Ah Hong also felt her scalp tingling and she tightened her body.
"Why does it feel...it feels like a magic trick? My Lady, how did they...how did you do it?"
Luo Lan smiled lightly and then ordered:
"Stop talking nonsense and get to work. Tie them to the chairs. It's getting late today, so we'll talk about it tomorrow. And don't tell anyone else about this."
"yes."
"Also, you two, lock this door and don't let anyone know of their presence. I'm going back to my room to rest."
"Yes, my lady."
After receiving the order, Acai and Ahong hurriedly pulled Ling Feng and the servant up, tied them up on the chair, and finally stuffed handkerchiefs into their mouths.
Luo Lan returned to the next room exhausted, but she had no intention of falling asleep.
Ling Feng's words were still lingering in her ears, and An An's matter made her even more worried.
These two things mixed together made her feel overwhelmed.
The next morning,
Before she even got up, Ah Cai called out from the door:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived and is waiting for you in the main hall."
Hearing this, Luo Lan's heart sank. She was not worried about Ling Feng, but about An An.
"I understand. Tell the emperor that I will come as soon as I put on my clothes."
After saying that, she quickly stood up and changed her clothes. At this time, Ah Hong came in with a basin of water.
"My lady, I will help you wash up."
"Over there, what's going on?"
"They woke up and struggled for a while, but when they couldn't get away, they stopped. I was just about to ask if you wanted to give them something to eat."
"If you don't give me any, I'll be too hungry to break free."
"Well, that boy is not very strong, and Ling Feng is very strong. Ah Cai and I were afraid that he would break free from the ropes on his body, so we tied him up with another rope."
"That's good. Hurry up and clean up. The emperor is here, so there must be something wrong."
"yes."
After agreeing, Ah Hong began to help her wash and dress quickly, then helped her to do her makeup and changed her clothes.
After finishing all this, she walked out of the door with a serious expression. On the corridor leading to the front yard, she saw An An pacing back and forth. She hurried over to greet him.
"An An, what are you doing here?"
When An An saw her, he rushed over as if he had seen a life-saving straw.
"Mother, I heard that my father, the emperor, is here. Does he know something? Is he here to punish me? What should I do?"
Seeing An An was about to cry, Luo Lan shook his head distressedly.
"Your father doesn't know about this yet, don't worry, I'll go to the main hall and take a look first."
"But mother, I should tell him and admit my mistake!"
"Silly child, you must admit your mistake, but not now. Listen to me and go back first. I will call you if anything happens."
After saying that, she patted her shoulder and went straight to the front yard.
Leng Yu was talking to A Yu and A Hou. When he saw her come in, he waved his hand to signal them to go down.
After everyone left, Luo Lan came up to him and bowed.
"Long live the emperor."
Luo Lan's strange behavior surprised him.
"What's wrong with Lan'er? Why is she doing this for no reason? It seems so awkward."
Luo Lan looked at him, chuckled and shook his head.
"You are the emperor, so you must observe proper etiquette."
After she finished speaking, she sat down beside him, picked up the teapot, filled the cup in front of him, and looked at him curiously.
"Why did the Emperor suddenly come to Prince Yu's Mansion?"
Leng Yu took two sips of tea, then angrily slammed the cup on the table and said angrily:
"Have you seen Leng Ming these past two days? I summoned him, but he dared not come to see me. He is so audacious! This time I will definitely punish him severely."
Seeing that Leng Yu came for this matter, Luo Lan knew that he must be angry with Leng Ming for spreading the news that the top scholar was missing.
This time, she did not speak for Leng Ming for the first time, but instead followed suit and added fuel to the fire.
"My husband is right. This time, we must punish him severely. This is the first imperial examination since the emperor ascended the throne, and the top scorer was lost for no apparent reason. If this gets out, it will bring shame upon the emperor."
According to Leng Yu's expectation, Luo Lan should try his best to speak for Leng Ming.
He looked at her with puzzled eyes.
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
Luo Lan shook his head calmly.
"It's okay, but I was wondering about something. You said that the top scholar refused to come forward. Is there something he can't tell me?"
Leng Yu frowned and looked at her.
"What unspeakable secret could prevent him from accepting my canonization? If he had any unspeakable secret, I would have given him special care because of his talent, but he just won't show up. What do you say we should do about this?"
"What if he's a big-time bandit? What if he's a petty thief? What if he's the descendant of a criminal? What if he's a woman? Will the Emperor show any special care in that case?"
Leng Yu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"His test paper is not something that ordinary people can do. His writing style is even better than Lele's. I believe he is not the type of person you mentioned. But even if he is, I can still make concessions for him."
Seeing Leng Yu finally give in, Luo Lan's eyes flickered a few times, and then he looked at him as if he had suddenly realized something.
"My dear, I think there must be a reason why he hasn't dared to show up yet. Although you said that, the number one scholar doesn't know about it. Besides, three days have passed since the results were announced. Even if he showed up now, you can still punish him with justification. How can he dare to show up? How about this? You can issue an imperial edict and post it. No matter what difficulties this number one scholar has, the emperor will show mercy to him because of his talent. Perhaps this way he can show up without any worries?"
Although Leng Yu felt that this was a bit of an overreaction, he felt that what Luo Lan said made sense.
He immediately instructed the people outside:
"Qin Shun..."
Qin Shun hurriedly trotted over to him, "Your Majesty..."
"Draft an imperial decree and post it in the capital, stating that I cherish talent. No matter why the newly crowned number one scholar, Ling'an, has not appeared before me, I will not blame him. I will give him three days. If he appears within these three days, I will sympathize with his difficulties and exempt him from all punishment."
"Yes, I will draft the decree right away."
After saying that, Qin Shun quickly retreated, and Luo Lan's heart suddenly became much clearer.
Although An An was wrong first, since Leng Yu had issued the imperial decree, she could at least defend An An.
After saying this, she looked at Leng Yu with a serious expression.
"My husband, I have something else to tell you."
Looking at her serious expression, Leng Yu nodded and said, "Go ahead!"
"I……"
When it came to talking about Ling Feng, Luo Lan felt like he didn't know how to start.
But if I don’t tell this, what if what Ling Feng said is true?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but say:
"When we were in Yilan County, the Master Ling I mentioned to you has come to the capital."
"What?"
Leng Yu's face turned pale in an instant, and he looked at Luo Lan solemnly.
"The Dongyang people arrived in the capital so quickly? Where is he?"
"It's in Prince Yu's mansion."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
