I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

After watching her daughters-in-law take her daughter Wei Hongying to the backyard, Madam Wei, dressed in mourning clothes and a mourning cap, didn't even glance at Qin Li.

She knew all too well what kind of person the eldest prince, Qin Li, was.

Those who deliberately approached her daughter, Wei Hongying, these days must have had ulterior motives.

Even if it meant her death, she would not let Qin Li have it. She was prepared that no matter how Qin Li tried to justify himself, she would not believe a single word he said.

But unexpectedly...

"Madam Wei, you still retain your charm!"

Qin Li made no attempt to argue and simply uttered this sentence.

Since her husband died for his country, the Wei family has declined at a visible rate, and she has heard countless vicious words.

But none of her words hurt her as much as Qin Li's.

Because those vicious words were directed at the Wei family, but Qin Li's words were directed at her personally!

Yes, her husband died, Hongying's father died, and she became a widow from then on.

She was still young and charming as a widow, and she wouldn't allow others to say it so bluntly.

This was like rubbing salt into her wounds, causing her unbearable pain.

Lady Wei trembled with rage, every pore on her face speaking volumes of her fury.

She glared fiercely at Qin Li; if she had a knife, she would have slashed him without hesitation.

"Your Highness, are you openly humiliating a widow like me?!"

Lady Wei's voice was trembling; she was clearly furious.

"Lady Wei, please calm down. This prince had absolutely no such intention."

Despite saying that, Qin Li smiled and said, "Look, even you, the well-informed and current head of the Wei family, Madam Wei, can't stand such gossip. How could Hongying possibly stand it?"

Madam Wei frowned, staring at Qin Li. "What do you mean?"

Qin Li stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly narrowed, gazing into the distance. "It means nothing. Madam Wei is a smart woman; she should be able to see that your good son-in-law, Qin Feng, will eventually die at my hands."

Upon hearing this, Lady Wei fell silent.

It must be admitted that Qin Li was right.

Anyone who dares to compete with a ruthless prince like Qin Li for the throne must die.

Qin Li didn't care whether the other party was his brother or not.

If Qin Li hadn't set his sights on Qin Feng so early, Qin Feng might have had a different life. The best outcome would have been for him to go to the border with the help of the Wei family and become a powerful general.

But the reality is that Qin Li has his sights set on Qin Feng and won't even give him a chance to leave the capital for the border.

Once Qin Feng dies, his good daughter Wei Hongying will suffer the same fate as her, becoming a still charming widow.

She at least shared decades of life with her husband, raising children together, but what about her daughter, Wei Hongying? She'll have to live a life of widowhood, how can she bear all those rumors and gossip?

"Madam Wei is a wise woman. Now, she only has two paths before her."

"One condition: let Hongying marry Qin Feng, and then your Wei family and Qin Feng will die together at my hands."

"Another one..."

Before Qin Li could finish speaking, Madam Wei said, "I choose the second option."

Qin Li laughed, "I haven't finished speaking yet. What if the second path leads to an even worse fate for your Wei family than the first?"

Lady Wei snorted coldly, her hands pressed tightly against her lower abdomen. "The Crown Prince is a smart man. If we choose the second path, our fate will be even worse than the first. Why waste your time and breath here?"

"Smart." Qin Li smiled. "I like to cooperate with smart people. We'll be family from now on. I believe that soon I'll be calling Madam Wei 'Mother-in-law'."

Upon hearing the words "Mother-in-law," Madam Wei trembled and felt extremely uncomfortable.

I always felt that Qin Li should address her as more than just "Mother-in-law," there were other titles for her as well.

She quickly replied, "Cooperation is possible, but we have conditions."

"Say it, if you can do it, try your best to satisfy."

Madam Wei said, "Hongying is still engaged to the Seventh Prince. You can't go too far and disregard Hongying's reputation. Otherwise, I will risk my old life to stop you."

"To be honest, you have no bargaining chips with me." Qin Li gently rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb, then changed the subject, saying, "But I'm a kind-hearted prince and can't bear to see you women suffer."

Kind-hearted?

Qin Li?

Lady Wei almost burst out laughing.

If Qin Li were truly kind-hearted, then the whole world would be filled with living Buddhas.

But Qin Li was right. She had no leverage to negotiate with Qin Li. Qin Li only gave so many members of the Wei family a chance to live because he loved them.

With a sigh, Lady Wei closed her eyes, her heart filled with bitterness.

How did the Wei family end up in this situation? They actually have to sacrifice a daughter to save the whole family's livelihood.

If Hongying's father were still alive, he would definitely not forgive her.

But now, Lady Wei has no other choice.

Opening her eyes, Madam Wei's gaze was filled with sorrow. "Speak," she said, "what do you need the Wei family to do for you, the First Prince?"

"You don't need to do anything."

Qin Li smiled and said, "This prince only needs you. Mothers and sisters-in-law, please take good care of Hongying for me. As for Qin Feng, treat him the same way you treated him before."

Hearing Qin Li's words, Madam Wei's face twitched uncontrollably.

"Your Highness, there's something I must say: I truly feel sorry for Qin Feng having an older brother like you!"

Madam Wei understood that Qin Li was playing dirty tricks, only revealing everything to Qin Feng at the crucial moment to infuriate him, and that they were all accomplices.

"I am the villain, this is what villains should do."

Qin Li curled his lips into a smile, showing no remorse whatsoever.

……

late at night.

Back at the Song residence, Song Qian still couldn't figure out what had happened during the day.

I can't understand why that man cares so much about Fang Yuan, and why he finalized such a big deal in just a few words.

Did Fang Yuan offend him in some way?

creak!

Just then.

Suddenly, the door to the boudoir was pushed open, and the maid Xiu'er walked in.

"Miss, are you still awake?"

After Xiuer came in, she walked to the window with practiced ease, lowered the window that was open to the outside, and prepared for Song Qian to go to bed.

"I can't sleep."

Song Qian gently rubbed her forehead, her beautiful face, which had long since removed its veil, showing signs of fatigue.

"Since Miss can't sleep, I'll have the young master come and sleep with her," Xiu'er said jokingly and happily.

She heard that women who can't sleep are mostly lonely, empty, and cold!

Having a man sleep with you will help you fall asleep quickly.

"Son-in-law?"

Song Qian couldn't help but snort coldly, "At this hour, he's still out fooling around, is he at Chunxiang Pavilion or Zuihua Pavilion?"

Xiuer stuck out her little tongue and stepped forward, saying, "I heard that a new courtesan has joined the Drunken Flower Pavilion, and the young master went to support her."

"understood."

Song Qian said emotionlessly.

A few years ago, she still had hope for Fang Yuan, believing that he could change for the better and that the two of them could be in love and have children.

But in recent years, she has given up hope. She is busy with her business, while Fang Yuan is out partying all day. The two of them can only see each other once every ten days or half a month.