Lan Linxue and Qin Kou'er had just walked out of the side gate of the villa when they saw Jiang Ming coldly watching his subordinates grab Zhao Ling'er and pin her to the ground, displaying their power.
Qin Kou'er's expression darkened slightly.
Lan Linxue frowned and pointed at Jiang Ming, "Lord Jiang, what are you doing so early in the morning?"
Jiang Ming turned around and saw Lan Linxue. He quickly took a few steps, knelt down and said, "Greetings to the Crown Prince. Your Highness, this woman is closely related to the death of Lord Shi. I have apprehended her today and am about to return for interrogation."
Zhao Ling'er looked up and saw Qin Kou'er, and immediately exclaimed, "Sect Master, Ling'er is innocent!"
Jiang Ming immediately turned around angrily and shouted, "What injustice? She's clearly involved in something serious! Guards, gag her! How dare you shout like that in front of the Crown Prince!"
Immediately, the people below came over to forcibly gag Zhao Ling'er.
"Wait a moment!" Qin Kou'er said in a deep voice, stepped forward, and bowed to Lan Linxue, saying, "Your Highness, please understand. This Miss Zhao is my honored guest and a friend of my Qin Tian Pavilion. On the night Lord Shi had his accident, Miss Zhao was in the Yuanyang Pavilion. It is absolutely impossible for her to be involved in Lord Shi's death! There may be some misunderstanding here!"
Lan Linxue immediately became unhappy, crossing her arms as she looked at Jiang Ming, "Jiang Ming, Qin Kou'er said there's a misunderstanding, are you sure you haven't really made a mistake? Are you trying to fool us with another woman? Don't forget, you haven't caught your bandits yet!"
Jiang Ming quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Highness, Zhao Ling'er and Lord Shi do indeed have a close relationship. This is something that the entire city of Yangzhou knows. Even if Zhao Ling'er didn't know that Lord Shi was in trouble that night, there must be other secrets involved. I must arrest her and bring her back for interrogation."
Qin Kou'er's face grew even colder as she turned to Jiang Ming and said, "Lord Jiang, is the matter that the whole of Yangzhou knows about Lord Shi's visit to a prostitute? As far as I know, this Miss Zhao Ling'er is a famous courtesan on the Qinhuai River, and the top courtesan in the Yuanyang Pavilion! You say that Lord Shi has a close relationship with her, so how can a fourth-rank official in our court openly visit prostitutes and make it known to the whole world?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming immediately looked up at Qin Kou'er. He found that this usually gentle and beautiful pavilion master now possessed a murderous aura, her cold, frosty eyes carrying a hint of menace that made one afraid to meet her gaze. He froze, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
Lan Linxue glanced at Qin Kou'er and could tell from her tone that she was angry.
Lan Linxue immediately brandished her fan in anger, pointing at Jiang Ming and shouting, "I told Father Emperor long ago that you scholars sent to the provinces are the most hypocritical. You're all virtuous and respectable in front of the Emperor, but the moment you turn your backs, you're nothing but thieves and prostitutes. Look! Look! A dignified fourth-rank official has had his head chopped off, and in the end, he still claims to have been involved with a prostitute. You have no shame, but the Emperor does! The court does! Get out! Get out! Don't let these people pollute my eyes. Jiang Ming, let me tell you, you'd better handle this matter carefully, and don't cause anything even more shameful. You bunch of scumbags, you'd better keep your jobs hidden! Otherwise, your head will end up alongside Shi Mengjian's, being worshipped on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month!"
As she spoke, Lan Linxue strode over and boarded the prepared carriage first.
Jiang Ming nodded repeatedly on the ground, his face covered in sweat. Only after Lan Linxue left did he stand up from the ground.
Qin Kou'er walked up to him, looked him straight in the eye, and said coldly, "Lord Jiang, are you deliberately disrespecting Qin Tiange today? Or are you trying to make us bow down before the Crown Prince?"
Jiang Ming felt aggrieved and was about to explain to Qin Kou'er when she coldly interrupted him, "Lord Jiang, you eat the food of the land you live in, and you worship the Buddha you worship. I've never forgotten this principle. Therefore, Qin Tian Pavilion has always respected you, and we've offered you various tributes. In fact, Qin Tian Pavilion holds a significant place in Lord Shi's account books. But today, you've openly arrested friends who came to seek refuge in my territory. This has never happened before in the history of Qin Tian Pavilion. Although Qin Tian Pavilion isn't the imperial palace, it's certainly not a place where anyone can come and go as they please. Lord Jiang, are you really going to turn down real money?"
Qin Kou'er's words infuriated Jiang Ming even more, but he dared not openly offend this powerful woman before him. He could only anxiously explain, "Oh dear, Master, it's a misunderstanding! I had no choice. This Zhao Ling'er not only has a significant relationship with Shi Mengjian, but also has a close connection with Young Master Hu. I had to take her back to question her. Besides, she's just a prostitute, you..."
"Lord Jiang!" Qin Kou'er's eyes instantly turned cold as she decisively interrupted Jiang Ming. "Regardless of whether she's a prostitute or a human being, even if she were a stray dog today, she wouldn't be allowed to touch me once she's at the door of my Qin Tian Pavilion! Anything in this world that bears the mark of Qin Tian Pavilion can only be moved with my approval. Today, I'm going to disrespect you, sir. Zhao Ling'er, I said you can't touch her! I've said my piece. You may do as you see fit. Kou'er, I'm not keeping you company!"
With that, Qin Kou'er didn't even glance at Jiang Ming, turned around and walked towards Lan Linxue.
Jiang Ming nearly choked on his own anger. He was furious. He couldn't afford to offend the willful Crown Prince, and now he couldn't even afford to offend Qin Kou'er, who was a walking money pit. He was utterly humiliated by his position as an official.
Jun Yannuo glanced at Jiang Ming from behind and smiled slightly, "Lord Jiang, why don't you come inside and have a cup of tea?"
Despite saying that, he waved to his subordinates, and immediately someone went over, ignored everyone else, helped Zhao Ling'er up, and left.
Jiang Ming watched helplessly as Zhao Ling'er was taken away, unable to utter a single word. Furious, he flung his sleeves and turned to leave without a word.
Lan Linxue witnessed everything that had just happened. He smiled, closed his eyes, and fanned himself. These officials in Jiangnan assumed Qin Kou'er's silver was their private treasury, something they could take at will. Only he knew that every penny of Qin Kou'er's silver was poisoned; taking it would mean certain doom.
But that wasn't what he cared about at all. What he was thinking about now was: if he took over that casino and gave it to Qin Kou'er, would that pile of money treat him better? As long as she could smile sweetly at him, it would be worth it!
---Aside---
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