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

Back in his room, Tao Jingyang began to review the events of the day in his mind.

There's nothing wrong with Li Chengze for now; as for Fan Xian, my identity seems good so far, and he'll probably think that I'm on the same side as Li Chengze.

Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping have definitely started investigating me. As for Emperor Qing... I'll have to pretend to be someone I'm not; as for Chen Pingping... I'll have to find an opportunity to gain his trust.

Then, after thinking about what would happen next, I had a rough idea of ​​what to expect.

The next day.

On days ending in the 3rd, 6th, or 9th of the month, the ministers of the Qing Kingdom have to attend an early morning court session.

Today happened to be the day for court, and Li Chengze got up and left early.

What was expected to be another peaceful morning court session turned into a surprise when His Majesty kept Li Chengze behind at the end of the session.

The one who was left behind received a sharp glare from Crown Prince Li Chengqian for no reason.

They were brothers who were friendly and respectful to each other, which is truly lamentable.

Every time Li Chengze met His Majesty, he was filled with trepidation and remained extremely respectful. It was laughable that, despite being father and son, they showed no fatherly affection whatsoever.

The inner palace.

Incense, meant to calm the mind, burned in the incense burner. Wisps of smoke rose into the air, illuminating the dim yellow gauze curtains and adding a touch of the divine to the hall.

Emperor Qing lay on the couch, propping his head up with his hand, observing Li Chengze's expression and behavior as he stood outside the beaded curtain.

After a long while, he finally asked the people below the hall, "Li Chengze, I've heard that you've been getting quite close to a woman lately."

Li Chengze, filled with trepidation, clasped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, we only met by chance, and we are not particularly close."

"Hmph." Emperor Qing was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. He sat up, straightened his disheveled clothes, and snorted coldly.

"Oh? This person is living in your residence now? Isn't that close enough?"

Hearing the Emperor's tone, which was clearly authoritative, Li Chengze quickly knelt down and said in a slightly anxious voice:

"Your Majesty, I dare not hide this from you. However, this woman appeared in my residence by chance, and she was already unconscious when I found her."

Your son wonders if he was being chased by villains and, in his panic, ended up at your residence...

Besides, she is a woman, and I cannot simply expel her from the household. I will wait until she is fully recovered before sending her back.”

At this moment, Emperor Qing had already gotten up and was wandering around the hall with his hands behind his back.

The hall was silent, and large beads of sweat dripped from Li Chengze's face.

"So, how is she now?" Emperor Qing stood with his hands behind his back.

Li Chengze hurriedly replied, "He seems to be fine physically, but... it's like he's lost his memory."

This is also why I have delayed sending her out of the manor.

After that, the hall fell silent again.

Maintaining a kneeling position for an extended period of time made Li Chengze feel a tightness in his chest.

"I understand, you may leave." Emperor Qing said with his back to Li Chengze.

"My son, please retire."

After taking his leave, Li Chengze suddenly stood up, feeling a little dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

Emperor Qing stared at the bronze mirror, where his son's somewhat unsteady figure was reflected.

His face remained indifferent, his expression unwavering.

After leaving the palace, Li Chengze boarded a carriage that had been waiting at the palace gate for a long time.

Seeing the tea and fruit prepared inside the carriage, he poured himself a cup of tea to calm his nerves.

Just as he finished pouring the tea, he suddenly remembered the white porcelain gourd-shaped bottle that Tao Jingyang had given him.

So he called to Xie Bi'an outside the carriage and asked him, "Bi'an, do you have the porcelain bottle that Tao Jingyang gave me with you?"

Xie Bi'an, who had guessed from the start that his prince would need it: Huh? Good thing I brought it.

"I have it with me, Your Highness. Would you like me to get it for you?"

Li Chengze didn't say anything, but he reached his hand out of the car.

Xie Bi'an handed him the porcelain bottle, which contained water that had just been filled in that morning.

And it had already been checked beforehand; there was no poison in the bottle.

Li Chengze took a sip directly from the porcelain bottle, and as soon as the water entered his mouth, he realized something was wrong.

This water is so...cool and sweet?

No, after the liquid entered his throat, Li Chengze suddenly felt a warm current spreading throughout his body.

The fatigue from kneeling for so long had disappeared. Not only that, Li Chengze also felt the warm current flowing through his meridians.

It even cleared several meridians that had been blocked for a long time. In an instant, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

If it weren't for the obvious feeling of his meridians being unblocked, even Li Chengze himself would probably think it was his imagination.

He quickly called Xie Bi'an in and asked him if any drugs had been added to it.

Unsurprisingly, he received a negative answer.

He tried taking another sip, and as soon as it went down his throat, the exact same feeling returned.

Sitting to the side, Xie Bi'an watched the prince's actions and asked, "Is there something wrong with this bottle?"

Feeling the subtle changes in his body, Li Chengze confirmed that he was alright, and handed the porcelain bottle to Xie Bi'an, asking him to try a sip as well.

Xie Bi'an took the porcelain bottle and poured a mouthful into his mouth.

【! 】

Feeling the warm flow after the liquid entered his throat, Xie Bi'an couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Your Highness, it seems to have some effect on clearing the meridians after drinking this."

The Second Prince's joy was undisguised as he said to Xie Bi'an:

"If you say so too, then my feeling just now was not an illusion."

Then, looking at the porcelain bottle in her hand with the eyes of someone looking at a rare treasure, she whispered to Xie Bi'an, "This porcelain bottle was given to me by Tao Jingyang, Miss Tao."

After speaking, he gripped the porcelain bottle tightly in his hand, raised his head and looked into the empty space inside the car, his eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.