Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 264 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (164)

He wanted to ask, but dared not speak. He could only turn his head and stare at Xiao Xizi, trying to see from his face whether it was a scheme or a trap. But Xiao Xizi kept his head down, so he couldn't see anything.

Lord An had come in to persuade the princes to surrender, but now he found himself at a disadvantage, with neither of his two princely nephews giving him any face.

"What, Uncle, were you trying to tell me that before you stand up so stubbornly, you should think about your princess first?" Ji Shumin looked at him again and asked slowly.

Master An involuntarily shuddered...

Yes, that's exactly what he was about to say.

The Third Prince and his wife are deeply in love, a couple that every woman in the capital envies. The First Prince is benevolent and kind, and has a compassionate heart. If you two disregard even your own princess and your own siblings, wouldn't you be slapping yourselves in the face and exposing yourselves as heartless and ungrateful people?

How everyone praises you, I will peel off your masks and let everyone have a good look at you! Ji Shuling harbored this thought: he not only wanted to step on them to ascend to the throne, but also wanted them to be disgraced and despised by the world, to avenge the years of oppression he had suffered at their hands!

He asked Master An to provoke Ji Shumin with this matter, but... how did Ji Shumin find out?

Could it be that there are spies planted around the Second Prince as well? Master An couldn't help but wonder.

Seeing the astonished look on his face, Ji Shuqin knew that Ji Shumin was right, and he was even more furious. How could he dare to say such a despicable method so proudly?

Besides... he's my and my brother's uncle.

Noticing Ji Shuqin's disgusted and serious gaze, the last bit of shame in Master An's heart surfaced for a moment, but he quickly suppressed it: "The victor is king, the loser is villain. No matter what method is used, do you have to try to persuade us with courtesy first and then resort to force?"

"Are there any other methods? I've thought of all of these. Is there anything new?" Ji Shumin sighed softly and asked leisurely.

He rested his chin on his hand, his face slightly turned to the side. The candlelight shone on his face, giving him a sense of weariness and languor, as if he were not the one trapped in the palace, unable to leave and forced to act like a coward!

Why... does he seem so confident? Could it be that he has a backup plan? Or is he just pretending to confuse me? Master An pondered in his heart.

"Did Uncle study military strategy with Grandpa?"

Suddenly, he heard Ji Shumin ask a question that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Master An didn't know what he meant, nor did he know how to answer. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. He looked at Ji Shumin warily. His small eyes, on his loose, fleshy face, were cloudy and dull from years of extravagant drinking and debauchery.

There is not a trace of resemblance to the old general who was once as vigorous and spirited as a pine tree in the wind.

Bad bamboo can produce good shoots, and good bamboo can also produce bad shoots. If Grandpa knew this from beyond the grave, he would be so angry with his son that he wouldn't know what to do. Ji Shumin was still able to think leisurely at this moment.

"What do you mean?" Master An glared at him.

“If you haven’t learned it, Uncle shouldn’t force yourself to think about it. Even if you have to be quick-witted, you still need to be clever. I’m worried for you watching you like this, so why don’t you stop pushing yourself…”

Ji Shumin's voice was soft and gentle, without the slightest hint of agitation. Yet, it was as if his mouth was coated with poison; even the gentlest voice became a sharp arrow, piercing the heart of others with a "whoosh."

Ji Shuqin glanced at him from the side. Although he had experienced Ji Shumin's sharp tongue before, it seemed that Ji Shumin was being quite gentle with him now.

"You!" Master An never expected to be humiliated like this by a junior. He raised his head and glared angrily. The moment he saw Ji Shumin's expression, his heart felt like it had stepped into an abyss. "Whoosh—"

"Don't you care at all that you also have half the blood of the An family flowing in your veins!" Master An remembered that when his parents were still alive, they could only visit the Crown Prince in the palace occasionally. Every time they came back, they would lament, "That child... he has a tragic fate."

At the time, he couldn't understand why, as the crown prince, he had the honor of being half a monarch and was revered by everyone. What kind of suffering did he have? It was a privilege and fortune that others could only dream of.

"Uncle, what do you want my brother and me to do? Just because we have half the blood of the An family flowing in our veins, do we have to offer our necks for execution now, to pave a smooth road for the elders of the An family?" Ji Shumin was even a little amazed by his unreasonableness and sense of entitlement.

Being stupid is bad enough, but being stupid and wicked is utterly repulsive.

"You two are plotting rebellion. As an elder of the An family, I came to give you a way out, but you have twisted it so cruelly. It seems you are truly incorrigible!" Master An said viciously.

"Alright, Min'er..."

Ji Shuqin could tell that Ji Shumin had no intention of arguing with him seriously; he was just trying to get him to talk nonsense. It was clearly his younger brother's malicious intention.

“Oh…” Ji Shumin responded indifferently.

"Take him away and keep an eye on him," he waved his hand.

"You—let me go! Let me out!" Master An felt a surge of fear, unsure of what he would face next.

"I want to see the Empress—I want to see Her Majesty the Empress—" he shouted as he struggled.

"What are you doing here, seeing the Empress Dowager? Are you going to let her hear this nonsense again?" Ji Shuqin was getting angry.

"This..." Master An realized that he had dragged the Empress into this in order to find a suitable reason. He felt his scalp tighten and didn't know what to say.

In fact, the Empress was unaware of this.

The Empress had long been unwilling to leave the palace, spending her days burning incense and chanting Buddhist prayers in the Phoenix Palace, seemingly more devout than when she was in a temple. With such a commotion today, it's unknown whether she has heard anything in her own palace.

"I wonder if the Second Prince will really intervene on his behalf," Ji Shuqin said uncertainly.

"How could that be..." Ji Shumin slightly curled the corners of his mouth, it was unclear whether he thought Ji Shuling would come or not.

"I'm going to see Li Ruan." Ji Shumin supported himself and slowly stood up from his wheelchair, moving his legs.

He can now walk a short distance without assistance. He usually dislikes walking because he is unhappy with his posture and always feels that he walks awkwardly and embarrassingly.

Lu Liruan didn't notice anything wrong with him, except that he was a little slower. She just assumed that Ji Shumin hadn't walked for a long time and was not as good as he used to be when he could walk briskly. She thought he was just being temperamental.

Sometimes, when Lu Liruan saw that he still used a wheelchair to get around in the mansion, she would casually ask him a question.

"I don't want President Li Ruan to see me in such a clumsy state; it would be too embarrassing."

Lu Liruan thought to herself, "I saw you fall down every two steps back then, what are you pretending for now?"

At that time, Lu Liruan accompanied him to practice walking. Ji Shumin was still a man, even though he was thin. Compared to Lu Liruan, he was taller and heavier. When Lu Liruan supported him, she was often pulled down by him and they both ended up with bruises all over their bodies.

But Lu Liruan didn't feel any pain or embarrassment at that time, because the sweetness of this could make Ji Shumin better and allow him to walk again could cover up all the physical pain.

But she couldn't say that, and she couldn't reveal what Ji Shumin didn't like in front of him. Lu Liruan could only look at him and sigh.

Ji Shumin knew he couldn't fob off Lu Liruan with this for long, and whenever Lu Liruan looked at him with a half-smile, he had no choice but to change the subject.

But Ji Shumin was telling the truth. Although he could walk, whenever he walked with Lu Liruan, even though Lu Liruan didn't mean to, she would often walk ahead of him unintentionally.

Ji Shumin remained silent, but tried his best to move forward from behind, yet he could not catch up with Lu Liruan's pace no matter what he did. He tried to take more steps forward, but could only fall further and further behind.

In the end, he could only stand there and softly call Li Ruan's name. Then Li Ruan stopped, turned around, looked at him with a smile, and started chattering.

Li Ruan didn't know what she was thinking.

I don't want to fall behind him...

I always want to be by her side.

There was no way to say this to Lu Liruan, and Ji Shumin also felt that he couldn't bring himself to say it, finding it difficult to speak...

The Third Prince, a man of great wisdom and cunning, would actually struggle with himself over such a trivial matter. Ji Shumin himself felt that his thoughts were like those of a young girl in love, causing him to toss and turn at night, unable to fall asleep.

Li Ruan is always so radiant, and she doesn't need anyone to understand her.

"How is your sister-in-law? Is she alright?" Ji Shuqin asked with concern. He had just heard that Lu Liruan was surrounded in the mansion and was eager to have someone rescue her.

"General Zhuang is by Li Ruan's side," Ji Shumin said calmly.

"When did General Zhuang go there?" Ji Shuqin was puzzled. He really didn't know that Zhuang Yuxun was at Lu Liruan's house.

“A few days have passed, how could I put Li Ruan in danger?” Ji Shumin said calmly.

"We should bring your sister-in-law here. I'm never at ease leaving her outside," Ji Shuqin said, worried about Lu Liruan's safety.

Now that Ji Shuling is so arrogant, Ji Shuqin can see that he is indeed a villain, capable of anything.

He mustn't hurt Lu Liruan; he knew how important Lu Liruan was to Ji Shumin.

Ji Shumin turned and left, leaving Ji Shuqin sitting alone in the same spot, letting out a soft sigh.

Even now, he doesn't know why things have come to this point. It's as if things were pushed along by the current, and he just drifted along with it until today, as if everything was predetermined...

But regardless of the circumstances, now that things have come to this, he should acknowledge the responsibility he should bear.

Ji Shuling was restless in his own residence, and the faces of his advisors were also grim.

I thought that after their scheme took effect, the palace should be in chaos by now...

There should at least be some kind of commotion.

But everything seemed to have sunk to the bottom of the sea. Not only was there no movement, but the palace was eerily quiet, as calm as a bottomless lake that could silently swallow everything.

For some reason, Ji Shuling always felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.

He went over it in his mind again and again, and there was nothing wrong with it. He felt that he had done it perfectly. So where was the problem?

"Has the An family not returned yet?" he asked.

"Yes, there has been no news since they entered the palace." The person who had been in charge of communicating with the eldest master of the An family also had a gloomy expression.

Hearing the Second Prince's question, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to answer.

This was not what he expected...

It was his idea to send the eldest master of the An family to the palace to persuade the people to surrender. After all, the people of the capital were already in a state of panic and instability.

If they insist on marching troops into the capital, no matter what, they will likely lose popular support in the end...

Ji Shuling was very petty; he didn't want Ji Shuqin's reputation to surpass his own.

So the advisors came up with this idea: let the eldest master of the An family enter the palace. If Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin agreed to let him enter the palace, it would prove that they were also very anxious.

Therefore, if the eldest master of the An family could successfully persuade them to surrender, he could subdue the two of them without losing a single soldier and make them submit.

In any case, Ji Shuling could deny whatever the eldest patriarch of the An family had told them.

Once I reach that high position, I can deal with them however I want.

To devise such a vicious scheme as having the eldest master of the An family frame the Empress and the two princes—how could Ji Shuling possibly be pragmatic or uphold morality?

"Your Highness, should we send someone to the palace again?"

We need to find a way to bring Master An out of the palace. Otherwise, because of Master An's talent, will the part of the army that agreed to raise an army eventually hesitate and be unwilling to enter the capital?

"Heh...no need, what is he anyway?" Ji Shuling was in a bad mood and spoke harshly.

What is that good-for-nothing An Jia?

How could he possibly hold her by the throat? Ji Shuling thought to herself, feeling smug about her prior preparation.

The troops that had been lying in ambush in the woods outside the capital were now getting restless.

Every soldier inside knew that today's matter was of utmost importance. If anything went wrong, not only would they themselves lose their heads, but their entire families would also lose their lives!

How can people not be anxious when there's no concrete plan for something as risky as this?

"Commander Liu, why is there still no movement from Master An?"

Lieutenant Lu asked in a low voice; the person next to him was the commander of the An family's troops.

"What's the rush?" Commander Liu said impatiently, cracking his whip. His horse pawed at the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"It's not that I'm in a hurry, but the soldiers behind me are all asking questions." Despite the cold weather, Lieutenant Lu was sweating.

"Remember, we are not following the An family now, but His Highness the Second Prince. Whenever His Highness says to attack, we will attack. I'm only telling you this, don't spread it around, understand?" Commander Liu said fiercely in a low voice.

"What..." Lieutenant Lu asked anxiously, lowering his voice.

"What is the identity of that person from the An family? What is the identity of His Highness the Second Prince? Could it be that His Highness the Second Prince would be manipulated by that person from the An family?" Commander Liu explained.

"His Highness the Second Prince will ascend the throne in the future, and we will naturally be loyal to His Highness the Second Prince as well."