readytorunbook Chapter 497 Joy of Life 53
Chapter 497 Joy of Life 53
The Second Prince's Mansion.
Li Chengze lay half-reclined on the screen couch in the hall, his posture seemingly leisurely, but his eyes seemed to be brewing some kind of storm.
Exquisite bronze candlesticks were placed around the screen, their flames flickering gently in the breeze, occasionally crackling softly as if whispering something.
Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu had recovered from their injuries, so they resumed their usual routine of guarding Li Chengze for twelve hours a day.
The two of them found a spot in the hall, one carefully wiping the longsword in his hand, while the other was engrossed in reading a book.
Although the two seemed engrossed in their own affairs, a sharp and alert look appeared in their eyes when they occasionally looked up.
Since the last assassination attempt by the temple messengers, they have become increasingly vigilant about their surroundings, maintaining a high level of alertness at all times, fearing that someone might attempt another assassination.
It was in this subtle and tense atmosphere that Li Hongcheng stepped into the Second Prince's residence.
In fact, ever since Li Hongcheng personally went to Li Chengze to plead for him after Fan Xian's nighttime visit to Prince Jing's residence, only to have Li Chengze see through his thoughts, he has never set foot in the Second Prince's residence again.
More accurately, he was wary and dared not easily come to the Second Prince's residence again.
Especially after the harrowing assassination attempt on Niulan Street, he was still deeply shaken and couldn't sleep at night.
Although reason told him that the assassination was most likely carried out by the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess, the timing of the assassination was too coincidental.
It happened shortly after Li Chengze agreed to take charge for him, which naturally made him wonder if Li Chengze was also involved.
If things really turn out as he predicted, then Li Chengze's ruthlessness and meticulousness are chilling to the bone upon closer examination.
What he feared was not merely Li Chengze's skillful methods, but the worry that such skillful methods would one day fall upon him and the Jingjun Prince's Mansion.
Although he outwardly chose to stand on Li Chengze's side, he was not sincere and always held back in his actions.
This point had already been noticed by Li Chengze and exposed without any mercy.
That's why, when he received a message from the Second Prince Li Chengze asking him to come over, he was filled with unprecedented trepidation, as if he were about to step into a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.
Guided by his servants, Li Hongcheng arrived at Li Chengze's current residence.
Upon seeing Li Chengze, he quickly composed himself, raised his hand in a salute, and respectfully greeted, "Your Highness."
Actually, he and Li Chengze weren't usually so formal with each other. After all, they were cousins and had always been very close, so their interactions were naturally more relaxed and casual than with ordinary people.
However, everything changed after that incident.
Now, when Li Hongcheng faces Li Chengze again, he unconsciously positions himself as the subordinate and dares not treat Li Chengze with the same attitude as before.
Li Chengze's dark eyes were like a bottomless pool, concealing all his emotions and undercurrents beneath the calm surface.
Upon seeing Li Hongcheng, he did not speak immediately, but instead gestured with his eyes to Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu inside the room.
The two understood each other perfectly, immediately got up, and quietly left the room.
Soon, only Li Chengze and Li Hongcheng remained in the room.
Li Chengze stared silently at Li Hongcheng, his eyes seemingly able to see into people's hearts, which sent chills down Li Hongcheng's spine and caused cold sweat to involuntarily seep from his forehead.
"You—" Li Chengze slowly sat up, raised his hand to straighten his sleeves, and spoke slowly and deliberately, yet with an extreme sense of pressure: "Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Li Hongcheng was taken aback, feeling increasingly uncertain. He tentatively asked, "What does Your Highness mean?"
Before he finished speaking, Li Chengze's gaze suddenly turned sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Li Hongcheng.
He then narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of coldness in his voice: "Are you aware that several girls have died in the two months since Fan Sizhe opened Baoyue Tower?"
The atmosphere in the room froze instantly upon hearing this, and Li Hongcheng's face turned ashen. He never expected Li Chengze to bring this up so suddenly.
However, after a brief moment of panic, he realized that his reaction might have been a bit too extreme.
After all, he controlled most of the entertainment venues in the capital. How could he be completely unaware that Fan Sizhe had opened Baoyue Tower?
And even if he knew about this, what could he do? In any case, this matter wouldn't involve the Second Prince in the end.
Thinking of this, Li Hongcheng couldn't help but feel annoyed. He was really frightened by Li Chengze's sudden questioning and was momentarily flustered.
Li Hongcheng quickly regained his composure and nodded, saying, "I know about this, but..."
"Snapped--"
A loud slap suddenly rang out, and with tremendous force, Li Hongcheng was slapped hard to the ground.
"what!"
Li Hongcheng lay on the ground, staring at Li Chengze in astonishment, completely unprepared for the sudden attack.
The sudden turn of events left him momentarily stunned. He could only cover his burning cheek and scramble to his feet, saying, "Your Highness..."
However, before Li Hongcheng could finish speaking, Li Chengze slapped him again.
"Snapped--"
This time the force was even stronger than before. Li Hongcheng didn't even have time to react before he was slapped heavily to the ground again.
“…Ugh.” Lee Hong-sung let out a painful groan as he lay on the ground, his eyes filled with shock and fear.
He never expected Li Chengze to make a move again, and this time he showed no mercy whatsoever.
Li Hongcheng struggled to get up from the ground. His cheeks were red and swollen from the two consecutive slaps, and the burning pain almost made him faint. He also felt a violent dizziness.
However, the physical pain paled in comparison to the humiliation and anger in his heart.
However, Li Chengze seemed completely oblivious to his pain and anger, simply lowering his head slightly and continuing to calmly straighten his sleeves, as if nothing had happened.
Such indifference and ruthlessness made Li Hongcheng's humiliation and anger even more difficult to suppress.
"Li Chengze, have you gone mad?" Li Hongcheng's eyes were filled with shock, anger, and a hint of grievance as he stared at Li Chengze. "Yes, I know about Baoyue Tower, but so what? My intention in helping Fan Sizhe was to ease the tension between you and the Fan family, so that when Fan Xian takes over the Imperial Treasury in the future..."
"boom--"
Before Li Hongcheng could finish speaking, Li Chengze kicked him away, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string, knocking over several chairs along the way before finally crashing heavily at the doorway.
The kick was quite powerful, and the pain was so intense that he felt as if his internal organs had shifted. His face was contorted with agony, and for a moment he couldn't utter a single word.
However, Li Chengze did not give up.
He lunged forward again, grabbed Li Hongcheng by the collar, and said in a cold tone:
"Didn't I tell you before that if you want to continue managing the business of Kyoto's brothels, then you should manage it properly, and those things that used to force women into prostitution must not happen again?"
Li Hongcheng struggled, managing to squeeze out a voice, hissing with a hint of resentment as he pleaded, "Hiss... Your Highness, I really wanted to help you. Besides, they were just a few prostitutes..."
"Hmph! To share my burdens?" Li Chengze sneered, letting go of Li Hongcheng and throwing him to the ground. "Don't lie to yourself. You know better than anyone whether you're here to share my burdens or to curry favor with Fan Ruoruo."
These words were like a sharp dagger, instantly piercing the deepest secret in Li Hongcheng's heart, causing his expression to change drastically.
It's no secret that Li Hongcheng likes Fan Ruoruo.
When a murder occurred at Baoyue Tower, which was owned by Fan Sizhe, he was afraid that the matter would implicate the Fan family and even more afraid that the innocent Fan Ruoruo would be harmed. Therefore, he secretly suppressed the matter and did not reveal a single word to Li Chengze.
In his view, the life and death of a few prostitutes was a trivial matter, and there were precedents for it. As long as he kept the matter completely under wraps, who would know?
However, he never expected that Li Yunrui and Lin Ruofu had been keeping a close eye on the Fan family's every move, eventually making the matter a hot topic throughout the city. As a result, Fan Sizhe was arrested and imprisoned, and in the end, he probably couldn't escape death.
And he, who covered up Fan Sizhe's crimes, will likely be implicated in the end.
Moreover, once the Second Prince learns of his betrayal in this matter, his situation will undoubtedly become even worse.
Therefore, he absolutely cannot admit that he did it for Fan Ruoruo.
A flicker of panic flashed in Li Hongcheng's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "What does this have to do with Miss Ruoruo? I am doing this for His Highness's sake, of course."
That being said, his slightly trembling voice and shifty eyes completely betrayed his inner unease.
Faced with Li Hongcheng's sophistry, Li Chengze remained silent.
This silence was more oppressive than any words, like an invisible mountain pressing heavily on the heart, making it hard to breathe.
He stood there quietly, coldly watching Li Hongcheng's somewhat clumsy performance.
Their eyes are like sharp swords, able to see through all the disguises of the other party, leaving no lie unexposed.
When Li Hongcheng mustered up his courage and looked up, he met Li Chengze's cold gaze.
In an instant, a bone-chilling coldness pierced through his entire body, causing him to tremble involuntarily.
Li Hongcheng quickly lowered his head, no longer daring to look directly into those chilling eyes.
At that moment, the air in the hall seemed to freeze. Only the candlelight flickered gently on the walls, casting long shadows of the two people. The occasional faint crackling sounds added to the heavy atmosphere of the tense situation.
Seeing Li Hongcheng remain silent, Li Chengze had no desire to continue the conversation and said indifferently, "Fan Sizhe forced women into prostitution, disregarding human life. Not only did you know this but you also aided and abetted him, covering up his crimes. I will not interfere with the court's final judgment. However..."
Li Hongcheng's heart sank suddenly, a sense of unease instantly welling up inside him. His throat went dry, and he unconsciously swallowed, nervously awaiting what Li Hongcheng would say next.
However, Li Chengze did not continue speaking. Instead, he suddenly turned around, walked to the door, and grabbed the heavy door bolt. Before Li Hongcheng could react, he swiftly raised the bolt and struck Li Hongcheng's right leg heavily.
Li Hongcheng had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the door bolt struck his leg like lightning.
Accompanied by a piercing scream.
"what--"
The bolt slammed heavily onto his right leg, and the sound of bones breaking echoed instantly.
"Ahhh—" Li Hongcheng clutched his broken leg, rolling and howling in pain on the ground. His face was as pale as paper, and sweat poured down like beads from a broken string, soaking his clothes.
His eyes were filled with disbelief and anger as he struggled to shout, his voice hoarse with pain: "I may not have done anything special, but I have worked hard! Why are you doing this to me?"
Li Chengze coldly looked at Li Hongcheng's disheveled appearance, gently closed his eyes and shook his head, then loudly called for servants to come in: "Carry him back to the Jing Prince's Mansion."
Fan Wujiu immediately accepted the order, had someone find a sturdy wooden board, and made a simple stretcher. Then, he swaggered over and carried the still groaning Li Hongcheng back to the Jingwang Mansion.
The procession attracted a large crowd of onlookers, who curiously observed why the Prince Jing's heir had become in such a miserable state.
When the group finally arrived at Prince Jing's residence, it just so happened that Prince Jing was returning home.
Seeing her son in such a miserable state, she immediately asked him what had happened.
In a hoarse voice, Li Hongcheng recounted everything that had happened at Li Chengze's residence to Prince Jing. He concluded with a mixture of grief and indignation: "Father, I was clearly thinking of Li Chengze's best interests, but now that something has happened, not only does he not help, he cruelly broke my leg."
After listening to his son's account, Prince Jing raised an eyebrow, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Instead of showing the same righteous indignation that Li Hongcheng had hoped for, he suddenly bent down and slapped Li Hongcheng hard, shouting angrily:
“A real man should be able to admit his mistakes! Because of your selfishness, you like the girl from the Fan family, and because of that, you helped her brother Fan Sizhe cover up a murder case, yet you shamelessly claim it was to help Li Chengze. This behavior is utterly despicable! If it were me, I would break your legs too!”
Li Hongcheng was stunned by the sudden slap, his face filled with astonishment and confusion. His voice trembled, almost breaking into a sob, as he cried out, "Father..."
Although Prince Jing appears to be honest and irritable on the surface, he is actually extremely shrewd.
Although Li Hongcheng tried to downplay the seriousness of the matter and portray himself as completely innocent during his narration, Prince Jing, based on his understanding of his son, instantly understood the truth of the matter.
"Do you think you're being reasonable? And you even dare to complain!" Prince Jing glared at Li Hongcheng.