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

"Your martial arts are unparalleled, I've taken note. Let's stop for now, there's always another day!"

Emperor Qing's voice came from the distant night sky, carrying a hint of resentment and coldness, before quickly disappearing.

Li Chengze stood still, looking in the direction where Emperor Qing had disappeared, without giving chase.

He knew that even if he caught up with Emperor Qing, he wouldn't be able to kill him.

Moreover, he is not in good condition right now.

"puff!"

Li Chengze suddenly removed his mask and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His once handsome face was now as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

"Father's domineering true energy is indeed well-deserved." Li Chengze wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"However, the objective has been achieved."

The reason he wore a mask tonight and acted as the "Bad Marshal" was twofold: firstly, to prevent Emperor Qing from spying, and secondly, to make Emperor Qing hesitate to act rashly. It was also to give Emperor Qing the illusion that the Bad Marshal's strength was nothing special.

"Zhao Gao," Li Chengze called softly.

In the darkness, Zhao Gao's figure appeared like a ghost.

"Your Highness."

"Clean this place up completely, leaving no trace. If anyone asks tomorrow, just say that an unknown expert was fighting outside the mansion, and the fighting affected the interior," Li Chengze instructed.

"Here you are."

Li Chengze turned and walked back to his study, reopened the secret room, and put the mask and black robe back.

When he put on that brocade robe again and walked out of the study, he transformed back into the lazy and carefree Second Prince.

…………

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

"Whoosh!"

A dark figure flashed in like lightning; it was Emperor Qing, who had just escaped from the Second Prince's residence.

He ripped off the black cloth covering his face, revealing his dignified yet now gloomy face.

"Cough cough..."

Emperor Qing clutched his chest, coughed violently a few times, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth again.

He walked to a nearby futon, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to practice his internal energy to heal his injuries.

A full hour passed before Emperor Qing slowly opened his eyes. His complexion had regained its rosy hue, but his gaze had become even more profound and terrifying.

"What domineering true energy!" Emperor Qing recalled the battle just now, still feeling incredibly shocked.

That person was not only a Grandmaster, but also a Grandmaster whose strength was in no way inferior to his!

Emperor Qing could guess who the Grandmaster was, but what puzzled him was that he was actually in the Second Prince's mansion. Had he been hiding in the Second Prince's mansion all along, or did the Second Prince know that he would be launching a surprise attack tonight and specially ask him to take action?

This is important to him.

If it's the former, then he will never have another chance to secretly search for Ye Qingmei's belongings at Li Chengze's residence. Moreover, the depth of Li Chengze's collusion with Luo Wang is probably beyond his imagination. If it's not the former, then it means that Li Chengze and Luo Wang's relationship is not particularly close, and he will still have a chance to go to Li Chengze's residence to search again later.

However, a strong killing intent flashed in Emperor Qing's eyes.

In any case, Li Chengze now possesses enough power to threaten him!

Then he must die!

…………

That night, the candles in Guangxin Palace burned all night long.

Li Yunrui leaned against the soft couch covered with thick snow fox fur, like a beautiful puppet whose strength had been drained, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight. The swaying flame cast shifting shadows in her pupils, just like her turbulent and chaotic emotions at that moment.

"Ye Qingmei..."

This name was like a thorn coated with deadly poison, deeply embedded in Li Yunrui's heart.

Even though that woman had been dead for over a decade, and her ashes should have long since turned to dust, those three words still haunted her like a nightmare, driving her to madness with jealousy and filling her with dread.

The blind woman in flowing white robes, always with a compassionate yet nonchalant smile on her face, the woman who single-handedly built a vast treasury, created the Censorate, and even put Emperor Qing on the throne.

She clearly didn't care about anything, yet she easily stole the attention of all the men in the world, captured Emperor Qing's heart, and took away everything Li Yunrui was so proud of.

Li Yunrui hated her, hated her to the core.

She devoted her entire life to imitating and surpassing, trying to prove to Emperor Qing and the whole world that she, Li Yunrui, was the most intelligent and noble woman in the Qing Kingdom.

However, no matter how hard she tried, the shadow of that dead man always loomed over the skies of Qing Kingdom.

Now, Li Chengze tells her that he has obtained what Ye Qingmei left behind.

Li Yunrui's breathing became rapid again, and her chest heaved violently.

What exactly is it?

However, Li Chengze's last words and his condescending gaze were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing half of the fervor in her heart.

"Want to see? Then we'll have to wait and see what Auntie does next."

Li Yunrui understood the meaning behind those words very well.

"To go, or not to go?"

This question tore at Li Yunrui's mind repeatedly, like two ferocious beasts tearing at each other.

Reason told her that the safest course of action was to stay away from Li Chengze and Ye Qingmei's belongings, and continue to be the high and mighty princess.

However, whenever she closed her eyes, an intense curiosity, like a cat's claws scratching at her heart, and an extreme desire for power, spread through her blood like poison.

She is not reconciled.

She desperately wanted to know what that woman had left behind.

As the endless torment and struggle continued, dawn gradually broke.

As the first rays of dawn streamed into Guangxin Palace through the carved windows, Li Yunrui slowly rose to her feet. She walked to the enormous bronze mirror and gazed at the woman reflected there, a woman who, though she hadn't slept all night, remained breathtakingly beautiful.

Her gaze, initially filled with confusion and entanglement, gradually settled, eventually transforming into a resolute madness.

"So what if it's an abyss?" Li Yunrui looked at himself in the mirror, a cold yet alluring smile playing on his lips. "In my entire life, have I, Li Yunrui, ever feared an abyss?"

Driven by both curiosity and ambition, she ultimately made her choice.

At dawn, a seemingly ordinary carriage bearing the secret markings of Guangxin Palace quietly drove out of the palace, sped through the empty streets of Kyoto, and finally stopped at the back gate of the Second Prince's residence.

Although the turmoil caused by the Imperial Guards surrounding the residence had just subsided, a tense atmosphere still lingered around the Second Prince's residence, with countless eyes from the Censorate and the palace lurking in the shadows.

However, Li Yunrui didn't care about that anymore. She wore a large black cloak, hiding her stunningly beautiful face deep in the shadow of the hood, and with the help of her trusted maid, she quickly stepped down from the carriage.

The steward of the Second Prince's residence seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time. Upon seeing Li Yunrui appear, he showed no surprise, but simply bowed deeply and said in a low voice, "Your Highness has been waiting for a long time. Please follow this old servant."

Li Yunrui didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

She followed behind the butler, through the many corridors and deep courtyards.

Along the way, she keenly sensed that a battle seemed to have taken place inside the Second Prince's residence, and many people were tidying up the courtyard.