The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 465 Joy of Life 21

As the saying goes, an army comes like a landslide, but an illness is like pulling silk from a cocoon.

After recovering from his illness, Li Chengze spent several days recuperating and gradually regained his former vitality.

On the surface, everything seems to be back on track.

But everyone who came into contact with him keenly noticed that a subtle yet significant change had occurred in the Second Prince.

The former Li Chengze appeared gentle and refined, speaking with humor and subtlety, yet he also carried a faint air of gloom and melancholy, as if he harbored endless secrets in his heart.

However, although he still speaks gently, he exudes an undeniable domineering aura from the bottom of his heart, and his every move reveals an unquestionable confidence.

Although he remained polite and humble, his understated power made everyone feel a sense of pressure in his presence.

It's as if you're facing a towering mountain, impossible to climb or even more insurmountable.

As his rivals, the Crown Prince and Emperor Qing, who considered himself the player in the game, naturally noticed this change in him. Although their reactions to it were quite different, they both eventually increased their attention to Li Chengze.

However, Li Chengze ignored them, as his attention was now entirely focused on Fan Xian.

On the day of the poetry gathering, Li Chengze unusually changed into a crimson wide-sleeved robe.

The robe is made of extremely fine material, with a silky smooth feel like flowing clouds, and is cleverly incorporating gold and silver threads, making it appear calm and understated when worn indoors.

Once the sunlight shines upon it, it instantly bursts forth with a soft glow, like the shimmering surface of a lake, dazzling the eye.

The collar, cuffs, and hem are embroidered with intricate and gorgeous patterns and inlaid with various pearls and gemstones, which sparkle and add to the splendor.

When Li Chengze put on this outfit, it was so dazzling that it could instantly capture everyone's attention from two miles away; it was simply eye-catching.

Xie Bi'an looked at him with a complicated expression, hesitant to speak, but finally couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, are you going to wear this dress to the poetry gathering?"

In the current Qing Kingdom, the popular colors are mostly calm and restrained, such as black, white, silver, and gray. Even when choosing red, they are mostly low-key choices such as dark red or purplish red. Few people dare to try flamboyant and eye-catching colors.

To be honest, ordinary people don't wear anything as brightly colored as Li Chengze is wearing now when they get married.

Moreover, this is not a wedding, but a refined occasion like a poetry gathering.

Even the noble ladies attending the event probably wouldn't choose such an eye-catching color.

Faced with Xie Bi'an's question, Li Chengze, who was used to wearing red in his previous life, smiled confidently: "After being reborn from illness, I feel that my good luck is about to come. I'll wear red to bring good fortune and change my luck."

At this point, he specifically instructed the maid behind him who was tying his hair up: "Tie all the hair on my forehead up. When will I ever be able to hold my head high if my eyes are always blocked by hair?"

Upon hearing this, the maid immediately did as instructed.

Seeing this, Xie Bi'an wanted to remind him that this was superstition, but seeing Li Chengze's rather good mood, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Fan Wujiu, who had just finished investigating Fan Jian's life, had only stepped one foot across the threshold when he heard these words.

He involuntarily raised his hand, half-believing and half-doubting, smoothing the stray hairs on his forehead, his brows furrowing slightly, as if pondering whether it was truly possible.

'Could it be that my repeated failures in the imperial examinations over the years are due to this lock of hair? I'll try tying it up later.'

As Fan Wujiu pondered, he presented what he had found to Li Chengze.

Li Chengze took the document, his fingers quickly flipping through the pages, his eyes scanning the text rapidly.

When he turned to a certain page, his movements suddenly stopped, and his gaze froze, as if he had seen something unbelievable: "Fan Jian once had an eldest son who died young? And he was about the same age as Fan Xian?"

He raised his head, looked directly at Fan Wujiu, and his voice was filled with obvious surprise.

"Indeed, Your Highness." Fan Wujiu cleared his throat and continued, "Lady Fan gave birth to a son first, but he died mysteriously not long after. After that, Lady Fan passed away not long after giving birth to Fan Ruoruo due to excessive grief."

After listening, Li Chengze looked down at the intelligence in his hand and fell into deep thought, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

If this intelligence is accurate, it means that Fan Jian had an affair with Ye Qingmei while his wife was pregnant, and that he became pregnant with Fan Xian at almost the same time.

However, judging from Fan Jian's conduct over the years, he does not seem to be a person who is lustful.

Otherwise, over the years, he wouldn't have only had one concubine, Consort Liu, in his backyard.

Moreover...

Li Chengze's eyes suddenly narrowed as he realized that he had overlooked a crucial issue.

Would someone as remarkable as Ye Qingmei really be willing to be someone's clandestine lover?

Even if she really wanted to be someone's lover, why didn't she choose Emperor Qing?

……Um?

Li Chengze frowned slightly, and a bold idea quietly took shape in his mind.

Perhaps... Ye Qingmei and Emperor Qing did indeed have a romantic relationship.

That is why she spared no effort in helping Emperor Qing ascend the throne.

However, for some unknown reason, Ye Qingmei did not enter Emperor Qing's harem, but she did give birth to a son.

Ye Qingmei was truly remarkable. Not only did she possess wealth comparable to that of a nation, but she also gave birth to a prince. This undoubtedly made the then childless empress feel extremely threatened and uneasy.

At the same time, Emperor Qing grew increasingly wary of Ye Qingmei's abilities and influence, so he took advantage of the Empress's jealousy to eliminate Ye Qingmei.

Afterwards, under the pretext of avenging Ye Qingmei, he turned around and eliminated the Empress's family, thus consolidating his rule and taking over all of Ye Qingmei's wealth.

As for why Emperor Qing kept Ye Qingmei's child, it wasn't because he was soft-hearted, but because Fan Jian used his own son to replace the prince born to Ye Qingmei, thus pulling off a switcheroo.

Then, the child was quickly sent to be raised by Old Mrs. Fan, who claimed that he was her illegitimate child.

This also explains why Fan Jian has not brought Fan Xian back to the capital for more than a decade, and why Emperor Qing, even though he has never met Fan Xian, still places high hopes on him and even considers entrusting Fan Xian with the management of a key institution like the Imperial Treasury.

Because Fan Xian is the son of Emperor Qing and Ye Qingmei.

The secret between Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping is Fan Xian.

It was Fan Xian's existence that brought these two people, who should have gone their separate ways, back together.