Free Ride Over, Time for Business

Chapter 5: Free Ride Over, Time for Business

Her current situation was not much different from Snow Moon Pavilion's courtesans who served men with their beauty.

Jiang Lan smiled faintly, sipping tea as he watched the dance, looking rather relaxed and content.

In the original novel's plot, even the Protagonist Lin Fan had never received such treatment, never been able to feast his eyes like this.

Still, he could only bully this Female Protagonist during this particular period.

If he had transmigrated into the book too late, then once her physique awakened, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and she earned Empress Wan Yang's favor to become her disciple, she would be far harder to handle.

In high spirits, Jiang Lan looked at Su Qinghan as she danced gracefully with her sword, his gaze carrying sincere appreciation.

He had to admit, he suddenly understood those emperors who stopped attending morning court from then on.

Were it him, he would likely have buried himself beneath warm hibiscus curtains through the spring night as well. Who would still care about attending morning court or not?

Wasn't life meant to be enjoyed?

A peerless beauty like this possessed ten thousand kinds of charm with every casual movement. That cold expression of hers—clearly unable to stand him, yet forced to suppress it and not reveal a thing—was actually quite to his taste.

Still, his current body was far too weak. He needed to recuperate for a while.

Su Qinghan's expression remained cold and indifferent. As she danced with her sword, she shut out her five senses and ignored Jiang Lan's teasing gaze as he looked her over.

She disliked that gaze. It was like a hunter assessing his own prey, and also like someone casually selecting an item from a street stall.

Deep down, Jiang Lan did not seem to regard her as a person at all, but as some kind of commodity, a plaything.

Today, she had personally experienced the vile tastes of this top-tier Second Generation Scion.

Jiang Lan could vaguely guess Su Qinghan's current thoughts, but he did not care. He was in no hurry to subdue this Female Protagonist.

There would be plenty of opportunities later.

The dance ended, and a faint fragrance drifted over.

Su Qinghan returned to the pavilion, set down her longsword, and gave a graceful bow. At the right moment, she let a trace of apology appear on her face. "Qinghan's dancing is lacking. Please forgive any clumsy display, Young Master Jiang."

Having been influenced by her elders since childhood, she understood the need to assess the situation.

Jiang Lan still wore a smile as he applauded. "Miss Qinghan, there is no need for modesty. Being able to witness Miss Su's dance today has made my trip to Yuyi City worthwhile."

Su Qinghan sneered inwardly.

However, seeing Jiang Lan's attitude soften, she also breathed a small sigh of relief. At least it meant there was still room to turn things around and salvage the situation. The humiliation she had suffered earlier had not been in vain.

Now that she had calmed down, she noticed something was wrong.

Perhaps he had been targeting her and her younger sister all along...

Today, she had been rash and careless.

She had casually judged Jiang Lan's temperament and habits based on outside rumors, treating him like an ordinary spoiled Second Generation Scion.

Besides, she should have realized it earlier. As the Prime Minister's only son, how could Jiang Lan lack means to protect his life?

Would he really fear her assassination attempt?

She could have figured it out if she had only calmed down a little.

In fact, judging from the current situation, Jiang Lan had not seemed surprised by her arrival in the slightest. Instead, he looked as if he had long expected it and had been waiting here all along.

Perhaps what had happened today was not as simple as her younger sister being abducted.

Up to now, she had not investigated carefully. Without even a shred of evidence, she had arbitrarily concluded that Jiang Lan had sent people to abduct her younger sister.

After all, whenever she thought of the many rumors associated with Jiang Lan, her first concern was that her younger sister might be humiliated and bullied.

With every moment of delay, the greater the chance that her younger sister would suffer humiliation.

That was why, in her desperation, she had disregarded everything and forced her way in.

Just as Su Qinghan's thoughts churned in confusion, Jiang Lan's voice rang out.

"Men, take this assassin away."

Upon hearing that, Su Qinghan froze. Then her beautiful eyes widened slightly as she looked at Jiang Lan, her face full of astonishment and shock.

Yet Jiang Lan had no intention of explaining himself to her.

He had already finished enjoying the dance for free. Naturally, it was time to handle proper business.

"Jiang... Young Master Jiang..."

Su Qinghan spoke, her pretty face turning pale. She had never expected Jiang Lan to suddenly change his expression for no reason and order someone to take her away.

"Miss Su wanted to kill me just now. Do you think an apology makes everything over?"

"Where in this world are there such good deals?" Jiang Lan merely smiled faintly.

"..."

Su Qinghan clenched her jade-like hands, her face slightly pale.

The iron armor of the guards clashed as they swiftly stepped forward, drew their long blades, and placed them against her neck.

Su Qinghan pressed her red lips together. Knowing that saying anything more would be useless, she did not dare resist.

If she truly resisted, then she would confirm the grave charge of assassinating Jiang Lan. She had merely wanted to frighten him, never expecting things to end like this.

Perhaps now, she could only hope that the Su Family would receive word and come rescue her.

And Jiang Lan's words earlier had clearly been nothing more than him playing with her, yet she had actually taken them seriously.

Only after having Su Qinghan imprisoned did Jiang Lan slowly stroll back into the pavilion.

Knowing this part of the plot in advance, he naturally could not fail to make preparations.

The Female Protagonist Su Qinghan was nothing to worry about.

That Eunuch Sword Master, Lin Fan, was the formidable enemy he most needed to deal with at present.

Now that Su Qinghan had fallen into his hands, setting a trap for Lin Fan would be much easier.

"To ensure nothing goes wrong, I should call for backup first. With that certainty in hand, I won't have to worry about Lin Fan stirring up any waves."

News that the Su Family's eldest daughter had publicly attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister's Heir at Snow Moon Pavilion quickly spread through every street and alley of Yuyi City, causing enormous uproar and shock.

The Su Family's eldest daughter was a legendary figure in Yuyi City. Not only was she stunningly beautiful, her talent was exceptional as well.

Years ago, she had broken through into the Third Realm, the Spirit Sea Realm. Hailed as Yuyi City's number one genius, she later entered Qingshan Academy and became one of its foremost disciples.

Among the younger generation, whether men or women, everyone sincerely admired and adored her.

This time, it was said that the Su Family's eldest daughter had been accepted as a disciple by an elder of the Dao Cang Sword Sect and had returned to Yuyi City to visit her family and share the good news.

Who could have expected that, on the very same day, word would spread that she had forced her way into Snow Moon Pavilion, attempted to assassinate Prime Minister's Heir Jiang Lan, and been captured in public?

The commotion caused by this matter went without saying.

The Prime Minister's Heir was the undisputed most powerful noble in all of Great Xia. Who would dare provoke him?

One would have to be mad to dare assassinate him.

No one could believe that Su Qinghan, the Su Family's eldest daughter, would do such a thing. There had to be some misunderstanding behind it.

But who would dare say that?

Many people were more inclined to believe that the Prime Minister's Heir had taken a liking to the Su Family's eldest daughter and sent people to seize her by force. When she refused, a dispute and battle broke out, and only then had she been saddled with the charge of assassination.

This explanation quickly won the agreement of many people.

But regardless, Yuyi City was indeed abuzz with heated discussion because of the incident.

Of the four great families apart from the Su Family, the other three were the happiest, gloating over its misfortune.