The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Inquiring About Her

Ye Yunfeng chuckled. ”Don’t worry, Sis! I know!”

My third brother has always wanted to study here. Now that his wish has finally come true, of course I’ll be extra careful!

Only then did Ye Chutang let him get out of the carriage.

Because of the argument on the way here, they were almost late. By now, there was no one in front of the Imperial College gate except for the servant on watch.

Ye Mingze snorted and strode forward on his own.

The servant quickly recognized him. ”Second Young Master Ye.”

Ye Mingze nodded, but after stepping through the gate, he turned to look back, his gaze full of provocation.

’He was going to see for himself whether their so-called recommendation letter from the Lord Sacrificial Officer was real or fake!’

Ye Jingyan stepped forward and presented a letter, his demeanor neither servile nor overbearing.

”Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng of Jiangling, here to pursue our studies with a recommendation letter from the Lord Sacrificial Officer.”

The gatekeeping servant was also taken aback.

”You—what did you say!? This is a recommendation letter from the Lord Sacrificial Officer!?”

’Everyone knew the Lord Sacrificial Officer had incredibly high standards and rarely recommended anyone for admission. Just what was the background of these two young men?’

The servant took the letter and opened it, but his expression grew troubled.

Seeing this, Ye Mingze immediately sneered. ”What, is there a problem with the letter?”

’He knew it had to be fake!’

’That was the esteemed Lord Sacrificial Officer! Ye Chutang and her brothers had been adrift for years; they were lucky just to have food and clothing. How dare they claim to have a personal recommendation letter from him!’

’Such shameless liars!’

The servant hastily explained, ”No, no, it’s just that I don’t recognize the Lord Sacrificial Officer’s handwriting, so I can’t be sure if this letter is truly...”

Impatient, Ye Mingze snatched the letter away. After a single glance, his sneer deepened.

”I’ve seen the Lord Sacrificial Officer’s handwriting before. This wasn’t written by him at all!”

He threw the letter in Ye Jingyan’s face.

”Ye Jingyan! You’ve got some nerve! How dare you tell such a lie right at the gates of the Imperial College!”

Ye Jingyan tilted his head slightly. The letter narrowly grazed his nose and fluttered down, about to fall to the ground.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Ye Yunfeng shot out a hand and caught the letter securely. ’Are you kidding me?! Whether Third Brother gets in or not depends entirely on this letter, and that bastard Ye Mingze dares to just toss it aside!’

”Ye Mingze! How dare you throw this letter! Who do you think you are?!”

Ye Mingze’s face was full of scorn. ”It’s just a letter forging the Lord Sacrificial Officer’s handwriting. What’s so special about it? I could write one too—”

The words had barely left his mouth when a grave, solemn voice suddenly came from behind him.

”Oh?”

Ye Mingze instinctively turned his head, and his heart leaped into his throat.

”Lord... Lord Sacrificial Officer!?”

Tang Zhongli had been wondering why the arrivals were so late and decided to come see for himself. He hadn’t expected to overhear such a conversation the moment he arrived.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

”You’re... that boy from the Ye Family?”

Ye Mingze was at the bottom of his class and spent his days goofing off. Naturally, Tang Zhongli didn’t have much of an impression of such a student.

The only reason he recognized him was that Ye Mingze had claimed to have seen a ghost a few days ago, gotten a fright, and had been skipping class ever since.

Tang Zhongli said, ”I had no idea you held my personal letter in such low regard.”

Ye Mingze’s eyes widened in an instant. ”Wh-what!?”

But Tang Zhongli couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. His gaze passed over him to land on Ye Jingyan.

Only then did a hint of warmth appear on his stern face.

”I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come.”

Ye Jingyan bowed earnestly. ”This student, Ye Jingyan, greets the Lord Sacrificial Officer.”

Tang Zhongli looked him over, nodded in satisfaction, then glanced behind him and asked with a smile, ”Is this your younger brother?”

The two brothers had different temperaments, but there was a faint resemblance in their eyes and expressions.

Ye Yunfeng, remembering his sister’s teachings, immediately reined in his spirited aura and offered a respectful greeting.

Ye Mingze was already standing there, completely dumbfounded.

’The letter was actually real!? And the Lord Sacrificial Officer had even come out personally to receive them!’

Seeing that both brothers were well-mannered and knew their etiquette, Tang Zhongli’s mood improved even more.

He lifted his gaze and finally looked at the young woman standing by the carriage.

The moment their eyes met, Ye Chutang curtsied, bowing her head. Her voice was clear, gentle, and warm.

”Greetings, Lord Sacrificial Officer.”

Tang Zhongli had a flash of realization. ”So this is your elder sister?”

Some time ago, when he was returning to his hometown, he had stopped to rest at a teahouse and chanced upon a young man.

Although the young man was young, he was remarkably knowledgeable. After chatting with him for a bit, Tang Zhongli sensed that he possessed extraordinary talent.

Tang Zhongli was a man who cherished talent. Although his arms and legs were stiff from kneeling in mourning for his mother for several days and nights straight, he insisted on writing a recommendation letter, inviting the young man to the Capital City to study.

At the time, the young man had said that both his parents were gone and that his elder sister had raised him and his siblings through great hardship. If he had the chance in the future, he would strive to repay this kindness.

Tang Zhongli had pondered this for a long time, lamenting the difficult fate of the siblings, yet admiring their unyielding integrity. In the end, he did not insist.

He never imagined that they would actually arrive after all this time!

A slight smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips.

”My brothers Yan and A Feng and I have never dared to forget the Lord Sacrificial Officer’s kindness in recognizing our worth.”

...

「Xu Residence.」

”Father, have you heard? Yan and A Feng went to the Imperial College today!” Xu Rongqing currently held a post at the Hanlin Academy, and several of his colleagues were former classmates from the Imperial College, so he was very well-informed about news from there. ”Yan actually had a personal recommendation letter from the Lord Sacrificial Officer!”

Xu Fengchi put down the scroll in his hand. ”Oh?”

Xu Rongqing asked, ”Do you remember last year when the Lord Sacrificial Officer returned to his hometown for a funeral? It coincided with you leaving the Capital City to investigate a case, and you even escorted him for a stretch.”

Xu Fengchi nodded. ”I remember. There was incessant rain during that period. The official roads were manageable, but Yanping County is a small place. The further one went, the muddier and more difficult the roads became. He was delayed on the road for several days because of it.”

Xu Rongqing clapped his hands. ”That was exactly when it happened! Yan had to go out to gather medicinal herbs, and that’s how he chanced upon the Lord Sacrificial Officer!”

”Is that so?” A smile appeared on Xu Fengchi’s face. ”In that case, it was quite a coincidence indeed. Such an opportunity could not have come about without a stroke of luck.”

Xu Rongqing was also very happy.

”Yes! But then again, it’s also because Yan himself is so promising. He’s been a great scholar since he was a child. True gold will always shine!”

He had been worrying about this very matter, planning to pull some strings to get the two of them into the Imperial College.

He never expected it would be resolved so easily!

Xu Fengchi’s gaze seemed to drift into the distance, as if lost in thought.

After a long moment, he shook his head and sighed with a smile.

”Indeed. I always thought of her... of them as children and worried constantly, but now it seems I was worrying for nothing.”

So many things had long been part of her plan.

Everything was unfolding step-by-step, exactly as she had intended.

Hearing this, Xu Rongqing frowned as something came to mind.

”Speaking of which... several of my colleagues at the Hanlin Academy were asking me about Chutang today.”