Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

After submitting her answers, Xiao Lan went out to find Dingding and prepared to go to the dormitory supervisor to arrange her accommodation. The Minglu Academy, viewed from above, is actually shaped like a Bagua diagram. The lecture hall, library, ceremonial hall, ancestral hall, and archery range are all in the center, while the dormitories, kitchens, bathrooms, and supervisors are distributed around the perimeter in an Bagua pattern. The dormitory supervisors at Minglu Academy are divided into three classes, with fees charged according to class. The first-class dormitory supervisors are located in the northwest of the academy, consisting of thirty-six courtyards. Each courtyard has three guest rooms and two servant rooms. The monthly fee for each courtyard is ten taels of silver. The second-class dormitory is located on the east side of the academy, consisting of four pavilions, generally four to seven stories high, with five rooms on each floor. The rooms are small; once a bed and a desk are placed inside, there's barely any room left. The academy charges eight hundred coins per month for such rooms. The biggest difference between students living here and those in the first-class dormitory, besides room size, is that they cannot bring maids or servants. However, the third-class dormitory on the east side of the academy, with its large communal sleeping area costing fifty coins per month, still offers some privacy.

Xiao Lan didn't think much of it and directly asked for a first-class courtyard. In her previous life, Xiao Lan wanted to experience life and directly asked for a second-class attic, but unfortunately, all the women were assigned to the fifth floor and above. After returning to her dormitory every day, Xiao Lan didn't like to go out again. So in this life, plus the fact that she needed Dingding to protect her, she had to have a courtyard. Moreover, if she went out in the future, living in a courtyard would make it less likely for her to be discovered. In her previous life, she lived in an attic, and every time she went out to discuss business, she would be seen.

Just as Xiao Lan was about to pay for her chosen courtyard, the teacher informed her that due to the large number of students enrolled this year, at least two students needed to be present for each courtyard to be occupied. The remaining room would be arranged by the academy, and she could only move in after the other two students agreed. In her past life, besides the princes, Xiao Lan only knew Ye Lanyi and Luo Yuanyuan. Crucially, she hadn't seen Ye Lanyi today, and none of the others knew her in this life. Even if they did, she didn't want to have anything to do with them. In her past life, she also had two young ladies from the prefectures as classmates, but she hadn't seen them either. Therefore, the only person she could choose was Yan Nan Hui, but unfortunately, she didn't know either of them now. So, Xiao Lan thanked the teacher and went back to her carriage. She told Li Yuan she was going to Wutong Residence, and the carriage headed towards Yong'an Street.

Upon arriving at Wutongju, Xiao Lan had already changed into men's clothing in the car. He led Dingding, Yue'er, Li Yuan, and Da Bao into the shop. They didn't see the martial arts practitioners Dingding had mentioned. There was only one person who looked like a waiter sitting at the counter. When he saw Xiao Lan and his group enter, he came forward and said, "Young master, may I ask what brings you here?"

"Young man," Xiao Lan said with a smile, "I think this building is quite nice, and there's a sign outside saying it's for rent, so I came in to inquire." Xiao Lan thought the waiter should call a manager or explain the situation to him, but the waiter continued to ask, "Excuse me, is it you, young master, who needs to rent it?" "That's me. Is the manager or manager here?" Xiao Lan noticed that the waiter was quite strange, so he reminded him to find the manager.

The waiter thought for a moment, then told Xiao Lan to wait a moment before going upstairs. About half an incense stick later, he hurried down and said to Xiao Lan, "The owner isn't here today, so the innkeeper can't make a decision. Please leave your name and address, and the owner will come to fetch you when he returns." He then casually handed Xiao Lan paper and pen. Xiao Lan thought the owner of Wutong Residence was really strange, but she didn't think much of it and left Xiao Mu'an's name and the address of Dingxiang Alley. She then went home. Before entering her room, she told Dingding to guard the door and not let anyone in until she came out. Dingding assumed her mistress was in a bad mood because she hadn't been able to find a courtyard at the dormitory supervisor's, and hadn't managed to rent an inn. So, like a doorman, she stood motionless outside Xiao Lan's door. She had no idea that Xiao Lan was inside writing a letter, smiling as she wrote, in an exceptionally good mood. After finishing both letters, Xiao Lan took them, called her three maids and Da Bao, and they hitched up a carriage and headed straight for the General's Mansion. Upon arriving at the mansion's gate, Xiao Lan didn't get out of the carriage but had Da Bao ask the gatekeeper to call the steward. A short while later, Steward Nie emerged, and Xiao Lan got out of the carriage, saying, "Greetings, Steward Nie. I have important business to discuss with my uncle today. I wonder if he is currently at the mansion?"

"Miss, the General is in the manor. Please follow this old servant." Steward Nie was Jiang Xiuzhi's man. Xiao Lan knew that Wu De was somewhat embarrassed after she had hit Chen Shi last time. Having the steward lead her in was not only in accordance with the rules, but she also wanted to see how Wu De was doing. If he was still angry, she wouldn't go in even if she was anxious. Fortunately, the steward's expression was normal. Xiao Lan led three maids in. This time, unlike last time, she didn't go through many twists and turns. She went directly through three flower gates and arrived at the main hall of the General's manor. Wu De, having been informed, was sitting in the main hall waiting for Xiao Lan. When he saw that she had brought three maids, his face darkened, but he didn't say anything. Xiao Lan, seeing this expression, immediately recognized him and quickly stepped forward to greet him. She then said, "Uncle, please don't be offended. After what happened last time, I don't know how my grandfather found out, but he sent someone to tell me that my aunt, uncle, and I are family, and that I shouldn't be sown apart by a mere concubine. However, for safety's sake, he instructed me to bring all my maids with me wherever I go, except at the academy, so that if I encounter any troublemakers, I can just have the maids handle them." As she spoke, she smiled sincerely at Wu De. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Seeing Xiao Lan's attitude, Wu De couldn't say anything. However, these past few days, as soon as Chen Shi's condition improved slightly, she would come to him to play the victim, which annoyed Wu De quite a bit. He also harbored some resentment towards Xiao Lan. Moreover, outsiders might not know, but his own family knew that Jiang Nihuang and Xiao Daren's relationship with the Xiao family was not good. So he asked, "I wonder who helped deliver the message. Old Marquis Xiao went to Xiwu Prefecture. I thought he had lost contact with the capital." Xiao Lan replied with a smile, "Lin Yuxuan, the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue. He said that his grandfather, Prime Minister Lin, was on good terms with my grandfather. He also said that if I had any difficulties, I should go directly to the Prime Minister's residence." Xiao Lan thought to herself that there was definitely no verbal message, but Lin Yuxuan had indeed contacted her and said these words. She wasn't lying to Wu De. Moreover, she bet that Wu De would definitely not go to Prime Minister Lin or the Vice Minister of Revenue to verify. After all, civil and military officials were always at odds with each other, and those two officials were higher-ranking than Wu De. Wu De would be crazy to ask them about such a thing.

After saying that, she looked at Wu De with a smile, not mentioning Wu De's suspicions, and continued, "Uncle, I have come to see you today because it is important."

"What is it?" Wu De knew that although his wife's niece was capable, she was reasonable and wouldn't joke with him. If she said it was important, then it must be something. So he asked seriously.

Xiao Lan said, "Uncle, did you know that Lin Yuxuan is the Crown Prince's study companion?" Although Wu De didn't know Lin Yuxuan's name, everyone in the court knew that the Prime Minister's grandson was the Crown Prince's study companion. So he answered directly, "The Prime Minister's grandson entered the Eastern Palace at a young age to serve as the Crown Prince's study companion; all the civil and military officials of the court know this. But I really don't know what that young master Lin's name is."

“That’s right. Lin Yuxuan and I took the entrance exam for Minglu Academy together today. The results will be released in three days, and we’ll be classmates.” Xiao Lan said, glancing at Wu De. She hoped her uncle’s brain would work this time, but Wu De, true to form, asked, “Isn’t that great? We can look after each other as classmates.” Xiao Lan nearly vomited blood upon hearing this. Taking a sip of water to quell her anger, Xiao Lan said, "But Uncle, Lin Yuxuan is the Crown Prince's study companion. Shouldn't he accompany the Crown Prince to the Imperial Academy? Besides, there are over twenty people taking the Inner Court exam today. I heard from the teacher that in previous years only about ten people participated." Seeing Wu De's surprised and confused look, Xiao Lan continued, "The funniest thing is that one student came in just as I was about to finish answering. That guy was wearing all purple, and the key is that he looks remarkably like the young masters sitting next to me. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were brothers. But what family has five brothers of similar age?" Xiao Lan thought she had given enough information. In the capital, who else could wear purple, be good-looking, and have four brothers besides the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) Yan Nan Hui?

Although Wu De was uneducated, he was still quite clear-headed and understood Xiao Lan's meaning to some extent. While he found it unlikely, he reasoned that for a young girl who had just arrived in the capital to speak so accurately, it was probably quite accurate. He still found it unbelievable, but he added, "That's true. Ordinary families can't produce so many sons. But speaking of purple robes, His Majesty's Fifth Prince especially loves wearing purple." Seeing that Wu De understood, Xiao Lan continued, "Uncle, Aunt wanted my sister to study at the Imperial Academy, but seeing how many students enrolled at Minglu Academy this year, its reputation is likely no less than the Imperial Academy's. It would be better for my sister to go to Minglu Academy; we sisters could look after each other. I think Aunt would be happy to hear that." After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Wu De thought to himself that studying at the Imperial Academy was easy enough; he could just spend money and pull some strings to get in. Minglu Academy never accepted the children of officials in the capital. The only other option was to get in through merit, but Wu Yuyu truly lacked that ability.

So he spoke frankly, "I've been trying to get into the Imperial Academy through connections these past few days, but I haven't received a reply yet. Minglu Academy never accepts the children of officials in the capital. I'm afraid it will be difficult for Yuyu to get in." He then looked troubled. Xiao Lan immediately said, "If there is a great scholar who can recommend Yuyu, then everything will be solved."

“The Confucian scholars from prominent families have always sided with us warriors. Even if I wanted to spend money, I couldn’t find anyone to write a letter of recommendation for me. And there’s no way to do that in the short term.”

Seeing the fish take the bait, Xiao Lan was secretly delighted. She said, "I've already thought of someone for my sister, but her grades aren't outstanding, and the recommendation letter is difficult." Xiao Lan had been humiliated at Wutong Residence that day, and thinking about how poor she was, she realized that if she had simply handed over a stack of silver notes, she probably wouldn't have received this treatment. Besides, Wu De had his own secret stash of money...

I shouldn't waste my own money on Jiang Xiuzhi and Wu Yuyu, even if I don't turn back. Why not take advantage of it?

So when I got back, I wrote a letter, intending to extort money from Wu De.

"Who is it? A letter from an ordinary Confucian scholar wouldn't be enough to get into Minglu." Don't underestimate Wu De just because he's uneducated; he's very knowledgeable about the affairs of many scholars.

"Young Master Lan, your uncle must have heard of him, right?"

"You actually managed to find his connections?" Wu De was also astonished. This Young Master Lan had suddenly appeared out of nowhere two years ago; no one knew his age or appearance, only that he loved traveling and disliked worldly affairs. If she had his recommendation letter, even if she didn't get into Minglu, Wu Yuyu's value would skyrocket. Thinking of this, Wu De asked, "If Young Master Lan were to write a recommendation letter for Yuyu, how much should I give him?"

"Here it comes, the money's here!" Xiao Lan was overjoyed, but her expression remained unchanged. "It's said that Young Master Lan's words are worth a thousand pieces of gold. This letter of recommendation must be at least a hundred words long. However, my Xiao family had a life-or-death friendship with him before, so I was able to write this letter for him. At least this amount." With that, Xiao Lan stretched out her hand, extending all five fingers, and gestured towards Wu De. She thought to herself, "Five thousand taels shouldn't be too much. This money should be nothing to Wu De."

Wu De was taken aback when he saw Xiao Lan count to five. However, considering Lan Gongzi's name, if Wu Yuyu had this recommendation letter, going to Minglu Academy would be a great thing for the General's Mansion. After all, having a young lady who could win Lan Gongzi's favor meant that even if his career didn't advance, he could still find a good in-law or son-in-law. Suddenly, he felt a pang of regret. His eldest son had been found as an illegitimate child, and Chen Shi hadn't raised him well. If he had grown up by his side and found a great scholar to elevate his status, he wouldn't be reduced to a minor official now. Thinking of this, Wu De hardened his heart and said, "Fine, fifty thousand it is. When will I see the letter after I give the money?"

Upon hearing Wu De's words, Xiao Lan almost shouted out loud. She had originally wanted five thousand, but thankfully she hadn't said it aloud, only gestured a number; otherwise, she would have lost forty-five thousand taels of silver. It seemed she was still too young and had underestimated Wu De's strength. She immediately replied, "Uncle, I've received the letter. Now that you've given the money, the steward can take my sister's things to Minglu Academy in a little while. Let's finish all the formalities today, and she can come directly to the academy to attend classes as soon as she returns." As she spoke, she took the letter out of her sleeve and waved it at Wu De.

Upon hearing this news, Wu De was initially surprised. However, this surprise didn't last long, quickly transforming into a sense of relief. After all, he knew his niece's style all too well; she was always as decisive, steady, accurate, and swift as her sister-in-law. Thinking of this, Wu De's lips curled into a slightly pleased smile, and he said softly, "Lanlan, you're such a capable and efficient child! Just wait here a moment, your uncle will go and get you some silver." With that, he strode out of the room, heading straight for his private storeroom.

Before long, Wu De returned carrying a thick stack of silver notes. As he passed the flower hall, he stopped and called out the steward's name. When the steward arrived, Wu De handed him the General's Mansion token and instructed him, "You will be traveling with me and Xiao Lan to Minglu Academy in a little while. Be careful on the road and do not be negligent in the slightest." The steward respectfully nodded in agreement, indicating that he would do his best to complete the task. Then, the three of them set off together towards Minglu Academy.