After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 224: Guiding Zhou Xun

Princess Lin'an sneered and retorted mercilessly, "I didn't expect you to be so cowardly. No wonder you've been bullied by her and can't hold your head up. It's no wonder."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruqin frowned, feeling resentful.

If she insists on causing trouble, then there's nothing I can do to stop her.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "To be fair, Lin Rusi isn't without weaknesses."

Princess Lin'an's eyes lit up: "Tell me about it."

Seeing how easily she took the bait, Lin Ruqin sneered: "When Lin Rusi was little, she had a playmate named Zhou Xun. He wasn't a kind person, and I heard that they were quite close."

The more Princess Lin'an listened, the more excited she became: "Are you serious?"

"I dare not lie. He really exists. Lin Rusi knows him. If we can find him, Lin Rusi will definitely be moved."

Princess Lin'an couldn't help but wonder what this fluctuation meant, and her smile widened.

"That's right."

Upon learning the secret Lin Ruqin had told her, Princess Lin'an was overjoyed throughout the journey.

Unexpectedly, Lin Ruqin was quite sensible, although she didn't agree to join her side to deal with Lin Rusi.

But after a brief probing today, it became clear that the other party indeed harbors deep resentment towards Lin Rusi.

With this grudge to exploit, dealing with Lin Rusi in the future will be a natural progression. I just hope that Lin Ruqin can recognize the situation and truly lend me a hand.

Thinking of this, Princess Lin'an changed her usual arrogant demeanor and kept her head down in thought, while Yingge did not dare to say anything more.

……

The group arrived at the Princess's residence in silence. Yingge bowed and was about to leave when Princess Lin'an instructed, "Go, investigate Zhou Xun. Be efficient and bring him directly to the residence."

Now that we know Lin Rusi's secret, we should make the most of it.

According to Lin Ruqin, Zhou Xun was a rare childhood playmate of Lin Rusi.

For a long time, Lin Rusi and Zhou Xun talked about everything.

Back then, neither the man nor the woman was married, so there was no such thing as genuine friendship. It was mostly just ambiguous feelings that they were unaware of or refused to acknowledge.

Since that's the case, let her add fuel to the fire and let the two of them pour out their hearts to each other.

Princess Lin'an thought with almost malicious intent that her mental ailment was about to be cured.

The thick layer of makeup on her face could no longer conceal the increasingly grotesque and twisted pleasure she was now displaying.

Startled by the smile, Yingge hurriedly replied "Yes," and rushed off with her men to find Zhou Xun.

But in such a vast city as Beijing, how easy is it to find Zhou Xun?

Yingge sent people to investigate secretly. They worked all day, searching every household with the surname Zhou in the capital, but they couldn't find any Zhou Xun.

They went to the Lin residence to inquire, but even after bribing almost all the servants with some connections, no one knew anything about Zhou Xun.

Yingge was anxious, but she dared not tell Princess Lin'an about it rashly, for fear that Princess Lin'an would be angry and take her anger out on her.

At this moment, she couldn't help but resent Lin Ruqin. Could this little slut have made up a whole person out of thin air, keeping her princess so busy?

Yingge gritted her teeth and pondered. If all else failed, she would report to the princess that Zhou Xun was no longer in the capital.

"Oh? You're looking for Zhou Si? He did have a good relationship with Miss when he was young, but that was so many years ago..."

An elderly man with gray hair truthfully stated this.

It was like a pillow being delivered just when you were sleepy. It seemed that Zhou Xun really did exist. Yingge was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Auntie, are you sure you're not mistaken? Which Zhou family is this 'Young Master Zhou' you're talking about?"

The old woman was said to be a servant who cleaned the courtyard in Lin Rusi's residence. When she spoke of Lin Rusi, her eyes were full of affection: "Miss doesn't have many friends. Zhou Si from the Zhou family next door is one, but unfortunately, he was born to a maid. He's a good-for-nothing. He's been hanging out with a few scoundrels, going to gambling dens and brothels every day. He hasn't been coming to see Miss much lately..."

It turns out he's someone who can't be brought to the table. No wonder I couldn't find out anything after asking around. That's a huge surprise for our princess!

Lin Rusi was born to a concubine and had a relationship with a spoiled brat born to a maid. Who wouldn't be shocked to hear that?

The princess's grand plan is about to succeed!

Overjoyed, Yingge busied herself sending people to the Zhou family to inquire about "Thursday." After obtaining the portrait, she instructed them to search underground casinos and brothels.

They actually found Zhou Xun drunk at a girl's place in the Yichun Courtyard.

"Take away."

Zhou Xun was tied up by a group of servants and taken to the princess's mansion. Yingge ordered someone to pour a basin of cold water over his head, and Zhou Xun finally sobered up considerably.

He glared angrily at the servants and roared, "Who are you! How dare you kidnap people in broad daylight! You'll regret offending the Zhou family!"

Turning his head, he saw the beautiful Princess Lin'an. His anger vanished, and he flattered her, saying, "Oh, so this is the young lady trying to kidnap me? No need for such a fuss. Just let me know, and I'll do whatever you want..."

Princess Lin'an was utterly disgusted by Zhou Xun's shameless behavior. She frowned, filled with doubt about Lin Ruqin's claim that "he and my sister were childhood sweethearts."

Princess Lin'an was lost in thought when she remembered Lin Rusi's cunning and scheming nature. She then looked Zhou Xun up and down, noting that he was like a scoundrel with no manners.

Could Lin Rusi really like this kind of person?

"Look closely! This is Princess Lin'an!"

Zhou Xun, standing to the side, looked at the Princess of Lin'an's gorgeous clothes and delicate features with greed in his eyes.

He was getting impatient and asked, "Princess, what brings you here?"

Princess Lin'an hesitated for a long time, but decided to give it a try. She asked, "What is your relationship with Lin Rusi?"

Princess Lin'an concealed the hatred in her eyes very well, and Zhou Xun did not notice the strangeness in her expression or the gritted teeth in her tone.

He spoke in a flippant tone: "She and I grew up together, and she is extremely in love with me. She has always been saying that she wants to marry me, but I am not moved by her at all. After all, she is not even a fraction as beautiful as you, Princess."

After all, Lin Rusi's status is far inferior to that of a princess. Even a fool would know who he should be currying favor with. Lin Rusi is barely qualified to be his stepping stone.

Princess Lin'an was in a much better mood. Zhou Xun's manner of speaking was extremely realistic. This man, whom Lin Rusi longed for, was praising her endlessly.

Moreover, this man's appearance, character, and status are completely incomparable to Li Jingyang's; Lin Rusi is truly blind.

There was obvious admiration in her eyes, which made Zhou Xun even more confident and proud.

Princess Lin'an spoke again, "Zhou Xun, I admire you very much, so I have a very important task for you to handle. If you succeed, I will reward you handsomely. What do you say?"

Zhou Xun's eyes flickered slightly, and his mind was already filled with thoughts of future wealth and glory.

If he could really establish a relationship with Princess Lin'an, his future rise to prominence would be just around the corner.

Thinking of this, his eyes turned red, and he quickly agreed to the task.