simple, and she was full of vitality. Her eyes were clear and bright. She winked at Zhu Xiaoxiao.

Zhu Xiaoxiao instantly understood.

"Young Master Huang, is the Wu family you speak of the family of General Wu?"

"Exactly."

Huang Tinghai remained reserved and nodded slightly.

"To gain the favor of the Wu family, young master truly deserves to be one of the Seven Talents of Qinchuan Academy. But I wonder, which young lady is the eighth young lady of the Wu family?"

"The tallest one in the blue dress over there is Miss Wu the Eighth," Huang Tinghai pointed.

Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao looked in the direction Huang Tinghai pointed and saw about four or five women sitting together.

One of them, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was wearing a sky-blue brocade skirt with gold thread, her hair adorned with pearl hairpins, and she had a beautiful face with eyebrows like ink paintings and lips like painted vermilion. She was a dignified beauty.

It was her?!

Gan Cai'er was suddenly startled.

She knew this woman from her past life. But back then, didn't she claim to be surnamed Song and Huang Tinghai's cousin?

Gan Cai'er's eyes sharpened.

"Does Miss Wu have the single character 'Xin' in her name?" Gan Cai'er asked.

"Indeed. Miss Xie, you know Miss Eight?"

Sure enough, Song Xin in her past life was actually Wu Xin! In her past life, she was foolishly sold out and even helped the seller count the money! Gan Cai'er gritted her teeth.

“We country girls could never know such a noble lady as the Wu family. We have only heard of her reputation, that she is beautiful and intelligent and a role model for women from noble families.”

Gan Cai'er's humility pleased Huang Tinghai.

"The Wu family has been officials for generations, and their ancestors included two imperial tutors. It is no exaggeration to call them the most prominent family in Danzhou."

"Although the Wu family is a prominent and wealthy household, the people are very humble, especially towards talented individuals, whom they treat with great courtesy. If you wish to meet Miss Wu, I can introduce you to her."

In just two short sentences, Huang Tinghai's previously hidden arrogance is now vividly revealed.

Zhu Xiaoxiao frowned silently.

How come a general who only obtained the rank of fourth grade through the protection of his ancestors sounds like a family that has been a prestigious family for hundreds of years, as described by this young master Huang?

"Really? Young Master Huang, you can really introduce us?!"

Gan Cai'er raised her small face and looked at Huang Tinghai with joy, her bright eyes shining with admiration.

Seeing Gan Cai'er start acting and causing trouble again, Zhu Xiaoxiao silently shuddered.

"Of course."

Huang Tinghai was dazzled by the light in Gan Cai'er's eyes, so he immediately stood up and led Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao to Wu Xin's place.

Gan Cai'er pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao up and followed behind him, two steps behind.

"Later, you must win over Wu Xin," Gan Cai'er whispered to Zhu Xiaoxiao.

Zhu Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes widened instantly, her face filled with disbelief.

"Take it down? What makes me think I can take it down?!"

"Naturally, it's because of your intelligence and beauty," Gan Cai'er said with a friendly smile.

"No, what about you? Why aren't you going...?"

"Oh~~~"

Before Zhu Xiaoxiao could finish speaking, Gan Cai'er interrupted her with a startled exclamation.

Huang Tinghai stopped and turned around. He saw Xiao Hong running up from behind and helping Gan Cai'er up.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Xiao Hong asked anxiously.

"I twisted my ankle."

"Where did you twist it? Your ankle? Let me take a look." Xiao Hong said, squatting down.

"Hey, hey, hey, be gentle!"

Gan Cai'er's loud shouting attracted the attention of many people.

"Miss Xie, is your foot injury serious? Should we call the royal physician to take a look?" Huang Tinghai walked over.

This autumn outing, being in Nanshan, involved a large number of people. Madam Qian had arranged for two physicians to accompany her, just in case something unexpected happened during the trip.

"I was walking too fast and missed a step, so I twisted my ankle. It's nothing serious, I'll just sit down and rest for a bit."

"But given my current state, I'm afraid it's inappropriate for me to go and greet Miss Wu."

Gan Cai'er's eyes revealed deep regret and resentment.

"Xiao Xiao, please give my regards to Miss Wu."

Zhu Xiaoxiao really wanted to roll her eyes at her, but she held back.

So, Gan Cai'er sat on the stone bench and watched Huang Tinghai bring Zhu Xiaoxiao into Wu Xin's little circle.

She saw that Zhu Xiaoxiao had adopted a demeanor that was rarely seen in young ladies. Her every move was different from her usual playful and witty manner, and she became dignified and elegant.

Xiao Xiao is indeed reliable, Gan Cai'er said with satisfaction, squinting her eyes.

As Xiao Hong was massaging Gan Cai'er's feet, she finally noticed something was wrong and stopped.

"Miss, are you trying to extort Miss Zhu again?"

"Oh dear, Hong'er, keep rubbing. If you're going to do an act, you have to go all the way."

"Sigh, Miss, you're not a child anymore, why do you still have such a childish mentality?" Xiao Hong sighed helplessly.

There were some things that Gan Cai'er couldn't explain to Xiao Hong, so she had to let her misunderstand.

Fortunately, although Xiao Hong often complained about Gan Cai'er, she always did what Gan Cai'er told her to do.

Huang Tinghai was a man and it was inconvenient for him to stay long. After introducing Zhu Xiaoxiao to Wu Xin, he left.

Gan Cai'er's gaze seemed to follow his figure subtly.

Then she discovered that he was always alone. Many people greeted him, but almost no one was willing to join his circle.

He lingered near Young Master Wu, but unfortunately, Young Master Wu was surrounded by a large crowd, making it impossible for him to get around.

It seems that Huang Tinghai is indeed just like in his previous life: arrogant, conceited, and with extremely poor interpersonal relationships.

He looks down on those who are inferior to him, and is jealous of those who are superior to him.

Gan Cai'er turned her attention back to Wu Xin. It seems that the Wu family is the most likely to be connected with Huang Tinghai.

However, the Wu family and Lan Tingzhou had no long-standing feud, nor any recent grudges. In their previous lives, they might not have even had any contact with each other.

Why would his family want to harm Lan Tingzhou?

Gan Cai'er frowned deeply.