I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

After Li left, Qin Li stood up from his chair.

"Your Highness, where are we going?"

"The army hasn't gone very far; they'll catch up soon."

Zhou Biao said.

"No."

Qin Li said, "Do not pursue the main army. Return north to the capital!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, not only Zhou Biao was stunned, but Chun Tao and Xia Liu, who were serving him in the room, were also stunned.

"Your Highness, the southern expedition against the Buddhist Kingdom has only just begun. Our army hasn't even reached the kingdom's borders yet, and we're already setting off north?"

Xia Liu frowned and asked, puzzled:

She disagreed with this decision from the bottom of her heart.

This arrangement is really inappropriate.

As the commander-in-chief, Qin Li wanted to leave as soon as the army set off for the Buddhist Kingdom. What difference was there between this and desertion in the face of battle?

Although according to the information gathered by scouts, the Buddhist Kingdom had no intention of resisting the Great Zhou's advance, and the army was under the command of the Seventh Prince Qin Feng, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

But it would be too inappropriate for Qin Li to leave at this time.

Qin Li replied, "The Buddhist Kingdom is no longer a threat; the Northern Barbarians are the real danger. The matter of returning north should be addressed sooner rather than later."

Zhou Biao was a little confused. He scratched his head and asked, "Your Highness, according to you, we should go directly to Xuanque Pass. Why go back to the capital?"

Chuntao couldn't help but say, "You're so stupid! We'll be passing through the capital on our way to Xuanque Pass. We're practically at our doorstep. How can we not go back and check on the princess? She's still in the manor."

Based on Chun Tao's understanding of Qin Li, he was a doting father and there was no way he wouldn't go back to see the princess.

Qin Li gave the two of them an annoyed look, because neither of them was right.

He said, "We already have enough manpower at Xuanque Pass. If I go there again, wouldn't that be too much of an insult to Murong Qingcang? I need to return to the capital to prevent anyone from causing trouble behind my back."

According to news from Xuanque Pass, Murong Qingcang's two sons have been captured in Tucheng. Murong Qingcang has lost the will to fight and will definitely send an envoy to the capital of Great Zhou again to discuss peace.

Emperor Xuan and his group of Zhao brothers will definitely put pressure on Xuanque Pass.

Qin Li returned to the capital to resolve this matter and eliminate any concerns about Xuanque Pass.

The tragedy of Qin Li's maternal grandfather must not be repeated.

Seeing that Qin Li had made up his mind, the others didn't say anything more and quickly packed their luggage.

Before noon, the group set off northwards with minimal entourage.

On the way back, they weren't alone; there were two outsiders among them.

But to be honest, they can't really be considered outsiders.

Because the two were Qin Han, Qin Li's second younger brother, and his wife, Li Shi.

"You convinced him so quickly; you must be no ordinary woman."

Inside the carriage, Lady Li lowered her head slightly and said somewhat shyly, "Your Highness is too kind."

She was no ordinary woman; she came from a prominent family in Nanjiang City and was a true lady from a wealthy household.

Qin Li looked at Jiang Wang Qin Han. Ever since Qin Li publicly exposed his identity as a monk, Qin Han had stopped wearing a wig and instead showed his face with a buzz cut.

At this moment, he sat opposite Qin Li with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

He simply held Li's hand tightly, not wanting to let go for even a moment.

Qin Li said, "I already know about your mother's matter."

"Speaking of which, we have had similar experiences, except that your mother died a more tragic death than my mother."

"But seeking revenge through the power of Buddhism is unrealistic."

"That old man is a Buddhist, but only superficially. When it comes to his own interests, he can abandon Buddhism without hesitation and convert to something else."

"However, your method has reminded me that I have a better way. Would you like to hear it?"

Qin Han remained silent.

Li gently tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to speak quickly.

Qin Li's decision not to kill him was already an act of leniency.

Qin Han would be better off not provoking Qin Li again.

Qin Han remained silent, so Li Shi had no choice but to speak, "If you wish to hear, Your Highness, please speak."

Qin Li looked at Li Shi and said, "When he returned to the capital this time, he presented himself as Huikong, the Buddha's last disciple. As for the King of Jiang, no one in the capital knows him, and that old man doesn't know him either. I'm afraid that even if he stood in front of that old man now, the old man wouldn't recognize that he has such a son."

"Hahaha……"

Suddenly, Qin Han laughed, but his laughter was full of bitterness.

Yes, even if his son were standing right in front of Emperor Xuan at this moment, Emperor Xuan would not recognize him.

How ironic it is for a father not to recognize his son.

Qin Li continued, "Isn't that old man a Buddhist? Let him be a Buddhist."

Looking at Qin Han, Qin Li said, "If you want revenge, killing him with one blow would be too lenient. Why not use Hui Kong's identity to have some fun with him? Play the same way he played with you and your son back then."

Upon hearing this, Qin Han's eyes lit up.

Yes, Qin Li is right.

Killing him with one blow would be too lenient; it's better to play with him and torture him severely to vent my hatred.

"What should I do?"

Qin Han finally spoke.

Qin Li was generous with his methods, and asked him to turn his ear to Qin Han so he could tell him his method.

Finally, Qin Han nodded and said, "This method is excellent."

……

They traveled in silence, heading north as quickly as possible.

They must return to the capital before the Northern Mang delegation and Emperor Xuan reach a peace agreement.

Although the people at Xuanque Pass were not under pressure and did not listen to Emperor Xuan at all.

However, Qin Li still had to rush back to stop it.

Over the years, the Great Zhou Dynasty has finally seen some changes.

Qin Li couldn't let Emperor Xuan hold him back; he had to think about the long term.

Traveling at breakneck speed, day and night, the group returned to the capital from the southern border in less than a month.

Coincidentally, the day the group arrived in the capital was also the day the Northern Mang delegation arrived.

Upon seeing the Northern Mang delegation's convoy, Qin Li truly didn't know what to say.

Was they moving too fast, or was the Northern Mang delegation moving too slowly?

Logically, after Murong Qingcang's two sons were captured, Murong Qingcang should have sent a delegation immediately.

However, judging from the current situation, it seems that Murong Qingcang held out for many days before deciding to send a delegation.

The chief envoy of the mission was an old acquaintance, the deputy envoy of the mission that Murong Qingcang had visited the capital last time, whose name I think was Temuhun.

He is shrewd and cautious in his actions.

Upon seeing Qin Li, Temuhun was so shocked that he almost fell off his horse.

Wasn't Qin Li leading his army to attack the Buddhist Kingdom? How come he suddenly appeared in the capital of the Great Zhou?

This is not a good thing for him.

He had thought that with Qin Li not in the capital, he could quickly put pressure on the Great Zhou emperor to agree to their peace terms.

But to his surprise, Qin Li was in the capital. He could almost foresee that the peace negotiations that followed would be fraught with difficulties and setbacks.