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

She said she used to be sick all the time, but her mother never visited her; she said she had no friends and had never seen anything since she was a child.

If Fan Xian hadn't heard these words from Lin Wan'er herself, he would have found it very difficult to discern anything from her.

So that's what her childhood was like.

His fiancée was actually a "bastard daughter" known to everyone in the palace;

They are "wandering ghosts" unknown to the world;

She was also forced to accept the title of "Princess" in order to arrange a marriage for Fan Xian...

But her eyes always shone with light, and she would always look at him tenderly as he cried in front of her.

"Fan Xian, what are you daydreaming about?" Tao Jingyang's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Fan Xian's eyes were filled with melancholy. He wanted to say something more, but was interrupted once again by Tao Jingyang:

"By the way, how is Teng Zijing, the one who used to be by your side, doing?"

Hearing her suddenly bring this up, Fan Xian was momentarily taken aback.

"You mean Teng Zijing? The doctor said his body is no longer suitable for practicing martial arts. He has already left the capital with his family."

Whenever Fan Xian mentions him, he still feels somewhat guilty.

However, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise; Danzhou is still much better than the capital city, which is full of bloodshed and turmoil.

After a brief silence in the room, Fan Xian pressed Tao Jingyang for answers:

"You brought him up to tell me, 'Since she's still alive, I should let her go because she's Wan'er's mother,' is that right?"

For some reason, there was a hint of "accusation" in his tone.

If you didn't know better, you'd think Tao Jingyang had betrayed him. It's really strange.

"Fan Xian, calm down, don't 'overpower' yet."

The discussion isn't about "letting them go" or "not letting them go," but rather about how you should express yourself to the emperor when you go to the palace.

You yourself should know this, right? The emperor, not you, is in charge of this matter now.

Tao Jingyang was genuinely puzzled as to why Fan Xian was being so stubborn at this moment.

Seeing that Fan Xian was once again lost in his thoughts, she took out the "accusation" from her sleeve and spread it out in front of him:

"Now that things have progressed to this point, no matter what you say, you cannot change the emperor's decision."

In other words, the emperor just wants to see what you think.

The latter seemed thoughtful, then hesitated and asked, "What does the emperor want me to do?"

"A severe punishment would only make him want you to 'provide ice in the snow, making the princess even colder inside and out.'"

By this time, Fan Xian had already calmed down. He placed his ten fingers interlaced on the table, as if he had just regained his composure.

"Wait, what you said makes a lot of sense."

"Is it really appropriate for us to discuss the emperor in front of the princes right now?"

After speaking, Li Chengze's eyes, which had been staring at him, swept upwards in an arc resembling a rainbow, and flipped to the other side.

[Li Chengze]: If it weren't suitable, I would have killed you long ago! Stop asking such nonsense.

"You knew it wasn't suitable, yet you still came. Fan Xian, you're really something else," Tao Jingyang complained.

Fan Xian clicked his tongue and sighed:

"I'm just feeling really frustrated... Ever since I came to Kyoto, I've really felt like I can't go on living like this."

I've already decided that once all this is over, I'll take Wan'er back to Danzhou.

And he could also happen to be neighbors with Teng Zijing.

Tao Jingyang nodded and agreed, "That's good, if the emperor is willing to let you leave."

The blind student immediately grasped the key point and asked, "So why did His Majesty give me control of the Imperial Treasury?"

"I don't want it at all." Fan Xian shrugged, but his words were full of Versailles-like sentiment.

Seeing that Tao Jingyang did not answer him, he turned to Li Chengze and asked, "Second Prince, do you know the reason behind this?"

The latter was eating grapes with his eyes unfocused when he heard Fan Xian ask him a question, so he put another one in his mouth.

After chewing and swallowing, he took a deep breath, didn't even look at Fan Xian, and said, "I don't know."

Having watched the "eating grapes" performance for a long time, Fan Xian had initially thought he might uncover some earth-shattering secret.

The result was just three words: "I don't know".

Fan Xian was so angry that he stood up and gave Li Chengze a perfunctory bow, saying, "I have learned a lot."

He turned his head, wanting to say something more to Tao Jingyang, but seeing her yawn again, he stopped and said nothing more, only saying:

"Thank you all. I have already made up my mind, so I'll take my leave now."

"Alright, Fan Xian, I won't see you off. Come again anytime."

[He probably won't be able to come again; he has to go to Northern Qi in a few days.]

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Fan Wujiu holding a sword in his right hand, using the blade to block Fan Xian, while handing Fan Xian a packet of almonds with his left hand.

[Fan Xian]: ...That's really domineering. People who don't know the situation might think he's going to pack up almonds, but people who don't know the situation might think he's going to pack up me.

"Young Master Fan, don't forget to take the almonds with you," Li Chengze said softly.

Fan Xian took the bandage, gripped it tightly, veins bulging on his hand, and said, "Then... thank you, Your Highness."

Turning around, he was met with a pair of smiling eyes, which startled Fan Xian.

He quickly came to his senses, nodded slightly to the two of them, and then left with a bag of things.

------------

"So, will Fan Xian still go?" Seeing Tao Jingyang's exhausted appearance, Li Chengze stood up and went behind her to massage her shoulders.

Just then, she felt a strange sense of drowsiness. As she was about to pinch her brow, she felt a weight on her shoulder—

Li Chengze was gently massaging her shoulders.

!

Is this thing really that effective? Tao Jingyang woke up almost instantly.

She didn't know what was going on either, since there shouldn't be any ticklish spots on the shoulders.

But Tao Jingyang felt a strange "itch" on her shoulder where Li Chengze had pinched her, an itch that made her shrink her neck inward.

Li Chengze behind her didn't let her go. Even though he could feel the owner of the shoulder in his hands trying to "escape," he pretended not to know and continued to squeeze.

The alternating light and heavy blows annoyed Tao Jingyang, who directly used his hand to restrain the person "causing trouble" behind him.

"No...no need to pinch anymore, I feel much better now."

The tingling sensation in her body hadn't subsided, which made her speak somewhat haltingly.

Sure enough, the people behind stopped moving.

Tao Jingyang breathed a sigh of relief and continued the previous topic:

"Fan Xian probably won't go; he's very stubborn."

It's a pity, though, that His Majesty will be spending the night alone.