I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Time flies.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Today is the day Qin Li returns to the capital in triumph.

They were supposed to be returning in triumph, but the number of people who actually went back was pitifully small.

In total, there were no more than five hundred people. This was only because Wang Hu was worried about Qin Li's safety on his way back; otherwise, the number would have been even smaller.

Those who don't know the situation would never recognize this as a triumphant returning army!

After bidding farewell to everyone who came to see them off, Qin Li and his entourage mounted their horses and set off.

They hadn't gone far, and the Xuanque Pass behind them was still clearly visible. Zhou Biao, standing beside Qin Li, couldn't help but ask:

"Your Highness, is the Commandant of the Guards really not coming back with us?"

Wei Hongying was different from ordinary women. She was not shy or coy and could get along well with these men, calling them brothers!

He was also thinking that if he made a mistake when he got back, he could ask Wei Hongying to put in a good word for him privately.

Who would have thought that Wei Hongying would not go back at all, but instead chose to stay at the border.

This stay could last at least two or three years, and it's unclear when we'll be able to meet again.

Qin Li nodded. To be honest, he was also very reluctant to part with it.

But that night, Wei Hongying was adamant and insisted on staying at the border, no matter how he tried to persuade her.

Having no other choice, Qin Li had to agree.

This parting is only for a better reunion in the future.

He believed that time and distance would not diminish their feelings for each other.

"Seventh Brother, your fiancée has stayed at the border, why don't you stay too?" Qin Li suddenly teased Qin Feng, who was following him.

Qin Feng looked embarrassed and quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother, you're too kind. Everyone has their own ambitions. I've had enough of the border, so I won't stay any longer."

He did want to stay on the border, but that was the old, chaotic border where various forces were fighting each other, not the border where Wang Hu's family was now the only one in power.

Now that he's left at the border, no one knows how he died; his body will decompose and no one will even notice.

Therefore, we should return to the capital first and then make further plans.

Qin Li smiled, puffed out his chest, and looked straight ahead. "So eager to go back? Are you afraid of being investigated?"

"Su Chen was rescued by a mysterious person and his whereabouts are unknown. Only a Northern Barbarian scimitar was left at the scene."

"No matter how you look at it, it looks like something Seventh Brother would do!"

"Seventh Brother, you used the same trick that time with Fang Yuan!"

Qin Feng remained calm and said solemnly, "Brother, this time, it really wasn't me who did it."

"Just like what my older brother once said."

"What did you say?" Qin Li asked curiously.

"I won't use the same trick twice. I'm not that stupid, and neither am I!"

Qin Feng added, "If I want to save Su Chen, I'll definitely think of other ways. How could I possibly use the same trick again? Wouldn't that be too easy to be discovered?"

"Big brother, you must believe me. Someone else must have saved Su Chen. This person is just trying to frame me."

Qin Li almost believed what he was told.

It's a pity that Qin Libu still won this round.

He wanted to use Qin Feng to let Su Chen go.

Qin Li waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I believe you. After all, we're brothers!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two untimely voices came from behind him:

"What kind of brothers are you? Our eldest sister told us that you all wish the other dead, the faster they die, the more gruesome the better! We are the real brothers! Aren't you Wanma?!"

"Exactly!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Li was speechless.

Two Northern Barbarians were also among the returning troops.

The Empress's younger brother, with thousands of troops and ten thousand horses.

If this gets out, it'll be absolutely laughable.

But Qin Li had no choice but to bring these two people with him.

Leaving them at the border and having Wang Hu watch over them will only lead to trouble sooner or later.

Having no other choice, Qin Li had to take them with him.

Qin Li really didn't know what the Empress was thinking, why she would give him thousands of troops.

The Empress's weakness lies in her vast army. Now, is she deliberately handing this weakness over to the Regent to avoid being caught by him?

In this way, the Empress will have no weaknesses and can do things without any worries!

It has to be said that the Empress really had a brilliant plan; the abacus beads all went wrong, leaving Qin Li completely bewildered.

Both of them are idiots, they have mental problems, Qin Li won't cause them any trouble.

"Seventh brother, is what they're saying true? You want your eldest brother to die? The more gruesome the death, the better?"

Qin Feng was inwardly cursing, but outwardly he said fearfully, "Brother, you can't trust what outsiders say!"

……

The torrential rains in Beijing came earlier than usual.

Early in the morning, a torrential downpour began.

The sky seemed to have a huge hole in it, as if someone was pouring water down from a ladle.

For a time, people stayed indoors, pedestrians complained, and people hid under the eaves to avoid the rain, vigorously patting the water droplets off their clothes.

However, something happened outside Tianxianglou this morning.

It attracted the attention of pedestrians seeking shelter from the rain and guests inside the building.

"Second Uncle, why choose to be someone else's dog?"

A stunningly beautiful woman with a slender figure and wearing a veil plunged into the pouring rain outside.

He hadn't taken more than two steps when he turned back to look at the person who had chased after him, and said coldly.

Song Qian's face was pale, and her two small fists clenched involuntarily inside her sleeves.

The border front is very long, and the demand for food and supplies is huge.

At first, she was very happy, thinking that once the war was over, the Song family's good days would begin.

But the war showed no signs of ending, and she lost almost half of her savings.

However, the demand for food and supplies at the border is like a bottomless pit that can never be filled.

The Song family was no longer able to support transporting grain to the border and had no choice but to seek help.

A few days ago, my second uncle used his connections to find several companies willing to help.

Today is the day for us all to sit down and discuss this.

Who knew that Song Qian would find out today?

The person my second uncle found wasn't there to help at all.

Second Uncle, you've become someone else's dog!

He became the Third Prince's dog!

Several people were standing under the eaves of Tianxiang Tower.

The young man at the head, dressed in magnificent clothes and with a sword at his waist, was none other than the Third Prince, Qin Yu!

Qin Yu's birth mother was Emperor Xuan's favorite concubine, whose status was second to none, which also meant that Qin Yu's status was second only to Qin Li.

Now that Qin Li is not in the capital, he is the "First Prince"!

"How dare you!"

Song Chengmo, the second uncle of the Song family, was so angry that he trembled all over after being called a dog by his own niece.

Unable to contain himself, he pointed at Song Qian and said angrily, "What do you know, you little girl?"

"I'm doing this for the sake of the Song family!"

"You've almost bankrupted the Song family by trying to transport grain to the border!"

"Do you know what our competitors are saying about the Song family?"

"We must be out of our minds to fill a bottomless pit!"

"Ugh!"

Qin Yu raised his arm and deliberately sighed, "How can you say that? With the First Prince personally leading the troops, defeating the Northern Barbarians will be a piece of cake. At that time, your Song family will be the biggest contributor!"

Upon hearing this, the guards behind Qin Yu burst into laughter, mocking the Song family's wishful thinking.

Want to defeat the Northern Barbarians and make a name for yourself? Dream on.

The best outcome would be peace negotiations!

Everything the Song family did was in vain!

Otherwise, how could the task of transporting grain to the border have fallen to the Song family?

Despite the Song family's apparent status as one of the top grain merchants in the capital, there are many families with far greater resources and influence than the Song family.

None of them dared to take on this mission, only the Song family did!

Song Chengmo cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Qin Yu, gave an awkward smile, and then lectured Song Qian:

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have handed over power to you!"

"The Song family has been utterly ruined by you!"

"Now that His Highness the Third Prince is willing to lend a helping hand, our Song family should be extremely grateful."

In the heavy rain, the maid Xiu'er and the guard Geng rushed in together to hold an umbrella for Song Qian so that her clothes wouldn't get completely wet.

However, strands of hair still clung to her face. Song Qian said, "What do you mean you're willing to help? You just want to take this opportunity to swallow up the Song family!"

"You're supposed to be grateful for everything? And by 'grateful,' does that mean I have to sleep with him?!"

Song Chengmo's expression darkened further. Terrified of angering Qin Yu, he nearly jumped up and stomped his foot in frustration.

"You brat, what are you saying! What do you mean by 'sleeping with me'? Don't say such nasty things."

"It's your good fortune that the Third Prince has taken a liking to you. For a merchant like you to become the Third Prince's concubine is a blessing that our Song family has accumulated over eight generations! It's a blessing that our ancestors must have received from the heavens."