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

"Just now...didn't Auntie seem to enjoy it too?"

These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the already tense atmosphere in the room.

Li Yunrui's body stiffened abruptly, and her pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints in an instant.

That exquisitely beautiful, dignified face, which seemed forever aloof, miraculously calmed down after experiencing extreme shock, shame, and anger.

No, that's not peace.

It was something that had been suppressed under the splendid palace attire, and it finally broke free.

The panic in Li Yunrui's eyes receded like the tide, replaced by a chilling, almost manic excitement and fervor.

That sense of madness was like a poppy blooming in the dark night, carrying a deadly poison, yet exuding an irresistible allure, overflowing without reservation from the corners of her eyes and brows.

Her initially stiff body gradually relaxed, and she even leaned forward slightly, pressing her alluring curves even closer to Li Chengze's chest.

"Hehe... Hahahaha..."

A low, alluring laugh, yet tinged with a hint of chill, escaped from Li Yunrui's luscious red lips.

The laughter echoed in the empty, secluded room, like the hiss of a venomous snake, sending chills down one's spine.

She tilted her head slightly, and her beautiful eyes, which usually held a calculating and arrogant air, were now glistening with tears as she stared intently at Li Chengze, who was standing right in front of her.

Slowly, Li Yunrui raised his right hand, which was not restrained by Li Chengze.

Long, slender, fair fingers adorned with bright red nail polish, like cold snake scales, gently and slowly caressed Li Chengze's face, which wore a lazy smile.

Her fingertips traced his jawline and lingered on the corner of his lips, the movements as gentle as if she were caressing a rare treasure, but her eyes revealed a madness that wanted to devour him alive.

"Chengze, oh Chengze..." Li Yunrui's voice became extremely sweet, even carrying a hint of morbid infatuation, "How come your aunt never noticed before that beneath your skin, there was such a complete madman?"

She suddenly tightened her fingers, her sharp nails almost digging into Li Chengze's cheek, but Li Chengze didn't even flinch, maintaining that ambiguous smile.

Li Chengze let her fingers run rampant across his face, his smile growing ever wider: "Auntie, you flatter me. In this cannibalistic capital, how can one survive long without being a little crazy? Besides, when it comes to madness... I'm afraid I'm just showing off my limited skills in front of you, Auntie."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui's smile became even more enigmatic. She suddenly leaned closer, her nose almost touching Li Chengze's. Their breaths mingled, creating an ambiguous yet deadly atmosphere.

"Since we're all crazy, let's just speak frankly." Li Yunrui's eyes instantly sharpened like knives, as if trying to pierce Li Chengze's soul. "Lin Gong, that idiot, you've hidden him away, haven't you?"

Upon hearing the name, Li Chengze showed no surprise. He then smiled faintly, parted his thin lips, and uttered two words:

"That's right."

Without offering any explanation or attempt to cover it up, they simply and openly admitted it.

Li Yunrui's eyes flashed suddenly, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Sure enough it was him!

He had long been in cahoots with the Luo Wang (a secret organization), and then took advantage of the chaos to hide Lin Gong. He then staged a drama of Lin Gong colluding with Qi, gradually making Lin Gong fade from the sight of the court officials.

As for why, she could guess.

"Name your price."

"Just say the word, and I'll give you whatever I have, and then you can hand Lin Gong over to me."

Looking at the crazed woman in front of him who was willing to sacrifice everything for power, Li Chengze's smile turned somewhat mocking.

He didn't answer immediately, but slowly lowered his head and brought his lips close to Li Yunrui's crystal-clear earlobe.

Li Yunrui's body trembled slightly, but she forced herself not to back down, biting her lower lip tightly as she waited for Li Chengze to make his outrageous demands.

"Auntie, you're being far too confident," Li Chengze said in a low voice, with a tenderness that sounded like a lover's whisper, but his words sent chills down one's spine. "What makes you think you have any leverage to get Lin Gong? And even if you do, I can't give him to you."

"After all... he is Wan'er's brother. If he dies, how heartbroken Wan'er will be. Aunt, you know I can't stand seeing Wan'er shed tears."

After speaking, Li Chengze took a small step back to create some distance, his face full of gentleness.

Looking at his appearance, Li Yunrui almost wanted to sneer.

Is Wan'er heartbroken?

She didn't believe it.

Those who grow up in this palace have cold-blooded venom flowing through their veins.

If Li Chengze truly cared about Lin Wan'er's feelings, he wouldn't have done those things to her, his future mother-in-law, in front of her and behind her back!

After a brief moment of anger, Li Yunrui quickly weighed the pros and cons.

Although Lin Gong is a potential threat in Li Chengze's hands, it's still better than him falling into the hands of that useless old man Chen Pingping. As long as she's certain that Lin Gong won't fall into the hands of the Forensic Institute, then this potential threat is temporarily under control.

Thinking of this, the murderous intent in Li Yunrui's eyes gradually subsided. She slowly withdrew her hand from stroking Li Chengze's cheek, took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped her fingertips with extreme elegance.

"Since Chengze cherishes Wan'er so much, then as her mother, I naturally can't take away what belongs to another." Li Yunrui's voice returned to its usual aloofness, as if the wildly alluring woman from before had never existed. "However, even living people have their time to breathe, so Chengze must keep her well hidden. If one day it accidentally leaks out and the wrong people find out... then things will get complicated."

Li Chengze smiled and nodded, casually straightening his clothes that Li Yunrui had wrinkled: "Auntie, don't worry, I'm always reliable when I handle things. You can't even find a ghost in that place."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Li Yunrui walked back to the soft couch and sat down, picked up the slightly cooled pre-rain Longjing tea, and took a small sip.

"I need your help with something."

Li Chengze remained as languid as ever. He walked barefoot to the chair opposite Li Yunrui, sat down, casually picked up a piece of pastry, put it in his mouth, and asked indistinctly:

"Oh? Aunt, with your connections and influence, what could possibly require your nephew's help? What is it? Tell me, if it's too difficult, I'll have to refuse."

A dark glint flashed in Li Yunrui's eyes as he looked at his lazy appearance.

"It's not difficult, it's practically a piece of cake for you." Li Yunrui lowered his voice and said, word by word, "I need you to use that hidden power you have... to help me kill someone."

Li Chengze paused slightly while chewing the pastry, then swallowed it, rinsed his mouth with his teacup, and casually raised his eyelids: "Murder? In this capital, is there anyone Aunt can't kill? Could it be... that Aunt wants me to assassinate a Grandmaster?"

"Stop talking nonsense." Li Yunrui sneered. "If Grandmasters were so easy to kill, the world would have changed hands long ago. The person I want you to kill is Fan Xian."

"Fan Xian?" Li Chengze raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but his eyes remained calm. "Aunt, Fan Xian is the Emperor's appointed envoy, currently negotiating with Yan Bingyun in Northern Qi. Killing him now would be tantamount to plucking a feather from the Emperor's sore spot. Besides, he's accompanied by Wang Qinian, secretly protected by experts from the Imperial Observatory, and even that blind Wu Zhu might be watching him from the shadows. This is no easy task."

"I know it's difficult, that's why I came to you." Li Yunrui stared intently at Li Chengze. "Will you help me or not?"

Li Chengze lowered his eyes, watching his fair toes gently rub against the Persian carpet. .

Kill Fan Xian?

"Auntie's suggestion is indeed very..." However, killing Fan Xian is too serious a matter; I need time to plan. After all, I don't want to get myself involved just to help my aunt.

Seeing that he did not refuse directly, Li Yunrui felt a little more at ease, stood up and straightened her palace attire: "Alright, it's best to hurry, before Fan Xian returns to the capital, and if possible, get rid of Yan Bingyun as well."

"As for the compensation, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Alright, I'll go check on Wan'er."

After saying that, she gave Li Chengze a deep look, then turned and walked towards the door.

As Li Chengze watched Li Yunrui's retreating figure, his gaze gradually darkened, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

"Chen Pingping, don't disappoint me."

……

On the other side, deep within the palace.

The Imperial Study.

"Shh...shh...shh..."

Emperor Qing was dressed in a loose-fitting casual robe, his hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and a few stray hairs hung down in front of his forehead, making him look somewhat unkempt.

He was sitting cross-legged behind a large imperial desk, holding a fine sandstone in his hand, casually polishing a steel arrowhead.

The sound of gravel rubbing against metal was particularly jarring in the empty imperial study.

Beneath the imperial desk, Chen Pingping sat in his iconic wheelchair, his legs covered with a thick wool blanket. His head was slightly lowered, and most of him was hidden in shadow, like an old, lurking poisonous dog in the dark, with only his eyes occasionally lifting to reveal a chilling, eerie light.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has confirmed it."

Chen Pingping's hoarse voice broke the silence of the imperial study. His tone was calm and even, as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"In the Imperial Treasury, there was a deficit of one million taels of silver. The books looked very good, but the silver had actually disappeared, and a few days later, another sum of silver couldn't fill the gap."

Emperor Qing did not pause his work of polishing the arrowheads, nor did he even lift his eyelids; he simply hummed indifferently.

"Go on."

Chen Pingping bowed slightly and continued his report: "The flow of this silver was extremely secretive; it was laundered out in batches through different banks and businesses. Following the trail, I discovered that these banks and businesses are all, to varying degrees, connected to Her Highness the Eldest Princess. Although there is no direct evidence pointing to the Eldest Princess, but…"

Chen Pingping paused at just the right moment. Some things don't need to be said outright; His Majesty the Emperor naturally understands.

"Anything else?" Emperor Qing blew on the iron filings on the arrowhead, held it up to his eyes, and examined it carefully against the light.

Chen Pingping continued, "Some time ago, a chief prosecutor from the Procuratorate defected to the Luo Wang organization, which then secretly held an underground auction. The highlight of the auction was a secret letter."

Emperor Qing didn't take it, but merely glanced at it out of the corner of his eye: "What secret letter?"

"I didn't get this secret letter. Instead, it was bought by a mysterious person for a million taels of silver," Chen Pingping said in an even lower voice. "That secret letter is so precious. It must have been bought back by the person behind Zhu Ge to prevent their identity from being exposed."

"And before that, Yan Bingyun was betrayed and arrested..."

"Do you think Yun Rui is behind Zhu Ge, and that Yun Rui sold Yan Bingyun's information to the Qi Kingdom for profit?"

"Yes." Chen Pingping did not back down. "Combining the deficit of one million taels of silver in the Imperial Treasury and the leak of Yan Bingyun's identity, this old minister boldly guesses... Zhu Ge is very likely a person of Her Highness the Eldest Princess. The Eldest Princess revealed Yan Bingyun's identity to Northern Qi in exchange for some support or funds from Northern Qi. After the matter was exposed, she misappropriated one million taels of silver to photograph the secret letter and destroy the evidence. In addition, the Eldest Princess once went to the Second Prince's residence, so it is very likely that the Second Prince was also involved. I even suspect that the Second Prince took out one million taels to help the Eldest Princess fill the gap."

Chen Pingping's words were extremely malicious.

They directly pinned the charge of treason and collusion with the enemy on Li Yunrui, while also implicating Li Chengze in the matter.

However, Emperor Qing did not show any anger after hearing this shocking conclusion.

He didn't even refute Chen Pingping's speculation.

He simply sat there quietly, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the imperial study, seeing every scene unfolding in Kyoto.

After a while, Emperor Qing slowly picked up an inconspicuous yellow folding paper from his desk.

It was a top-secret intelligence report that had just been delivered by the Imperial Guard.

The intelligence report detailed the movements of the Second Prince's residence and the Eldest Princess's residence today, even including details of Lin Wan'er's withdrawal due to illness.

Emperor Qing gently patted the intelligence report in his hand, making a soft "snap, snap" sound.

A strange smile suddenly appeared on his lips, a smile that contained mockery, coldness, and a sense of superior control.

"Pingping." Emperor Qing's voice became unusually gentle, even carrying a hint of casual conversation.

"Your old minister is here."

Emperor Qing leaned slightly forward, his gaze passing over the imperial desk, looking at Chen Pingping with a half-smile.

"The clue about the million taels of silver was provided to you by the second prince, and right now, the second prince is at the Princess's residence with Yun Rui."

Emperor Qing leaned back in his wide chair, his hands clasped over his abdomen, his eyes as deep as a bottomless abyss.

"You tell me..." Emperor Qing's voice echoed softly in the empty imperial study, "What would those two talk about when they're together?"