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

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of Zuixianju.

Li Chengze jumped out of the car first, ignoring the astonished looks of passersby, and very naturally reached out to help Li Yunrui and Lin Wan'er down one by one.

Zuixianju truly lives up to its reputation as the number one restaurant in Kyoto. At this time of day, it was bustling with people and filled with delicious aromas.

"Wow..." Lin Wan'er smelled the aroma of meat wafting in the air, and her originally pale face instantly turned a little red. Her big eyes were filled with longing, just like a greedy little cat.

Seeing this, Li Chengze couldn't help but reach out and pinch her slightly chubby cheeks, laughing, "Come on, your cousin will take you to eat your fill here."

The three did not linger in the lobby, but were led directly to the most elegant private room on the second floor by the innkeeper, who was filled with trepidation.

However, an accident occurred just as they were passing through the second-floor corridor.

Lin Wan'er was already weak, and the wind outside had made her throat suddenly itch.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, suppressing a violent cough. Her thin shoulders trembled, a heartbreaking sight. Li Yunrui frowned slightly, about to reach out and pat her daughter's back.

Just then, a shrill laugh suddenly came from a semi-open private room next door.

"What bad luck! What terrible luck!"

A young man dressed in brocade robes, his face flushed, swirled a wine cup in his hand and drunkenly pointed at Lin Wan'er, cursing, "I'm having a good time drinking, where did this sickly girl come from, coughing incessantly? If you want to cough your lungs out, go home and cough there, don't spoil my appetite! Aren't you afraid of passing on your poverty and illness to me!"

The moment these words were spoken, the air in the corridor seemed to freeze.

Li Yunrui's hand, which was about to pat Lin Wan'er's back, froze in mid-air. Her beautiful face was instantly covered with frost, and her phoenix eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Lin Wan'er was stunned by the scolding, then her eyes reddened, tears welling up in them, and she subconsciously wanted to apologize: "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"Snapped!"

A crisp cracking sound interrupted Lin Wan'er's words.

Everyone only saw a blur flash before their eyes.

The next second, the arrogant young master in brocade robes, who had been so domineering just moments before, flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the table in the private room and smashing the food and drinks to pieces!

"ah--!"

The young man in brocade let out a pig-like scream, covered his blood-stained mouth and rolled on the ground, spitting out several broken teeth mixed with blood.

Li Chengze, however, had already appeared at the door of that private room at some point.

He remained in the same posture as when he threw the object, still clutching half a shard of broken porcelain in his hand, his face bearing that signature lazy smile, but his eyes held a chilling coldness.

"Who was spewing filth just now?"

Li Chengze asked casually, his voice not loud, but it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

The other spoiled young men in the private room sobered up halfway from their drunkenness, and stood up tremblingly, pointing at Li Chengze and shouting in a fierce but weak voice, "You...who are you! Do you know who he is? He's the nephew of Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites! You dare hit him? You don't want to live?!"

"Minister of Rites?"

Li Chengze seemed to have heard a hilarious joke, a mocking smile curving his lips. He casually tossed the shard of porcelain in his hand, slowly walked into the private room, and stomped his foot on the face of the still wailing young man in brocade robes, grinding it hard.

"Let alone Guo Youzhi's nephew, even if Guo Youzhi himself were here, he wouldn't dare stand if I told him to kneel."

"This...your highness?"

When the group of spoiled young men heard this self-proclaimed title, their minds went blank for a moment.

Looking across the entire capital, who else, besides the Second Prince who has just established his own residence and military command, would dare to call himself "Your Highness" at such a young age and be so arrogant and domineering?!

"The Second...Second Prince?!"

Their legs went weak, and they all knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us! We were blind and didn't recognize Your Highness, we offended you..."

Li Chengze didn't even bother to glance at them, only looking down at the terrified Guo family nephew at his feet, his tone chilling:

"Remember, make sure your mouth is clean before you go out. If I ever hear you say even a single disrespectful word to her again..."

Li Chengze squatted down, patted the blood-stained face, and smiled in a way that was chilling. "I'll cut your tongue out and give it to your uncle as a snack with his drinks."

After saying that, he disgustedly wiped the soles of his shoes on the other person's clothes, turned around and walked out of the private room.

When he turned to face Lin Wan'er, the fierceness and ruthlessness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a warm and gentle expression.

He walked up to Lin Wan'er, who was still in a daze, took out a clean silk handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, and said softly:

"Were you scared?"

Lin Wan'er stared blankly at her cousin, who had been as terrifying as a demon just moments before but was now as gentle as water. She subconsciously shook her head and then nodded.

"Don't be afraid."

Li Chengze reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone filled with affection:

"With my cousin around, no one in this capital city dares to give you a hard time. If anyone makes you unhappy, my cousin will make their whole family unhappy too."

After saying that, he magically pulled a still-warm oil paper packet from his sleeve and presented it to Lin Wan'er like a treasure:

"I bought these on my way up here. I heard their roasted chestnuts are amazing. They're peeled, want to try some?"

Looking at the steaming bag of chestnuts and then at Li Chengze's smiling eyes, Lin Wan'er's fear and grievances instantly vanished.

She stopped crying and smiled, reaching out her little hand to take the chestnut, whispering, "Thank you, second cousin."

Li Yunrui watched this scene quietly from the side. His originally cold eyes gradually melted, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Alright, stop standing at the door." Li Yunrui spoke, his voice regaining its usual languidness. "Since you've swatted the flies, let's go inside and eat. Wan'er's been talking about that crystal pork knuckle the whole way here."

"Yes, Auntie!"

Li Chengze straightened up and made an exaggerated "please" gesture, which made Lin Wan'er chuckle again.

The three entered the private room as if the bloody incident had never happened.

Perhaps because she was in a great mood, or perhaps because Li Chengze was there to support her, Lin Wan'er's appetite was much better than usual.

She ate the crystal pork knuckle politely, but she still managed to devour most of it. She even ate every single chestnut that Li Chengze had peeled for her.

Watching the girl chew like a little hamster with her cheeks puffed out, Li Chengze's smile never faded. He would occasionally hand her a cup of warm tea, afraid that she might choke.

After a hearty meal, the sun began to set.

The carriage rumbled along again, passing through the bustling street and heading towards the palace.