Daqing Reborn Prince, Intercepting Si Lili at the Beginning - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Refusing Li Chengze! The Crown Prince is Not Happy!

Li Chengze took a deep look at Li Chengyuan.

At this moment, he truly felt like he couldn’t fully understand his third brother anymore.

The brothers had always been well aware of Li Chengyuan’s personality.

Since childhood, Li Chengyuan had been the “troublemaker” of the palace, indulging in eating, drinking, and enjoying himself.

To call him a “playboy prince” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

But while he was reckless, Li Chengze knew very well that this third brother was no fool.

He was quite intelligent.

Although Li Chengyuan was fond of fun and games, his academic performance had always been the best.

Even the Grand Scholars had praised him more than once for his strong learning abilities.

And how could a prince so fond of reading not understand the emperor’s intentions in granting him a princely title?

Yet, despite this, Li Chengyuan still behaves in the same manner as before.

This made Li Chengze unsure of what his brother was thinking.

Could it be that Li Chengyuan genuinely doesn’t care about the position of Crown Prince?

Even if he couldn’t figure out Li Chengyuan’s thoughts, there was one thing Li Chengze was certain of:

Now that Li Chengyuan had been granted a princely title, he had already entered the game for succession!

Whether he wanted to or not was irrelevant; soon, there would be people pushing him forward.

Li Chengze was all too familiar with this, as he had gone through the same thing back in the day.

This was precisely why he had come today, to win Li Chengyuan over.

Looking at his carefree brother, Li Chengze smiled meaningfully and said:

“Third brother, I don’t know what you’re thinking. But I can tell you honestly, some things are not within your control to avoid. So, it’s better to start preparing early.

Also, I know you’re close with the Crown Prince, but you should be aware that in matters like these, no relationship is truly reliable.”

He continued, “So, I think if you’re willing, we can keep in touch more often. At least for now, we’re not enemies. There’s a saying: if you want the meat, you have to deal with the owner first. Otherwise, all our efforts will only benefit the one holding the meat. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Hearing Li Chengze’s words, Li Chengyuan sighed and said helplessly,

“Second brother, do you know why I don’t want to get involved in all this?”

Li Chengze was taken aback, and he shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Because it’s exhausting! Dealing with all of you is just too tiring!” Li Chengyuan sighed.

“You people… you could say something in a few simple words, but instead, you beat around the bush and say a whole lot of unnecessary things! Honestly, I hate this kind of scheming the most. Can’t we all just be straightforward and sincere?”

Li Chengyuan added, So, I’ll be clear. I understand everything you’re saying, but I still want to try my best to just be a playboy prince! I don’t want to get involved in whatever you all are doing; I just want to live my own little life in peace!”

“Hahaha… hahahahaha…”

Li Chengze laughed, but the laughter was filled with bitterness.

“Third brother, to be honest, if we were born into an ordinary family, we could have been close friends! Your thoughts are exactly what I once believed. But, as I said, some things are not within your control to avoid.”

Li Chengyuan shrugged, “I want to try.”

“Alright then!” Li Chengze didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled and said encouragingly, “Second brother wishes you success! I promise you this: if you succeed one day, I’ll never bother you again!”

Li Chengyuan looked at Li Chengze seriously, then nodded, “Thank you, second brother.”

“Come on, we’re brothers. No need to be so polite!” Li Chengze glanced at the box in Xie Bian’s hands and said, “I had prepared a gift of fifty thousand taels of silver for you, but I guess you won’t be taking it, right?”

Li Chengyuan nodded, “You know me well, second brother. It’s too much money; I can’t take it.”

“Very well! If you ever change your mind, feel free to come find me. My doors are always open for you!”

“Alright!”

The two brothers exchanged a few more words, and Li Chengze took his leave.

Li Chengyuan escorted him to the entrance of the Prince’s Residence.

As soon as Li Chengze left, the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, arrived.

One after the other, just like clockwork.

Li Chengyuan even suspected that the Crown Prince had been hiding nearby, waiting for Li Chengze to leave.

“Big brother, you’re here too?”

Because Li Chengyuan’s foster mother was the Empress, he was considered a full brother to the Crown Prince, so it wasn’t inappropriate for him to call Li Chengqian “big brother.”

Li Chengyuan greeted the Crown Prince casually, not even bothering to bow.

And the Crown Prince didn’t mind his relaxed attitude at all, having grown up together and gotten used to it.

“Third brother, was that your second brother just now?”

“Yes,” Li Chengyuan replied as they walked into the residence.

“He came to visit for a bit.”

“What did he want?” the Crown Prince asked bluntly.

“What else? To win me over, of course. He even brought fifty thousand taels of silver!”

“You didn’t take it, did you?” the Crown Prince asked, a little nervously.

“Of course not!”

“That’s good!” The Crown Prince smiled in relief.

But then, Li Chengyuan remarked, “Don’t smile just yet, big brother. You brought silver too, didn’t you?”

“Hahaha! Nothing gets past you!” The Crown Prince laughed.

“Now that you’ve been granted a title, of course, I had to prepare a gift for you.

But I’m not as wealthy as our second brother; I only brought twenty thousand taels.

Besides that, I’ve also brought some shops and land deeds—all of them profitable businesses.

You’ve just established your residence, so you’ll need some income.

You can’t live off your reserves forever!”

Hearing this, Li Chengyuan sighed inwardly.

No wonder he’s the Crown Prince. His thinking was indeed more thorough than Li Chengze’s.

While he only brought twenty thousand taels, the value of those shops and land deeds likely far exceeded that amount.

Especially for someone like Li Chengyuan, who had no foundation, these assets were invaluable.

After all, money would eventually run out, but as long as he had the shops and land deeds, the residence would never go hungry.

But unfortunately, Li Chengyuan still didn’t plan to accept these gifts.

He knew his two brothers all too well.

On the surface, they were cordial, but behind the scenes, their methods were as ruthless as could be.

Taking lives was no more than a trivial matter for them.

So despite being blood-related, Li Chengyuan had no desire to get involved with them.

After hearing the Crown Prince’s offer, Li Chengyuan flatly refused,

“Big brother, I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept this gift either.”

The Crown Prince was taken aback.

He had assumed that as his full-blooded brother, Li Chengyuan would surely support him.

But to his surprise, Li Chengyuan had refused.

A chill crept into the Crown Prince’s heart.

Could it be that the third brother also wanted to fight for the throne?

Li Chengyuan ignored the Crown Prince’s thoughts and simply repeated what he had told Li Chengze.

The main point is that he just wanted to be a carefree prince and not get involved in their schemes.

After a long pause, the Crown Prince suddenly smiled.

“Heh, it’s good that you have your ideas, third brother. Very well, I’ll take the gift back for now. If you ever want it, come to me anytime.”

With that, the Crown Prince patted Li Chengyuan on the shoulder, then left with a forced smile.

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Footnotes:

• Zuo Yuhu Meirou (作余乎每日): Directly means “do whatever is left every day” but is used in a context to