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

In the south of the city, there is a luxurious restaurant called "Xiaoyaoju".

On the surface, this place is a place for high-ranking officials to seek pleasure, but in reality, it is an important intelligence relay station set up by Princess Li Yunrui in the capital, responsible for collecting dirt and secrets on officials from all sides.

It was late at night, and the restaurant had long since closed, but a brightly lit secret room in the backyard was still occupied by several stewards busy organizing intelligence.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the heavy iron door of the secret room was blasted open by a terrifying internal force, and the door flew backward, smashing the two stewards into a bloody pulp on the spot.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a group of men in black, armed with crossbows and with icy eyes, rushed in.

"Who goes there?! This is the Princess's..." a steward shouted in alarm, trying to intimidate the other party by mentioning Li Yunrui's name.

However, his response was the dense sound of crossbow bolts piercing the air.

"Whoosh whoosh-"

A dozen crossbow bolts instantly turned the steward into a pincushion; he didn't even have time to scream before collapsing into a pool of blood.

"Kill! Leave no one alive! Burn all the files!" The leader of the men in black coldly issued the order.

A one-sided massacre unfolded in the secret room. Screams, pleas for mercy, and the dull thuds of swords piercing flesh mingled together, creating a scene resembling a living hell.

A moment later, several men in black piled up the files and ledgers in the center of the secret room, poured oil on them, and lit torches.

The raging flames instantly engulfed the entire secret chamber, swallowing up the secrets and lives hidden in the darkness. The men in black glanced coldly at the burning inferno, then turned and swiftly retreated.

The same massacre was unfolding simultaneously in various corners of Kyoto.

A senior official from the Ministry of Justice was hacked to death in the alley on his way home, and his body was thrown into a stinking ditch.

A deputy commander of the city defense battalion was poisoned to death in his concubine's bed; his death was gruesome.

At the same time, the three money shops under the Princess’s name were robbed by unidentified masked men. The managers and employees were all killed, all their gold, silver and valuables were stolen, and the account books were burned.

Even some officials who were only slightly biased towards the Second Prince and had spoken up for him in court were beheaded in their sleep.

This was a purge without trial, without charges, only absolute slaughter!

Emperor Qing sat on the dragon throne in the imperial study, listening to Eunuch Hou come in every incense stick's time to report the list of the dead. His face showed no pity, only a cold and ruthless satisfaction from controlling life and death.

"Your Majesty, Vice Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue has been executed."

"Your Majesty, Zuixianju has been razed to the ground, and all those involved have been killed."

"Your Majesty, the deputy commander of the city defense battalion, Wang, is dead..."

Each name announced represents the erasure of a precious life, and signifies a reduction in Li Chengze and Li Yunrui's influence in the court.

Blood stained the night in Kyoto.

The pervasive stench of blood in the air even masked the delicate fragrance of the autumn chrysanthemums.

On this terrifying night, no one knew who would be the next to die.

All of this was being observed by pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows.

Those officials who had even a slight bias in the court were gripped by an invisible fear, even in their sleep, their undergarments soaked with cold sweat.

At this time, Guangxin Palace was shrouded in the shadow of death.

Yan Xiaoyi, the commander of the Imperial Guards and a top-ranking archer, personally led five hundred fully armed elite Imperial Guards to completely surround Guangxin Palace.

The cold arrow rested on the bowstring, gleaming with a chilling light.

All the palace gates were sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

The eunuchs and maids inside Guangxin Palace trembled with fear, huddled in a corner and sobbed softly.

They didn't know what had happened, only that the usually aloof and arrogant princess was not in the palace, and that the imperial guards outside seemed ready to rush in and slaughter them at any moment.

Yan Xiaoyi stood outside the gates of Guangxin Palace, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. He stroked the longbow in his hand, his heart filled with doubt.

Why did His Majesty suddenly order the sealing off of Guangxin Palace?

Where did the eldest princess go?

What do the faint sounds of battle and the flickering flames coming from within Kyoto mean?

……

The long and bloody night has finally passed.

When the first rays of dawn pierced through the thick clouds and shone upon the ancient and vast city of Kyoto, they brought not warmth, but rather illuminated the sins and terror that littered the land.

Early morning should be the busiest time in Kyoto.

The cries of breakfast vendors, the rumble of horse-drawn carriages, and the greetings of officials rushing to court should intertwine to create a bustling scene of everyday life.

However, today, the entire city of Kyoto is shrouded in a deathly silence.

The strong, lingering smell of blood in the air was so pungent it made people want to vomit.

As daylight broke, those horrific tragedies began to be discovered one after another.

"People are dead! Lord Zhao's entire family has been slaughtered!" A piercing scream shattered the morning's tranquility.

Immediately following, as if triggering a chain reaction, screams of terror echoed throughout Kyoto.

"Zui Xian Ju has been burned to the ground, and it's full of charred corpses!"

"General Wang is dead in his bed, bleeding from all seven orifices!"

"Chief Li of the Ministry of Justice is gone!"

Panic, like a plague, swept through the entire city of Kyoto in a very short time.

Ordinary people were so frightened that they kept their doors and windows tightly shut, not daring to even breathe, for fear of getting into trouble. As for the court officials, they were even more grief-stricken, their faces ashen.

When they nervously put on their court robes and prepared to go to the palace for court, they found that more than half of the familiar faces were gone!

Those who didn't come were all, without exception, people who were close to the Second Prince or officials under the Princess's command!

At that moment, everyone understood.

This is neither a feud between江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) nor a bandit uprising.

This is for cleaning!

The entire imperial court was shaken!

The square in front of the Taiji Hall was deathly silent.

Those officials who survived, whether they were from the Crown Prince's faction or the neutral faction, all hung their heads and their bodies trembled slightly uncontrollably.

They didn't even dare to look up at the high dragon throne, fearing they would be the next to lose their heads.

Too bad!

Overnight, dozens of court officials were killed, and almost all of the princess's secret influence in the capital was eliminated!

This ruthless approach and reckless madness made everyone deeply aware of Emperor Qing's terrifying power.

……

The Second Prince's Residence.

In the guest rooms in the backyard, sunlight streamed through the windows and onto the floor.

Li Yunrui suddenly sat up in bed.

She couldn't sleep all night; the inexplicable restlessness and unease in her heart almost drove her crazy.

Without taking off her clothes, she rolled over and got out of bed, her beautiful face covered in frost.

"Li Chengze!"