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

The deathly silence outside the East Palace's study was broken by a series of light, hurried footsteps.

"Your Highness... Your Highness..."

The voice coming from outside the door belonged to the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace. His voice was filled with undisguised fear, trembling, and a sense of utter despair at the impending doom. The sound traveled through the heavy golden nanmu door into the study, sounding somewhat muffled, yet it struck the messy floor like a heavy hammer blow.

"Second Prince... the Second Prince has arrived..."

As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, Li Chengqian, who was slumped next to the bookshelf and reeking of alcohol, suddenly jolted.

This is an almost instinctive physiological response.

For more than 20 years, the three words "Second Prince" or "Li Chengze" have been the biggest nightmare in his life, the mortal enemy he guards against day and night, and the root of his constant anxiety in the Eastern Palace.

Whenever he heard this name, his nerves would instantly tense up, and his brain would start racing, trying to figure out what trap the other party had set in the court, which minister he had won over, and how he should retaliate.

But today, when that name was mentioned again, Li Chengqian's mind went blank.

He didn't immediately stand up to straighten his clothes as usual, nor did he think about how to deal with the situation, or even why the guards outside the door hadn't stopped him.

Because he knew it was all over.

The death knell has tolled, the situation is settled, and the opponent who once fought him on the chessboard has now overturned the entire chessboard and become the new master of this imperial city and even the whole world.

Li Chengqian's body stiffened for only a moment. Before he could make any move, or even before he could tell the eunuchs outside to leave, the study door was pushed open.

There was no notification, no waiting for permission, and not even a knock on the door.

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden door made a dull creaking sound, and the sunlight from outside poured in through the cracks, piercing the dim and murky air in the study.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, a figure stepped over the high threshold and entered the study, a room that symbolized the crown prince's status but was now like ruins.

Li Chengze stopped and glanced around the study.

The floor was littered with shards of porcelain, from a Ru kiln vase bestowed by the emperor; torn pieces of paper, from the authentic handwriting of a great Confucian scholar of the time; a broken jade ruyi scepter; a toppled rosewood table; and the air thick with the pungent, acrid smell of cheap liquor.

All of this tells the story of the breakdown and madness that the owner of this house had just experienced.

However, Li Chengze's eyes remained calm.

There was no arrogance of the victors, no ecstatic joy of revenge, no mockery of the losers, not even the slightest ripple.

Li Chengqian looked utterly disheveled. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot and red, his luxurious princely robes were stained with wine and dust, and he was clutching the edge of an empty wine jar tightly in his hand.

Li Chengze stood there quietly, looking down at Li Chengqian, who was slumped on the ground, without saying a word.

He didn't speak, and Li Chengqian didn't move either.

A suffocating silence fell over the study.

This deathly silence was more terrifying than the clamor outside the door. It was like an invisible knife, slowly cutting away the thin veil between the two men that was called "brotherhood" but was in reality "mortal enemies."

In the past, whenever they met, even before the Emperor, they would speak in the gentlest tone, yet with the most barbed words, every syllable concealing murderous intent, every glance testing the other's limits. They were accustomed to verbal battles, accustomed to masking their inner killing intent with false smiles.

But now, it's no longer necessary.

The outcome is decided, life and death are predetermined. All pretense, all probing, all scheming become meaningless in the face of absolute power and a predetermined ending.

Li Chengqian looked up at Li Chengze, who was standing in front of him against the backlight, and his dry, cracked lips moved slightly.

He wanted to laugh, but the muscles in his face had become stiff from prolonged tension and the numbing effect of alcohol.

He tried to force a smile, creating an arc that looked even uglier than crying.

"Congratulations, Second Brother."

Li Chengqian spoke slowly, his voice hoarse as if two rough stones were rubbing against each other, carrying a strong smell of alcohol and a deep weariness.

The moment those five words were uttered, the air in the study seemed to freeze for a moment.

Li Chengze was slightly taken aback.

A rare look of astonishment finally flashed across his usually calm and collected eyes.

Second brother.

This is such an unfamiliar and distant title.

In Li Chengze's memory, ever since Li Chengqian was made crown prince, and ever since he was pushed out by his father as a whetstone for the crown prince, they had never addressed each other in that way again.

In the imperial court, they are "His Highness the Crown Prince" and "Second Prince," sharing the same blood, yet engaging in the most brutal battles in the world. They are ruler and subject, rivals, enemies, but never brothers.

Li Chengqian never called him "Second Brother," and he never treated Li Chengqian as his younger brother.

But now, at this moment when the Eastern Palace is about to fall and the imperial power is about to change hands, Li Chengqian called out "Second Brother".

A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Li Chengze's heart.

That address of "Second Brother" contained no mockery, no resentment, only a calm acceptance of one's fate. It was like a key that suddenly unlocked the door between the two that had been sealed by power for over twenty years, allowing them, for a brief moment, to return to the essential bond of blood ties.

Li Chengqian shed his "crown prince" persona and, as a younger brother, offered his congratulations to his victorious elder brother.

The surprise in Li Chengze's eyes vanished in an instant, and he quickly regained his composure.

He looked at Li Chengqian and knew that the other party had completely given up resisting. The heart that had once beaten wildly for the throne was now completely dead.

"I've come to tell you something."

Li Chengze finally spoke. His voice was calm, without the condescension of a victor or the arrogance of someone high above, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

"I won't lay a hand on you or my older brother."

Li Chengze looked into Li Chengqian's eyes and said, word by word, "You and your elder brother will both be first-class princes."

The sentence echoed in the empty study, each word carrying immense weight.

First-class prince.

This is the highest title in the Southern Qing royal family besides the emperor, representing endless wealth and honor, and a supreme position second only to the emperor.

For a deposed crown prince who had just failed in his bid for the throne, this was an incredible blessing.

Throughout history, princes who failed in the struggle for the throne were considered extremely fortunate to have survived, let alone be granted the title of a first-class prince.

Li Chengze paused before finishing his sentence, looking intently at Li Chengqian.