Lan Xiuyuan was resting alone in the house.

He never dreamed that Qin Kou'er would kick the guards at the door flying one by one, then push the door open with a palm, walk in domineeringly, sit directly opposite him, and look at him coldly.

Lan Xiuyuan always prided himself on his gentlemanly conduct and the teachings of sages, but now, a beautiful woman sat opposite him, coldly watching him lying on the bed with his clothes disheveled. Even though he was usually calm and collected, he felt a little embarrassed.

"Sect Master Qin, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to just barge in like this?"

Lan Xiuyuan struggled to sit up, trying to lean against the cushion, but found that moving around on the cushion was too tiring, and that was exactly what he lacked right now.

He turned to look at Qin Kou'er, which was his reflexive reaction. Usually at this time, shouldn't the woman be the one trying to please him and taking the initiative to help him?

Qin Kou'er understood Lan Xiuyuan's meaning, but she remained seated and did not move, simply watching Lan Xiuyuan quietly.

Lan Xiuyuan felt a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and then laboriously pulled out a cushion and placed it behind him to lean against.

After Lan Xiuyuan finished all that, he turned around and looked at Qin Kou'er with a not-so-good expression.

"Master Qin, visiting me so late at night, surely it's not just to offer your greetings?"

"Of course not!"

Qin Kou'er practically had the word "provocative" written all over her face.

"Then I wonder what brings Pavilion Master Qin to act so rudely?"

Lan Xiuyuan had never liked women who were disobedient, domineering, and unruly. Yet Qin Kou'er dared to kick down his door and pull off his blankets. If it weren't for Lan Linxue's deep affection for her, he would never have considered adding her to his list of wives and concubines.

Qin Kou'er sneered and looked at Lan Xiuyuan, saying, "Fifth Prince! I think we don't need to beat around the bush with rules! I prefer to get straight to the point, especially when someone doesn't trust me or when I've been wronged."

Lan Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I wonder what Pavilion Master Qin means by that?"

"The meaning is very simple! The prince's attempt to test Ke'er's loyalty by using the Third Prince's poisoning will not work. I do not accept it!"

"Oh? Why?"

Qin Kou'er gave a cold laugh. That bastard Lan Xiuyuan didn't even deny it.

"Because although Kou'er is not talented, Qin Tian Pavilion has never had to eat a single meal while looking at someone else's face since its establishment! If I agree with the prince's actions, then if the third prince gets into trouble, it will inevitably be all Kou'er's fault! Although the crown prince will be implicated, the fifth prince knows better than I how the emperor treats the crown prince! To put it bluntly, even if the fifth prince dies, the emperor may not shed a few tears. On the contrary, if the crown prince loses a fingernail, the whole world will probably be outraged, right?"

Qin Kou'er is now trying to build a relationship with Lan Xiuyuan, so every word she speaks is witty and sharp.

If you don't treat these royals and nobles well, they'll really think they're pushovers!

Lan Xiuyuan was surprised that Qin Kou'er spoke so rudely, showing no sign of needing to rely on him, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Sect Leader Qin, you'd better watch your words. I've never seen an ant that can shake a tree!"

"That's because the ants don't have a strong enough background!"

Qin Kou'er retorted without backing down, "Let's talk about the Third Prince! If I follow the prince's plan, the blame will fall entirely on Kou'er and Qin Tiange. Then, even if I wanted to leave the Fifth Prince, it wouldn't be possible! Without the Crown Prince's protection, I'd be clinging to the Fifth Prince as my only lifeline! At that point, even if the Fifth Prince said dog shit smelled good, Kou'er would probably have to agree. Kou'er understands this perfectly well! So, if the Fifth Prince wants Kou'er to willingly form an alliance with him, he'd better not try to scheme like this again!"

Lan Xiuyuan stared at Qin Kou'er with a deep, unfocused gaze, as if he wanted to tear a hole out of her face.

Qin Kou'er, however, stared intently at Lan Xiuyuan without any fear, confronting him across the distance.

After a long while, Lan Xiuyuan lowered his head and smiled slightly, his face regaining the gentle smile of a refined young gentleman.

"Qin Kou'er, you are truly extraordinary! You have impressed me greatly! No wonder my royal brother is so fond of you!"

Qin Kou'er smiled slightly, "Fifth Prince, you're getting carried away! We're talking about interests now, which have nothing to do with personal feelings! I just want one question from you: Do you really want Kou'er to help you sincerely?"

"If you can't even help me deal with the Crown Prince, how can you claim to be sincere under such circumstances? On the contrary, the fact that the Pavilion Master used the Crown Prince's aphrodisiac on me is just a joke on Xiu Yuan. I think the Pavilion Master's help to me is fake, but his real intention is to help the Crown Prince, right?"

Lan Xiuyuan's gaze pierced Qin Kou'er like a needle.

Qin Kou'er smiled slightly and leaned back in her chair. "So the prince still holds a grudge about this! I really didn't inform the prince beforehand. Not only did I not know the crown prince's thoughts, but even if I had, I didn't intend to tell the prince!"

"Oh? Why?"

Lan Xiuyuan really couldn't figure out what Qin Kou'er was thinking.

"Because if I really want to stay by the Crown Prince's side and act as his eyes and ears, how can I tell who is close and who is distant if I don't let the Crown Prince take any advantage? Besides, the Crown Prince is just fooling around, and the prince's life is not in danger, so why should I interrupt the Crown Prince's good mood?"

Upon hearing Qin Kou'er's words, Lan Xiuyuan immediately raised an eyebrow. "So, you're saying you're using me to curry favor with Lan Linxue?"

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