In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

I really wanted to slap the two people on the other side twice, but in the end, they were just acting like tyrants because they had the Empress Dowager's backing. If I really did that, it would be too embarrassing for me.

The people opposite Xia Qing and the others were also adept at judging people by their status. As soon as they heard that she couldn't control them, they unconsciously straightened their backs.

"Miss Tao can't handle this, but I can at least help." A voice came from afar before the person arrived.

Lin Wan'er, dressed in a long gown, hurried along, followed by two maids. From a distance, she called out a greeting.

When Tao Jingyang saw that it was her, he waved to her, "Hi, Wan'er! What brings you here!"

The others looked even more apprehensive upon seeing Lin Wan'er, and said in unison, "Greetings, Princess Yinghua."

Seeing this, Lin Wan'er pursed her lips. Instead of waking them, she approached Tao Jingyang and said...

“I just entered the palace and intended to go to Chaoyang Palace to find you, but I found that you had already left.”

She then looked at the palace maids who were bowing and said a few words to them to dismiss them.

"You have caused trouble and violated palace rules, creating chaos in the inner palace. If the Empress Dowager finds out, she will surely punish you severely."

"Go down, all of you. Go to the chief steward and receive your three-month punishment. If you dare to offend again, he will have you expelled from the palace."

Perhaps due to the impact of this palace coup, Lin Wan'er's personality seems to have changed a lot compared to before.

After the others left, only Xiaoman remained standing there, unsure whether to leave or stay.

Tao Jingyang pondered for a moment and said to her, "Wait for me at the pavilion."

Upon hearing this, the latter's eyes lit up instantly, and he left happily.

Lin Wan'er dismissed the maids behind her and asked with a puzzled look, "Why did Miss Tao ask her to wait in the pavilion?"

"I've already offended so many people on her behalf. If I don't take her away, she'll probably be bullied even more in the future. Besides, she seems like a decent person; as the saying goes, 'She's teachable.'"

Tao Jingyang shook his head, pretending to be a child reading aloud, and then cracked a joke, which eased the not-so-pleasant atmosphere.

Lin Wan'er smiled gently, then, as if remembering something, her tone became somewhat melancholy, "The royal inner court has always been like this."

She glanced at the azure sky and said, "I've lived here since I was a child, so I've seen everything."

The peach blossoms by the lake were in bloom. The two picked two branches and carried them in their hands, walking slowly along the lakeside.

Tao Jingyang remained silent. She and Lin Wan'er had only met briefly at the bedside yesterday and hadn't had a chance to say anything.

Yesterday afternoon, Li Chengze told her in detail about the recent situations of several people, including the current situation of Wan'er's mother, the Eldest Princess.

It is said that after he ascended the throne, he originally thought of exterminating these people and simply ordering them to their deaths with poison, white-collar workers, and daggers.

But for the sake of his cousin Wan'er, with whom he had grown up, and who was also Xiao Fan's fiancée,

Li Chengze thought about it and decided against it. He didn't order the man's death, but instead demoted him to a commoner and imprisoned him.

For some reason, the eldest princess did not attempt suicide.

He only went mad briefly after the defeat and upon hearing of Emperor Qing's death, but quickly regained his composure.

Li Chengqian is still alive, and according to Li Chengze, he seems to be even more insane than the Princess.

Now is the best time for peach blossoms to bloom. If you stand by the tree for a while, you will definitely get some of the pleasant fragrance of peach blossoms on your body.

Lin Wan'er secretly tapped the peach blossom branch with her fingers, her slender white nails stained with some tender green sap.

She was feeling uneasy, and her breathing became somewhat rapid.

Tao Jingyang walked beside her, listening to Lin Wan'er's heartbeat go from calm to rapid, and then back to calm.

Clearly, her left and right hemispheres were engaged in some kind of internal struggle.

When her heartbeat became rapid again, Tao Jingyang couldn't help but speak up. She was mainly afraid that Wan'er's heart rate was too fast and she might not be able to catch her breath and faint in the lake.

"By the way, Wan'er, did you come to the palace to see me today because of something?" She brought up the matter as if it were unintentional.

"I..." The other person hesitated for a moment, carefully considering their words, trying to make their words sound less abrupt.

"What's wrong? Just say so if you need anything. There's nothing to be shy about with our relationship."

Upon hearing Tao Jingyang's words, she stopped being coy and said, "Miss Tao, my...my mother said she wants to meet you."

Lin Wan'er was also annoyed when she said it, but this was her mother's wish. The Princess had said it more than once; she wanted to see Tao Jingyang.

She told Wan'er: If we never meet again in this life, I will not rest in peace even if I die.

Even now, the eldest princess still tries to appeal to Lin Wan'er's emotions, saying that she did all of this for Wan'er's sake, to ensure her safety.

After all, it was her mother who said these words. Even if Lin Wan'er didn't believe it, she couldn't bear to see her cling to this obsession and spend the rest of her life with it.

It's only because Her Majesty is merciful that she, a criminal, is still alive.

Even if Lin Wan'er didn't ask His Majesty, she knew that Li Chengze would absolutely not agree to let the Princess see her.

Left with no other choice, Lin Wan'er had to personally visit the person in question.

If Tao Jingyang herself is unwilling, then as her daughter, she has done her part, and at least she can live with herself.

Thinking of this, Lin Wan'er couldn't help but sigh again.

Her mother was promiscuous, as was her biological father. Her cousin not only didn't implicate her, but even bestowed upon her the title of princess. And now, she's doing this because of her mother...

Tao Jingyang could see the fear in Lin Wan'er's heart.

"When is it convenient for you to see your mother?" This matter might be very serious in Wan'er's eyes, but it was nothing to her.

Lin Wan'er asked in surprise, "Miss Tao, are you really willing to go?"

The former smiled and joked, "How could I possibly refuse Princess Yinghua's request?"

Her sudden order to ban someone's account caught Lin Wan'er off guard.

"Why did Miss Tao suddenly ask Wan'er to change her title? Is it... is she angry with Wan'er...?"

Lin Wan'er looked somewhat aggrieved. Although she tried her best to hide her emotions, a hint of them still showed.

Tao Jingyang quickly explained, "Just kidding, just kidding. It's just that you always call me Miss Tao, I'm just..."

Lin Wan'er realized that it was because she had acted too distantly.

After thinking for a moment, she was still feeling quite excited, and her voice became more lively as she asked, "I remember Fan Xian always called you Sister Tao'er, is there some story behind that?"

"There's no story behind it; he just hummed a line that day:"

"Peach leaves are pointed at the tips, willow leaves cover the sky," I hummed, then said that my surname happened to be Tao, and so that's what I've been called ever since.

Lin Wan'er was surprised, "He can sing? I only knew he was a good poet..."

After she finished speaking, her eyes dimmed again, as if she had never heard Fan Xian sing before.

Even Haitang Duoduo received a poem from Fan Xian, yet she, as his fiancée,...

But nothing.

Tao Jingyang saw that Wan'er was heartbroken, and after thinking about it, he realized that he had said the wrong thing. He could tell that she was sad because of that brat.

She thought to herself, "This Fan Xian is so arrogant. He insisted that I write a poem for him, but he couldn't come up with one even after half a year of trying."

Tao Jingyang didn't care about him anymore. She didn't care whether it was memorized or written by herself. As long as it could make people happy, that was good.

So she composed a poem in the blink of an eye,

Wild grasses grow, glistening with dew. A beautiful woman appears, graceful and charming. Our chance encounter is exactly what I desire.

Wild grasses grow, glistening with dew. A beautiful woman appears, graceful and elegant. We meet by chance, and vow to stay together forever.

"Wan'er, listen to this song, 'With You and Me,' isn't it much better than the songs Fan Xian recites?"

"Haha~" Lin Wan'er covered her mouth and laughed.

"How about Wan'er calls you Sister Tao'er from now on?"

“Of course,” Tao Jingyang raised the peach blossom branch in his hand and gently tapped the one Wan’er was holding twice. “Very good!”

The petals trembled twice from being tapped, and those with good eyesight might even be able to see the fallen pollen.

It was nearly noon, and the sun was shining brightly. Wan'er looked at the swaying branches and felt that they were like soft swords that had been drawn from her waist.

She wanted to ask Sister Tao'er to teach her how to twirl a sword, but was interrupted by footsteps behind her.

The two turned around and saw an aunt walking towards them.