Lan Linxue left silently, as if she had never been there last night.
After Qin Kou'er finished dressing, she called her maid to come in and help her with her toilette. Her mind was still racing, calculating that the best gambling den in Yangzhou was owned by Cui Kewei, the richest man in Jinling. If she could get Lan Linxue's help to take him down, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
The most important person is Hu Feifan. He's still in Lan Linxue's hands, and it's hard to say what she'll do with him in the end. Furthermore, Jiang Ming is obstructing her plan to frame him. To make things go smoothly, she must first deal with Jiang Ming and then get Hu Feifan out of Lan Linxue's clutches.
Today is the third day, and the urgent memorial from Yangzhou should reach the Emperor by tomorrow. According to procedure, the imperial envoy should arrive in Yangzhou soon. She must make good use of the remaining days; otherwise, things will become even more complicated.
After tidying up, Qin Kou'er called Jun Yannuo in and gave him some instructions while they ate.
When Jun Yannuo entered, he carried a bowl of hangover soup with a gentle expression and carefully placed it in front of Qin Kou'er.
"Have a drink. So you don't have a headache after a hangover!"
Qin Kou'er smiled slightly, picked up her cup and drank it all in one gulp. She then took out her handkerchief and gently dabbed her red lips. Smiling, she looked at Jun Yannuo and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you!"
Jun Yannuo smiled but said nothing. He simply walked over and served Qin Kou'er a small bowl of lily and lotus seed porridge, placing it in front of her. "Eat your meal first."
Qin Kou'er nodded, took the small bowl, and quietly drank her porridge. Jun Yannuo, however, stood respectfully to the side, silently watching the woman in front of him.
Last night, he stood guard outside the door, watching Lan Linxue leave in the early morning. He could only stand on the crabapple tree, letting the dew soak him. All he could do was watch helplessly and wait silently; he couldn't kill Lan Linxue, nor could he blame Qin Kou'er.
Because, between her and him, she was the master, and he was the servant; he could only have loyalty and righteousness towards her. Any other superfluous feelings were just an endless sea of suffering he had created for himself, into which only he himself would drown.
Thinking of this, Jun Yannuo felt a bitter taste in his mouth and his eyes sting.
However, all of this happened behind Qin Kou'er's back. She continued to eat quietly, ignoring the turmoil in the hearts of those behind her.
After finishing her porridge, Qin Kou'er put down her bowl and chopsticks, rinsed her mouth, and carefully wiped the corners of her mouth again with a handkerchief before standing up and walking towards the study on the other side.
However, before Qin Kou'er could speak, Jun Yannuo delivered a message first.
"Master, our men have received word that a number of strangers have appeared around Yangzhou, inquiring about things. Their accents sound like they're from the capital."
Qin Kou'er glanced at Jun Yannuo, then pointed to the stool next to her, and the two of them sat down together.
"What kind of information are you asking about?"
"Has anyone seen a stranger recently?" Jun Yannuo poured Qin Kou'er a cup of tea after sitting down and placed it in front of her. "I suspect it's one of Hu Feifan's men; they're looking for him everywhere."
"Why are they looking for people in the surrounding areas instead of in the city?" Qin Kou'er frowned, then immediately said, "That's right, Jiang Ming is in the city, so they only need to search the outskirts. Have they found out anything?"
"No! We haven't even found our own people, how could he possibly find them!"
Qin Kou'er nodded, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. "That's right, if they can't find our people, how could they? But it's strange, really. How could so many golden-armored guards who appeared that night vanish in an instant? Yangzhou is quite a large city for outsiders, yet we haven't even heard a trace of our own people. That's really odd!"
Speaking of this, Jun Yannuo frowned and pondered, saying, "I have indeed sent out everyone, and Mo Hun led his men to search all the surrounding mountains, but there really is no news at all!"
Qin Kou'er waved her hand, "No! Those people are clearly Lan Linxue's secret guards; they couldn't possibly be far from this guy. I'm certain they're in Yangzhou City!"
"But where could they possibly hide in Yangzhou? I even sent people to check the prison; none of them are without connections!"
Qin Kou'er remained silent. If it were her, where would she hide the person?
First, it must be a blind spot, a place no one would expect; second, no one would ever go there, and the place must be big enough to hide a lot of people.
As she pondered, Qin Kou'er suddenly thought of a place and turned to Jun Yannuo with a serious expression, asking, "Have you sent anyone to Yuanyang Pavilion?"
Jun Yannuo was stunned. "Yuanyang Pavilion? It was sealed off the night before last, I..."
At this point, Jun Yannuo suddenly stopped. Yes, Yuanyang Pavilion—where could be safer and more secure than this place that had just been sealed off by the government?!
"But there are soldiers guarding the area!"
Qin Kou'er sneered, "At this time, there are no heavy guards. Jiang Ming must have sent everyone out to look for Jun Yannuo. There are probably just two people left at the door as a formality."
"I'll send someone to check right now!" With that, Jun Yannuo stood up and started to walk out.
"No need to go!" Qin Kou'er suddenly spoke, stopping Jun Yannuo. "It's enough that we know Hu Feifan's location. If we send people to investigate during the day, it will be too conspicuous. Let's talk about it at night! Go and make the arrangements right now; I need to see Jiang Ming. Our arrangements can't be wasted. Also, prepare some silver notes for me; I need to accompany Lan Linxue to Jubao Pen!"
Jun Yannuo frowned. "What, is our young master going to the casino?"
Qin Kou'er glanced at Jun Yannuo, "What do you think?"
Jun Yannuo didn't say anything more. After all, Lan Linxue was capable of anything, so he wasn't really surprised. "Alright! I'll go prepare now! However, Master, Cui Kewei is currently in Hangzhou. His gambling skills are always superb, so please be careful!"
Qin Kou'er nodded and smiled. "Don't worry. Speaking of gambling skills, I'd also like to see what this world-renowned gambling king is all about. Let's go!"
Jun Yannuo nodded, turned around and walked out.
Qin Kou'er picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "Lan Linxue, you really are shrewd. You actually thought of hiding everyone in the Yuanyang Pavilion. Even the Emperor, let alone Jiang Ming, probably couldn't have imagined your methods would be so ingenious."
Today, let me see your skills again and help me get the treasure bowl back.
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