Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Luo Yuanyuan went to the dean's study and introduced herself to the servant boy. The servant boy did not immediately lead Luo Yuanyuan inside, but asked her to wait in the courtyard while he went in to inform the dean. After about half an incense stick's time, the servant boy returned and said to Luo Yuanyuan, "Miss Luo, the dean said there are more details to this matter. Please bring Minister Luo with you. He will explain everything to you clearly."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuanyuan knew it was about the recommendation letter, so she agreed and went back to find Ye Lanyi.

Fortunately, Ye Lanyi's attic wasn't far from the dean's study. However, when Luo Yuanyuan arrived at the attic and asked, she learned that all the female students lived on the fifth floor. Looking at the steps, Luo Yuanyuan gritted her teeth, had her maid help her, and slowly climbed up. After knocking on Ye Lanyi's door, Luo Yuanyuan went in, picked up the kettle without saying a word, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp. Then she said to Ye Lanyi, "Lanyi, I just went to see the dean, and he asked my father to come over before he could tell you."

Ye Lanyi thought to herself that Xiao Lan probably had a recommendation letter and did well on the exam, so the dean probably wanted to accept only Xiao Lan's recommendation letter. After all, no academy would accept two students with recommendation letters in the same year, especially since the recommendation letters were written by the same person. However, according to common sense, they should have rejected Xiao Lan, since Xiao Lan's father was only a fifth-rank city lord, while Luo Yuanyuan's father was a third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of War, second only to the minister in the Ministry of War. The dean of Minglu Academy had no family relationship with Xiao Lan, so there was no need for him to offend the Luo family. However, Ye Lanyi did not voice her doubts. After all, in her previous life, Xiao Lan had a recommendation letter but did not say so openly, which was why she suspected that Xiao Lan's recommendation letter was also forged. Since it was not said openly, if she said it now, it might implicate her during the confrontation. So she said to Luo Yuanyuan with a wronged expression, "Yuanyuan, although I didn't go to the Dean's study with you, I was just trying to help you. I was wandering around the academy when I overheard two people talking in the corner. It was about you." She looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. "What did they say? Tell me quickly." Sure enough, upon hearing this, Luo Yuanyuan quickly asked Ye Lanyi.

"They talked for a long time, and it seems a student surnamed Xiao did exceptionally well on the exam. They even said that with those grades, even without Young Master Lan's recommendation letter, getting into the academy was a sure thing. Why bother taking up a spot? You know eavesdropping isn't always a good thing. So I left as soon as I heard that." Saying this, Ye Lanyi feigned a wronged expression, saying, "Yuanyuan, could you please not tell anyone I eavesdropped? You know I'm in love with the Third Prince. If someone uses this to say I have character flaws, I'm afraid His Highness will dislike me." She deliberately lowered her head and pretended to wipe away tears with a handkerchief. Then she added, "Today, I only went to eavesdrop because of you, and because I overheard those two talking about recommendation letters." If Xiao Lan were here, seeing Ye Lanyi's performance, she would give Ye Lanyi a thumbs up; she played the green tea act perfectly. First, she claimed she had no choice but to eavesdrop and asked Luo Yuanyuan to keep it a secret. Second, she said she eavesdropped for Luo Yuanyuan's sake. This way, no matter what Luo Yuanyuan did, she wouldn't mention that she knew Xiao Lan had the recommendation letter because Ye Lanyi told her. Moreover, Ye Lanyi had left herself a backup plan in case Luo Yuanyuan was unethical and actually betrayed her. The key point was that she was just eavesdropping and didn't even know what the two people looked like. How could anyone know that those two people were fabricated by her to frame Xiao Lan? Given Luo Yuanyuan's impulsive temper, Xiao Lan is bound to suffer no matter what happens in the end. However, Luo Yuanyuan alone won't suffice; when it comes to dealing with people, the old foxes in the imperial court are the best choice. So, Luo Yuanyuan advised, "Yuanyuan, why don't you go find your father and come over as soon as possible? Go and find out who this Xiao Lan is at the top of the list. Why is she at the top of the list when you both have Lan Gongzi's recommendation letter? I remember before you gave your recommendation letter, you inquired whether the academy had received any this year. The academy said no, so you paid Lan Gongzi for it. Logically, you should have submitted your recommendation letter before her."

While pretending to care about Luo Yuanyuan, Ye Lanyi didn't forget to sow discord between Luo Yuanyuan and Xiao Lan, thinking that it would be best if Minister Luo could kill Xiao Lan today.

Luo Yuanyuan, heeding advice, returned to the Luo residence with her maid. After summoning her parents and explaining the situation, Minister Luo had gifts prepared, and he and Luo Yuanyuan rode swiftly to Minglu Academy. Upon dismounting, Minister Luo You said to Luo Yuanyuan, "Let's go check the list first." Luo Yuanyuan immediately agreed, and together they went to the list posted outside the main hall. They carefully examined it: three on the first list, six on the second, sixteen on the third, and the third was irrelevant. Only two people on the first, second, and third lists shared the surname Xiao, but those two were said to be at the top. That could only be Xiao Lan on the first list. If they hadn't seen the name on the list before, the father and daughter might not have been so angry. They were furious after seeing it. However, Luo Yuanyuan was angry because Xiao Lan clearly deserved such a high score, yet they still had to submit a letter of recommendation. What angered Luo You was that he had actually seen the names of the Crown Prince and the other four princes. There had been rumors in court that none of the princes were studying at the Imperial Academy this year, but everyone had assumed it was just a joke made up by some idle colleague. He hadn't expected it to be true. His daughter had a recommendation letter, but because it clashed with Xiao Lan's, she hadn't yet completed the enrollment and dormitory assignment process. A fifth-rank official's daughter from out of town—she really didn't know any manners. On the way here, Luo Yuanyuan had told Luo You everything she knew, including that Xiao Lan was the daughter of a minor city lord.

After thinking it over, Luo You decided to meet Xiao Lan first, so that he would have something to say when he met the dean of the academy later.

So the two inquired with the dormitory supervisor about Xiao Lan's residence and arrived at Lan Yue Residence. After the maid knocked on the door, Luo You didn't wait for anyone to come out and lead them in, and directly pushed the door open with Luo Yuanyuan. They almost bumped into Dingding, who was about to come and open the door.

Seeing that the two were well-dressed and had a maid with them, Dingding asked, "Who are you looking for? This courtyard has already been rented by my young lady. Isn't it a bit impolite of you to enter uninvited?"

Luo You sized up the maid and noticed she was actually skilled in martial arts, which surprised him. He didn't say anything, however. At this moment, Luo Yuanyuan spoke up: "This is Lord Luo You, the Vice Minister of War. I am his eldest daughter, Luo Yuanyuan. I entered Minglu Academy this year with a recommendation letter from Young Master Lan, but I heard that Xiao Lan also had a recommendation letter from Young Master Lan, so I've come to inquire." She then started to walk inside, her posture suggesting she was there to fight Xiao Lan. Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Dingding quickly stopped her, saying, "Whoever you are, what is the meaning of trespassing into Lanyue Residence without prior notice?"

At this moment, Xiao Lan also heard the noise and came out of the room. Seeing Luo Yuanyuan and Luo You, she guessed why they had come. So she said loudly, "Dingding, come here first. Don't rush. The Crown Prince and the princes are all in the academy. Anyone who dares to barge in like this is either a member of the royal family or someone who intends to rebel." Hearing Xiao Lan's words, Luo Yuanyuan wanted to come over and argue with Xiao Lan, but Luo You grabbed her and smiled, saying, "Miss Xiao, don't joke. I am Luo You, the Vice Minister of War. Today, I have some reasons to be in a hurry to see Miss Xiao. I didn't mean to offend you." Logically speaking, Luo You, as the Vice Minister of War, had no reason to speak politely to Xiao Lan. However, today Xiao Lan had brought up the Crown Prince and the princes. If his barging in was confirmed, he might really be accused by those with ulterior motives of disrespecting the royal family and having a treasonous intention. Seeing Luo You holding Luo Yuanyuan back, Xiao Lan, not wanting to make things awkward, asked, "I wonder what urgent matter brings Minister Luo to you so soon?" Xiao Lan, perhaps unaware of her own predicament, spoke with an air of superiority. Luo You glanced at her, startled. He thought to himself, "How come this minor official's daughter seems more imposing than me?" The key point is that this isn't the kind of mentality one can cultivate by being a local tyrant in a small town, far from the reach of the emperor. So, he said seriously, "Miss Xiao, my daughter was favored by Young Master Lan and wrote a letter of recommendation to study at Minglu Academy. However, today, when the results were released, I didn't see her name. After inquiring around, I learned that Miss Xiao also submitted a letter of recommendation to the academy. I don't know if these two letters were duplicates. But I see that Miss Xiao ranked first. Even without a letter of recommendation, Miss Xiao could still attend the academy. I wonder if Miss Xiao could come with me to explain this to the dean." Luo You paused for a moment and then added, "Miss Xiao is from out of town. If you encounter any difficulties in the capital, my Vice Minister's Mansion will certainly not stand idly by." Upon hearing Luo You's words, Xiao Lan felt as if struck by lightning. In this life, she had enrolled in Minglu Academy according to the proper etiquette, but Luo You and his daughter were insisting that she got in based on a letter of recommendation. If Dingding hadn't been standing right next to her, Xiao Lan would have thought she had returned to her previous life. Surprised as she was, Xiao Lan decided to get rid of these two annoying people first, so she said, "Lord Luo, are you saying that someone said I came to Minglu Academy with a letter of recommendation?" Luo You asked in return, "Isn't that true? It is true that the person said you didn't show your letter of recommendation openly."

Xiao Lan smiled and said, "Lord Luo, you may not know, but my father is the city lord of Yuzhou City. According to his official rank, I am qualified to enter Minglu Academy." After saying that, she looked at the father and daughter and added, "I don't know where you two heard the rumors, but I did hear that Young Master Lan wrote a letter of recommendation for the academy this year, but the person who recommended me was not me. If you really don't believe it, Lord Luo can go to the teacher later to confirm where my admission qualification came from."

Luo You, seeing that Xiao Lan didn't seem to be lying, but still fearing she might be deceiving him, said, "Then please, Miss Xiao, come with me to see the Master." Luo You said it was an invitation, but his manner was anything but. Xiao Lan knew that Luo You would force her to go to Master Tan's today, but having lived a second life, she no longer wanted to endure such filth. So she asked, "Does Lord Luo insist that I go?" Luo You didn't mince words: "Please come with us, Miss Xiao." His attitude was very firm. Xiao Lan sneered: "Since Lord Luo insists, I will comply. Just don't regret it." Saying this, she turned and walked towards the side room, her back to Luo You and the others, saying as she went, "Please wait a moment, I need to fetch something." She went inside and came out in less than an hour, saying to Luo You, "Let's go," and headed towards the Dean's study.