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

"I promise you! I'll do anything to save my brother!"

Si Lili fell to her knees with a thud, her forehead hitting the cold floor hard, her voice filled with sobs and despair.

"very good."

Wearing a mask, Li Chengze took out a pill from his pocket, flicked it with his finger, and the pill landed precisely in front of Si Lili.

"Eat it."

Si Lili looked at the dark pill, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, but thinking of her younger brother, she did not hesitate at all, grabbed the pill and swallowed it.

"It flares up once a year, and without an antidote, you'll die from your intestines bursting open," Li Chengze said coldly. "As long as you serve loyally, I will give you the antidote on time. If you dare to have any disloyalty... you will watch your brother die in front of you, and then you yourself will die in agony."

"Your subordinate... dare not." Si Lili lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.

Get up.

Li Chengze leaned back in his chair, his tone returning to its languid state, "Now that you're mine, I'll give you your first task."

Si Lili slowly rose, her head bowed: "Please give your orders, Master."

"I want you to get close to someone." After saying this, Li Chengze paused for a moment, then continued with his request, "I want you to seduce the Second Prince of the current dynasty—Li Chengze."

"The Second Prince?!"

Si Lili looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with astonishment.

She had thought the mission would be to assassinate a high-ranking official or steal military intelligence, but she never expected that it would be to seduce the second prince, who was known for his unruly and eccentric behavior!

"Not bad." Li Chengze looked at Si Lili, who was in shock, and suppressed his laughter as he spoke nonsense with a straight face. "Li Chengze is a very cunning man and a variable in this game of chess in the capital. I want you to be placed by his side and make him fall in love with you. I want to know everything about his every move, who he meets, what he says, and even which concubine's room he sleeps in at night."

Although Si Lili was puzzled as to why the master of the Net would be so interested in the Second Prince, she dared not ask further and could only respectfully reply, "Yes, I understand. However... the Second Prince is of noble birth and has an eccentric personality. How should I approach him?"

"There will be a poetry gathering at Prince Jing's residence in a few days; that will be your best opportunity."

"Go, don't let me down."

"Yes, I understand."

Si Lili bent down, but after a while there was no movement. Si Lili tentatively raised her head, but Li Chengze had already disappeared.

The night was as dark as ink, enveloping the Second Prince's residence in tranquility.

The black figure, like a ghost, bypassed all the visible and hidden sentries in the mansion and landed silently outside the back window of the study.

The window opened by itself without any wind, and a dark shadow drifted in like a wisp of smoke, before the window closed tightly again.

The study was completely dark, with no lights on.

The man in black removed his mask, revealing Li Chengze's slightly pale yet refined face.

He casually tossed the mask onto the table with a soft thud, then let out a long sigh of relief, completely abandoning any semblance of decorum, while reclining in his armchair.

"It must be quite tiring to maintain this air of being the 'Lord of the Net'."

He rubbed his temples, a playful smile playing on his lips.

At that moment, the study door was gently pushed open.

If anyone else were here, they would be terrified—because the person who walked in was actually another "Li Chengze"!

The man was wearing Li Chengze's favorite purple casual clothes, his hair was a little messy, he was barefoot, and he was carrying a bunch of crystal-clear grapes in his hand.

His facial features, physique, and even his languid and world-weary demeanor were exactly the same as Li Chengze's in the chair, without the slightest difference.

The "Li Chengze" who entered showed no surprise upon seeing the man in black on the chair. He closed the door behind him, then walked to the man in black, knelt on one knee, his movements mechanical and precise. Although his voice was identical to Li Chengze's, it lacked some of the liveliness and emotion: "Master."

Li Chengze looked at the "himself" in front of him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

This is the [Advanced Simulation Biochemical Substitute] that he previously redeemed from the system shop by spending 100,000 reputation points.

This thing not only looks and sounds exactly like the original, but it also has an independent thought logic library, which can perfectly imitate Li Chengze's daily behavior patterns.

Even someone as familiar as Xie Bi'an would absolutely not be able to distinguish between the real and the fake.

Get up.

Li Chengze waved his hand lazily, "Go to the secret room and recharge for hibernation."

"Yes."

The stand-in, Li Chengze, stood up and, without saying a word, turned and walked towards a mechanism next to the bookshelf.

With a soft creaking sound, the bookshelf slid aside, revealing the entrance to a secret room. The double went inside, the door closed immediately, and everything returned to normal.

Li Chengze slowly took off his night clothes and put on the purple casual clothes that his stand-in had just worn.

He walked barefoot onto the soft carpet, stood in front of the bronze mirror, tidied his somewhat messy hair, and then gave himself a strange smile.

"Si Lili, Si Lili, if you knew that the 'Lord of the Net' who held your life in his hands was the very Second Prince you were trying so hard to seduce, what would your expression be?"

He sat back down in his chair, picked up a grape and put it in his mouth. The juice burst on his tongue, sweet with a hint of tartness.

"This is really...exciting."

……

A few days later, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

Outside the Prince Jing's residence, carriages and horses bustled. Today was a poetry gathering hosted by Li Hongcheng, the heir apparent of Prince Jing, who had invited talented men and beautiful women from all over the capital. Although it was called a poetry gathering, it was in reality an arena for various forces to compete and for the sons of the powerful to vie for fame and fortune.

Of course, for most people, the biggest highlight today is the love-hate relationship between the recently famous "Poet Immortal" Fan Xian and His Highness the Crown Prince.

Inside the Prince's Mansion Garden, hundreds of flowers bloom in vibrant colors, and streams flow gently.

Fan Xian, dressed in a light blue robe, walked calmly down the corridor, followed by Fan Ruoruo, who looked nervous.

"Brother, I heard that the Crown Prince is here today too, and he brought a lot of doctors from the Imperial Academy and editors from the Hanlin Academy with him. It's obviously a trap," Fan Ruoruo whispered a reminder.

"The Feast at Hongmen?" Fan Xian chuckled, casually folding off a willow twig and playing with it in his hand. "That depends on whether Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang or at bringing shame upon himself."

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.

A group of richly dressed young men escorted Crown Prince Li Chengqian as they walked in a grand procession. The Crown Prince was dressed in a bright yellow python robe and wore a golden crown, exuding an imposing aura, but his eyes, as he looked at Fan Xian, were filled with undisguised malice.

And beside the Crown Prince,

There stood another man with his nose in the air, none other than Guo Baokun.

"Oh, isn't this the talented Fan?" Guo Baokun called out sarcastically. "What, haven't you had enough of the Imperial Academy yet? Now you've come to Prince Jing's residence to embarrass yourself again?"

Fan Xian didn't even lift his eyelids, completely ignoring Guo Baokun, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on a pavilion not far away.

That's where the focus of the entire event is.

Purple gauze curtains hung around the pavilion, swaying gently in the breeze. Inside, a thick Persian carpet covered the interior. A young man dressed in purple lay sprawled on a soft couch, one hand supporting his head, the other held by a stunningly beautiful woman, seemingly having his palm read.

The beauty, dressed in red, possessed an innate allure; she was none other than Si Lili, the most sought-after courtesan in the capital.

The young man in purple was none other than the Second Prince, Li Chengze.

"Your Highness's palm indicates great wealth and honor, but..." Si Lili's slender white fingers gently traced Li Chengze's palm, her voice soft and sweet, carrying a hint of teasing, "This person's fate is fraught with romantic entanglements, which may be difficult to resolve."

Li Chengze looked at the female spy in front of him who was trying so hard to "seduce" him with a half-smile, and chuckled inwardly.

This woman has pretty good acting skills.

"Peach blossoms?" Li Chengze grasped Si Lili's hand in return, pulling her closer until their noses almost touched. "Miss Si, are you referring to yourself when you say 'peach blossoms'?"

Si Lili was startled. This second prince was indeed as frivolous and dissolute as rumored. But thinking of her "master's" mission, she suppressed her shame and indignation, leaned into Li Chengze's arms, and said coquettishly, "If Your Highness doesn't mind, Lili is willing to be that peach blossom."

Just as the two were "flirting," the Crown Prince arrived with his men and was even more furious upon seeing the scene.

"Second Prince! Pulling and tugging in broad daylight, what kind of behavior is this!" the Crown Prince rebuked angrily.

Li Chengze lazily raised his eyelids, glanced at the Crown Prince, and instead of letting go of Si Lili's hand, he brazenly wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Oh, Your Highness has arrived." Li Chengze yawned. "This poetry gathering is all about elegance and refinement. Your Highness always has such a stern face; anyone who didn't know better would think you'd come to a funeral."

"You!" The prince was speechless with anger.

"Pfft." Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That smile instantly drew the Crown Prince's attention to that area.

"Fan Xian!" The Crown Prince turned his head abruptly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "What are you laughing at?"

"Your Highness, I just remembered something happy." Fan Xian cupped his hands in greeting, looking completely innocent.

"Fine! Very well!" The Crown Prince laughed in anger. "Since today is a poetry gathering, let's make friends through literature. Fan Xian, aren't you known for your unparalleled poetic talent? If you can outshine all these talented men in this garden, I will forgive your disrespect. If not..."

The crown prince's eyes turned cold as he looked at Guo Baokun behind him.

Guo Baokun immediately understood, stepped forward, and shouted, "If that doesn't work, then it proves that the poem you wrote at the Imperial Academy that day was plagiarized! The crime of deceiving the emperor deserves the execution of your entire family!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

This isn't a poetry contest, it's a death trap!

Seeing this, Prince Jing's heir, Li Hongcheng, quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Oh dear, we're all just trying to improve our writing skills, why bother..."

"Your Highness, there's no need for further words." Fan Xian interrupted Li Hongcheng, stepped forward, and scanned the entire room before finally settling on Li Chengze. A slight smile played on his lips. "Since Your Highness is in such high spirits, I, Fan, will gladly oblige. However, simply reciting poetry is rather uninteresting; how about adding a little prize?"

Li Chengze became interested, pushed Si Lili aside, and sat up straight: "Oh? What do you want to bet on?"

Fan Xian looked at Li Chengze, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "If I lose, you may do as you please. If I win..."

He pointed to the plate of grapes in front of Li Chengze: "I want Your Highness to peel a grape for me personally."

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Everyone stared at Fan Xian as if he were a madman. Having a prince peel grapes for him? This was utterly outrageous!

The Crown Prince was stunned, then overjoyed. Fan Xian had practically asked for it! Insulting a member of the royal family—that was a crime far more serious than plagiarism!

However, to everyone's surprise, Li Chengze not only didn't get angry, but instead burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! That's interesting!" Li Chengze slapped his thigh, his eyes full of admiration. "Alright! I promise you! As long as you can outshine everyone else, I'll peel this whole plate for you, let alone just one!"

With the Second Prince's approval, the competition instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

In order to impress the Crown Prince, Guo Baokun took the initiative. He summoned several senior scholars from the Hanlin Academy and had them compose several ornate and perfectly rhymed poems on the theme of "Spring".

Everyone cheered, and the crown prince was especially smug.

"Fan Xian, it's your turn," Guo Baokun provocatively said.

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed, "That's it?"

"What did you say?!" The old scholars were so angry that their beards trembled.

"I say, does this kind of pointless whining even deserve to be called poetry?" Fan Xian walked to the center of the room, picked up a pot of wine, and took a big gulp.

Wine dripped from the corner of his mouth, wetting his clothes. He wiped his mouth wildly, his eyes gradually becoming hazy and fanatical.

Listen carefully!

Fan Xian suddenly smashed the wine pot on the ground, making a crisp "shattering" sound.

"The late spring sun shines brightly on the beautiful landscape, and the spring breeze carries the fragrance of flowers and grass. Swallows fly as the mud thaws, and mandarin ducks sleep on the warm sand."

These mere twenty words unfolded before everyone's eyes like a vivid spring painting.

The old scholars instantly fell silent, their faces turning pale. The difference in artistic conception and word choice was like heaven and earth!

"It's not over yet!"

Fan Xian laughed loudly and took another step forward.

"Good rain knows its season; it falls when spring arrives. It follows the wind into the night, silently nourishing all things!"

The entire room fell silent.

Those talented scholars who were originally prepared to laugh at him were now dumbfounded, and their pens fell to the ground.

"It nourishes things silently..." Li Chengze murmured to himself, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "A good line, a truly good line."

Si Lili looked at the spirited young man in the arena, a strange light flashing in her beautiful eyes.

This Fan Xian truly lives up to his reputation.

The crown prince's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "They're just a few poems; they don't amount to much talent! Guo Baokun, set a challenge! Make it difficult!"

Guo Baokun, sweating profusely, darted around and pointed to the artificial hill in the distance, saying, "The theme should be... 'Ascending to a Height'! It should express compassion for humanity and a sense of national and global responsibility!"

This topic is extremely broad and difficult to handle; a slight misstep could result in something empty and meaningless.

Fan Xian laughed after hearing this.

His laughter was tinged with melancholy and disdain.

He thought of Du Fu, the wandering official from his previous life, and the afterglow of the Tang Dynasty's golden age.