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

The next chapter is even more exciting: Chapter 72 The Secret Showdown Between Emperor Qing and Li Chengze. We look forward to your visit.

The suffocating silence in the imperial study grew even heavier after Li Yunrui left.

Emperor Qing remained in the same posture, wiping the arrowheads, the coarse cloth in his hand rubbing against the cold iron repeatedly, producing an extremely faint "rustling" sound. This sound echoed in the empty hall, like the breath of some unknown behemoth.

After a long while, he stopped what he was doing, held up the gleaming arrow that reflected his deep eyes, and gently blew on it.

"Buzz—"

The arrow vibrated, emitting a pleasant ringing sound.

"That crazy woman..." Emperor Qing's lips curled down slightly, a contemptuous yet slightly amused smile. "She actually has that kind of expression."

He knew Li Yunrui too well. That woman, seemingly elegant and noble, actually harbored a beast within her called lust for power and madness. In the past, in front of him, she either tried her best to be submissive to hide her ambition, or occasionally revealed her obsession.

But today is different.

Although she tried her best to appear calm, compliant, and even somewhat disheveled, Emperor Qing keenly caught the lingering excitement deep in her eyes.

It's like a gambler who has just bet everything in a life-or-death game; that kind of trembling... It can't be hidden at all.

I was excited after spending three days at the second prince's residence.

"Second brother, what kind of wonderful thing did you show your dear aunt?"

Emperor Qing casually tossed the arrow back onto the table, making a crisp "clang" sound.

From the shadows, a figure as withered as a dead tree slowly emerged; it was none other than the Grandmaster Hong Siyang, who had been hiding in the dark all along.

"Your Majesty," Hong Siyang's voice was old and hoarse.

Emperor Qing slowly stood up, his hands behind his back, his gaze passing through the window of the imperial study, looking towards the distant Second Prince's residence, shrouded in night.

His eyes gradually deepened, like two bottomless ancient wells, swallowing all the light around him.

"I used to think that although the second son was thoughtful, he was ultimately a lazy person. He had some cleverness, but it was all under my nose."

Emperor Qing's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable imperial authority: "I let him compete so that I could find a whetstone for the Crown Prince. If the stone is too dull, it won't sharpen a good knife; but if the stone is too hard, it will break the knife, and that would be bad."

He turned around, looked at Hong Siyang, his eyes dark, and slowly uttered a single word:

"check."

This is no longer just routine surveillance.

"Have the newly planted spies and the various departments of the Investigation Bureau make some moves. I need to know every detail that happened in Tingyu Pavilion in these three days. Even if the Second Prince sneezes, I need to know who handed him the paper."

"And..." Emperor Qing paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "Investigate who the Second Prince has been in contact with recently. That crazy woman Li Yunrui wouldn't be excited for no reason; the Second Prince must have some new trump cards up his sleeve."

"This old servant obeys the decree."

Hong Siyang bowed slightly, his figure disappearing back into the darkness as if he had never been there.

The imperial study fell silent once more, with only Emperor Qing's loose white robe billowing slightly in the night breeze.

……

The Second Prince's Mansion.

The night was as dark as ink, and a light drizzle was falling.

Li Chengze sat barefoot on the railing of the corridor, carrying a jug of grape wine, a tribute from the Western Regions, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Cool rain drifted in, wetting his clothes and hair, but he remained unaware.

"Your Highness, the wind is picking up."

A soft, feminine voice echoed from the end of the corridor.

Emerging from the darkness was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red robe. His face was fair and handsome, yet he exuded an indescribable sinister aura, especially his eyes, which were long, narrow, and cold, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake.

"Yes, the wind is picking up." Li Chengze tilted his head back and took a swig of wine. The spicy and sweet liquid slid down his throat, bringing a blush to his pale face. "Father should have already started making moves by now."

Zhao Gao stood respectfully three steps away, bowing slightly: "Your Highness, it is just as you predicted. Just now, the number of sentries around the mansion suddenly tripled. Moreover, our spies within the mansion have also reported that some of our usually deeply hidden 'spies' have made unusual movements tonight. It seems that His Majesty wants to thoroughly investigate Your Highness."

"hehe……"

Li Chengze chuckled softly, the sound particularly cold in the rainy night. "Father, oh Father, you always have such a strong desire for control. I let you see it before because I didn't want to."

He shook the wine jug in his hand, his eyes gradually sharpening. His previous languid demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling sharpness.

"But now, I don't want to anymore."

Upon hearing this, a bloodthirsty glint flashed in Zhao Gao's eyes. He slightly raised his head, his fingers lightly twirling his sleeve: "Then Your Highness means..."

Li Chengze turned his head, looked at Zhao Gao, a cruel smile curving his lips, and said softly, "Clear the area."

"Leave no one alive."

These four words, though seemingly light and airy, carry a strong, visceral scent of blood.

A sinister smile instantly bloomed on Zhao Gao's effeminate face, and he bowed deeply.

"Yes, ma'am."

……

The rain that night was exceptionally heavy.

Rainwater washes over the bluestone slabs, gathers into streams, and flows into the sewers.

The Second Prince's residence appeared peaceful, but in reality, it had long since transformed into a massive battlefield.

A spy appeared outside the study and raised his hand.

Nearly.

Once you break through this barrier, you'll see what's inside.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the window frame, a very faint sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out.

"Whoosh—"

That wasn't the sound of an arrow; it was more like the mournful cry of some sharp blade slicing through the air.

The spy's pupils contracted sharply. Years of training made him instinctively want to dodge, but his body seemed to be bound by some invisible force.

He looked down and was horrified to find that, without his noticing, several thin, black threads had wrapped around his neck and limbs.

"When...?"

This was the last thought in his mind.

The next moment, a soft laugh came from the darkness.

"The net of justice is vast, its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes it."

A swordsman wielding two swords, one black and one white, emerged from the rain. It was none other than Hei Bai Xuan Jian, a top-tier assassin from the Luo Wang organization.

He didn't even draw his sword; he simply tugged at the silk thread in his hand.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, but was instantly washed away by the rain. The spy didn't even have time to scream before he became a mangled corpse.

The same scene played out in every corner of the mansion.

In the kitchen, a cook who was "inspecting" the ingredients had her throat slit by a ghostly shadow; by the stable, a groom who was feeding the horses was pierced through the heart by a sharp sword; even the sentry hidden in the big tree outside the study was silently pinned to the trunk by several poisoned needles.

Zhao Gao's trap revealed its terrifying fangs that night.

The famous "Six Sword Slaves" are like six ghosts from hell, roaming the mansion. Zhen Gang, Duan Shui, Luan Shen, Wang Liang, Zhuan Po, and Mie Hun are all one, working together seamlessly.

Those palace spies and imperial inspectors who usually considered themselves experts were as vulnerable as lambs to the slaughter in the face of these professional killing machines.

There was no fierce fighting, no noisy shouting.

Only the sound of rain concealed all the evil and slaughter.

Li Chengze remained seated on the veranda, listening to the occasional muffled groan mixed in with the sound of rain, his expression eerily calm.

He reached out and caught a raindrop, watching it break in his palm.

"Father, please accept this return gift from your son."

……

The next morning.

After the rain, the air in Kyoto was exceptionally fresh.

However, for some people in the palace, this morning was filled with oppression and fear.

Outside the Imperial Study, a young eunuch in charge of intelligence stumbled over, his face ashen, holding a blood-stained cloth bag in his hands. He knelt down on the steps, trembling.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Hong Siyang's figure appeared like a ghost at the doorway, frowning as he looked at the little eunuch: "What's the panic? What kind of behavior is this!"

"Eunuch Hong, something terrible has happened!" The little eunuch cried, holding up the cloth bundle in his hand. "This...this appeared at the palace gate this morning."

Hong Siyang's eyes narrowed, and he reached out to grab the cloth bag, which flew into his hand.

It felt heavy in my hand and carried a strong smell of blood.

He opened the cloth bag, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside was a bunch of waist tags.

There were imperial guards, officials from the Imperial Household Department, and even two black iron tokens specially made by the Imperial Censorate.

Without exception, the owners of these waist tags were all elite spies who had been awakened and dispatched to the Second Prince's residence by order of Emperor Qing last night.

There are thirty-six pieces in total, not one missing.

Each waist plaque was neatly severed from the middle by a sharp blade, the cuts as smooth as a mirror, the result of extremely fast and sharp sword energy.

Hong Siyang took a deep breath, turned around and walked into the Imperial Study.

"His Majesty."

He gently placed the pile of broken waist tokens on the imperial desk.

Emperor Qing paused slightly as he reviewed the memorials.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the pile of blood-stained waist badges, and remained silent for a long time.

The atmosphere in the imperial study instantly plummeted, as if the air itself had frozen. The eunuch Hou, standing nearby, was so frightened he dared not breathe, wishing he could bury his head in his crotch.

a long time.

Emperor Qing extended two fingers and picked up one of the broken tokens of the Imperial Observation Bureau.

"They're all dead?" Emperor Qing's voice was devoid of emotion, so calm it was frightening.

"Your Majesty, they're all dead," Hong Siyang said in a low voice. "Although the bodies haven't been brought here, the appearance of these waist tokens at the palace gates makes the meaning quite clear. Moreover... according to our spies, the Second Prince's residence was completely calm last night; not even a distress signal was sent."

"The storm has passed..."

Emperor Qing repeated these four words, and suddenly, his shoulders twitched.

Immediately following was a low chuckle.

"Hehe... Hahaha..."

The laughter grew louder and louder, echoing in the empty imperial study, carrying with it a chilling, eerie atmosphere.

"Great! Excellent!"

Emperor Qing slammed the broken token in his hand onto the table, and the hard black iron token was directly slammed into the mahogany tabletop by his palm!

"My second son is truly remarkable!"

Emperor Qing stood up and paced back and forth in the hall. His originally gloomy face suddenly showed a strange flush, which was the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent and the tyranny of having his authority challenged.

"Thirty-six elites, vanished without a trace overnight. The blade hidden in the Second Prince's mansion is faster and sharper than I imagined!"

He always thought that Li Chengze was dancing on his chessboard, and although he had some cleverness, he could never escape his grasp.

But today, Li Chengze used these thirty-six lives to tell him:

I will also make my move in this game!

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince's actions are a show of force," Hong Siyang said in a deep voice. "He is also drawing a line. He is telling Your Majesty that no outsiders are allowed to spy on his residence from now on."

"A protest? Drawing lines?"

Emperor Qing sneered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "He's telling me that he's grown too big for his britches and wants to fly."

"Since he wants to fly, I'll see how high he can fly."

Emperor Qing walked to the window, looking at the bright sunshine outside, and said in a stern tone: "Issue my imperial decree: Second Prince Li Chengze shall be confined to his residence for half a month to reflect on his mistakes, and his salary shall be reduced by one year. The reason... is that he failed to manage his subordinates properly, and thieves broke into his residence, disturbing the peace of the capital."

"in addition……"

Emperor Qing turned around and looked at Hong Siyang. "Summon Chen Pingping to see me. I want to ask him if the Censorate is blind. The Second Prince has raised such a group of ruthless killers, and he didn't hear a thing!"

"Yes."

……

The Second Prince's Mansion.

Li Chengze listened to the imperial edict from the palace without any change in expression. He even had the leisure to peel a grape and feed it to Li Chengze.

"Six weeks of confinement? A year's salary deduction?"

He chuckled and casually waved his hand, dismissing the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict.

"Father, you're still so petty. I killed a few of your dogs, and you put me in solitary confinement."

After the onlookers left, Li Chengze returned to his study and closed the door.

"What will you do next, Father?"

…………

Deep within the palace, in Consort Jing's bedroom.

The place is perpetually filled with a faint scent of ink and aged paper, quite unlike the powdery smell of other palaces. The palace servants even walk on tiptoe, afraid of disturbing their mistress.

Emperor Qing waved away the eunuch who wanted to announce his arrival, then, with his hands behind his back, silently stepped over the high threshold.

There weren't many candles lit inside the hall, so the lighting was rather dim.

Consort Jing, dressed in a simple palace gown and without makeup, leaned against a soft couch by the window. In her hands she held a slightly yellowed ancient book, her expression focused, so much so that she didn't even notice Emperor Qing approaching.

Emperor Qing did not speak, but walked straight to the other side of the soft couch and slowly sat down.

Looking at the woman who had been with him for many years, yet always seemed to be separated from him by a thin veil, he couldn't help but recall the neatly cut waist tokens from last night, and the second brother's face that always wore a lazy smile.

"You have given birth to a good son."

P.S.: The previous chapter was censored; I don't know when it will be released.

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