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

A light drizzle was falling.

The side gate of the Second Prince's residence opened silently, and a blue-curtained carriage without any insignia slowly drove in. The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs with a dull sound, like a blunt knife grinding on people's hearts.

There were no ceremonial guards, no palace lanterns, and not even a loud greeting.

Li Yunrui lifted the thin curtain at one corner of the carriage and looked at the mansion that appeared particularly secluded in the night rain. A trace of uncontrollable humiliation flashed in his eyes.

She was the eldest princess, the most honored woman in Daqing. In the past, whenever she went out, she was always escorted by a phoenix carriage and admired by thousands.

Now, however, she is like a mistress who cannot be seen in the light of day, sneaking into her nephew's mansion through a side door.

"Your Highness, we've arrived." The coachman lowered his voice, which trembled slightly.

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous intent surging in her heart. She put on her veil, concealing her stunningly beautiful face, and stepped down from the carriage with the help of her personal maid.

Raindrops fell on her veiled hat, bringing a chill.

"Now that Auntie is here, why bother hiding it?"

A lazy voice came through the rain.

Looking through the thin gauze, Li Yunrui saw Li Chengze sitting barefoot on a bamboo chair at the end of the corridor, still holding that plate of grapes that seemed to never be finished.

Behind him stood the black-clad swordsman, who seemed like a ghost, and all around him, apart from the sound of rain, was deathly silence.

Li Yunrui snorted coldly, reached out and took off her veil, casually tossing it to the maid beside her, revealing her face, which was still stunningly beautiful even in her rage.

She raised her long, slender neck, like a fallen but still proud white swan, and stepped up the stairs to stand in front of Li Chengze.

"Li Chengze, I've arrived."

Her voice was cold, carrying a condescending scrutiny, "Your hospitality is quite unique. Not even a cup of hot tea?"

Li Chengze spat out a grape skin, clapped his hands, but made no move to get up and bow.

"Auntie is too kind. This 'Listening to the Rain Pavilion' is a quiet place. If there are too many outsiders, wouldn't that disturb your enjoyment?" Li Chengze smiled, but his eyes passed over Li Yunrui and looked at the two personal maids behind her. "Besides, since Auntie is here for a 'stay,' why bring so many outsiders? My mansion has no shortage of servants."

Li Yunrui's expression changed: "What do you mean?"

"It means..." Li Chengze's smile vanished instantly, his eyes turning sharp as knives, "They cannot be allowed to live."

"Li Chengze!" Li Yunrui's phoenix eyes widened as she shouted sharply, "They are my people!"

"Aunt, you seem to still not understand the situation." Li Chengze slowly stood up, walked barefoot to Li Yunrui, the two of them barely touching. He lowered his head slightly, leaned close to Li Yunrui's ear, and whispered, "Once you've entered this door, you're no longer the princess who issued orders in Guangxin Palace. Here, I am the host, and you are the guest. Don't you understand the principle of a guest following the host's lead, Aunt?"

At the end, a hint of mockery crept into his voice: "Or perhaps, Aunt wants Father to know that you brought these two trusted confidants here to facilitate the transmission of certain... news about Northern Qi?"

"You—!" Li Yunrui's pupils contracted sharply, those two words were like an invisible hand, tightly gripping her throat.

She stared intently at Li Chengze, her chest heaving. After a long while, she closed her eyes briefly, then waved her hand and said, "You may all leave and return to the palace."

"Your Highness..." the maid exclaimed.

"Get out!" Li Yunrui shouted sharply.

The two maids dared not disobey and could only grit their teeth and retreat, quickly disappearing into the rain.

At this moment, only Li Chengze and Li Yunrui remained in the vast corridor.

Li Chengze nodded in satisfaction and gestured for her to proceed: "Aunt, please. Tingyuxuan is all ready, but before that, I have some official documents to finish. I would like to invite you to my study for a chat."

Li Yunrui looked at him coldly: "I'm tired and want to rest."

"Aunt, don't rush." ​​Li Chengze smiled, his smile innocent and harmless. "This official document is a bit tricky. It concerns the deficit in the Imperial Treasury. I'm rather dull-witted, and there are some accounts I really can't understand. I was just about to ask you, Aunt, the original head of the Imperial Treasury, for advice."

Another threat!

Li Yunrui felt a throbbing pain in her temples. She had never been so completely suppressed in her life. But with someone holding the leverage over her, she had no choice but to submit.

"Lead the way," she squeezed out through gritted teeth.

……

The study was brightly lit by candlelight.

The layout here is completely different from the luxury of Guangxin Palace, exuding a cool and scholarly atmosphere.

The bookshelves were filled with all sorts of rare and ancient books.

Li Chengze walked straight to the large desk and sat down, pointing to a chair next to him: "Aunt, please sit down."

Li Yunrui sat down with a cold face, his gaze sweeping over the desk. He saw a sheet of fine Xuan paper on it, with a Duan inkstone and an ink stick beside it.

"Speak, what do you want to ask?" Li Yunrui said somewhat impatiently.

Li Chengze remained silent, staring blankly at the inkstone, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly looked up at Li Yunrui, his face innocent, and said, "Aunt, my wrist suddenly feels a little sore, I'm afraid I can't grind this ink."

Li Chengze remained silent, staring blankly at the inkstone, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly looked up at Li Yunrui, his face innocent, and said, "Aunt, my wrist suddenly feels a little sore, I'm afraid I can't grind this ink."

Li Yunrui was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and a surge of anger rushed to the top of his head.

"Li Chengze! What do you mean?!" She stood up abruptly, pointing a trembling finger at Li Chengze's nose. "You want me to grind ink for you?!"

She was born into nobility, a member of the royal family. Her hands were meant for commanding the country and manipulating the world; she had never done such lowly work of serving others.

Even Emperor Qing never made her grind ink!

This is not just an insult, it's a trampling on her dignity!

"Why is Aunt angry?" Li Chengze remained seated, his expression calm. He even picked up a grape and put it in his mouth. "It is an elegant affair to have a beautiful woman by your side. Besides, Aunt is now at my residence. If word gets out that Aunt is very caring towards me and personally teaches me, wouldn't that be a wonderful story? Father will surely think Aunt is kind and loving when he hears it."

"You're dreaming!" Li Yunrui gritted her teeth. "I would never do such a thing!"

"Yeah?"

Li Chengze's smile remained unchanged as he slowly took out a letter from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

There were no words on the envelope, but the wax seal was a totem used exclusively by the Northern Qi royal family.

The moment Li Yunrui's gaze fell upon the envelope, he felt as if struck by lightning, and his original aura instantly collapsed.

"This letter was intercepted by my men in a restaurant in the capital of Northern Qi." Li Chengze tapped the envelope lightly with his long fingers, making a "tap-tap" sound. "The contents of the letter are quite interesting; it says it's about the eldest princess of Daqing..."

"Shut up!" Li Yunrui screamed, her face ashen and her body swaying precariously.

"Aunt, what do you think would happen if this letter appeared on Father's desk?" Li Chengze's voice was soft, yet like a venomous snake coiling around Li Yunrui's neck, tightening its grip. "Confiscation of property? Extermination of the entire clan? Or... slow slicing?"

Li Yunrui gripped the armrests of the chair so tightly that her fingernails almost dug into the wood.

Li Chengze had indeed obtained crucial evidence!

She lost.

We lost completely.

Faced with absolute leverage, all her pride and all her methods became a joke.

The study fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of rain still pattering outside the window.

a long time.

Li Yunrui, as if her spine had been removed, slowly loosened her grip. She looked at Li Chengze, her eyes vacant, her voice hoarse beyond belief: "Fine... I'll... grind the ink for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze's face broke into a bright smile again, as if the ruthless and vicious person from just moments ago was not him at all.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."

Li Yunrui walked heavily to the desk, each step feeling like she was stepping on a knife's edge.

She reached out her well-maintained, jade-like hands and, with trembling hands, picked up the inkstone.

The ink stick was icy cold, and it hurt her palms.

"Add some water," Li Chengze kindly suggested from the side.

Li Yunrui bit her lip, picked up the water pitcher, and poured a little water into the inkstone. Then, she held the ink stick and began to slowly rotate it on the inkstone.

"Shh...shh...shh..."

The sound of ink sticks rubbing against inkstones echoed in the quiet study, monotonous and jarring.

Li Yunrui lowered her head, watching the black ink spread little by little, just like her mood at this moment, pitch black, with no end in sight.

Her hands were trembling, and her movements were stiff and awkward.

"Auntie, apply even pressure, don't rush." ​​Li Chengze leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to look at her like a picky supervisor. "This ink needs to be ground finely and smoothly for the characters to look beautiful. If you're so impatient, Auntie, the ink you grind will have dregs."

Li Yunrui's hand suddenly stopped. She abruptly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears of humiliation, staring intently at Li Chengze: "Li Chengze, don't push your luck!"

"This is going too far?" Li Chengze raised an eyebrow, suddenly stood up, walked around the desk, and went behind Li Yunrui.

He reached out and grasped Li Yunrui's hand that was holding the inkstone.

Li Yunrui froze, instinctively trying to break free, but found that Li Chengze's grip was incredibly strong, like an iron clamp, firmly holding her in place.

"Auntie, I'm teaching you."

Li Chengze's voice rang in her ears, and his warm breath sprayed on her neck, giving her goosebumps.

"Grinding ink requires a calm mind. If the mind is not calm, the ink will not be pure. If the ink is not pure, the characters will not be upright. If the characters are not upright, the person... will be ruined."

As he spoke, he took Li Yunrui's hand and forced her to slowly turn the inkstone according to his rhythm.

"rustle……"

Their hands were clasped together; one pair was fair and slender, with distinct knuckles.

Li Yunrui was forced to move with his movements. Her body was tense to the extreme, and a sense of humiliation overwhelmed her like a tide.

She could feel the warmth of Li Chengze's hand and smell the faint scent of grapes on him, but to her, it was the most disgusting smell in the world.

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold: "You shouldn't have interfered so much, and you especially shouldn't have... treated me like a fool."

Li Yunrui's body trembled violently.

"Alright, the ink is almost ready."

Li Chengze suddenly released his grip, took a step back, and sat back down in his chair.

Li Yunrui felt as if she had been granted a pardon. The ink stick in her hand fell onto the table with a "thud," splashing a few drops of ink onto her plain sleeve, which looked particularly glaring.

She was panting heavily, as if she had just been pulled out of the water, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Li Chengze picked up a brush, dipped it in thick ink, and began to wield it on the Xuan paper.

Li Yunrui stood aside, watching him wield his brush with incredible speed.

She wanted to leave, but her legs felt like they were made of lead, and she couldn't move an inch.

She knew that she couldn't leave without Li Chengze's permission.

After a moment, Li Chengze stopped writing, looked at the words on the paper, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Auntie, come and see how well my handwriting is?"

Li Yunrui turned her head stiffly, her gaze falling on the Xuan paper.

Four large characters were clearly written on the paper.

"Spinning a cocoon around oneself"

Li Yunrui's pupils contracted sharply. Those four words felt like four slaps to her face.

"What a self-inflicted wound..." Li Yunrui laughed bitterly, her voice filled with self-mockery. "Li Chengze, you've won. I'll remember this humiliation."

"Auntie, you flatter me." Li Chengze put down his brush, picked up a damp towel to wipe his hands, and said casually, "This is just the beginning. There are still many days ahead. Now that you've moved into Tingyuxuan, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with the tasks of grinding ink and adding fragrance in the future."

"You..." Li Yunrui was speechless with anger, feeling a surge of blood rushing to his chest and a metallic taste rising in his throat.

"Oh, right." Li Chengze seemed to suddenly remember something, took out an account book from under the table, and threw it in front of Li Yunrui. "This is the detailed account of the Imperial Treasury for the past three years. Some parts are too falsified. Although Father hasn't investigated yet, it's hard to guarantee that he won't become suspicious later. Since Aunt is here, let's rebalance these accounts tonight. If it's not done well..."

He looked up and gave Li Yunrui a bright smile: "That letter might appear on Father's breakfast table tomorrow."

Li Yunrui looked at the thick ledger and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

This isn't a short stay for her; it's clearly treating her like free labor, subjecting her to constant mental torture!

"Li Chengze, aren't you afraid I'll fight to the death?" Li Yunrui stared intently at him, her eyes flashing with a crazed light.

"A fight to the death?" Li Chengze scoffed, stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

A cold wind, mixed with raindrops, blew in, dispelling the stuffiness in the room.

"Aunt, you're a smart person. Smart people cherish their lives the most, and they also crave power the most. If the fish dies, the net may not break. But if the fish lives, even if it's trapped in the net, it always has a chance to turn over, doesn't it?"

Li Chengze, with his back to her, gazed at the dark night outside the window, his voice soft and distant: "As long as you behave, that letter will forever remain a secret. You will still be the high and mighty princess, still able to enjoy wealth and luxury. But if you try anything funny..."

As Li Yunrui watched that figure recede into the distance, the madness in his heart gradually cooled, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.

He was right.

She didn't want to die, and she didn't want to lose the power she held.

Even being a fish trapped in a net is better than becoming a dead fish.

"Alright..." Li Yunrui closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, all her emotions had been suppressed, leaving only a deathly coldness. "I will do it."

She picked up the account book, walked to a side table, sat down, and began to look through it by candlelight.

Looking at her submissive appearance, Li Chengze's lips curled into a satisfied smile.

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