Hu Feifan and Lan Linxue's minds were racing.
Lan Linxue was ultimately more composed than Hu Feifan. After all, he still held the advantage of washing Qin Kou'er's feet, and he could reap the benefits from the information he obtained from Zhao Ling'er. Although he didn't know if Qin Kou'er would hand her over to him so readily, he still held onto a sliver of hope.
Hu Feifan was in a bad situation. He didn't have enough money in his pocket, and Qin Kou'er readily refused to help him, leaving him, the person in charge, out in the cold.
“Yes, Yangzhou is a place of outstanding people and abundant resources. Just walk around and you'll see the ground covered in gold and silver.” Hu Feifan nodded and smiled, surprisingly not worried. He gently waved his fan and said with a faint smile, “However, there are some things that are not impossible. It’s just that everyone uses different methods.”
With that, Hu Feifan stood up and winked mysteriously at Qin Kou'er, "Watch me go get some money. You can't take advantage of me being broke later!"
Qin Kou'er chuckled softly, like a night-blooming cereus blooming outside the window, its fragrance reaching deep into the heart.
"Alright, go ahead! I'll wait here for your good news, Brother Feifan."
Hu Feifan gave Qin Kou'er another affectionate smile, then turned and left with his men.
As Qin Kou'er watched Hu Feifan walk away, the smile on her face slowly faded.
He waved his hand and immediately whispered to Jun Yannuo, "From now on, keep a close eye on Zhao Ling'er. Her every move must remain under our surveillance. Have all our men been replaced?"
“They’ve all been changed! Zhao Ling’er is surrounded by our people. Moreover, she will not speak tonight; her acupoints have been sealed. Her clothes have also been changed. According to that gentleman just now,” Jun Yan Nuo glanced meaningfully at Lan Lin Xue, then continued, “Zhao Ling’er will appear naked in a gauze dress; she will definitely not be hiding anything.”
Qin Kou'er nodded, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. "Have you checked all the instruments Zhao Ling'er used tonight?"
"It's been checked, and there are no abnormalities."
"Alright, I understand! Have someone keep an eye on Hu Feifan and see how he manages to get hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in an instant!"
Jun Yannuo nodded, turned around and went out to make the arrangements.
Once Lan Linxue saw that most of the people who were bothering her had left, she lazily sat back down next to Qin Kou'er, crossed her legs, and started shaking them.
Qin Kou'er looked at him with amusement, and asked with a half-smile, "Hu Feifan is about to get some money, are you sure you don't want to go out and try your luck?"
Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er with an even more wicked smile, revealing a bewitching smile like a fox spirit: "I have a sugar daddy to spend money on me, why should I waste my own money? Besides, I don't have Hu Feifan's ability to get hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in an instant."
Qin Kou'er stared at Lan Linxue, finding it increasingly amusing. "Uncle Lan, do you really not know what methods Hu Feifan used to obtain so much silver?"
A deep sense of disgust flashed across Lan Linxue's brows, but she quickly glanced at Qin Kou'er and asked, "What methods do you think he will use?"
Qin Kou'er turned her head with interest, thought for a moment, and said with a smile, "If you're talking about the fastest way to make money in the world, it's definitely buying and selling official positions! What could be more lucrative and faster than that?"
From the moment Hu Feifan said he could get the money instantly, Lan Linxue knew that Hu Feifan was definitely going to use his status as the eldest grandson of the current prime minister and the heir to the Hu family to sell his position. There were plenty of wealthy people in Yangzhou, but officials were extremely rare. He was well aware of the saying, "A clean prefect can earn 100,000 taels of silver a year." Therefore, he concluded that Hu Feifan would definitely engage in buying and selling official positions, but he absolutely could not reveal his knowledge of such matters. Otherwise, he would lose face.
However, Qin Kou'er could say it openly and honestly: "Hu Feifan would absolutely not have been able to amass such a large sum of money in such a short time without selling official positions, but..."
At this point, Qin Kou'er stood up, turned her back to Lan Linxue, and slowly walked to the window. She gently stroked a delicate rose and said softly, "But this world originally belonged to the Lan family, how did it get stolen by the Hu family? Openly buying and selling official positions, they completely disregarded His Highness the Crown Prince who came to Jiangnan for inspection. The Hu family, indeed, is something to behold!"
Lan Linxue gave a cold laugh: "You don't need to use any provocation here, it won't work on me. Although I also share the surname Lan, this world doesn't belong to me. You'd be more effective saying that to the Emperor. Besides, if I were you, I wouldn't care about these issues right now."
"Oh? Then what should I be worried about now?" Qin Kou'er turned to look at Lan Linxue with amusement.
Lan Linxue calmly picked up her teacup and took a sip. "If I were you, I'd be worried about how Zhao Ling'er would get the message out. The fact that Shi Mengjian would turn to a prostitute in such a critical moment proves at least two things: First, Shi Mengjian trusts this person implicitly, even more than his own family; second, Zhao Ling'er is definitely not just a prostitute. She must be capable enough to handle the task Shi Mengjian gave her: contacting Hu Feifan. Otherwise, she's worthless."
Lan Linxue's words silenced Qin Kou'er. She stared at the flowers before her, a chill creeping down her spine. Why had she overlooked something Lan Linxue had considered? Everything she was doing was merely a routine interception; if Zhao Ling'er were a smart woman, she wouldn't have been caught so easily. But what other way could she, alone, possibly contact Hu Feifan and send a message out? If she were Zhao Ling'er, what would she do?
Just then, Jun Yannuo walked in and whispered to Qin Kou'er, "Master, Hu Feifan has invited all those wealthy people next door. He promised that whoever brings more than 200,000 taels of silver tonight will be appointed as a seventh-rank prefect. They're bringing in large quantities of silver right now!"
Qin Kou'er immediately went to see Lan Linxue.
Lan Linxue, however, leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.
Qin Kou'er glared at him secretly, and was about to turn to Jun Yannuo to discuss the next steps when Lan Linxue suddenly said to her subordinates with a lazy yet cold air, "Tell the carriage entourage to proceed to Yangzhou tonight. Order all fifth-rank officials in the city to come out and kneel to welcome them. Have Hu Feifan go as well, and kneel to welcome them at the Pavilion for Sinners beside the official road! Let the people of Yangzhou see who all those hundreds of thousands of taels of silver they spent went to!"
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