"...If I don't arrest him now, am I supposed to wait for Lan Xiuyuan to kill someone again!"

Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er, increasingly puzzled: "How did you get this information?"

"Mo Hun discovered something fishy and came back to tell me! Otherwise, how would I have known?"

Qin Kou'er deftly deflected the matter, not wanting Lan Linxue to know that she still had people around Lan Xiuyuan. It was better to be wary of this troublesome young master.

Lan Linxue was a little confused, but she didn't know exactly what the problem was. In short, Qin Kou'er's statement sounded rather strange.

"What do you suggest we do now? Gu Minglang is a fourth-rank official, so I think it's safer to send him to you. Otherwise, Lan Xiuyuan might end up accusing you of driving the Gu family to their deaths, and you won't even have any witnesses or evidence. With Gu Minglang around, at least you'll be able to confront Lan Xiuyuan in the future!"

Lan Linxue looked at Gu Minglang on the ground, her eyes darting around, and after a long while she nodded and said, "You're right! Gu Minglang must be kept alive now, and kept well. I will naturally need him!"

At this point, Lan Linxue glanced at Qin Kou'er, then instantly switched to his mischievous mode, reaching out to pull Qin Kou'er by the neck and into his arms, laughing as he said, "My wife is the best! She always knows how to side with her husband! Come here, baby, let the Crown Prince give you a kiss!"

Qin Kou'er glanced at him sideways, her face expressionless, and then she took the opportunity to poke him hard in the waist.

Lan Linxue was in so much pain that she rolled onto the bed.

"You heartless woman, you're trying to murder your husband!"

Qin Kou'er stood up angrily, walked behind the screen, took out Lan Linxue's clothes, and threw them at him. "Get up! Get dressed! We still have to wait for someone to come and pay for your life!"

After saying that, she turned and walked out. She couldn't stand it anymore. If Lan Linxue, that deadbeat, didn't force her to spend the whole day cuddling in bed, she really wouldn't have the time.

Lan Linxue watched Qin Kou'er's dashing figure from outside, and shouted angrily, "Seventh Brother, get in here!"

The seventh brother touched his nose, sighed, and hurried inside to become cannon fodder.

No one knows where Lan Linxue hid Gu Minglang in the end. It's as if he really hanged himself in this world, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Qin Kou'er was right about one thing: indeed, after dawn, someone came to demand Lan Linxue pay with her life.

Lan Linxue is eating his breakfast obediently! And today there are red bean buns, which he loves, so he plans to enjoy a wonderful breakfast time.

Just then, a noisy commotion suddenly came from outside the gate.

This isn't a secluded palace, so of course any commotion here would become common knowledge.

Lan Linxue was very unhappy; he didn't like being disturbed while he was eating.

Trying her best to suppress her temper, Lan Linxue focused her attention on the steamed buns.

It wasn't until the guards outside ran in that he could no longer pretend he couldn't hear.

Before the guard could speak, Lan Linxue slammed her chopsticks on the table and roared angrily, "You better explain yourself properly! It'd better involve someone who died, otherwise you can go outside and take the beating yourself."

The guard immediately sensed that the Crown Prince was in a bad mood again. He lowered his head and cautiously reported, "Your Highness, the Gu family, the prefect of Hangzhou, are carrying a corpse to see you!"

Lan Linxue seemed taken aback, then even leaned forward slightly: "Who?"

"The prefect of Hangzhou, Gu Minglang, hanged himself, and his family is now bringing his coffin to find the Crown Prince!"

Lan Linxue blinked. "Why would someone from his family come to me after their death? Is the mourning hall trying to use the 'treasure basin' place?"

The seventh brother couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

The guard dared not laugh and quickly bowed his head, saying, "The old lady of the Gu family is helping with the coffin. She says that Lord Gu's death was forced to his death by the Crown Prince. Now she wants to find the Crown Prince to demand an explanation!"

Lan Linxue was instantly enraged, slamming her hand on the table: "Someone in their family died, and it was a suicide, so why are they coming to me for an explanation? This old man is simply unreasonable! Go and disperse their family! If they dare to cause trouble again, arrest them on the spot!"

The guard quickly looked up at Lan Linxue, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"What's wrong now? Can't I even eat in peace this early in the morning?!" Lan Linxue really hated these people.

The guard quickly said, "Your Highness, a large crowd has already gathered at the gate. Although they are all watching the spectacle, if we try to drive them away, it might incite public anger, which would be difficult to handle!"

"These troublemakers!" Lan Linxue slammed her fist on the table in anger, her buttocks jolted, and her whole body ached terribly.

"How did Gu Minglang die? Why do you have to pin this mess on me, the Crown Prince?"

Lan Linxue felt that her singing skills were exceptionally good. Look, she even believed that Gu Minglang was going to be driven to his death by her.

"Old Madam Gu said that Lord Gu had no other choice but to hang himself in order to scrape together the 300,000 taels of silver to appease the Crown Prince. In the end, he caused a huge fire that burned his body beyond recognition. That's why Old Madam Gu is now coming to the Crown Prince to demand an explanation. If the Crown Prince can't explain it clearly, the old lady will even storm into the Golden Palace to find the Emperor, just to get this matter cleared up."

Lan Linxue gave a cold laugh. "Let her go find him! I can't handle this. I had the officials in Yangzhou take the money with me. I never told Gu Minglang to come up with 300,000 taels of silver for me all by himself. If I had known he was that rich, why would I have bothered looking for anyone else? So, let that old lady go find whoever she wants. She won't find me. Tell her this in a bit, and tell her to get out of here with the people and the corpse."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!