I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Late at night, in the emperor's bedroom.

Han Zhen, the commander of the Imperial Guards, strode in.

Emperor Xuan glanced at him, gestured for his attendants to leave, and then asked, "Has everything been investigated thoroughly?"

Han Zhen nodded and respectfully handed a small booklet from his arms to Emperor Xuan.

The document contains detailed records of what the eldest prince, Qin Li, did, said, and met over the past two days, including the exact time of day.

Everything, big or small, is recorded!

"Ugh."

After a cursory glance, Emperor Xuan closed the booklet and couldn't help but sigh.

The tall and imposing Han Zhen couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, why do you sigh?"

Emperor Xuan rubbed his forehead, saying with distress, "Everything else is recorded here, but there's no record of what the eldest son does in his own residence. I have no idea what he does there; it's like I'm blind."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhen immediately knelt down, clasped his hands in apology, and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for I have failed in my duties."

"You are innocent, get up."

Emperor Xuan waved his hand, signaling Han Zhen to get up.

This matter cannot be blamed on Han Zhen; the blame lies with the First Prince's residence, which is heavily guarded, even more so than the Imperial Palace.

The spies outside cannot penetrate deep enough to gather information; they only leak out bits and pieces of information when problems arise within their own ranks.

As the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, even within the capital city, his innermost thoughts and the presence of local imperial guards were impenetrable, leaving Emperor Xuan both furious and frustrated.

Over the years, the Crown Prince's power has expanded rapidly, far exceeding his control.

Xiao Yuanlu and Wang Hu are the Crown Prince's right-hand men, and given time, a coup d'état will likely occur.

Han Zhen paused for a moment, then said, "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty does not need to worry too much right now."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuan put down his hand that was rubbing his forehead and looked at Han Zhen. "I know what you mean. The eldest son will soon leave the capital to go north and lead troops to the border. Although he has the full support of General Wang Hu, the General of Zhenwu, this battle with the Northern Barbarians will be more likely to result in losses than wins. Even if the eldest son doesn't die at the border and manages to escape back to the capital, he will not amount to anything in the future."

Han Zhen immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's insight is brilliant!"

Anyone would have thought that this time, the eldest prince Qin Li made a terrible mistake.

He really shouldn't have given up his excellent situation in the capital and gone to the border to die.

Aside from the eldest prince's men, no one would remind him that he had gone astray, not even the Emperor Xuan. He was eager for his eldest son to go to the border so he could sit on the throne for a few more years.

Looking at the booklet in his hand, Emperor Xuan said, "But according to what's said here, the eldest brother won't be leaving the capital for the north anytime soon."

Han Zhen nodded and replied, "Yes, the Imperial Guards' spies found out that the First Prince went to great lengths instead of asking Xiao Yuanlu for the money and provisions needed for the expedition. Instead, he won a sack of money by gambling with the sons of noble families."

Upon hearing Han Zhen's words, Emperor Xuan's face twitched slightly.

While finding it unbelievable, I also found it quite amusing. The boss actually wanted to earn enough food by gambling? It would take him forever to collect that much.

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Xuan asked, "Do you think the eldest brother did it on purpose? Deliberately delaying his journey to the border?"

"It probably wasn't intentional."

Han Zhen said, "If the eldest prince really didn't want to go to the border, he wouldn't have threatened to commit suicide in the main hall and insisted on competing with the seventh prince to go to the border."

Emperor Xuan nodded, relieved.

If the eldest brother is willing to go to the border, that's good. If he really doesn't want to go, there's really nothing the Emperor Xuan can do.

"Just thinking about the seventh prince makes me angry!"

Emperor Xuan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint in them. "Just a few days ago I thought he had finally come to his senses, so I not only bestowed a mansion upon him but also arranged a marriage for him. I never imagined that he had been hiding his talents all these years, even deceiving me."

"That's not all."

Han Zhen clasped his hands and said, "The Imperial Guards' spies have discovered that the Seventh Prince even prevented the First Prince from taking Wei Hongying to the border, ruining His Majesty's plans."

"Oh, is that so?"

Emperor Xuan was even more furious. He slammed his fist on the table, startling the eunuchs and palace maids serving outside the hall. They all knelt down, trembling with fear!

"How insensible!"

"What good would it do for the boss if he didn't go to the border?"

"To ruin my plans for the sake of a mere woman—she truly deserves punishment!"

Emperor Xuan was furious and ordered, "You, go to the Seventh Prince's residence tomorrow and give him thirty lashes!"

"what?"

Han Zhen exclaimed "Ah!"

I never expected that the Emperor Xuan would issue such an edict.

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. What grounds are used to punish the Seventh Prince?"

You can't very well say to the Seventh Prince that he shouldn't have stopped the First Prince from taking Wei Hongying to the border.

Wei Hongying is the seventh prince's fiancée. It is only natural for the seventh prince to stop Wei Hongying from going to the border to die with a girl.

It would be abnormal not to stop it.

We cannot punish the Seventh Prince for this; it would cause gossip among the ministers.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

Emperor Xuan glared at Han Zhen with annoyance, "Just go when I tell you to. As for the reason, go if you want to. What use are you to me if I have to figure everything out for you!"

"yes!"

Han Zhen quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

After a while, Han Zhen stammered, "There's one more thing."

"explain!"

"Today at Tianxiang Tower, Su Chen, the heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, almost beat the eldest prince in a bet."

"Who? Su Chen? That Su Chen who's known as the number one playboy in the capital?"

Emperor Xuan slammed his hand on the table, his anger rising again. "Seventh Brother is ignorant, and he's just as ignorant. What's wrong with letting the eldest brother win some money? Doesn't he know that the eldest brother is raising the money and provisions needed for the expedition?"

"Go, tomorrow we'll give him thirty lashes together, so he'll learn his lesson!"

Han Zhen dared not make any more excuses for Su Chen, and simply clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

In short, in Emperor Xuan's mind, anyone who tries to stop Qin Li from going to the border will be punished.

"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"

After Han Zhen left the main hall, Emperor Xuan couldn't help but scold, "The seventh prince and Su Chen are really ignorant. If they dare to stop the eldest prince from going to the border again, don't blame me for getting serious."

After cursing for a while, Emperor Xuan rubbed his forehead in distress again.

I wonder when the eldest brother will be able to gather enough money and provisions to go to the border.

Please, please go now.

My lord, with you in the capital, I really can't sleep.

Emperor Xuan was probably the only one who feared his son to this extent.

Qin Li was like a major villain, suffocating the emperor.

He dreamed that Qin Li would go to the border as soon as possible, and preferably die there, never to return.

……

The First Prince's Residence.

After Qin Li took Wei Hongying home, he sat alone in the courtyard, lost in thought, from dawn till dusk.

Wei Hongying's idea of ​​gambling to win money from the sons of noble families to fund the army was clearly not a long-term solution. How long would it take to raise enough money? By the time they raised enough, it would be too late, and the Northern Mang Empress would have already led her army to the capital.

Therefore, he had to find another way out.

Given the current situation, it would be most appropriate to let Xiao Yuanlu take it out. Xiao Yuanlu has the ability to do so, after all, his reputation as the biggest corrupt official in the Great Zhou Dynasty is not just for show. He is richer than a country and has more money than he can spend.

Qin Li did not want to touch Xiao Yuanlu. He needed to leave himself a way out before this expedition. Wang Hu had already been moved, so Xiao Yuanlu could not be touched!

Just as Qin Li was trying to come up with a solution, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Qin Li turned around and saw Xiao Xue'er limping towards him, carrying a bowl of freshly cooked medicine.

"My husband, you must be tired after a long day."

"Have a bowl of Dragon Essence and Tiger Power Soup. I cooked it myself. It has the effect of strengthening the body and replenishing energy."

After saying that, Xiao Xue'er forced a smile...