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

It was Zhou Cheng who startled Fan Xian and sent him flying.

Li Yunrui used Yan Bingyun as a bargaining chip with Northern Qi, asking Zhuang Mohan to ruin Fan Xian's reputation at the banquet and then cancel the engagement.

Now that her efforts have failed, regardless of whether she was at fault or not, she has to bring the person in for questioning.

If he had arrived a few minutes later, Fan Xian would have overheard their private conversation, seized leverage over Li Yunrui, and taken advantage of the situation.

Zhou Cheng certainly wouldn't give Fan Xian that opportunity.

He's the kind of person who sides with his relatives regardless of right or wrong.

Li Yunrui's relationship with him was much closer than his relationship with Fan Xian.

The arrow he used was Yan Xiaoyi's arrow—the one that had vanished into thin air in Yan Xiaoyi's eyes.

The reason it disappeared was naturally because it was stored in his system space.

Any entity that he can detect can be added to the system space.

In a static state within the system space, what state is the arrow in when it is retrieved, and what state is it in when it is thrown?

Fan Xian believed that it was Yan Xiaoyi's arrow, and that his judgment was not wrong.

Because it was indeed shot by Yan Xiaoyi, and from beginning to end, the arrow's force was not diminished in the slightest.

The sound of arrows piercing the air and Fan Xian's escape alerted Li Yunrui inside the side hall.

Her expression changed, and she didn't have time to say anything more.

The female official beside Li Yunrui even chased after him.

The female official flashed out of the corridor and chased after him.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the empty palace path, making the bluestone slabs gleam with a cold, silvery light.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings like lightning, but there was no one there.

She frowned and was about to turn back when she caught a glimpse of a figure slowly emerging from the shadows behind the pillars.

The figure was dressed in a black robe, wrapped from head to toe, and wore a strange monkey mask on its face. The moonlight shone on the mask, making the monkey's face appear to be smiling but not smiling, and the golden headband gleamed with an eerie light.

The female official's pupils suddenly contracted.

No nonsense.

With a powerful leap, she charged straight at Zhou Cheng like a white lightning bolt!

The palm strike was fierce, and the true energy of a peak eighth-grade cultivator poured out without reservation, tearing the air apart with a sharp whistling sound.

Zhou Cheng stood still and glanced at her casually.

Just as the female official's palm was about to touch his chest, he raised his hand.

He simply placed his hand in front of his chest.

The female official slammed her palm down, feeling as if she had struck an iron mountain.

The overwhelming force of the impact sent him flying backward uncontrollably, taking seven or eight steps before he could barely regain his footing.

She looked down at her palms and found that not only was the area between her thumb and forefinger numb, but her entire arm was trembling slightly, and even half of her body was aching.

And this is only because the other side only defends and doesn't attack!

She looked up, staring incredulously at the figure in black robes.

A peak eighth-rank cultivator couldn't even withstand a single move?

This person is not just a ninth-rank official, but at least a top ninth-rank official!

The female official gritted her teeth, her hand resting on the dagger hidden at her waist.

She knew she was no match for them, but this was Guangxin Palace, and there were imperial guards patrolling outside. As long as she shouted, the guards would swarm over!

Just as she was about to call for help, she saw the figure opposite her raise his hand and put it on his face.

The man slowly removed his mask.

The hood was pulled down.

The moonlight shone on his face, outlining his excessively youthful appearance.

The female official froze instantly.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Her eyes were wide open, and her voice was trembling, as if she had seen a ghost.

Zhou Cheng nodded slightly.

The female official stood there, stunned, her mind blank.

As someone close to Li Yunrui, she knew Zhou Cheng far better than most people.

She knew that His Majesty had arranged for the Third Prince to pursue a literary path in his early years and forbade him to practice martial arts, but only in recent years had the restriction been lifted.

She always thought that Zhou Cheng's physical abilities were excellent, and that his ability to reach the fifth or sixth rank in just a few years was already a testament to his exceptional talent.

But that palm strike just now...

How is this possible?!

She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but swallowed the words back.

Her identity is not something to be questioned.

"Is His Highness here to see the Princess?"

Zhou Cheng nodded.

The female official took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

She remained vigilant, approaching carefully to observe, and only after confirming that it was indeed Zhou Cheng did she step aside to lead the way, respectfully saying:

"Please, Your Highness."

……

Inside the side hall, the lights were on.

Several bronze lamps with intertwined branches stood at the corner of the hall, their flickering flames illuminating the entire side hall as bright as day.

Several paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists hung on the wall, and exquisite tea sets were placed on the table. A faint fragrance permeated the air.

Startled by the commotion outside, Li Yunrui didn't have time to say much to Zhuang Mohan. She only hurriedly gave a few instructions before instructing the maid to quickly escort Zhuang Mohan out of the palace through the back door.

She herself stood in the hall, her brows furrowed, pacing back and forth.

The door was pushed open.

The female official bowed and led Zhou Cheng in.

Li Yunrui looked up and her gaze fell on Zhou Cheng's black robe. She was stunned for a moment, and then an expression of annoyance instantly appeared on her beautiful face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She walked over in a few steps, circled around Zhou Cheng, and looked him up and down in his night clothes.

"Infiltrating the palace in this attire in the middle of the night? What are you planning to do?"

Zhou Cheng opened his arms to let her look, and after she finished looking, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"This outfit," he looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, "is naturally for stealing."

Li Yunrui was stunned for a moment, then her face turned slightly red.

Stealing?

Steal her?

That's pretty exciting!

She felt a slight tremor in her heart, but then she thought about it again and felt so angry that her teeth itched.

"You're getting crazier and crazier!" She reached out to push him, but couldn't budge him. "How did you get in? Did you bribe the Imperial Guards?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head.

"No. I climbed over the wall to get in."

Li Yunrui scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"With your lousy skills? You think you can climb over walls?"

Zhou Cheng nodded.

Li Yunrui was amused by his matter-of-fact attitude.

The female official stood to the side, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

She wanted to tell Li Yunrui that His Highness's strength was far from being just a "mediocre player," and the force of that palm strike still made her arm numb.

But Zhou Cheng didn't explain, and she didn't dare to say anything more for the time being.

Li Yunrui sighed, her tone softening slightly.

"If you really want to come, send someone to let me know, and I'll arrange a reason for you to come during the day." She looked at Zhou Cheng. "Coming at night now will not only ruin my important plans, but also, if someone finds out, how will you explain it?"

She paused.

"Leave now."

Zhou Cheng looked at her, his hand still on hers.

"I'm already here, are you telling me to leave?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui's body went weak, and he hesitated for a moment.

Zhou Cheng ignored her and simply picked her up in his arms.

Li Yunrui bit her lip, then naturally hooked her arms around his neck without refusing.

Without them having to say a word, the lady-in-waiting quietly withdrew outside the door, dismissing all the servants around her.

In the flickering firelight, her figure disappeared outside the door.

Zhou Cheng carried Li Yunrui all the way from the side hall through the corridor to the bedroom.

The door was closed.

The candlelight flickered, and the gauze curtains hung lightly.

It's utterly absurd.

……

On the other side, after losing her way, Yan Xiaoyi returned to the palace.

He stood where Zhou Cheng had first appeared, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings like that of a hawk.

There was nothing there.

He frowned.

Not long after, yet another person escaped from his arrows.

It was done in a bizarre way, almost like a magic trick.

Yan Xiaoyi took a deep breath, suppressed his doubts, and leaped onto the roof.

Under the moonlight, the glazed tiles gleamed with a soft glow, and the upturned eaves outlined sharp lines in the night.

He became more vigilant, surveying the various palaces from their rooftops, his sharp eyes scanning back and forth, not missing a single unusual detail.

As he passed by Guangxin Palace, a reflection caught his attention.

That was an arrow.

Nailed to the roof ridge, a few sparse, withered feathers reflected a faint light in the moonlight.

Yan Xiaoyi's pupils contracted.

He leaped over, landed beside the arrow, and examined it carefully.

He channeled his inner energy and pulled the arrow out of the roof ridge.

The shaft, the arrowhead, the fletching—every detail was incredibly familiar.

These are his special arrows.

Yan Xiaoyi's heart skipped a beat.

Tonight, he pursued the man in black, but never passed by Guangxin Palace.

Every arrow he had shot before was subsequently retrieved by him.

How did this arrow end up here?

He recalled the arrow that had mysteriously disappeared, and the black-robed figure that vanished into the night.

A diversionary tactic?!

Yan Xiaoyi's expression changed instantly.

Without thinking twice, he leaped off the roof and headed straight for Guangxin Palace.

Inside the palace, he immediately noticed the lights on in the side hall.

He hurried over, but the side hall was empty. The incense was still burning, its faint scent drifting in the air.

He felt even more anxious.

Without thinking, he turned around and rushed towards the rear of the palace.

……

The eldest princess's bedroom.

(Latest Movie/TV Update: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life)

When Yan Xiaoyi landed, all was silent. He glanced around, and his pupils contracted again.

There should have been servants on night watch and guards patrolling around the palace.

But now, the firelight is sparse, and there is no one around. Only a few lonely palace lanterns sway in the night wind, their shadows flickering and casting dim, dappled light on the ground.

Yan Xiaoyi's heart sank.

He strode towards the entrance of the palace.

A figure emerged from the shadows and blocked his way.

A personal female official.

"Commander Yan, what brings you here so late at night?" the female official asked calmly.

She stood in front of the door, her posture straight, her face expressionless, like a statue.

Yan Xiaoyi stared at her, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Tonight, a thief broke into the inner palace. I fought with him, but he escaped," he said in a deep voice. "After tracking him down, I found a clue in a side hall. I was worried about Your Highness's safety, so I came to check it out."

The female official shook her head slightly.

"Your Highness is unharmed, and no thieves have come. I have been guarding Your Highness here and will alert you if there is any danger. Commander Yan, please return."

Yan Xiaoyi frowned.

He glanced around; there wasn't a single guard.

How could he feel at ease?

"Why are Your Highness's guards so lax?" he asked in a deep voice.

The female official remained expressionless.

"No comment."

Yan Xiaoyi took a deep breath.

"I can leave, but only if Her Highness gives the order personally. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

The female official frowned slightly.

"Commander Yan, you have overstepped your bounds."

Yan Xiaoyi remained unmoved.

He pricked up his ears and began to listen to the sounds coming from inside the hall.

As a top-tier expert of the ninth rank, he could easily pinpoint the location of sounds through one or two walls.

He vaguely heard something.

It's almost imperceptible.

Yan Xiaoyi's expression hardened, and he seemed somewhat uncertain.

Just then, Li Yunrui's voice came from inside the hall.

The voice trembled slightly, as if it were trying its best to suppress something:

"Is...is that Xiao Yi outside?"

After a pause, the voice rang out again:

"I...I'm fine...please leave!"

That strange sound confirmed Yan Xiaoyi's suspicions.

His expression changed repeatedly.

There were other people inside the hall.

Moreover, the eldest princess is currently...

He respected and was grateful to Li Yunrui, so he naturally didn't care about her private life.

He was only concerned about Li Yunrui's safety.

I'm concerned about whether she was coerced!

Yan Xiaoyi subconsciously reached for the longbow behind his back.

The female official flashed in front of him, blocking his path, and coldly shouted:

"Didn't Commander Yan hear His Highness's order? Stand down!"

Yan Xiaoyi paused for a moment.

He glanced at the female official and gave her a meaningful look.

The female official simply shook her head slightly.

Just then, Li Yunrui's voice came from inside the hall again, this time with a hint of anger and embarrassment:

"Yan Xiaoyi! Get back now! Get out of here! Get far away from me!"

There was no fear in that voice.

I felt only shame and anger.

Yan Xiaoyi understood.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and forcibly shifted his attention away from the suddenly intense sounds of their lovemaking.

He withdrew his hand and bowed respectfully towards the inside of the hall.

"As Your Highness commands, Yan Xiaoyi takes his leave."

After saying that, he turned and left.

He didn't go far after leaving Guangxin Palace.

He flew to the pavilion opposite the entrance of Guangxin Palace and sat down cross-legged.

The pavilion's eaves soared high, offering a panoramic view of the entire Guangxin Palace. He took a longbow from his back, held it in his hand, and fixed his gaze on the direction of Guangxin Palace.

Just sitting there.

Not moving at all.

Like a sculpture.

The moonlight bathed him in a silvery glow, and the dew gradually dampened his shoulders, but he was completely unaware.

He just sat there, waiting.

……

After their lovemaking, Li Yunrui lay in Zhou Cheng's arms, her fingers gently tracing circles on his chest.

The candles in the hall had burned down to almost nothing, their wax dripping into small hills. The flickering flames cast the shadows of the two people onto the curtains, creating an intermittent glow.

Li Yunrui suddenly spoke:

"By the way, what are your thoughts on the matter between the Ye family and the Xihu?"

Zhou Cheng looked down at her. In the candlelight, her exquisite face was radiant with spring-like beauty.

The matter of trade with the Western Hu was discussed earlier at Prince Cheng's residence, but due to time constraints, they didn't have time to elaborate.

Afterwards, the Northern Qi delegation entered the capital, and everyone was watching closely. They did not meet privately, so the matter was delayed.

Zhou Cheng: "I don't care."

What does "it doesn't matter" mean?

Li Yunrui propped herself up and looked at him:

"We'll cooperate on Xihu smuggling. How much profit do you want?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head.

Li Yunrui frowned.

"Don't want to do it? Are you scared?"

Zhou Cheng said, "I have no interest in smuggling. If you want to do it, just give me 20% as you said before."

Li Yunrui frowned even more deeply.

"What do you mean? You disagreed before, saying that a 20% interest rate was less than pocket money, but now you agree?"

Zhou Cheng smiled and reached out to pull her back into his arms.

"Agreed, and even more than 20%."

He looked down at her.

"Anyway, you're my woman, and you're mine too, so why would I care about that little bit of wealth? If you like it, you can have it all."

Li Yunrui lay in his arms, stunned for a moment.

But then she immediately scoffed.

Although he acted dismissively, inside he felt as if he had been hit hard by something.

The flavor is complex.

She was the eldest princess, and from a young age she seemed to have been showered with love and favor.

Born into royalty, she knew better than anyone that what was truly precious was never superficial favor.

Those truly precious powers and wealth that allow you to control your own destiny must be fought for, seized, and calculated.

No one, not even Emperor Qing, would readily give away the enormous wealth that the Western Hu could potentially earn through smuggling.

She was in charge of the Imperial Treasury, but the money in the Imperial Treasury essentially belonged to Emperor Qing.

She could only manage it at best; the money didn't belong to her at all.

Her true wealth was accumulated little by little over the years through smuggling using the inner treasury.

That's hers.

She knew the details of Zhou Cheng's household better than anyone else.

If a person truly has great ambitions and wants to seize that position, he will need a lot of money.

She knew, and he certainly knew too.

But now, this man says—

"If you like it, you can have it all."

Li Yunrui found it hard to believe.

It's hard to believe that a man would be so generous to her, even if that man is obsessed with possessing her body.

She looked up at Zhou Cheng.

That face looked exceptionally beautiful in the dim candlelight, with a hint of languor in its eyes.

She suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of coldness:

"Do you think that if you take less of the cut, or even none at all, you'll be less likely to be held accountable if something goes wrong?"

Zhou Cheng looked down at her.

Li Yunrui reached out and stroked his face, a smile curving her lips: "Impossible, Cheng'er."

"I'm a bad woman. I'll use your name to smuggle goods the whole time. If anything goes wrong, I'll be the first to distance myself, and you—you'll be the first one to get away."

Zhou Cheng looked at her.

Those eyes were as calm as still water.

Then he laughed.

"I dare to say it, I dare to do it, and I dare to admit it." He tightened his embrace around the woman. "I will stand up for anything we did together! Let alone a little money from smuggling, even if you accidentally got some, I would admit it to everyone that it is mine."

Li Yunrui was initially somewhat moved, but after hearing more, she paused for a moment.

Got it?

She subconsciously looked down at her stomach.

Then she looked up at him, glared at him, and snapped, "Get lost!"

……

Yan Xiaoyi sat on the rooftop for nearly two hours.

He remained motionless, his longbow still firmly in his hand.

His gaze remained fixed on the direction of Guangxin Palace.

As the night deepened and the eastern sky began to lighten, a dark figure emerged from Guangxin Palace.

The figure was still dressed in a black robe, walking calmly in the middle of the palace path.

Yan Xiaoyi slowly stood up, raised the longbow in his hand, drew the bow, nocked an arrow, closed one eye, and aimed at the figure.

The bowstring was taut, and the arrowhead pointed steadily at the man's heart.

His arrows followed the figure's movements.

Until, the figure suddenly stopped.

Zhou Cheng waved to Yan Xiaoyi from afar.

He condensed his voice into a single line.

"Commander Yan, you must have heard about it last night. I imagine you wouldn't want the Princess's scandalous affair in the harem to be discovered, would you?"

Yan Xiaoyi's hand trembled violently.

Zhou Cheng's voice continued:

"It's almost dawn. My clothes are too conspicuous. Hurry, help me get out of the palace."

Yan Xiaoyi's hand, gripping the bowstring, bulged with veins.

A few breaths later, he slumped down.