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

Fan Xian stepped forward, placed his hand on the shoulder, and said, word by word, "Hold your ground. Since some people want to see you cause a ruckus in the Eastern Palace, then you will not. Not only will you not cause a ruckus, but you will also go to see the Crown Prince in person. Not to interrogate him, but to 'open your heart' to him."

"Open your heart?" Li Chengru sneered. "What heart could I possibly open my heart to him?"

"Tell him that someone wants to kill you, and in his name." A sly glint flashed in Fan Xian's eyes. "The Crown Prince is a smart man. When he realizes that someone is trying to drag him down, he will be even more eager than you to find the real culprit. At that time, with the combined power of the Eastern Palace, the Censorate, and your influence in the military, it will be difficult for this net not to be broken."

Inside the Imperial Study.

Emperor Qing had already lowered the arrow. He was standing before a huge map of the Great Qing Empire, his gaze fixed on the vast wilderness of the northern border.

"Yun Rui is gone?" Emperor Qing asked without turning his head.

The eunuch bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess has already left the palace. It seems she has returned to her residence to prepare for the spring banquet."

"The Spring Banquet..." Emperor Qing scoffed. "She certainly seems to be in high spirits. Where's the Second Prince?"

"The Second Prince went to the villa next to Prime Minister Lin's residence to visit Princess Chen."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing's lips curled into a cryptic smile: "That kid certainly knows how to find a quiet place, keeping the boss on edge while he goes off to woo a girl. And Fan Xian?"

"Lord Fan... infiltrated the First Prince's residence." Eunuch Hou's voice lowered slightly.

Emperor Qing finally turned around, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, tinged with a complex mix: "That kid Fan Xian always manages to appear where he should be. Did he figure it out?"

Eunuch Hou dared not reply, but simply lowered his head even further.

"Your Majesty, what about the eldest prince...?"

"Cheng Ru has a fiery temper, but he's not stupid. Fan Xian will stop him," Emperor Qing said calmly.

He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming deep and cold.

"But if someone really wants to jump out of this game and collude with foreign traitors... then I wouldn't mind destroying this game myself."

At the First Prince's residence, after listening to Fan Xian's analysis, Li Chengru felt as if he had undergone a baptism.

"Fan Xian, if the Second Brother wants your life, I will help you."

Li Chengru looked at Fan Xian and slowly spoke.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Fan Xian cupped his hands in thanks to Li Chengru.

"Your Highness, I have another request."

Li Chengru looked into Fan Xian's unfathomable eyes and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Speak."

"I want to enter the palace," Fan Xian said, emphasizing each word.

The moment those four words were uttered, the air in the study seemed to freeze instantly.

Li Chengru's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze instantly sharpened.

Entering the palace?

At this critical juncture?

The situation in Kyoto is currently volatile, with various forces vying for power in secret. Fan Xian has just recovered from a serious illness and should, in principle, be resting quietly at home.

Moreover, the imperial palace is heavily guarded, especially after nightfall. Even princes are not allowed to move around freely without His Majesty's decree.

Fan Xian then proposed to enter the palace, and judging from his expression, he clearly did not intend to openly present his nameplate to request an audience, but rather to "sneak in".

If it were any other time, or if someone else had made such a treasonous request, Li Chengru would have kicked them away or even drawn his sword to arrest them.

But standing before him now was Fan Xian. The Fan Xian who had just helped him peel back the layers of mystery and see the grand scheme of this earth-shattering event.

Li Chengru stared intently into Fan Xian's eyes, as if trying to glean the true purpose of his trip from those calm gazes.

Was it to investigate the eldest princess's movements?

Was it to search for some clue in the Empress Dowager's palace?

Time slipped away slowly in a suffocating silence.

In the end, Li Chengru didn't ask any questions.

He took a deep breath, folded the extremely deadly secret letter on the table, and casually threw it into the brazier next to him.

Watching the eerie blue flames instantly engulf the Western Barbarian paper, Li Chengru slowly nodded.

"At midnight tonight, the Imperial Guards will change shifts. The captain in charge of guarding the left flank of Xuanwu Gate is a personal guard I brought with me from the northern border years ago."

Li Chengru's voice was deep and steady, without the slightest hesitation, "I will have him set aside a swill cart to transport chamber pots and toilet paper. It may be a bit of a sacrifice, but it's the only way to avoid the palace's hidden sentries and the Censorate's spies. As for what you will do after entering the palace, or where you will go, I know nothing about it, and I can't help you with that."

A hint of surprise flashed in Fan Xian's eyes. He had originally thought he would have to spend a lot of time explaining, and had even prepared a half-true, half-false reason, but he did not expect Li Chengru to agree so readily.

"Your Highness, don't you ask me what I'm going to do in the palace? What if I'm going to assassinate the Emperor?" Fan Xian asked tentatively, half-jokingly.

Li Chengru sneered and looked at Fan Xian as if he were an idiot: "If you really had that ability, would you have been forced by the second brother to ask me for passage here? Go and get ready. At 11:15, I will have someone meet you in the alley behind the mansion."

Fan Xian suppressed his smile, bowed deeply once more, and turned to disappear into the night outside the study.

Fan Xian suppressed his smile, bowed deeply once more, and turned to disappear into the night outside the study.

……

On the other side, at the Second Prince's residence.

Li Chengze's carriage slowly entered the mansion in the night. He jumped down from the carriage, ignoring the steward who came to greet him, and went straight to his study.

The study was dimly lit because not many lights were on.

Li Chengze kicked off his boots and, as was his habit, walked barefoot to the soft couch behind the desk, where he sat down cross-legged.

He picked up the chilled grape wine that had been prepared on the table, took a small sip, and felt the cool liquid flow down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the faint restlessness in his heart.

Before long, a trusted advisor strode into the study and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, there is news from the First Prince's residence."

Li Chengze swirled the luminous cup in his hand, the scarlet liquid rotating within. His eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the dim light: "Speak. Has my dear elder brother already mustered his personal guards, preparing to smash down the gates of the Eastern Palace?"

"Your Highness...no." A bead of cold sweat trickled down the advisor's forehead as he cautiously replied, "After returning to his residence, the First Prince stayed in his study for a full three hours. During that time, there was...no movement whatsoever. Not a single soldier from the First Prince's residence moved, and the First Prince himself showed no sign of leaving the residence. It seems...he has rested."

"Are you taking a break?"

Li Chengze paused slightly in his hand holding the wine glass. Then, instead of his lips drooping because his plan had failed, the corners of his mouth slowly turned upward, forming an extremely stunning yet chilling smile.

"It seems we've been discovered; our eldest brother now has someone advising him."