vrcanaries Chapter 552 Joy of Life 108
Chapter 552 Joy of Life 108
The moon was high in the sky, and its soft light bathed the courtyard.
Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows.
Li Chengze leaned back on the low couch, propping his head up with his elbow, watching with great interest as Fan Xian talked incessantly below, enthusiastically painting a rosy picture for him.
But after listening for a while, he maintained a gentle yet distant expression, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Fan Xian gradually felt uneasy about that calm and composed demeanor, and his voice grew softer and softer.
"In short, I control the Imperial Treasury, and Your Highness has lofty ambitions. Why don't we form an alliance? I am willing to do everything in my power to help Your Highness seize the throne. What do you think?" Fan Xian stared intently at Li Chengze.
Li Chengze nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, his tone relaxed and composed: "I am naturally grateful for Lord Fan's generous assistance. But I wonder what price I need to pay in exchange?"
Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng exchanged a glance.
The main reason they came to Li Chengze was to seek revenge on Emperor Qing with his help.
However, since they are father and son, their purpose cannot be stated directly.
So Fan Xian laughed heartily, adopting an attitude of pursuing fame and fortune: "Naturally, I hope to help Your Highness ascend to a high position, so as to gain some merit in supporting the emperor."
Li Chengze chuckled softly, adjusted his posture, and said in a calm yet authoritative tone: "But I am not short of money right now."
Fan Xian paused upon hearing this, feeling an awkwardness and unease at being seen through.
He gazed into Li Chengze's deep, penetrating eyes, and slowly the smile on his face vanished.
Li Chengze remained expressionless, simply meeting his gaze quietly.
For a moment, the room was silent. As their eyes met, an invisible tension quietly spread out.
Li Hongcheng glanced at Li Chengze, then turned to look at Fan Xian, and took a deep breath.
He understood that Li Chengze wouldn't believe a single word Fan Xian had just said.
That makes sense. If the Second Prince were so easily fooled, how could he have maintained such a large power base despite Emperor Qing's relentless suppression?
Now that things have come to this, there's no way to stay silent.
Having made up his mind, Li Hongcheng suddenly stood up, walked to Li Chengze, and bowed to him.
"Your Highness, to be honest, my father was..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Fan Xian interrupted him with a sharp shout: "Li Hongcheng!"
Fan Xian glared at Li Hongcheng, trying to stop him with his eyes.
However, Li Hongcheng ignored him, sighed again, and told Li Chengze everything he knew, including his suspicions about Emperor Qing.
Fan Xian was so bored by what he heard that he sat down speechlessly to the side.
Li Hongcheng is such a big idiot.
The Second Prince has not yet agreed to join forces with them, yet he hastily revealed all their trump cards. Wouldn't that be tantamount to giving the Second Prince leverage over them?
“Your Highness, it is true that we want to help you ascend to the throne, and it is also true that we want to use your power to protect ourselves. This is our selfish motive. Fan Xian did not say it outright just now because he was afraid that Your Highness would refuse. Please understand, Your Highness.” Li Hongcheng spoke sincerely, bowing again as he spoke, his attitude extremely respectful.
Seeing that Li Hongcheng hadn't gotten up for a long time, Fan Xian couldn't help but look up at Li Chengze's expression. He was surprised to find that Li Chengze's face still had the same calm and composed expression as before, as if everything he had just heard was nothing out of the ordinary.
It's important to know that the affair between Li Chengqian and Li Yunrui is a shocking and morally reprehensible affair, no matter where it is placed.
Faced with such an astonishing secret, how could Li Chengze possibly remain completely unmoved?
Fan Xian felt a chill run down his spine, and a thought suddenly popped into his head: Could it be that the Second Prince already knew about this?
Otherwise, how could he be so calm now?
Just as Fan Xian was lost in thought, he heard Li Chengze suddenly speak, uttering a single word: "Good."
it is good?
Fan Xian raised his head and looked at Li Chengze with some disbelief.
This person actually agreed just like that? No haggling, no hesitation, just agreed like that?
Remembering Li Chengze's earlier comment that he "didn't lack money," Fan Xian frowned slightly and tentatively asked, "Is there anything Your Highness can do for us?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chengze glanced at him, slowly stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out without even looking at the two of them again.
A voice drifted over, carrying a strange undertone: "You don't need to do anything, just stay alive."
"Just being alive is enough? What does he mean by that?"
Fan Xian stood there stunned, and Li Hongcheng was also somewhat bewildered. Both of them stood there, repeatedly pondering the words, but they couldn't figure out their deeper meaning.
In fact, Fan Xian was the first time traveler Li Chengze had encountered in all this time. Even though their values were incompatible, Li Chengze was still reluctant to kill him.
In his eyes, Fan Xian is a special existence, a variable that is out of place in this time and space yet real and vivid.
In any case, all of Fan Xian's allies have now been eliminated by him, either actively or passively. Without these supporters, he can no longer cause any trouble.
Therefore, even if Fan Xian didn't come to him for cooperation today, he had already secretly instructed people to keep a close eye on him.
"Well, in any case, since the Second Prince has agreed to cooperate with us, we now have a powerful backer. This is better than fighting alone." Li Hongcheng's tone was somewhat emotional, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
Fan Xian nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the direction Li Chengze had left, a complex expression that lingered for a long time.
Li Chengze and he were both sons of Emperor Qing and half-brothers, but their circumstances were worlds apart.
Li Chengze is the prince in name only, and is qualified to stand in the court to compete for the throne;
He himself was merely an illegitimate child who could not be brought into the light, struggling to survive in the shadows and resorting to any means necessary to save his life.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian's lips twitched slightly, revealing a bitter smile.
He didn't care about the so-called prince status, and he never thought about becoming an emperor.
He was just unwilling to accept it.
I am unwilling to live my whole life so cautiously and as if walking on thin ice.
He wanted to decide his own future path, rather than being pushed around by fate.
Fan Xian couldn't help but recall when he first arrived in the capital. At that time, his only wish was to become a wealthy man, have beautiful wives and concubines, and live a carefree and happy life. But in the end, fate pushed him into such a situation.