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

Meng Yu left, and Gan Cai'er breathed a sigh of relief.

Since returning from Meng Yu's place that day, Gan Cai'er has been claiming to be ill and has not gone out.

Zhu Xiaoxiao took care of everything at Jinxiufang.

Gan Cai'er remained tight-lipped about her past life's second marriage to Meng Yu, saying very little. Zhu Xiaoxiao had asked her about it a few times out of curiosity, but seeing that Gan Cai'er was very resistant and always avoided the topic, she stopped pressing her for details.

That day, as soon as Zhu Xiaoxiao returned from Jinxiufang, she went to Gan Cai'er's room.

"Ah Cai, I have good news today."

"What good news?" Gan Cai'er looked up from the ledger.

"I heard that Mr. Wu, who placed that big order, has returned to the capital!" Zhu Xiaoxiao said happily.

Meng Yu is gone?!

Gan Cai'er was overjoyed; this was indeed good news.

"Is the news accurate?" Gan Cai'er pressed.

"Indeed. This is what the steward of the Wu residence said when Boss Zhang personally visited. He said he had urgent business and had returned to the capital overnight."

Gan Cai'er's mood, which had been depressed and uneasy for several days, suddenly brightened up.

"Come on, Xiao Xiao, I'll treat you to a big meal at Tianxiang Restaurant." Gan Cai'er put down the ledger and was about to pull Zhu Xiao Xiao out the door.

Zhu Xiaoxiao pulled her hand away, pressed Gan Cai'er down, and then pressed her back into the chair.

"There's no rush to eat."

"Shouldn't you tell me about your past with that young master Wu?"

Zhu Xiaoxiao pulled over another chair and sat down opposite Gan Cai'er, staring intently at her with a gossipy glint in her eyes.

Gan Cai'er sighed. Judging from her expression, Zhu Xiaoxiao wouldn't leave today unless she could explain herself clearly.

But the story between her and Meng Yu was a complex tale of love, hate, and grudges, too complicated to tell at the moment, and she didn't really want to talk about it.

After all, the tragic end he suffered in his previous life was due to his poor judgment of character, mistaking tigers and leopards for good people.

Gan Cai'er felt too embarrassed and didn't want Zhu Xiaoxiao to know.

Seeing Gan Cai'er's unwilling look, Zhu Xiaoxiao asked directly.

"You once said that you were married twice in your previous life. Was the second one you married this young master Wu?"

Gan Cai'er stared wide-eyed at Zhu Xiaoxiao, dumbfounded.

"How...how could you have guessed that?!"

Zhu Xiaoxiao paused for a moment. She hadn't expected that her attempt to extort Gan Cai'er would be so successful.

“You only saw him once, and then claimed to be sick and didn’t go out. There must be something going on. It’s easy to guess,” Zhu Xiaoxiao forced an explanation.

"Since he is your future husband, why are you avoiding him? Is it because of Lan Tingzhou?"

"In the mansion, he had a multitude of wives and concubines; outside the mansion, he had countless beauties. In my past life, I was terribly deceived by him to be with him. By the time I discovered the truth, it was too late."

"If I were to live this life again, I would absolutely never be with him again."

Zhu Xiaoxiao was immediately enraged. With a loud "bang," she slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and cursed, "Why did you make clothes for such a treacherous and ungrateful person!"

Gan Cai'er pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao to sit down and sighed, "Business has to be done, it's three thousand two hundred taels of silver."

"Besides, his family holds high positions and is one of the most prominent noble families in the capital. We ordinary people don't need to provoke them over such a trivial matter."

"Is it worth provoking him over such a trivial matter?" Zhu Xiaoxiao frowned, looking at Gan Cai'er suspiciously. "Then what important matter are you planning to provoke him for?"

As expected, Zhu Xiaoxiao understands Gan Cai'er best. She guessed Gan Cai'er's thoughts from just one sentence.

"Although the things of the past life should be left to the past life, the suffering I endured cannot be in vain. Those who owe me, I will naturally seek retribution," Gan Cai'er said calmly.

She had no intention of hiding her desire for revenge from Zhu Xiaoxiao.

“Ah Cai, but you’re all alone…” Zhu Xiaoxiao’s eyes were full of worry.

Gan Cai'er patted her hand and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't confront them head-on."

After Meng Yu left, Gan Cai'er's life returned to normal. She still went to Jinxiufang every day to watch the embroiderers make clothes.

Days passed by, and before we knew it, it was early February. The Danzhou Prefecture held its provincial examination as scheduled.

As expected and to everyone's surprise, Lan Tingzhou once again took the top spot!

He topped the list of cases three times in two years!

This is unprecedented in Danzhou Prefecture!

The entire academy in Danzhou was in an uproar. Lan Tingzhou hadn't been able to go home since the announcement was posted. One senior scholar after another requested an audience, another teacher after yet another. Each one was a highly respected elder, and he couldn't refuse.

In the end, it was Ou Changshan who took Lan Tingzhou to his residence in the academy, and he personally declined the offer, which gave Lan Tingzhou a chance to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir." Lan Tingzhou bowed.

"Hehehe, I'd love to have more of this kind of trouble." Ouyang Shu stroked his beard and smiled, in a very good mood.

Upon seeing Lan Tingzhou, Ouyang Shu knew he was a promising talent. It has always been said that knowledge is easy to acquire, but character and integrity are difficult to cultivate. Lan Tingzhou's refined and elegant air was immediately striking.

However, Ouyang Shu never expected that this talent would be so promising!

He's a once-in-a-century talent!

Teachers cherish talent above all else. Ouyang Shu treated Lan Tingzhou even better than his own son.

"Tingzhou, all these invitations are for you. You don't need to pay attention to them all, just choose one or two to go." Ouyang Shu took out a large stack of various invitations and handed them to Lan Tingzhou.

Lan Tingzhou was overwhelmed by the huge pile of invitations. He didn't want to go to them all, but going to one and ignoring another would make him seem like he was trying to curry favor with the powerful and belittle the weak. If he didn't go to any of them, he would appear even more arrogant.

"Please teach me, sir." Lan Tingzhou bowed deeply.

Ouyang Shu picked up the large stack of invitations, looked at each one carefully, and then divided them into three piles.

Then, he looked at Lantingzhou.

"There are generally three paths for scholars. One is to enter the court as an official and seek the well-being of the people; the second is to teach and educate, passing on knowledge and resolving doubts for children; and the third is to live a life of leisure, like a hermit, fishing, woodcutting, farming, and reading, indulging in the pleasures of nature."

"Tingzhou, which path do you prefer?"

Facing Ouyang Shu's wise and insightful gaze, Lan Tingzhou said frankly, "Since I have chosen the path of the imperial examination, I naturally hope to one day enter the court and be appointed as a general and a marquis."

Ouyang Shu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.

He invited Lan Tingzhou to his residence with the intention of instructing him, planning to teach him about interpersonal relationships and the ways of officialdom. Ouyang Shu had heard of Lan Yaoshi, a man of unwavering integrity and uprightness.

However, even the best steel can break easily.

Ouyang Shu pushed one of the three piles of invitations that she had previously divided in front of Lan Tingzhou.

"To become an official in the imperial court, good academic knowledge alone is far from enough."

"The court is rife with factions and fierce political struggles. If one wants to realize one's ambitions, one must rely on the influence of powerful figures and form alliances with others; otherwise, one is like a tree without roots, unable to last long."

"These invitations all come from officials in the Danzhou government. Although their official positions are not prominent, they have intricate connections with the imperial court."

"Since you intend to enter officialdom, you must attend these banquets."

Lan Tingzhou picked up the invitations, looked at them, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"Sir, you just said that there are many factions in the court and the factional struggles are fierce. But I don't know if these gentlemen belong to the same camp. If I go to all the appointments, I'm afraid it will seem like I'm playing both sides. So, I would like to ask you for further guidance."

"Hehe, not at all." Ouyang Shu laughed.

"Danzhou is far from the capital and is not a major town. In the eyes of those in the court, it is just a remote corner and not a place that needs to be fought over."

"The people in the Danzhou government office are either disheartened after losing in the struggles or have come here to retire because they are tired of fighting. Although they may have belonged to different camps before, now there are no more disputes between them."

"Although they have retired, their connections remain. You can take this opportunity to learn about the ideas of various factions and choose one that shares your views."

These few words made Lan Tingzhou ponder for a while. In other words, Danzhou Prefecture was actually a nursing home? He suddenly remembered that Ouyang Shu was also a former Grand Tutor, holding the rank of third grade, and was definitely an important minister of the late emperor.

Therefore, the idea that Danzhou Prefecture was full of hidden talents was not his misconception.

"And what about Lord Du?" Lan Tingzhou asked.

"You mean Du Zhong? He is indeed in the prime of his life, but he is aloof and not good at being an official. I heard that he took the initiative to come to Danzhou, perhaps because he was tired of the court intrigues."

Ouyang Shu pulled one out of the pile of invitations and handed it to Lan Tingzhou.

"If we were to ask who in Danzhou Prefecture most wants to return to the capital, it would undoubtedly be the Wu family."

"The Wu family has made many plans to return to the capital. Tingzhou, you must attend the Wu family's banquet. Even if you disagree with the Wu family's ideals in the future and cannot work together, you must not offend them."

Ouyang Shu spoke with great earnestness.

Lan Tingzhou accepted the invitation and nodded.

“Students are taught.”