Three days later, the eldest prince Song Luo, the second prince Shi Liuchuan, Zhou Yuqing, and Feng Shao received a letter from Song Lingling, informing them that Si Hengnian and the others were almost at the border, and their eyes lit up with excitement.

Feng Shao snorted coldly: "We should take this opportunity to catch all those with ulterior motives."

Then he couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity about those soldiers. Even if they were numerous, His Majesty wouldn't have let them off easily."

"Brother Shao, there's really no need to think so much. Throughout history, how many ordinary soldiers have been punished along with rebels? Now that the border is in dire need of rebuilding, it is precisely the time for these people to make amends. Are you suggesting that the hard and tiring work should be left to ordinary people and other soldiers who are fighting to the death for the court?"

Feng Shao nodded upon hearing this: "Brother Yuqing, you are right. They are enemies now, and I should not be merciful to them."

"Now we just need to wait for Si Hengnian to fall into the trap. Feng Shao, let's continue practicing."

Looking at the belligerent eldest prince, Feng Shao felt a toothache.

Ever since the two princes came to the border, they have never stopped training him. He had guessed that the two princes were exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but he never expected them to be this powerful.

He was happy that both princes were generous in teaching him, but he was also miserable because he couldn't beat them at all and couldn't slack off for even a moment.

"The angle is wrong. If I were Si Hengnian, I could pierce your shoulder blade with a backhand."

"The transition between the two moves was too slow, exposing such a large part of your back. Do you have a death wish?"

"What about your legs? Even if your hands keep moving, do you think your legs can stay still?"

"Not bad, that ruthlessness is commendable."

After the battle, Feng Shao felt like he was about to collapse, but he became happier and happier as he fought, because he could feel his progress every day. Si Hengnian would be here soon, and he was determined to defeat him.

Although the eldest and second princes were more skilled in martial arts than him, as a general, he couldn't just stay behind and let the two princes be the vanguard, could he?

As for Zhou Yuqing, there's even less to say. A frail strategist like him, how could he personally go to the battlefield to kill the enemy?

Therefore, in order to win the respect of the soldiers on the border, he had to personally subdue Si Hengnian, which should also be the purpose of the two princes' special training of him.

In the capital, Si Hengnian, who had not attended court for several days, finally caused a stir in the court. Everyone knew that Si Hengnian was dissatisfied with the status quo, but no one expected that he would directly flee the capital with the princess and his subordinates. What was he planning to do?

In his fury, His Majesty issued a kill order against Si Hengnian. With nowhere to vent his anger, he also dealt with several officials who had previously been in close contact with Si Hengnian. In the end, Si Hengnian's birth mother, Lady Qi, and his half-sister, Qi Jiejing, were not spared either and were all imprisoned.

Inside the prison, Qi Jiejing sneered at Madam Qi: "What, Si Hengnian rebelled without informing you? Even if Si Hengnian doesn't care about you, what about Xu Huixin? Haven't you always treated her like your own daughter? She didn't say she would take you with her either? Given how much Si Hengnian dotes on her, if she even thought of you, he wouldn't abandon you."

Madam Qi's expression changed several times: "Shut up, Hengnian and Huixin must have their reasons."

"What hardship could you possibly have? They took all their subordinates with them, why would they need you? Stop deceiving yourself. You've been abandoned. In their hearts, you're nothing."

"What are you so smug about? No matter how powerful you are, you still can't escape, and you'll die just like me."

“I’m not the same as you,” Qi Jiejing said with a soft sigh. “Besides, you are my birth mother in this life, so I will save you as a way of repaying your kindness in giving me life.”

"Stop bragging. What makes you think you can get out of here?"

“Of course she’s capable.” Song Xia strode over, carrying clean clothes and food in her hands, followed by the Third Princess Shi Shuangzhi and the Fourth Princess Song Xinghe.

Song Xia looked at Qi Jiejing gently: "Lingling, did you suffer?"

"No, godmother, why did you come in person?" Qi Jiejing's face was full of dependence, and her expression was much gentler and more obedient, completely different from her confrontation with Madam Qi.

"Godmother?" Madam Qi exclaimed sharply, "What do you mean by godmother? When did you recognize a godmother?"

"This is none of your business. Only your godmother can save your life."

Song Xia glanced at Madam Qi indifferently. She really couldn't understand why someone could switch her own children. Even if they hadn't been switched back in the first place, and her fate had been changed by the two children, shouldn't the one who was switched with her be loved properly? How could she so self-righteously demand that Lingling do this and that?

"Godmother, if His Majesty finds out we're going out like this, won't he be angry?"

"He won't know," the Third Princess said confidently. "We've got everything covered, don't worry. Once Si Hengnian is dead and all the evidence of the rebellion is cleared up, you'll be pardoned. Just keep a low profile for the next few days. As for Madam Qi... after all, she's Si Hengnian's birth mother and she even lived in the Prince Xun's mansion, so it's hard to say."

Qi Jiejing smiled and said, "Then I'll stay at the General's Mansion for the time being and spend every day with my godmother, which suits me just fine. As for my mother, the Qi family has many estates and uninhabited courtyards, so I can just find one and have someone look after her."

She felt she was being very kind, only restricting her birth mother's freedom, not refusing to send anyone to take care of her. This was better than losing her life, wasn't it?

However, Madam Qi felt that she had been greatly insulted. What she couldn't get over was that her son, Si Hengnian, had defected from the capital, and it seemed that her daughter was involved in the operation.

"What happened to Hengnian? He's your own brother! Why did you scheme against him? When did you start hanging out with them? And when your brother talked business with you before, that was on purpose too, wasn't it?"

“Brother? Do you treat me like your own daughter? Does he treat me like his own sister? Don’t try to play the emotional card with me. You two don’t deserve each other. As for Si Hengnian, if he had no ambition and didn’t take action, we wouldn’t have been able to scheme against him! It’s a pity. He originally had the option of retreating to Wubei Lake, but he blocked it all himself a few days ago.”

"You rebellious daughter, I'm going to strangle you!"

Unfortunately, before Madam Qi could make a move, Song Xia restrained her, her tone icy: "Remember, if you don't want Lingling as your daughter, plenty of others will. In my eyes, Lingling is a treasure, and no one can bully her."

"Lingling? Is that the name you gave her?"

"Yes, and I even took my stepmother's surname. Outside, everyone calls me Song Lingling," Qi Jiejing said with great pride and satisfaction, making the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess very envious. After all, they were princesses in this life and couldn't be as carefree as Lingling.

Seeing Song Xia's doting on Qi Jiejing and Qi Jiejing's dependence on Song Xia, the warm scene between the two suddenly left Madam Qi speechless, and she looked utterly dejected.