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

In a fit of anger, Gan Cai'er grabbed a feather duster from the window and started whipping Meng Yu, chasing him out of the room.

Meng Yu wasn't annoyed and let her hit him, a smirk on his face.

"Bang! Bang!" Gan Cai'er slammed the doors and windows shut tightly.

Then, she slumped into a chair, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over her. She had spent most of the night with Meng Yu, but it seemed she hadn't gotten anywhere.

The only saving grace was that Meng Yu finally agreed not to cause trouble for Lan Tingzhou.

At this time, Lan Tingzhou had only passed the imperial examination and was far from becoming a high-ranking scholar in the Hanlin Academy, while Meng Yu was a true son of a duke.

With their current strength, for Meng Yu to crush Lan Tingzhou would be no different than crushing an ant.

That night, Gan Cai'er had nightmares all night long. When she woke up the next day, she was still groggy and covered in a cold sweat.

"Miss, why are you covered in sweat? Did you catch a chill last night?"

"I'll have Green Leaf brew some medicine for you. Even though the weather has warmed up recently, it's still quite chilly in the mornings and evenings."

While helping her change, Xiao Hong kept nagging.

"Xiao Hong, are the others in the yard alright?" Gan Cai'er asked.

"Everyone is fine. Miss, why do you ask that?" Xiao Hong asked, somewhat puzzled.

Gan Cai'er sighed silently. It seemed the Xuan Ying Guards were indeed meticulous in their work. These people were completely unaware that they had been kidnapped last night.

"It's nothing, I was just asking."

"By the way, where's Tingzhi? Has he come back?"

"Oh, young master came back this morning, and he smelled strongly of alcohol. I wonder who he was drinking heavily with last night."

Gan Cai'er was relieved; it was good that he was back.

Xiao Hong helped Gan Cai'er get dressed, made the bed, and then tidied the table.

Suddenly, she let out a soft "Eh."

"Miss, where's the purse you embroidered? It's gone!" Xiao Hong picked up the needle and thread basket, shook it, and then searched around the table.

Gan Cai'er paused in washing her face, then said casually:

"I forgot to put things away before going to bed last night. I heard a mouse squeaking in the middle of the night, and when I got up, I found that the mouse was gnawing on my purse, so I took it and threw it away."

"Oh dear, that's such a pity. That's top-quality Suzhou brocade. We agreed that after it was finished, we'd give it to the young master to put as a talisman." Xiao Hong said with a regretful expression.

That's right. She specially chose the best piece of Suzhou brocade in the shop and embroidered it for three whole days. It was almost finished... Gan Cai'er gritted her teeth and cursed Meng Yu eighteen times from beginning to end.

"By the way, Miss, yesterday Constable Zhang said that the yamen is going to interrogate the people who attacked us that day, and asked if you would like to attend the trial."

"Let Mo Yan go, I won't go."

There was no need to attend the trial, nor to care about the final verdict from the government; Gan Cai'er knew perfectly well that she was the mastermind behind it all.

I have only been in Danzhou Prefecture for a year. I live a simple life and have no conflicts with others. The only family I have a grudge against is the Wu family.

However, she never expected that the Wu family would actually take her life.

The Wu family was far too arrogant, daring to let their thugs commit murder in broad daylight, completely disregarding the law. No wonder they were eventually uprooted.

Gan Cai'er shook her head, saying that they should be allowed to run rampant for another two or three years, and someone would deal with them in the future.

After that day, Meng Yu disappeared without a trace again. However, this time Gan Cai'er was no longer uneasy.

She had said what she needed to say, and she believed she had made her stance clear enough. As for Meng Yu's continued harassment, she wouldn't tolerate it; she was prepared to fight to the death.

Meng Yu did not return to the capital this time; instead, he searched for someone throughout Danzhou.

If he were given a second chance at life, he would never marry Mei Wanyin again. But the marriage alliance between the Meng and Mei families would not be canceled simply because he was unwilling.

If you don't want to marry Mei Wanyin, there are only two options.

First, he tarnished his own reputation to the point of arousing public outrage, to the point that the Mei family would rather sacrifice the benefits of a marriage alliance with the Meng family than let their daughter marry him.

Actually, Meng Yu didn't care about his reputation. He was just worried that his brother might get seriously ill from anger.

In this life, he was determined to protect Meng Yan's life and prevent him from dying young. He couldn't let his brother anger him to death while he was still alive.

Therefore, it's best to avoid the path of self-degradation if possible.

The second path, the same one he took in his previous life, was to beg the emperor for a marriage decree. But to take this path, he needed a merit, a tremendous one.

If he remembered correctly, there really was such an opportunity in Danzhou. He just needed to put in some effort to find it.

And so, the days passed by.

Without Meng Yu's harassment, and with the Wu family having become more restrained after their previous failure, Gan Cai'er's life returned to its usual pace, peaceful and mundane.

Before they knew it, the time for the provincial examination had arrived. This time, Lan Tingzhou successfully participated in the autumn examination, and no other "Huang Tinghai" emerged to cause trouble.

As expected, Lan Tingzhou won the title of "Jieyuan" (top scholar in the provincial examination). In Gan Cai'er's eyes, this was normal, and she was not surprised.

But the entire Danzhou Prefecture went mad!

The same person passed every single exam, from the preliminary examinations to the provincial examinations, from a student to a successful candidate, always coming in first place. This isn't just a literary star descended to earth; this is practically the reincarnation of the God of Literature!

The various academies in Danzhou were filled with a mixture of envy and resentment towards Luming Academy. When the headmasters congratulated Ouyang Shu, they would always add, "Master Ouyang is truly lucky; he's picked up a promising talent for free."

Ouyang Shule was overjoyed, unable to contain her smile, and didn't hold it against them at all.

Luming Academy had a three-day holiday, setting off firecrackers at the academy's main gate for three consecutive days. They also invited a lion dance troupe and an opera troupe to perform. The entire academy was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and firecrackers, creating a joyous atmosphere that was even more lively than a festival.

The study where Lan Tingzhou lived also became highly sought after, with countless students vying to move in.

Lan Tingzhou himself is unable to show his face. Now, whenever he goes out, he is sure to be surrounded by people, and wherever he goes, there is a crowd. Some people even bring scissors, always thinking of cutting something off him to take home and worship.

"This is insane!" Zhu Xiaoxiao peered through the crack in the door, looking at the people who were waiting in various places outside, and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

"Why do I feel like these people are all green with envy? Even if they were trying to steal Tang Sanzang's flesh, they wouldn't need so many people, would they?" Huan'er clicked her tongue in amazement.

"Sigh, are the soldiers sent by Lord Du any good?" Xiao Hong asked worriedly.

After the Lan family compound was invaded from various angles, Lan Tingzhou applied to the government for protection. Du Zhong also helped out, immediately sending fifty garrison soldiers to the Lan family compound to maintain order.

The Lan family courtyard finally returned to some peace.

Gan Cai'er had never seen such an exaggerated scene. Even though Lan Tingzhou was the top scholar in his previous life and was quite the star when he rode through the streets, it was nothing compared to the situation now.

Given the current situation, she didn't know if throwing fruit would fill the carriage, but Lan Tingzhou would most likely be crushed to death.

"How about we go back to Qingshui Town to take shelter for a while?" Gan Cai'er suggested.

“My mother wrote to us the day before yesterday, instructing us not to go back anytime soon.”

"Why?" Gan Cai'er asked, puzzled.

"The front door of the house was damaged in the crowd and hasn't been repaired yet," Lan Tingzhou said calmly.

Well, even the home in Qingshui Town wasn't spared.

"Don't worry, I'll stay home for the next few days. They'll naturally disperse after a while."

"I think it's hard to say," Lan Tingzhi said as he walked in.

"Brother, you have no idea, all the gambling dens in the city have opened betting odds overnight, betting on whether you can pass the imperial examination. I heard that a lot of people are betting on you to win, it's incredibly popular."

Gan Cai'er's heart skipped a beat.

"You've been away from home these past few days, just hanging out in these kinds of places?" Lan Tingzhou said coldly, his voice low and stern.

"I wasn't fooling around! I just went out to hear what other people were saying about you."

"How are the betting odds set up at the gambling den?" Gan Cai'er asked.

"That's all betting on my brother passing the exam. If he passes, we have to pay him two cents back; if he fails, we pay him ten cents back."

"However, the highest odds are for betting on whether my brother can become the top scholar, with odds of 50 to 1!"

"If I had the money, I'd even bet on my brother to become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Not for winning or losing, just to add to the festive atmosphere!" Lan Tingzhi said with a grin.

Lan Tingzhou glanced at him indifferently.

"Looks like you have a lot of spare cash? Then you don't need to take next month's allowance."

"No, no, brother, that's not what I meant!"

Lan Tingzhi panicked and grabbed Lan Tingzhou's sleeve, begging for mercy.

Gan Cai'er smiled and ruffled his hair, saying, "Don't worry, no matter who loses money, you won't be shortchanged."

However, Lan Tingzhi's words sparked Gan Cai'er's interest. Her eyes darted around; one tael became fifty taels, one thousand taels became fifty thousand taels!

This is an immense fortune!

My first windfall since arriving in Kyoto, and here I am!

Gan Cai'er couldn't help but beam with joy, her lips curving upwards in a slight smile that she couldn't suppress. As she looked up with a delighted expression, she met Lan Tingzhou's indifferent gaze.

"Nine out of ten gamblers lose."

"Besides, there are so many talented people in the world. I don't have the ability to guarantee winning the championship in one fell swoop."

"Yes, you can do it! I believe in you." Gan Cai'er smiled sweetly, while in her mind she began to calculate how much money she could come up with.