Chapter 546 Threats and Inducements
"Uncle Qin, please come in!"

The carriage stopped in front of the Donghai Teahouse, and the waiter led Qin Ku through the lobby and went straight to the private room upstairs.

"Who wants to see me?"

Qin Ku was already drunk and drowsy from the bumpy ride in the carriage. When he was forcibly woken up by the waiter, his head felt as if it was filled with paste and he felt even more groggy.

When going up the stairs, if the waiter had not carefully supported him, Qin Ku would have missed his step several times and almost rolled down.

"Uncle Qin, we're here!"

In front of the private room, the waiter supported the staggering Qin Ku with one hand and gently knocked on the door with the other hand.

"Enter!"

Following a woman's response, the waiter cautiously opened the door and half-pushed and half-sent Qin Ku into the private room, but his own feet never stepped over the threshold.

"Woman?" Qin Ku was startled, then smiled evilly, "Prepared for me?"

"Ahem!" The waiter looked terrified, but he didn't dare to say anything. He said awkwardly, "You'll know when you go in, sir."

"Sensible! Hehe..."

While praising the waiter, Qin Ku staggered into the private room.

"Who is so sensible as to give both money and women?"

Qin Ku was very proud of himself and at the same time looked drooling.

"The women from the frontier are charming and unique, and the beauties from the south of the Yangtze River are even more pitiful. I wonder what the women from the Central Plains are like? There is a saying that..."

When the excited Qin Ku was undressing and walking around the screen, he was stunned by the person sitting in front of him. The joking words that were about to come out of his mouth were choked back by him.

It was undoubtedly a woman, but she was a woman that Qin Ku would never dare to offend, Ling Xiaoxiao.

"Husband...ma'am?"

Qin Ku was shocked and quickly tied up the belt he had untied. Then he shook his head and rubbed his eyes, confirming again and again that he was not seeing things.

"Hmph!" Ling Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Ku, whose face was red and whose clothes were disheveled, with a displeased expression, and said angrily, "As the deputy fan master of Xianwang Mansion, you are actually pursuing pleasure and wasting time. What would happen if outsiders knew about it? Brother Jin has just become the leader of the martial arts world. If you indulge in lust like this, wouldn't it ruin the reputation of Xianwang Mansion? And humiliate the dignity of the Northern Xianwang?"

"My lady taught me that I will change! I will definitely change!"

Facing Ling Xiaoxiao's rebuke, Qin Ku was neither angry nor defensive. Instead, he smiled and accepted it all, with a face thicker than a city wall, which made Ling Xiaoxiao frown repeatedly.

"Forget it!" Ling Xiaoxiao said in a deep voice, "Considering that you have just entered the palace and are not familiar with the rules of the Xianwang Mansion, I will forgive you this time. If you do it again, I will never forgive you easily."

"Yes, yes, I will never let you off easily." Qin Ku nodded and bowed repeatedly, then pointed at the stool beside the table and said with a flattering smile, "Madam, I'm drunk and feel dizzy. Can I..."

"Sit down!"

Facing Qin Ku who was taking advantage of her and still acting cute, Ling Xiaoxiao became increasingly dissatisfied, but after thinking about her purpose today, she decided not to argue with him and said, "Qin Ku, do you know why I asked you to come here?"

"do not know."

Qin Ku picked up the teapot as if no one was around and drank from the spout. He ignored Ling Xiaoxiao's gloomy eyes and replied vaguely, "Madam, please tell me if you have anything to ask. As long as I can do it, I will definitely do my best."

This was the first time Ling Xiaoxiao had ever met someone who didn't distinguish between superiors and inferiors. She turned away, thinking out of sight, out of mind, and asked herself, "How is your relationship with Liu Xunyi? How did you two meet?"

"We met by chance, and we didn't know each other until we fought." Qin Ku put down the teapot, stretched his waist and replied, "As for our friendship... it's just so-so!"

"So-so?" Ling Xiaoxiao looked suspicious. "Why did I hear that the relationship between you two is extraordinary? There are even rumors that... you are as close as brothers?"

“Of course!” Qin Ku nodded seriously, “The Palace Master said that all disciples of Xianwang Palace should be as close as brothers. Liu Xunyi is the black fan holder, and I am the deputy fan holder, so we must be as close as brothers. Otherwise, how can I have a good life? Hehe…”

"Stop making jokes in front of me!" Ling Xiaoxiao scolded, "Just answer the questions truthfully and stop talking nonsense."

"Oh!" Qin Ku immediately put away the smile on his face and said aggrievedly, "What exactly does Madam want to know?"

"I am too lazy to beat around the bush with you." Ling Xiaoxiao said impatiently, "In short, I want you to closely monitor Liu Xunyi's every move for me and report to me at any time."

"Surveillance on Liu Xunyi?" Qin Ku asked puzzledly, "Why?"

"He will be my son-in-law soon, but I... don't feel comfortable entrusting my daughter to him." Ling Xiaoxiao said righteously, "Yu'er is the apple of my eye. She is going to entrust her life to a man, so as a mother, I naturally have to be careful."

"Yes, yes, yes." Qin Ku nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, and then said with embarrassment, "But, Liu Xunyi is Black Fan after all, and he holds a high position in the mansion. It would be inappropriate for me to monitor him...

"What's wrong with that?" Ling Xiaoxiao said unhappily, "You take the Black Fan seriously, but don't you take me seriously? Between me and Liu Xunyi, who is the master and who is the servant? Don't you know the difference?"

"Compared with Madam, Liu Xunyi is like lifting tofu with a hemp rope, don't even mention it." Qin Ku flattered, "But... Hei Zhishan is better than me at the very least. I can't afford to offend either of you two. If anything goes wrong, I will definitely be the one who suffers..."

"I can assure you." Ling Xiaoxiao said seriously, "As long as you work for me, no one in the mansion will dare to cause trouble for you."

"That being said, you are a family after all, so everything can be discussed. I am an outsider after all, and if I interfere, I am afraid..." "You are hesitant and timid, how can you be a man?" Ling Xiaoxiao interrupted, "Just tell me straight, do you want to do it or not? If you don't want to help me, you can leave now. I never force anyone to do anything."

"I..." Qin Ku scratched his head, looking torn. "Madam only asked me to monitor Liu Xunyi? Do you have any other plans?"

Ling Xiaoxiao pondered and said, "Wait for an opportunity to find out his background."

"Background?" Qin Ku was confused. "Everyone in the mansion knows Liu Xunyi's background. Why bother to find out?"

"What we know is what Liu Xunyi wants us to know." Ling Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and said with a hint of meaning, "What if he is not telling the truth? What if he is all show and no substance? What if he is a playboy who likes to flirt with women all the time? What should we do?"

"This……"

"He is my daughter's future husband. I want to find out more about my future son-in-law. Is that inappropriate?"

"Palace Master... do you know about this?"

"We are both sons-in-law, but Brother Jin has his own considerations, and I have my own thoughts." Ling Xiaoxiao said dissatisfiedly, "Brother Jin cares about Liu Xunyi's potential and the future prosperity and decline of the Xianwang Mansion. And I only care about my daughter's happiness."

"Madam loves her daughter so much, I am deeply moved."

"Don't worry! I won't let you work in vain. As long as you agree to work for me, I will give you 10,000 silver coins every month."

"Ten thousand?" Qin Ku's eyes suddenly changed, and he asked in disbelief, "Really?"

"Do I look like I'm lying to you?"

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether I give money or not." Seeing Ling Xiaoxiao's serious expression, Qin Ku suddenly changed the subject and pretended to be generous, "It's mainly because of the madam's love for the young lady that I am really moved. I lost my parents when I was young, and I hate to see people loving each other the most. When I encounter such things, I can't help but want to cry..."

After saying that, Qin Ku actually pretended to wipe the corners of his eyes.

"So you agree?"

"If I am indifferent to my mother's concern for my daughter, am I still a human being?" Qin Ku said indignantly, "Not only do I agree, but I will also monitor Liu Xunyi for Madam before the wedding. Even after the marriage, even after having children, I will continue to monitor him to prevent Liu Xunyi from doing something obscene that would let down the young lady. For Madam and the young lady, I, Qin Ku, will go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, and will not hesitate..."

"okay!"

Faced with Qin Ku's impassioned speech, Ling Xiaoxiao naturally showed disdain.

Qin Ku kept talking, just to get more reward money from Ling Xiaoxiao. As for other "touching" and "loyalty", they were all high-sounding rhetoric and worthless.

"Remember! This matter is known only to heaven and earth, you and me. Don't let anyone else know about it." Ling Xiaoxiao warned, "If you dare to leak even a word to others, I will make you regret it."

"I will!" Qin Ku promised solemnly, "Madam, you don't know that I have been wandering around the world for so many years and have made many friends. I rely not on martial arts but on my character. Especially my mouth, which is full of iron teeth and steel teeth, airtight, and famous for its reliability..."

"All right!"

Ling Xiaoxiao could no longer bear Qin Ku's incessant chatter, so she suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.

"If you have any news, you can come to the East Sea Tea House and find a waiter named 'Shun Xi'. He often comes to the mansion to deliver tea, and he can also help you contact me. Remember, after returning to the Xianwang Mansion, you and I must pretend that we are not familiar with each other, and no one can see the flaws."

"Hehe, like having an affair..."

"What did you say?"

Ling Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes glared at Qin Ku, frightening him so much that his face changed. He quickly changed his words and said, "I will definitely remember Madam's instructions and will never reveal any clues."

"Hmph!" Ling Xiaoxiao opened the door and said in a bad tone, "You stay here and leave after an hour. Sober up by the way, so you don't talk nonsense. A dog can't spit out ivory!"

"As ordered."

After glaring at Qin Ku coldly, Ling Xiaoxiao quickly left the Donghai Teahouse.

Outside the teahouse, a carriage slowly approached and stopped in front of Ling Xiaoxiao. She did not hesitate at all, and with the help of the waiter, she quickly got into the carriage.

"Madam, how was the conversation with Qin Ku?"

"This guy is very slick and never says anything serious. But at least he is greedy for money and has temporarily agreed to help me keep an eye on Liu Xunyi."

In the carriage, facing Yan Bugui's worry, Ling Xiaoxiao pondered: "If it weren't for the sudden incident and the urgent time, I would never trust such a greedy and lustful person..."

"lady……"

"Forget it! I just said I was checking for my daughter. Even if there are mistakes, I believe Brother Jin won't blame me too much. Let's go back home!"

In the teahouse, Qin Ku leaned against the window frame, his eyes flickering as he watched the carriage going further and further away.

At this moment, the chaotic drunkenness lingering on Qin Ku's face had long disappeared, replaced by a hint of cunningness with a profound meaning.

……

(End of this chapter)