I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Night falls.

A bonfire was lit on the boulder, dispelling the chill that drifted from the mountains.

The cool drink in the bamboo cup has been replaced with hot soup.

Several burly men clumsily dressed Xiao Hong in the new clothes they had just knitted, afraid that the little darling would catch a cold.

After taking a sip of hot soup, Qin Li was drawn to the commotion beside him.

Turn your head to look.

"Pooh!"

"One farewell, two farewells, three farewells..."

Wei Hongying and Zhou Biao were counting money, grinning from ear to ear; they were practically two money-grubbers.

"Cough cough."

Qin Li couldn't help but cough and said, "Have you finished counting? Why don't you drink some water to moisten your throat first?"

Zhou Biao, not considering himself an outsider, picked up his cup and drank. "Your Highness, we've almost finished counting. According to our preliminary calculations, more than two thousand people went into the mountains today, and we've made more than twenty million taels of silver in one go. Not only did we receive silver notes, but we also received a lot of items as collateral, and their value is far higher than the silver notes."

"This is just today's earnings. There are still several days to go. I think we don't even need to find the dragon vein of the previous dynasty. The entrance fees alone are enough to cover the military expenses required for this expedition."

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked at each other with great joy, feeling that their eldest prince, Qin Li, was simply a genius.

It was Qin Li who suggested charging admission fees.

At the time, they didn't understand and thought Qin Li was desperate and trying anything.

How much can we collect from ticket sales? A drop in the ocean.

But now, they really wanted to kneel down and make Qin Li accept their humility.

Qin Li waved his hand, indicating that this was nothing, just basic stuff.

Qin Li told them to count and put the money away properly, and then told them to go about their business as usual, and not to slack off for the next few days.

Once everyone has entered the mountain, the mountain gate will be closed, and no one may enter or leave.

A short while later, Zhou Biao left with his men. Wei Hongying glanced at the sleeping Xiao Hong, got up and went to Qin Li's side. "Your Highness doesn't seem to be very happy."

Qin Li looked up at the moon, his gaze deep and distant. "Hongying, do you think this money is enough to cover the military expenses for this expedition?"

Red tassel?

Wei Hongying's heart was pounding.

Hold your hands together in front of your chest.

She kept her head down and twisted and turned.

This was the first time Qin Li had addressed her like that in front of her.

Normally, Qin Li would call her Miss Wei.

Seeing that Wei Hongying did not reply, Qin Li couldn't help but look at her.

Seeing Wei Hongying's awkward manner, Qin Li's lips twitched involuntarily.

No, sister, there's no need for that.

You are supposed to be the daughter of a distinguished military family, but where is the military family now? Where is the daughter of a military family now?

If Qin Feng were here, he would be so angry he'd vomit blood.

"Cough cough."

Qin Li couldn't help but cough twice more.

Wei Hongying snapped out of her daze and quickly returned to normal.

She reached out and patted her face; she didn't know what was wrong with her.

Could it be that she has fallen in love?

Shaking her head vigorously to dispel the thought, Wei Hongying asked, "What did His Highness just say?"

Qin Li sighed and asked the same question again.

Without hesitation, Wei Hongying replied, "Of course not. Since ancient times, wars have always been extremely expensive."

"Food and equipment, which one doesn't cost money? Equipment includes armor, weapons, bows and arrows, chariots, warhorses... they are very expensive to manufacture."

"And then there's transportation, and inevitable losses during transportation. Transporting grain over a thousand miles, for every thirty bushels, only one bushel reaches the front lines; the losses are extremely high..."

"Simply put, fighting a war costs a fortune every day!"

Unlike Zhou Biao and others who had spent years in the capital and had little understanding of the costs of war, Wei Hongying came from a military family and had been exposed to military affairs since childhood, so she had a more thorough understanding.

According to her, the ticket money is far from enough; the dragon vein still needs to be found, and it must be found.

Qin Li shared the same idea; in short, the more money the better, as money is also part of the army's combat effectiveness.

The main reason why the Great Zhou lost this time was that it didn't have money. It didn't have money to make better weapons and armor, and it didn't have money to transport more food supplies to the front line.

To defeat the Northern Barbarians, money is essential; that's the most basic requirement.

"By the way, Your Highness, there is something I don't understand. Please enlighten me."

Wei Hongying sat down beside her and casually picked up the sleeping Xiao Hong into her arms. Judging from how naturally she did it, she had been secretly holding her quite a few times these past few days, without Qin Li's knowledge.

"What is it?"

"Your Highness doesn't care whether others enter the mountain or not, so why are you so concerned about these three?" As she spoke, Wei Hongying's gaze couldn't help but fall on the three portraits beside Qin Li.

A gust of wind blew, revealing three portraits: Qin Feng, Su Chen, and Fang Yuan.

Qin Li had already instructed Zhou Biao to distribute the portraits of the three men, and to report back immediately if any situation arose.

"Well……"

Qin Li was stunned, unsure of what to say.

He couldn't just tell Wei Hongying directly that, based on his ten years of experience as a bookworm, no matter what kind of treasure it was, no matter how well it was hidden, the protagonist would find it.

Therefore, this time, as long as we secretly follow the protagonist, we will definitely be able to find the dragon vein of the previous dynasty.

Even if one of the main characters can't be found, the three main characters going into the mountains together will definitely find them.

"Oh~"

Before Qin Li could speak, Wei Hongying suddenly drawled out, "Even if Your Highness doesn't say it, Hongying has already figured it out."

Qin Li frowned. "What have you figured out?"

He hadn't said anything yet, but Wei Hongying had figured something out, and Qin Li was really curious.

Wei Hongying said happily, "His Highness disregarded past grievances and still wanted Qin Feng to go into the mountains, all to temper him and hope he would become a useful person. Even though he did something wrong to His Highness, seducing His Highness's fiancée, His Highness, as his elder brother, still hopes for the best for his younger brother. I admire His Highness's magnanimity!"

After speaking, Wei Hongying clasped her hands in a fist salute to Qin Li.

What the hell!

Upon hearing this, Qin Li had no other thoughts but a huge "Holy crap!" in his mind.

Why didn't he think of that reason?

That reason is absolutely brilliant.

To put it bluntly...

Qin Li acted like a prostitute while also trying to maintain a virtuous image.

Unprecedented and unparalleled!

"I didn't expect that Hongying would see through this. Remember, you must keep it a secret for me. I don't want a third person to know." Qin Li shamelessly accepted this reason.

"Um."

Wei Hongying nodded emphatically, indicating that she would keep Qin Li's secret.

Qin Li does good deeds but doesn't want anyone to know, it's just too...

In short, Qin Li is a hundred times better than Qin Feng, no, ten thousand times better.

After a while, Qin Li continued to be shameless, "As for Su Chen and Fang Yuan, as the crown prince of the country, I cherish talent and believe that they will both be pillars and key ministers of our Great Zhou in the future. However, as they are now, especially Su Chen, your adopted brother Hong Ying, you know that he is a spoiled brat who can't be helped."

"Although this trip into the mountains was extremely dangerous, it was also an indispensable experience for them."

After listening, Wei Hongying nodded, thinking that Qin Li was simply a saint, the kind who radiates light.

"Ah Qiu! Ah Qiu! Ah Qiu!"

Meanwhile, in the Jiuyi Mountains, three different people simultaneously sneezed violently several times.

"Your Highness (Crown Prince) (Lord), are you alright?"