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

Chapter 231 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (131)

Shu Min was quite surprised: "Oh? What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

"I...I certainly have a way." Ji Shuqin said this, but a hint of unease and nervousness appeared on his face.

His gaze swept elsewhere, as if he had never imagined that such words would come out of his own mouth.

But now that he's actually saying it, he feels a bit lost, like he doesn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

This answer was unexpected by Ji Shumin, and he was completely baffled. What exactly was the method Ji Shuqin was talking about...?

Currently, it seems that only I and my second brother are capable of vying for that position.

But Ji Shuqin had seen clearly what kind of person the second prince was in these past few days.

Even if he didn't want to sit in that position, he didn't want his second brother to inherit the throne.

If such a narrow-minded and petty person were to sit in that position, it's unimaginable what would become of them.

In comparison, even though Ji Shumin was physically disabled, he was the most suitable person to succeed to the throne.

Ji Shuqin learned a lot about the past of Ji Shumin from He Daren.

His Highness the Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent, proficient in the Six Arts, and handsome and upright. Even the most discerning person would not know how to criticize him.

At that time, His Highness the Crown Prince was incredibly popular, and no one even thought that another prince would come to compete with him.

Although the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince have some influence, they cannot cause any real trouble.

It wasn't until later, when His Highness the Crown Prince became disabled, that his ambitions rose up like layers of weeds, growing rapidly with the wind.

In a very short period of time, the court fell apart.

This shows how important it is for a recognized, popular, and truly capable successor to have a stable position.

After saying these words, Ji Shuqin seemed restless and soon got up to take his leave, his back view showing a lack of composure.

Lu Liruan was in the courtyard, directing some maids to move the potted flowers that had been there for a season back into the house.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, if we stay in this cold any longer, we won't live long...

Just then, Ji Shuqin came out in a hurry. The two faced each other, and Lu Liruan looked at him as if he were being chased by a ghost, which was quite puzzling.

"Is Your Majesty not staying for dinner today?"

"

"No need, farewell." Ji Shuqin nodded and continued to leave the courtyard without looking back.

Lu Liruan became suspicious and returned to the house.

Ji Shumin took the handkerchief used for washing hands, held her wrist, and wiped the dirt off her hands little by little.

"What's wrong with my royal brother?"

"For the first time, my brother is going to have his own ideas behind my back," Ji Shumin said calmly.

He did not press Ji Shuqin for instructions, nor did he deny his own desire to take that position.

"Huh?" Lu Liruan didn't quite understand.

After hearing Ji Shumin's calm explanation, Lu Liruan's mind was in turmoil. Since the plot had completely deviated from the original story, Lu Liruan didn't even need to consider where the problem lay.

How did Ji Shuqin's personality change so much? If we only look at the previous plot, based on Lu Liruan's understanding of Ji Shuqin, he would never have said those words.

He left with his hands in his sleeves, and Lu Liruan believed him even as he turned to the ancient temple with its green lamps.

However, his initiative to help Ji Shumin fight for power went against his own principles.

"Why are you so surprised?" Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Lu Liruan, but his tone was somewhat indifferent, as if he were asking why Lu Liruan cared so much about Ji Shuqin.

"What did you say?" Lu Liruan wondered if Ji Shumin had foreseen Ji Shuqin's change of heart, which was why he had remained so unhurried.

"If I could control people's minds like that, wouldn't I be a demon in human form?" Ji Shumin shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Oh... so you're not a spirit after all?" Lu Liruan sighed in a strange tone.

“If I were a spirit, I would have already ripped out Li Ruan’s heart and eaten it… that way, Li Ruan’s heart would belong to me alone.”

Ji Shumin's slender fingers pressed against Lu Liruan's collarbone, slowly sliding down, making a tearing motion in Lu Liruan's heart, a hint of fierceness flashing between his beautiful brows.

Lu Liruan bent down and unexpectedly bit his fingertip, then strode away: "If you were a monster, I would have caught you long ago and kept you in a cage!"

Ji Shumin: ...

After that day, Ji Shuqin's expression was always more serious. Lu Liruan didn't know what had happened, but she felt that it must be related to the Empress.

When nearly half of the leaves on the trees had fallen, news came from the palace that the emperor had regained consciousness.

For so long, the emperor had been lying on his bed, not because he hadn't woken up, but because his mind remained unclear.

He sometimes acts erratically, and sometimes talks to himself.

Left with no other choice, the imperial physician prescribed the emperor a calming tonic. After taking it, the emperor would be able to remain calm for several hours, so he spent most of his time in a deep sleep.

The concubines and noble ladies attending to the ailing emperor were all suffering terribly.

They dared not disobey the Empress's orders, so they could only stand guard in the Emperor's bedchamber on time, looking distressed.

But when the emperor is not in his right mind, they are afraid of him. Now the emperor is as thin as a rake.

His eyes bulged out, and he had lost a lot of hair. His scalp was showing in the thinning patches, making him unrecognizable from his former noble appearance…

Not only that, but he also emitted an extremely unpleasant odor.

It's as if the whole person has rotted from the inside out, with only a thin skin barely hanging on the bones, but the inside is already beyond saving.

He uttered painful cries throughout the night, which sent shivers down the spines of anyone who heard them.

Lu Liruan originally thought that the emperor would remain in a daze until his death.

If no special method was used, as the old doctor had said, such severe poisoning penetrating to the bone marrow would not cause someone to suddenly regain consciousness on their own.

In the palace, only one person could do this: the Empress.

Lu Liruan couldn't understand why the Empress would want to wake the Emperor up at this time.

She wanted the eldest prince to inherit the throne, but what if the emperor came to his senses and said something that was not conducive to Ji Shuqin's succession? Wouldn't that be risky?

When Ji Shuqin came to the mansion again that day, a thin layer of frost had formed outside, and the bluestone pavement creaked underfoot.

Upon entering the study, Ji Shuqin took off the cloak he was wearing and took a hand warmer to warm his hands.

After a while, he let out a long sigh: "Min'er, your father... the imperial physician says that your father is beyond saving."

He went to see the Emperor last night, and compared to when he returned to the palace, the Emperor's demeanor was completely different, which was quite disheartening.

Although he knew about the past entanglements between his father and mother, Ji Shuqin felt that the emperor had not mistreated him during their brief reunion.

In fact, he really did feel a bit of a loving father figure about her...

Seeing him like this now, I realize that birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things, and no one can escape them.

But even this torment and pain, when seen by Ji Shuqin, still made him feel suffocated.

The Emperor was no longer able to speak. He lay on the couch, emaciated, and his chest heaved violently when he saw himself.

The emperor stared at him, the meaning of which Ji Shuqin couldn't understand. But as he turned to leave, the emperor opened his mouth wide and made an "uh-uh" sound from his throat...

Like the fingers of a withered tree branch reaching out desperately forward, as if trying to grab Ji Shuqin.

But as soon as it lifted up, it slumped down limply, having no strength left.

After Ji Shuqin left, he didn't know what to do or what to do, and he couldn't sleep at night in his palace.

Today, unable to sit still any longer, he came to find Ji Shumin.

Although her younger brother didn't explain it to her in detail, she could glean from his few words and the confession she overheard in the side hall's array that day.

His father did not treat him well.

Ji Shuqin hesitated, but could only confide in Ji Shumin. The two brothers sat facing each other, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Is Your Majesty feeling very sad?" Ji Shumin asked softly, without reacting to the sadness Ji Shumin was showing.

Ji Shuqin did not nod. "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. The passing of our parents is the greatest sorrow in the world."

He did feel a slight sadness, but not a deep sorrow.

Ji Shuqin closed his eyes, and finally, as if relieved, he revealed his true thoughts: "I just feel a little tightness in my chest, sadness and grief, but... I wouldn't call it that."

Ji Shuqin didn't know when he started to go against the great principles and worldly rules that he once firmly believed in.

Perhaps it was because he had seen too little in the past, that he was blinded by a single leaf, a frog at the bottom of a well, and that his theoretical knowledge was ultimately superficial.

Now, I truly experience these things, and regardless of how I feel or whether they conform to etiquette and regulations, I have lived them wholeheartedly and personally.

"Do you think you should be more upset, or should I be more upset?" Ji Shumin asked with a hint of mockery.

Ji Shuqin shook his head: "Min'er, please don't tease me."

"I thought my brother was going to reprimand me for being heartless and unfilial," Ji Shumin said, pouring him a cup of tea.

Ji Shuqin looked at him and said, "If I had to teach him a lesson, I would say that Min'er is really holding a grudge... If it were so long ago, would Min'er be going to keep bringing it up for the rest of his life?"

Ji Shumin chuckled, "Back then, I was really upset for a while because of what my brother said. If you don't believe me, you can ask Li Ruan how many cups and jars were smashed in the mansion. Now some of them have been brought back to annoy you, and I won't be polite."

Ji Shuqin forced a smile. He could tell that Ji Shumin was saying these things on purpose to distract him from his sad thoughts.

His younger brother has always had a rather eccentric personality. He has good intentions, but he doesn't say it out loud, and sometimes he even deliberately acts sarcastic.

Only by spending a long time with him can one be blessed to receive such care from him.

Ji Shuqin shook his head, suddenly realizing that the younger brother in front of him overlapped somewhat with the child he remembered...

The reunion is not a moment, but a process.

At first, I felt that things were different from the past, but then I gradually felt that they were becoming the same as the past.

A true reunion only occurs when we truly see things clearly and there are no more barriers between us.

As his body warmed up, the faint sadness that had been lingering in Ji Shuqin's heart gradually dissipated.

He looked around and noticed that besides the small hand warmer for himself, Ji Shumin had a thick cushion, a thick blanket, and a small stove lit next to him.

His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and a thin, soft fox fur trim was sewn around the collar of his shirt, setting off his handsome face and giving him a comfortable and content appearance...

"Why are you using these so early?" Ji Shuqin remembered that people in mountain temples used to keep warm like this only during the coldest days of winter.

"I feel cold, so why should I endure it? Your Majesty should do the same. You should decide what to do based on your own comfort, and not care about what others think."

Ji Shumin looked a little tired. He had a few drinks with Lu Liruan last night, and he felt lazy all over today.

I thought today would be a leisurely and pleasant day, but who knew that something would suddenly happen just before lunchtime.

Lu Liruan woke up late today as well, and after waking up, she stayed in bed and didn't want to get up. She was really too lazy to get up and comb her hair, and dawdled until just now, when she got hungry.

"Qinghe, have someone invite the Crown Prince to dine with us," Lu Liruan instructed lightly, then put on a pair of bamboo-shaped earrings.

Just as he stepped out of his bedroom, he suddenly saw Xiao Xizi walking over with his head down: "Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived!"

Lu Liruan was taken aback, but her weary mind immediately cleared: "Does Your Highness know?"

"Your Highness and the First Prince have already... gone to welcome Her Majesty the Empress."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress said... said you would like to come over... to have a meal!" Xiao Xizi was so anxious that she stammered even more.

Lu Liruan thought to herself: Since I married Ji Shumin, I have never eaten at the same table as the Empress.

Before leaving the palace, Ji Shumin didn't have a major falling out with the Empress, but both mother and son were likely harboring resentment and wary of each other...

The Empress's visit to the residence today is unlikely to be anything intimate or auspicious.

Besides, the eldest prince is still here.

Lu Liruan's mind was in a mess, and she couldn't figure out for a moment why the Empress had appeared here today because of either of them.

Since they've summoned me, I'll just go over there openly and honestly. Perfect, I'll see what this Empress can do right now...

Lu Liruan put on her cloak and walked towards the main hall.

Before they even went inside, they saw the Empress's entourage of palace servants standing outside.

When Granny Ma saw Lu Liruan, she stepped forward and curtsied: "Your Highness, Third Prince's Consort, this way please..."

Lu Liruan frowned slightly, feeling a little annoyed.

This is my residence, my home. Why are you acting like the master of the house?

Knowing the Empress's usual behavior, Lu Liruan's mood soured even before she saw her.

Upon entering the hall, the Empress sat in the main seat. When she saw Lu Liruan, her icy expression did not soften in the slightest.

Lu Liruan and Ji Shumin exchanged a glance, and Lu Liruan noticed a hint of impatience in Ji Shumin's eyes.

He bowed and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty the Empress."

"Please sit down," the Empress said calmly after a few moments.

Clearly, she wasn't here for Lu Liruan today.

No meal in this mansion had ever been as oppressive as this one. Lu Liruan was indeed hungry, and no matter what might happen later, she was now focused on filling her stomach without even looking up.

The Empress barely touched her chopsticks, watching her disliked daughter-in-law eat happily in front of her. Ji Shumin was serving her food and soup, the two of them so affectionate that it was as if no one else was at the table.

Meanwhile, his eldest son, as if he hadn't seen anything, silently ate his meal.

It's as if she came here today... just for this meal.