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

Chu Mingyuan and Meng Yu rode their horses, accompanied by several attendants, slowly making their way to Zhushan County.

"Meng San, are you really not planning to go back?" Chu Mingyuan asked.

"Not at all, I just came out for a walk to clear my head." Meng Yu smiled casually, then asked, "By the way, what exactly did you come to Danzhou for this time?"

"Didn't I tell you before? A great-grandfather in my mother's clan is turning 100, and I'm accompanying my mother to celebrate his birthday."

"Stop giving me that nonsense, tell the truth." Meng Yu scoffed.

"Sigh, my second cousin's family has several younger cousins ​​who have come of age, and he wants to send them to the capital, so he asked my mother to come back and take a look," Chu Mingyuan said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Meng Yu raised his peach blossom eyes slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "Oh, so you're trying to snag a rich husband? Which one have you set your sights on?"

Chu Mingyuan glanced at him but didn't reply.

Chu Mingyuan was the youngest son of Chu Yan, the Earl of Sinan. His mother was Chu Yan's second wife, a woman from the Wu family of Danzhou Prefecture. She married Chu Yan when he was sixteen and he was fifty years old.

The Marquis of Sinan cherished his new wife like a precious jewel, showering her with affection. Therefore, he frequently helped the Wu family, securing their future.

It seems the Wu family has tasted success and is now heading to Kyoto to find a good son-in-law.

“Your mother is the wife of a marquis, so the people she can arrange things for must be of the rank of duke or marquis. The Wu family is far away in Danzhou and is only a local general. They can’t possibly be the sons of proper dukes or marquises.”

Meng Yu stroked his chin, guessing with great interest.

"Then it should still be the old generation of dukes and marquises? Let me think about it and see which family is about to remarry or get married."

"Alright, stop guessing. It's the Regent's Palace."

"The Regent's Palace?!" Meng Yu seemed surprised.

"The Regent's harem is comparable to the imperial palace, with a multitude of wives, concubines, and mistresses. What a den of wolves and tigers it is! How dare you send your own daughter there? Aren't you afraid she'll be devoured to death?"

Chu Mingyuan remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Wu family has always been like this."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice. His mother was the daughter who sacrificed herself for the Wu family in this way.

"Alright, your family is actually quite good. Your father dotes on your mother, that's famous throughout the entire capital."

Chu Mingyuan did not want to discuss this further, so he changed the subject.

"That carriage didn't go far ahead of us. You really don't plan to catch up?"

Horses are faster than carriages, so it would be easy for them to catch up.

Meng Yu shook his head.

He didn't know what had possessed him today; he had only glanced at that figure once, but he couldn't forget it. His heart felt like it was being bound by a thread, making it impossible for him to let go.

Perhaps it was the alcohol I drank today that made me too intoxicated.

Meng Yu mocked himself.

Although he enjoyed flirting and joking with women, he wasn't that indiscriminate. What beauties could one find in a rural place like Danzhou? He hadn't even gotten a clear look at the woman's back.

Therefore, he didn't want to chase after her and strike up a conversation. He felt ashamed of his impulsive act, and also inexplicably annoyed.

Gan Cai'er had no idea that Meng Yu was following behind them, let alone that he had also come to Zhushan County.

By the time they arrived in Zhushan County, Gan Cai'er had calmed down.

Along the way, she had already figured it out: whether Meng Yu was in Danzhou or not, and why he came here, was none of her business.

She doesn't need to, and can't, have anything to do with that bastard anymore.

She never wanted to see him again in this lifetime, not even for a single glance. If she did see him, she feared she wouldn't be able to resist and would pounce on him, tearing off pieces of his flesh.

The love-hate entanglement between her and Meng Yu was far too complicated.

He once saved her from dire straits; when disaster struck, he reached out and pulled her to safety. Yet, he also wounded her deeply, deceived her until she lost everything, leaving her like a fool, manipulated by him. But in the northern frontier, he risked his life to protect her; they had faced life and death together several times…

The past events kept replaying in Gan Cai'er's mind, leaving her with mixed feelings.

As Gan Cai'er pondered these thoughts, she drifted off to sleep in the carriage. It wasn't until Xiao Hong shook her awake that she realized they had arrived at the Zhu family's villa.

Zhu Xiaoxiao has an older brother named Zhu Letian. He studies at Baiyun Academy in Zhushan County, and the Zhu family specially prepared this separate courtyard for him to facilitate his studies.

He rarely came back. Zhu Letian was not good at studying, but he was good at eating, drinking and having fun, and he was rarely home.

When Zhu Xiaoxiao and Gan Cai'er arrived, the housekeeper, Li, was busy tidying up the house.

"How long has it been since my brother came back?" Zhu Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose.

"Miss, the eldest young master has been busy with his studies and hasn't returned for seven or eight days," Butler Li replied respectfully.

"Ha, he's supposed to be busy with his studies! He's been taking the exams for seven or eight years and hasn't even passed the lowest level. How dare he mention his studies!" Zhu Xiaoxiao directly exposed the cover-up the housekeeper had given Zhu Letian.

"Uncle Li, go and get him back. Didn't I mention in my previous letter that I wanted him to get me two invitations to the Meilin Poetry Gathering?"

"Hehehe, Miss, don't worry. As soon as your letter arrived the other day, the eldest young master found the invitation for you. It's in the study now, and this old servant will go and get it for you right away."

A short while later, Butler Li returned with two invitations and handed them to Zhu Xiaoxiao.

"So, he's gone out to play again and has no intention of coming back at all?" Zhu Xiaoxiao said angrily.

"Alright, don't be angry anymore. Apart from not liking to study and being a bit playful, your brother doesn't have any other problems. Even your grandfather doesn't have high hopes for him anymore, so why are you still worrying?"

Gan Cai'er comforted Zhu Xiaoxiao: "Besides, your brother treats you very well. You only need to send one letter, and he will take care of everything you need."

"But if he keeps acting so irresponsibly, what will become of the Zhu family?" Zhu Xiaoxiao asked, her face full of worry.

"Why don't you learn from Wu Xin?" Gan Cai'er teased with a smile.

She suddenly thought of Wei Shi'an, and said meaningfully, "Xiao Xiao, you can find a reliable, promising, and currently unknown man to be your husband."

Zhu Xiaoxiao glanced at Gan Cai'er, hesitated for a long time, and seemed to be seriously considering it.

"Actually, it's not impossible."

But after a moment, she resolutely shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not skilled enough, and my life will be in danger. I'm not as good as you."

What's so great about her? In the end, she still lost her life, didn't she? Gan Cai'er said with self-deprecation.

"Don't worry, not everyone is like Lan Tingzhou, who attracts unwanted romantic attention."

"If you look around more, you'll eventually find a good one. Actually, I think Young Master Wei is quite good."

Gan Cai'er seized the opportunity to speak well of Wei Shi'an.

"Huh? That bookworm? He can't even speak properly, let's forget about him." Zhu Xiaoxiao shook her head repeatedly.

"But why do I see him talking to other people so fluently?"

"Then, how would I know?"

Zhu Xiaoxiao's face turned red again.

Gan Cai'er stared at Zhu Xiaoxiao suspiciously, instinctively feeling that there was something wrong with the two of them. Perhaps, after returning to Danzhou Prefecture, she should find time to create another opportunity for the two of them.

Zhu Xiaoxiao, annoyed by Gan Cai'er's stare, threw down the invitation in her hand and said angrily.

"Do you still want to discuss the trip to Merlin the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, I want it."

Gan Cai'er hurriedly picked up the invitation with a smile, and then discussed serious matters with Zhu Xiaoxiao.