Lan Linxue looked down at Qin Kou'er with eyes full of tenderness and affection, gently patting her back as if she were soothing a baby, watching over Qin Kou'er.

Just then, it seemed to start raining lightly again outside. It wasn't heavy, but it was quite dense, and the raindrops on the branches and leaves made a soft pattering sound.

Just as Lan Linxue was coaxing Qin Kou'er to sleep, light footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

Lan Linxue knew it was Frost Flower as soon as she heard it.

Lan Linxue was about to speak to Shuanghua not to come in when there was a soft knock at the door, and Shuanghua pushed the door open and walked in.

Lan Linxue was furious. She couldn't live like this anymore; not a single one of them listened to her.

Shuanghua could easily see Lan Linxue's annoyed expression, but at this moment, he could only pretend not to see it.

Lan Linxue glared at Shuanghua, but quickly grabbed the quilt and gently covered Qin Kou'er with it.

However, this resulted in Lan Linxue and Qin Kou'er lying in bed together under the covers, creating an incredibly ambiguous scene.

Shuanghua glanced at it, felt a pain in her eyes, and automatically turned away.

Lan Linxue looked at it and also felt awkward, but he felt that if he didn't stay here with Qin Kou'er, he would feel particularly ungrateful.

Looking down at Qin Kou'er, and seeing that she was indeed too tired to move and had fallen asleep, Lan Linxue gently lifted the blanket, laid Qin Kou'er down comfortably, and then, in a hoarse voice, whispered to Shuanghua, "Aren't you coming over here to help me get dressed? You're keeping watch over me!"

Shuanghua was speechless. She went over and took the clothes that Lan Linxue had prepared. Then, trying not to look at Qin Kou'er, she carefully helped Lan Linxue down and draped the clothes over his body. The two of them walked to the outer room in perfect unison.

Once Lan Linxue was sure she was far enough away from Qin Kou'er that she wouldn't disturb her rest, she frowned and looked at Shuanghua, "What is it?"

Frost Flower replied irritably, "What is it? It's all trouble!"

"Tell me everything one by one!"

As she spoke, Lan Linxue helped Shuanghua sit down with difficulty, but she dared not lean back in the chair.

Fortunately, the gunpowder from yesterday only injured his back, not his buttocks; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand up even if he wanted to. As for his legs, they were just superficial wounds; they looked scary, but they weren't actually serious.

"Last night we followed Miss Koole's instructions—"

"Who gave you permission to call her Ke'er?"

Lan Linxue rolled her eyes and glared fiercely at Shuanghua.

Frostflower was speechless and gritted her teeth to start over.

“Last night, we went out into the canyon to look for people as instructed by Pavilion Master Qin. Sure enough, we ran into those men in black again, and it was a bloody battle! Many of them were killed or wounded, but some still managed to escape. I checked these people, and they didn’t have any markings on them, just like the ones we encountered in our courtyard last time. However, the things they were carrying were still from the Xuzhou camp.”

Lan Linxue nodded, "I've kept everything for you! I can take it with me to settle accounts later!"

"The Third Prince has been sent to the Xuzhou camp. The commander there, Zhou Zhao, is very astute; upon hearing the Seventh Prince's words, he understood the seriousness of the matter. He immediately placed the Xuzhou camp under tight security, and all the boatmen at the docks were released. The additional salt tax was immediately suspended. They are now on high alert, not daring to make any mistakes. Also, the Seventh Prince has returned, and the Third Prince only brought back one sentence: 'Everything is clear. The Fifth Prince has no mercy; this matter is left to the Crown Prince to decide. As for the grudge over the severed hand, we'll settle it another day.' Zhao Ling'er is safe and sound, and has stayed by the Third Prince's side."

Lan Linxue nodded, then sighed softly: "When it comes to using people, we are definitely not as good as Qin Kou'er at recognizing and utilizing talent. Zhao Ling'er has died countless times, but she has managed to keep her alive in her hands."

Shuanghua frowned: "Zhao Ling'er was saved by Miss Qin, but in the end she still colluded with Fifth Master to kill Third Master. I just don't know if Miss Qin will misjudge her again this time!"

Lan Linxue smiled slightly and said calmly, "The first time, Kou'er only bought a servant with ten thousand taels of gold. A whore's heart naturally follows money. When she met Fifth Brother, she thought that by relying on someone more powerful, she could ascend to heaven. But who would have thought that Fifth Brother was the most ruthless and heartless one. After going through life and death again, do you think she would dare to betray her this time? If she were to fight Qin Kou'er, she would die a much more miserable death. Women always understand this better than we do!"

Shuanghua nodded, then gave a mocking smirk: "The Third Prince, on the other hand, really has a heart for chivalry. I don't know what kind of bewitching potion Zhao Ling'er has put him under, but he's determined to take her with him! According to Seventh Prince, they're practically like a pair of lovebirds destined for the same fate!"

"Hahaha!" Lan Linxue couldn't help but laugh, but after only two laughs, she remembered that Qin Kou'er was sleeping, so she quickly lowered her voice, "This is why Qin Kou'er kept Zhao Ling'er alive. The top dog on the Qinhuai River might not be able to deal with someone like the Fifth Prince, but dealing with a mere mortal like the Third Prince is definitely a piece of cake. Don't worry, the women in the Third Prince's mansion will soon have no way to survive!"

Shuanghua thought of those women and couldn't help but smirk: "That's what they call 'the wicked will be punished by the wicked'!"

"What's going on with Lan Xiuyuan?" Lan Linxue felt it was time for him to settle accounts with Lan Xiuyuan.

"Besides the frantic search, it's said that the Fifth Prince is now shutting himself away and refusing to see anyone! I think the reason he can't find your and Miss Qin's bodies is that he probably already knows you're safe. He just hasn't fully connected your affairs with the Third Prince yet. As for Qin Tian Pavilion, I've already told Jun Yannuo that you're completely safe, and it's almost a done deal. He's really good at acting; now the people from Qin Tian Pavilion are searching the whole world for Miss Qin!"

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