Qin Kou'er sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching Lan Linxue, whose eyes were tightly closed.

The room was quiet, with only the slow, silent rise of incense in the air.

The sunlight was silently hidden away, obscured by a few clouds.

The rain, which had stopped, has started to fall again, albeit intermittently, for some reason.

A cool breeze swept in from outside the window, gently brushing past Qin Kou'er's ear without leaving a trace.

The imperial physician examined Lan Linxue and said that her fainting was caused by exhaustion and lack of rest over the past few days, coupled with both new and old injuries, which triggered her anger. He said she would be fine after some rest.

After writing the prescription and preparing the medicine, I quickly left the oppressively quiet room.

The seventh brother was very worried and stood beside Lan Linxue without daring to leave her side.

He had witnessed the scene in the study and overheard the argument between the two. Seeing Lan Linxue like this, even this dignified man couldn't help but tear up.

Seeing Qin Kou'er sitting blankly to the side, the Seventh Prince couldn't help but dismiss everyone else and whisper to her, "Sect Leader Qin, you can't misunderstand the Crown Prince like this! Making such a decision is more painful for the Crown Prince than for anyone else! But the struggle for the throne is just that cruel! What you see now is only the tip of the iceberg. In the palace and in the court, there are unseen open and hidden attacks everywhere. Not to mention the distant past, in just the last two years alone, there have been no fewer than five assassination attempts. Otherwise, why would the Emperor have sent his own guards to protect the Crown Prince? As for the traps and assassinations, they are countless. If the Crown Prince continues to be a target for others, sooner or later he won't even be able to save his life!"

At this point, seeing that Qin Kou'er had no reaction at all and was just staring blankly at Lan Linxue, the seventh brother couldn't help but sigh, "What does the Pavilion Master think of the Fifth Prince's wisdom and methods?"

Qin Kou'er remained silent.

Only his confidant continued, "Although the Fifth Prince is an outstanding individual, he is far inferior to the old fox Hu Tianyong in both experience and methods. The Crown Prince has to put in a lot of effort to deal with the Fifth Prince. If we add Hu Tianyong and his lackeys, one can imagine what kind of life the Crown Prince has been living all these years!"

After saying that, the seventh brother looked at the motionless Lan Linxue with even more pity.

"If the world were all about exchanging other people's lives for one's own, wouldn't that be too cruel?"

Qin Kou'er suddenly spoke, her voice low and hoarse, clearly still filled with sorrow and despair.

"The world is inherently cruel! The royal family is even more cruel!" The seventh prince looked at Qin Kou'er expressionlessly and said, "Miss Qin, if you really think it's cruel, you shouldn't have come to provoke our Crown Prince! The path to the palace has always been a path of blood!"

Lao Qi's words were sharp and cruel.

Qin Kou'er slowly raised her head and gave him a cold look.

The seventh brother stood tall and showed no sign of backing down.

"Please forgive me if I've spoken harshly, Miss Qin. But I've always been telling the truth. In that place, if you don't kill others, they'll kill you! And sometimes you won't even know who did it! This is the price you have to pay for being above everyone else! The Crown Prince is paying the price, we are paying the price, so why shouldn't Miss Qin pay the price?"

"I paid the price many years ago!"

Qin Kou'er glared at Lao Qi, who couldn't help but shudder.

"If there's a price to pay, that's our own business. Why should so many innocent people lose their lives and homes? Is this really the only way to go in this world? Or have you simply chosen the easiest path?"

Qin Kou'er stared intently at Lao Qi, who felt he had nothing to say, because he truly didn't know if this was really the only path in the world.

Upon hearing that Lan Linxue had collapsed, Shuanghua struggled to get over.

After getting the gist of the matter from Lao Qi, he gave Qin Kou'er a cold look but didn't say a word. He simply pulled Lao Qi out, leaving Qin Kou'er alone to guard Lan Linxue.

Qin Kou'er looked at Lan Linxue, not knowing how much time had passed. It seemed both very long and very short. Lan Linxue slightly moved her eyes, slowly exhaled, and slowly opened her eyes.

He opened his eyes and glanced around, immediately spotting Qin Kou'er.

Qin Kou'er saw Lan Linxue open his eyes, but she didn't move. Instead, she remained in the same position and just quietly looked at him.

Lan Linxue knew that Qin Kou'er had never forgiven him.

Frustrated, she closed her eyes briefly, struggled to prop herself up with her hands, and slowly leaned against the soft cushion beside her.

"Kou'er!"

Lan Linxue let out a difficult cry and reached out to grasp Qin Kou'er's hand, but Qin Kou'er gently dodged it.

Lan Linxue's heart sank, as if a piece of a mountain had been missing when it collapsed.

Lan Linxue looked up at Qin Kou'er quietly, and after a long while, she spoke with difficulty: "Without you, I can risk my life. With you, I must protect your life! I can't let you jump off the cliff with me a second time!"

"I won't jump off a cliff with you!" Qin Kou'er said quietly, looking at Lan Linxue. "What you need to do has already been arranged, and it has nothing to do with me! You don't need to put all these things on me. It will only make me feel worse, and I won't let myself feel worse!"

Because her heart was already filled with despair and pain, the light word "sadness" could no longer contain it.

Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er, then suddenly revealed a pleading expression, "Can't you help me get through this? You said you would believe me!"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!