Shuanghua objected to Lan Linxue's plan to sneak into Qin Kou'er's room.

But once Grandpa Lan makes a decision, no one can change it.

However, another thing that Shuanghua predicted was quite accurate: Lan Xiuyuan was indeed paying attention to Qin Kou'er's every move.

His interest in this woman now cannot be described as slight.

Especially when Feng Zhouyuan placed Qin Kou'er's properties and the annual tribute money in front of him.

"Qin Tiange actually owns so many businesses, both overt and covert? It seems Qin Kou'er is really rich!"

Lan Xiuyuan nodded as he looked at the document. This woman was truly remarkable; she had amassed such a large fortune in just a few years.

Feng Zhouyuan's weathered face showed no change whatsoever.

“I think this woman has powerful connections. Otherwise, how could she have built such a vast fortune at such a young age in just a few years? Moreover, all the information we have is verifiable. Qin Tiange has deep ties to the martial arts world. There are many things we can't uncover right now. What's even more problematic is that although Qin Kou'er has a great reputation, no one knows her background. She seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Sir, we must be wary of someone like this!”

While still in the capital, Lan Xiuyuan had been keeping a close eye on Lan Linxue's movements. Upon learning of her entanglement with Qin Kou'er, he immediately dispatched people to investigate. The fact that they were able to gather so much information within just over ten days was largely thanks to Feng Zhouyuan's meticulous planning.

Lan Xiuyuan smiled slightly, raised his head, and looked at Feng Zhouyuan with a relaxed expression. "Of course I understand what you mean! Do you think I would really believe a woman who is so close to Lan Linxue?"

Before Feng Zhouyuan could answer, Lan Xiuyuan shook his head slightly. "Mr. Feng, you know my style. I will never turn anyone who can be a friend into an enemy. Especially not someone like Qin Kou'er, whose influence is so deeply entrenched!"

Now that Qin Kou'er has taken the initiative to try it out, of course I have to keep her here. Even if it's not for any other reason, just for the sake of Qin Tiange behind her, we need to maintain appearances for each other.

Moreover, Qin Kou'er is a very unfathomable woman. She's so close to Lan Linxue, yet she also trusts us completely. How could she possibly be only after such a small amount of profit in Yangzhou? I always feel she has much greater ambitions and schemes! We absolutely must win her over if we can!

Feng Zhouyuan listened and slowly nodded, "Your thinking is correct!"

Lan Xiuyuan continued, "The current mess in Yangzhou is beyond the comprehension of most people, yet Qin Kou'er handles it with ease! Although Lan Linxue has become suspicious of her motives, the intimacy between them tells you that Qin Kou'er has definitely taken care of him! Mr. Feng, don't you find it interesting that a woman can handle Lan Linxue, who has never been close to women? To be honest, I now hope that Qin Kou'er is genuinely cooperating with us, because I am truly interested in her! I also admire her methods and strategies!"

At this point, Lan Xiuyuan raised his hand, picked up a cup of tea, lowered his eyelids, and gently blew on the chrysanthemum petals floating on top.

As the waves rippled slightly, Lan Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart when he thought of Qin Kou'er's captivating smile.

What could be better than having both a beautiful woman and money in your arms at the same time?

Feng Zhouyuan noticed the slight change in Lan Xiuyuan's expression and his gaze became even more profound and unfathomable, yet he did not utter a single word.

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to pay more attention! I think this Miss Qin is quite arrogant, and if I don't show some real skill, I'm afraid I won't be able to subdue her!"

Lan Xiuyuan nodded. "Mr. Feng is right! We need to reconsider Qin Kou'er! Don't worry about this matter too much, sir. But you should pay more attention to the account books. Lan Linxue is already very dissatisfied with my court's Lan Jiayuan's actions; he has already warned me! Although we don't need to take it to heart, this path is no longer viable! As for the Third Prince, we don't need to waste any effort. Even if we wanted his life, given Xu Ming's current relationship with the Prime Minister, he will eventually be released. Besides, this matter is simply unbelievable. No one would believe an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince in broad daylight! So, let's wait for the Prime Minister's news, and just appease the Emperor for now!"

"What about Shi Mengjian's matter?"

Lan Xiuyuan shook his head. "Let Jiang Ming handle this! We must keep Shi Mengjian's matter covered up, because it involves many layers of issues. If we really investigate, it might implicate even more. At that point, a single ledger won't be enough to handle it! Our only task now is to find the ledger as soon as possible! No matter what method we use, we cannot let Lan Linxue obtain the detailed contents of the accounts!"

At this point, Lan Linxue looked at Feng Zhouyuan with admiration, "Mr. Feng is indeed very thoughtful. The contents are all in secret, so even if Lan Linxue gets her hands on it for the time being, it won't be of much use! Therefore, we must find a way, whether it's exchanging it or stealing it, we must get the ledger back!"

"Yes! I will arrange this as soon as possible!"

After arranging these matters, Lan Xiuyuan stood up, walked into the sunlight, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the floral fragrance.

What is Qin Kou'er doing now? Is she with Lan Linxue again?

Thinking of this, Lan Xiuyuan waved to the guards outside, "Go! Find out where Pavilion Master Qin is right now!"

Qin Kou'er suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

She rubbed her nose, her face contorted in a frown, and muttered, "Why am I sneezing like that? Someone must be talking about me!"

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