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

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes filled with tenderness: "You child, you still have such a sweet tongue. Alright, your aunt won't bother you any longer. There's a lot to do since the manor has just been established, so you should rest. Your aunt will come to see you another day."

After exchanging a few more casual words, Li Yunrui rose to take her leave. Li Chengze attentively escorted her all the way to the gate of the mansion, and only when the luxurious carriage disappeared around the street corner did the obedient smile on his face recede like the tide, replaced by a bottomless chill.

"Close the door."

Li Chengze turned around, casually gave an order, and then strode back to his study.

With a "bang," the door slammed shut.

Li Chengze skillfully kicked off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the armchair again. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then activated the system in his mind.

"System, activate intermediate lottery, 10 consecutive draws."

With a thought, the number in the reputation value column on the virtual panel that only he could see instantly jumped from 280,000 to 180,000.

Immediately afterwards, dazzling light flashed wildly on the panel, and the outlines of countless figures and objects swept past rapidly.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 1,000 taels of gold.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the famous sword "Gan Jiang".]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained three Great Restoration Pills.]

……

A series of notification sounds rang out, mostly for money and weapons. Li Chengze remained calm until the last ray of light exploded, transforming into the phantom of an old man with a full head of white hair and a effeminate face, wearing a bright red python robe.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the character: Human-Cat - Han Diaosi!]

[Strength Rating: Upper Ninth Rank (Special Attribute: Finger Profound Killing Celestial Phenomenon. In this world, although only ninth rank, he possesses the means to contend with or even fight against Grandmasters, and is especially adept at targeting Finger Profound Realm experts.)]

Loyalty: 100% (Die-hard)

Upon seeing the eerie old eunuch with red silk wrapped around his hands on the panel, Li Chengze's pupils contracted sharply, followed by an uncontrollable look of ecstatic joy on his face.

"It's him! Han Diaosi!"

This is a ruthless character. In that snowy world, this "human-cat" is a terrifying being known for its ability to kill celestial phenomena with a finger strike. It can peel off skin and tendons from three thousand red threads, and its ruthless methods are so vicious that people tremble at the mere mention of its name.

Although he is suppressed to the ninth rank in this world, the system notes clearly state that he can contend with a Grandmaster!

This is exactly the high-end combat force he urgently needs right now!

Li Chengze jumped off the chair, excitedly paced around the study twice, and quickly started making plans in his mind.

"Han Diaosi was born into a eunuch family, this identity... is simply a godsend."

His gaze turned toward the palace, his eyes gradually sharpening.

Although Consort Shu, the mother, held a high position and had some protection from Emperor Qing, the palace was a treacherous place. The eldest princess and the empress dowager were both formidable figures. Not to mention the unfathomable Emperor.

"Han Diaosi must be sent to the palace."

Li Chengze stopped and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Only when he's by my mother's side can I truly feel at ease. With his methods and strength, in this harem, apart from Hong Siyang, probably no one can surpass him. Even Hong Siyang, if it really came down to a fight, Han Diaosi's three thousand concubines might not be afraid of him."

Having made up his mind, Li Chengze immediately began to devise a detailed plan. How to arrange a legitimate identity for Han Diaosi, how to pass the selection process of the Imperial Household Department, and how to discreetly place him in the palace of Consort Shu…

That night, the study in the Second Prince's residence was brightly lit until late into the night.

……

A few days later.

The once peaceful Kyoto and the martial arts world were suddenly thrown into chaos by several shocking pieces of news.

Overnight, two high-ranking officials of the third rank in the imperial court died suddenly at home.

These two officials had a respectable reputation in public, but in private they were corrupt, abused their power, and preyed on the people, and had secretly sided with certain powerful forces. Their deaths were extremely gruesome; their throats were slit by a sharp blade, and there were no signs of struggle at the scene. Only on the wall next to their bodies was a hideous black spider drawn with clearly visible web patterns.

At the same time, a bloody storm was brewing in the martial arts world.

Several renowned eighth-rank masters were ambushed on their way to Kyoto.

These masters, who were usually arrogant and haughty, all perished on the same night.

Every crime scene bore the same mark—a web of evidence!

"A net that can penetrate anywhere in the world."

These eight characters, along with the black spider mark, spread like wildfire through the streets, alleys, teahouses, and taverns of Kyoto.

Shocks were felt throughout the government and the public!

The Ministry of Justice, Kyoto Prefecture, and even the Forensic Service quickly intervened in the investigation, but what terrified them was that this organization called "The Net" seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere, with no trace of its origins or any clues.

Those assassins appeared and disappeared without a trace, their attacks were ruthless and decisive, killing with a single blow and fleeing thousands of miles away.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Emperor Qing casually tossed the memorial in his hand onto the table with a dull thud. He usually preferred to wear loose white robes, and at this moment, the sleeves of his robes drooped slightly, concealing his clenched fists, but his deep, abyss-like eyes revealed a chilling aura.

He doesn't like things that are beyond his control.

This world of Daqing is his chessboard. The pieces can move, even jump out of the squares, but they can never escape the player's control. And this suddenly appearing "net" is like a poisonous insect that flew in from nowhere, not only rampaging across the chessboard, but also trying to weave a large net in the shadows that even he cannot see.

"check."

Emperor Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "Tell Chen Pingping, if the Censorate can't even catch a few rats in the gutter, then it doesn't need to exist. I don't care if they're human or ghost; I'll dig three feet into the ground and find out their roots!"

The head eunuch, Hou, standing in the shadows, trembled and quickly knelt down, replying, "This old servant obeys the decree."

Emperor Qing's initial guess was that this "Net of Shadows" was a group of assassins secretly raised by the Northern Qi's Embroidered Uniform Guard, with the intention of disrupting the Qing Kingdom's court and assassinating high-ranking officials. After all, the two deceased third-rank officials were key figures in the pro-war faction.

However, the unfolding events proved everyone wrong, and made Emperor Qing's brow furrow even more deeply.

Just as the Forensic Bureau had deployed its forces to investigate, the killings by the Net not only did not stop, but escalated further, even to the point of being rampant!

Three days later, thunder roared again in Kyoto.

A high-ranking second-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue was murdered in his own heavily guarded residence.

The manner of death was exactly the same as before: a sword to the throat, and the chilling black spider mark remained on the wall.

A high-ranking official of the second rank! This was a pillar of the court, a key figure who could attend court, meet the emperor, and participate in decision-making! And yet, he died silently in his own bed, without even a scream.