I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"Su Chen, Fang Yuan..."

After the dragon was placed behind the table, Emperor Xuan squinted and murmured twice.

He knew Su Chen; he was Su Dingshan's good-for-nothing grandson, known as the number one playboy in the capital, proficient in everything from eating and drinking to gambling and whoring.

He originally planned that as long as Su Chen did not rebel, he would remember Su Dingshan's many years of contributions and protect Su Chen's lifelong wealth and honor.

But who is this Fang Yuan? A rice merchant? A son-in-law of the Song family? I've never even heard of him.

Qin Li feigned exaggeration and asked, "Didn't Seventh Prince tell Father Emperor?"

Emperor Xuan snapped out of his reverie, took a sip of tea, and looked at Qin Li. "What did you say?"

"well--"

Qin Li first sighed, then slapped his thigh and said, "Seventh Brother is really something. He performed well in Jiuyi Mountain and told Father Emperor, and Father Emperor praised him. Why doesn't he tell Father Emperor about two people who performed even better than him?"

"Father, you may not know this, but Su Chen and Fang Yuan are two talents that I have discovered this time. They performed even better than the Seventh Prince in the Jiuyi Mountains. Given time, they will surely become pillars of our dynasty."

"Especially Su Chen, wielding his halberd with such skill and power, he was unmatched, quite like the old General Su in his prime!"

After listening to Qin Li's words, Emperor Xuan slammed the teacup he hadn't even brought to his lips onto the dragon table with a bang.

The servants waiting outside the palace were all terrified, looking at each other, wondering what had happened.

"You bastard!"

Emperor Xuan immediately began to curse.

He completely ignored the fact that he had just been talking about how he had mistreated Qin Feng over the years and how he wanted to make it up to him.

"What a bastard!"

"They're even trying to claim credit from me!"

"With such a mindset, greedy for merit and blinded by self-interest, how can he have the face to call himself a prince? He is far inferior to you, my lord."

"Han Zhen!"

At a command, Han Zhen, the commander of the Imperial Guards outside the hall, strode in. "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Emperor Xuan pointed outside, "Go, catch up with that rebellious son, and give him thirty lashes as a warning to others!"

"yes!"

After receiving the order with clasped hands, Han Zhen withdrew from the main hall.

Watching Han Zhen leave, Qin Li, sitting on the stool, felt an unbearable urge to suppress his laughter.

Seventh brother, I'm sorry, eldest brother didn't mean it.

My brother just said it casually, who knew our two cheap fathers would want to beat you up.

It's alright, it's only thirty strokes, it won't kill you. Just bear with it and it'll pass. It's not like you haven't been through this before, it's just a matter of doing it again.

Besides, as the protagonist, you have to endure what others cannot in order to succeed. Your older brother is doing this for your own good.

After cursing a few more times, Emperor Xuan gradually calmed down and said:

"Since you, my lord, have said that these two are good, I cannot refuse. You may take them with you to the border."

"Thank you, Father Emperor!"

Qin Li clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Sending all three main characters to the border is a risky move!

Needless to say, they will all have their own adventures on the border. Qin Li is giving them an opportunity to strengthen themselves.

If things go wrong, Qin Li, the villain, could die without a burial place.

But as the saying goes, the higher the risk, the greater the reward, and Qin Li wanted to take a gamble!

After speaking, Qin Li stood up. "Father, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now!"

After saying that, Qin Li tried to slip away.

"Wait a moment!"

Emperor Xuan called out to Qin Li.

Depend on!

I knew going to the palace wouldn't bring anything good.

Despite his roundabout approach, Emperor Xuan still remembered the important matter.

Sure enough, the next moment, Emperor Xuan stammered, "Boss, I heard you found the dragon vein of the previous dynasty in the Nine Peaks?"

Emperor Xuan rubbed his hands together, smiling sheepishly. "Elder brother, you know the current situation of our Great Zhou. We are surrounded by powerful enemies, plagued by years of disasters, with people displaced, living in misery, and the national treasury empty. Do you think you could..."

Qin Li wasn't stupid; of course he knew what Emperor Xuan meant by saying all this.

Emperor Xuan was practically begging him for money.

Qin Li was speechless. Who was to blame for the Great Zhou becoming what it is now?

It's all because of that incompetent emperor who loves internal strife.

Now that they're broke, they've decided to ask their son for money, but his money didn't come from thin air.

No, not a single penny!

Having made up his mind, Qin Li said, "Father, the previous dynasty's imperial lineage actually doesn't have much money. A preliminary estimate shows it's only enough for half of the military expenses for this expedition. For the other half, I'll have to think of other ways."

"I understand the current situation of our Great Zhou, but I am truly powerless to do anything about it. We can't just send the weapons and armor that should have been transported to the front lines to the disaster area and distribute them to the people, can we? Wouldn't that make our Great Zhou even more chaotic?"

"This time, the Northern Barbarians are powerful, and the Empress herself is leading the army. Our Great Zhou is on the verge of collapse. If we are not careful, we will face the destruction of our country and our clan. If I cannot do my best to deal with this, I fear...!"

"At this critical juncture, whether to deal with external enemies or internal troubles first, I'm sure Father Emperor knows better than I do!"

"I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and stop coveting the imperial lineage of the previous dynasty. I implore Your Majesty..."

Qin Li not only spoke earnestly, but after finishing his speech, he also bowed deeply to Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan listened quietly, watched quietly, and remained silent for a long time...

After a long silence, Emperor Xuan sighed, closed his eyes, and waved his hand at Qin Li, which was a sign of his agreement with Qin Li.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I take my leave!"

As long as they don't mess with the previous dynasty's imperial lineage, anything is negotiable; he wouldn't mind sending Qin Feng to the border.

But if anyone dares to touch the dragon vein of the previous dynasty, Qin Li will not allow it even if he does.

Let alone his nominal father, Emperor Xuan, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't be able to take a single penny away.

Bowing as he left the main hall, Qin Li couldn't help but reveal a victor's smile.

Now he could focus on preparing for his trip to the border.

The only thing that bothered him was that Qin Feng was also going to the border.

At his request, the other two main characters will also go along.

The fact that all three main characters are going to the border is like three time bombs that could blow Qin Li to smithereens at any moment.

But it's alright, everything is still under Qin Li's control.

Perhaps the three main characters can be of great help to him when they go to the border.

With that thought in mind, Qin Li returned to his residence.

When I returned to the manor, it was already quite late. Two maids came running over with smiles on their faces.

"Your Highness, you're finally back."

"The Princess Consort asked us to pass on a message to you: She says that a day apart feels like three autumns. It has been so long since the Princess Consort and Your Highness have seen each other, and the Princess Consort misses you so much that she can't eat or sleep..."

"Hehe, Your Highness, don't just stand there. The Princess Consort has just finished bathing and burning incense, and is waiting for you..."

Two maids stepped forward, one on each side, and each grabbed one of Qin Li's arms, intending to lead him to the backyard.

Qin Li chuckled in agreement, thinking to himself that Xiao Xue'er had finally figured things out and knew how to please him. Not bad, not bad.

Turning his head, Qin Li told the guards, including Zhou Biao, to go about their business and not to disturb his good time before dawn. Then, Qin Li followed two maids and eagerly headed towards the inner courtyard.

As they approached Xiao Xue'er's courtyard, the two maids exchanged a glance. Then, as they rounded a moon gate, their expressions suddenly changed. They drew daggers from their sleeves and simultaneously stabbed at Qin Li's chest.