"Gao He, what exactly did Lan Shanyang bribe you with? How could you conspire with him to assassinate me?" Lan Linxue glanced at Gao He, who was being held down on the ground, and spoke coldly.

"I'm innocent, Your Highness! I had never seen Third Master before entering this room. There was no question of bribery! Your Highness, please understand!" Gao He said, kowtowing repeatedly to the ground.

Years of life in the palace had made him acutely aware that this time it was truly dangerous; it was obvious that Lan Linxue intended to win his heart. His only chance of survival was to plead with Lan Linxue for the last vestiges of her pity.

Lan Linxue curled her lips in mockery and gave Shuanghua a wink.

Immediately, Shuanghua searched Gao He's body and took out the house deed and land deed that Qin Kou'er had given her, handing them directly to Lan Linxue.

Lan Linxue flipped through the items, then tossed them onto the table in front of her. "Looks like this Third Master is quite generous. A house by West Lake must be worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. You're quite useful!"

Upon hearing this, Gao He immediately raised his head, stared intently at Qin Kou'er, and opened his mouth to defend himself.

Qin Kou'er remained firmly standing beside Lan Linxue.

Lan Linxue reached out and gently took Qin Kou'er's hand, staring at Gao He with a dangerous look in her eyes.

Gao He's face turned ashen instantly, and his body went limp.

It's over, it's completely over! Qin Kou'er gave herself a bowl of poison, but the catalyst was in the Crown Prince's hands. This was a trap they had set up, but unfortunately, she found out too late.

"What? Do you have something else to say?" Lan Linxue looked at Gao He's expression as if he had seen the funniest joke in the world. He was really enjoying what he had done.

Gao He stared at Lan Linxue, and suddenly burst into tears, crying loudly, "Your Highness, this old servant has served you for twenty years. Even if I haven't made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard. How can you be so heartless as to abandon this old servant!"

Lan Linxue's face instantly turned cold, and she coldly snorted, "Twenty years! For twenty years you have never been my slave! All you care about is money and that old man! You really think you alone can keep me in check?! Bah! You know better than I how much money you've exchanged for me in these twenty years!"

Lan Linxue spoke with some anger, and suddenly stood up, walked over and grabbed Gao He, staring at him and saying, "As long as I don't die, what does it matter if I'm harmed twice? Is that what you think? So, as long as someone gives you money, I don't care if I drink a bowl of poison, right? The dirty things you've done, heaven knows, and I know! Today is your day, and no one can help you!"

After saying that, Lan Linxue threw Gao He to the ground. Gao He got up, grabbed Lan Linxue's clothes, and cried and begged for mercy.

Lan Linxue stood upright, looking at the sunlight outside, and slowly said, "Gao He, the chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence, conspired with the Third Prince Lan Jiayuan to murder the Crown Prince. The traitor Lan Jiayuan executed Gao He on the spot to silence him! —Kill!"

"Slander—" Lan Jiayuan roared from the side, his eyes blazing with fury.

Shuanghua took the purple fish dagger she had pulled from Lan Jiayuan's boot and plunged it fiercely into Gao He's chest.

"Injustice!" Gao He looked at Lan Linxue in despair and uttered the last two words before slowly collapsing.

Finally, everything quieted down.

Even Qin Kou'er was terrified by such a raging storm.

Lan Linxue turned her head and looked at Qin Kou'er quietly and expressionlessly. "Are you scared?"

Qin Kou'er looked at Lan Linxue, who seemed both familiar and strange. Perhaps this man before her was the true face of the Crown Prince, who was second only to the emperor: cunning, ruthless, and capable of winning battles from afar with a single strike.

With a slight smile, Qin Kou'er lowered her head and picked up the property deed for the house near West Lake from the table. "Can I put my things away now?"

Lan Linxue stared intently at Qin Kou'er, then slowly lowered her head and smiled happily, "I knew that if there was one woman in the world who dared to stand with me, it would be you!"

As she spoke, Lan Linxue glanced back with a very good mood, "Shuanghua, go and lock Lan Jiayuan up. Later, have someone take my letter to Xuzhou and tell them that the third brother has committed a crime and I've detained him!"

Shuanghua nodded, then waved her hand, and someone immediately helped Lan Jiayuan out.

As Lan Jiayuan walked out, he was still glaring fiercely at Lan Linxue.

However, Lan Linxue had lost all interest in him. She walked to the other side, took the deeds to the house and land of the treasure basin, walked up to Qin Kou'er, and said excitedly with a smile, "I won it for you! Aren't you happy?"

Qin Kou'er glanced at it and smiled helplessly, "Your Highness, isn't this something I won back? I remember you won the whole world back then!"

Lan Linxue was immediately stunned. He frowned and thought about it for a moment, and it seemed to make sense. His mood immediately soured.

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'?" Grandpa Lan started being unreasonable again. "This whole scheme was set up for me! So whatever I win is naturally mine! How about I give you this treasure bowl now? Aren't you happy?"

Lan Linxue stared intently at Qin Kou'er with hopeful eyes, her eyes practically bubbling with anticipation, as if afraid that little head might even shake slightly.

Qin Kou'er blinked and stared at Lan Linxue for a long time, making Lan Linxue almost angry. Finally, that charming head nodded, giving Lan Linxue the gentle smile she had been longing for.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!" Qin Kou'er reached out and took all the items. She sighed inwardly; anyone who could reason with Lan Linxue would be a god.

"Hahaha!" Lan Linxue immediately beamed with delight, laughing as she pointed at Qin Kou'er and said, "I knew you, a money-grubber, loved this stuff. Don't worry, as long as you treat this Crown Prince well and don't cuckold me, I'll win all the silver in the world for you!"

Qin Kou'er's face immediately darkened: Lan Linxue is a dog who can't say anything nice. When did she ever cheat on him?

Lan Linxue was overjoyed but didn't notice Qin Kou'er's cold expression. She walked up to Cui Kewei and kicked him, saying, "Hey? Old man, from now on, this Yangzhou territory belongs to Qin Kou'er. If I find out you dare to set foot in Yangzhou again, I'll take your life!"

"I dare not! I dare not! I would never dare to set foot in Yangzhou again!" Cui Kewei kowtowed repeatedly on the ground.

Lan Linxue turned around and smiled at Qin Kou'er, saying, "Look! I've nipped the weeds in the bud for you! Isn't that great!"

Qin Kou'er gritted her teeth and smiled slightly. She walked over, grabbed Lan Linxue, and pulled him away without saying a word.

---Aside---

Thank you all for your support. You helped me get through this difficult time. I love you all.