Lan Xiuyuan stood amidst the clusters of flowers, smiling as he watched the vying blossoms, seemingly in no hurry at all.
Seeing Lan Linxue approaching, he smiled and walked over, bowing and kneeling on one knee in greeting.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Lan Linxue nodded casually and said coldly, "You want to interrogate Qin Kou'er?"
Lan Xiuyuan stood up and nodded. "Yes! I've been in Yangzhou for two days now. After all, this is a case personally selected by the Emperor, so I dare not delay!"
As he spoke, Lan Xiuyuan nodded to Qin Kou'er behind him and said with a smile, "It's better for Pavilion Master Qin to end this matter sooner rather than later! Otherwise, there will be more gossip."
Qin Kou'er smiled and bowed slightly: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Fifth Prince. I will certainly answer all your questions!"
Lan Linxue listened to the two talking and couldn't help but smile coldly. She turned to look at Lan Xiuyuan and asked, "What clues do you have at the moment?"
Lan Xiuyuan thought for a moment and said, "There aren't many clues. However, Lord Shi's death seems to be related to the fire that night. Moreover, I found out that Miss Zhao Ling'er in Yuanyang Pavilion seems to have a close relationship with Lord Shi. So, I want to ask Miss Zhao first to see if she knows any clues, or if Lord Shi has offended someone! However, Miss Zhao is currently in Qin Tian Pavilion, so we will inevitably have to trouble Pavilion Master Qin."
Qin Kou'er nodded, "Of course! I'll have Ling'er go with her in a bit!"
Lan Linxue's expression remained indifferent. She then asked, "Have the assassins from a few nights ago been caught?"
"Not yet! They ran too fast. By the time we went out, they had completely disappeared!" Lan Xiuyuan replied calmly.
Lan Linxue sneered, "The person ran away, and the clues ran away too? Where did the gunpowder come from? Who was the dead man? Can't you find out even a single clue?"
Lan Xiuyuan seemed somewhat ashamed, looking at Lan Linxue with his head slightly lowered, and said, "None of the survivors were left alive, and there was absolutely no trace of the dead. They were definitely not locals! Moreover, they secretly hid in the team, and the foreman who was preparing the fireworks was killed. Now, there's really not a single clue in the investigation."
Lan Linxue stared intently at Lan Xiuyuan, "Are you planning to answer like this in front of the Emperor?"
Lan Xiuyuan quickly bowed and clasped his hands, "Your Highness, please calm down! Although there are no leads at the moment, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not let these thieves escape justice. Also, I have already reported the assassination attempt on my elder brother to the Emperor, and I expect an imperial decree to arrive soon. In the meantime, I have also informed the Governor-General's Office of Liangjiang, and they will soon dispatch troops to strengthen my elder brother's protection. Such a thing must never happen again!"
"The Governor-General's Mansion of Liangjiang? I remember there was a general there who was Xu Ming's student, right?" As she spoke, Lan Linxue glanced sideways at Lan Xiuyuan, "Don't forget, Xu Ming's grandson, our Third Master, is still imprisoned in my hands. You're having his student serve as my guard? Was this a deliberate arrangement or did you intentionally forget?"
Lan Linxue's words were sharp and cutting, sending chills down Qin Kou'er's spine.
However, Lan Xiuyuan showed no sign of panic. Instead, he maintained his perfect demeanor and said with a smile, "Of course I have thought of that. I have already eliminated that person from the list. Your Majesty can handle matters with peace of mind."
Lan Linxue snorted when she heard Lan Xiuyuan say that, but did not continue to speak.
Seeing that Lan Linxue remained silent, Lan Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Third Brother is, after all, one of our own brothers. Why don't you let me go and see him later? Ignoring him like this isn't a solution!"
Lan Linxue thought for a moment before nodding, "Alright! Go see him and ask him properly why he and his brothers are fighting each other. What did I, as his elder brother, do to deserve this? Why is he treating me like this?"
"Yes! Your Majesty, I will certainly ask him carefully! Once I have any news, I will report back to Your Majesty immediately!"
At this point, Lan Xiuyuan looked at Lan Linxue with concern and asked warmly, "I heard that Your Majesty has been deep in thought these past few days and hasn't had a proper rest for several days. I wonder if you're ill? Should we call the imperial physician? If..."
"You don't need to pretend to care anymore!"
Before Lan Xiuyuan could finish speaking, Lan Linxue coldly interrupted him, turning her icy gaze to Qin Kou'er behind her. "We brothers know each other perfectly well! There's no need for you to fawn over these lackeys. I know what you're thinking, and that's enough! These meaningless words only make me nauseous. You can take Qin Kou'er with you later, and I won't care what you ask! Qin Kou'er, remember this, our score isn't settled yet!"
After saying that, Lan Linxue glared fiercely at Qin Kou'er, then turned and left.
Qin Kou'er quickly bowed to see her off.
Lan Xiuyuan glanced at the two of them, smiled slightly, and bowed slightly to see them off.
However, they hadn't gone far when Lan Linxue suddenly turned around and asked in a cold voice, "Lan Xiuyuan, I heard that Hu Feifan is in Yangzhou?"
Lan Xiuyuan seemed slightly taken aback, but quickly nodded, "Yes! Feifan came to Yangzhou on some business and just happened to run into me!"
"Oh? So he's here on business! I thought he was here for something shady, and he's been here so long without even saying he wanted to see me!"
After saying that, Lan Linxue gave Lan Xiuyuan a wicked and eerie smile, then turned around and walked out without hesitation.
As Lan Xiuyuan watched Lan Linxue's retreating figure, the smile on his lips slowly faded.
But when he turned to look at Qin Kou'er again, he was once again the same handsome and resolute young man.
"Sect Master Qin, please get up!"
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