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

Gan Cai'er felt that Lan Tingzhou was right.

Wu Xin's biggest obstacle to marrying Lan Tingzhou is herself, and she should also eliminate herself.

But the truth is that Wu Xin in her previous life did not attack her, while Lan Tingzhou was falsely accused.

Therefore, when she learned that Huang Tinghai had a very deep connection with the Wu family and that Song Xin was Wu Xin, many things became clear to her. However, there was still one thing she couldn't understand, and that was the reason.

why?

Why would the Wu family frame Lan Tingzhou, and why would Huang Tinghai be willing to sacrifice his future to act as a pawn?

What Gan Cai'er didn't know was that if there is a road that looks simple, convenient and quick, but no one ever goes there, it can only mean that this road is not a shortcut at all, or that it is indeed a shortcut, but the way to it has been completely cut off.

Therefore, those who want to achieve their goals can only take a long detour and walk a treacherous path full of thorns.

In his previous life, the one who cut through the path was Lan Tingzhou.

In his previous life, Lan Tingzhou passed both the county and prefectural examinations smoothly, but he failed to achieve the same feat as he has in this life.

Because Gan Cai'er did indeed affect his studies.

He was eighteen or nineteen years old at the time, in the prime of his life, and had just gotten married. How could he stand Gan Cai'er's constant teasing?

In addition, Gan Cai'er and Lan's mother were like oil and water, and would often have a big fight. One was strict and the other was unruly. They were like enemies and would not give an inch, which made him even more troubled.

He only spends a small portion of his time on his studies; most of the time he has to navigate between his mother and daughter-in-law.

He was noticed in his previous life after he obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level). His painting "Wild Chrysanthemums Lying on Branches" was seen by chance and was greatly admired by Wei Buzhen, who even made a special trip to Qingshui Town to find him.

He thus became famous.

Lan Tingzhou's excellence is evident to anyone with eyes. He was never a rough gem, but a beautiful jade that astonishes people the moment it appears in the world.

He simply lowered his eyes and stood there quietly, his aloofness and noble bearing, his unparalleled elegance, were a radiance that even plain clothes could not suppress.

Everyone who has met him agrees: this boy is no ordinary person.

Those who coveted the Lanting Boat were as numerous as carp crossing a river; it wasn't just women in their boudoirs.

Wu Songping is one of them.

The Wu family could barely be considered a distinguished family, with generations of officials and even two imperial tutors among their ancestors. However, in recent generations, they began to decline, and the entire family moved out of the capital, far from the circle of power. Wu Songping only served as a minor general in Danzhou.

Few of the Wu family's descendants in this generation are promising; the only one who has achieved any real success is Wu Xiong, the third son of the Wu family.

His strength lay in leading troops in battle and his exceptional martial arts skills. However, the Great Yong Dynasty had not experienced any major wars for many years, and the court placed greater emphasis on civil officials than military ones.

If you're bad at martial arts, you can practice diligently; hard work can make up for a lack of talent. But when it comes to studying and taking exams, if you don't have any talent, even if you study hard for twelve hours a day, it will be of no use except for rote memorization.

What the Wu family lacks most is cultured people.

The Wu family, wanting to return to the core power circle of Kyoto, urgently needs a civil official.

Lantingzhou is a very suitable candidate.

He was upright, of noble character, and exceptionally talented, and came from a simple family. Most importantly, his background was clean yet flawed.

A person with weaknesses is easier to manipulate. Even if he rises to prominence in the future, he can only rely on the Wu family.

Wu Xin had only seen him a few times from afar when she fell in love with him and decided that she would marry no one but him. She was even willing to lower herself and become his concubine.

The Wu family extended an olive branch to Lan Tingzhou, but they didn't expect that Lan Tingzhou was very resolute, and his mother was even more so.

They disdained currying favor with the powerful and wealthy, and even less so the various generous offers from the Wu family. No matter how the Wu family tried to entice or persuade them, the two refused to let Wu Xin into their home.

Gan Cai'er was kept completely in the dark about all of this and knew nothing about it.

Lan Tingzhou possessed an unyielding spirit, yet the only soft spot in his body was firmly held in Gan Cai'er's grasp. Few knew this, not even Lan Tingzhou himself; at least, at twenty years old, he was unaware of it.

At that time, all he knew was that Gan Cai'er was his lawfully wedded wife, and he absolutely could not let anyone else bully her.

He never imagined that Gan Cai'er would one day cease to be his wife; he never even considered it.

But Gan Cai'er abandoned him and married someone else, and she married twice.

In the winter of the twenty-fifth year of the Jinghe era, two sensational events occurred in the capital city.

The first thing was that the Duke of Wei was favored by the emperor and received another promotion. Moreover, this was not just a regular promotion, but he was directly granted the title of a king of a different surname!

Oh, no. It can't be said that he was granted the title of a king of a different surname; rather, it should be said that he inherited the title of "King of Loyalty and Righteousness."

The Loyal and Righteous King and the Duke of Wei were originally from the same family, both surnamed Meng. However, the two branches separated a hundred years ago. Although both were military families and of the same lineage, they did not have much contact due to their different garrison locations, and their relationship was no different from that of ordinary court officials.

There was no major war in the southern borderlands, but small battles continued. Coupled with the fact that the Prince of Zhongyi's lineage was not numerous, the line of the Prince of Zhongyi died out twenty years ago. Now, only a few widowed old women live in the Prince of Zhongyi's mansion. After they pass away, the line of the Prince of Zhongyi will be extinct.

Suddenly, a son appeared out of nowhere—the renowned and decorated Duke of Wei. He volunteered to take on both branches of the family and enter the Prince's residence to inherit the throne. This news completely stunned everyone in the Loyal and Righteous Prince's Mansion!

The Prince of Zhongyi's Mansion has an heir! They are saved! The Prince of Zhongyi's Mansion was in an uproar, and the old princess cried all night in the ancestral hall.

Meng Yu was willing to take on the responsibility of supporting two families, but he made one request: he wanted to marry an ordinary commoner woman who had been married before as his princess.

Let alone marrying an impure woman, even marrying a pig would be acceptable to the Loyal and Righteous Prince's Mansion.

The second sensational event in the capital was that the newly appointed Prince of Loyalty, Meng Yu, laid out a ten-mile-long red procession, led a large entourage, and amidst the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, went to a slum in the southern part of the city to marry his princess.

I heard that this princess is the current emperor's adopted sister, and has been given the name Gongsun Cai.

But the most crucial and sensational thing is that, according to insiders, this princess is actually the concubine of the current Grand Tutor Lan Tingzhou!

The city of Kyoto was immediately thrown into an uproar!

In the city, regardless of age, gender, wealth, or social status, and regardless of rank or social standing, everyone's gossip-loving nature was ablaze.

The legendary romance between these two men and this woman could go on for three days and three nights.

In the Imperial Study

Emperor Jinghe stared expressionlessly at the two people before him. How many nights had he and the Empress stayed up, how many gray hairs had they lost, to come up with such a feasible method?

Neither of them appreciated it!

With a "clang," Emperor Jinghe pulled the sword from the wall and threw it onto his desk.

"The person is no longer here. What's the point of you coming to seize a memorial tablet now?"

"Come on, I'll chop it up. You can each have half, okay?"

Meng Yu and Lan Tingzhou both lowered their heads and remained silent.

Emperor Jinghe knew that the key to this matter lay with Lan Tingzhou. He slowly walked down and patiently guided Lan Tingzhou.

“Tingzhou, it’s better for her to be a princess than a concubine. Even if you don’t think about her, you should think about her two children.”

Lan Tingzhou suddenly looked up, staring coldly at Emperor Jinghe. This was a highly disrespectful act, yet Emperor Jinghe made him feel somewhat guilty under his gaze.

"Your Majesty has bestowed this marriage upon me, and I dare not disobey. However, A-Cai will always be a member of the Lan family, and she should be buried in the Lan family cemetery."

Having said that, Lantingzhou turned and left.

"Your Majesty, the person I wish to marry is Gan Cai'er, not Gongsun Cai. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

Emperor Jinghe was so angry his heart ached. What kind of calamities were these, one after another!

"Get out! All of you, get out of my sight!"

Then, Meng Yu was driven out by the Imperial Guards.

Not long after, Meng Yu chose an auspicious day and married his queen.

There was no one in the bright red sedan chair, only a memorial tablet.

The memorial tablet clearly reads "The Tablet of Cai'er of the Gan Family in Qingshui Town".