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

Wan'er stood in front of the carriage, and when she saw that she had actually come out, a hint of regret appeared on her face.

"Sigh..." Lin Wan'er sighed softly.

My cousin is really no good.

......

The carriage creaked and groaned, and soon stopped in front of the princess's residence.

Tao Jingyang, as if nothing had happened, strode along, preparing to stay at Lin Wan'er's place for a while in a nonchalant manner.

Upon entering the mansion, they saw Fan Xian, seemingly unconcerned, feeding the fish in the pond.

The person had already struck a pose, and was just about to gently brush aside a strand of hair that had fallen to their chest due to bending over when...

He was halfway through lifting his hand when he looked up and saw Tao Jingyang with a blank expression.

[Tao]: What are you doing here? Sister Wan'er, did you come to the Duke's mansion for me?

[Fan]: I climbed over the wrong wall! Wasn't I climbing over Wan'er's house?!

The two looked at each other, feeling incredibly awkward.

Tao Jingyang even went back to the gate of the mansion to take a look, and saw that the large plaque indeed read "Princess's Mansion".

"What's he doing here?" Tao Jingyang turned his head and asked Lin Wan'er, who had just stepped off the carriage, with a puzzled look.

When Wan'er saw Fan Xian, she was also surprised and shook her head, indicating that she was unaware of the situation.

Then she understood; Fan Xian had climbed over the wall again.

It's understandable given his current health condition; he had to limp over mountains and valleys to see Lin Wan'er.

Seeing that Tao Jingyang looked unwell, Fan Xian assumed she was looking down on him for climbing over the wall to steal the item.

He was a little embarrassed, but he still pretended to be calm and said, "It's normal for me to be here. This is my fiancée's house, so of course I can come whenever I want."

After saying that, he sprinkled some more fish food.

He glanced at Tao Jingyang and asked curiously, "But what brings you here?"

"Why come all the way here when the palace is so big? What's the future Empress doing here? Looks like you didn't bring anything..."

Not satisfied with what he had just said, Fan Xian even leaned forward and looked back.

Upon hearing Fan Xian's words, Lin Wan'er quickly blinked at him, trying to shut him up.

By the time Fan Xian received the signal, it was already too late; the words had already been sent out in a flash, and there was no way to stop them.

Tao Jingyang didn't argue, but simply said calmly, "I'm only staying for a while. I'll move out in a few days after finding another place..."

That sounds so pitiful.

Upon hearing this, Wan'er was the first to speak up, "Don't listen to him, you can stay here as long as you want!"

Fearing that Fan Xian might say something else, Wan'er immediately waved to her maid to come forward and signal her to take Tao Jingyang to the bedroom to rest.

Fan Xian glanced at Tao Jingyang's departing figure, then at Wan'er, knowing that Tao Jingyang had good hearing, and softly asked,

"What's going on here?"

Lin Wan'er gently patted his arm, "Ever since the two of them came out of Cining Palace, they've been like this, and I don't know what happened."

“Cining Palace?” he repeated before falling into deep thought.

afternoon.

Fan Xian knocked on Tao Jingyang's door three times, but there was still no response.

"Hey buddy, are you crying?" Fan Xian knocked on the door, and before he could finish speaking, the door opened from the inside.

"Are you crazy? You've already broken the door. Just say what you want."

"It's nothing, I'm just taking a stroll." Fan Xian stepped aside and went inside to find a seat.

When Tao Jingyang saw him go in, he neither stopped him nor closed the door, and just left the door open to talk.

Fan Xian sat down, calmly poured himself a cup of tea, and made sarcastic remarks.

"I wish I had told you this two hundred years ago. Didn't you say he was different from others? Didn't you say you were very carefree?"

He watched Tao Jingyang lean against the door with his arms crossed, silent. He lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then offered a comforting word, "It's not a big deal. There are plenty of fish in the sea..."

"Why be hung up on him? After the imperial examination, I'll pick a good third-place scholar for you and make him jealous."

"..." Tao Jingyang remained silent, his mood calm. "Thank you for your guidance, Professor Fan, but it's not necessary."

The latter was dressed in an ink-wash style, and the wide sleeves made him look less sharp.

He pursed his lips, took a graceful sip, and then gently set down the cup adorned with orchids. His voice was gentle as he asked, "Wan'er said you've been like this ever since you left Cining Palace. What do you mean? Did the Empress Dowager say something to you?"

Tao Jingyang looked down at her toes, half of her long hair falling over her chest. She sighed and only uttered a soft "Mm".

“Normal.” Fan Xian propped his head up with his hand and turned to face her. “The conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is an old story.”

"Shut up, no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, don't believe or spread rumors." Tao Jingyang's voice was cold.

The latter nodded obediently, and before deciding how to continue the topic, he picked another matter to talk about.

"Li Chengze is giving this to you..."

Please do not mention this taboo name.

"..."

Fan Xian compromised and said, "That newly built mansion of yours is so grand, I want to live there. Can I exchange it for your Duke's mansion?"

"What mansion? Never heard of it," Tao Jingyang said, still leaning against the door.

Father, like son.

She didn't even know about the renovation of the mansion, which further suggests that her departure from the palace this time was probably due to some misunderstanding with Li Chengze.

Just as Fan Xian was about to try to mediate from an outsider's perspective, Tao Jingyang raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

She turned her head to listen, "Wan'er, we have a guest."

Fan Xian, not hearing any noise, asked curiously, "Who?"

The former gave him a complicated look, then moved to the doorway and said with his back to Fan Xian, "I didn't know, but I heard the horse was riding quite fast."

She paused for a moment and then said, "The group following behind them were also riding quite fast."

"Nonsense, who would dare to ride a horse recklessly here? I've implemented new traffic regulations since I took office; those who ride recklessly will not only be fined but also have points deducted from their license," Fan Xian said dismissively.

Tao Jingyang glanced at him and asked, "You actually issued him a driver's license?"

"It's already widespread in Kyoto, but it's still being rolled out slowly in other regions."

"Oh, hello Director Fan."

"You can also call me Minister Fan."

"I'll call you Director Fan."

"...You're the one in the 'dining room'!"

After a while, he also heard the sound of horses' hooves.

So he simply stood up and walked over to Tao Jingyang, leaning against another door, even though he had no idea who he was waiting for.

"If the person riding this horse is from a prestigious family, would you dare to deduct points?" Tao Jingyang leaned against the door frame, tilting his head.

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow, displaying a bit of his former arrogance, "Don't even mention a scion of a noble family, even if the patriarch of a noble family came, I would still confiscate his driver's license."

Wow, impressive!

Fan Xian stepped out the door, lifted his slightly flowing robes, and slowly descended the steps. "You stay here, I'll go take a look."

"Clang clang clang"

The gate cymbals were knocked three times.

The steward was puzzled when he heard the knocking, wondering why so many people had come to the princess's residence today.

Just as they were about to pry open a crack in the door to ask who it was, the sound of clattering hooves came from the other end of the street.

The steward thought it was the remnants of the Crown Prince attacking, and he was so frightened that he immediately ran back to ask Lin Wan'er for instructions.

The person outside did not get impatient after knocking three times, and waited quietly.

Lin Wan'er also felt strange when she heard about this. She thought it might be related to Sister Tao'er. Just as she was about to ask her, she ran into Fan Xian, who happened to be passing by.

Outside the mansion gate, the sound of a group of people dismounting came again, but they all "mannered" and didn't utter a sound.

Or perhaps someone manually muted my microphone.

"Let's go, Wan'er, let's open the door for them." Fan Xian tugged at the hem of Lin Wan'er's sleeve.

......

The new door opened smoothly without a creak.

Li Chengze stood in front of the mansion gate, holding a box.