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

Chapter 243 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (143)

The coffins outside were burned to ashes by the fire, and no one cleaned them up; they were just left there, a large, dusty mess.

The wind was quite strong today. When Ji Shumin went to court, it was still dark. Even though he was wearing a cloak, his fingers were still cold. He put the hand warmer that Lu Liruan had brought him into his pocket before standing in the court.

When the court session ended, the wind hadn't subsided much.

Every minister who passed by, if unlucky, had the ashes swirling in the cold wind, slapping them onto their faces and getting them into their clothes and hair.

It was as if they were brazenly telling everyone: See? This is what happens when you try to cause trouble. Not only will you be humiliated, but your entire fortune will be thoroughly investigated. Let's see how you'll ever be able to stand up in the capital again!

They all learned their lesson from being slapped in the face by the ashes!

In court, the Third Prince only exposed the face of the Duke of Ande's mansion, but the others who had caused trouble were not much better off, even though the Third Prince's seemingly venomous mouth did not name them.

But the man surnamed He from the Dali Temple wasn't much better. The two of them, one in front and one behind, responded to each other, and those old men wished they could faint on the spot so they wouldn't hear anything anymore!

Regardless of what happens in the future, just based on their reputation alone, these families will have no future. They might even be seen as the families ridiculed by the Third Prince.

When His Highness the First Prince actually ascends the throne in the future, their families will probably be described as families that have been rejected and demoted by the Emperor.

How am I supposed to survive in the capital now...?

These aristocratic families, relying on their status and so-called merits, banded together to try and pressure the eldest prince. If the eldest prince were to fight them...

They had all planned it out. The First Prince was upright and refined, so even if they were unreasonable, the First Prince couldn't do much to them. As long as they forced the First Prince to back down, they would have more to rely on in the future. No matter how proud and noble these aristocratic families appeared on the surface, no one could match their skill in judging people based on their status.

But no matter how much they plotted and schemed, they ultimately... failed to take the Third Prince into account.

It wasn't that they hadn't considered it at all, but they never expected that the Third Prince would directly challenge them in court like this, while the First Prince remained silent and dignified, silently expressing his attitude.

The two brothers, one gentle and the other strong, one deep and still as a lake and the other sharp as an arrow, complement each other perfectly, revealing that the rumors of discord between them are not true.

Today marks the first direct confrontation between the conservative aristocratic families and the two princes in court. Not only did they not gain any advantage, but no one expected them to lose so miserably!

The An De Gong family and several other families not only lost face in court, but also soon suffered misfortune.

It was as if he had handed over a handle against himself. He couldn't escape the charge of disrespecting the court. The Duke of Ande's title was revoked, but the eldest prince did not go too far. He allowed them to keep their original residence and gave them a salary every year, saying that it was so that the old prime minister could enjoy his old age in peace.

The way he said that... probably means he doesn't want his old partner to enjoy his later years.

Everyone grumbled inwardly, but this time, no one dared to say it aloud.

Although they are allowed to continue living in the mansion where the plaque of the Duke of Ande's Mansion has been removed, how can their current salary support such a large and luxurious mansion, such a luxurious and refined life, and so many servants?

It's estimated that this mansion will have to be changed hands soon... and it might not even be able to! After all, the Duke of Ande's mansion was reprimanded like that, so this mansion... might be a bit unlucky, right?

The First Prince wasn't much more merciful either. If you think about it carefully, he was killing people with a soft knife, just like the Third Prince!

There were some stubborn individuals who wanted to impeach the Third Prince, but in the end, they didn't say anything.

I thought things would calm down for a while after this incident.

But to everyone's surprise, the court soon changed its story.

The Emperor has not appeared in public for a long time, nor has any news been sent out. Only His Highness the First Prince is seen acting as regent. Could the Emperor possibly be aware of such a drastic change? Has the Emperor given his consent?

Although it was said in a very subtle way, everyone could understand the meaning: these people suspected that the eldest prince was concealing the emperor's illness and trying to control and undermine the emperor in order to gradually seize power!

This makes them seem much more justified in their actions. The more righteous and indignant they are, the more loyal they appear to be to the emperor, the more they seem to be protecting the country and upholding orthodoxy. In this way, no one can say a word against them!

Once a legitimate cause is established, those aristocratic families who were originally dissatisfied but wavered like reeds in the wind, only daring to watch and not take any action, gradually began to tentatively speak out.

Rumors are like tigers, easily spread by three people. Not to mention, there are always those with ulterior motives deliberately fanning the flames, trying to incite more people to question the Crown Prince's appointment, thereby weakening his prestige. The more he does, the more he can control the situation, show everyone his abilities, the more people will submit to and trust him, and the more prestige he can accumulate.

He was eager to show off his abilities to the court officials and the people, but on the surface he acted as if he were being forced into it... He was really too cunning!

The second prince boasted that he understood Ji Shuqin perfectly, but secretly he hated him to no end!

Ji Shuqin puts himself on a pedestal; let him experience what it's like to be humiliated!

You want to build your reputation? Well, then let's ruin it! Controlling the Emperor to seize power—that's a fitting description of you, isn't it? Let's see how you handle this...

The key point is that even if you are completely innocent, once this label is attached to you, no matter what happens in the future, whether it's true or false, you can never clear your name!

The second prince's instigation from behind the scenes led the already disgruntled aristocratic families to finally decide to use this as leverage to force the first prince to compromise with them.

This is a truly vicious move. Our dynasty values ​​filial piety. If such a scandal were to spread, even if he were to ascend the throne in the future, it would still be recorded in the history books. And who can stop the historian's pen?

Ji Shuqin had a little more free time these past few days, so he started going to the Third Prince's residence again.

The reason is simple: His Highness the Third Prince has fallen ill. Ever since that day when he debated with the aristocratic families in court, he has been sick. Those old ministers who were so embarrassed by him that they were practically rolling their eyes and fainting in the court haven't even complained of illness yet, but he has fallen ill first.

It was said that he was very ill. It was too cold that day, and he developed a high fever as soon as he got back. He couldn't get out of bed. The imperial physicians all went to see him, but they didn't know what was wrong. In any case, His Highness the Third Prince hadn't come to court for several days.

Even though he didn't attend court, his influence remained, and no one in the court openly caused trouble anymore.

"Are you feeling any better?" Ji Shuqin asked with a hint of helplessness, looking at his younger brother who was sitting comfortably on the couch, holding a cup of hot tea, and whose complexion was even more beautiful than before.

"Hmm, it's freezing cold outside, but sitting by the fire inside has naturally made me feel much better..." Ji Shumin smiled faintly, casually fiddling with the silent silver bell on his wrist.

“I thought you were really unwell that day. Next time… don’t use these scary methods. They can really frighten people.” Ji Shuqin sighed.

Since learning that his younger brother had also been poisoned, Ji Shuqin had repeatedly asked the Empress for a way to cure the poison. However, he did not know whether the Empress was truly traumatized and shut herself off to the point of being unable to speak, or whether she simply did not want to pay attention to him. No matter how Ji Shuqin asked, the Empress just stared blankly, maintained one posture, and silently turned the Buddhist beads with her fingertips.

When Ji Shuqin faced Ji Shumin, he felt extremely guilty: "Min'er, I will definitely find a way to cure the poison." He promised.

It was from that time onward that Ji Shuqin began to take the regency seriously.

Lu Liruan thought that he felt that only in this way could he protect his younger brother.

He viewed this as a responsibility he had to shoulder.

"I've troubled my elder brother; it's all my fault." Ji Shumin's words were insincere.

When it was time for the meal, the matter of everyone forcing each other to see the Emperor's face was brought up again.

Ji Shumin and Lu Liruan didn't follow the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping. They actually preferred to talk during meals. At first, Ji Shumin was able to eat less while talking slowly.

Later, under Lu Liruan's supervision, he barely managed to eat a few more bites by incorporating some interesting things into his meals...

When the matter was brought up today, Lu Liruan placed a half-full bowl of soup in front of Ji Shumin, casually adding, "What's so difficult about this? If they want to see him, let them see him..."

Ji Shuqin paused in his work, looking at Lu Liruan with a slightly uneasy expression.

Lu Liruan understood. The Crown Prince had never seen a woman dare to speak so freely about matters of state, but he didn't know what to say...

His behavior was quite obvious, and Ji Shumin naturally noticed it as well.

"Heh—" He curled the corners of his lips into a half-smile, his voice lingering with amusement: "What, is Your Majesty surprised that you've never seen such a clever person before?"

His words, spoken with a hint of sarcasm, not at all indicated that he found Lu Liruan's actions inappropriate; on the contrary, he seemed quite proud.

"Oh? It's your sister-in-law's idea..." Ji Shuqin reacted for a moment, a thoughtful look appearing on his face, clearly very interested in the trick he had used a few days ago.

That idea, Ruoshui, was Lu Liruan's idea, so it can be considered one.

When Lu Liruan saw those individual petitions, each one presented with coercion, it made her furious. The main problem was that these people were all doing bad things, squeezing the people's wealth, and yet they kept complaining that they weren't living well enough.

That's absolutely outrageous and shameless.

"His ancestors inherited the title, but what merits has he made? He was born into wealth and status, so he thinks he deserves to be rich and noble? What kind of logic is that?" Lu Liruan said indignantly.

Ji Shumin looked up at her, raising an eyebrow: "Then what does Li Ruan think we should do? As long as this title continues to be passed down, these people will remain wealthy forever."

"It's not just their family, but so many other noble families. The reason they are so angry is because I don't want them to continue to be rich and powerful. They have been rich and powerful for too long, and they have become blinded, unable to see or hear clearly, and no longer understand their own status. They even attempt to manipulate imperial power without any sense of propriety."

Ji Shumin's voice was calm, but when he spoke, it was clear that he was suppressing his anger.

"Then we won't let them continue their attack."

"What reason is there? If it cannot be justified, wouldn't it be wrong and unable to convince the public?"

"Of course, you must win the hearts of the people! If they make contributions and you take away their wealth and status, it will inevitably be seen as killing them after they have served their purpose and mistreating the meritorious officials. The people will naturally stand on the side of the aristocratic families because they are worried that the court is so heartless. If they also make contributions, will they also become the donkeys to be killed and will they be mistreated?"

"If their titles are stripped and their stipends reduced without cause or sufficient reason, others will automatically see themselves as being on the same side as the aristocratic families and wonder if they will be treated the same way in the future."

“But if they have a good reason, they will seem unreasonable. They will take advantage of the situation, and others will not stand on their side…” Lu Liruan shook her finger, clearly analyzing people’s hearts.

"After all, no one would casually think they've done something wrong, right? As long as you can prove that they shouldn't have this title and this salary, you can make their actions seem like unreasonable trouble, and everyone will be united in their hatred. Even if word gets out, the people will only cheer."

“Just like what you did last time, winning the hearts of the people is the most important thing…” Lu Liruan had seen what Ji Shumin had done a few days ago and had been learning from it silently. Now, she was drawing inferences from his example and made this suggestion.

Ji Shumin nodded in agreement: "That's a good idea."

Lu Liruan suddenly seemed to remember something funny and turned her head to laugh.

"Huh? What is Li Ruan laughing at?"

“I was thinking, you’re really good at this… Just use the same attitude you had when you were being unreasonable and arguing with me back then, and no one would dare to mess with you. Even if someone wanted to argue with you, they would swallow their words when they saw you like this, hahahahahaha!” Lu Liruan thought to herself: Going crazy is the best camouflage for a person.

Ji Shumin certainly possessed this quality, after all, his madness was truly astounding.

Whenever the events of that year are brought up, Ji Shumin always appears helpless.

He did have a deliberate intention back then, but now that Lu Liruan has exposed it as a joke, although he doesn't feel ashamed or regretful, it is indeed... a bit embarrassing.

Following Lu Liruan's suggestion, Ji Shumin had someone search online and discovered absurdities in the family genealogy.

When this was brought to the imperial court, it indeed left the Duke of Ande's mansion speechless.

That day, Ji Shumin stood in the imperial court, looking at the coffin lid that had been burned by the wind and was covered in dust.

He thought to himself that if Li Ruan found out about this, he'd have something to talk about for the rest of his life...

Ji Shuqin was intrigued by Ji Shumin's words, and his personality was not one to be bound by convention. He turned to Lu Liruan and said, "Sister-in-law, I would like to hear more details."

Lu Liruan blinked: "They say they want to see the Emperor, but whether they really want to is another matter. They're just trying to shut you up. If you don't let them see him, wouldn't you be giving them leverage?"

Ji Shuqin frowned: "But... how can Father face anyone in his condition?"

"Why can't we see him? Does the Emperor really agree to their coercion?" Lu Liruan thought to herself. Given the Emperor's personality, he wouldn't be easily threatened by these officials.

He is stubborn and arrogant. If others flatter and fawn over him, they might even get some benefits in return.

But if you threaten him and force him into his palace, even if the emperor really comes to his senses, he'll probably just be angry...