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

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Consort Shu felt somewhat relieved. She stepped forward and gently stroked his head, saying softly, "Ze'er, you must remember that the palace is never short of clever people, but those who live the longest are often those who know how to conceal their talents. Your father... is a man of deep thoughts. You only need to be a good second prince, and don't try to do anything else."

"Yes."

Li Chengze responded, but inwardly he sneered.

Not practicing martial arts?

Of course, he doesn't practice martial arts openly.

But that doesn't mean he has to be a complete failure.

With the system in hand and Yuan Tiangang operating in the shadows, his plans had already extended far beyond the four walls of the palace.

"Since I cannot practice martial arts, then I will study." Li Chengze raised his head, a sly glint in his eyes, "like my mother, I will read all the books in the world."

Upon hearing this, Consort Shu finally showed a relieved smile: "Reading is good. Reading helps one understand principles and calms the mind. Whatever books you want to read in this palace collection, your mother will find them for you."

……

……

In the days that followed, the Qing Kingdom's palace lost one mischievous second prince and gained a little bookworm who spent all his time reading in Consort Shu's palace.

To outsiders, it seemed that the Second Prince had been influenced by Consort Shu, changed his temperament, and begun to cultivate his character.

When Emperor Qing heard about this, he merely smiled faintly and didn't take it to heart. In his view, it was a good thing for the princes to read more books, as long as they didn't form cliques or jeopardize military power, he could do whatever he wanted with them.

However, what no one knew was that the books in Li Chengze's hands were not just the writings of sages and saints.

He was reading the "Laws of the Kingdom of Qing," searching for loopholes and loopholes in them;

He was reading "The Geography of the World" and planning the infiltration routes of the future bad guys;

He was reading "Biographies of Merchants," thinking about how to use modern knowledge to amass wealth in this world and accumulate capital for future uprisings.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Li Chengze has been "in seclusion" in Consort Shu's palace for several months.

For the past few months, he has been reading constantly, from classics and historical texts to miscellaneous essays and travelogues.

Consort Shu was overjoyed to see her son so eager to learn. She brought out all her treasured rare books and even asked Emperor Qing for permission to borrow books from the royal library at will.

However, Li Chengze was not really just studying by rote.

In the palace school, the second prince who used to always doze off and tease the Grand Tutor was gone. In his place was a quick-witted and sharp-tongued "child prodigy".

"Grand Tutor, the book says, 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.' If that's the case, why are taxes becoming increasingly heavy, causing immense suffering to the people, while the court continues to renovate gardens?"

"Grand Tutor, if the method of water management is simply to block it, wouldn't that be like trying to stop boiling water by adding more water? Wouldn't it be much better if we could dredge and guide the flow, turning harm into benefit?"

In class, Li Chengze often posed seemingly naive but actually insightful questions, leaving the well-read old tutors speechless and then full of praise.

He did not fully reveal the wisdom of modern people, but cleverly wrapped some advanced ideas in the innocent questions of children, showing a state of "precociousness" without losing "childlike innocence".

This sense of proportion is just right.

Soon, the tutors in charge of instructing the princes were full of praise for the second prince.

"His Highness is exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted; he is truly a gem in the rough!"

"If this child is properly instructed, he will surely achieve great things in the future!"

These words of praise, as if they had grown wings, quickly flew out of the palace school, spread throughout the entire harem, and eventually reached the ears of the high and mighty Emperor Qing.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Emperor Qing, dressed in a loose white robe, was casually flipping through the memorials in his hands. Upon hearing the report from the chief eunuch, Eunuch Hou, his hand paused slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his deep eyes.

"Oh? That kid Chengze actually has such insight?"

Emperor Qing put down the memorial, a playful smile playing on his lips. "I remember he used to be the most restless one. How come he's suddenly changed so much, becoming so studious and intelligent?"

Eunuch Hou bowed deeply, his eyes darting around, and said with a fawning smile, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes. The Second Prince is your bloodline, so naturally he has inherited your wisdom and martial prowess. His intelligence, ah, he comes from you!"

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing laughed heartily, clearly pleased with the flattery. He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the scenery outside. However, the smile in his eyes gradually faded, transforming into a deep, calculating look.

"Follow me... Good, follow me."

Emperor Qing murmured to himself, his fingers lightly tapping on the window frame, "Since Chengze is so intelligent, then I, as his father, naturally cannot let him go to waste."

"By imperial decree, the Second Prince shall be granted a set of writing implements and a number of pastries from the Imperial Kitchen."

At this point, Emperor Qing paused, turned to look at Eunuch Hou, and said meaningfully, "Furthermore, have people spread the Second Prince's good name throughout the palace and beyond. My son is so outstanding, naturally the whole world should know about him."

Eunuch Hou immediately understood and knelt down to accept the order: "This old servant obeys! This old servant will go and do it right away, and will make sure that the Second Prince's talent and reputation resound throughout the capital!"

……

In the palace of Consort Shu.

Li Chengze was lounging lazily on the soft couch, holding a copy of "A General History of the Qing Kingdom" in his hands. He appeared to be reading, but in reality, his mind was already immersed in the system.

Suddenly, a pleasant notification sound rang in his mind:

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Reputation points +100!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Reputation points +200!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Reputation points +500!]

……

This series of rapid notification sounds startled Li Chengze slightly.

"What's going on? I haven't done anything earth-shattering lately, except for showing some interest in the Imperial Academy. How come my reputation points have increased so quickly?"

He opened the system panel with some doubt, only to see that his reputation points, which were originally only a few hundred, were now soaring at a visible speed, breaking through the five thousand mark in the blink of an eye.

Just then, the sound of palace maids whispering came from outside the hall.

"Have you heard? His Majesty praised the Second Prince for his exceptional intelligence and bestowed upon him many gifts!"

"Yes, yes, everyone outside is saying that the Second Prince is a child prodigy, with unparalleled talent, and will definitely be even more outstanding than the Crown Prince in the future!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, you can't say things like that..."

Upon hearing these comments, Li Chengze was taken aback at first, then a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

It turned out to be the case.

He knew it! How could such a small matter cause such a huge uproar? It turns out it was his good father, the emperor, who was stirring things up behind the scenes.

This is hardly the kind of fatherly love that is as solid as a mountain; it's blatant "praise to death"!

Emperor Qing felt that the Crown Prince had been living too comfortably lately, and wanted to sharpen himself, the "whetstone," to make the Crown Prince's nerves more sensitive and force him to feel a sense of crisis.

By putting himself in a precarious position and making himself the target of public criticism, this was Emperor Qing's tactic.

"Father, you're really good at using someone else to do your dirty work."

Li Chengze closed the book, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "However, you probably never dreamed that you were not only drawing hatred towards me, but also handing me 'ammunition'!"

For Li Chengze, who possesses a reputation system, reputation is power and resources!

Whether the reputation is good or bad, whether it's a compliment or a compliment, as long as it brings prestige, it's a good thing!

"Since you want me to be famous, then I'll grant your wish."

Li Chengze stood up, stretched, and revealed a domineering air on his youthful face that was completely out of character for his age.

"Let this fire burn as brightly as possible! When it gets so big that even you can't control it, let's see how you manage to clean it up!"

"System, open the exchange shop!"

Seeing his reputation points skyrocket, Li Chengze felt a surge of pride. With this unexpected windfall, his plans could be moved forward significantly!