Qin Kou'er was surprised that Lan Xiuyuan was waiting for her. She smiled and walked in, saying, "Fifth Master is here? Why didn't you let me know beforehand? I would have prepared food and wine for you and properly celebrated with you!"

Lan Xiuyuan smiled slightly upon hearing Qin Kou'er's words: "What's there to celebrate about becoming a prince?"

Qin Kou'er blinked at Lan Linxue and said with a teasing smile, "Does Your Highness want me to go and celebrate with the Third Prince, to celebrate that he survived a great calamity and will surely have good fortune in the future?"

After listening, Lan Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter and said, "Kou'er, you are really too smart. The way you said it makes me feel superior! Not bad, now that I think about it, I am quite a prince!"

Qin Kou'er smiled and said, "I told you I wanted to celebrate for the Prince, but you seemed so unenthusiastic! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have brought it up!"

Lan Xiuyuan and Qin Kou'er laughed together again.

The two chatted casually for a while, then Qin Kou'er smiled and looked at Lan Xiuyuan, asking, "Fifth Master, is there something you need from Kou'er today?"

Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er with a hint of reproach in her eyes and said, "Don't call me Fifth Master! It makes me feel like we're very far apart!"

Qin Kou'er immediately nodded, "Okay! Xiu Yuan, what brings you here today?"

Lan Linxue sighed softly, then looked at Qin Kou'er and asked in a low voice, "It's not that I have anything to do, but Kou'er, did something happen when you went to see the Emperor today?"

Qin Kou'er raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you afraid the Emperor will eat me?"

Lan Xiuyuan immediately burst out laughing: "Why would the Emperor eat you? I was worried that you might feel uncomfortable since you're not familiar with the situation in the capital, let alone the palace! But looking at you now, I know I was overthinking it! Our Pavilion Master Qin really can handle any situation!"

Hearing Lan Xiuyuan say this, Qin Kou'er tilted her head slightly and looked at him with interest. "Xiuyuan, I feel like there's something behind your words! If you have something to say, just say it!"

Lan Xiuyuan immediately shook his head and said with a smile, "What could I possibly want? I just came to see how you are."

Seeing Lan Xiuyuan speak as if he had nothing to say, Qin Kou'er couldn't help but nod. "Since Fifth Master and I have nothing to say to each other, then I do have something to say to Fifth Master!"

"What is it?"

When Lan Xiuyuan heard that Qin Kou'er had something to say to him, he immediately became a little nervous.

He was rushed over by Hu Qianyu this morning and heard about her heated argument with Lan Linxue. He only had one thing on his mind: Qin Kou'er had actually seen his mother exchanging cold words with Lan Linxue. He was afraid that Qin Kou'er would leave a bad impression on his mother, and then all his dreams would be ruined!

"Actually, nothing much happened! I just saw a lady..."

At this point, Qin Kou'er deliberately paused, then glanced at Lan Xiuyuan, whose heart sank at her gaze.

"What's wrong with a concubine?" Lan Xiuyuan stared intently at Qin Kou'er.

Seeing how nervous Lan Xiuyuan was, Qin Kou'er immediately laughed, casually patted Lan Xiuyuan's shoulder, and said loudly, "Of course it's because we saw a concubine being bullied by our former crown prince! What else could it be?"

Lan Xiuyuan felt relieved after hearing Qin Kou'er's words, but he couldn't hide his embarrassment. She must already know that the lady was his mother.

Qin Kou'er glanced at Lan Xiuyuan, knowing that he was a little embarrassed, since it was something he couldn't tell outsiders about his mother's fight with someone.

Qin Kou'er paused slightly, then immediately changed the subject, saying, "Xiuyuan, I heard in the palace today that you princes are about to choose your consorts and get married. Congratulations!"

Lan Xiuyuan frowned again. Neither of the two topics Qin Kou'er brought up today was pleasant.

"Kou'er, I was just about to tell you this too." Lan Xiuyuan stared intently at Qin Kou'er and said slowly.

“Oh? Xiu Yuan, you’re going to tell me about this? That’s really interesting,” Qin Kou’er said, amused. “I don’t think this has anything to do with me! As a reference, I have no experience with it.”

Lan Xiuyuan looked directly at Qin Kou'er and said, "Kou'er, I don't want your opinion. I want to ask if you also want to be a candidate for the imperial concubine selection!"

Lan Xiuyuan's words were quite blunt, and he believed that Qin Kou'er would definitely understand and comprehend his meaning.

Qin Kou'er looked at Lan Xiuyuan with some surprise. She really didn't expect that Lan Xiuyuan, who always valued subtlety, would speak to her so bluntly and explicitly.

With a slight smile, Qin Kou'er calmly asked, "Xiu Yuan, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand!"

Lan Xiuyuan walked over with a smile, gently took Qin Kou'er's hand, and said softly but firmly, "Kou'er, you must understand! If you don't understand, then I'll tell you clearly now, I want to marry you and make you my queen! I want you to be with me for the rest of my life, to love you, cherish you, and protect you forever!"

Qin Kou'er gazed quietly into Lan Xiuyuan's eyes, which were filled with urgency yet burning with passion. She knew that Lan Xiuyuan was serious this time, serious with all his emotions.

However, she never needed his affections. To her, he was always the adversary on the other side, not someone she could rely on.

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