Qin Kou'er touched the corner of her head, trying to hide the smile that was about to appear on her face.

After a "deep encounter" with Lan Linxue this morning, she felt that whatever this weird thing did was normal.

Quickly composing herself, Qin Kou'er straightened her clothes and said solemnly, "Welcome!"

As soon as Jun Yannuo came up, he stopped Qin Kou'er anxiously, "Our headquarters was just burned down, where is he supposed to stay?"

Qin Kou'er thought for a moment and said easily, "I'll stay here at Lanting Garden!"

"no!"

Jun Yannuo and Mo Hun both objected.

Qin Kou'er raised an eyebrow at the serious expressions on their faces. "Why not?"

“Lanting Garden is the master’s private residence. What kind of behavior is it for a grown man to bring a whole group of people and move in like this?” Jun Yannuo said with a frown. “Moreover, Lanting Garden has always been the hub of our operations. The master knows more about the secrets inside than we do. If we let Lan Linxue move in, wouldn’t that be like inviting a wolf into the house? It would cause great inconvenience to our operations.”

"Yes, Master! Yan Nuo is right this time!" Mo Hun fully supported Jun Yan Nuo. He couldn't stand that Crown Prince no matter what.

Qin Kou'er glanced at the two of them with a deep look in her eyes, then slowly walked to the door, put her hands behind her back, and said calmly, "Yan Nuo, have you ever thought about why we were caught off guard by Lan Linxue this time?"

Jun Yannuo remained silent for a while before saying in a deep voice, "Because we don't understand him!"

"Yes! Because we don't know him. The information we have is all bought with money, but you know, the most unreliable thing in the world is something bought with money. Lan Linxue is the most crucial link in what we are going to do in the future. If we don't seize this opportunity to hold him firmly, we won't even be able to leave Jiangsu, let alone the capital."

Besides, although our business dealings are somewhat connected to the government, they're all small-scale operations, mostly picking up scraps others discard. The real nobles and high-ranking officials have never taken us seriously; they only covet our money. They treat us like ants. But now, Lan Linxue has arrived—this is our opportunity.

Our greatest chance is to reach the true center of power. I will not allow this opportunity to slip through my fingers.

At this point, Qin Kou'er turned around, her face solemn and dignified, and stared at her capable subordinate opposite her. "Lan Linxue will reside in Lanting Garden. This is my decision!"

"yes!"

Jun Yannuo and Mo Hun immediately bowed and accepted the order. Qin Kou'er's decision was the final outcome, and they would do their utmost to fulfill it.

"My lord, I will immediately send people to renovate Lanting Garden. Arrange the Crown Prince's residence right away! Configure everything to the highest standards!" Although Jun Yannuo didn't think much of Lan Linxue, he was always the first to rush to the front whenever Qin Kou'er made a decision.

Qin Kou'er nodded, "Mo Hun and I will go to greet the emperor. As for the guards, we don't need too many. Too many will only attract attention; just a few shrewd ones will suffice. Lan Linxue's father is much more concerned about his life than we are!"

After saying that, Qin Kou'er turned around and left gracefully, with Mo Hun quickly following behind.

Jun Yannuo watched the two figures leave, pondered for a moment, and then quickly turned around to arrange the next steps.

When Qin Kou'er, accompanied by Mo Hun and the constables, arrived outside the city on horseback, they were ordered to dismount and proceed on foot when they were still two miles away from Lan Linxue's convoy.

At this time, all the city gates were under martial law, and a large number of soldiers with gleaming axes and swords guarded all the main intersections, while the common people were kept outside, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

As soon as she stepped out of the city gate, Qin Kou'er saw banners waving in the distance, and a vast procession of yellow carriages and people, like a long, winding dragon, lying prostrate outside the small city of Yangzhou.

All the well-known officials in Jiangsu Province knelt on the welcoming road, with drums and music filling the air as they greeted the Crown Prince, who was lounging in the imperial carriage, looking at everything in front of him with a bit of boredom.

Qin Kou'er knelt at the very end of the procession, her face calm and her eyes undisturbed. Only she knew that she was carefully measuring the distance between herself and Lan Linxue—the distance between royalty and commoners, the gap between the clouds and the dust, separated by countless rivers and mountains. And she was going to cross flames and icebergs to reach his side.

Finally, the music celebrating the prosperous era of the dragon came to an end, and twenty-seven horns sounded in unison. The imperial carriage started moving again, crossed the welcoming bridge, and gradually moved over, stopping far away in front of the crowd.

Countless golden-armored guards rushed over first, expressionlessly protecting the surrounding area. Eunuchs and palace maids then followed, carrying palace fans, spreading out a red carpet, and kneeling on either side with their heads bowed.

An old eunuch flicked his whisk and stepped out with two younger eunuchs behind him. His face was arrogant and dignified, and he shouted in a high-pitched voice, "The Crown Prince has arrived! Officials, welcome the Heir Apparent! Kneel!"

Governor-General Jiang Ming of Liangjiang, along with the Governor of Jiangsu and his officials, quickly stood up after bowing their heads. They opened their robes, knelt down again, kowtowed heavily, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject, Governor-General Jiang Ming of Liangjiang, along with all the officials of Jiangsu, pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

Immediately, a deafening roar of worship erupted.

For a long time, there was no sound from inside the imperial carriage.

Jiang Ming and all the officials knelt silently on the ground, but not one of them dared to look up.

Finally, a slender, white hand emerged from behind the gauze curtain of the imperial carriage and lazily swayed twice.

The old eunuch saw this, nodded immediately, gestured to his subordinates, and two palace maids quickly went over and lifted the gauze curtain.

The gauze curtain was opened, and Lan Linxue appeared before everyone, dressed in a yellow python robe and wearing a purple-gold crown.

Qin Kou'er raised her head slightly from afar, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, but was immediately stunned by the man before her. Wearing the python robe, he possessed an undeniable nobility and magnificence that was impossible to look down upon. Even though his posture was still languid, the domineering and wicked charm that emanated from his very bones was like a seductive poppy, instantly crushing everyone else into the dust.

Lan Linxue tilted her head and glanced down, immediately spotting Qin Kou'er kneeling at the very back.

With a mysterious smile, he suddenly pointed a finger at Qin Kou'er and roared angrily, "How dare you! You, the woman at the very back! You dare to wear clothes the same color as my shoes! Guards, arrest her!"

Immediately, a group of guards rushed over and took Qin Kou'er into custody.