Joy of Life: Many Children, Many Blessings; Intercepting Si Lili

Emperor Qing withdrew his true energy, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

It seems I was overthinking it; the third brother is still just an ordinary person who doesn't know martial arts.

This change in temperament may simply be due to the joy he felt after being granted the title of king and establishing his own government.

Now that the martial arts path is severed, it's time to settle the score for spending the night in a brothel.

Emperor Qing's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the imperial desk in front of him.

A muffled thud echoed through the imperial study.

Emperor Qing stared at Li Chengye, his face cold as he roared:

"Do you know your crime!"

Despite Emperor Qing's angry outburst, Li Chengye remained unmoved.

He showed no sign of panic; instead, he feigned ignorance, spreading his hands with an expression of complete innocence.

"What does Father mean by this?"

"Your subject has just turned eighteen, and on this auspicious day, has only just left the palace to establish his own residence. Yesterday, I merely went out for a leisurely stroll; what crime have I committed?"

Li Chengye spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he really knew nothing.

Upon hearing these words, Emperor Qing's anger surged.

He suddenly pointed a finger directly at Li Chengye's nose and reprimanded him sternly:

"You dare ask what crime you've committed!"

"You, a prince of the Great Qing Dynasty, the newly appointed Prince of Qi, dare to spend the night in a brothel!"

"Spending the whole night with a courtesan has caused a sensation throughout the capital. You've utterly disgraced the imperial family!"

Emperor Qing grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, wishing he could smash the memorial in his hand right there.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengye not only failed to admit his mistake, but instead burst out laughing.

He straightened up, looked directly at Emperor Qing sitting behind the imperial desk, and spoke with an air of self-righteousness:

"Father, you are mistaken."

"This entire world belongs to the Li family. The imperial family is supreme; who dares to question it?"

"I merely went to a brothel to listen to some music; how is that shameful?"

"If anyone dares to gossip about the royal family behind their back, they are certainly disloyal to Daqing."

Such traitors should be dragged out and beheaded!

Li Chengye's words were delivered with conviction, exuding an air of self-righteous domineering authority.

Emperor Qing's eyes widened in anger.

Completely unexpectedly, the usually sickly third son dared to talk back in court and utter such arrogant words.

"presumptuous!"

"You've done such a ridiculous thing, and you still dare to talk back to me?"

Emperor Qing roared, unleashing his imperial aura.

Seeing that he had the upper hand, Li Chengye obediently raised his hands and covered his mouth.

He blinked, indicating that he wouldn't say another word, looking every bit like a rogue.

Looking at Li Chengye's shameless and unyielding nature, Emperor Qing took a deep breath.

He forcefully suppressed his anger. There were more important questions to ask right now; he couldn't afford to lose his temper at this moment.

Emperor Qing narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Li Chengye's face.

"Let me ask you."

"Who was it that saved you when you were attacked on the forest path on the outskirts of the city that night?"

Emperor Qing's voice was very low, carrying an extremely strong sense of oppression.

Li Chengye removed his hand from his mouth and answered calmly:

"Your subject does not recognize him."

Emperor Qing frowned, clearly not believing this explanation.

"Don't you recognize me?"

"A master who can instantly kill more than ten assassins, why would he save you for no reason? If you don't know him, why would he save you?"

Li Chengye touched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

After a moment, he looked at Emperor Qing with great certainty:

"Perhaps it's because I'm handsome."

"When that wise man passed by, he saw that I was so handsome and dashing, a true gentleman."

"I couldn't bear to see my son die in the wilderness, so I drew my sword to help him."

This statement, though made in a serious tone, is utterly absurd.

Emperor Qing was completely stunned.

It took Emperor Qing a full three seconds to react, and he was so angry that he laughed.

"What a shameless scoundrel!"

Emperor Qing pointed at Li Chengye, shaking his head repeatedly, his eyes filled with disappointment and frustration.

I thought the third son would improve after establishing his own household, but I didn't expect him to be so hopeless, even coming up with such nonsensical reasons.

Such an unreliable prince is unlikely to amount to anything.

The last trace of doubt in Emperor Qing's heart was dispelled.

He really didn't want to see that face again, and waved his hand impatiently.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Get back to your Qi Prince's residence and reflect on your actions behind closed doors. You are not to step outside the gates for the next few days!"

Li Chengye sneered inwardly.

He readily bowed and greeted them.

"Your subject takes his leave."

After saying that, Li Chengye turned around and strode out of the imperial study without any hesitation.

Silence returned to the hall.

Emperor Qing looked towards the palace gate, but the anger on his face gradually subsided.

He leaned back, lost in thought once more. The words Li Chengye had just spoken kept replaying in his mind.

"The royal family is supreme; who dares to question it? Anyone who does is disloyal."

Emperor Qing muttered to himself, a satisfied expression gradually appearing on his lips.

These words truly touched his heart.

Compared to Ye Qingmei's constant pronouncements of "equality for all" and "the world belongs to all," the third prince's statement about the supremacy of royalty is simply the most pleasing and profound truth in the world!

The world should rightfully belong to the Li family, and imperial power should be inviolable.

Emperor Qing pondered in his heart.

Although the third son was absurd and unruly, his deep-seated belief in the supremacy of imperial power was extremely to his liking.

Since the third brother acts so arrogantly and doesn't care about anything, he might become a useful tool in the future.

It was an excellent tool to help him sweep away all the hypocrisy and hidden threats in the court.

The more Emperor Qing thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and his dislike for his son lessened.

But he had no idea that those words were spoken by Li Chengye, who had precisely controlled his psychology and deliberately said them to him.

Just then, a series of steady and powerful footsteps came from outside the hall.

Ye Zhong, the garrison commander of Kyoto, wearing light armor, strode into the Imperial Study.

"Your subject Ye Zhong pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Ye Zhong knelt on one knee and gave a military salute.

Emperor Qing composed himself, his gaze regaining its deep and majestic intensity, and raised his hand, saying:

"Get up. Is it urgent that you need to see me?"

Ye Zhong stood up, his expression extremely solemn, and immediately stepped forward to report in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the Censorate has just received top-secret intelligence from the Northern Qi."

"The Holy Maiden of Northern Qi, Haitang Duoduo, has recently infiltrated our Great Qing Kingdom and is very likely already near the capital."

"With the Holy Maiden's arrival, the Northern Qi's spies lurking in the capital must be planning something big, perhaps to deliver important intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing's eyes gleamed brightly.

"Well done!"

Emperor Qing was secretly delighted.

The rampant activities of Northern Qi spies in the capital had always been a major concern for him.

"Since they dared to send important figures here, then I will take this opportunity to wipe out the entire network of spies that Northern Qi has planted in the capital!"