Mo Yan, who was guarding the door, heard a low chuckle from inside the room, followed by Lan Tingzhou emerging with a grim expression. His heart sank—who was in the room that could provoke the young master’s anger so?
Listening to Lu Qingning’s cheerful laughter behind him, Lan Tingzhou made up his mind: Lan Tingzhi’s living expenses for the next few months were not going to happen.
Lan Tingzhi was his younger brother by six years. When the Lan family moved to Qingshui Town, Lan Tingzhi was only five years old.
Due to malnutrition, Lan Tingzhi was frail and sickly as a child, like a little kitten. As outsiders in Qingshui Town, he was often bullied by the local children.
Upon learning of this, Gan Cai’er immediately stood up for him, giving those children a stern lesson and forcing those who had bullied him to apologize. Later, through repeated interactions, Lan Tingzhi ended up befriending them.
However, he also picked up the bad habit of being quick to resort to violence. He had no interest in studying and spent his days playing with swords and sticks. Over the years, with Gan Cai’er backing him up, he had nearly become the local bully of Qingshui Town.
Fearing that his brother would grow up misguided or develop poor martial arts skills, Lan Tingzhou sent him to Xuancang Mountain to train in martial arts.
He had been away for several years, only returning home once during Lan Tingzhou’s wedding after requesting leave from his sect.
But who would have thought this kid had such a loose tongue, writing about all the family matters for outsiders to know!
Lan Tingzhou thought coldly to himself—he hadn’t been disciplined enough.
When Lan Tingzhou returned to the inn, Gan Cai’er had already freshened up, changed into comfortable clothes, and was lounging on the low couch by the window reading storybooks. Xiao Hong sat quietly beside her, weaving knots.
Seeing Lan Tingzhou return, Gan Cai’er set down her book and stood up to greet him.
“Back so soon? Have you had dinner?”
“Not yet,” Lan Tingzhou shook his head.
“That’s perfect. This inn’s Drunken Crispy Duck is a specialty of Dànzhōu Fǔ. Gu Ye should definitely try it,” Xiao Hong said with a smile.
“Have you two eaten?”
“Of course not! Miss has been waiting for Gu Ye to return on an empty stomach,” Xiao Hong replied crisply.
Gan Cai’er rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Xiao Hong never missed an opportunity to bring her and Lan Tingzhou together, making her feel utterly awkward.
“Xiao Hong, go arrange dinner.”
Gan Cai’er sent Xiao Hong away, afraid she might say something inappropriate again and cause Lan Tingzhou to misunderstand.
“There was no need to wait for me,” Lan Tingzhou said lightly.
Gan Cai’er gave a self-deprecating smile. Of course.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. Unwilling to dwell on the matter, she changed the subject.
“Are you free the day after tomorrow?”
“The day after tomorrow? Is there something planned?” Lan Tingzhou asked.
“Mother heard we were coming to Dànzhōu Fǔ and gave me an invitation to something called a Lotus Appreciation Banquet. She said it’s a rare event even in Dànzhōu Fǔ and suggested we attend if we have time.”
Lan Tingzhou was taken aback.
An invitation to the Lotus Appreciation Banquet?! This truly was “searching far and wide only to find it effortlessly”!
“This Lotus Appreciation Banquet was initiated by Prefect Du Zhong. Most of the literary talents and scholars of Danzhou’s literary circles will attend—it’s indeed a grand event. If we have the chance to go, we certainly shouldn’t miss it. I must thank Mother-in-Law properly later.”
Seeing the sudden sparkle in Lan Tingzhou’s eyes, the corners of Gan Cai’er’s lips lifted, and she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of joy in her heart. If it made him happy, then her efforts were not in vain.
Recalling how, in her past life, her own insecurities had led her to obstruct Lan Tingzhou in various ways, she realized how terribly wrong she had been.
Recalling her own past misdeeds, while Lan Tingzhou had always treated her with courtesy—at his angriest, he was merely cold and distant, ignoring her at most—Gan Cai’er felt that Lan Tingzhou was truly a rare person in the world with a very good temper.
That Lan Tingzhou had a good temper was something only Gan Cai’er believed.
That Lan Tingzhou had a terrible temper was the consensus of most who had crossed paths or worked with him.
The twenty-fifth year of Jinghe, early spring.
The heavy ice and snow that had persisted throughout the winter finally began to melt slowly. Spring buds quietly peeked out from the trees, and all things began to revive.
“Sir, Duke Weiguo requests an audience,” reported the gatekeeper.
“Not seeing him.”
“Sir, Duke Weiguo has come again,” reported the gatekeeper the next day.
“Not seeing him.”
When the gatekeeper came to report for the third time,
Lan Tingzhou finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at the gatekeeper, his voice clear and cold.
“If such an irrelevant person comes again and you report it, you may go to the estate and stay there for three years.”
The young gatekeeper immediately fell silent, retreating meekly.
He was utterly confused—as a gatekeeper, wasn’t it his duty to report when someone came to visit? Moreover, the visitor was Duke Weiguo, who had just been promoted to a first-rank duke!
The next day, after court adjourned, Meng Yu blocked Lan Tingzhou’s path.
Lan Tingzhou looked at him coldly and casually offered a salute. “Duke Weiguo, why have you stopped this official?”
Meng Yu perfunctorily returned the salute and said, “Taifu Lan, it has been five years since we last met. Having returned to the capital, this duke wishes to invite you to reminisce.”
Lan Tingzhou’s expression remained icy. “This official has no past to reminisce about with Your Grace. Farewell!”
Meng Yu’s face darkened—he had never been one with a good temper.
He said coldly, “Over these years, this duke’s daughter has been much obliged to Taifu Lan for his care. However, from now on, there is no need to trouble you further. This afternoon, this duke will personally go to fetch her back to the mansion.”
Lan Tingzhou raised a slender eyebrow, a faint trace of mockery in his expression. “What young lady from the Guogong Mansion could possibly be in this official’s residence?”
Meng Yu enunciated each word clearly: “Fur is the daughter of me and Nannan.”
The two words “Nannan” seemed to strike a nerve in Lan Tingzhou. He withdrew all expression, his gaze turning icy as he looked at Meng Yu.
He, too, enunciated each word clearly: “A Cai is my wife, and Fur is my daughter. What do these two have to do with you?”
“Lan Tingzhou, don’t push people too far!” Meng Yu roared in fury.
“Push people too far? Heh,” Lan Tingzhou lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. “Fur now bears the surname Lan and is registered in my Lan family genealogy. She has nothing to do with your Meng family.”
“If Your Grace wishes to experience fatherly affection and filial piety, you may return to your Guogong Mansion. There are plenty of young masters and ladies there.”
Meng Yu narrowed his eyes, a mocking gleam in his gaze. “Lan Tingzhou, is it because you cannot bear children yourself that you insist on forcibly taking another man’s daughter?”
“Meng Yu!” Lan Tingzhou shouted sharply, a chill rising in his eyes. “You dare speak of ‘forcibly taking’!”
With that, Lan Tingzhou suddenly threw a punch, striking Meng Yu in the abdomen.
Lan Tingzhou was no frail scholar. In his youth, he had often chopped firewood, carried water, and hunted, forging a strong and sturdy physique. Although he no longer engaged in heavy labor later on, to discipline Lan Tingzhi, he had persistently practiced martial arts.
This punch sent Meng Yu staggering.
Meng Yu curled his lips, pressing his teeth against his molars, then threw the ceremonial tablet in his hand to the ground and swung a fist toward Lan Tingzhou’s face.
Lan Tingzhou did not back down either, grabbing his own ceremonial tablet and striking it toward Meng Yu’s body.
The two exchanged blows, fighting together.
“They’re fighting, they’re really fighting”
The surroundings erupted in commotion.
Ever since the two had stood together with unfriendly expressions, many meddlesome court officials had stopped to watch, their eyes constantly darting over.
It was no wonder the court officials were watching the spectacle—the gossip between these two had once been too sensational and too absurd.
“With these two together, how could they not fight?”
“Ah, it’s been so many years, why haven’t these two let it go?”
“Haha, General Wang, if you were in that situation, could you let it go?”
“Oh, Minister Zhang, you mustn’t speak carelessly. My wife is very virtuous.”
“May I ask, esteemed officials, what old grudge does Duke Weiguo and Taifu Lan have?” a young official inquired curiously.
“Those two… have a feud over a stolen wife.”
So it was such major gossip? The young official grew even more curious.
“Then who stole whose wife?”
“Well, this… you could say they stole from each other?”
“Ah?!” The young official widened his eyes—was it really that explosive?
“Ah, this matter is a long story.”
……
Zhang Dezi hurried into the imperial study, urgently reporting: “Your Majesty, Taifu Lan and Duke Weiguo are fighting outside the Taiji Hall!”
Gongsun Rui paused his brush while reviewing memorials and looked up.
A first-rank duke and a second-rank Hanlin Academy Grand Secretary, fighting openly in broad daylight, in front of everyone?!
Zhang Dezi understood the disbelief in Gongsun Rui’s eyes and nodded vigorously: “It’s true, it’s really true!”
“Your Majesty, please go and see. There’s a crowd gathered outside the Taiji Hall. It’s said their official robes have been torn to shreds.”
Why should he go? Was it not embarrassing enough that his most trusted right and left hands were making fools of themselves?
Gongsun Rui said expressionlessly: “Convey Our oral decree: order the Jin Jun to apprehend them immediately and escort them back to their respective residences, each to be Confined for five days!”
Zhang Dezi accepted the order and left.
Sitting on the Dragon Throne, Gongsun Rui sighed helplessly.
“Truly, a beauty brings calamity. Even after she’s gone, she can still stir up trouble for these two.”