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

The exciting chapter "Chapter 71: The Results of Three Days, Emperor Qing's Interrogation" is now available online. Click to read it now!

A gentle breeze swept through the back garden of the Second Prince's residence, swirling a few fallen leaves across the bluestone slabs.

Li Chengze stood behind Li Yunrui, his slender fingers gently lifting a strand of her smooth, black hair, slowly twirling and playing with it between his fingertips. The hair was cool to the touch, carrying a faint orchid fragrance—the scent of incense specially supplied to the palace.

If it were the Li Yunrui of the past, she would probably have already glared at him with murderous intent and sternly rebuked this impudent and presumptuous act.

She was a high-ranking princess, a member of the royal family who controlled the inner treasury. Her hair was an extension of her dignity, and she would not allow others to desecrate it at will.

At this moment, Li Yunrui simply stood quietly, his back still straight, but exuding an indescribable stiffness and submissiveness.

Her gaze fell on the pool of clear water in front of her, her eyes empty and calm.

So what if my hair gets touched?

Those jade-like feet that once trod on clouds, untouched by dust, were now held in his palms and gently rubbed in the warm water.

She even knelt at his feet, using her hands, which seemed to command the world, to caress his feet.

Having already crossed the most secret and shameful line, this mere play with a strand of hair is like scratching an itch through a boot, unable to stir even the slightest ripple in her heart.

"Auntie's hair is so beautiful."

Li Chengze chuckled softly, his fingers tightening slightly, causing Li Yunrui's scalp a slight pain. But his tone was as pure as a child who had received a favorite toy, "Just like this human heart, it looks gentle, but in reality... it's incredibly resilient."

Li Yunrui didn't turn around, but simply said, "Nephew, you flatter me. It's just an external possession. If you like it, you can cut it off, and your aunt will give it to you."

Li Chengze released his grip, letting the strand of hair slip down and fall back onto her shoulder. "Keep it; I'll need it to style my hair later."

Li Yunrui's hand, hidden in her sleeve, trembled slightly, but her expression remained calm as she simply responded with a soft "Mm."

Looking at her submissive appearance, Li Chengze's eyes flashed with surprise, followed by even greater satisfaction.

"Let's go, Auntie."

Li Chengze walked past her, his hands behind his back, his bare feet stepping leisurely on the cool stone path. "The ink in Tingyuxuan is almost dry, I'll have to trouble Aunt to grind it again."

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and silently followed.

……

Inside Tingyu Pavilion, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

As dusk settled outside the window, the lights inside were already on. The dim candlelight flickered, casting long shadows of the two figures onto the mottled wall, where they intertwined like two beasts locked in a battle.

Li Chengze slumped lazily in the large armchair, his legs crossed, holding a copy of the "Nanqing Law" in his hands. He appeared to be reading, but his gaze was actually unfocused, as if his mind was wandering elsewhere.

On one side of the desk, Li Yunrui rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her snow-white wrist, and held a priceless inkstick in her hand, slowly grinding it on a Duan inkstone.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The sound of ink sticks rubbing against inkstones is monotonous and dull, echoing in the quiet study, yet it also exudes an eerie harmony.

Li Yunrui's expression was very focused, as if what she held in her hands was not ink, but her shattered pride. She ground the ink bit by bit, and the ink gradually thickened, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Auntie, you're too gentle."

Li Chengze suddenly spoke, without even raising his head, as he turned a page of the book.

Li Yunrui paused slightly, then increased the pressure: "Yes."

"It's too heavy," Li Chengze said again.

Li Yunrui pursed her lips, adjusted her breathing, and eased her pressure again.

The next three days felt like a long and absurd dream to Li Yunrui.

During the day, she would grind ink in the study, peel grapes in the pavilion, and even help him tidy up his not-too-messy books. Li Chengze seemed to enjoy this privilege of ordering the princess around. Various trivial matters kept arising.

But the real torment comes at night... or rather, another form of "game".

Every night, the copper basin filled with warm water would appear on time at Tingyuxuan.

On the first night, Li Yunrui still needed Li Chengze to take the initiative before she stiffly reached out her hand.

On the second night, when the copper basin was put down, she had learned to sit silently on the soft couch and take off her shoes and socks.

By the third night, Li Chengze didn't even need to say a word.

The water splashed, and the candlelight flickered.

Li Chengze's fingers traced across the soles of her feet, with a hint of casual teasing.

Over these three days, they seemed to have reached a strange balance.

Li Chengze did not mention the secret letter that betrayed the enemy again, nor did he mention the deficit in the imperial treasury.

Until the morning of the third day.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the desk, illuminating the mountain of account books.

Li Chengze finally stood up from the armchair. He stretched, and his joints cracked and popped.

"aunt."

He turned around, looked at Li Yunrui who was standing to the side and looked a little haggard, and put on his signature harmless smile.

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Li Yunrui bowed slightly, his voice hoarse: "I wouldn't dare."

"My nephew is a man who clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments." Li Chengze clapped his hands.

Outside the door, Tian Kui Xing appeared like a ghost, carrying a heavy mahogany box in his hands. He entered the study, placed the box on the table, and then silently withdrew.

"Open it and take a look." Li Chengze raised his chin.

Li Yunrui hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and reached out to open the box.

"hiss--"

Even though she had been in charge of the Imperial Treasury for many years and had seen countless riches, she couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Inside the box, a thick stack of silver notes was neatly arranged, each one a large denomination note that could be exchanged throughout Kyushu.

Beneath the silver notes lay a layer of gleaming gold leaves.

"Here is one million taels of silver."

Thank you.

These two words carry more weight than any previous compromise.

Her initial confrontation with Li Chengze was over the million taels of silver.

Now that she has it, instead of feeling excited, she feels nothing.

"It's getting late, Auntie, please go back."

Li Chengze dismissed her, his tone returning to its usual languidness, "These past few days, Aunt has been away from the palace; I imagine the one in the palace must be getting anxious. On your way back, Aunt should think carefully about how to answer Father's questions."

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, picked up the heavy wooden box, and bowed deeply to Li Chengze.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness."

After saying that, she didn't linger and turned to leave Tingyuxuan.

……

The carriage rumbled away from the Second Prince's residence.

Inside the carriage, Li Yunrui placed the mahogany box on her lap, gripping the edge of the box tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force.

As the carriage moved further and further away from the gloomy mansion, the submissive, numb mask on her face finally cracked inch by inch.

"Oh……"

A low chuckle escaped from deep within her throat, and then the laughter grew louder and more manic, until tears streamed down her face.

"Li Chengze... what a Li Chengze!"

She laughed so hard she nearly fell over, but her eyes gleamed with an almost morbid joy and madness.

…………

The carriage entered the imperial city, passed through numerous palace gates, and finally stopped in front of Guangxin Palace.

Li Yunrui stepped off the carriage, the manic look on his face long gone, replaced by his usual dignified elegance and aloof arrogance.

She had just stepped into the main hall and hadn't even had a sip of hot tea when an old eunuch dressed in gray appeared at the entrance.

"Your Highness, the Eldest Princess."

The old eunuch bowed, a humble smile on his face, but his voice was so high-pitched it was unsettling. "His Majesty's decree summons Princess Chang to the Imperial Study for an audience."

Li Yunrui paused slightly in the teacup he was holding.

They arrived as expected.

She put down her teacup, straightened her clothes, and smiled perfectly: "Thank you for leading the way, Father-in-law."

……

The Imperial Study was dimly lit.

Emperor Qing, dressed in a loose white robe with his hair casually draped over his shoulders, sat at his desk, holding an unfinished arrowhead in his hand, carefully wiping it with a coarse cloth.

The arrow gleamed coldly, reflecting on Emperor Qing's face, which betrayed no emotion.

Li Yunrui entered the imperial study and respectfully knelt down to pay her respects: "Your Majesty, I, your subject's sister, greet you."

Get up.

Emperor Qing didn't even look up, still intently wiping the arrowheads. "Where have you been these past few days?"

The voice was plain and unremarkable, like a casual greeting, but Li Yunrui felt an invisible pressure coming at him.

She stood up, bowed her head, and said, "Your Majesty, my sister has been visiting Chengze's residence these past few days."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing finally stopped what he was doing, raised his eyelids, and looked at her with piercing eyes. "You stayed at the Second Prince's residence for three whole days? I remember you didn't dote on this nephew like this before."

Li Yunrui's expression remained unchanged as he said naturally, "Chengze Mansion is in complete chaos without a mistress to manage it. My sister is his aunt after all, and she felt sorry for him, so she went over to help him sort out the accounts and also taught the servants in the mansion some manners."

"Managing accounts?" Emperor Qing looked at her with a half-smile. "The accounts in the Imperial Treasury aren't enough to keep you busy, and you still have the leisure to manage the Second Prince's meager assets?"

"Your Majesty is joking." Li Yunrui sighed, a perfectly measured hint of helplessness on his face. "That child Chengze has been close to my sister since childhood, so it's only natural for her to help him out."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing did not speak immediately.

He put down the arrow in his hand, picked up a memorial from the table, flipped through it casually, and asked as if indifferently, "So what have you seen in these past three days? Has anything interesting happened at the Second Prince's residence?"

This is a test.

Li Yunrui understood this perfectly.

At that moment, images flashed through Li Yunrui's mind: Li Chengze washing her feet, the million taels of silver notes, and the ghostly black shadow.

If she reveals the truth now, Li Chengze will surely die.

She will also be implicated.

"There's nothing particularly interesting about it." Li Yunrui shook his head slightly, a wry smile appearing on his lips. "It's just that this child is too lazy. My sister was there for three days, and all he did was eat grapes, read idle books, and wander around the yard barefoot. When my sister asked him to look at the account books, he glanced at them and fell asleep. This personality... I wonder who he takes after."

She's gambling.

Although Emperor Qing controlled the world, he did not truly understand Li Chengze.

Emperor Qing stared at Li Yunrui for a long time.

That gaze seemed to pierce through one's heart, causing cold sweat to break out on Li Yunrui's back.

After a long while, Emperor Qing suddenly laughed.

"Ha, that bastard."

He shook his head, seemingly unsurprised by Li Yunrui's answer, yet also seemingly accepting the explanation. "Being lazy is good, being lazy... saves trouble."

Upon hearing the word "worry-free," Li Yunrui's heart skipped a beat.

She made the right bet!

Although Emperor Qing suspected Li Chengze, his suspicion was more based on imperial distrust than on concrete evidence.

What does this mean?

This means that Li Chengze possesses power that is even more terrifying than she imagined!

He actually managed to build a power base entirely under his own nose right under Emperor Qing's nose!

"Now that you're back, get some rest." Emperor Qing waved his hand, picked up the arrow again, and said, "Don't go to the Second Prince's place too often in the future."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your command."

Li Yunrui bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew from the imperial study.

The moment she stepped out of the Imperial Study, a gust of cold wind blew in, and she realized that her back was already soaked with sweat.

She looked up at the gloomy sky, a strange smile curving her lips.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you boast of your infallible strategies and your control over the world.

But you probably never dreamed that your "worry-free" son was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

……

The Second Prince's Residence, Tingyu Pavilion.

Li Chengze remained seated in the armchair, toying with a crystal-clear grape in his hand.

"Your Highness."

Tian Kui Xing's figure appeared in the shadows. "The eldest princess has left the palace and returned to Guangxin Palace. His Majesty summoned her, and it lasted about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"What did you say?" Li Chengze asked, mumbling as he popped a grape into his mouth.

"I don't know the specifics. Hong Siyang is guarding the Imperial Study, so I dare not get too close," Tian Kui Xing said in a low voice. "However, judging from the Princess's expression when she left, she didn't seem to have been punished. On the contrary... she seemed quite excited."

"Excitement?"

Li Chengze paused slightly while chewing, then burst out laughing.

"Interesting, very interesting."

He spat out the grape skins, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "It seems my aunt didn't betray me. Not only did she not betray me, she even covered for me."

"Your Highness, why is this?" Tian Kui Xing asked, puzzled. "The Eldest Princess suffered such humiliation, why would she still help Your Highness?"

"Because she's crazy."

Li Chengze stood up, walked barefoot to the window, and looked at the night gradually descending outside. His voice was low and gloomy. "For a madwoman, humiliation means nothing, fear means nothing. What can truly move her is only greater power and a more insane gamble."

"She was excited to discover that her father hadn't seen through me. She felt that I was the only one who could surprise...or frighten her father in this game."

Li Chengze reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, as if he were holding the entire night sky of Kyoto in his hands.

"She wanted to see a show, to see just how deep my knife could stab."

"Since that's the case..."

The smile on Li Chengze's lips gradually faded, turning into a chilling aura.

"Then so be it."