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

Inside the Imperial Study, the light was dim, with only a few Changxin Palace lanterns emitting a faint glow.

After Fan Xian left, Emperor Qing did not immediately review the memorials. He remained in that languid posture, half-reclining on the soft couch, the polished iron arrowhead in his hand nimbly turning between his fingertips, emitting a soft "whooshing" sound as it cut through the air.

"His Majesty."

A dark figure emerged from behind the screen like a ghost and knelt on the ground. It was none other than Gong Dian, the commander of the imperial guards.

"That kid Fan Xian, he's like a dog, his nose is incredibly sharp." Emperor Qing's lips curled into a half-smile, but his eyes were so deep that no one dared to look him in the eye. "Now that he's got his eye on the second son, this matter won't be so easily resolved."

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is young and intelligent, perhaps it's just that..." Gong Dian lowered his head, carefully choosing his words.

"Intelligent?" Emperor Qing scoffed, abruptly stopping the arrow in his hand, its tip pointing straight into the void. "Being too intelligent isn't always a good thing."

Emperor Qing slowly sat up straight, the languor in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by the supreme majesty of an emperor.

"Go check."

It consists of only two simple words, yet they convey the coldness of royalty.

"Investigate whether the Second Prince knows Si Lili's identity. Investigate whether there are any other connections between him and Northern Qi besides the business with the Imperial Treasury. Investigate the people coming and going from his residence, especially the rumors circulating about him and the Luo Wang. I want to know whether these are just rumors or true."

"And..." Emperor Qing paused, his gaze lingering on the window, "have he and Yun Rui been seeing each other a little too often lately?"

"Yes! Your subject obeys!" Gong Dian accepted the order, and with a flash, disappeared into the darkness.

Emperor Qing lay back down on the soft couch, closed his eyes, and gently tapped the armrest with his fingers.

"Second Prince, I gave you the power to establish your own residence, to make you a whetstone for the Crown Prince. But if this stone is too hard and breaks the blade, I will be displeased..."

……

The Royal Villa, Lin Wan'er's residence.

Pavilions and terraces, waterside pavilions and fragrant flowers.

Lin Wan'er was holding Si Lili's hand, chatting enthusiastically about interesting things in the capital. Although Si Lili was apprehensive, she was, after all, a professionally trained spy, and maintained a polite smile on her face, occasionally chiming in and making the naive princess giggle.

Li Chengze sat to the side, peeling a grape in his hand, his gaze shifting between the two of them.

"Wan'er."

He suddenly spoke, his voice gentle and warm.

"Second cousin?" Lin Wan'er turned her head, her big eyes blinking.

"I suddenly remembered that I still have some trivial matters to attend to at the manor, so I must take my leave first." Li Chengze stood up, patted the juice off his hands, and said with a smile, "Miss Lili can stay here to keep you company. I'll have someone come and pick her up later."

"Oh? You're leaving?" Lin Wan'er was a little reluctant, but she still nodded obediently. "Alright then, Second Cousin, business is important."

Upon hearing this, Si Lili stiffened slightly, a hint of pleading in her eyes.

Leaving her here alone, facing the princess's daughter, is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Li Chengze seemed not to notice her gaze. He simply walked to her side, bent down, and whispered in her ear, "Stay put with the princess and don't say anything carelessly. The scenery in this villa is beautiful, but if you take the wrong path, you might fall into the lake and drown."

The warm breath sprayed on her ear, but Si Lili felt a chill rush straight to the top of her head.

"Yes... Your Highness," she replied in a trembling voice.

Li Chengze smiled with satisfaction, turned around and strode away.

After leaving the villa, he did not return to his residence. Instead, he dismissed his attendants and walked alone through several quiet palace paths, heading straight towards Guangxin Palace.

……

Guangxin Palace.

This is the residence of Princess Li Yunrui, a place usually filled with the fragrance of flowers and laughter.

Today, however, the entire palace is shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere.

The palace maids and eunuchs were all silent, not daring to make a sound even when walking, for fear of offending His Highness.

Inside the hall, Li Yunrui was dressed in plain clothes, without any makeup, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders. She had lost some of her usual elegance and nobility, but gained a sickly beauty and madness.

She was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, staring intently at her reflection, her eyes sinister and cold.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince requests an audience."

A trembling voice came from outside the door announcing the news.

Li Yunrui paused slightly in her hand holding the eyebrow pencil, then sneered, "What's he doing here? To laugh at me? Tell him to get lost!"

"Why is Aunt angry?"

Before the words were finished, a lazy voice came in.

Li Chengze pushed open the palace door and walked in against the light. He was still barefoot, stepping on the cool gold brick floor, with that signature harmless smile on his face.

"How dare you! Who let you in!" Li Yunrui turned around abruptly, slamming the eyebrow pencil in her hand to the ground, breaking it in two.

If it were anyone else, seeing the princess in such a state, they would have already been terrified and begged for mercy. But Li Chengze seemed oblivious to her anger, and walked over to the soft couch to sit down, even casually picking up a candied fruit from the plate and popping it into his mouth.

"Auntie, the candied fruit from Guangxin Palace is sweeter than anywhere else," Li Chengze mumbled, chewing on a piece of candied fruit.

Li Yunrui stared intently at him, her chest heaving violently. After a long while, she took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the violence in her heart, and looked coldly at Li Chengze.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was no longer gentle, but carried a chilling coldness.

Li Chengze swallowed the candied fruit, clapped his hands, looked up at Li Yunrui, and the smile in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep and indifferent look he had never seen before.

"Don't worry, Aunt."

He said calmly, his tone as even as if he were commenting on the weather, "Fan Xian's investigation of Northern Qi won't find anything here. As for Lin Gong... he can't speak."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui's pupils suddenly contracted.

"What did you say?" She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her seemingly familiar nephew. "You killed Lin Gong?"

"I didn't say that." Li Chengze shrugged. "I just said that Lin Gong couldn't speak properly and exposed his aunt. As for whether he's dead or not, that has nothing to do with his aunt."

Li Yunrui sneered, slowly stood up, and walked step by step to Li Chengze.

"Li Chengze, who do you think you are?" She looked down at him, her eyes full of mockery. "You're nothing but a whetstone pushed out by my elder brother, a target for the Crown Prince to practice on. You think you can boss me around just because you've got a little cleverness?"

"You've come today to demonstrate your power to me? To tell me you can protect me?"

Li Yunrui's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a hint of hysterical madness, "I don't need it! I am the eldest princess! This imperial treasury belongs to me! This world... also belongs to me!"

Despite Li Yunrui's outburst, Li Chengze's expression remained unchanged.

He slowly stood up.

He walked step by step toward Li Yunrui until the distance between them was less than a foot.

Li Yunrui instinctively tried to back away, but found that her feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move. It was an instinctive reaction locked in by an emotion called "fear".

Li Chengze extended his hand.

That hand was fair and slender, with distinct knuckles; it was usually only used for turning pages and peeling grapes.

At this moment, the hand slowly rose, gently yet irresistibly lifting Li Yunrui's delicate chin.

Li Yunrui trembled, her eyes widened, and she stared at him in disbelief.

"you……"

"Shhh."

Li Chengze raised a finger and put it to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

His fingers slid down Li Yunrui's chin and caressed her long, fair neck.

The fingertips were icy cold and had a delicate feel, yet they gave Li Yunrui a suffocating sensation, as if he were being entangled by a venomous snake.

Li Chengze crouched down slightly, his gaze level with Li Yunrui's. His eyes, which always held a smile, were now unfathomable, as if they held mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Whatever Auntie thinks."

His voice was soft and gentle, like a whisper to a lover, yet it uttered the most chilling words: "Whether you don't need me or you look down on me, there's one thing Auntie needs to remember."

"The matter of Northern Qi ends here."

Li Chengze gently tapped Li Yunrui's carotid artery with his finger, feeling the intense throbbing. "Father will definitely investigate me next. Because I took in Si Lili, and there are some rumors circulating in the martial arts world."

"so……"

Li Chengze leaned close to Li Yunrui's ear, his breath warm on her cheek, "For the time being, Auntie, you'd better behave yourself. Don't do anything foolish, and don't try to contact the people of Northern Qi. Otherwise, if you ruin my plans..."

His hand tightened suddenly for a moment, then loosened, landing gently on Li Yunrui's shoulder, patting it lightly as if soothing a frightened cat.

"My nephew will be very sad."

After saying this, Li Chengze straightened up, his face once again displaying that harmless smile.

"Alright, I've delivered the message. I won't disturb your rest any longer, Aunt."

He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and strode barefoot out of the hall.

"Oh, right."

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said without turning his head, "Auntie, Guangxin Palace is too deserted. I'll send over a few pots of chrysanthemums another day to add some life to it."

After saying that, his figure disappeared outside the palace gate.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

Li Yunrui remained frozen in that position. Her hand slowly moved to her neck, where the icy touch of Li Chengze's fingertips still seemed to linger.

"Li Chengze..."

She murmured the name softly, her eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

She discovered that she could no longer see through her nephew at all.

Before, she thought he was just a boy with some talent and a bit of cleverness, a pawn she could use and control. But just now, in that instant, she clearly felt a chilling sensation, like being stared at by a ferocious beast.

That look in her eyes, that aura, was even more terrifying than that of her imperial brother.

"Help me take down the Northern Qi..."

Li Yunrui slumped onto the soft couch, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.

Do you think you're stronger than me? More capable of managing this situation?

At this moment, the eldest princess suddenly remembered what Li Chengze had once told her: if she failed, she should go to him... Was that really just a joke?

After a while, Li Yunrui slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the scenery outside, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Do you think you're stronger than me? More capable of managing this situation?

Although she didn't know what methods Li Chengze possessed that gave him such confidence that he could single-handedly take on the Northern Qi, who was she, Li Yunrui? She was the eldest princess who controlled the inner treasury and manipulated events in the court; how could she possibly obey a junior?

"Hmph, you think you can make me behave? Dream on!"

A glint of madness flashed in Li Yunrui's eyes.

However, she did not choose to continue contacting the people in Northern Qi. Although Li Chengze's words were arrogant, they were not without reason. At present, Emperor Qing and the Imperial Censorate were both watching Northern Qi, and if she made any moves now, she could easily get herself into trouble.

"Since we can't contact them directly, let's try another method."

Li Yunrui turned around and walked to the desk, picked up his pen and wrote a secret letter.

"I'm not doing this to help you divert Emperor Qing's attention; I'm just afraid that you won't be able to handle it on your own and that in the end, the investigation will still come back to me."

She muttered to herself, sealed the secret letter, and summoned her trusted palace maid.

"Send this letter out to our informant in Northern Qi."

……

Outside the Second Prince's residence.

Several figures dressed in black were silently lurking in the shadows. They were spies sent by Emperor Qing, and also skilled members of the Detective Agency.

"Boss, the Second Prince's residence doesn't seem to be heavily guarded," a spy whispered. "Shouldn't we just sneak in?"

The lead spy frowned, staring at the seemingly peaceful mansion, a strange unease rising in his heart.

"Don't be careless. His Majesty said that the Second Prince is not simple."

Just as they were about to take action, a gentle breeze suddenly blew by.

There seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the wind.

"Who goes there?!" The lead spy turned around abruptly.

Suddenly, several figures appeared in the alley behind them.

These people were dressed in black, wearing various masks, some holding long swords, others wielding double blades, and exuding a suffocating murderous aura.

"The net is in place, the shrew is startled."

A woman with a graceful figure and wearing a pink mask coldly uttered four words.

"A net that covers the sun."

Another man, wielding a red longsword, spoke in a deep, thunderous voice.

The spies' faces turned deathly pale instantly.

"The Net?! You... how did you get here?!"

"By order of His Highness, I am cleaning up the trash."

Jingni drew her sword, its light as clear as water, slicing through the night sky.

"Leave no one alive."

At a single command, a silent massacre erupted in the alley.

After a short while, the smell of blood gradually dissipated.

The bodies were silently dragged away, and the bloodstains on the ground were cleaned up completely.

The gates of the Second Prince's residence remained tightly shut, as if nothing had happened.

Author "Invincible Demon King F" recommends reading "Joy of Life: I, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!" using the "Renren Bookstore" APP. Download and install it.