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

Li Chengze loosened his fingers, letting his hair fall. "I've only just begun to show myself. My father wants to use me as a whetstone, and my aunt wants to use me as a shield. Since they both want to use me, I'll go with the flow, hide behind my aunt's gorgeous skirt, and openly reap what I want."

As he said this, a sly glint flashed in his eyes, the excitement of a hunter watching his prey fall into a trap.

"Right now, I am a prince who will stop at nothing to win favor. This image is perfect and safe. If the Luo Wang and the Bad People intervene at this time, muddy the waters too much, or even overturn the chessboard, then the game will not be fun, and Father will immediately realize that something is wrong."

"What I want is for them to unknowingly hand over their prestige and popular support to me, little by little. By the time they realize it..." Li Chengze chuckled and made a grasping gesture, "this chessboard will no longer belong to Emperor Qing's Li family, but to me, Li family."

Yuan Tiangang remained silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the deeper meaning of Li Chengze's words. After a long while, he nodded slightly, his voice behind the mask carrying a hint of approval: "Your Highness is far-sighted; I was rash. Since Your Highness intends to play this game of slowly boiling the frog, then I will have the Net lie dormant for the time being, acting only as eyes and ears, without resorting to force."

"That's right." Li Chengze nodded in satisfaction, then, as if suddenly remembering something, casually asked, "By the way, now that you're here, how did that matter go? My 'Great Snow Dragon Rider'."

Upon hearing these four words, Yuan Tiangang's body trembled slightly, and he exuded a solemn aura.

"Your Highness, I have found an excellent training ground in the frigid far north. Ten thousand young men of good character and excellent aptitude have been selected and have all been sent there."

"However..." Yuan Tiangang paused, then said in a deep voice, "The method of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry lies in the unity of man and horse, in that indomitable momentum. To train this unparalleled cavalry is not something that can be accomplished overnight. In my opinion, it will take at least eight more years before they begin to show their true potential."

"Eight years?"

Li Chengze blinked, then rolled over and lay flat on his back, his hands behind his head, looking at the canopy above him, his tone extremely relaxed.

"Eight years it is. Good things come to those who wait, and good relationships are never too late. What I have in abundance right now is time."

He yawned widely, drowsiness returning, and his voice became slurred: "Alright, since everything's alright, Commander, you should go back. Keep an eye on the north, and take good care of the troops' training; don't make those kids suffer."

"Your subordinate obeys."

Yuan Tiangang looked at the young prince on the bed, whose eyes were already closed and whose breathing was gradually becoming long and even. A slight smile seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth under the mask.

This prince may seem lazy, but he is actually quite shrewd and insightful.

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Tiangang's figure silently disappeared into the darkness, just as he had arrived.

A gentle breeze swept by, and the window slammed shut with a soft click.

Silence returned to the bedroom, with only Li Chengze's slightly heavy breathing remaining, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream.

Even in his sleep, Li Chengze's lips slightly... It seemed as if I had dreamt of the magnificent scene of ten thousand snow dragon riders, white horses and silver spears, trampling the heavens.

For the next three months, the people of Kyoto certainly had plenty of entertainment to enjoy.

The Second Prince, Li Chengze, and the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, were like two fighting cocks vying for territory. Every day, they were either arguing fiercely in the court over some policy decree, or competing with each other at poetry gatherings in various restaurants in the capital. Today the Crown Prince praised the beauty of the peach blossoms in the eastern suburbs, and tomorrow the Second Prince would say that the red leaves of the Western Hills were even better; the Crown Prince had just bestowed a jade pendant upon a talented scholar, and the Second Prince would immediately send that scholar a basket of grapes, with the noble saying, "Eat grapes without spitting out the grape skins, and be a person of integrity."

The two fought fiercely, making the entire court officials tremble with fear, while Emperor Qing watched with great interest from the depths of the palace.

However, beneath this seemingly tense exterior, Li Chengze enjoys a different kind of comfortable "private life."

Whenever he had a day off or a leisurely afternoon, he would change into casual clothes, shake off those annoying eyes and quietly go to see Lin Wan'er.

In the pavilion of the royal villa, a gentle breeze ripples across the lake, carrying the fragrance of lotus blossoms.

"Wan'er, try this."

As if by magic, Li Chengze pulled out a delicate white jade pot from his pocket and presented it to Lin Wan'er like a treasure. "This is 'rootless water' that I had collected from the snowy mountains of the far north. It is the purest and sweetest, and it's good for the throat."

Lin Wan'er was wearing a light pink dress today. Although her complexion was still a little pale, her eyes were bright and sparkling. She took the jade pot and smiled a little shyly, "Second cousin, you always bring these strange and unusual waters. I'm almost turned into a water bucket by you."

"Oh, you're mistaken." Li Chengze squatted on the stone bench, casually peeled a grape and stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, "Water is the source of life. Drink more water, it's good for your health. Drink up, don't waste your cousin's good intentions."

Lin Wan'er couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she obediently tilted her head back and drank a few mouthfuls.

The cool liquid flowed down my throat, not as icy as I had imagined, but instead transformed into a warm current that instantly spread throughout my body. The dull pain that had lingered in my chest for years miraculously dissipated somewhat under the wash of this warm current.

Little did she know that this so-called "rootless water from the snow mountain" contained a "marrow cleansing pill" produced by the system.

As the days went by, Lin Wan'er's changes became visible to the naked eye.

In the first month, she stopped coughing all night and her sleep became peaceful and sweet.

In the second month, a healthy blush began to appear on her pale cheeks, and she was no longer out of breath when she walked.

In the third month, when the imperial physician took her pulse as usual, he was shocked to find that the tuberculosis that had plagued the princess for many years had actually been cured!

His lungs were strong and powerful, and his breathing was long and deep; he showed no signs of being sickly at all.

This is simply a medical miracle!

The entire Lin household wept with joy, and Lin Ruofu himself was overcome with tears. Only after the initial elation did the prime minister and Princess Li Yunrui, who was deep in the palace, fall into deep thought.

They are all extremely shrewd and intelligent people.

The imperial physicians had been trying to cure him for over a decade without success, so how come he suddenly recovered in just three months?

Moreover, every time Wan'er returned from seeing Li Chengze outside, her complexion was significantly better than before she left. Once could be a coincidence, twice could be luck, but what about the third time, the fourth time, or even every three months?

Lin Ruofu sat in his study, his fingers lightly tapping the table. A complex light flashed in his eyes, which eventually turned into a long sigh, and he chose to remain silent.

Li Yunrui, on the other hand, reacted much more directly.

……

Your portable library contains more than ten thousand volumes.