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

Meihua Nunnery is located on the outskirts of Danzhou Prefecture. It is the family nunnery of the Wu family, where female members of the clan who had committed offenses and been expelled from the family lived. They claimed to be practicing Buddhism there while keeping their hair and repenting, but in reality, they were imprisoned there.

Of course, there are exceptions. If a woman who has made a mistake has a powerful background, then when she comes to the Plum Blossom Temple, she is not being punished, but avoiding trouble.

For example, Wu Xin is the latter.

As the eldest daughter of the Wu family, she had been carefully nurtured by the Wu family for over a decade, with high hopes placed on her for a marriage alliance. It was impossible for them to easily abandon her because of a scandal.

Inside the nunnery, a middle-aged woman was carefully applying ointment to Wu Xin's face.

"This is called White Jade Regenerating Cream. It's a secret recipe from the Imperial Hospital and is extremely effective at removing scars. It was specially bought by the Madam at great expense. Miss, you need to use it twice a day, morning and evening. After a month, the scars will be barely noticeable."

There was a winding scar on Wu Xin's chin, twisted and contorted like an earthworm, lying across her fair skin, which was indeed somewhat frightening.

Wu Xin was truly disfigured; she went to great lengths to make the charade real. But unexpectedly, it all ended in failure. To this day, she still doesn't understand how Gan Cai'er escaped.

However, that's no longer important. What's most important now is that she needs to get back as soon as possible.

"Granny Zhang, when can I go home?" Wu Xin asked.

Granny Zhang was Wu Xin's mother's dowry maid and a trusted confidante of Madam Wu.

“Miss, this can’t be rushed. At least your facial injuries need to be fully healed. By then, the master’s anger will probably have subsided.”

"Madam said that this is a good time for Miss to bide her time and temper her character. She should also take the time to think about how she failed this time."

"Last time when my aunt came back, she was very pleased with you, Miss. Now that you're back, Miss, just relax and wait to go to Kyoto. Don't cause any more trouble."

Wu Xin clenched her fists; she had no desire to jump into the fiery pit of the Regent's Palace on behalf of the Wu family.

"But this matter has become common knowledge in Danzhou Prefecture. What if the Prince's Mansion hears about it? Wouldn't that bring trouble to our family?"

"Don't worry, Miss. There weren't many people present that day, and Madam has already spread the word, so naturally they'll keep quiet about it. Besides, Huang Lanxiang is dead, and Niu Si is dead too, so no one dares to gossip anymore."

"Besides, Miss's virginity mark is still there, isn't it?" Granny Zhang comforted her with a smile.

"Granny, I want Gan Cai'er to die too!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang stopped smiling and patiently coaxed:

“Miss, apart from being younger and better looking, what else does Lan Tingzhou have that can compare to the Regent? You’ll see when you get to the capital. Don’t even mention a mere Juren; even Jinshi are everywhere. They’re not rare at all.”

"The Regent is second only to the emperor, and there is only one like him. Miss, you mustn't make another mistake. If anything happens again, even the madam won't be able to protect you."

Granny Zhang left behind the White Jade Regenerating Ointment and departed.

Wu Xin sat in front of the dressing table, constantly twisting and pulling the silk in her hands, as if she wanted to tear it to shreds.

"Qinyin, go to the north of the city and find Pockmarked Li. Tell him to find a way to kill Gan Cai'er!"

Qin Yin was startled: "Miss, what are you doing?"

Wu Xin keeps a group of thugs under her wing; this is Wu Xin's secret, and only Qin Yin knows it.

Niu Si was one of them, as was Ma Zi Li.

This group of thugs did nothing but steal chickens and dogs, bully the weak, and extort money from people. Wu Xin met them by chance and started giving them money every month to support them and occasionally ask them to do favors.

"I can't take this breath!"

The resentment in Wu Xin's eyes was so heavy it seemed to materialize. Qin Yin was secretly alarmed; her mistress was so hateful and twisted that she must be possessed.

"Miss, why are you doing this to yourself?" Qin Yin gently advised.

"Even if Gan Cai'er is really dead, you still have no hope of marrying Young Master Lan. Not to mention whether the Lan family agrees or not, you won't be able to get past the master and madam."

“She’s dead, but things can always take a turn for the better,” Wu Xin said sinisterly. “Besides, I still have Huang Tinghai as an ally. Huang Lanxiang was driven to her death by Gan Cai’er, so he will hate Lan Tingzhou even more.”

"Miss, why are you so fixated on Young Master Lan? Even if you don't want to go to the Regent's Palace or don't fancy Young Master Huang, there are still many talented young men in Danzhou." Qin Yin earnestly advised.

A crisp "snap!" sounded.

Wu Xin raised her hand and slapped Qin Yin hard across the face.

"You shameless hussy, you won't even listen to me anymore? If you don't go now, believe me, I'll have someone sell you to a brothel tomorrow!"

Qin Yin touched her swollen face, dared not say another word, and left with her head down.

Having known Wu Xin for so long, she knew that Wu Xin was not bluffing her. If she said that, she would really do it.

Wu Xin's gentle and virtuous demeanor is merely a facade in front of others; her true nature is harsh, ungrateful, capricious, and vicious.

After the music faded, a loud crash echoed through the room as Wu Xin smashed all the bottles and jars on her dressing table onto the floor, where they tumbled and rolled around.

She stared intently at the distorted face reflected in the bronze mirror and said viciously, "I don't want to marry anyone now. I want them all dead, all of them dead!"

"So, this is your reason for lying to me?"

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out in the empty nunnery.

Wu Xin was shocked. She looked up and frantically glanced around. Then, she saw a person slowly step out from behind the screen—it was Huang Tinghai.

Upon seeing that it was Huang Tinghai, Wu Xin's panic subsided slightly. She glanced at him sideways and resumed her aloof demeanor.

"Young Master Huang, what is your purpose in breaking into the nunnery in the dead of night?"

"The three spots for Enke have already been decided: one is Wei Shi'an, one is Wei Tao, and the other is Qian Chen."

"You knew all along, but you've been lying to me all along."

A hint of panic flashed in Wu Xin's eyes. She turned her head away and didn't reply.

Huang Tinghai approached Wu Xin step by step, his expression chilling and menacing.

"You lied to me. You wanted to use me to push Lan Tingzhou into the abyss so you could save him from his predicament and make him grateful to you, didn't you?" Huang Tinghai pressed.

Seeing that her intentions had been exposed, Wu Xin was too lazy to pretend anymore. She looked at Huang Tinghai with contempt and disdain.

"Ah, Young Master Huang is indeed quick-witted and insightful."

"But if you have no greed in your heart, how could I possibly deceive you?"

"Besides, even if the spots haven't been decided yet, do you really not know your chances of winning?"

"Huang Tinghai, after failing the exam three times in nine years, do you still dare to step into the examination hall again?"

"You're just deceiving yourself with the little bit of hope I've given you."

"Heh, you dare to call yourself a young genius? You're not worthy!"

Wu Xin's resentment over the past few days turned into a series of harsh words, which were like sharp blades stabbing Huang Tinghai, each cut precisely hitting his most sensitive and vulnerable spot.

Huang Tinghai instantly flew into a rage.

"You wicked woman! You vicious woman with a heart of a serpent! You will die a horrible death! You will die a horrible death!"

Huang Tinghai was so enraged that his eyes turned red. He rushed forward and covered Wu Xin's mouth and nose with one hand, not wanting her to utter another vicious word.

He covered it very tightly, holding it firmly.

A moment later, he was horrified to find that Wu Xin was no longer breathing under his palm. Her body was limp, her head was tilted to one side, and she had completely stopped breathing.

Huang Tinghai was terrified. He threw Wu Xin aside and ran away in a panic.

Wu Xin is dead.

Huang Tinghai has been arrested.

Before the disciplinary rod had even been raised and struck a few times, Huang Tinghai had already confessed everything.

He admitted that he had accidentally killed Wu Xin, and also mentioned in the hall that Wu Xin had used Huang Lanxiang to frame Gan Cai'er.

The onlookers were immediately in an uproar. Within half a day, all sorts of rumors were flying around.

Gan Cai'er was stunned by this development.

"Is what you're saying all true?"

Gan Cai'er still couldn't quite believe it. Hearing that Meng Yu was back, she had stayed home these past few days, not even stepping out of the house.

“Of course it’s true, it’s all over the streets now! Now everyone in the city knows that you were almost harmed by Wu Xin last time! The Wu family’s reputation is really bad now.” Lan Tingzhi said with a smile.

Huang Tinghai had been kept completely in the dark by Wu Xin about the special examination quota, so how did he suddenly find out? And what a coincidence that he ran into several classmates when he went to find Wu Xin? And then, just as he was preparing to escape that night, the government officials arrived in time?

Suddenly, Lan Tingzhou's words echoed in Gan Cai'er's mind: "You don't need to worry, I'll take care of the rest."

A strange thought suddenly arose in her mind.

"You didn't do all of these things, did you?" Gan Cai'er asked cautiously.

“Uh…” Lan Tingzhi scratched his head, thought for a moment and said, “It’s not exactly something he made himself, but it’s close enough.”

"what?!"

"My brother spread the news about the special examination quota, and also sent Mo Yun to keep an eye on him. When he went to see Miss Wu, he arranged for a few classmates to create a chance encounter and then tipped off the government."

Gan Cai'er once again felt deeply that she didn't seem to fully understand Lan Tingzhou.

In her eyes, Lan Tingzhou had always been a gentleman, upright and honest, never fighting back or arguing back, seemingly someone who could be easily bullied.

"I never expected him to be so amazing~~~" Gan Cai'er exclaimed sincerely.

“My brother said that the Buddhas who sit on lotus flowers are all compassionate like bodhisattvas and have the power of vajras. We mere mortals should emulate them.”

Lan Tingzhi still remembers the indifferent and calm expression on his brother's face when he said those words.