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

The Imperial Study was deathly silent.

Only that grating "shh...shh...shh..." sound echoed monotonously and stubbornly in the empty hall.

Chen Pingping sat in her wheelchair and bowed her head deeply.

That old face, pale from years of lack of sunlight and etched with deep and shallow wrinkles, was expressionless at this moment, like a dry well, undisturbed.

However, beneath those drooping eyelids, his brain was operating at an incredibly terrifying speed.

Why did Li Chengze do this?

Chen Pingping's withered fingers curled slightly under the wool blanket.

"Li Chengze gave me the clues, is he trying to use me to investigate Yun Rui?" Chen Pingping pondered to himself. "Does he want to watch the Imperial Censorate and the Princess's residence fight to the death? That certainly fits his usual habit of watching from the sidelines. But he knows perfectly well that His Majesty's attitude towards the Imperial Treasury and Yun Rui has always been ambiguous. Isn't he afraid of getting burned by rashly starting this fire?"

What terrified Chen Pingping even more was His Majesty's words just now—"The Second Prince is currently at the Princess's residence with Yun Rui."

Since Li Chengze secretly handed a knife to the Censorate, intending to stab Li Yunrui in the back, why are these two together at this moment?

What are they talking about?

Was Li Chengze using the million taels of silver as leverage to blackmail Li Yunrui? Or was this all a scheme orchestrated by Li Chengze and Li Yunrui from beginning to end, deliberately throwing out the bait of a million taels of silver to lure the Censorate into a trap so that they could frame the Censorate for a serious crime of framing a member of the royal family in court?

No, that's not right. Chen Pingping quickly dismissed the idea. That crazy woman Li Yunrui might be capable of such a mutually destructive act, but Li Chengze wouldn't. Li Chengze may seem lazy and carefree, but in reality, he is extremely deep and meticulous. He wouldn't do something so foolish as to harm both himself and his enemy.

So the only explanation is... Li Chengze is betting on both sides, or rather, he's playing a balancing act.

He gave the clues to the forensic institute to warn Li Yunrui, to let Li Yunrui know that he held potentially fatal leverage over her. His meeting with Li Yunrui now is most likely for some extremely dirty political deal. He can use suppressing this case as leverage to get what he wants from Li Yunrui.

And there's also the Net...

Chen Pingping's eyes grew increasingly dark.

Zhu Ge defected to the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), and the secret letter reappeared at the Luo Wang auction, eventually being bought by a mysterious person for one million taels of silver. If this one million taels represents the deficit in the Imperial Treasury, then what role did the Luo Wang play in this whole affair?

The Second Prince, the Eldest Princess, the Net, the Censorate...

"rustle……"

Emperor Qing remained focused on sharpening the fine steel arrowhead. His movements were unhurried, as if his entire being was absorbed in this seemingly insignificant task. He did not urge Chen Pingping, but simply waited quietly.

He enjoys the feeling of being in control.

He knew what Chen Pingping was thinking, he knew what the second brother was scheming, and he could even guess what crazy request Yun Rui was making to the second brother at this moment.

All of this is on his chessboard.

Time passed second by second, and the air in the imperial study seemed to freeze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Finally, Chen Pingping slowly raised his head, and his usually turbid eyes regained their usual obedience and calmness.

He looked up at the lofty Emperor Qing and uttered four words in a hoarse, low voice:

"Your humble servant is unaware."

This is the safest and most truthful answer. Chen Pingping will not draw any conclusions before fully understanding Li Chengze and His Majesty's true intentions. He is an old dog, and the way an old dog survives is to never appear smarter than its master.

Upon hearing this answer, Emperor Qing finally stopped polishing the arrowhead.

He held the arrowhead, polished to a gleaming shine and gleaming with a chilling light, up to his eyes and held it up to the sunlight streaming in from the window. The arrowhead was extremely sharp, as if it could pierce through the void.

"Don't know?" Emperor Qing's lips curled into a faint smile, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Is there anything in this world that you, Chen Pingping, don't know? Is there anything that the Forensic Bureau can't uncover?"

Chen Pingping bowed slightly, lowering his head even further: "This old minister is foolish and has disappointed Your Majesty. Both the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess are of noble birth, and their thoughts are unfathomable. This old minister dares not presume to speculate. If Your Majesty feels there is something amiss, this old minister will immediately increase manpower to keep a close watch on the Eldest Princess's residence and the Second Prince's residence."

"No need."

Emperor Qing slowly raised his eyes. His deep eyes were devoid of any warmth, like two ancient wells, coldly gazing upon everything in this world.

He casually tossed the sharpened arrowhead onto the imperial desk, making a crisp metallic clanging sound.

"Go back." Emperor Qing's voice returned to its languid yet authoritative tone. "There's no need to investigate the matter of the Imperial Treasury any further. Since the accounts are balanced, let's consider it balanced. Yunrui is, after all, my sister. Investigating some things too thoroughly would only damage the royal family's reputation."

Chen Pingping felt a slight chill run down his spine, but he showed no sign of it on his face. Was His Majesty trying to protect Li Yunrui? Or was His Majesty planning to keep this leverage for later use? Or perhaps, His Majesty was plotting something using the mess that was the Imperial Treasury?

In either case, now that His Majesty has spoken, the Censorate must cease its actions.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree," Chen Pingping replied respectfully.

"However..." Emperor Qing's tone suddenly shifted, a chilling murderous intent creeping into his voice, "Although the case concerning the Imperial Treasury is no longer under investigation, those few eyesores should be dealt with as soon as possible. They are an eyesore to me."

"This old minister understands. Within three days, those eyesores will be completely eliminated from the capital." Chen Pingping nodded solemnly.

"Go." Emperor Qing waved his hand, picked up a new piece of pig iron, and prepared to polish the next arrow.

Chen Pingping pushed the wheelchair and slowly left the Imperial Study.

As the heavy palace doors closed behind him, Chen Pingping let out a long sigh. He looked up at the hazy sky of Kyoto and muttered to himself, "The world is about to change. Li Chengze, what exactly are you trying to do...?"

……

……

As night falls, the bustling city of Kyoto gradually sheds its daytime hustle and bustle, plunging into silence and darkness.

However, beneath this seemingly peaceful night, undercurrents surged and danger lurked everywhere.

The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM).

The luxurious restaurant called "Tianhuaju," located in the south of the city, was already closed. On the surface, it was a place for high-ranking officials and nobles to indulge in pleasure, but in reality, it was the largest public stronghold of the Luo Wang organization in Kyoto, responsible for intelligence gathering and money laundering.

Suddenly, dozens of dark figures, like ghosts, scaled the walls from all directions and landed in the backyard of the restaurant.

These people were all dressed in black and masked, holding sharp blades. Their movements were synchronized and silent, clearly indicating that they were well-trained assassins.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

The leader of the men in black made a gesture and uttered a single word in a low voice.

Instantly, the killing began.

Although the spies in the restaurant were all skilled, they were still caught off guard by this sudden and organized attack. Amidst the flashing blades, blood gushed out, staining the bluestone slabs of the courtyard red.

The muffled groans, the clash of weapons, and the sound of flesh being torn apart by sharp blades intertwined to form a symphony of death.

Meanwhile, similar massacres were taking place in an underground casino in the east of the city and a pawnshop in the west.

These places were outlying outposts deliberately exposed by the Luo Wang organization in order to establish a foothold in Kyoto. They didn't house any core members; most were just low-level operatives responsible for gathering intelligence and making money.

The massacre came quickly and ended just as quickly.

In less than half an hour, all the members of the Luowang organization in these strongholds were slaughtered. The attackers left no survivors, took no valuables, and even set fire to the site before leaving, burning it clean.

When the patrol officers arrived at the scene after seeing the fire, they found only ruins and a few charred corpses.

……

The Second Prince's residence, study.

The flickering candlelight cast Li Chengze's shadow on the wall, making it appear somewhat distorted and enormous.

He was still barefoot, sitting cross-legged on the armchair, toying with an exquisite white jade wine cup in his hand. The scarlet wine from the Western Regions inside the cup gleamed eerily in the candlelight.

In the shadows of the study, a tall and sinister figure silently emerged.

"What happened?" Li Chengze knew something big must have happened when he saw Zhao Gao arrive late at night.

Zhao Gao walked to the center of the study, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, just half an hour ago, our three publicly known strongholds in the capital—Tianhua Residence, Changle Lane, and Tongbao Pawnshop—were simultaneously attacked by unidentified experts. All 136 of our peripheral personnel at these strongholds were killed, with no survivors. The scene was set on fire, leaving no clues whatsoever."

Upon hearing this report, Li Chengze abruptly stopped playing with his wine glass.

The temperature in the study seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

"All killed? Not a single survivor?" Li Chengze's voice was eerily calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Yes." Zhao Gao lowered his head, not daring to look Li Chengze in the eye. "Your Highness, I have failed in my duties. Please punish me!"

Li Chengze didn't speak, but just quietly looked at the scarlet liquid in the glass.

His gaze, illuminated by the candlelight, became dark and deep, like a bottomless abyss.

He knew this was no ordinary feud between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world); it was a precise strike against him, or rather, against "罗网" (Luo Wang, the "Net of Heaven").

"To be able to wipe out three of my strongholds in one night, and do it so cleanly and efficiently, without even the Luo Wang's sentries having time to sound the alarm..." Li Chengze muttered to himself, "In this capital city, there are only a handful of forces with this kind of strength."

Is it Chen Pingping's investigation institute?

Or has that crazy woman Li Yunrui gone mad again?

Or...

The image of the man in the imperial study, always dressed in loose casual clothes and fond of sharpening arrowheads, flashed through Li Chengze's mind.

Is it Chen Pingping's investigation institute?

Or has that crazy woman Li Yunrui gone mad again?

Or...

The image of the man in the imperial study, always dressed in loose casual clothes and fond of sharpening arrowheads, flashed through Li Chengze's mind.

"Father, are you giving me a warning?"

Li Chengze suddenly laughed, the sound of which seemed particularly abrupt and chilling in the quiet study.

He tilted his head back, downed the glass of red wine in one gulp, and then slammed the glass down on the table with a loud thud.

"However, whoever dares to touch me will pay the price!"

"Zhao Gao, go and find out who did it, and then cut a piece of flesh off their body."

"yes!"

Zhao Gao responded in a low voice, then stepped back and instantly disappeared into the heavy shadows of the study like a ghost, without even causing a ripple in the air.

Once again, Li Chengze was alone in the study. He casually tossed the white jade wine cup onto the table, stood up, and adjusted his loose outer robe.

He was still barefoot, his bare feet treading on the cold bluestone slabs. It seemed that only this chill that seeped straight from his feet to his heart could calm his boiling murderous intent and agitation.

He pushed open the door to his study, ignoring the guards patrolling in the distance, and walked straight through the corridor toward the west wing.

The night breeze blew by, ruffling the stray hairs around his ears, but it couldn't dispel the deep gloom in his eyes.

Inside the west wing, the candlelight was dim.

Si Lili sat before her dressing table, wearing only a thin, moon-white nightgown. The silky fabric clung to her skin, outlining her alluring figure. Her cascading black hair fell casually over her shoulders, and her stunningly beautiful face carried a hint of lingering sorrow and loneliness.

Hearing the soft sound of the door being pushed open, Si Lili's delicate body trembled slightly, and she turned her head in surprise. When she saw the tall, barefoot figure walking into the room, her astonishment deepened.

Aside from the first night, this was the first time Li Chengze had come to her place at night. But Si Lili was, after all, a wise woman who had experienced many storms. She quickly regained her composure, lowered her eyes, and concealed the complex emotions in them.

Si Lili stood up, her lotus-like steps light and graceful as she approached, her voice soft and melodious: "Your Highness, it's late, why are you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Chengze had already walked up to her.

He didn't speak, but just looked at her quietly, his deep eyes swirling with a kind of aggressive undercurrent, mixed with a slight smell of alcohol.

The next moment, Li Chengze suddenly raised his hand, his cool fingers pinching Si Lili's smooth and delicate chin, and with a little force, forced her to raise her head.

Before Si Lili could fully react, Li Chengze leaned down and kissed her without hesitation.

"Well……"

Si Lili's beautiful eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief. The domineering yet slightly rough touch on her lips, mixed with the subtle aroma of Western Region wine, instantly overwhelmed all her senses.

This was the first time Li Chengze had been so close to her since she arrived at the mansion; it came so suddenly and so irresistibly.

He seemed to be venting some kind of emotion, or perhaps declaring absolute possession.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Si Lili did not refuse.

She slowly closed her eyes, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings. Her fair hands unconsciously clenched Li Chengze's shirt, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force, as she let him conquer her lips and teeth.