What if she talks nonsense?

"What nonsense does she have to spout?" Qin Kou'er sneered. "Women of the night know how to behave better than us! Shi Mengjian is dead, and once she leaves Qin Tian Pavilion, she has nowhere to go. Besides, she didn't see or know anything. More importantly, I want Lan Xiuyuan to know that I'm looking for Shi Mengjian and the account books!"

Upon hearing Qin Kou'er's words, Jun Yannuo frowned, his voice low and filled with anxiety: "Wouldn't doing this make Lan Xiuyuan suspicious of us?"

Qin Kou'er smiled confidently, "We are salt merchants from Yangzhou, and Shi Mengjian's account books are full of our names. If he lost the account books, it's only natural for us to go and look for them. At the same time, doing this will also show Lan Xiuyuan that, in the end, we are all in the same boat. I give money, he receives gifts, and neither of us can escape! In this way, he will naturally think of me and Lan Linxue separately!"

Jun Yannuo thought for a moment, then smiled with relief and said, "The Pavilion Master is indeed very thoughtful! This may seem extremely dangerous, but it is the most direct way to show our stance! Our interests are different. Even if we are close to the Crown Prince, he will not easily regard us as enemies!"

Qin Kou'er shook her head, "This is just the first step! If it were that easy to fool Lan Xiuyuan, he wouldn't be worth all this effort! The most important thing is to start with Lan Linxue!"

What should we do?

Jun Yannuo knew that Qin Kou'er must have already come up with a solution, and he only needed to carry it out.

"Prepare a set of black clothes for me and send them to my room. I'm going out through the secret passage tonight. Have Mo Hun guard my door; no one is allowed to come in!"

"Yes! What do I need to do?" Jun Yannuo asked succinctly.

"Tonight, the officials from Jiangnan will definitely host a welcome banquet for Lan Xiuyuan. You will represent Qin Tiange in this event. Remember, if anything happens tonight, no one from Qin Tiange is allowed to intervene; just watch!"

"yes!"

After giving all the instructions, Qin Kou'er sighed inwardly, leaned against the carriage floor, and closed her eyes slightly.

Hopefully, everything she arranged tonight will successfully dispel Lan Xiuyuan's suspicions and allow things to proceed according to her plan. However, Lan Linxue will likely be furious! Unfortunately, things rarely go perfectly; she can only prioritize what's important first!

Thinking of Lan Linxue, Qin Kou'er suddenly opened her eyes and said to Jun Yannuo outside the door, "Immediately send someone to investigate the area around Sunjia Town to see if any strangers have appeared. If there is any unusual activity, report back immediately!"

"Yes! Pavilion Master, has something happened?" Qin Kou'er narrowed her eyes slightly, her face grave as she said, "Lan Linxue said something very strange today! But Lan Xiuyuan interrupted her, and I feel that something might be wrong. We must be prepared!"

"Understood! I'll send someone to take care of it right away!"

Qin Kou'er nodded inside the carriage.

Thinking of Lan Linxue's unpredictable nature and Lan Xiuyuan's deep cunning, Qin Kou'er took a deep breath. The storm in Yangzhou was finally coming! And her true opportunity to emerge was about to begin.

Thinking of the preparations of the past ten years, Qin Kou'er slowly clenched her hands, a determined smile appearing on her lips. It was time for those who owed her debts to pay the price!

Willows greet the evening flute, swans perch in the setting sun. Only the evening smoke rises, its fragrance wafting from both banks.

The Qinhuai River shimmers with light at night, while inside the elegant residence, red lanterns hang high, and palace maids gracefully adorn the scene.

Lan Linxue, dressed in a pale yellow robe with a gold belt, sat in the head seat with a cold expression.

Beside him, Lan Xiuyuan had changed into a white robe and was chatting and laughing with the officials from Jiangnan with great elegance.

However, while the banquet was a fine one, the table itself was not a pleasant place to sit.

Lan Linxue's eyes were cold and alluring, while Lan Xiuyuan's were broad and profound, like ice and fire. Their gazes clashed like sharp blades, and their thoughts were full of hidden battles.

“Brother, it’s said that of the three parts of the moonlit night in the world, two parts are spent in Yangzhou, a place of scoundrels. That’s really true. Look at the scenery on the Qinhuai River. Even though the capital is infinitely prosperous, it always lacks a certain charm and elegance compared to this place! It seems that our trip to Jiangnan was truly worthwhile!”

Lan Linxue glanced coldly at the distant scenery, toying with the wine cup in her hand without any courtesy. "Pretending to be cultured, feigning illness to be three parts sorrow. Let me remind you, Father didn't send you to Jiangnan this time for sightseeing! Not to mention Shi Mengjian's head is still hanging on the side, even the Third Prince is still waiting for you to save his life with a severed arm!"

Lan Linxue's words immediately cooled the lively atmosphere. The officials below quietly placed their wine glasses on the table, watching Lan Xiuyuan without daring to utter a single word.

Lan Xiuyuan smiled slightly, gently placed the wine cup in his hand on the table, looked up at Lan Linxue and said, "Your Majesty's holy name, I certainly dare not forget for a moment. But the scenery of Jiangnan should not be wasted!"

At this point, Lan Xiuyuan changed the subject, looked at the officials below, and asked gently, "Has Lord Shi's body been found?"

Jiang Ming quickly stood up, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, we have not found it yet!"

Lan Xiuyuan nodded, showing no anger whatsoever, and continued to smile gently at Jiang Ming: "Lord Jiang is indeed very busy handling official duties. It's common for him to be unavailable for a while! However, since we can't find Lord Shi's body, we naturally can't find the scene of the incident either!"

Seeing Lan Xiuyuan's words, Jiang Ming immediately wanted to take the opportunity to postpone the matter until he could report to Lan Xiuyuan in person. However, wherever Lan Linxue was, there was no such thing as a fool who could get away with something so easily.

"Although the body was not found, Lord Jiang did indeed do a lot of work."

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