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

Zhou Cheng had no idea how much turmoil Zhan Yuanyuan's unintentional words had stirred up in Fan Xian's heart.

That same day, Fan Xian dispatched people to continue investigating Zhan Yuanyuan's detailed information. They needed to thoroughly investigate her background, past, and life details.

Fan Xian's actions caused Yan Bingyun to frown deeply.

Unable to resist reminding Fan Xian that he had a fiancée, Fan Xian was speechless.

Even with the capabilities of the Investigation Bureau, Fan Xian couldn't possibly obtain the information he wanted immediately.

He waited like that, but soon he couldn't care less about Zhan Yuanyuan anymore.

Wu Zhu is back!

They not only brought back news of Shijia Town, but also three prisoners.

That's right, there are three!

Fan Wujiu did not die.

Wu Zhu was entrusted by Fan Xian to go to Shijia Town, not only to prevent a possible tragedy, but also to capture several key witnesses.

Fan Wujiu was quite skilled; he even dared to intercept him alone.

He thought it might be useful, so he held back and only kicked Fan Wujiu to the ground before carrying him back to the capital like a chicken.

Upon seeing Fan Wujiu, Fan Xian was overjoyed.

Compared to Xie Bi'an, who was known as "one sword that breaks through time", Fan Wujiu was not very famous. But no matter how unknown he was, he was still a trusted retainer of the Second Prince and a figure who could be considered a big shot in the capital.

With such an important witness, Fan Xian dared not make a fuss, but secretly informed Chen Pingping.

Soon, Chen Pingping sent people to take Fan Wujiu and two other experts who had participated in the massacre of the town away and imprison them in the dungeon of the Observation Institute.

In the dungeon, the three were naturally met with endless torture.

It is worth mentioning that neither of the two men who massacred the town admitted to being sent by the Crown Prince. Instead, they insisted that they were subordinates of the Second Prince.

Fan Xian, who was in charge of the trial, hadn't said anything yet, but Fan Wujiu, who was being tortured with him, was furious.

Blame it on me!

This is a blatant case of someone being framed!

How could he not know whether these two guys were Li Chengze's disciples or not?

Unfortunately, there's nothing he can do now.

Others are willing to risk their lives to shift the blame, what can he do?

As for himself, he was barely able to protect himself.

He never expected that his confident interception would backfire so spectacularly. Now, not only has the matter failed, but he has also become Li Chengze's biggest weakness.

He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.

.......

Guangxin Palace, sleeping quarters.

Zhou Cheng sat on the edge of the couch, one arm around Li Yunrui's waist, the other gently resting on her protruding belly.

It's been six months.

Her belly was already bulging high, and no matter how loose the palace dress was, it couldn't be hidden.

Since becoming pregnant, she has not stepped out of Guangxin Palace.

He only kept a few trusted confidants to serve him, and the ordinary palace maids couldn't even get close to the door of his bedchamber.

Such days were dull and monotonous, like being in prison. She felt stifled and wanted to go crazy and throw a tantrum, but she only had her confidants by her side, so she couldn't vent her anger. She could only ask Zhou Cheng to come to the palace every now and then, openly or secretly, to keep her company and calm her down.

"You gave all the evidence of the smuggling to Fan Xian?" Li Yunrui leaned back on the soft pillows, her pregnant belly protruding, staring suspiciously at the man drawing circles on her stomach. "You didn't give me mine too, did you?"

Zhou Cheng didn't want to speak, so he just gave her a look.

Li Yunrui gave a soft hum.

Zhou Cheng continued to gently stroke her stomach as he spoke:

"Find a way to inform Li Chengze that Fan Wujiu is being held in the Forensic Academy's dungeon. Once the Second Prince gets anxious, have Zhu Ge arrange for someone to silence him. After it's done, do the Second Prince a favor."

Li Yunrui paused, his brows furrowing slightly. "You gave the smuggling evidence to Fan Xian precisely so he could gather witnesses and physical evidence to bring down the Second Prince?"

She looked at him, puzzled. "You clearly had the chance to turn Fan Wujiu into a witness, why kill him? Wouldn't that be helping the second son?"

"Help him?" Zhou Cheng chuckled, his fingers gently touching her waist. "Aunt, Father Emperor is in charge of this empire. Even if a prince engages in smuggling and raises a private army, can he really bring Li Chengze down?"

Li Yunrui's brows furrowed even more.

"Aiding the enemy and betraying the country, raising private armies—once exposed, these are heinous crimes of treason! Can Your Majesty tolerate such things?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head, but his hands didn't stop moving.

"Aunt, oh Aunt, the second prince is not like you. His Majesty wants you to hand over the Imperial Treasury, so you can't afford to have even the slightest mistake. But Li Chengze—"

He paused, then added, "His Majesty still needs him."

"As for whether or not there is treason, it is not up to us to say, nor is it up to Fan Xian to say, nor is it up to the evidence. Only His Majesty's word counts."

"So this time, you're doing the second brother a favor. If something unexpected happens later, use this favor to make him take all the blame for smuggling. That way, you can clear your name."

Li Yunrui thought about it and felt that it made a lot of sense.

Now she realizes that Zhou Cheng's analysis is far superior to her own calculations.

Zhou Cheng always prioritizes the essentials over outward appearances when doing things.

If it weren't for his reminder, Zhu Ge, who had joined her faction, would have been exposed by Chen Pingping's scheme long ago. He wouldn't be able to stay in the Observation Bureau and work for her as he is now.

Li Yunrui let out a breath, leaned back on the soft pillow, and looked at the excessively young man in front of her.

Despite being more than a decade older than her, he was very mature in many things, while she seemed quite naive.

"Perhaps that's why I keep betting on him..."

She was thinking to herself.

With a change of heart, she put all of this out of her mind again.

Since becoming pregnant, she has not only become physically lethargic, but her thinking has also become quite sluggish.

She didn't know if this was good or bad, but she didn't dislike it now.

Zhou Cheng gently rubbed his face against Li Yunrui's pregnant belly again. At this distance, he could clearly hear the baby's movements.

A slight smile played on his lips.

By silencing Fan Wujiu, Li Chengze incurred Li Yunrui's debt of gratitude.

This so-called human favor is merely a byproduct.

As he said, simply smuggling and raising private soldiers are far from enough to bring down Li Chengze.

However, if we add Fan Wujiu, who died in the Censorate, that would be enough!

......

After Zhou Cheng left, Li Yunrui immediately sent someone to secretly deliver a letter to Li Chengze.

When Li Chengze received the letter, he was fiddling with chess pieces in his study.

He asked Xie Bi'an, who was standing next to him, to read the letter aloud.

Halfway through his contemplation, the chess pieces in his hand scattered all over the ground. When he finished contemplating, he suddenly stood up, his head almost exploding!

Was someone framing him after massacring the town?

Fan Wujiu was arrested?

He was still imprisoned in the dungeon of the Censorate?

One piece of bad news after another shocked him so much that he could barely stand.

He snatched the letter from Xie Bi'an's hand, his hand trembling as the letter rustled between his fingers.

He quickly crumpled the letter into a ball and held it in his hand.

He thought quickly.

He knew that Shijia Town had been massacred, but he didn't know that someone was trying to frame him!

This is actually not so bad. Even if he did commit the murders and massacres in the town, he can just deny it to the death.

What frustrated him most was Fan Wujiu's arrest.

Fan Wujiu, this is his man, this is common knowledge in Kyoto.

If Fan Wujiu were only imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail, that would be fine; he could still find a way to get him out.

But the Censorate—that's Chen Pingping's territory, and there's nothing he can do about it.

Li Chengze was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in his study, but he had no solution other than to worry.

......

The dungeon of the Imperial Censorate.

In the dimly lit passageway, an oil lamp was lit every few steps, its dim yellow light casting flickering shadows on the damp stone walls.

The air was thick with the smell of mildew, mixed with a faint rust and blood.

A member of the forensic institute, carrying a food box, walked along the passageway to its deepest point.

He stopped in front of Fan Wujiu's cell, opened the small window in the door, and stuffed the food box and water bottle inside.

Fan Wujiu leaned against the iron railing and slightly raised his eyelids.

Although his inner energy was destroyed, although he was tortured, and although his whole body ached terribly, he was unwilling to suffer the injustice of his stomach.

He struggled to sit up and went to the food box.

The food was mediocre, lacking in oil and flavor, and he frowned.

He unscrewed the water bottle, ready to moisten his throat, but as soon as he brought it to his lips, he twitched his nose and then put the bottle down.

He has lost his true qi martial arts skills, but he still has his past experience.

Just as a smile was about to appear on his lips, the person delivering the food lowered their head and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"This was prepared for you by His Highness."

Fan Wujiu's cold smile froze instantly.

He stared in disbelief at the person in front of him, and then at the kettle in his hand.

He had endured even severe torture with gritted teeth, but now his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

"I...I kept my mouth shut," his voice was hoarse, "I didn't say a word."

The man merely glanced at him, gave him a look, and then turned and left without saying a word.

Fan Wujiu, carrying the food box and water bottle, slowly sat back down on the ground, feeling the cold ground, and gave a bitter smile.

After about fifteen minutes, he sighed.

He opened the food box and ate all the food inside.

Finally, he tilted his head back and drank the water in one gulp.

After eating and drinking his fill, he stood up, and scenes from the past flashed quickly before his eyes.

His inspiration struck suddenly, and poetry flowed naturally from his heart!

He looked around and saw iron railings. Looking down, he saw that the ground beneath his feet was paved with thick bluestone.

When he still possessed true energy, he could use his fingers as a pen to leave words on the ground, but now he had no way to do so.

"Damn it, who says I, Fan, have no poetic talent?"

Fan Wujiu suddenly laughed, muttering to himself.

"If I leave the poem behind, Xie Bi'an won't be able to laugh at me for not being able to write poetry!"

He laughed and laughed, then let out a muffled groan as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth and dripped down his chin.

He wiped his mouth with his hand, then his eyes lit up.

A penchant for the infinite universe? Click to enter your personal library!

He immediately lay down on the ground, brushed aside the moldy straw and filth, revealing a smooth bluestone floor.

With blood still in his mouth, he wrote just two words—

"vomit--"

A mouthful of blood spurted out, splashing onto the stone surface, leaving only a patch of bright red on the ground.

He stared blankly at the spreading bloodstain, feeling all his strength being rapidly drained away.

Forget it, I'm not writing anymore.

He used some effort and slumped into a cross-legged position.

The imperial examinations don't test poetry or prose. Old Xie only knows how to kill and wield a sword; how could he possibly understand poetry appreciation?

Going to all this trouble, only to wink at a blind man...

He never expected that Li Yunrui would be so powerful that he could actually kill someone and silence them in the Forensic Academy.

But after he breathed a sigh of relief, a strange feeling of unease welled up inside him.

Fan Wujiu had served him for many years, was reliable in his work, and was one of his most important confidants, a man who was both a servant and a friend...

This time, it just vanished without a trace.

"Fan Xian!"

Li Chengze suppressed his discomfort, his heart filled with hatred for Fan Xian.

If it weren't for Fan Xian, how could he have been in such a sorry state?

However, he also knew that resentment wouldn't kill, and his troubles were far from over.

He believed he understood Fan Xian well; given Fan Xian's temperament, even if Fan Wujiu died, the other party wouldn't let him off easily.

As expected, Fan Xian didn't keep him waiting long.

The news spread early the next morning.

Fan Xian submitted a memorial in the imperial court, accusing the Second Prince Li Chengze of treason, cultivating a private army, murdering and massacring towns, and committing heinous crimes.

The imperial court was thrown into turmoil.

After Emperor Qing finished reading the memorial, his face turned frighteningly gloomy. He immediately issued an edict summoning the Second Prince, Li Chengze, to the palace.

Zhou Cheng and the Crown Prince, who had been keeping a close eye on the court's developments, immediately changed into their court robes and rushed to the palace upon receiving the news.

......

Qingdian.

The court officials stood in two rows on either side, completely silent. Sunlight streamed in through the palace doors, casting dazzling patches of light on the golden bricks, but it could not dispel the stagnant atmosphere within the hall.

Emperor Qing, dressed in a black-trimmed, bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen.

Soon, Li Chengze entered the hall and knelt directly in the center.

"Fan Xian, you are accused of treason, training a private army, and massacring people in the town—" Emperor Qing's voice boomed down from above, authoritative and dignified, "Is this true?"

Li Chengze straightened up, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! How could I, a prince, act in such a way? These are all baseless accusations! Someone must be secretly framing me, trying to put me to death!"

Emperor Qing ignored him and turned his gaze to Fan Xian: "Fan Xian! Defaming a prince is a serious crime. Do you have sufficient evidence?"

Fan Xian stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I have all the witnesses and evidence!" His voice, neither humble nor arrogant, echoed in the hall.

Then he began to speak.

"During my mission to Northern Qi, I learned from Shen Zhong, the commander of the Northern Qi Imperial Guard, that the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince had been smuggling goods with Northern Qi for many years..."

As soon as Fan Xian spoke, a buzz of conversation quickly filled the court. The civil and military officials whispered among themselves, not expecting that not only Li Chengze was involved, but also the matter of the Eldest Princess.

Fan Xian didn't stop, continuing, "After returning to the capital, I secretly investigated and discovered that the smuggling base was located in Shijia Town on the border. To cover up his crimes, the Second Prince even sent men to massacre the town to silence witnesses!"

He paused.

"The testimonies of the three witnesses, and the accounts of the smuggling transactions, are all in my possession!"

He pulled out three confessions and an account book from his sleeve and held them up high with both hands.

There were only three statements, but many accounts, though he only took one as a symbolic gesture.

Eunuch Hou presented the confession and accounts to Emperor Qing. Emperor Qing glanced at them a few times, his gaze growing increasingly somber, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"Snapped!"

He slammed his hand on the imperial desk.

"You bastard!"

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Li Chengze trembled and kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, his voice filled with sorrow: "Your Majesty, do you think I don't know whether I did it or not? This confession and accounts may be forged! Fan Xian may be prejudiced against me, or he may have been manipulated by someone with ill intentions to deliberately frame me!"

Fan Xian remained calm and composed, his voice steady: "All three testimonies point to the Second Prince. One of them should be very familiar to His Highness."

Li Chengze lowered his head, and upon hearing this, his fist clenched tightly.

"Your Highness should know who I'm referring to! Does Your Highness have anything else to say?"

Fan Xian looked at Li Chengze.

Li Chengze suddenly looked up: "Impossible! Fan Xian! You're making baseless accusations and fabricating testimony; this is a capital offense of deceiving the emperor!"

Fan Xian smiled faintly: "Impossible? Why is it impossible? In the confession, His Highness's retainers have already written down everything the Second Prince said. Don't you still admit it?"

Li Chengze stared intently into Fan Xian's eyes, suspecting that Fan Xian was bluffing him.

Fan Wujiu is dead!

Fan Wujiu is unlikely to confess!

Fan Xian said that Fan Wujiu had written down all of his confessions and even presented the confession to Emperor Qing...

If Fan Xian fabricated the confession, then Fan Xian is deceiving the emperor. Deceiving the emperor in the court is a crime no less serious than his previous one!

Li Chengze's mind was in turmoil, giving him a splitting headache.

He couldn't understand what Fan Xian was doing!

Li Chengze took a deep breath and said sternly, "Nonsense! It's true that Fan Wujiu is my retainer, but what he does is not necessarily at my behest! How can you pin everything on me just because he spouted a few nonsense words?"

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief after saying that, he saw Fan Xian suddenly smile.

He suddenly jolted awake!

Fan Xian turned around and bowed respectfully to Emperor Qing:

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince has already confessed without being asked!"

Li Chengze broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

"Your Majesty, my men secretly took three witnesses to the dungeon of the Forensic Academy for interrogation. Two of them confessed to acting on the Second Prince's orders. Only Fan Wujiu, as the Second Prince's confidant, has remained silent."

He paused.

"As a result, just last night, Fan Wujiu was poisoned to silence him in the dungeon of the Imperial Censorate. I followed the trail and found that the poison had been put in his drinking water. I went to investigate the person who delivered the water, but he had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment. I continued the investigation and found the last person the water delivery man had contact with, which turned out to be a steward under the Second Prince. I arrested and interrogated him, and the man, unable to withstand the torture, confessed that the Second Prince had sent him to deliver a message. That confession is in Your Majesty's possession."

After speaking, Fan Xian turned to Li Chengze:

"Fan Wujiu never uttered a single word until his death. Just now, I deliberately omitted Fan Wujiu's name, but Your Highness mentioned Fan Wujiu..."

He turned his head and bowed deeply, saying no more.

"Your Majesty, please understand the implications of this."

Li Chengze knelt on the ground, his face visibly turning deathly pale.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his mind went blank and he couldn't utter a single word.

He fell for Fan Xian's trick.

Fan Xian subtly guided him, using words to make him misunderstand.

His biggest mistake was using Fan Wujiu's name.

Emperor Qing's face was frighteningly gloomy, and no one in the court dared to raise their head.

"Chengze, is there anything else you wish to say?"

Li Chengze opened and closed his lips, and finally could only kowtow heavily again, his head touching the ground.

"Your subject is innocent..."

"Injustice?" Emperor Qing stood up, grabbed the account book on the table, and threw it from a distance, hitting Li Chengze in front of him with a "thud".

"Since you feel wronged, then continue the investigation!" His voice was icy cold. "You are to return to your residence and be confined. Without my verbal order, you are not to leave the residence even a step! During this time, cooperate with Fan Xian's investigation. Once the results are in, we will deal with you properly!"

Emperor Qing's gaze swept over the civil and military officials, lingering for a moment on Zhou Cheng and the Crown Prince before he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

All the officials knelt to see them off, and no one dared to speak.

Fan Xian straightened up, looking at the empty dragon throne with a furrowed brow.

A curfew investigation?

What else is there to investigate?

He prepared for so long, with witnesses and physical evidence, and this is what he got in return?

Fan Xian was extremely distressed.

Li Chengze lay on the ground and slowly got up.

A curfew investigation?

His face was still deathly pale, but his eyes had regained some of their light!

still have a chance!

He still has a chance!

A hint of regret flashed in the crown prince's eyes, though it was unclear what he was regretting.

He quickly stepped forward and gently supported Li Chengze with a concerned expression: "Second brother, I'm sorry you had to go through this. I believe in you, you will definitely find out the truth."

Li Chengze twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't say anything.

The Crown Prince then turned to Fan Xian and said solemnly, "Young Master Fan, the investigation to clear my second brother's name rests entirely on your shoulders! You must uphold justice and never wrong an innocent person, nor let a guilty person go unpunished!"

Fan Xian pursed his lips, nodded, and remained silent.

He has almost lost faith now.

Even with witnesses and physical evidence, they still can't bring Li Chengze down. What good will continuing the investigation do?

Zhou Cheng stood aside, without saying a word from beginning to end.

He glanced at Li Chengze, then looked away.

He saw the hope welling up in Li Chengze's eyes, and he saw those eyes shining again.

But it didn't work.

He knew that Li Chengze was completely out of the game of power organized by Emperor Qing.

When Li Chengze uttered the words "Fan Wujiu," he was already out of the game.

Fan Wujiu was arrested and sent back by Wu Zhu, and imprisoned in the dungeon of the Observation Bureau. This was top secret.

Apart from Fan Xian, Chen Pingping, and a few other people in charge, no one knew.

But Li Chengze knew.

Even Fan Wujiu was silenced!

In Emperor Qing's view, this meant that Li Chengze's hand had already reached into the Observatory, and very deeply!

Whether it's smuggling, raising a private army, or even massacring towns to silence witnesses, Emperor Qing didn't care.

You can touch the Forensic Science Institute, but not!

The Observation Bureau is directly under Emperor Qing and serves only him.

Li Chengze's intervention touched a raw nerve with Emperor Qing.

This is like Emperor Qing keeping a few hunting dogs and enjoying occasionally throwing out some food to watch the dogs chase and fight over it, finding some amusement in it.

But now, the food he keeps in his hand, occasionally savors, and hasn't yet decided whether to throw away, is being devoured by a dog that silently comes over and takes a vicious bite.

This made him feel that his authority, his control, and his interests had been violated!

This is what Emperor Qing finds most intolerable!