Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

The next day, Wu Yuyu got up early for the first time ever and rode in a carriage with Xiao Lan to Minglu Academy.

Xiao Lan carefully led Wu Yuyu's soft, boneless hand through the winding path to a quiet and elegant courtyard—Lan Yue Ju. She gently pushed open the door and stepped inside, but Yan Nan Hui was nowhere to be seen.

Xiao Lan pondered to herself that Yan Nan Hui wasn't here at the moment; he must either be teaching in the lecture hall or handling busy affairs at the Ministry of Rites. Thinking this, she turned to the graceful and charming Wu Yu Yu beside her and smiled, saying, "Little Yu Yu, I've placed some items in the west wing. Come with me to my room first and put your things down for now. In a few days, after I've tidied up everything, you can move into the west wing without worry." With that, Xiao Lan led Wu Yu Yu towards her room.

Although Wu Yuyu was the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion, she was still young and didn't care much about such things, so she said nonchalantly, "It's alright, sister, just leave me a place to sleep."

When Xiao Lan opened the west wing, Wu Yuyu was so surprised to see the pile of gold and silver valuables inside that she opened her mouth wide and almost froze in astonishment.

"Sister, where did you get all this stuff? There's so much incense! Even money can't buy this!" Wu Yuyu exclaimed. Her sister Lanlan was amazing. Even though it was her first time in the capital, she not only secured her admission to Minglu Academy, making her classmates with a group of princes, but she also started a business with the Fifth Prince. Most importantly, this pile of stuff was even more impressive than her father's private treasury. You see, in the Great Xia Dynasty, incense was only produced in the south, and in the past, all of it was purchased by imperial merchants and sent as tribute to the palace. What was sold outside was imported from Persia. However, Persian incense had a characteristic: its smell was too strong and it was mostly used for aphrodisiac purposes, so it was generally only used in brothels. Although southern incense was sold outside, it was mostly defective products or what the palace had rejected, and even then, it was incredibly difficult to obtain. Her father's salary as a fourth-rank official couldn't support the General's Mansion's daily incense consumption.

But Xiao Lan brought several boxes at once, which was quite frightening.

Xiao Lan noticed Wu Yuyu's surprise and explained, "I helped the Fifth Prince with something before, so he gave me His Majesty's reward. Take a look and see what you like, then pick some to take back with you."

Wu Yuyu looked at the items and said, "They're all good things, I want them all."

Xiao Lan laughed and said, "If you want them all, then take them all."

"Oh dear, never mind, this was specially given to you by the Fifth Prince, how could I dare accept it!" Wu Yuyu muttered softly, shaking her head slightly. She knew perfectly well that the more crucial reason she dared not accept the gift was the conversation she overheard her parents at the dinner table last night. From their snippets of conversation, Wu Yuyu keenly gleaned a piece of information: the Fifth Prince seemed to have a special affection for her sister. Moreover, her father had hinted that besides the Fifth Prince, it would be best to cultivate good relationships with the other princes as well. Therefore, this gift from the Fifth Prince seemed quite sensitive and troublesome. If she rashly accepted it, it might cause a lot of trouble in the future, and could even lead to misunderstandings and unclear situations. Thinking of this, Wu Yuyu strengthened her resolve to refuse.

Xiao Lan pondered to herself, "Since these things were given to me by Yan Nan Hui, I certainly can't just give them to Wu Yu Yu casually. But I can carefully prepare some other gifts for her! However, it would be more appropriate to give these gifts after Wu Yu Yu has gone through her coming-of-age ceremony. Furthermore, the gifts must be given in front of many people, so that those with ulterior motives in the General's Mansion will have a hard time coveting and touching this sentiment." Thinking of this, the corners of Xiao Lan's mouth turned up slightly, as if she could already see Wu Yu Yu's ecstatic appearance when she received the gifts and the envious and jealous expressions of everyone else.

After the two changed their clothes, Xiao Lan led Wu Yuyu toward the lecture hall, introducing the various buildings of the academy to Wu Yuyu as they walked.

The moment Xiao Lan and Wu Yuyu slowly entered the lecture hall, everyone sitting in the hall was immediately struck by their beauty. Xiao Lan had starry eyes, fair skin, almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth. Xiao Lan's appearance was very charming, but because of her bright eyes, she did not appear seductive.

Wu Yuyu had a healthy wheat-colored complexion and classically beautiful phoenix eyes. Because of her youthful appearance, she lacked a seductive charm but instead exuded a heroic spirit. Girls with this kind of appearance were actually quite rare in the capital, so everyone's eyes lit up.

Xiao Lan, with a smile, introduced Wu Yuyu, Crown Prince Lin Yuxuan, and Li Wei. Just then, a figure suddenly approached; it was Ye Yuandong. He smiled broadly, his gaze landing directly on Wu Yuyu, and then he said warmly, "Hello, lovely little sister! My name is Ye Yuandong. I heard you're Lanlan's cousin? Haha, what a coincidence! Actually, your sister and I are old acquaintances, and we're both from Xiwu Prefecture. From now on, you can just call me Brother Ye." He then winked at Wu Yuyu, appearing exceptionally friendly and approachable.

Upon hearing these words, Wu Yuyu felt a pang of fear. She opened her mouth as if to respond, but ultimately remained silent due to nervousness. She cautiously raised her head and stole a glance at Xiao Lan beside her. She saw that Xiao Lan's beautiful eyes were filled with anger and dissatisfaction, her eyes practically rolling to the sky!

Just then, Xiao Lan suddenly reached out and pulled Wu Yuyu behind her, as if to protect her timid younger sister with her own body. Then, Xiao Lan glared at Ye Yuandong and shouted, "Ye Yuandong, have you forgotten? I've made it perfectly clear to you long ago that we're just ordinary classmates! Besides, we've never gotten along since childhood, we've always disliked each other. And now you dare to call my sister 'sister'? Let me tell you, if I ever hear you say such a thing again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Xiao Lan was truly angry today. She'd never thought Ye Yuandong was such a persistent nuisance before; how could he be so crazy in this life, acting like they were old friends? Leaving aside the fact that their families had no connection to begin with, Xiao Lan absolutely didn't want any interaction with Ye Yuandong because of Ye Lanyi and Yan Linfeng. But for some reason, things had changed in this life. Ye Yuandong had deliberately waited for her at the Lingnan ferry, and now he'd followed her to Minglu Academy. Since trying to get close to her wasn't working, he was now trying to get involved with her younger sister.

My dear Xiao Lan! Hearing your cold treatment of me, my heart is shattered into pieces! Back then, we were childhood sweethearts, inseparable and inseparable, sharing so many carefree and wonderful times! How could we have become so distant now? Has all that deep affection vanished with the passage of time?

For the past few days, Ye Lanyi had been fanning the flames and instigating things, which led Ye Yuandong to become obsessed with ruining Xiao Lan's reputation and forcing her to marry him. In truth, Ye Yuandong was also tormented and agonizing as he actually did it. But the thought of keeping Xiao Lan by his side forever made him lose his reason and force himself to do something foolish.

"You..." Xiao Lan was speechless. If she weren't so weak in martial arts and didn't have Ding Ding with her, she would have beaten Ye Yuandong up. But if Ye Yuandong continued to spout nonsense, it would be a small matter if her reputation was tarnished. The real problem was if he managed to extort money from her, she might be forced to become Ye's wife. She'd rather die than accept that.

Just then, a male voice rang out: "So now, when you're chasing a girl and she doesn't agree, you resort to ruining your reputation? I'm afraid Minglu Academy wouldn't dare accept a student like Young Master Ye." In an instant, Yan Nan walked in, exchanged a smile with Xiao Lan, and walked to her side, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Let's see who dares to ruin your reputation." After saying that, he looked straight at Ye Yuandong.

Ye Yuandong felt a little uneasy under Yan Nanhui's gaze, but remembering what his cousin had told him—that winning a beauty's heart required some cunning—he retorted defiantly, "Fifth Prince, Lanlan and I are childhood sweethearts. My family and the Xiao family are neighbors. You are unfamiliar with many things in the capital, and I suppose Lanlan was shy and didn't explain clearly." Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Lin Yuxuan and the others were shocked. If Ye Yuandong's words were true, then Xiao Lan and Ye Yuandong were indeed childhood sweethearts. But if it wasn't true, it seemed this Ye Yuandong was deliberately trying to ruin Xiao Lan's reputation.

The crucial point is that Xiao Lan has no way to argue her point.

At this moment, Ye Lanyi also spoke up: "Xiao Xueyou, my cousin has been in love with you since childhood. Moreover, he was afraid of neglecting you, so ten days ago he wrote to Xiwu Prefecture and asked my uncle to propose marriage to the Xiao family. The matriarch of the Xiao family has also agreed."

Ye Lanyi's actions were undeniably ruthless. If it were an ordinary woman from ancient times, she might have given in. However, Xiao Lan was a transmigrator who had been reborn. She could remain unmarried for her entire life rather than compromise herself by marrying a villain like Ye Yuandong.

“Miss Ye, everyone knows that the matriarch of my Xiao Marquis's mansion passed away when my father was young. The current mistress is merely a concubine who was elevated to the rank of Consort. She has no right to rule over me, the legitimate daughter of the family.” Xiao Lan finished speaking and looked at Ye Lanyi with disdain in her eyes. “However, it’s not surprising that Miss Ye doesn’t understand these intricacies. After all, Miss Ye is a concubine’s daughter born out of wedlock in the Ye family. There are some ways that even Miss Ye’s parents might not understand in high-ranking families.”

After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Ye Lanyi clenched her fists into a ball, her nails digging into her flesh. But she couldn't refute Xiao Lan, because what Xiao Lan said was true. So she could only clench her fists tightly to vent her anger, while making a pitiful face like Qiqi's, to make everyone think that Xiao Lan was being aggressive.

"Secondly, anyone who knows me knows that my father was willing to give up his title of Marquis to marry my mother, so I was treated like a maternal grandmother from a young age, but had nothing to do with that Marquis's wife. Anyone with common sense would not have asked her to arrange my marriage," Xiao Lan continued.

"Besides, Miss Ye has some reputation, which I only acquired because I didn't care about it. How come you've started believing your own lies? If you provoke me again, even if I don't want something, you're not worthy of picking it up." After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Ye Lanyi's face immediately turned pale. She took a few steps back and slumped into her seat.

Ye Lanyi was most proud of her identity as the Phoenix Maiden, but this wasn't truly hers. As for the legends of the Great Xia Dynasty—that whoever possessed the Phoenix Maiden possessed the world, and that the death of the Phoenix Maiden meant the fall of the Great Xia—Xiao Lan knew nothing about them. Or rather, she didn't care. In her previous life, Xiao Lan had transmigrated and refused to use feudal superstition to enhance her status. Therefore, Ye Lanyi had always been the universally recognized Phoenix Maiden, which was why Yan Linfeng had always protected her. In the end, Xiao Lan felt that her deep affection had been misplaced; so many years of feelings couldn't compare to the title of Phoenix Maiden, so she didn't bother to explain. Until her death, Ye Lanyi remained the Phoenix Maiden.

But in this life, Xiao Lan suddenly didn't want to let her have her way anymore. This Ye Lanyi was just too annoying. Don't think she didn't know; judging from Ye Yuandong's actions today, she didn't believe it was without Ye Lanyi's instigation. However, Xiao Lan didn't notice that after she finished speaking, the corner of a blue python robe flashed past the pillar outside.

In fact, not only the people outside, but Yan Jingtian also looked over at Xiao Lan. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Brother Ye, if you don't apologize and explain things clearly to Miss Xiao today, then I will have no choice but to report today's events to my father. After all, the Xiao family are founding heroes, and Old Marquis Xiao is a close friend of my grandfather. We cannot wrong the eldest grandson of the Xiao family. If you implicate the Ye family's status as imperial merchants in Xiwu Prefecture, I'm afraid the Ye family head will not be able to escape responsibility either."

Yan Linfeng listened quietly to every word Yan Jingtian said. On the surface, it seemed he was standing up for Xiao Lan, but he keenly sensed that things weren't so simple. The Crown Prince was known for his ability to disguise himself, always playing the role of a kind and amiable good-natured person. For him to be willing to go to such lengths for a mere young girl must have a deeper reason behind it.

Admittedly, Xiao Lan possessed unparalleled beauty; her exquisite face was enough to captivate any man. Even Yan Linfeng himself had been struck by her beauty, feeling a touch of tenderness. However, in the unfathomable imperial palace, beauty was often the least valuable thing. Moreover, the Xiao Marquis's mansion had lost its hereditary title. Although the Marquis still commanded a small army, its numbers amounted to a mere 100,000. Compared to the vast Crown Prince's residence, this force was utterly insignificant, practically negligible.

So, what exactly is the reason for the Crown Prince's intense interest in Xiao Lan? Yan Linfeng pondered for a long time, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind: Could it be because of her unknown identity as the "Phoenix Maiden"? Once this guess surfaced, it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples. If that were the case, the interests involved would likely be far more complex than imagined…

His mother had always said that Ye Lanyi was destined to be a phoenix maiden, and had brought her into the palace to raise her with great care since she was a child. She often instructed Yan Linfeng to get close to her. However, after Yan Linfeng tested her several times, he found that Ye Lanyi, apart from being dignified and beautiful, was completely devoid of talent and virtue, and had no trace of the demeanor and temperament that a phoenix maiden should have.

Looking at Xiao Lan, he had shown remarkable resilience and composure during the difficult situation on the ship. After entering the academy, he further demonstrated his exceptional talent and knowledge, achieving the highest rank in the imperial examinations. Furthermore, Yan Linfeng harbored doubts. How could his fifth son, a lazy and incompetent wastrel, possibly know how to make charcoal pencils? Besides, the capital didn't produce coal locally. Therefore, he suspected that Xiao Lan had likely helped Yan Nan find the method for making charcoal pencils. Yan Linfeng was determined to win over such a capable and helpful person; he couldn't let such talent fall into the hands of the Crown Prince and his fifth son—what a waste!

Just then, Yan Linfeng frowned slightly and said softly, "Yuan Dong! You should apologize to Miss Ye right away! You've been so unilaterally in love with this young lady, you can't ruin her reputation just because she rejected you! Apologize now!" Although his voice wasn't loud, it carried an undeniable authority, as if this matter needed to be properly resolved.

As soon as Yan Linfeng finished speaking, Ye Yuandong and Ye Lanyi's expressions changed drastically.

Yan Linfeng did not stop Ye Yuandong when Ye Lanyi instigated him before, but now he actually made Ye Yuandong apologize.

At this moment, Yan Nanhui also spoke up: "Young Master Ye, please apologize to Miss Ye."

Just then, Ye Yuandong stood there helplessly, facing three imposing princes. These three princes stared intently at Ye Yuandong, making him feel unprecedented pressure.

Faced with this situation, Ye Yuandong inwardly groaned, yet he truly could not disobey the three princes' orders. He took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and faced Xiao Lan, who was not far away. He clasped his hands in a fist, bowed deeply, then straightened up, a forced smile on his face, and said, "My friend Ye, I'm truly sorry! What I said before was just a joke; please don't take it to heart! I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive my impetuousness this time." After speaking, Ye Yuandong bowed to Xiao Lan again, expressing his sincere apology.

Xiao Lan sneered, "I have received your apology, but I do not forgive you. Please do not speak to me again, thank you."

After speaking, he led Wu Yuyu to the seats in front of him and Yan Nanhui, then bowed to Crown Prince Yan Linfeng, thanking the two princes for their righteous words. Then he acted as if nothing had happened. He just didn't notice that several princes were looking at him intentionally or unintentionally.