I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Seeing that the maids had all left, the little girl hiding behind Xiao Xue'er giggled, her eyes crinkling, looking like she had succeeded in her evil scheme.

However, before she could be happy for long, Xiao Xue'er lightly flicked her forehead with her finger as punishment.

The little girl quickly took a step back, rubbed her forehead with both hands, raised her face, frowned, and asked, "Your Highness, why are you attacking Huayang?"

After saying that, the little girl still looked aggrieved, as if she had suffered some great injustice.

Seeing the little girl like this, Xiao Xue'er didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The little girl clearly did something wrong, but after she punished her, the little girl still acted like she was in the right?

If she continues like this, she'll be quite something when she grows up. I wonder who this little girl inherited her personality from.

In her opinion, Qin Li and the Empress were definitely not as mischievous as the little girl when they were young; the little girl has inherited both of their personalities.

If the little girl were her biological daughter, her head would definitely explode.

"Huayang, let me tell you, I can protect you here in the manor, but you'll grow up eventually. If you cause trouble outside, I can't protect you then, understand?"

Xiao Xue'er said this out of kindness.

The little girl was still rubbing her head with both hands, pouting as she said, "I know, I know, Lady Xiao."

However, after the little girl put her hands down, she suddenly grinned, grabbed Xiao Xue'er's hand and shook it back and forth, saying coquettishly, "Empress Xiao is my favorite empress, she will definitely always protect me, whether in the mansion or outside."

Hearing this, Xiao Xue'er was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and patted the little girl's head, saying, "Alright, stop being so cheeky. Your father will be back soon. If he finds out you've caused trouble in the manor again today, he definitely won't let you off the hook."

The little girl pouted again and said, "My dad wouldn't do that. My dad loves me the most. Last time, I put a bug in his tea, and he didn't even make a fuss about it."

Xiao Xue'er gently shook her head, not knowing what to say.

As they were talking, Qin Li's convoy appeared at the end of the street.

As Xiao Xue'er led them, everyone in the mansion came out of the main gate of the Crown Prince's mansion and came down the steps to greet her.

The little girl jumped three feet high with joy and was about to run over to greet her, but Xiao Xue'er grabbed her arm.

The streets outside are quite different from those inside the manor; they're very slippery without any special snow removal.

If she falls and gets bruised and battered, it will be her fault.

"Father, Father!"

The little girl cried out happily.

Xiao Xue'er, an adult, almost couldn't stop him.

The convoy slowly came to a stop at the gate, and Qin Li lifted the curtain and stepped out.

Seeing the little girl's happy expression, he couldn't help but look like a loving father.

Over the course of three years, Qin Li has changed; his face has become less stern and more kind.

However, everyone knows that this Qin Li is even more formidable and has the potential to become a smiling tiger.

"father!"

As soon as Qin Li stepped off the carriage on the stool, the little girl was no longer under Xiao Xue'er's control. Like a little bird spreading its wings, she rushed into Qin Li's arms.

Qin Li squatted down, stretched out his arms, and hugged the little girl tightly.

"Dad, I miss you so much."

The little girl rubbed her rosy cheeks against Qin Li's chest.

Which man could resist his daughter's coquettishness? Qin Li was no exception; his heart melted.

"Father, after you left for court this morning, some bad guys in the manor bullied Huayang. You must avenge Huayang."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xue'er and the others couldn't help but laugh.

Good heavens, they thought the little girl was really being affectionate with her father, but it turns out that the affection was fake and the real purpose was to tattle.

"Oh, which big bad guys?"

Qin Li then asked.

The little girl counted on her short, stubby fingers and said, "It's Green Kite and her gang. They rely on Lady Xiao's power to not only bully Huayang, but also beat him. It hurt so much."

"Oh, I see."

Qin Li continued to cooperate and did not expose the little girl's trick.

"Father, you must avenge Huayang."

"Yes, we definitely need to report it."

Qin Li nodded seriously.

"Father, how do you want to avenge Huayang? How about you slap his hand ten times?" the little girl said.

Qin Li grunted in agreement, stood up, and said, "Go, reward Lü Yuan and the other beauties with ten silver ingots!"

"yes!"

Xiao Xue'er bent down slightly and waved her hand to have someone do it.

The little girl was bewildered. She cupped Qin Li's cheeks and said earnestly, "Father, ten slaps on the hand, not ten silver ingots!"

Qin Li still had a slight smile on his face, and said to Xiao Xue'er again, "Just listen to Hua Yang, go and reward ten more."

"yes!"

Xiao Xue'er did as instructed.

The little girl was completely bewildered, and frowned. "Dad, were you listening to Huayang again? He said ten slaps on the hand, not ten silver ingots."

Qin Li was still smiling, but this time before he could speak, Xiao Xue'er curtsied and said, "Yes, I will reward Lü Yuan and the others with ten silver ingots each."

Qin Li nodded.

The little girl completely broke down and struggled to get down from Qin Li's arms.

She took two steps back, put one hand on her hip, and pointed at Qin Li with the other.

Because she was so short, she had to raise her head to speak, and she said with a fierce expression:

"You old man, you're messing with me, aren't you!"

"I'm never going to love you again. Today I'm packing my bags and heading to the border to find my mother!"

After saying that, the little girl left in a huff.

However, on the way back home, he almost slipped and fell to the ground.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh, some even clutching their stomachs, feeling uncomfortable from holding it in.

After the little girl disappeared from the gate, Xiao Xue'er slowly walked forward and took off the cloak from Qin Lili's shoulders.

"Your Highness, Huayang, she..."

Before Xiao Xue'er could finish speaking, Qin Li raised his hand slightly to interrupt her, saying, "It's alright. I can't spoil her like before. If the Empress comes and sees Hua Yang being spoiled like this, she definitely won't forgive me. Although I'm not afraid of her, it will inevitably cause some trouble."

Xiao Xue'er nodded in agreement.

Qin Li then said, "These past few days, Lü Yuan and the others have worked really hard. Give them a generous reward."

Hua Yang is a real troublemaker. There are very few people in the Crown Prince's mansion who can control her, let alone ordinary maids. They are completely at her mercy and have a hard time managing to play her for a living.

"Let's go back together."

After saying that, Qin Li took Xiao Xue'er's hand and they walked together toward the mansion.

Xiao Xue'er felt a warmth in her heart and squeezed her legs together.

Over the course of three years, her feelings for Qin Li deepened. She was glad that she had made the choice not to get entangled with the Seventh Prince Qin Feng, but instead took the initiative to apologize to Qin Li.

Even her father, Xiao Yuanlu, praised her, saying it was the best decision she had ever made in her life.

As they strolled through the mansion, Xiao Xue'er couldn't help but tilt her head and ask, "Does Your Highness really intend to lead troops to attack the Buddhist Kingdom?"

Qin Li continued walking: "What, even you know?"

Xiao Xue'er said, "These past few days, Sister Pei has been busy at home, calculating the amount of grain and military supplies needed for the expedition. She's often busy until late at night. It's hard for me not to know."

"What, do you think I shouldn't have led my troops to attack the Buddhist Kingdom?" Qin Li asked.

Xiao Xue'er gently shook her head: "I firmly support whatever decisions Your Highness makes. However, the Northern Border has only been peaceful for a few years. Now that Your Highness is leading troops to attack the Buddhist Kingdom, will the Northern Mang take action, thus attacking our Great Zhou from two sides with the Buddhist Kingdom?"

I believe this is not just her concern, but the concern of all the court officials.

"It's alright." Qin Li waved his hand lightly and said, "I have already dealt with them all at today's court assembly. Attacking the Buddhist Kingdom is imperative, and we will set off in a few days."

"Oh, so soon, Your Highness is leaving?"

"What, you can't bear to part with me?"

Qin Li smiled slightly.

Xiao Xue'er blushed instantly and lowered her head.

Qin Li reached out, pinched her chin, and whispered in her ear, "You can't be reluctant, I have to go. But before I leave, I have to teach you all a lesson. It's been years, and none of you have a baby yet. Hua Yang is so lonely all by herself. If she had a younger brother or sister, would she be so naughty?"

Xiao Xue'er felt extremely wronged and pouted, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm incapable. None of us can have children. Could it be Your Highness's problem?"

"How dare you!"

Qin Li feigned anger and said, "What problem could I possibly have? You've gotten too bold, daring to mock me. Today, I'll punish you by making you set an example for them and try to get pregnant before I go to war."