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

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Only Zhou Cheng could hear the system notification echoing in his ears.

[Negative emotions from Li Chengze +666!]

[Negative emotions from Li Yunqian +333!]

Emperor Qing's face visibly flushed with anger, while Li Chengze knelt down in a panic, his face pressed tightly to the floor, obscuring his expression.

Fan Xian was completely numb. He thought he was quite bold, but compared to Zhou Cheng, he was nothing!

Even if it was a joke, could you really say something like that in this kind of setting, in front of Emperor Qing?

The crown prince was also filled with fear and at a loss. His mouth kept opening and closing, as if he wanted to plead for mercy but did not know how.

Finally, he knelt down in fear, bowing his head tightly, as if preparing to receive the thunder.

The gleaming floor reflected the corners of his mouth, which he couldn't suppress.

OK!

Well said!

The Crown Prince discovered that as long as he wasn't the one being targeted, he still enjoyed listening to Zhou Cheng speak!

"You bastard!"

Emperor Qing suddenly stood up, his finger trembling as he pointed at Zhou Cheng.

Emperor Qing never expected that Zhou Cheng would dare to say such things in front of him!

Royal dignity was always what he valued most.

Zhou Cheng's seemingly joking words were not merely testing the limits of danger; they were a direct tear in the veil of warmth surrounding "home," exposing the bloody and filthy reality beneath.

Emperor Qing was furious, and it wasn't an act; he was genuinely enraged!

"Your Majesty, please calm down! My third brother only spoke carelessly and meant no harm—"

Li Chengze's voice rang out at this moment.

Emperor Qing glanced at him but ignored him.

He simply stared at Zhou Cheng, took a deep breath, and

"You should be glad this is a family banquet, otherwise, based on just that one sentence, I would have deposed you! You said Chengze was smuggling, so what? Fan Xian has no evidence, but you do?"

His voice was deep and cold.

At this moment, he was truly unsure whether supporting Zhou Cheng was the right or wrong decision.

Is it really worth his effort to cultivate someone who speaks without restraint, doesn't know how to hide his talents, and is good at attracting attention?

But on second thought, it seems just right.

He didn't really intend to groom Zhou Cheng to be emperor; he was merely supporting him to hone the crown prince's political abilities!

People with obvious weaknesses are easier to control and use!

Thinking of this, the anger surging in his heart suddenly subsided a lot.

Zhou Cheng then raised his head.

He certainly has evidence.

The accounts of Li Yunrui, Li Chengze, and Shen Zhong's transactions, the records of the Northern Qi Imperial Guards' interactions, and so on, had long been lying in his system space.

But now is not the time to bring it out, and it should not be brought out by him.

"My income from my fiefdom is about the same as my second brother's," he said, his voice not loud, but clear and logical, as if he were not affected by Emperor Qing's wrath at all.

"Simply relying on my fiefdom to support my residence and maintain appearances is certainly possible. However, since His Majesty granted me the right to participate in the council, the expenses incurred by court officials in welcoming and seeing off guests have exceeded what my fiefdom income alone can support."

He glanced at the Second Prince.

"My second brother has cultivated his influence in the court for many years, and his relationships with officials are more extensive than those of me and the Crown Prince combined. Maintaining such a vast network of connections naturally requires considerable funds. Furthermore, I've never heard of my second brother owning any properties. Surely, the money he can spare to maintain his faction doesn't just fall from the sky?"

Li Chengze quickly spoke up, his voice urgent: "Third brother has a deep misunderstanding about me!"

He knelt on the ground, straightened his upper body, looked at Emperor Qing with sincere eyes.

"Your Majesty, I have no dealings with any officials; we are just having normal interactions."

"It's true that my assets aren't solely from my fiefdom. Over the years, I've also accumulated some spare money, which I've invested with the Eldest Princess to manage, receiving a small share in return. That's why my life seems a bit more comfortable. I'm guilty for not reporting this to Your Majesty. But what my third brother said is completely fabricated; I'm innocent..."

Emperor Qing nodded, his face still showing anger.

He turned to Zhou Cheng:

"Did you hear that? Do you have any objections?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head and remained silent.

Emperor Qing snorted coldly: "To speak ill of your brothers based solely on conjecture, and to call for the death of your elder brother, is utterly presumptuous! Thinking you've achieved some minor merit, you've become arrogant and ignorant! It seems I've been too lenient with you! Go back and confine yourself to your residence for three days to reflect on your actions!"

Zhou Cheng stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your command."

He was extremely polite and respectful, yet showed no sign of fear.

This made Emperor Qing's eyelids twitch.

He dislikes people putting on airs in front of him, but he dislikes it even more when someone doesn't put on any airs at all!

He looked down at Zhou Cheng, then glanced at his other three sons. He suddenly realized that Zhou Cheng was the biggest difference between himself and the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and even Fan Xian!

This person seems to lack sufficient reverence for him and for imperial power!

Just as Emperor Qing was about to examine Zhou Cheng more closely, Fan Xian suddenly spoke up.

"Your Majesty!" he knelt on the ground, his voice earnest, "His Highness Prince Cheng's speculation is not without reason. His dying words were absolutely true. Although I have no evidence yet, I am willing to investigate!"

Emperor Qing's lips twitched, and his attention shifted to Fan Xian.

He sneered, not expecting Fan Xian to dare to bring it up again, which made the anger that he had just suppressed in his eyes surge up again.

"Investigate? On what grounds do you intend to investigate? Based solely on the words of a dead man, on mere conjecture about your elder brother, you dare to investigate the prince?"

Fan Xian looked up and met Emperor Qing's gaze.

In those eyes, there was a profound sense of authority, a cold scrutiny, and something else he couldn't decipher.

Anyway, that gaze was like an iceberg, pressing down on him and making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and spoke even louder.

"I acted solely on my duty! As the Director of the Censorate, I have the responsibility to enforce the law and eliminate treacherous officials!"

"The Director of the Censorate?"

Emperor Qing seemed to have heard a funny joke.

"Say it again!"

Fan Xian took out the waist token of the Director of the Observation Bureau from his pocket, raised it above his head with both hands, and kowtowed to the ground.

"As the Director of the Censorate, I have the duty to enforce the law and eliminate treacherous officials!"

Emperor Qing chuckled twice, but the laughter was cold and devoid of any warmth.

He gestured with his eyes to Eunuch Hou beside him.

Eunuch Hou immediately understood and quickly walked up to Fan Xian to take the waist token.

Fan Xian gripped it tightly, and it took Hou Gonggong a couple of attempts to wrest the waist token away.

Fan Xian looked up and watched as Eunuch Hou presented the waist token to Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing held the tassel on his waist token, glanced at the token, and then glanced at Fan Xian.

He let out another cold laugh, and then, in front of everyone, casually tossed it behind him.

"thump!"

The waist token arced through the air, passed over the white jade railing, and landed in the lotus pond. A small splash appeared on the surface, then ripples spread outwards before quickly returning to calm.

"What a fine title for the Director of the Censorate! 'Pursuing treacherous officials'? You're saying the Eldest Princess is a treacherous official? The Second Prince is a treacherous official?"

Emperor Qing sighed, his face full of disappointment: "You dare to slander a member of the imperial family with nothing but empty words and baseless accusations. It seems you've forgotten your place after this trip!"

Fan Xian knelt on the ground, his facial muscles twitching, his heart ice-cold.

He clenched his teeth, feeling as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Disappointment, anger, resentment—all sorts of emotions surged in my chest.

He originally thought that since he was also Emperor Qing's son, he could argue his case as long as he was in the right. But reality gave him a cold and heavy slap in the face.

"Is there anything else you have to do?" Emperor Qing asked, looking at the others.

No one speaks.

He nodded: "In that case, you can continue eating here!"

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Eunuch Hou and several eunuchs hurriedly followed, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

With Emperor Qing gone, the heavy atmosphere in the courtyard eased somewhat.

Fan Xian stood up, looking completely lost and dejected.

Seeing his appearance, the Second Prince revealed an undisguised sneer.

The second prince looked at him, a mocking smile on his face. He stood up, straightened his robes, said "Farewell" to the crown prince, and turned to leave.

As he passed Zhou Cheng, he didn't even glance at him and quickened his pace.

Zhou Cheng is a madman.

Now that there was no one else around, he was really afraid of being slapped again.

As soon as the second prince left, Zhou Cheng picked up his chopsticks again and started eating by himself.

The food was getting cold, but he didn't mind at all. He kept eating, one bite after another, thoroughly enjoying his meal.

Fan Xian stood there, glanced at the Crown Prince, and suddenly turned to Zhou Cheng.

"Your Highness," his voice was hoarse, "you are also a prince. I ask you—was I really wrong?"

He was stunned for a moment after he said it. He didn't understand why he would ask Zhou Cheng such a question at this moment.

But now that I've asked, there's no going back.

Before Zhou Cheng could speak, the Crown Prince interrupted him.

"Lord Fan is certainly right!" His voice was fervent, tinged with righteous indignation. "Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners! What I admire most about you is your courage in the face of power! Our Qing Kingdom needs upright ministers like you to ensure a just and honest court!"

He rattled off a whole string of words, getting himself quite excited.

Fan Xian simply clasped his hands in a fist salute to him, said nothing, and then looked at Zhou Cheng again.

The prince's smile froze for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Only after the Crown Prince stopped eating did Zhou Cheng smack his lips and put down his chopsticks.

"You're obviously wrong! If you could only read one novel about the infinite universe in your entire life, it would probably be 'Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life'."

Fan Xian was taken aback.

Zhou Cheng wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and continued:

"What kind of banquet is this? This is a family banquet." His voice wasn't loud, but each word struck Fan Xian's heart. "No matter how much nonsense I spout and how much I anger His Majesty, it's still family talking behind closed doors. You, a director of the Censorate, if you want to investigate a prince, why don't you say it in court? What's the use of shouting here?"

Fan Xian's body trembled.

Zhou Cheng continued, "Of course, it won't do you any good even if you shout it in court. Without evidence, shouting it will only humiliate you. You still need to investigate and obtain evidence first."

Fan Xian smiled wryly: "I've even lost my supervisor's badge, what's the point of investigating?"

Zhou Cheng sighed: "Did His Majesty throw away your badge and say he was being dismissed from his position as the Director of the Censorate?"

Zhou Cheng seemed to read his mind, and said quietly, "Your waist token is at the bottom of the pool. If you find it troublesome and are afraid of getting your clothes dirty, just find a eunuch to retrieve it for you. If you don't mind, go down and get it yourself. What are you standing here for?"

Fan Xian's eyes lit up instantly.

He quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Cheng, then nimbly took off his outer robe, unbuckled his belt, kicked off his boots, leaving only his underpants, and went to the lotus pond. Holding onto the railing, he jumped in with a "plop".

The water splashed high, startling the koi carp in the pond, causing them to scatter and flee.

The crown prince stood to one side.

Unable to resist, she said to Zhou Cheng, "Third Brother, His Majesty threw away the waist token. Isn't it inappropriate to be so greedy?"

Zhou Cheng glanced at him: "Did His Majesty say we can't fish it out?"

No, not at all.

"That's it!"

The Crown Prince was speechless, watching Fan Xian groping around at the bottom of the pool, his lips twitching.

Soon, Fan Xian emerged from the water, clutching the waist token tightly in his hand. He climbed ashore with disheveled hair, his face and hair soaked, water streaming down his chin.

He shook his head, his inner energy circulated within his body, and the water on his body gradually evaporated, emitting wisps of white steam.

"Are you a dog or something?!" Zhou Cheng cursed, turning his head to dodge the water droplets that were being flung at him.

Fan Xian quickly apologized, and the Crown Prince went over to help him put on his outer robe and then bent down to help him put on his boots.

Fan Xian kept backing away, repeatedly saying "I dare not," but he still couldn't stop the Crown Prince's enthusiasm.

While helping Fan Xian straighten his clothes, the Crown Prince kept glancing at Zhou Cheng, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Zhou Cheng could tell that the Crown Prince had something to say to Fan Xian.

He chuckled, stood up, walked out of the courtyard, went to the back porch, and leaned against the railing.

The autumn sun shines on me, warm and comforting.

He wasn't in a hurry to leave.

The Crown Prince had something to discuss with Fan Xian in private, and Fan Xian happened to have something to discuss as well.

As soon as Zhou Cheng disappeared, the Crown Prince impatiently lowered his voice and asked, "Lord Fan, do you wish to continue the investigation?"

Fan Xian replied without hesitation, "Of course."

The crown prince's expression was conflicted, as if he were making a difficult decision. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, his voice carrying a hint of resolute determination:

"Fan Xian, although my second brother and I have a deep bond, I don't protect my own! If you want to investigate, I can help you! If he's truly guilty, he should accept the punishment; if he's innocent, then it will be perfect for clearing my second brother's name!"

Fan Xian looked at the Crown Prince, slightly hesitant.

He didn't believe a word of the Crown Prince's so-called "deep affection".

He understood that the Crown Prince wanted to use him to deal with the Second Prince, which coincided perfectly with his own intentions.

Before he could respond, the Crown Prince asked, "Fan Xian, since you believe Shen Zhong's words, you must have some clues. I just don't know how you plan to investigate. Whatever the final result, I will help you!"

Fan Xian thought about it and realized that he and the Crown Prince were indeed on the same side in this matter.

He made up his mind, organized his thoughts, and said:

"I don't know much about the smuggling activities of the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince. I only know that they smuggled through a place called Shijia Town on the border."

"Shijia Town?"

The crown prince showed just the right amount of surprise, as if he were hearing the name for the first time.

The Crown Prince naturally knew about Shijia Town. In order to gain his trust, Zhuang Mohan had sent someone to investigate Shijia Town.

He still left several experts in Shijia Town to keep a close watch on things.

"A clue is good!"

He nodded, his tone solemn: "Don't worry, Fan Xian, I'll arrange for people to investigate for you right away!"

After saying this, he sighed deeply, his eyes filled with a heavy sense of concern for the country and its people.

"I hope this is a misunderstanding. I hope it's Shen Zhong who's sowing discord. I hope this investigation will clear Aunt and Second Brother's names!"

He expressed his hopes three times in a row, and then exchanged a few words with Fan Xian.

He also knew the principle that too much of a good thing can be bad, so he quickly took his leave.

As he passed through the back corridor, he saw that Zhou Cheng was still there, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

He put on a smile and came over to say hello.

"It seems Third Brother has something to instruct Fan Xian. In that case, I'll take my leave now."

Zhou Cheng nodded without saying anything more.

The prince's figure paused at the end of the corridor for a moment, then disappeared.

Fan Xian straightened his clothes again before leaving the courtyard, where he then met Zhou Cheng.

Fan Xian was clearly surprised; in his eyes, Zhou Cheng wasn't the kind of person who could wait patiently.

"Your Highness, are there any further instructions?"

Zhou Cheng leaned against the railing: "What did Lord Fan and the Crown Prince discuss just now? Are you planning to join forces to find evidence against the Second Prince?"

Fan Xian's heart tightened.

In Fan Xian's eyes, Zhou Cheng was different from the Crown Prince. He couldn't understand Zhou Cheng's stance. He could be honest and cooperate with the Crown Prince, but he hesitated with Zhou Cheng.

"The Crown Prince and the Second Prince are blood brothers, so there's no question of them dealing with each other." He carefully chose his words. "It's just that the Crown Prince values ​​me highly, and he offered to help me with some matters."

Zhou Cheng chuckled and turned to look at him.

"Why are you trying to fool me? I heard you mention Shijia Town."

Fan Xian looked embarrassed.

He was somewhat shocked. What kind of hearing is this?!

The path from the courtyard to the back corridor was quite long, and he had been speaking in hushed tones when he was talking to the Crown Prince. With his ninth-rank martial artist's hearing, he hadn't heard a sound from their side. So how could Zhou Cheng, being here, have overheard his conversation with the Crown Prince?

Fan Xian looked embarrassed.

He was somewhat shocked. What kind of hearing is this?!

The path from the courtyard to the back corridor was quite long, and he had been speaking in hushed tones when he was talking to the Crown Prince. With his ninth-rank martial artist's hearing, he hadn't heard a sound from their side. So how could Zhou Cheng, being here, have overheard his conversation with the Crown Prince?

Before he could think further, Zhou Cheng continued, "Fan Xian, you shouldn't have mentioned Shijia Town to the Crown Prince."

Why?

"Because we know the clues about Shijia Town, it will be extremely difficult to find evidence of the Second Prince's smuggling. And even if we do find evidence—to be honest, even if the Second Prince smuggled weapons and armor, as long as His Majesty still thinks he is useful, he will only be given a minor punishment in the end."

He stepped away from the railing and stood up straight.

"Compared to painstakingly investigating evidence only to have it leniently dismissed by His Majesty, from the Crown Prince's perspective, it's far less effective than simply pinning a blame on the Second Prince."

Fan Xian frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Kill all the hundreds of people in Shijia Town, then pin it on the Second Prince. Gather some evidence, and Li Chengze will be speechless. It's time-saving, labor-saving, and it'll also put us on the same side as Lord Fan, bringing us closer—isn't that killing two birds with one stone, simple and efficient?"

Fan Xian's pupils suddenly contracted.

"No... that can't be, right?" His voice was a little dry.

Zhou Cheng smiled and shook his head.

"Impossible? You still don't understand the royal family."

Fan Xian looked at Zhou Cheng's expression; it didn't seem like he was joking. His face visibly paled.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the frightening thought in his mind.

"Your Highness, you also want to deal with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, don't you?" His voice was urgent, tinged with a hint of probing. "If they really intend to massacre the town, you can send men to save it, capture the Crown Prince's assassins, and then take the opportunity to uncover evidence of the Second Prince's smuggling activities—isn't this Shi Family Town your chance to bring them down?"

Zhou Cheng smiled faintly: "You're right, I am going to deal with them. What they are doing now is exactly what I want."

Fan Xian: "What? What do you mean?"

Zhou Cheng folded his hands: "Fan Xian, you experienced my influence in Northern Qi's capital firsthand. Do you think I wouldn't know about the Second Prince's smuggling activities in Shijia Town?"

Fan Xian's eyes widened in disbelief: "You...you knew from the very beginning?"

"Not only did I know," Zhou Cheng continued casually, "but even before Shen Zhong died, I had all the evidence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's smuggling activities with the Second Prince."

"Then why didn't you take it out when His Majesty asked?"

Zhou Cheng looked at him calmly. "Naturally, it's because the evidence isn't substantial enough! Like I said before, as long as His Majesty deems Li Chengze useful, then no evidence matters."

He paused.

"But now, with a town added, and several thousand lives lost—that's enough."

Fan Xian stared at him with wide eyes, as if he were looking at a devil.

"You disregarded thousands of lives just to deal with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince?"

Zhou Cheng met his gaze, his expression unchanged.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't kill them, so what does it have to do with me? On the contrary, it's because of me that they don't die without knowing why."

Fan Xian swayed, his eyes wide with rage, his voice trembling:

"You bunch of lunatics! What do you all think human life is?"

He stared intently at Zhou Cheng, gritting his teeth: "I won't let you have your way!"

"You won't let us have our way?"

Zhou Cheng shrugged: "What can you do to stop me, no, how can you stop the Crown Prince?"

After saying that, he clicked his tongue and kindly reminded him:

"The Crown Prince has known about Shijia Town for a long time, and has even already deployed people there. If you want to rescue people, do you think your own people will be faster, or the Crown Prince's carrier pigeons?"