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

A vast collection of fantasy novels to satisfy your reading preferences.

"You can leave, you can go back to Danzhou to escape all of this. But what about me? Anzhi, tell me, where should I go? Where can I go?"

Chen Pingping's voice trembled, carrying a deep-seated confusion and despair.

He abruptly threw off his woolen cloak, pointed to his crippled legs, and to the dark, cold basement, roaring hoarsely, "My life, my legs, every day and every breath I've taken in the past twenty years, has been for her! For your mother, Ye Qingmei!"

Fan Xian was shocked. This was the first time he had ever seen Chen Pingping so out of control and so hysterical.

"I found out, Anzhi, I finally found out!" Chen Pingping's eyes were red, tears streaming down his deeply lined old face. "The massacre at Taiping Villa back then wasn't the Empress Dowager, not the Empress, not those so-called conservative old ministers! The real mastermind, the one who transferred Wu Zhu, transferred me, withdrew all the guards, and watched Xiao Yezi being killed... was Emperor Qing! The man who claimed to love her, yet destroyed her with his own hands out of fear of her power!"

This earth-shattering secret exploded in the dark room. Although Fan Xian had a vague suspicion in his heart, the confirmation from Chen Pingping at this moment still made him feel suffocated.

"Do you know what I was thinking the moment I found out the truth?" Chen Pingping's emotions suddenly calmed down, becoming eerily calm. He gently stroked the armrest of the wheelchair, as if caressing a lover's skin.

"I felt no anger; I even felt a sense of relief. Because I had finally found the ultimate purpose in my life."

"I began to plot, I began to scheme. I knew he was a Grandmaster, I knew no one in this world could kill him. So I turned the Forensic Institute into a net, I turned myself into a blade. I installed the most powerful firearm in the world into my wheelchair, and every day I rehearsed in my mind that one day, when he was pushing my wheelchair, when he was completely unsuspecting, I would pull the trigger and blast that hypocritical face into a pulp!"

"I'm even prepared to perish together with him. As long as I can kill him and avenge Xiao Yezi, I'm willing to suffer a thousand cuts, or even have the entire Qing Kingdom buried with him!"

At this point, Chen Pingping's body trembled violently, his hands gripping the handrails tightly, his fingernails turning white from the force.

"But...but he's dead!"

Chen Pingping suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with endless emptiness and absurdity.

"He's dead! His death was so sudden, so tragic, he didn't even give me a chance to ask him 'why'!"

"Anzhi, do you understand that feeling?" Chen Pingping's voice became weak and feeble, as if all her life force had been drained away at this moment.

"You used all your strength to hone a peerless sword, ready to slay a dragon. But when you finally climbed the mountain and drew the sword, you found that the dragon had already died of old age in its cave."

"Then what about all my preparations? What about me becoming this inhuman, monstrous old poisoner? Who can I vent all this hatred on?!"

Chen Pingping, in her wheelchair, was overcome with tears.

He wasn't grieving for Emperor Qing's death; he was grieving for his stolen life and the right to revenge that had been taken from him.

Looking at the frail old man before him, Fan Xian felt an indescribable sorrow welling up in his heart.

He stepped forward, half-squatted in front of Chen Pingping's wheelchair, and grasped the old woman's cold, trembling hand.

"Dean, it's all in the past. The late emperor is dead, and my mother's revenge, no matter who avenged her, has finally been achieved. You should let it go," Fan Xian said softly, though he knew how pale and powerless such comfort was.

"Let go?" Chen Pingping smiled sadly. "Anzhi, some things, once picked up, grow into your flesh and blood. Forcing them out will kill you."

A long silence fell over the dark room once again.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Pingping slowly composed himself. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with a silk handkerchief. Although his eyes were still dim, they had regained some of their former clarity.

"You just said you wanted to resign and return to Danzhou?" Chen Pingping looked at Fan Xian, his tone becoming calm.

"Yes." Fan Xian nodded.

Chen Pingping shook her head slightly, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "Anzhi, Anzhi, you're still too naive. Do you think you can just leave now if you want to?"

Fan Xian frowned: "The world is now at peace. I have neither military power nor any allies, and I pose no threat to His Majesty. Why won't he let me leave?"

"Because you are Ye Qingmei's son, because you are the Director of the Censorate, and even more so because you are too clever." Chen Pingping withdrew his hand, his gaze becoming profound. "You yourself just said that the current Emperor is more ruthless and direct than the late Emperor. The late Emperor liked to play power games, liked to watch his ministers fight amongst themselves while he acted as the judge from above. But Li Chengze is different."

"Li Chengze was a true tyrant, but also a true ruler. He had no tolerance for any variables that were not under his control."

Chen Pingping pointed to the ceiling, where the Detective Agency's massive complex stood, the largest and most terrifying intelligence network in the entire Qing Kingdom.

"The Censorate was established by Xiao Yezi. It is independent of the Six Ministries and only obeys the imperial power. Under the late emperor, the Censorate was a tool he used to monitor officials and balance the court. But for Li Chengze, the existence of the Censorate itself is a huge threat."

"He has the Great Snow Dragon Riders, and he has that elusive rogue. His intelligence network and assassination capabilities have even surpassed the Imperial Censorate. Do you think an emperor with such terrifying power would allow such a behemoth as the Imperial Censorate to sleep soundly beside his bed?"

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat; he suddenly realized something: "You mean... His Majesty intends to take action against the Censorate?"

"It's not that he's about to take action, it's that he's already preparing to take action." Chen Pingping sneered. "The external war is over, and the army needs to recuperate. Next, he wants to clean up the court and completely centralize power. And the Censorate is the first thorn he must remove."

"If he doesn't remove the Censorate, how can he sit securely on that dragon throne? If he doesn't remove the Censorate, how can he prove to the world that he, Li Chengze, is the sole ruler of Daqing?"

"Then what should we do?" Fan Xian's voice was terribly hoarse. Although he still didn't quite believe that Li Chengze would actually target a department, at this point it was better to be safe than sorry. "Are we just going to sit here and wait to die? Let him tear down the Forensic Academy and crush us like ants?"