inspire-indiana Chapter 257 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (157)
Chapter 257 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (157)
Ji Shuqin knew what Ji Shumin meant, but his teasing left Ji Shuqin speechless for a moment.
What Admiral Lin just said was clearly a lie. Given Ji Shuqin's personality, he wouldn't do such a thing. But since Admiral Lin said it like that, he must have already reached a conclusion.
That little eunuch certainly cannot be kept any longer.
But you can't keep them either alive or dead.
His death was natural, reasonable, simple, and without any worries. That day, Admiral Lin questioned Ji Shuqin, and he had already confessed everything that needed to be confessed. There was no other use for him. What should be done with that little eunuch? He had been tortured, but he was still alive.
But if left unattended, it will die in a few days.
Should we kill it now, or let it fend for itself?
Admiral Lin felt that there were only two possible outcomes, but after a long while, he still didn't hear the First Prince's order. He raised his head and squinted at the First Prince, only to find that the First Prince's expression was serious, revealing a hint of reluctance.
"Find a doctor to examine him, and let him...live," Ji Shuqin finally said.
Admiral Lin pursed his lips, but still answered smoothly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"What about that young palace maid? She already knows some things. She's currently being watched by us servants, but who knows what might happen if she leaks information later!"
Since the fire broke out in the middle of the night that day, the entire palace has been under martial law.
Led by the Imperial Penal Commissioner, no one was allowed to enter or leave the palace, which was heavily guarded and kept like an iron barrel, preventing any news from getting out.
Unless Ji Shumin wants to, Ji Shuling will not receive any news about willow branches and laurels!
Ji Shuling regretted it after leaving the palace in a huff and agitation that day.
He thought he had planted enough spies in the palace, but to his surprise, in the past few days, he not only failed to receive any messages from the palace, but he was also stopped by the guards at the gate when he tried to enter the palace again.
"Who dares to stop me!" Ji Shuling glared angrily!
"Your Highness, it was the Third Prince who gave the order, and the First Prince and the Empress Dowager both agreed. These past few days, the palace has been thoroughly searched, and not only is no one allowed to enter or leave, but even court sessions have been suspended," the guard at the palace gate said in a serious tone.
"What does that have to do with me! Why should I, a prince, be treated like this! Nonsense!" The second prince shouted, his voice trembling with fear.
But the guards at the gate didn't listen; they stood firmly there, strictly obeying orders.
The second prince couldn't do anything about them; he couldn't just force his way in, so he had no choice but to leave disappointed.
The commotion in the palace naturally reached the court officials, who were all in a state of panic, wondering what this latest incident was all about.
Those noble families who caused trouble last time were forced to enter the palace to care for the ailing emperor. Among them, some were not discreet; though they dared not speak openly, news inevitably leaked out. Everyone actually knew what the emperor was like now.
As long as the new emperor does not ascend the throne, the court and the harem will never have peace. They all know this, and they also know that this storm is getting closer and closer.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. You haven't shown your face at all in this matter, so no matter what, it won't have anything to do with you."
"Even the Imperial Prison has failed to interrogate me, and His Highness the Third Prince has no better solution. Since the palace has been investigating for several days, it proves that... nothing useful has been found. You don't need to worry so much."
Everyone tried to persuade the second prince.
But Ji Shuling always felt uneasy. He wasn't afraid that Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin would find out that he wanted to compete, because it was no longer a secret.
What he feared was that... Ji Shumin could guess his next plan!
Ji Shuling was extremely wary of Ji Shumin. Ji Shumin was far too cunning and treacherous, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in ages. Once he caught a whiff of something, he would relentlessly pursue it until he bit into the opponent's vitals...
He had been lying low and planning for a long time, and had arranged almost everything. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
Gritting his teeth, Ji Shuling made a decision. They couldn't find anything in the palace either. When the time came, he would silence all the people involved.
Anyway... nobody cares if a eunuch or maid dies in the palace.
Ji Shuling thought naturally, as if he were arranging some inanimate object, completely unconcerned.
He was completely different from Ji Shuqin.
“That palace maid named Yuegui is truly innocent. She knew nothing and had no ill intentions whatsoever. It would be extremely pitiful if she were implicated like this,” Ji Shuqin said softly, with a helpless sigh in his voice.
"Let her leave the palace; don't let her stay in the capital anymore," Ji Shuqin finally decided.
Admiral Lin understood clearly that the Crown Prince wanted to release both of them out of the palace so that they could leave together.
The eldest prince was kind-hearted, but he couldn't just let the person go.
Willow thought he was going to die this time and would never see Laurel again, but unexpectedly, just when he was in so much pain that his vision went black, a doctor carrying a medicine box came into the prison.
Even after her wounds were treated and bandaged, Liu Tiao remained bewildered: What... what happened?
Could it be that he wants to live on and continue to torment himself?
When he saw Admiral Lin again, he instinctively crawled into a corner.
In the dark prison, Admiral Lin's venomous gaze cast several glances, and being stared at by him felt like a snake's tongue slithering across one's body, sending chills down one's spine.
"You little brat, you've got a good life..." Admiral Lin kicked him with his toe, not with much force, his tone carrying a sinister laugh.
The willow branch had no idea why he had come today, so it could only curl up.
"Help him change his clothes!" Admiral Lin called out.
Two eunuchs from the Imperial Prison came in, set up the willow branches, and began to strip him of his clothes.
Liu Tiao was so frightened that she was stunned. Her hands and feet were as weak as noodles. She didn't care that it hurt a lot when she was pulled. She subconsciously tried to break free, but she couldn't resist at all.
"Admiral...this is..."
"It's time to send you on your way—" Admiral Lin said softly, holding a small celadon bottle in his hand and tossing it up and down.
Willow Branch felt a sudden darkness before her eyes; clearly, her time had come...
He wanted to faint, but he remained lucid and couldn't even utter a word of begging for mercy, because he knew it would be useless.
After he had changed his clothes, the two eunuchs threw him back onto the dirty straw mat.
Admiral Lin took two steps forward, gathered the hem of his eunuch's robe, and squatted down in front of him.
He raised his hand and pinched Liu Tiao's chin. His hand, as thin as a claw, was incredibly strong. He pried open Liu Tiao's tightly clenched teeth and poured the medicine from the small celadon bottle into him.
Under Admiral Lin's control, Liu Tiao was completely immobilized, like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered, tilting her head back and swallowing the bitter medicine without leaving a drop.
After he released her, Willow Branch lay there motionless, her face ashen, awaiting death.
His throat and chest burned with pain, which, along with the pain throughout his body, made him tremble...
But after about fifteen minutes, when he opened his eyes again, he found that he was still alive.
Admiral Lin stood beside him, looking down at him as if he were an insect, a smile on his lips that was hard to decipher.
“Admiral…” Willow opened her mouth to speak, her voice hoarse.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is kind and has spared your life," Admiral Lin said slowly.
Willow's eyes widened, and she wanted to speak, but when she coughed, a trickle of blood welled up from the corner of her mouth...
He was bewildered, staring at the red mark on his fingertip, his eyes still filled with fear.
"But we don't know what you can say outside. We have no other choice but to poison your mouth to make you mute."
"You won't blame me, will you? Compared to losing a life, I've been merciful..." Admiral Lin said slowly.
The poison just now wasn't meant to kill him, but to ruin his voice.
Liu Tiao was illiterate and could not write, so his voice was ruined and he could no longer transmit messages from inside the palace.
"Where's the laurel?" Willow's voice was growing increasingly hoarse, uttering a strained sound.
"bring it here."
Admiral Lin nodded, and Yuegui, with tears of fear on her face, was taken to the prison. The moment she saw Liutiao's miserable state, she burst into tears and hurriedly knelt down.
"He's already in this state, do you still want to go with him?" Admiral Lin maliciously flicked Yuegui's chin with his fingertip. Although pale, the little palace maid's face was still quite pretty.
The moment Liu Tiao heard those words, a glimmer of hope suddenly burst forth in her lifeless eyes.
Yuegui glanced at him and solemnly said, "This servant is willing!"
"If you dare to leak even a single piece of information from the palace, I will make sure you know what it feels like to be torn to pieces!" Admiral Lin waved his hand, appearing somewhat uninterested.
With great difficulty, Liu Tiao knelt up and kowtowed several times towards the palace of the First Prince, expressing her deepest gratitude.
With Yuegui by his side, the two of them now seemed like a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Admiral Lin watched coldly, and after ordering his men to take them out, he glanced at the still blood-stained but empty prison.
He snorted coldly, seemingly talking to himself, "They're actually luckier than we were back then."
Ji Shumin listened to Ji Shuqin tell the truth and said nothing.
"Their friendship is so genuine, and I...can't bear to separate them."
"Well, since Your Majesty has made your decision, let's leave it at that," Ji Shumin said calmly.
Lu Liruan was worried about this matter a few days ago, but she did not advise Ji Shumin on anything, because this matter could not be simply explained by the depth of their friendship.
But in Lu Liruan's heart, she hoped things would be alright for them...
After hearing Ji Shuqin's actions today, Lu Liruan breathed a long sigh of relief.
"What would you do if it were you?" Lu Liruan asked him curiously.
Ji Shumin did not answer immediately; in fact, he had asked himself this question in his heart as well.
Ji Shumin was fair in rewarding and punishing his subordinates, but he was lenient in matters outside the law. He was not familiar with the idea of judging others by his own standards, although he felt that his elder brother was too compassionate and soft-hearted.
But Ji Shumin did indeed feel and learn from him: the benevolence and forgiveness that comes from one's own heart, regardless of the small things.
By the time they resumed court sessions, it was already close to the end of the year.
When Ji Shuling ordered his men to clean up all the people involved, they discovered that Yuegui was nowhere to be found.
Standing opposite Ji Shumin in the imperial court, Ji Shuling looked up and saw Ji Shumin's slightly upturned face with a gentle smile, which gave Ji Shuling goosebumps.
No one knew where the little palace maid had gone; it was as if she had vanished into thin air. Ji Shuling knew he would never find her again.
Ji Shumin still found out something!
After returning home, Ji Shuling slammed her fist on the table several times: "Go find the An family! No matter what, go to the Empress and find out what's going on!"
Chen was filled with anxiety when she entered the palace. She already knew what the master was doing, and she was so frightened that she almost fainted. But there was nothing she could do. The An family was now in a precarious situation, and if they were not careful, they would be doomed.
Ji Shuqin still did not forbid Chen from visiting the Empress, and he had hardly seen the Empress these days.
It wasn't for any other reason than that Ji Shuqin didn't want the Empress to influence his mind any longer. This was only temporary; in the future... there would be a time when they could meet again.
Before we knew it, two more snowfalls had occurred, and it was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The household had prepared sweet Laba porridge early in the morning, and Lu Liruan happily drank a bowl, refusing to go to the palace banquet with Ji Shumin.
"Li Ruan, are you really willing to leave me alone in the wind and snow?" Ji Shumin had even put on his cloak and was still lazily leaning against Lu Li Ruan, looking like he didn't want to move.
"Go on your way. After you leave, I still need to go to the small kitchen to make some sweet dumplings with everyone. I'll save some of the prettiest ones for when you come back." Lu Liruan waved her hand, seeing him off without any hesitation.
As a result, the stove candy was never made.
Just as Lu Liruan was about to change into something lighter to go over, Qinghe in the outer room suddenly called out, "Your Majesty?"
Then there was no sound.
"what happened?"
Lu Liruan was confused and peeked out, but in the next instant, her eyes were suddenly covered!
"Ah—" Lu Liruan was startled. How could there be a bad guy in her own yard?
Before she could even struggle, a cheerful and energetic voice rang in her ears: "Li Ruan, guess who I am?"
……
"Yu Xun!" Lu Liruan exclaimed in surprise!
It's Zhuang Yuxun's voice!
Pulling down Zhuang Yuxun's hand, Lu Liruan turned around to confirm and found that it really was her!
"How...how did you get in?" Lu Liruan was sure she hadn't heard a sound at all.
"I climbed over the wall to get in. After all, I'm not in the palace anymore, so I can't crawl through the dog hole the Third Prince dug to find you." Zhuang Yuxun chuckled. Back when she was in the palace, she had indeed sneaked in and scared Lu Liruan.
Lu Liruan was thinking to herself: You... really do have an inexplicable connection with dog holes, right?
Zhuang Yuxun jokingly brushed off the matter of climbing overboard.
Outside the mansion wall, several strong men dressed in plain clothes, but whose eyes, upon closer inspection, were different from those of ordinary people and carried the air of soldiers, looked at each other without saying a word.
Originally, it was on the orders of His Highness the Third Prince that we secretly guarded the area around the residence to ensure the safety of the Empress.
To everyone's surprise, the enemy didn't come; their leader, General Zhuang, climbed over the wall himself.