I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Qin Li slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

He was so tired that he could have continued sleeping if the sunlight hadn't been so glaring and the outside noise hadn't been so loud.

"Guards! Guards!"

Qin Li shouted outside.

With a creak, the door opened.

Chuntao and Xialiu walked in carrying the toiletries that had been prepared in advance.

Xia Liu urged Chun Tao to hurry up, and said to Qin Li with a smile, "Your Highness, you're awake?"

They carefully helped Qin Li up from the bed.

Xia Liu knelt down and arranged Qin Li's shoes so that he could get out of bed.

Qin Li sat on the edge of the bed, propped up with his hands, letting Xia Liu serve him, and frowned as he asked, "What's that noise outside?"

All I could hear outside was a great commotion. There were many people talking and shouting, and people clapping their wine bowls together. It was quite a lively scene. If you didn't know better, you would have thought there was a banquet being held outside.

Xia Liu looked up and replied with a smile, "It's Prime Minister Xiao and the others. They came early this morning to congratulate His Highness on being appointed Crown Prince."

"However, before His Highness could wake up, Prime Minister Xiao waved his hand and led them to celebrate ahead of time, ordering the kitchen to prepare several tables!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Li couldn't help but curse inwardly... Damn it, he, the person in charge, hadn't even arrived yet, and they were already celebrating? They didn't treat him like an outsider at all.

He urged Xia Liu to hurry up and get him dressed so that Qin Li could go out and take a look.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. You haven't washed your face yet. At least wash your face before you go," Xia Liu kindly suggested.

Qin Li thought about it and agreed. After all, he was the eldest prince, and it would be inappropriate for him to go out looking disheveled, as it would damage his image.

Therefore, Qin Li was no longer in a hurry to go out, and let the two of them wash and dress him properly before he went out.

Qin Li was dressed in casual clothes today, a dark blue robe with a jade belt, which made his tall and slender figure and noble status even more apparent.

As the two men helped him put on his clothes, Qin Li asked, "Has your young lady gone back?"

The "Miss" here naturally refers to Song Qian.

Qin Li didn't see him when he returned from the palace last night; he must have left without saying goodbye while Qin Li was in the palace.

I really don't know why they're in such a hurry to go back.

Could it be that he regrets it?

"Yes, Miss has gone back."

Xia Liu nodded and replied, "However, before she left, Miss asked me to pass on a message to His Highness."

"Oh?"

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

Xia Liu answered truthfully, "Miss said that if His Highness has time, he would like to make a trip to the Song residence."

What was he going to the Song residence for? Qin Li couldn't figure it out.

It seems I'll have to go to the Song residence to find out everything.

"Anything else to say?"

Qin Li asked.

Xia Liu gently shook her head.

Little did anyone know, Chun Tao secretly tugged at Xia Liu's sleeve.

Why wasn't there anything else said? She clearly heard something else said.

Xia Liu calmly wiped away Chun Tao's hand that was holding her sleeve.

Qin Li did not miss their unusual behavior.

Qin Li said, "I dislike liars, especially those close to me who lie."

"Your Highness, please forgive me!"

Xia Liu quickly knelt down, and pulled Chun Tao down to kneel down as well.

Chun Tao refused to kneel, stubbornly raising her head. "My young lady has already said that if you are not used to living here, you can go back to live here. The gates of the Song family mansion will always be open to us two sisters."

Upon hearing this, Xia Liu really wanted to sew Chun Tao's mouth shut, as it would only cause trouble.

To everyone's surprise, Qin Li didn't care at all and didn't even look at the two of them. He reached out and straightened his collar in front of the bronze mirror. "Well said. Then you two can go back to your place. I can tell from you two sisters that you are not truly serving me."

"real?"

Chuntao was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

To her surprise, Xia Liu forcibly pulled her to kneel down and pressed her head down, making her lower her head.

Xia Liu, filled with trepidation, said, "Please forgive us, Your Highness. We are yours in life and in death; we have no disloyalty whatsoever!"

Chuntao didn't understand why her sister would do or say that.

The next moment, Qin Li said, "That's more like it. This prince doesn't have the extra patience or time to waste on you two sisters."

"If you actually step out of the gates of my residence today, I will not hesitate to ruthlessly destroy you."

"Twin maids, there are more than one pair of sisters in the world. If I'm willing to spend the time to look, I can always find someone more obedient."

After saying that, Qin Li flicked his sleeves and left.

Xia Liu breathed a sigh of relief after watching Qin Li leave.

His clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.

Chun Tao was still in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Sister, was he going to kill us? If we dared to leave today?"

Xia Liu nodded and advised, "Chun Tao, stop being silly and stop throwing tantrums."

"To put it bluntly, my sister and I have just escaped one wolf's den only to fall into another!"

"And this tiger is even more ferocious than a wolf!"

Chun Tao slumped down, her face filled with despair, her eyes lifeless...

Qin Li warned the two sisters and then went straight out of the house.

Outside, Zhou Biao had been waiting for a long time.

He heard the conversation inside the room clearly.

On the way to the front yard with Qin Li, Zhou Biao mustered his courage and said:

"Your Highness, I don't think it's necessary. The two sisters are already pitiful enough. Why don't we show some compassion and spare their lives?"

"Pity? If we can't completely subdue these disloyal people, the only way is to kill them. They can betray Fang Yuan, and they can betray me, the prince. By then, it will be too late."

Despite Qin Li's current immense power and success, he is still walking a tightrope, with countless eyes watching him.

One wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

If you can't completely trust the people around you, the only option is to kill them.

"Fang Yuan is a scumbag, not worthy of the two sisters' service at all. How can he compare to His Highness?" Zhou Biao made an excuse.

Actually, he thought the two sisters were quite good, and that they could definitely write a beautiful story of master and servant with Qin Li.

"You're actually making excuses for them? Have you been bribed by them all along?"

Qin Li emphasized his words.

Zhou Biao was so frightened that he immediately slapped himself in the face, cold sweat pouring down his face. "Your Highness is wise. How could I have been bribed by them? My loyalty will always be to Your Highness."

"That's more like it."

Qin Li snorted coldly and quickened his pace.

Zhou Biao raised his sleeve, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and quickly followed.

To be honest, he now has a feeling that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

Qin Li, even before ascending the throne, already possesses the bearing of an emperor!

Soon, the two arrived at the front yard reception room.

Inside and outside the hall, everywhere was filled with the scene of clinking glasses and lively conversation.

Xiao Yuanlu's plump body moved about among them, creating quite a lively scene.

Everyone who came was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, and they were all there to offer their congratulations.

Qin Li woke up too late, so they celebrated early.

However, there was one person among them who Qin Li never expected.

That's Sui Ge, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who just surrendered last night.

Upon seeing Sui Ge, Zhou Biao couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Highness, this man is incredibly audacious! He only pledged allegiance last night, and today he dares to attend our manor's banquet. Doesn't he fear His Majesty's wrath?"

You should know that all those who came to the banquet today were old servants of the First Prince's residence, who had pledged their allegiance to him for many years and were not afraid of Emperor Xuan causing them trouble.

Looking at Sui Ge, Qin Li's eyes had already turned to admiration. "Such a person is exactly what the manor lacks; he is a great talent!"

With a sigh, Qin Li led Zhou Biao over.

When the group of people who were drinking saw Qin Li arrive, they all stood up to congratulate him.

Xiao Yuanlu also stepped forward, drunkenly saying, "Your Highness, please don't take offense. We are just too happy to wait for you to get up."

"Come, come, all of you follow me to pay your respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

One call and a hundred responses.

Led by Xiao Yuanlu, everyone knelt down and shouted in worship:

"Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

Qin Li was overjoyed. Although the investiture ceremony was not until seven days later, it wouldn't hurt to get used to the title in advance.

With a gesture of respect, Qin Li gestured for everyone to rise. "Your happiness is my happiness. Go, bring out all the thirty-year-old vintage wine from the manor. Tonight, we won't leave until we're all drunk!"

"Roar roar roar roar!"

Everyone got excited and made monkey-like noises.