Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

Upon hearing this, a look of extreme surprise flashed across Li Chengze's eyes.

This woman is proud, crazy, and suspicious; she never easily bows her head to anyone.

In their past collaborations, she always habitually used interests and leverage to maintain the relationship, and even her occasional displays of weakness were often driven by a clear purpose.

This was the first time Li Yunrui had ever acted so softly and so sincerely in front of him, without being coerced or for any specific exchange of benefits.

Li Chengze's heart skipped a beat.

Looking at Li Yunrui's face, which appeared exceptionally vulnerable as she let her guard down, he felt a surge of complex emotions.

He felt a sense of accomplishment and a desire to conquer, but there was also a hint of pity that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

He slowly lowered the strand of hair from his hand, letting it slide back onto Li Yunrui's shoulder.

Then, he raised his hand and gently placed his palm on Li Yunrui's head.

This gesture was like an elder comforting a frightened child, or a man comforting a woman he cherishes. For a princess of noble status, this should have been an extremely offensive gesture.

But Li Yunrui did not dodge.

She simply lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her eye sockets, as if acquiescing to his overstepping of authority.

Li Chengze gently rubbed her head with his palm, feeling the soft strands of hair rubbing against his palm.

"Don't worry, Auntie," Li Chengze's voice was deep and gentle, "No matter how heavy the rain is tonight, the sun will still rise as usual tomorrow."

He withdrew his hands, put them back behind his back, and turned his gaze to the pitch-black night sky outside the window.

…………

Meanwhile, inside the Fan residence.

The room still reeked of blood and medicine.

The imperial physicians and doctors were still busy, and Fan Ruoruo was still kneeling by the bed, tightly holding Fan Xian's cold hand, her tears seemingly all dried up.

Fan Jian stood to the side, his face ashen, his eyes fixed on the lifeless figure on the bed, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Master..." An old steward walked up to Fan Jian and reported in a low voice, "The Second Prince has been gone for a long time. Judging from the direction the carriage went, it should have gone to the Princess's residence."

Upon hearing this, Fan Jian's body trembled slightly, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes.

"Understood," Fan Jian said coldly. "Give the order: double the number of guards in the outer courtyard, and activate all the sentries in the inner courtyard. From this moment on, without my order, no one is to set foot in the Fan residence! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes!" The old butler accepted the order and left.

Fan Jian took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the grief and despair in them had vanished without a trace, replaced by an extremely terrifying calmness and resolve.

He walked to the bedside, looked at Fan Xian who was still unconscious, and murmured softly:

"I wonder how much the Second Prince has discerned?"

Fan Jian murmured softly, his voice extremely low, as if he were speaking only to himself, or perhaps asking Fan Xian on the bed.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Fan Xian's pale face. The chest that had been heaving violently with anger and grief had now completely calmed down, replaced by an unfathomable darkness.

Fan Jian had no answer.

He resolutely turned around and strode out of the bedroom, which reeked of blood.

Back in his study, Fan Jian did not turn on the lights.

He skillfully walked to the bookshelf in the darkness and gently pressed a button on an inconspicuous shelf.

With a very slight clicking sound of a mechanism, the heavy bookshelf slowly slid open to the sides, revealing a dark secret passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

Fan Jian took out a large black robe from a hidden compartment, draped it over his shoulders, and completely concealed his ashen face under the wide hood.

Without the slightest hesitation, he carried a lamp that emitted a faint light and stepped into the secret passage.

The bookshelf closed silently behind him, shutting out all light and sound.

The secret passage was cold and damp, with a faint earthy and stale smell in the air.

Fan Jian's footsteps echoed heavily in the narrow passage. His mind kept replaying everything that had happened that night, every detail, every word, was being repeatedly chewed over and scrutinized.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint glimmer of light finally appeared in the darkness ahead.

Fan Jian blew out the lantern in his hand, climbed the steps, and pushed open a heavy iron door.

Outside the door is the Forensic Service.

He navigated the several hidden corridors with practiced ease and arrived at a deep room with no windows, only a few solitary lamps flickering in the light.

At the far end of the room, Chen Pingping sat in her iconic wooden wheelchair.

A thick wool blanket covered his legs, and his withered fingers gently stroked his knees. His wrinkled face, which had never seen the sun, was expressionless, like a withered statue.

Hearing footsteps, Chen Pingping didn't even lift her eyelids, but simply said in her hoarse and shrill voice, "The rain outside is really heavy."

Fan Jian stopped three steps away from the wheelchair, pulled up his hood, and revealed his tired but cold face.

"His Highness the Second Prince just went to the Fan residence."

Chen Pingping paused slightly as she stroked her knee, then slowly raised her head. Her cloudy eyes, which seemed to see through everything in the world, gazed quietly at Fan Jian.

"What did he do?"

"He did nothing," Fan Jian said coldly. "He just stood by the bed for a while, said a few meaningless platitudes. At the same time, he was observing the imperial physician's reaction, observing Ruoruo's tears, and even observing me. He probably wanted to confirm whether the news of Fan Xian's death by poisoning was true, or whether it was a ruse we set up to break the deadlock."

Chen Pingping's lips curled into a barely perceptible, cold smile: "And what happened after he left the Fan residence?"

"Judging from the direction the carriage left and the reports from my hidden spies, after leaving the Fan residence, he did not return to his own palace, but went directly to the Princess's villa."

"The situation is now clear. It's most likely that the Eldest Princess hired the assassins from the Luo Wang organization to kill Fan Xian, and Li Chengze is probably involved as well. What are your plans next?"

Upon hearing this, the air in the room seemed to freeze instantly.

A terrifying glint suddenly shot out from Chen Pingping's turbid eyes, but it vanished in an instant, disappearing into the depths of his dry, well-like gaze.

"Next..."