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

Don't miss out: Chapter 85, Emperor Qing's Reaction, is available in its entirety. Click here.

Emperor Qing slowly stopped what he was doing. He raised his head slightly, and his eyes, hidden under his messy hair, were as calm as a bottomless ancient well, without a ripple.

He glanced at Chen Pingping's pale face, then at the wooden box casually placed aside, still stained with blood, and finally, his gaze fell back on the extremely sharp steel arrowhead in his hand, which gleamed with a cold, eerie light.

He gently blew away the iron filings from the arrowhead, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the night sky rather than the lives of 142 people.

"Pingping."

Emperor Qing's voice echoed in the hall, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression, "You've come to the palace about this matter, hoping I will uphold justice for you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Pingping fell silent instantly.

The entire imperial study fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy breathing echoing faintly in the air.

The old eunuch buried his head deep in his chest, his body trembling uncontrollably, wishing he were deaf or blind at that moment.

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair, his cloudy yet sharp eyes fixed on Emperor Qing.

He had prepared a whole speech, including various analyses of the potential threat this mysterious organization "Luo Wang" posed to the imperial power of Daqing. He had even prepared a petition to His Majesty to apologize and request the mobilization of the Imperial Guards or top imperial guards.

But upon hearing this casual question, all words turned to ashes instantly, like embers extinguished by ice water.

Upholding justice?

A faint bitterness and sorrow welled up in Chen Pingping's heart.

He knew the emperor before him all too well. Emperor Qing's words were not a question, but a warning, or even a mockery.

What is the Censorate? It is the sharpest and darkest knife in Emperor Qing's hand, a vicious dog used to monitor officials and intimidate the world.

Now, this vicious dog has had a piece of flesh bitten off and a paw severed outside. Instead of tearing its enemy apart, it runs back to its owner and barks wildly, begging its owner to stand up for it.

Chen Pingping's withered fingers slowly tightened on the armrest of the wheelchair, her knuckles turning white from the force.

He took a deep breath of the air in the imperial study, which carried a faint scent of ambergris, suppressing the surging anger, grief, and chilling coldness in his chest.

After a while, Chen Pingping slowly lowered her head, and her originally straight back seemed to hunch over a bit more.

"This old minister... takes his leave."

A hoarse voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying a sense of desolation, like a hero in his twilight years.

Chen Pingping didn't say another word, nor did she pick up the wooden box containing Leng Feng's ear.

He maneuvered his wheelchair, slowly turning around and heading towards the gloomy sky outside the imperial study. The shadowy figure appeared behind the wheelchair like a ghost, silently pushing him. The backs of the master and servant appeared particularly lonely in front of the massive palace gate.

Emperor Qing did not try to stop him, nor did he even look up at him again.

"Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—"

The sickening scraping sound of the file started again, as if nothing had happened.

……

……

Half an hour later.

Kyoto, the headquarters of the Inspection Agency.

This square, all-black building resembles a colossal steel beast lurking in the heart of Kyoto, exuding a chilling and intimidating aura year-round.

But today, an unprecedented tension and oppression permeates the interior of this behemoth.

As soon as Chen Pingping's wheelchair came to a stop in the center of the council hall, a series of hurried footsteps converged from all directions.

The organizers of the First Office, the Second Office, the Third Office, Leng Ruoshuang, the Fourth Office, Yan Ruohai... Apart from a few people far away in Jiangnan and Northern Qi, almost all the heads of various places who remained in the capital had gathered within half an incense stick's time.

Everyone's face was extremely grim. Although the news of the massacre of the Lone Goose Manor was strictly kept under wraps, as high-ranking members of the Surveillance Bureau, they had already received accurate intelligence.

"Dean!" Zhu Ge stepped forward, his face ashen, his eyes blazing with fury. "The incident at Lone Goose Manor is an utter disgrace! Leng Feng, the deputy head of the Sixth Division, was killed, and over a hundred brothers were left without a trace! I beg the Dean to give the order: the First Division is willing to mobilize its entire force, even if it means digging three feet into the ground, to dig out this 'Net' and tear it to pieces!"

"The three departments are willing to provide all the most potent poisons. I want to make these bastards wish they were dead!" Leng Ruoshuang said through gritted teeth.

Yan Ruohai, on the other hand, remained relatively calm. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Dean, this matter is strange. Lonely Goose Manor is extremely well-hidden, and the fact that Luo Wang was able to find it so accurately and eradicate it completely indicates that there is a huge loophole in our outer intelligence network. Now that the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, a rash attack might play right into their hands."

Chen Pingping sat quietly in his wheelchair, listening to the reports and requests for battle from the crowd. His face was even more somber than when he was in the palace, and a chilling light flickered in his cloudy eyes.

He ignored Zhu Ge's request to fight, and did not respond to Yan Ruohai's analysis. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion.

The hall fell silent instantly.

"Relay my orders."

Chen Pingping's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying an undeniable resolve: "Effective immediately, activate the highest level red alert. All personnel, undercover agents, and contact points of the Investigation Bureau within Kyoto and its surrounding hundred-mile radius must be abandoned."

These words shocked everyone present.

"Dean?!" Zhu Ge stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "Give up everything? Doesn't that mean half of our intelligence network in Kyoto is paralyzed? This... this is tantamount to bowing down and admitting defeat to that damned Luo Net!"

"Shut up!"

Chen Pingping slammed his hand on the armrest of his wheelchair and shouted sharply. In that instant, the terrifying killing intent that erupted from him made all the organizers present involuntarily shiver.

"Bowing down? Admitting defeat?" Chen Pingping sneered, his voice as piercing as an owl's. "I, Chen Pingping, don't know how to write those two words in my entire life! But I don't want to watch you fools go and die in vain!"

He took a deep breath, his tone turning icy cold: "You think Lone Goose Manor was just an accident? You think the Net just wanted to kill a few people to establish its authority? Wrong! This is just the beginning! What they want is to trample the dignity of the Forensic Academy underfoot, to turn us blind and deaf!"

"We can't count on His Majesty anymore." Chen Pingping closed his eyes, concealing the weariness within them. "This is a life-or-death covert war. The enemy's strength, methods, and intelligence capabilities far exceed our imagination. Until we fully understand their situation, our outposts are nothing more than fish on their chopping block!"