As Qin Kou'er came out of the house, Jun Yannuo stepped aside to block her, and the two of them slipped into the next room.
After Qin Kou'er went inside, she went directly to the inner room to change her clothes, while Jun Yannuo stood at the door with his head bowed.
Soon, Qin Kou'er changed her clothes, came out, sat at the head of the table, picked up her tea, and slowly blew on the small daisy floating on top, her eyes lowered.
"Hu Feifan has arrived. Why wasn't this reported in time?"
Her voice remained deep and melodious, gentle yet with a hint of crispness. But to Jun Yannuo, it made him kneel down on one knee.
"Master, please forgive me! When I saw Hu Feifan, he had already entered with his men. Upon seeing me, he went straight for you, Master, and barged in!"
Qin Kou'er instantly raised her head, her gaze striking Jun Yannuo like lightning. "Not only did the Grand Steward of Qin Tian Pavilion not know that our most important guest had entered the city, but he was also so stupid that he couldn't even stop one person?! What use are you to me then?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Kou'er threw the teacup in her hand onto the table, spilling the fine chrysanthemum tea instantly, the cup making a gurgling sound.
Jun Yannuo quickly knelt on the ground with his other leg: "Your subordinate knows his mistake! Please punish me, Master!"
Qin Kou'er stared at Jun Yannuo, her expression showing no sign of softening. Slowly standing up, she pulled a silk handkerchief from the table and began wiping her hands, her tone growing increasingly cold: "I'll give you one more chance. If I still can't hear your true feelings, you can leave Qin Tian Pavilion!"
Jun Yannuo immediately raised his head; this was the most severe warning Qin Kou'er had ever given him.
There was not a trace of a joke in Qin Kou'er's eyes.
Jun Yannuo thought for a moment and lowered his voice before finally saying, "Hu Feifan and Lan Linxue's secret entry into the city this time was swift, catching even Qin Tiange off guard. They're definitely after the ledger in the hands of Shi Mengjian, the Salt Commissioner of Jiangnan. Hu Feifan is after the transaction, while Lan Linxue is after the acquisition. If Qin Tiange were to openly compete with them for the woman downstairs at this time, it would inevitably arouse their suspicion, which would be absolutely disadvantageous for us."
Once Shi Mengjian gets the news that Ling'er is in our hands, he'll probably have multiple escape routes, making it difficult for us to find him again.
Therefore, I deliberately let Hu Feifan in. If he discovers Lan Linxue's whereabouts, I think the temptation for the Hu family will be unprecedented. He will definitely focus all his attention on assassinating the Crown Prince, which will greatly increase our chances of getting Shi Mengjian first!
"What if Hu Feifan really kills the Crown Prince?" Qin Kou'er looked at Jun Yannuo with increasingly deep eyes.
Jun Yannuo, however, met Qin Kou'er's gaze without any fear: "Lan Linxue has been the Crown Prince for twenty years. If even Hu Feifan can kill him, then he is of no use to us!"
Qin Kou'er stared at Jun Yannuo for a long time, then suddenly smiled softly, took a step and slowly walked over, squatted down in front of Jun Yannuo, and looked him in the eye. "Yannuo, why doesn't your heart skip a beat when you lie to me now?"
"Because what your subordinate and the Pavilion Master said were the truth, the truth!"
Qin Kou'er smiled even more charmingly, but then stretched out her finger and slowly traced an arc along Jun Yannuo's handsome cheek: "The truth doesn't come out of your mouth very sincerely."
First, Hu Feifan isn't stupid; he wouldn't lose his composure just because he saw Lan Linxue. How confident is he in assassinating the Crown Prince? We've known Hu Feifan for three years; when has he ever been careless in doing business with us? Doesn't he always call her "Kou'er" affectionately?!
Secondly, if Lan Linxue's whereabouts were truly revealed, he would immediately make a grand show of it, letting the whole world know that the Crown Prince was secretly visiting Yangzhou to understand the people's suffering. This way, he would gain a good reputation and also have a legitimate reason to take the woman downstairs away. Given Lan Linxue's reputation for outrageous behavior, even if he demolished this brothel right now, no one in the world would dare say a word. With the woman in his hands, would he be afraid of not being able to make her tell the truth? Do you think Shi Mengjian's ledgers would still give us a sliver of hope at that time?
Third, I can do business with Lan Linxue, and I can do business with Hu Feifan, so why can't Lan Linxue and Hu Feifan do business together? If they do a good job, what business is it of ours?
Didn't you think of these three points?
Jun Yannuo fell silent, his lips pressed tightly together, and cold sweat slowly beaded on his forehead.
Qin Kou'er didn't let go of Jun Yannuo. Instead, she suddenly grabbed his chin, stood up, forced him to face her, shook her head, and smiled with even more profound meaning.
"You figured it out! You definitely figured it out! So, you let Hu Feifan in, not for official business, but for your own selfish reasons! You dislike Lan Linxue, and you especially hate that I married the Crown Prince. So, you lured Hu Feifan in, intending to use him to kill Lan Linxue, because you know Hu Feifan has always had ulterior motives towards me. Of course, you also know that Lan Linxue would never like Hu Feifan to see her face clearly; some things are not yet ready to be made public. So, you used this delicate relationship between the two of them to put on a show for Hu Feifan. Even if we take a step back, at least Hu Feifan saw my dissolute side today. This way, at least he'll give up any thoughts of me. Killing two birds with one stone—that's the scheme of our Grand Steward of Qin Tian Pavilion! Isn't that right?"
After Qin Kou'er finished speaking, she used a bit of force, immediately causing Jun Yannuo to frown.
Looking at Qin Kou'er, he did not refute, but said, "Yes! Since the Pavilion Master knows my thoughts, I am willing to accept the punishment!"
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