Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

Behind the Imperial Study is a semi-open, elegant courtyard.

The entire floor is covered with sandalwood planks, and there is a soft couch in the central courtyard, with a table, tea set and incense burner placed next to it.

Further out, there was a small stage with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters. Opposite the stage was a lotus pond with clear, cool water where several koi carp swam leisurely. Beside the pond was a pavilion with wind chimes hanging from its corners, which tinkled crisply in the breeze.

This is Emperor Qing's rest area after he finishes his work. He can bask in the sunshine, enjoy the breeze, listen to opera, and admire the scenery. It's very pleasant.

Except for a few close ministers and members of the royal family, Emperor Qing never summoned anyone here.

The sunlight was perfect, warmly bathing the entire courtyard. The pond water shimmered with tiny golden lights, the wind chimes tinkled, and even the air was filled with a lazy, languid atmosphere.

After the morning court session, Zhou Cheng, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince were summoned here.

The three people knelt around a small table.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince remained silent, their heads slightly bowed, their gazes fixed on the teacups in front of them, seemingly lost in thought.

Only Zhou Cheng had summoned Eunuch Hou early on and brought him a plate of melon seeds.

He was muttering to himself, half-heartedly.

The "spit" sound made the Crown Prince and the Second Prince frown from time to time.

Emperor Qing didn't care about Zhou Cheng's performance.

Because he's more casual now.

He casually threw on a white bathrobe, the neckline open, revealing part of his lean chest.

His hair was casually tied up and simply draped over his shoulders. He didn't have the slightest bit of imperial majesty; instead, he looked exactly like a certain type of person in later generations who was about to get a massage.

He leaned back on the couch, half-closing his eyes, basking in the sun, like a lazy old cat.

Zhou Cheng idly cracked sunflower seeds.

When they had cracked half a plate of sunflower seeds, they finally heard footsteps outside.

Fan Xian and Lin Ruofu were led in by Eunuch Hou.

Fan Xian was dressed in a blue robe today, looking somewhat tired, as if he hadn't slept well last night. Lin Ruofu, on the other hand, was dressed in a clean official robe, looking slightly haggard, and his steps were much heavier than usual.

As soon as the two entered, they bowed to Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing slowly rose, casually waved his hand, and nodded his chin at Eunuch Hou:

"Offer Lin Xiang a seat and serve him tea."

Eunuch Hou responded and led Lin Ruofu to sit down.

Fan Xian stood still, glanced at Zhou Cheng and the other two sitting together not far away, then at Lin Ruofu who had already taken his seat, blinked, and like a naive young man, said to Emperor Qing:

"Your Majesty, what about me?"

"You?" Emperor Qing tilted his head and glanced at him, then snorted irritably.

"Just stand there!"

Fan Xian grinned awkwardly and stood obediently to the side.

Emperor Qing looked around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the people.

"Everyone's here." His voice was languid, yet carried an undeniable authority. "Regarding Lin Gong, you can settle things yourselves in person."

Having said that, he led Eunuch Hou to the front courtyard, leaving the space to the group.

As soon as Emperor Qing left, the Crown Prince could no longer contain himself.

He suddenly stood up and first bowed to Lin Ruofu.

Lin Ruofu stood up to return the greeting.

The Crown Prince straightened up, turned his head, and cast a sharp glance at Zhou Cheng and the Second Prince, or more precisely, at the Second Prince standing next to Zhou Cheng.

"The forensic examination has been completed." His voice rose several decibels. "Lin Gong died from a master swordsman's swiftness. Among swordsmen in the capital, only Xie Bi'an, a disciple of my second brother, possesses such swordsmanship. Xie Bi'an is known as having a sword that can shatter time; no one in the capital can surpass him!"

Lin Ruofu frowned slightly:

"What does the Crown Prince mean...?"

The Second Prince, Li Chengze, remained motionless beside the desk, only letting out a cold laugh as he looked at the Crown Prince:

"Does the Crown Prince mean that I am the murderer of Lin Gong?"

Lin Ruofu turned to him: "Is Your Highness the murderer?"

"Of course not." The Second Prince's voice turned cold. "I have no grudge against Lin Gong, why would I kill him?"

The crown prince waved his sleeve heavily and said excitedly:

"If Xie Bi'an hadn't intervened, who else could possess such swordsmanship?!"

The second prince scoffed:

"It wouldn't be too difficult to find a hidden master swordsman, would it?"

The crown prince's expression changed: "What do you mean? Who are you alluding to?"

"It's just a matter of reasoning," the Second Prince said unhurriedly. "Lin Gong left the Crown Prince's residence that night, traveling non-stop out of the city, and was murdered before dawn. Apart from the Crown Prince knowing beforehand, who else could have known Lin Gong's whereabouts and carried out such a precise assassination?"

The crown prince suddenly took a step forward, his face turning red:

"It's precisely because Lin Gong left me that I'm even less likely to be the murderer! Lin Gong is like a brother to me; I let him leave the city to protect him. What reason would I have to harm him?!"

"As close as brothers?" The Second Prince tilted his head to look at him, a mocking smile on his lips. "Don't even mention as close as brothers. Even if they were truly brothers, wouldn't the Crown Prince be capable of harming them?"

He paused.

"As for the reason, rumors circulate in the streets that the Crown Prince colluded with Northern Qi to silence Lin Gong. Isn't that a valid reason?"

The crown prince's eyes widened in anger as he roared:

"Since when can mere rumors be believed?! Me, the Crown Prince of Qing, accused of colluding with Northern Qi? That's utterly ridiculous!"

"You might fool yourself with that, but would it work on others?"

Li Chengze's voice remained calm and unhurried:

"Perhaps the Crown Prince is feeling pressured by the alliance with Northern Qi?"

The crown prince's face darkened instantly, and he let out a cold laugh:

"I feel pressured? Then isn't someone else under even more pressure? If I collude with Northern Qi, wouldn't that person be even more inclined to betray Qing and collude with Northern Qi?"

The second prince narrowed his eyes and felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly suppressed his expression and gave a cold snort:

"There's no point in making baseless speculations. The fact is, Lin Gong was assassinated after leaving the Eastern Palace. Whether you were the murderer or not, you can't escape responsibility!"

The Crown Prince chuckled, spread his arms, turned halfway to the left and right, and then faced the Second Prince:

"According to you, I am responsible for Lin Gong's actions once he leaves my residence—"

He paused, then turned his gaze to Zhou Cheng.

"If Third Brother hadn't publicly accused Lin Gong of assassinating Fan Xian at the Forensic Academy, I wouldn't have needed to arrange for Lin Gong to leave the city, and Lin Gong wouldn't have died! According to Second Brother's logic, wouldn't Third Brother bear the main responsibility?"

The second prince lowered his head slightly, as if in thought. He then raised his head and nodded.

"What the Crown Prince says is not without reason."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Zhou Cheng.

He still hasn't forgotten the slap Zhou Cheng gave him.

Regardless of whether Zhou Cheng was related to Lin Gong's death or not, he was happy to drag him into it.

Fan Xian and Lin Ruofu also turned their attention to Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng continued to leisurely crack sunflower seeds, and when everyone looked at him, he even picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

He put down his teacup, licked the tea stains off his lips, and then turned to look at everyone.

Then, unexpectedly, he nodded vigorously.

"You're right," he said lazily. "I can not only bear primary responsibility for Lin Gong's death, I can even bear full responsibility!"

He paused, then grinned:

"Let me tell you, I killed Lin Gong."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Then--

The crown prince looked away.

The second prince looked away.

Fan Xian and Lin Ruofu also looked away.

The way he looked showed not only disbelief, but a complete disregard for his words.

Both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince wore expressions of helplessness and speechlessness.

They argued for so long, wasting so much breath, but the effect was not as good as someone who just admitted it.

Of course, neither of them believed that Zhou Cheng was the murderer of Lin Gong.

They knew all too well the strength of Zhou Cheng's men.

The two strongest fighters around Zhou Cheng were the two eighth-rank officials, Chen Quan and Chen Bao, arranged by Emperor Qing.

Those two are still Emperor Qing's men, and they still receive their salaries from the palace.

It wasn't that they looked down on Zhou Cheng; it was that he managed to evade the surveillance of two eighth-rank officials, and even managed to raid outside the city overnight, find Lin Gong, and kill him...

He could probably only be a Grandmaster if he could do that.

If Zhou Cheng is a Grandmaster, then what's the point of the two brothers fighting for the throne?

Just kneel down and shout "Long live the Emperor!"

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were at a loss for words.

Zhou Cheng then slowly stood up, stretched, and

"Looks like even if I admit I'm the murderer, you won't believe me." He rested his chin on his hand.

"Second Brother just said that if I hadn't ordered Lin Gong to assassinate Fan Xian through the Forensic Academy, Lin Gong wouldn't have died. To put it another way, if Fan Xian had obediently let Lin Gong kill him, wouldn't Lin Gong have been even less likely to die?"

He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Fan Xian with ill intent:

"Therefore, I believe the primary responsibility for Lin Gong's death lies with Fan Xian!"

Fan Xian glared at him, immediately showing his displeasure:

"Your Highness, your words are utterly unreasonable!" He stepped forward. "What do you mean if I obediently let Lin Gong kill me, Lin Gong won't die? We're all human beings. I can die, but Lin Gong can't?"

Zhou Cheng chuckled and gave him a look:

"We are all human, that's true, but different people have different fates."

He turned around and looked at Lin Ruofu.

"Prime Minister Lin," he said slowly, "I think the matter of Lin Gong's death can be resolved soon. Look at all of us here. Even if it were me, the Crown Prince, or the Second Prince, we killed Lin Gong, you couldn't do anything about it. Now, only Fan Xian's life is worthless—"

He paused, then grinned:

"Why don't you just treat Fan Xian as the murderer and kill him to avenge Lin Gong?"

[Fan Xian's negative emotions +666!]

Fan Xian's eyes widened, and he thought to himself, "Holy crap!"

[Lin Ruofu's negative emotions +233!]

Lin Ruofu's face twitched violently.

Indeed, no matter which of the three princes killed Lin Gong, he would have no way to retaliate.

As for Fan Xian...

The Lin family has now essentially entrusted their future to Fan Xian. What if they kill Fan Xian?

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince exchanged a glance, their faces showing that "what Third Brother (Third Brother) said seems to make sense."

Just as they were about to voice their agreement, Emperor Qing's voice came from the front courtyard.

"Third brother, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Emperor Qing walking back slowly with his hands in his pockets.

He walked up to Lin Ruofu and stopped.

"Minister Lin, you've heard quite a bit," his voice was calm. "You're the aggrieved party. What are your thoughts?"

Lin Ruofu remained silent for a moment.

Then he took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and slowly spoke:

"In Lin's opinion, the one to blame is..."

He paused.

"It should be Chen Pingping."

Everyone was taken aback.

Lin Ruofu continued, his voice calm and utterly unwavering:

"The Censorate has the responsibility to monitor the capital. Yet, the true culprit behind my son's murder has not been reported to this day. This shows that Chen Pingping is lax in managing his subordinates and ineffective in handling affairs."

Emperor Qing nodded.

That makes sense.

Lin Ruofu suddenly stood up, knelt down before Emperor Qing, and kowtowed heavily:

"Your Majesty, I request that Chen Pingping be confronted and punished according to the law!"

Emperor Qing paced around twice, seemingly deep in thought.

Sunlight fell on him, casting flickering shadows on the ground.

After a moment, he stopped.

"Alright." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Then send word to Chen Pingping."

Everyone waited for Chen Pingping's arrival, their hearts filled with unspoken thoughts.

Zhou Cheng sat back down at the table, picked up the plate of sunflower seeds he hadn't finished cracking, and continued cracking them with a "crunch crunch crunch" sound.

The crisp sound seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet atmosphere.

Emperor Qing couldn't help but frown and glance at him.

But Zhou Cheng seemed oblivious.

Emperor Qing didn't say anything in the end.

Soon, Eunuch Hou pushed Chen Pingping's wheelchair slowly from the other end of the corridor.

The wooden wheels of the wheelchair rolled over the wooden floor, making a soft "gurgling" sound.

Chen Pingping was still dressed in a black robe.

The wheelchair stopped in the center of the atrium.

Emperor Qing's face hardened, and his voice deepened:

"Lin Xiang's son was murdered, and as the head of the Supervisory Council, you still haven't found the killer. You cannot escape blame! Chen Pingping, do you plead guilty?"

Chen Pingping quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture from his wheelchair:

"Your Majesty, the murderer has been identified!"

Emperor Qing raised an eyebrow, a perfectly timed hint of surprise on his face:

"Oh? The murderer has been found?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Emperor Qing stood with his hands behind his back. "In front of everyone here, tell me—who is the murderer?"

Chen Pingping put down his hand, rolled his wheelchair over to Lin Ruofu.

Lin Ruofu bent down urgently, his voice strained:

"Who is the murderer?"

Chen Pingping raised her head and looked at him.

"Dongyi City, swords on all sides."

Lin Ruofu's expression froze, then changed rapidly:

"A Grand...Grandmaster?"

"It wasn't Si Gu Jian himself who made the move," Chen Pingping explained. "It was Si Gu Jian's personal disciple who did."

He paused.

"Our autopsy revealed that there were two murderers, both top-tier swordsmen who could kill even eighth-rank masters quickly, surpassing Xie Bi'an, a disciple of the Second Prince. Both murderers were at least ninth-rank."

His gaze swept across the faces of the crowd.

"As everyone knows, most of the ninth-rank sword masters in the world come from the Sword Pavilion of Si Gu Jian. Si Gu Jian's thirteen personal disciples, known as the Thirteen Sons of the Sword Pavilion, all possess the strength of the ninth rank. Apart from Si Gu Jian, no other force in the world can arrange for two ninth-rank sword masters to fight together."

Lin Ruofu's expression kept changing.

He knew perfectly well that Chen Pingping was talking nonsense, but there was a certain truth to what the other man was saying...

The crown prince suddenly spoke, his voice tinged with doubt:

"The experts from Si Gu Jian Jian Lu traveled thousands of miles to the capital just to kill Prime Minister Lin's son?"

Chen Pingping chuckled.

"Lin Gong colluded with Northern Qi spies to assassinate Fan Xian in Niulan Street, and his two disciples and grand-disciples were brutally murdered."

The prince's brows furrowed:

"Those two were killed by Fan Xian. Si Gu Jian wanted revenge, so why did he kill Lin Gong?"

Chen Pingping's gaze fell on his face.

"Everyone knows that Si Gu Jian is a sword fanatic. When Fan Xian was assassinated, he fought back and killed the two assassins in a fair fight, and Si Gu Jian only praised Fan Xian. The real targets of his revenge are Lin Gong, who was behind it all, and the Northern Qi Kingdom."

"Alright."

Emperor Qing suddenly spoke, interrupting Chen Pingping.

He frowned, his tone tinged with impatience:

"How did this get dragged into the Northern Qi again? What does this have to do with the Northern Qi?"

Chen Pingping turned to Emperor Qing, his voice still steady:

"Lin Gong was lured by a spy from Northern Qi, which gave him the opportunity to attack Fan Xian. Northern Qi is disrupting the situation in the capital and intends to involve Si Gu Jian to escalate the situation. Their methods are despicable and extremely vicious..."

He clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his voice suddenly rose several decibels:

"Your Majesty, I request that you issue an order to raise an army and choose a date to launch a campaign against Northern Qi!"

Emperor Qing's brows furrowed even more, his tone tinged with uncertainty:

"What did you say? Raise an army?"

Chen Pingping nodded vigorously, his voice resolute: "Raise an army!"

Lin Ruofu was expressionless, his eyes filled with helplessness.

At this moment, Zhou Cheng had finished eating the whole plate of melon seeds and just watched Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing sing and respond to each other.

As for the others, they were all trying their best to manage their facial expressions.

This performance was so obviously fake.

But no one dared to say it out loud.

Emperor Qing paced around twice, his footsteps making a steady sound on the wooden floor. Sunlight danced across his body, casting flickering shadows.

Then, he suddenly stopped in front of Lin Ruofu.

"Minister Lin," he said softly, "what do you think?"

Lin Ruofu was taken aback.

His moment of stunned silence was so obvious that everyone could see his dazed state.

Then Lin Ruofu slowly knelt down.

He said nothing, but kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the sandalwood floor with a dull thud.

"Your Majesty," he said in a hoarse voice, "I implore you—to seek justice for my dead child!"

Emperor Qing bent down to help him up.

Lin Ruofu knelt on the ground, pleading repeatedly, refusing to get up.

Emperor Qing straightened up, looked at Lin Ruofu kneeling on the ground, and sighed with a sense of helplessness:

"In that case..." he paused, "Issue an edict immediately, ordering Dongyi City to hand over the murderer."

He paused again, his gaze drifting into the distance.

"As for the Northern Qi Kingdom..."

He repeated the words "Northern Qi Kingdom" several times, as if he were weighing something.

Then he withdrew his gaze, his voice carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"I never wanted bloodshed. But they've gone too far, pressing us relentlessly—let's fight this battle!"

Lin Ruofu swayed slightly.

Emperor Qing bent down and helped him up, his voice low and domineering, carrying the air of an emperor:

"I will mobilize the entire nation to punish the unjust."

Lin Ruofu's expression was somber, as if he were about to cry but was not.

"Your Majesty... understands."

Emperor Qing nodded with satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder.

He didn't ask Lin Ruofu "what he understood".

He turned around and walked up to the crown prince.

The crown prince felt uneasy instinctively.

Emperor Qing stopped and looked at him.

"You." His voice turned somber.

The prince's knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud.

"You have slandered your brother and stirred up trouble." Emperor Qing's voice was icy. "You shall be confined to the Eastern Palace for three days."

The prince's eyes widened instantly.

He just finished a ten-day lockdown, and now he's going to be locked up for another three days?

What would his retainers and supporters in the court think of him?

He wanted to plead for mercy; his lips moved, but he dared not utter a sound.

Just as he knelt on the ground, filled with sorrow,

Zhou Cheng, who was behind him, suddenly stood up and walked over.

"Father."

His voice wasn't loud.

Emperor Qing turned his head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Cheng stood beside the Crown Prince and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"With war imminent between our Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi, imprisoning the crown prince would harm the morale of the army and the people."

The crown prince froze, blinked, and couldn't help but look up at Zhou Cheng.

He couldn't believe that Zhou Cheng would plead for him.

The second prince also stared wide-eyed, a look of confusion on his face.

Why would someone step forward to help the Crown Prince at this time...?

Fan Xian stood aside, looking at Zhou Cheng with the same doubt. He didn't think Zhou Cheng was genuinely speaking up for the Crown Prince; he just felt that this guy was definitely up to no good!

Emperor Qing frowned.

Before he could speak, Zhou Cheng continued:

"Rumors in the capital say that the Crown Prince is colluding with the Northern Qi. With war imminent, is confining the Crown Prince to his quarters just confirming these rumors?"

What will the people of Qing think if their crown prince colludes with an enemy nation? What will the soldiers fighting on the front lines think?

Emperor Qing stared at him.

"What are you trying to say?"

Zhou Cheng chuckled, a hint of slyness in his smile:

"Why not have the Crown Prince volunteer to lead the army and supervise the battle? This would both clear his name and boost morale—a perfect solution!"

Upon hearing this, the crown prince's face turned green, and he stood up abruptly!

He's not clean at all!

To go to the front lines to oversee the battle against Northern Qi?

Please—

If the war goes smoothly, what if the Northern Qi, in a fit of anger, exposes the evidence of his collusion with the Northern Qi?

His dealings with the Northern Qi were veiled by a black glove, but that wasn't enough to ensure safety!

Furthermore, if the war goes poorly or even ends in defeat, the consequences for him, the Crown Prince's military supervisor, will be even more dire!

As the crown prince, he has no shortage of fame for going into battle and boosting morale.

If he were to take command of the army, regardless of whether the Qing Kingdom wins or loses, the harm to him would outweigh the benefits!

Even if he is confined to his home for another ten days, he absolutely cannot accept this task!