Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Wan'er."

Lin Wan'er looked up and saw Li Chengze. A hint of undisguised joy flashed across her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water—an instinctive reaction.

But soon, this joy was overshadowed by a faint cloud of sorrow. She pursed her lips, lowered her head again, and turned her gaze back to the pages of the book, leaving Li Chengze with only a cold profile.

"Cousin, weren't you accompanying Mother to cut flowers at Changxin Palace today? How come you have time to come to my desolate place?" Her voice was gentle, but it carried a hint of obvious aloofness.

Li Chengze raised an eyebrow slightly; he knew Lin Wan'er all too well.

This girl is gentle and rarely loses her temper, but when she speaks in this tone, she is truly angry.

He wasn't annoyed; on the contrary, he found Wan'er's vibrant life endearing.

He walked over and sat down casually on the soft couch.

He reached out, wanting to take Lin Wan'er's small hand hidden in the sleeve of her fox fur coat. Lin Wan'er noticed his movement and pulled her hand back. Although she didn't struggle strongly, she stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

"Hey, whose kitten is this? It's not a big deal that it scratched someone, but it's also sulking by itself?" Li Chengze teased, but his body honestly leaned forward and gently embraced Lin Wan'er from behind.

Lin Wan'er's body stiffened slightly as the soft fur of her fox fur brushed against Li Chengze's chin, tickling him.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, took a deep breath, and inhaled the faint medicinal and cool fragrance emanating from her.

"Alright, stop being so angry." Li Chengze's voice deepened, carrying a rare hint of gentleness.

Lin Wan'er's eyelashes trembled, her eyes reddened slightly, but she remained silent.

"Look what I've brought you," Li Chengze whispered in her ear.

This statement finally piqued Lin Wan'er's curiosity.

She turned her head slightly, glancing at Li Chengze's hand out of the corner of her eye.

With a deft flick of his wrist, as if by magic, a dazzling red love knot appeared at his fingertips.

The knot wasn't very well tied, and in some places the silk threads were even a bit rough. It was clearly not made by Nei Lian Sheng or a palace embroiderer, but rather looked like something a novice had clumsily woven stitch by stitch.

Lin Wan'er stared at the love knot, stunned.

"This is……"

"I made it myself." Li Chengze touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. If the civil and military officials outside saw him like this, they would probably be astonished. "My aunt said that my flower-cutting method was too rough. I thought that since flower cutting is too unsightly, I might as well learn this gentler method. This love knot took me several nights to make, and my fingers were pricked several times."

He stretched out his other hand, and sure enough, there were several tiny red dots on his fingertips.

The anger in Lin Wan'er's heart melted away instantly when she saw the red dots and the imperfect love knot.

She turned around, took his hand with heartache, looked at it carefully, and finally tears fell.

"You are a prince, why are you doing such menial work? You're adept at scheming and plotting, but how could you possibly understand this silk thread?"

Seeing her tears, Li Chengze's heart softened, and he hugged her even tighter: "The situation in this world is like a tangled mess, and I have to find a rope to untangle it. Wan'er, this knot of hearts binds our hearts together. No matter how fierce the storms outside, as long as this knot doesn't break, I will always find my way back."

Lin Wan'er buried her head in his chest, clutching the red love knot tightly in her hand.

…………

Inside the study of the First Prince's residence, the atmosphere was the complete opposite of the warmth of the other courtyard, as cold and hard as the solid ice of the North.

Li Chengru stood before his desk, Fan Xian's words like a thunderclap in his ears.

"The Western Barbarians?" Li Chengru turned his head sharply, his eyes fixed on Fan Xian, his voice filled with doubt and disbelief. "Fan Xian, do you know what you're talking about? Every piece of evidence in this letter points to the Crown Prince. That rubbing of the military tally, that transfer record—you think you can exonerate him with just a piece of paper?"

Fan Xian was not in a hurry. He laid the secret letter flat on the table and gently ran his fingertips along the edge of the paper.

"Your Highness, you have fought for many years and should be more familiar with the customs and scenery of the borderlands than I am." Fan Xian's voice was calm to the point of cruelty. "Look at this paper. Although it is whitish in color, when you look at it through the light, you can see a layer of fine fibrous clumps inside. This is made from 'sand willow pulp,' which is unique to the Western Barbarians. The paper in the Southern Qing Dynasty is mostly made from sandalwood bark and bamboo pulp, which has a delicate texture and allows ink to spread easily and clearly. But this Western Barbarian paper, in order to resist the dryness and sandstorms of the desert, has resin mixed into the pulp, so it has an extremely subtle astringent feel to the touch."

Li Chengru frowned, and he stretched out his rough, calloused fingers, pausing on the letter for a moment.

His expression changed.

This tactile sensation truly evoked memories of his time at the border. The documents of the Western Barbarians certainly possessed this unique texture.

"Even if the paper is from the Western Barbarians, so what?" Li Chengru's voice remained cold and hard. "Perhaps the Crown Prince deliberately sought out Western Barbarian paper to write on in order to cover his tracks. Or perhaps he is colluding with the Western Barbarians..."

"Even if the paper is from the Western Barbarians, so what?" Li Chengru's voice remained cold and hard. "Perhaps the Crown Prince deliberately sought out Western Barbarian paper to write on in order to cover his tracks. Or perhaps he is colluding with the Western Barbarians..."

"If the Crown Prince really wanted to kill you, would he use such a flawed method?" Fan Xian interrupted him, walking to the window with his back to Li Chengru. "Your Highness, let's analyze the situation. If you were assassinated on the outskirts of the capital, or if your personal guards were all wiped out, who would benefit the most?"

"Naturally, it's the Crown Prince. I hold military power, which is the biggest variable in his bid for the position of heir apparent," Li Chengru said coldly.

"On the surface, that's how it seems. But don't forget, His Majesty is still on the throne." Fan Xian turned around, his gaze sharp. "What His Majesty fears most is fratricide and instability in military power. The Crown Prince has always been based on 'benevolence.' If he really harms you, he's digging his own grave. Once the matter is exposed, His Majesty will never tolerate a crown prince who murders his own siblings and secretly mobilizes troops. The Crown Prince isn't stupid, and neither are his advisors. They would never use such extreme measures to deal with an eldest son who has no chance of inheriting the throne at this time."

Li Chengru remained silent.

"You mean, this is a divisive tactic by the Western barbarians?" Li Chengru asked through gritted teeth.

"Not only that." Fan Xian shook his head. "Although the Western Barbarians are fierce, they can't get their hands on the Privy Council's secret files or the Ministry of War's allocation orders without an inside agent in this capital. Behind this is a meticulously planned 'conspiracy'."

"Who?"

"Someone who wants to destabilize the Southern Qing royal family and also wants the Northern border defenses to collapse." Fan Xian's voice was low. "Your Highness, think about it, besides the Western Barbarians, who else in the Northern border is stirring up trouble lately?"

Li Chengru's pupils constricted sharply: "You mean... Northern Qi?"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard of Northern Qi." Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that someone within Southern Qing is trying to use us to do their dirty work. This person might not be the Crown Prince, nor the Second Prince, but rather the one who has been hiding in the shadows, watching you brothers fight each other, and is ready to reap the rewards in the end."

Li Chengru slumped into a chair. In his eyes, the secret letter was no longer a flame of revenge, but a huge spider web.

"What should I do now?" Li Chengru asked in a hoarse voice.