I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

a few days later.

The once massive Northern Mang military camp outside the city is now nothing but a mess, filled with things the Northern Mang army abandoned during their hasty retreat north.

The piles of corpses inside the barbican have been mostly cleared away.

Qin Li ordered his men to dig a large pit outside the city and bury all the corpses in it.

A mass grave was erected to commemorate this battle.

On this day, atop the city wall, Qin Li stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the gray sky to the north.

The generals each had their own duties and tasks, and were not by Qin Li's side.

Besides the Imperial Guards led by Zhou Biao, only Temuhun was by Qin Li's side.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should or shouldn't."

Temuhun suddenly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"explain."

Qin Li gave the order, telling him to speak plainly.

Temuhun then said, "I believe that the task of pursuing the routed Northern Mang troops should not have been entrusted to General Changsheng."

Qin Li glanced at him sideways: "Do you think the ever-victorious general will continue to grow stronger and regain the throne of Northern Mang?"

Temuhun remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

The ever-victorious general was the empress.

The Empress led her army in pursuit, penetrating deep into the grasslands. The further away from Xuanque Pass she was from the enemy, the greater her autonomy became.

It's not impossible that she could regain power, rally her old troops, and become the emperor of Northern Mang again.

By then, Qin Li would have created yet another formidable opponent for himself.

On that day, Qin Li's best option was to leave the Empress in the city.

Temuhun said this for Qin Li's own good, to consider the issue from Qin Li's perspective.

"I know your good intentions."

Qin Li gazed into the distance and said slowly, "But I am not a narrow-minded ruler. If I force General Changsheng to stay in the city, it will create a rift between us."

"Can……"

Temuhun wanted to say something more, but Qin Li interrupted him.

"You don't need to say anything, I understand. But I believe in the ever-victorious general. Princess Huayang is still in the city. As Princess Huayang's birth mother, I don't believe she would be willing to abandon her own daughter."

As soon as Princess Huayang was mentioned, she arrived.

Huayang skipped and hopped up the city wall, came to Qin Li's side, and raised her cute little face, saying, "Father, can Huayang go out of the city to play?"

Qin Li crouched down, reached out and touched her head, asking, "Huayang, aren't you afraid?"

Outside the city is a mass grave, several stories high, filled with the dead.

Even the most timid people trembled with fear at the sight, let alone a small child in Huayang.

Hua Yang replied crisply, "With Father Emperor here, Hua Yang is not afraid of anything."

Qin Li smiled, patted her head again, and said, "Okay, go ahead, just come back before dinner."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

With permission granted, Huayang skipped away.

Qin Li then gave Zhou Biao a look, signaling him to send another squad of Imperial Guards for protection.

Zhou Biao nodded. He would not let Princess Huayang be harmed, no matter who was in trouble.

Not only will Qin Li not forgive him, but the Empress will not forgive him when she returns in the future.

Not long after Huayang left, Lady Wei arrived.

Ever since she adopted Qian Junwanma as her godson, Lady Wei has been wherever the two brothers are.

Because of this, Wei Hongying was extremely jealous.

The two brothers pursued the routed Northern Barbarian troops across the grasslands, while Lady Wei remained in the city.

Lady Wei came here today because she has something to discuss with Qin Li.

She presented an urgent military report with both hands, saying, "It came from the Buddhist Kingdom in the south. The city is short of manpower, so I sent it over."

Qin Li nodded and casually took the military report.

Needless to say, it must have been sent by Qin Feng; it seems the Buddhist Kingdom has already been pacified.

……

The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Imperial Palace.

The Cold Palace.

The once overgrown cold palace has been completely transformed, and the dusty, cobweb-covered main hall has been swept clean.

Early in the morning, Emperor Xuan was sweeping the courtyard with a broom.

Meanwhile, King Qin Han sat cross-legged under the eaves, rubbing Buddhist prayer beads in his hands and chanting scriptures.

As Emperor Xuan swept the courtyard, he couldn't help but look at Qin Han.

He didn't know why he had become the way he was now.

I had sworn that even if I died, I would never do the kind of work that only servants do.

But now, he does it subconsciously every day, without needing anyone to remind him.

Because if you don't work, you won't have food to eat.

The feeling of being hungry is truly unbearable.

"Second brother, do you think the boss will die at Xuanque Pass?"

Emperor Xuan suddenly spoke.

Qin Han did not open his eyes and replied, "Please address this humble monk as Master."

Emperor Xuan couldn't help but chirp softly... The reason he called him "Second Brother" was to hope that Qin Han would treat him better because of their father-son relationship. However, Qin Han was unmoved and treated him like a stranger.

"Alright, alright, Master, do you think His Majesty will die at Xuanque Pass?" Emperor Xuan asked again.

Qin Han then opened his eyes and stood up from the ground, while Emperor Xuan subconsciously took a step back.

Qin Han said, "Why are you retreating, benefactor? This humble monk would never hit you."

Emperor Xuan couldn't help but chirp softly again... Hadn't he beaten them enough? It had become a conditioned reflex for him.

"Does the benefactor really want His Majesty to die at Xuanque Pass?" King Qin Han asked in return.

Emperor Xuan, leaning on his broom, said, "It's not that I want to, but I feel that anything can happen. On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. What if he really dies there?"

Qin Han said, "If that's the case, you will be the happiest person, and you might even become emperor again."

Emperor Xuan quickly waved his hand and said, "He was my son. How could I be happiest if he died? As for becoming emperor again, I don't really think about it now. I know I'm not cut out to be an emperor."

Qin Han said, "It seems that you have experienced a lot these past few days."

In the past, Emperor Xuan would never have said such a thing.

After being confined to the cold palace for a long time, Emperor Xuan actually gained his own insights.

"Do you think he will die at Xuanque Pass?" Emperor Xuan asked again.

Qin Han said, "No, some time ago, military reports came that the Xuanque Pass was a great victory and His Majesty will soon return to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuan's face revealed a complex expression he couldn't hide. He didn't know whether he should be happy or something else, but he was probably more afraid. He didn't know how Qin Li would deal with him after he returned.

"What about the south? What about the seventh prince?" Emperor Xuan asked again.

"There was also a great victory in the south, and the Seventh Prince is on his way back to the capital," Qin Han said.

Emperor Xuan fell silent for a moment, and after a while, he began to sweep the courtyard, sweeping with utmost care.

Seeing the Emperor Xuan's appearance, Qin Han couldn't help but say:

"Your two most favored children back then have now become your most successful. Do you regret what you did to them back then?"

Emperor Xuan said, "I have always treated them very well."

King Qin Han couldn't help but sneer and shake his head.

"You treat them very well? Saying such a thing, aren't you afraid of going against your conscience? You are the most biased towards those two."

Emperor Xuan did not refute him, because he knew that Qin Han was right.

He treated the eldest and seventh brothers the worst and was the most biased towards them.

As a result, the world believed that the two were not his children at all.

Gradually, Emperor Xuan's eyes reddened.

Qin Han saw it, but showed no sympathy whatsoever; he simply said:

"Do you think you can wipe away all the sins you committed in your past life now that you're old?"

"This humble monk has been ordered to guard you, so that you may atone for your sins. Do you acknowledge your sins?"

Emperor Xuan remained silent, unsure whether to admit it or not.

How can someone recognize the things they did when they were young when they are old?

Should we make him kneel before the eldest and seventh brothers and admit that he was wrong?