Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

The next day, after Xiao Lan finished eating the breakfast prepared by Xue Zhenzhen, she patted her belly contentedly. Since Madam Xue came to cook yesterday, she no longer had to eat the salty and oily dishes in the restaurant.

I took Dingding and Yue'er out to Yong'an Street in the capital. The most central place in the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom is the Imperial Palace. In front of the Imperial Palace are Longyuan Street and Fengqi Street, where princes, princesses and noble ladies live.

The surrounding area consists of Qinglong Street, Zhuque Street, Baihu Street, and Xuanwu Street. Beyond these four streets, there are eight more streets. Yong'an Street and Wan'an Street, which Xiao Lan is going to today, are among these eight streets. Both are located in the bustling areas of Kyoto. Xiao Lan is here today just to shop around. The main reason is that Cui Sumu and Jiang Xiuzhi haven't returned yet, so she can't bring her own people and money. However, this doesn't stop her from checking out the market first. If she finds a suitable shop, she can buy it first.

As they reached the street corner, they suddenly noticed a four-story building ahead with the name "Wutong Pavilion" written on it. However, its location was poor; all the windows were closed, and a sign on the door read "For Rent/For Sale." Generally, corner storefronts aren't good locations, and business isn't great. However, Xiao Lan remembered that this place had been a popular inn in her previous life, though she didn't know when it opened. Thinking that corner locations should be cheaper, she asked Dingding to inquire about the building's current status. Then, she took Yue'er to the teahouse across the street, ordered pastries, and sat down to wait for Dingding.

Two incense sticks' worth of time, and Dingding returned, telling Xiao Lan about the strange things she had inquired about.

"There's no business operating inside, just a few doormen, but they all look like they're skilled in martial arts. I was afraid there might be something wrong, so I didn't dare go in." Xiao Lan found it strange that Dingding said this. Although she hadn't encountered any fighting or violence on the way from Shaozhou to the capital, Dingding and Dangdang would practice their martial arts early in the morning whenever they had time. Sometimes she even saw them sparring with Li Yuan. Although Xiao Lan didn't know martial arts herself, she could tell that Dingding was quite skilled. Moreover, that day at Wu De's house, Dingding hadn't shown any fear in front of so many people. Besides, these two sisters had traveled the world with their master before. If she didn't dare to go in, it meant that those doormen were not simple people. It was indeed quite strange that such a large building only had a "For Rent/Sell" sign posted on it. So he asked, "What are the people around saying?" He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Dingding, saying, "You did the right thing. Don't rush, tell me slowly." Dingding took the tea from Xiao Lan, thanked him, and said, "According to the people around, this place used to be an inn, and business was quite good. About half a month ago, for some reason, the owner laid off all the staff and closed the shop." Dingding continued, "I heard that not long after the staff were laid off, the owner sold the shop. Later, the new owner took down the old Tongfuju sign and put up a Wutongju sign, but didn't open for business, just kept posting the 'For Rent' sign. Many people are puzzled, guessing that something happened to the inn, but neither the government has come, nor has anyone caused trouble. So the neighbors are also confused. For a while, no one has inquired about it." At this point, Xiao Lan was stunned. The inn was Tongfuju, which should be the one she remembered from her previous life. But wasn't that inn always open? At least it should have been open before she entered the palace. Could it be that because she changed some things, this seemingly unrelated inn has changed hands? Xiao Lan thought about it and felt a little strange, but she genuinely liked this building. Shops in the Great Xia Dynasty are usually only one or two stories high and not very big. This kind of building, which used to be an inn, is spacious, has four floors, and the rooms are all partitioned. It would be perfect for her to open a health spa. Most importantly, it's located on a street corner, so it's quiet. However, even if it were sold cheaply, such a building would still cost at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. Buying it now is probably risky, but she could talk to the owner and sign a longer lease until she's made enough money to buy it.

So he said, "Let's look at other things first, and then we'll call Uncle Li and Da Bao and come back later."

After they finished talking, the three of them strolled around for a while longer before returning to the Xiao family's residence in Dingxiang Hutong.

In the afternoon, after taking a nap, Xiao Lan asked Dingding to bring a recliner so she could read in the courtyard. Not long after, Li Yuan came in and said to Xiao Lan, "Miss, there is a young master Lin outside who wants to see you."

"Young Master Lin?" Xiao Lan thought to herself that she had just arrived in the capital and didn't know many people. Who was Young Master Lin? Wanting to know, Xiao Lan immediately stood up and said to Li Yuan, "I'll go out and take a look." She went to the front yard with Li Yuan and saw a man in white standing under a peach tree. However, because his back was to her, Xiao Lan said, "Young Master, are you looking for someone?" Before she could finish the word, the man in white turned around and said with a smile, "Miss Xiao, please forgive my intrusion." It was Lin Yuxuan. Xiao Lan was puzzled; she had only met Lin Yuxuan twice, how had he found her house?

Seeing Xiao Lan's puzzled expression and cold demeanor, Lin Yuxuan quickly explained, "Miss Xiao, please don't misunderstand. I had something to discuss with you, but when I arrived at the academy, I discovered that you weren't staying at the dormitory, so I asked the teacher for your address. Please forgive me." As he spoke, he bowed to Xiao Lan.

"Oh?" Xiao Lan thought to herself that Minglu Academy should not allow just anyone to view students' files. It seems that this Lin is not simple. But why don't I remember such a person in my past life?

So he asked, "May I ask who Young Master Lin is? I think the teachers of Minglu Academy wouldn't casually give out my information."

Lin Yuxuan thought for a moment and said, "Please don't be offended, young lady. It's my fault for not explaining things clearly to you." Then he looked at Xiao Lan and, seeing that she was unaffected, continued, "Let me reintroduce myself. I am Lin Yuxuan, son of Lin Jianye, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and also a tutor to the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince's study companion? Then why are you at Minglu Academy?" Xiao Lan remembered that in her previous life, the Crown Prince and all the other princes studied at the Imperial Academy. Only Yan Nan Hui, because of his reputation as a playboy, was disliked by the Emperor and later caused trouble at the Imperial Academy, which is why he switched to Minglu Academy and became her classmate. If Lin Yu Xuan came to Minglu Academy, then the Crown Prince should have come too. How come things are different again?

"To be honest, Miss Xiao, the Crown Prince entered Minglu Academy this year, and I also enrolled at the same time. However, because it involved a prince, I did not tell him the truth before."

"Shouldn't the Crown Prince be at the Imperial Academy? Why is he at Minglu Academy?" It's no wonder Xiao Lan was puzzled. According to the ancestral rules of the Great Xia Dynasty, princes, princesses, and all members of the imperial family should be studying at the Imperial Academy, not at Minglu Academy. Besides, this didn't happen in her previous life. In her previous life, the Crown Prince died in an accident during a hunting trip less than six months later. The Emperor was furious and executed the entire Eastern Palace, including his companions, attendants, and maids. Therefore, Xiao Lan had never met Lin Yuxuan in her previous life.

"This is what I wanted to tell Miss Xiao. Just half a month ago, two teachers from the Imperial Academy died tragically. Therefore, His Majesty secretly issued an edict to the Crown Prince, ordering him to enter the Minglu Academy this year. So, I also entered the academy. And as far as I know, the other princes should have received the same edict. However, the Crown Prince and the other princes are using aliases. Tomorrow is the entrance exam; please don't cause any trouble." Lin Yuxuan finished speaking and looked at Xiao Lan. For some reason, he felt that Xiao Lan was a very special girl. He was worried that she might not know the details and something unexpected might happen. After thinking for a long time, he decided to ask the teacher for Xiao Lan's address and come to tell her in advance. Actually, Lin Yuxuan knew that he really wanted to see Miss Xiao.

"Thank you, Young Master Lin. I will be careful tomorrow." Even if Lin Yuxuan hadn't said anything, Xiao Lan would have recognized him the next day, after all, she had been the sister-in-law or brother's wife of those people in her past life. However, Xiao Lan was also puzzled. Just because two people died at the Imperial Academy, the Emperor had sent all his sons to the Minglu Academy in the suburbs of the capital. She didn't know what he was thinking. And with so many princes coming, it seemed there would be some drama in the next two years. Finally, Xiao Lan felt a pang of sadness. If she had known the Emperor would send all his sons here, she would have preferred not to come to the capital at all. Now she couldn't even hide. Xiao Lan was thinking about whether she should do poorly on her exam tomorrow to avoid being in the same class as Yan Linfeng, or do well so as not to run into those two idiots, Yan Mobei and Yan Moyan. Just as Xiao Lan was lost in thought, Lin Yuxuan spoke again: "Miss Xiao, I don't need to travel with the Crown Prince tomorrow. If it's convenient for you, I can come and pick you up to go to the academy together. My grandfather is actually an old acquaintance of Lord Jiang." After saying this, Lin Yuxuan looked at Xiao Lan.

"Your grandfather?" Xiao Lan wondered to herself. Why was her grandfather being brought up again? Besides, her family had a carriage. What was the point of her riding in a man's carriage? Moreover, she wasn't very close to the Xiao family. Why was they talking about Old Man Xiao now?

"My grandfather was the Left Prime Minister Lin Mufeng. Before Lord Xiao left the capital, he and my grandfather's family were next-door neighbors." Lin Yuxuan had mentioned this to Prime Minister Lin yesterday, and that's what he heard from him. So this morning, he went to the academy to ask for the address and then came to find Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan thought for a moment and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Lin. I have already packed my luggage. After the exam tomorrow, I will go to the dormitory supervisor to check in. My luggage and maid are taking up too much space, so I won't trouble you any further, Young Master Lin." Seeing that Lin Yuxuan was about to say something, she added, "I have already sent someone to find Young Master Lan. Please also tell Brother Li that I am doing you a favor. Focus on your exam tomorrow."

When Lin Yuxuan heard Xiao Lan address Li Wei as Brother Li, but refer to himself as Young Master, he knew that the young lady was unhappy, so he cupped his hands in farewell.

After Lin Yuxuan left, Xiao Lan locked herself in her room and only ate a few bites of dinner in a hurry.