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

Guangxin Palace, a palace usually known for its tranquility and elegance, now seemed to have transformed into an active volcano about to erupt.

"You bastard! You worthless scoundrel!"

With a series of sharp screams, the exquisite blue and white porcelain vase, the priceless jade carving, and the jade ruyi that Li Yunrui usually loved to play with all turned into fragments on the ground.

The maids and eunuchs in the palace knelt on the ground, trembling, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles, not daring to even breathe.

They knew that Her Highness the Princess's "illness" had relapsed, and this time it was more serious than ever before.

Li Yunrui's hair was disheveled; her once meticulously styled hair was now a mess, with a few strands hanging down her forehead, obscuring her bloodshot phoenix eyes. She walked barefoot on the broken porcelain shards scattered on the ground, her soles stained with blood, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, her eyes fixed on the secret report that had just been delivered to her.

Those were "samples" scattered by the net.

Although it was only half a page of paper and the handwriting consisted of only a few lines, it was definitely her handwriting! It was a handwritten letter she wrote to Zhu Ge!

"Zhu Ge...you Zhu Ge!" Li Yunrui gritted her teeth, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with deep-seated hatred. "I have treated you well, promising you high office and a promising future, and yet you dare to betray me! You dare to hand these things over to the Luo Wang!"

She originally thought that Zhu Ge's disappearance meant he had at most been captured by Chen Pingping.

If that were the case, given Zhu Ge's stubborn nature, she might not confess. Even if she did, without physical evidence, she could still deny it outright. Even if Chen Pingping suspected her, without evidence, he couldn't take any action.

But she never expected that Zhu Ge would be so ruthless. Not only did he escape, but he also took all the correspondence with him and stabbed her in the back!

"Your Highness...Your Highness, please calm down..." The trusted maidservant raised her head tremblingly, her voice trembling with tears, "Your foot...is bleeding..."

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Li Yunrui suddenly swept his sleeve, knocking all the writing implements, paper, and inkstones off the table.

The palace maids and eunuchs, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out of the main hall, leaving only Li Yunrui standing amidst the chaos, his chest heaving violently.

After venting, the frenzied anger gradually subsided, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness and rationality.

She took a deep breath, walked to the dressing table, looked at the disheveled, ferocious-looking woman in the mirror, and suddenly curled the corners of her mouth into a strange smile.

"You want to see me make a fool of myself? You want to kill me?"

She picked up a comb and slowly and methodically combed her messy long hair, her eyes gradually becoming deep and unfathomable.

"Chen Pingping, you want to buy these letters to frame me. Luo Wang, you want to use this to make money."

"Okay, very good."

"Since you want to play, then I'll play with you to the very end. There's nothing in this world that I can't afford!"

……

Kyoto, an inconspicuous underground bank.

This is the temporary "auction venue" set up by Luo Wang. There is no noisy crowd, no buyers raising their paddles, only a square table, two masked men in black, and a wooden box on the table that is sealed tightly.

The wooden box contained evidence powerful enough to change the course of Kyoto.

The representative of the Forensic Institute was the newly appointed head of the First Division, and also Chen Pingping's confidant. His face was solemn, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Representing the eldest princess was a middle-aged man dressed in a gray cloth robe, with an unremarkable appearance. But the moment he opened his mouth, he exuded astonishing wealth and arrogance.

"Five hundred thousand taels." The middle-aged man casually stated a number, as if it were only fifty copper coins.

The head of the Forensic Science Bureau twitched slightly. Five hundred thousand taels! Although the Forensic Science Bureau wielded immense power, its funding was ultimately limited, and most of it was used to maintain its network of secret agents across various regions. To suddenly come up with five hundred thousand taels in cash was a significant financial blow.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand taels." The organizer gritted his teeth and announced his bottom line.

"Six hundred thousand taels." The middle-aged man didn't even lift his eyelids before raising the price.

The organizer clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

He knew that this was not just a matter of money, but also a matter of power.

If the Forensic Science Institute can't even afford to buy back evidence against its own traitors, its prestige in the martial arts world and the imperial court will be greatly diminished.

But, six hundred thousand taels...

"Seven hundred thousand taels!" The organizer was going all in; this was the maximum authority Chen Pingping had given him. Any higher and the Censorate's pension fund would have to be used.

The middle-aged man finally raised his head, glanced at the organizer, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

One million taels.

boom!

These three words resounded like thunder in the cramped basement.

The host was ashen-faced and slumped weakly in his chair. One million taels of silver—this was an astronomical sum! In the entire Qing Kingdom, apart from the national treasury, perhaps only the eldest princess, who controlled the nation's wealth, the "Inner Treasury," could so casually produce such a huge amount of money.

"Thank you for the favor." The middle-aged man stood up and took out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket. These were special drafts issued by the Imperial Treasury, which were redeemable on demand and were fair to all, young and old.

Sitting in the chair. One million taels of silver—that's an astronomical figure! Looking across the entire Qing Kingdom, apart from the national treasury, perhaps only the eldest princess, who controls the "inner treasury," the source of all wealth in the world, could so casually take out such a huge sum of money.

"Thank you for the favor." The middle-aged man stood up and took out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket. These were special drafts issued by the Imperial Treasury, which were redeemable on demand and were fair to all, young and old.

The black-clad man from the Luowang organization took the silver notes, counted them, and then pushed the wooden box in front of the middle-aged man.

"Cash on delivery. Our reputation is impeccable; we treat everyone fairly, young and old."

The middle-aged man opened the wooden box, quickly flipped through it a few times, and after confirming that it was indeed an authentic work, he immediately closed the lid, turned around and left, not daring to linger for even a moment.

……

Forensic Institute, Chen Garden.

In late autumn, Chen Garden was covered with fallen leaves, creating a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair, his knees covered with the same wool blanket he never used before. In his hand he held a string of dark red prayer beads, turning them one by one, making a soft "click" sound.

Fei Jie stood behind him, his face ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

"You lost?" Chen Pingping's voice was very soft, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"We lost." Fei Jie sighed. "They spent a million taels of silver directly. Although our institute has some savings, that's for the brothers' pensions, we can't touch it. Besides... a million taels, no one but that guy could pull that off."

"One million taels..." Chen Pingping stopped what he was doing, his gaze fixed on the hazy sky in the distance. "To come up with one million taels for a few letters. It seems that our Princess is richer than I imagined, and also more... guilty."

"Dean, what do we do now? The evidence is gone, and Zhu Ge has run away. Haven't we just wasted our time?" Fei Jie said somewhat unwillingly.

"All for nothing?" Chen Pingping suddenly laughed, a cold and cunning laugh, like an old fox finally catching its prey by the tail. "How could it be all for nothing?"

He turned his wheelchair to face Fei Jie, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

"Fei Jie, do you think the Princess would have spent a million taels of silver to buy those worthless papers if Zhu Ge didn't have any leverage over her?"

Fei Jie was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "You mean...?"

"This one million taels is the best evidence," Chen Pingping said coldly. "It proves that the Princess has a guilty conscience, that Zhu Ge is indeed her man, and that... she not only interfered with the Observation Bureau, but also extended her reach to Northern Qi."

"Although there are no letters to present as evidence in court, and we cannot directly convict her before His Majesty, His Majesty can still trace the flow of this one million taels. Although she is in charge of the Imperial Treasury, it is still royal property. She has to give an explanation for the sudden loss of such a large sum of money."

Chen Pingping's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of her wheelchair, making a crisp sound.

"The mole has been removed, and that cancerous tumor, Zhu Ge, has been dug out. The Censorate suffered for a while, but at least it's clean now. Next..."

His gaze sharpened like a knife. "Now that we've confirmed Li Yunrui is behind it all, there's no need to keep guessing. We just need to keep an eye on her, keep a close eye on her. As long as she's still in Kyoto, as long as she's still in charge of the Imperial Treasury, she'll inevitably reveal more of her secrets."

"Send word to bring Shadow back. There's no need to hunt down Zhu Ge anymore. That rat has entered the net; it's bound by its rules. Living might not be any better than dying. Now, monitor all movements of Guangxin Palace and the Imperial Treasury. I need to know exactly which account the Princess took that million taels from!"

"Yes!" Fei Jie accepted the order and left.

Chen Garden fell silent once more, save for the rustling of fallen leaves. Chen Pingping closed her eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"Li Yunrui, you think you've won? Actually, you've only just fallen into the net."

……

The Second Prince's residence, study.

"One million taels?!"

When Li Chengze heard the number, his hand, which was about to put a grape in his mouth, froze in mid-air. He stared wide-eyed at Zhao Gao, who stood respectfully before him, and then burst into a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Auntie is really rich and powerful!"

He laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.

Zhao Gao took out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve and presented them with both hands: "Your Highness, this is one million taels."

"What you earn through your snare is yours to do with as you see fit."

Li Chengze waved his hand; to him, money was just a string of numbers.

However, upon receiving such a large sum of money, Li Chengze was in high spirits, jumped off the chair, and put on his shoes.

"Is Your Highness about to go out?" Zhao Gao asked.

"Of course." Li Chengze straightened his clothes, a playful smile appearing on his face. "My aunt must be heartbroken after spending such a large sum of money. As her nephew, how could I not go and 'comfort' her?"

"Get the car ready! We're heading to Guangxin Palace!"

……

Inside Guangxin Palace, the atmosphere remained oppressively suffocating.

Although Li Yunrui bought back the letters and personally burned them to ashes, only then did the heavy weight in her heart finally lift. But what followed was immense heartache and emptiness.

"Damn the Luo Wang... Damn Chen Pingping..."

Li Yunrui sat on the phoenix couch, rubbing his throbbing temples, his face as pale as paper.

Just then, a palace maid hurried in and whispered, "Your Highness, the Second Prince requests an audience."

"Chengze?" Li Yunrui frowned, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes. "What is he doing here? If you don't see him, just say I'm not feeling well."

"But... His Highness the Second Prince has already entered," the palace maid said timidly.

Before he finished speaking, a hearty laugh was heard from outside the hall.

"Auntie! Chengze has come to see you!"

Li Chengze, dressed in magnificent robes and waving a folding fan, strode in. He wore his signature languid smile, seemingly oblivious to the oppressive atmosphere in the hall.

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his irritation, and forced a smile, adopting the air of an elder: "Chengze, what brings you here?"

Li Chengze walked a few steps to the phoenix bed, sat down without any politeness, and leaned to the side, resting his head directly on Li Yunrui's lap.

He half-closed his eyes, his slender fingers casually lifting a thin layer of gauze from Li Yunrui's skirt, wrapping it around his fingertips in circles, then loosening it again, having a great time.

"Auntie, is the tail clean?"

Li Chengze's voice was lazy, tinged with concern, "That old dog Chen Pingping has a very keen nose. If he smells even a hint of fish, he won't let go once he's bitten."

Li Yunrui stiffened slightly, then quickly regained her composure. She lowered her eyes, looking at her nephew who was resting his head on her lap.

In the past, she would have kicked Li Chengze away without hesitation, but at this moment, she had no time to pay attention to the increasingly outrageous Li Chengze, as she was rapidly calculating something else in her mind.

That deficit of one million taels.

Although the accounts of the Imperial Treasury are complicated and no one dares to check them on a regular basis, if Chen Pingping really insists on pressing the matter and reports it to His Majesty, and His Majesty decides to check the accounts on a whim, then this hole of one million taels will be a huge disaster.

If the evidence of embezzling public funds to bribe the enemy and betray the country is confirmed, her reign as the eldest princess will be over.

It absolutely must be done! And quickly!

Looking across the entire capital city, the only person who could produce so much cash at this critical juncture and dare to lend it to her was the person standing before her.

Thinking of this, the coldness in Li Yunrui's eyes dissipated, replaced by an extremely gentle smile.

She reached out her well-maintained hand and gently stroked Li Chengze's hair, her fingertips brushing against his temples with a tender touch.

Instead of pushing Li Chengze away for his inappropriate intimacy, she leaned forward slightly, bringing the two of them even closer.

"Chengze, rest assured, your aunt knows what she's doing." Li Yunrui's voice was soft and alluring, carrying a subtle hint of seduction. "Those letters are now ashes, there's no way to prove anything. As for Chen Pingping... he has no evidence, what can he do to me?"

She paused, her fingers sliding down Li Chengze's hair to gently rest on his shoulder, and asked casually, "As for you, Chengze, with your establishment of your own government and your influence in the court these past few years, you must have accumulated quite a fortune, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze's fingers, which were wrapped around the gauze robe, paused slightly, then a playful smile appeared on his lips. He didn't open his eyes, remaining closed to rest, but the smile on his lips deepened.

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