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

Li Chengze's face was burning on one side, his ears were ringing, and he felt as if the world was being torn apart and drifting away.

He was of noble birth, and since birth, no one had dared to lay a finger on him, let alone give him such a merciless slap.

The various gazes cast from all around felt like countless needles piercing his body, bringing an extreme humiliation a hundred times worse than the pain on his face.

He glared at Zhou Cheng, his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.

"you--!"

All thoughts of princely etiquette have long been forgotten.

At this moment, he was no different from a street ruffian who had been beaten into a rage. He staggered to his feet and grabbed whatever was nearby to smash.

The jar of medicinal wine in his arms was the first to be affected.

He mustered all his strength and slammed the jar hard at Zhou Cheng!

Zhou Cheng didn't even move his feet, he just slightly turned his body, and the wine jar flew several feet away with a whoosh, then crashed to the ground and shattered with a "crash," scattering broken porcelain and medicinal wine everywhere. For a moment, the courtroom was filled with the smell of herbs mixed with the aroma of wine.

Li Chengze, having failed in his attack, was panting heavily, but had regained some of his composure.

He clenched his fists tightly, his teeth clenched, and squeezed out each word through gritted teeth:

"Li Chengcheng! How dare you lay a hand on your elder brother! This is insubordination, treason, and disgrace to the royal family—all grave crimes! I think you've truly gone mad!"

Crown Prince Li Chengqian hurriedly stepped forward to support Li Chengze, who was trembling all over:

"Second Brother! Second Brother, please calm down! Third Brother... he must have lost his temper and acted rashly; he certainly didn't mean it!"

He offered his help earnestly, his outward expression conveying urgent advice, but inwardly he almost burst out laughing.

In his opinion, Zhou Cheng's slap came at the perfect moment!

Not only did he ruin his own future, but he also helped him eliminate his biggest rival, the second son!

Li Chengze's reputation, painstakingly cultivated in the court over the years, will likely be shattered beyond recognition by this resounding slap in the face.

Who is Zhou Cheng? To put it nicely, he's unconventional; to put it bluntly, he's universally disliked!

Being slapped in public by such a madman... the second son will probably never be able to stand up straight in front of the Qingliu clan and relatives again in his life.

Those forces that originally supported the second son and valued his reputation, seeing this situation, how could they not have different intentions and reconsider their stance?

And he, the crown prince, did nothing, yet he reaped such a great benefit for nothing; it was simply a stroke of good fortune from heaven!

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he could hardly suppress the smile on his face.

On the surface, however, he appeared even more "heartbroken," and after advising Li Chengze, he turned to Zhou Cheng: "Third Brother! You were too impulsive! Even if you are extremely indignant, you cannot be so disrespectful to your elder brother! This... this is unacceptable!"

The people in the courtroom were already terrified, each one shrinking back and bowing their heads, not daring to breathe.

Only Fan Xian stared wide-eyed, silently giving Zhou Cheng a thumbs-up from behind, thinking to himself, "Awesome!"

Zhou Cheng, however, remained calm. He glanced at the ground, seemingly lamenting the broken medicinal wine scattered everywhere.

"Second brother, you've really wasted all my effort. It's three taels of silver, and you've just squandered it like that! As your younger brother, I'm heartbroken by your actions, but I still have to remind you—"

He paused, glancing at the Crown Prince who was secretly pleased with himself, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Now you shouldn't be throwing a tantrum, but rather... beg me to go and slap the Crown Prince right now!"

Upon hearing this, the smile that Crown Prince Li Chengqian could barely contain on his face instantly froze, while Li Chengze's anger suddenly stopped.

The Crown Prince immediately released Li Chengze, took several steps back, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Third Brother! This is no joke! There's a cause for every grievance, and a debtor for every debt. I haven't offended you! Please don't involve your younger brother in this!"

Li Chengze's eyes finally regained some composure. He began to weigh the pros and cons.

A fight between princes is no small matter; it involves imperial power and the law, and its nature is completely different from a fight between ordinary brothers.

If he doesn't handle the matter of being beaten properly, all the political capital he has accumulated over the years will be lost, and he will lose the ability to compete with the crown prince.

Even if Emperor Qing punished Zhou Cheng afterward, it could not make up for his loss.

Looking back now, having Zhou Cheng slap the Crown Prince was actually a good idea.

If he's the only one who gets beaten, he's a huge joke, a complete loser, and a stain on his reputation.

But if... the Crown Prince also received the same slap... the outcome would be completely different!

He is not the only victim, and therefore will not be the only one nailed to the pillar of shame.

The more he thought about Zhou Cheng's words, the more tempted he became, to the point that his gaze toward the Crown Prince became somewhat strange.

The Crown Prince keenly noticed the change in Li Chengze's eyes, and alarm bells rang in his mind!

In his view, Zhou Cheng had gone mad, and if Li Chengze was also driven to madness by the same provocation, he would be in great danger!

So he immediately straightened his back and, as an ally of Li Chengze, righteously and sternly condemned Zhou Cheng:

"Third Brother! In a moment of anger, you disregarded brotherly affection, committed an act of insubordination, and made a grave mistake! Such behavior shakes the foundation of the royal family, disgraces the nation, and is a crime of great disrespect!"

"If Father finds out, he will surely punish you severely! What you should do now is sincerely apologize to your second brother and beg for his forgiveness. Perhaps when Father asks, we brothers can put in a good word for you!"

After saying this, he looked at the two of them and said earnestly, "Second brother, third brother, even if there is a misunderstanding between you, blood is thicker than water. It is really not right to let things get to this point. We should at least leave some dignity behind to end this. Although I am on the second brother's side, I also beg you, for the sake of our brotherhood, if Father asks about it, please show some leniency towards the third brother."

Li Chengze merely glanced coldly at the Crown Prince, ignoring him completely.

He simply said to Zhou Cheng with resentment, "Li Chengcheng! This matter is not over! Let's wait for Father Emperor's decision!"

Zhou Cheng chuckled softly:

"Second brother, why trouble Father? This matter can be concluded."

He paced back and forth, calmly analyzing, "Given Second Brother's status, he probably wouldn't want more people to know about being beaten, right?"

Li Chengze remained silent, his face grim.

He really didn't want anyone to know, but with so many people here, how could he keep it a secret?

"If Second Brother doesn't speak, I'll take that as your consent." Zhou Cheng nodded, turned to the crowd, and continued, "Actually, I didn't want to either! If this gets out, it will have a terrible impact. At best, it will make the royal family seem discordant; at worst, it will humiliate the face of my Li royal family, shake the foundation of the country, and endanger the country and its people."

For the sake of the reputation of my Li royal family, both my second brother and I will forget about this matter once we leave this door.

If we don't say anything, it won't affect the dignity of my royal family!

On the contrary, whoever spreads this message is the real culprit who disregards the stability of the nation and the interests of the people!

Upon hearing this, everyone gave him strange looks.

Zhou Cheng's gaze slowly swept across the courtroom, carrying an invisible pressure.

He first walked up to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was convinced at this moment, and was amazed by Zhou Cheng's trick of changing concepts.

Seeing that Zhou Cheng really dared to hit a prince, he was shocked and worried for him. He felt that even if he was favored by Emperor Qing, he had really messed up a lot.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Cheng used a series of fallacies and heresies to smuggle himself out of the situation!

This is like saying, "If I break the law and don't get caught, it's not a crime; but if you report it to the authorities and it has a bad impact, then you're the one who committed the crime..." This logic is simply unbeatable.

"Young Master Fan," Zhou Cheng began, "will you tell anyone about what happened today?"

Fan Xian immediately shook his head vigorously, "No, no! Your Highness, rest assured, I, Fan Xian, am very discreet. I will forget what I saw in court today as soon as I leave the house!" He adopted an extremely humble posture.

Zhou Cheng nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over Si Lili.

Si Lili had already lowered her head even further, and before Zhou Cheng could ask, she said in a soft and urgent voice, "I was dazed from the torture I received today, and my vision was blurry. I didn't see anything and I don't know anything."

Zhou Cheng hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on Teng Zijing, who was kneeling.

Teng Zijing remained kneeling, his voice steady: "Your Highness, I have been kneeling for so long that my blood circulation is poor, my vision is blurring, and my ears are ringing. I really don't know what happened."

Zhou Cheng nodded again, and finally turned his gaze to Crown Prince Li Chengqian, whose expression was constantly changing.

"Your Highness," Zhou Cheng said respectfully, "as the heir apparent, your every word and action concerns the dignity of the Qing Kingdom. You must surely prioritize the nation's well-being and the royal family's reputation. You... you certainly wouldn't do anything that would harm the foundation of the nation or dishonor the royal family, would you?"

The crown prince cursed inwardly. What could he say now that the words were already out there?

He gave a forced smile and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Cheng and Li Chengze respectively:

"Second brother, third brother, rest assured! This matter concerns the dignity of our Li imperial family. I am well aware of the stakes and will not divulge a single word to anyone!"

Zhou Cheng nodded and smiled.

He turned to Li Chengze: "Second Brother, can you trust the Crown Prince's guarantee?"

Li Chengze snorted coldly: "Of course I can't trust him!"

The crown prince instinctively cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for the letter, Second Brother... Hmm?"

Realizing that the other person meant "cannot be trusted," his face turned pale instantly.

Li Chengze completely ignored him.

Of all the people in this room, anyone who didn't want trouble or death could keep their mouths shut, except for the Crown Prince, whom he absolutely distrusted! Having made such a huge fool of himself, it would be strange if his rival didn't kick him while he was down!

Zhou Cheng chuckled: "What a coincidence, I don't trust His Highness the Crown Prince either. But since the Crown Prince will soon be preoccupied with his own troubles, it doesn't matter."

The Crown Prince frowned, his face showing grievance: "Second Brother, Third Brother! Am I really so untrustworthy? This matter has nothing to do with me at all! Where did Third Brother's claim that I was 'too busy to take care of myself' come from?"

Zhou Cheng did not answer the Crown Prince directly, but instead turned his gaze to Mei Zhili.

When Mei Zhili saw Zhou Cheng's gaze fall upon him, he quickly glanced at the Crown Prince. Seeing that the Crown Prince did not respond, he hurriedly bowed and waved his hands, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured, Your Highness, rest assured, this old minister saw nothing and heard nothing!"

Zhou Cheng walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Lord Mei," Zhou Cheng said calmly, "of all the people here, you are actually the one I trust the most."

Mei Zhili was stunned. He couldn't understand why the prince trusted him the most, but he immediately said with a look of trepidation, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness! This old minister is... extremely honored."

Zhou Cheng withdrew his hand, put it behind his back, took two steps back, then turned back to look at him. "Lord Mei, you misunderstand! I don't believe you, I believe the dead."

"Dead? A dead person?" Mei Zhili jumped in fright. "Oh my! Your Highness! Your Highness, you must be joking! This old minister failed in his investigation, but... but he doesn't deserve such a punishment, Your Highness!"

Zhou Cheng straightened up, shook his head, and looked at him with an almost pitying expression:

"Lord Mei, you misunderstand. I am but a leisurely prince; how could I possibly have the authority to decide the life or death of you, the Prefect of the Capital?"

"Your life isn't something I want; it's clearly your own choice... to decide you don't want it anymore."

Mei Zhili was at a loss, and said with a wry smile, "What does Your Highness mean by this? This old minister values ​​his life very much. Unless it is for the sake of Qing Kingdom and His Majesty, why would I risk my life?"

"Those constables who arrested Teng Zijing were from your capital prefecture, weren't they?"

"...Yes." Mei Zhili's voice was somewhat hesitant.

"Teng Zijing is a seventh-rank master, elusive and highly skilled. Your precise ambush and capture of him must have involved the governor-general secretly investigating his movements and dispatching elite officers to lay in wait. Is that right, or not?"

"...Yes." Mei Zhili's voice was barely audible.

Zhou Cheng nodded:

"It's good that Lord Mei admits it! Now, the question is, Lord Mei."

"When the court convened today, you were unaware that Teng Zijing was involved in this case, much less that he would become a key witness in the 'deception of the emperor.' Yet you had already sent people to spy on him and set ambushes, capturing him and presenting him to the Crown Prince 'timely' when he needed him..."

Zhou Cheng paused, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, sweeping over the Crown Prince whose expression had suddenly changed, before finally settling on Mei Zhili's face:

"Is this a coincidence... or was someone instructing you to do this?"

The air in the courtroom seemed to freeze. Even Li Chengze temporarily forgot the pain on his face and held his breath.

Zhou Cheng's voice continued:

"Father is in the prime of his life, and his strength is far from the time to abdicate!"

"You, the Prefect of Kyoto, a trusted minister personally promoted by His Majesty, are you so eager to choose sides and pave the way for others? Is it because His Majesty... has been sitting in power for too long?"

"boom--!"

These words struck Mei Zhili and the Crown Prince like a thunderclap!

Mei Zhili's vision blurred for a moment, then he jolted awake and hurriedly explained, "Your Highness! This is not something you can say! This old minister is innocent! I had absolutely no such intention!"

As the Prefect of Kyoto, whom Emperor Qing had favored and promoted exceptionally, Mei Zhili knew all too well what His Majesty could tolerate and what was absolutely untouchable!

He thought his secret defection to the Crown Prince was well-hidden, but today he was exposed because of Teng Zijing, and what's worse, he was revealed in court.

With Eunuch Hou present, all of these conversations would inevitably reach Emperor Qing's ears. Just thinking about Emperor Qing's calm and unwavering gaze made him tremble uncontrollably.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian's expression changed instantly, and his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves.

He also understood that if his secret attempts to win over Mei Zhili were exposed, he would face a furious wrath.

He could only bite the bullet and try to defend him: "Third Brother, please don't speak nonsense. The Prefect of Kyoto is devoted to the public good and loyal to His Majesty. He arrested Teng Zijing solely for this case, just as Lord Mei said, with absolutely no other intentions."

Zhou Cheng turned to the Crown Prince, his tone still calm:

"Your Highness, such words are useless to us. Whether we believe them or not is irrelevant. The key is whether His Majesty believes them. You may be able to deceive me, but can you possibly deceive His Majesty?"

He looked at Mei Zhili: "Disloyalty and injustice are unforgivable sins. If I were you, I would immediately find a pillar and kill myself to avoid implicating my family."

Mei Zhili was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

The crown prince clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly.

Those watching all this finally understood why Zhou Cheng had said the Crown Prince was "too busy to take care of himself."

Compared to Zhou Cheng, slapping his elder brother was an act of insubordination, which Emperor Qing would likely find even more intolerable for, as it showed that Zhou Cheng was trying to win over important officials and harboring malicious intentions.

In the original storyline, Mei Zhili's secret defection to the Crown Prince was exposed.

Emperor Qing originally intended to order Mei Zhili to die by poison, but was unwilling to bear the reputation of being cruel and ungrateful. So he ordered Mei to retire and return to his hometown. On his way home, Emperor Qing arranged for "robbers" to kill Mei Zhili's entire family.

In Mei Zhili's cloudy eyes, the last glimmer of light was completely extinguished, leaving only boundless regret and despair.

The Crown Prince closed his eyes in anguish. He knew that Mei Zhili... could not be saved.

He didn't even dare to make any promises to Mei Zhili, and could only watch helplessly.

The anger and humiliation on Li Chengze's face had long been replaced by a complex shock and a hint of... strange relief.

Compared to the immense wrath and stern scrutiny the Crown Prince was about to face from his father, the "family scandal" of being slapped by his brother seemed to really be nothing...

He even felt that the burning pain on his face had lessened considerably.

The eunuch, who had been silently observing like a clay or wooden sculpture, now had a very interesting expression on his face, from initial astonishment to later solemnity, and finally to realization and deep apprehension. He gave Zhou Cheng a deep look. This "absurd" Prince Cheng was truly... able to turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist.

Zhou Cheng stopped looking at Mei Zhili, who was lying on the ground looking like he had lost his parents, and the dejected Crown Prince. He straightened his sleeves, walked slowly to Eunuch Hou, and solemnly bowed.

"Eunuch Hou," Zhou Cheng said calmly, "Today's events in court involve the imperial system and the loyalty and treachery of court officials, and are of great importance. I would be grateful if you could return to the palace and report everything that happened here, in detail, to the Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked up abruptly, instinctively raising his hand as if to speak up and stop him. His lips moved a few times, but he ultimately dared not utter a sound.

He knew that any attempt to stop him at this moment would only make him appear guilty and make things even more uncontrollable.

He could only watch helplessly, his face contorted with resentment.

Eunuch Hou quickly returned the greeting, his face already showing its usual respectful and honest demeanor, but with a hint of solemnity in his eyes: "Your Highness Prince Cheng, rest assured, it is my duty, and I will naturally... report the truth."

Just as Zhou Cheng was talking with Eunuch Hou, Mei Zhili, who was lying on the ground, seemed to have used up his last bit of strength to slightly turn his eyes and look at the Crown Prince.

The crown prince noticed his gaze, and almost imperceptibly, very slightly... he shook his head, his eyes cold and resolute.

The last glimmer of hope in Mei Zhili's eyes was completely extinguished. In its place was a desolate, lifeless silence.

Trembling, he mustered all his strength, raised his hands, and with trembling hands, removed the official hat that symbolized the power of the Prefect of the Capital.

Zhou Cheng and Eunuch Hou's conversation came to an end, and they both turned to look.

Mei Zhili, holding his official hat, forced a bitter smile that was more like a grimace as he looked at Zhou Cheng:

"Your Highness...you are right."

"This old minister... has indeed forgotten his original aspirations and lost his duty."

"I, Mei Zhili... am ashamed before Your Majesty's grace! I have no face to... see Your Majesty again!"

Before he finished speaking, this old man suddenly unleashed a terrifying force from nowhere, took a few quick steps, and slammed into the thickest vermilion pillar on one side of the court with all his might!

"Bang!!!"

After a dull thud that sent chills down one's spine, Mei Zhili collapsed softly to the ground.

Blood soaked his graying temples. In his wide eyes, fear and relief finally froze. His body twitched twice and then fell silent.

Zhou Cheng stood quietly and watched without stopping him, not even blinking.

Compared to the fact that his entire family would be wiped out later, the fact that only he died now is a good ending for Mei Zhili.