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

Zhou Cheng looked at the crown prince, who had raised his chin, with amusement.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Cheng placed his hand on his back.

The prince was jolted awake, and before he could even react, he felt as if an electric current had surged through his back.

His internal energy instantly became disordered, and his whole body convulsed as if electrocuted. His hands, which were originally gripping the railing tightly, suddenly curled up into chicken claw shapes, and he lost his balance, his body leaning forward uncontrollably.

Then a powerful attack came from behind!

In order to provoke Zhou Cheng, he deliberately leaned half a body length out of the railing.

At that moment, a force pushed him from behind, and most of him was suspended in mid-air over the railing of the viewing platform, with a sheer cliff below, even higher and more dangerous than yesterday!

The prince's pupils instantly shrank to a single point!

Despite his dignified seventh-rank cultivation, he was now suspended in mid-air, his body stiff and completely unresponsive, unable to move even a single finger, more helpless than an ordinary person.

He opened his mouth to shout, but his heart almost stopped beating!

Yesterday, halfway up the mountain, he was confident that he could survive even if he fell. But now, at the summit, even with his inner energy flowing smoothly, a fall from this height would likely be fatal!

Time seemed to stretch out countless times in that instant, and he watched helplessly as he plummeted into the abyss, unable to do anything about it.

A gust of wind surged up from the valley floor, ruffling his hair.

He saw the golden sea beyond the railing, and even noticed a few wild chrysanthemums blooming on the cliff edge, swaying in the wind.

Finished!

He regretted it!

I regret ever provoking that madman!

The thought had just crossed his mind when...

The force behind me suddenly changed, turning into a pulling motion.

In a flash, Zhou Cheng's hand changed from pushing to grabbing, suddenly seizing the back of his collar, tightening his fingers, and pulling him back in mid-air like grabbing a chick, then pulling him backward.

The crown prince grunted and plopped down on the ground.

The prince was still in shock, his body drenched in cold sweat.

Only then did gasps of surprise come from behind.

"Your Highness!"

"What happened?"

A group of people immediately rushed over. Prince Jing, his heir Li Hongcheng, and other members of the imperial clan all swarmed forward, surrounding the Crown Prince.

"Is Your Highness alright?"

"Your Highness shouldn't have taken such a risk!"

"Can Your Highness hear me?"

Various sounds buzzed in his ears, but the prince could not hear them clearly. He felt that the sounds were distant and indistinct, as if they were separated by something.

He felt as if the internal energy within him was like a startled wild horse, rampaging through his meridians, causing his internal organs to churn, his head to throb, and his temples to throb.

Someone reached out to help him, but he numbly brushed them off.

He couldn't care less about anything else; he simply closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, gritted his teeth, and did his best to calm the restless internal energy within his body.

The surroundings quieted down.

After a dozen or so breaths, he finally managed to calm down the chaotic flow of his inner energy and couldn't help but let out a long breath.

The world came alive again. The sound of the mountain wind, the chatter of the lower classes, and the chirping of birds in the distance were all clear.

He opened his eyes and saw Zhou Cheng standing straight, looking down at him with a "concerned" expression: "Your Highness, are you alright?"

His tone and expression made it seem as if he truly cared for him as a brother.

The crown prince grunted, almost spitting out blood in anger.

"You...you...you pushed me!"

He pointed at Zhou Cheng, his fingers trembling, his emotions running high.

However, just when he thought that after his accusation, many people would follow his lead and question and condemn Zhou Cheng,

The surroundings became unusually quiet.

He paused for a moment, then looked at the people around him and saw that they were all frowning.

Without Emperor Qing, a grandmaster, present, their eyesight was severely hampered, and they were unable to discern many details.

They only saw the prince leaning against the railing seeking thrills, and before they could even warn him, he suddenly lost his balance and fell outwards.

Finally, Zhou Cheng reacted quickly and pulled the crown prince back.

The crown prince was unaware that, at this moment, in the eyes of those around him,

It's just like a young child who makes a mistake and is afraid of being scolded by his elders, so he tries to shift the blame to his friends.

Zhou Cheng saved the Crown Prince's life, but instead of being grateful and thanking him, the Crown Prince turned around and accused him.

As the crown prince, his reluctance to take responsibility and pay for his mistakes inevitably raises questions.

Some of the royal relatives, even those who had been close to the crown prince beforehand, could no longer stand by and watch.

Prince Jing's brows furrowed, and even though he never took sides, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as he looked at the Crown Prince.

As the Crown Prince looked around in bewilderment, Zhou Cheng's voice rang out calmly, as if he were coaxing a sulking child.

"Yes, yes, I'll give you the push."

He paused for a moment, then said, "However, as the Crown Prince, you should pay attention to your demeanor in public. What kind of behavior is it to sit on the ground like this? Please get up."

As he spoke, he bent down and extended his hand to him.

Calculate?

What does "calculate" mean?

It was clearly you who pushed it!

The Crown Prince was so angry at Zhou Cheng's perfunctory and casual tone that he felt dizzy. He wanted to say to the others, "Look, he's already admitted it," but when he looked up,

He noticed that everyone around him had restrained expressions, but their eyes clearly showed disappointment.

He noticed that everyone around him had restrained expressions, but their eyes clearly showed disappointment.

The prince's voice suddenly choked in his throat, and the words he was about to say stuck in his throat.

"What's going on? Are you all blind?"

He cursed inwardly, and at this point, he finally realized that something was wrong.

Normally, if others saw Zhou Cheng push him, even if they managed to save him at the last moment, they would still hold Zhou Cheng accountable for plotting to murder the crown prince.

As a result, not a single person in this group stood up to speak for him.

He didn't believe that all these people were on Zhou Cheng's side.

If that's the case, he should just abdicate and hand over the position of crown prince to a more worthy successor.

If that's the case, then there's only one truth!

They did not see, or rather, did not believe, that they were in danger because Zhou Cheng forced them into it!

All they saw was that Zhou Cheng pulled him back and saved him!

Thinking of this, the crown prince felt a chill in his heart.

He recalled his reaction just now and suddenly understood why everyone had such expressions.

He opened his mouth, as if to explain something, but couldn't utter a single word.

People only believe what they see and trust what they think.

He explained, "Does it really work, except to make us seem more unreasonable?"

He quickly weighed the pros and cons, and finally sadly discovered that he had no way to defend himself and no choice.

Helpless, he forced an awkward smile onto his face, as if to explain to others that everything that had just happened was an unintentional act due to his fright.

The Crown Prince raised his hand, just about to take the step Zhou Cheng offered and stand up, but the next second Zhou Cheng withdrew his hand.

However, no one else seemed to think there was anything wrong with it.

The Crown Prince had just finished his deliberations and reasoning when more than ten breaths had passed.

Zhou Cheng kept extending his hand, but the Crown Prince refused to accept it. In their eyes, this showed that the Crown Prince lacked manners, so it was only natural that Zhou Cheng eventually withdrew.

After all, constantly reaching out for help is just asking for humiliation.

The crown prince looked embarrassed, but he could only pretend to be calm, turning his outstretched hand in another direction and standing up with the help of others.

Some people helped him brush the dust off his robes, while others handed him handkerchiefs to wipe his hands and sweat, which he accepted blankly.

Prince Jing and his heir, Li Hongcheng, were also behind the Crown Prince.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was standing there in a daze and did not react, Prince Jing took the initiative to step forward to comfort him and whispered in the Crown Prince's ear that his words and actions just now were not in the manner of a crown prince and that he should apologize and thank Zhou Cheng.

I've been wronged!

I am a victim!

Do I have to apologize?

The crown prince stared in disbelief, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

Seeing the Crown Prince's expression, Prince Jing frowned, sighed, shook his head slightly, and took a step back.

This sigh was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, jolting the prince awake with a chill!

He had already lost to Zhou Cheng's provocation.

They lost badly and couldn't continue.

Otherwise, he will only lose more!

He walked up to Zhou Cheng, trying to change his expression.

"Third Brother," he scratched his head sheepishly, forcing a sheepish look onto his face, "I'm sorry, Chengqian was just frightened and spoke without thinking. Please forgive me, Third Brother!"

With each word he uttered, the humiliation in his heart felt like a steel needle piercing his soul, causing him unbearable pain with every heartbeat.

Fortunately, he saw many people around him nodding slightly, seemingly approving of his "acknowledging and correcting his mistakes," which gave him some comfort... Bullshit!

Even now, he still doesn't understand why his internal energy suddenly went out of control.

He suspected that Zhou Cheng had tampered with his body, but after carefully examining his body, he could not detect any trace of foreign true energy.

The chaos came so suddenly.

Looking back now, it's very likely that Zhou Cheng lacked martial ethics and was too bold, attacking without saying a word, catching him completely off guard and causing him to lose control of his internal energy due to shock!

The higher the level of domineering true energy, the more violent and uncontrollable it becomes.

He had little control over his internal energy training, so it was normal for him to lose control unexpectedly.

He just didn't expect that his domineering true energy would fail him at such a crucial moment, causing him to lose face.

Zhou Cheng waved his hand, his voice gentle and sincere: "They are all our brothers, how could I blame the Crown Prince? After all, it is all my fault. If it weren't for me, the Crown Prince wouldn't have been so frightened."

Hearing him say this, Li Chengqian became even angrier.

Because he could tell that Zhou Cheng had admitted it, and that he was confident in his admission!

Then he heard people whispering around him.

"Your Highness Prince Cheng is too modest!"

"He has the demeanor of an elder brother; his bearing is extraordinary!"

"Completely different from past rumors."

"No wonder His Highness Prince Cheng enjoys His Majesty's trust!"

Li Chengqian was so angry he felt like vomiting blood.

He looked at Zhou Cheng resentfully, just as Zhou Cheng's gaze turned toward him.

He then saw Zhou Cheng raise one eyebrow slightly, his eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm.

The mockery flashed by, but he saw it clearly!

He felt a sense of familiarity with that expression.

Thinking about it for a moment, it seems that he had this expression when he asked Zhou Cheng to "push him again" by the railing.

The prince groaned, his internal energy once again going astray, and his chest heaved.

He held his breath and it took him a while to recover.

At this moment, Prince Jing noticed that the Crown Prince's complexion was not right, so he asked him with concern if he was unwell and suggested that he go down from the viewing platform and rest in the palace for a while.

The crown prince did not refuse.

He found the praise from those around him grating.

He was clearly the victim, but the people around him seemed to be blind to it.

He not only hated Zhou Cheng's cunning, but also hated this group of useless people, not one of whom could see the truth!

He secretly resolved that if he ever rose to power, he would settle scores with everyone present!

Accompanied by Li Hongcheng, Li Chengqian descended from the viewing platform.

Prince Jing then went to Zhou Cheng's side and showered him with praise.

On the viewing platform, Zhou Cheng also exchanged pleasantries with Prince Jing.

However, before the two could exchange more than a few words, shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" came from the foot of the mountain.

The sound rose from the mountain gate and traveled up the plank road layer by layer, like waves crashing against the rocks, one after another, getting closer and louder.

Everyone immediately fell silent, knowing that Emperor Qing had entered.

As Emperor Qing ascended the steps, shouts echoed from the mountain, reverberating from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, and from the mountainside to the summit, reverberating between the cliffs and reaching the heavens.

Zhou Cheng and the others went to the top floor entrance to greet them. He straightened his robes, stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, and stood in a row with the others.

Soon, Emperor Qing, dressed in a black dragon robe with gold trim, was seen walking in with Prime Minister Lin Ruofu and Fan Jian, who had been promoted to Minister of Revenue, surrounded by Eunuch Hou and several eunuchs.

Zhou Cheng, the Crown Prince, and the others bowed in greeting.

Emperor Qing casually waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up.

Emperor Qing walked ahead and entered the hall with the others.

"Alright, you don't need to follow me. This is for sightseeing and enjoyment, so don't be shy. Everyone, disperse." Emperor Qing gestured for everyone to do as they pleased.

Only then did the many royal relatives breathe a sigh of relief, and they dispersed in twos and threes, each finding a place to sit down, some to drink tea, some to drink wine, some to admire the scenery, and some to talk in hushed tones.

Emperor Qing arrived at the banquet and was about to sit down when he noticed that the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat strange.

"What's wrong?"

Emperor Qing asked a question, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.

Many people's eyes fell on the Crown Prince and Zhou Cheng, but no one spoke.

Emperor Qing frowned.

His gaze drifted to the side.

Soon, a waiter who had been waiting there came forward.

The attendant leaned close to Emperor Qing's ear and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing "the Crown Prince shouted that Prince Cheng was pushing him by the railing," Emperor Qing almost thought that the incident from yesterday had been leaked, but upon closer listening, he realized it wasn't.

He then realized, "Good heavens!"

His two sons are really never quiet!

Less than a day later, the same scene from yesterday played out again by the same railing.

The waiter only speaks from an outsider's perspective, recounting everything he has seen.

After hearing this, Emperor Qing summoned another attendant and asked him to repeat himself.

After hearing this, his brows furrowed even more deeply, and he even gave the Crown Prince a fierce glare without any attempt to hide it.

That one glance was colder than the wind on the cliff. The prince trembled and almost knelt down to cry out for justice.

Emperor Qing snorted coldly again when he saw the Crown Prince's pathetic state.

Emperor Qing didn't care that the Crown Prince was putting on an act to avenge yesterday's humiliation.

What bothered him was that the Crown Prince had actually messed things up! He had tried to steal a chicken but lost his rice instead, and had even lost face in front of the imperial relatives. It was utterly disgraceful!

He wanted to reprimand the crown prince in public, but he held back.

In such situations, even if the crown prince makes a mistake or embarrasses himself, he cannot be publicly reprimanded.

Otherwise, his attitude would be over-interpreted by the court officials. He originally intended to weaken Zhou Cheng's power and increase the Crown Prince's influence, so reprimanding the Crown Prince now would only backfire.

Now that he had already asked about Zhou Cheng and the Crown Prince, he was caught in a dilemma: whether to speak or not.

If he speaks up, it would be wrong to reprimand anyone; if he doesn't speak up, it would make him seem indifferent as the emperor.

Just as Emperor Qing was cursing the Crown Prince in his heart and feeling troubled,

A cacophony of shouts, carried by the mountain wind, drifted faintly from afar.

"Fire!"

"Quickly, put out the fire—!"