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

Chapter 209 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (113)

He acted as if it were none of his business; he saw it but didn't know what to do, so he came to ask Ji Shumin for advice.

Upon hearing Ji Shumin's words, Ji Shuqin was taken aback.

"How can I..."

"If you can't do anything, then what can I?" Ji Shumin sighed softly. "Does President Huang think that the Empress Dowager will listen to me even a little bit, or that I have the ability to change all of this?"

Ji Shuqin remained silent. He understood what Ji Shumin meant, but these were all things he had never experienced before. He was at a loss, even panicked and helpless, hoping that someone could help him.

Ji Shumin looked at him, his expression unchanged, but he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

His own elder brother, the one who had lived a life of ease all these years, so easy that he didn't even have the courage to face the truth, and was actually relying on him.

Did she really expect him to take care of her in the future? Thinking of the Empress's words, Ji Shumin found it both inappropriate and somewhat pathetic…

Their delusions reached an unprecedented level.

“Brother…” Ji Shumin leaned over and placed a white chess piece into the black chess basket next to Ji Shuqin, which looked very conspicuous.

“Now you are not just watching from the sidelines.” Ji Shumin scrambled the chess pieces, the white ones mixing in and gradually being covered by the black ones: “You are in the game.”

"Whether you are swallowed up or fight your way out depends entirely on your own decision."

"I didn't... this wasn't my wish." Ji Shuqin's face was grim. He subconsciously rummaged through the boxes, hoping to take out the white chess piece.

Ji Shumin placed his hand on the chess basket and pressed down on Ji Shuqin's hand as well.

“Then you must have the ability to break free.” Ji Shumin shook his head, mimicking the tone Ji Shuqin used to speak: “Brother, don’t be so weak…”

Ji Shumin was always vengeful, and even Ji Shuqin felt a little better after he returned the words, a smile playing on his lips: "That's what my elder brother taught me."

Ji Shuqin could tell that he didn't mean any harm, but rather that he was teasing him with a playful tone.

He shook his head, revealing a bitter, forced smile: "Min'er, I have already apologized to you."

Ji Shumin released his grip, allowing him to withdraw his hand.

Resting his chin on his hand, Ji Shumin observed his expression and slowly suppressed his teasing.

“I’m not after your apology, but I genuinely want to ask you, my brother, why didn’t you do the same?” He looked coldly into Ji Shumin’s eyes: “Didn’t you say since childhood that you would protect me and tell me not to be afraid?”

Ji Shuqin suddenly looked up, staring at Ji Shumin in disbelief.

He always thought that only he, as an older person, remembered those things from his childhood, while Ji Shumin had long forgotten them, and he always felt a faint sense of loss.

If Min'er... Min'er still remembers the affection we once shared, she certainly wouldn't be so cold to me. This was how Ji Shuqin comforted himself in his disappointment after initially being rebuffed by Ji Shumin.

"You...you still remember?"

"Of course I remember, I remember how my mother treated me."

"Yes...you were precocious from a young age."

Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that remembering all those things was natural, but what did it have to do with precociousness?

But he did not argue with Ji Shuqin, because his elder brother suddenly became agitated, his breathing became rapid, and he seemed to be suppressing tears, his eyes were red.

Ji Shumin was confused and unconsciously leaned back. Apart from Li Ruan, he didn't want to see anyone else crying...

Seemingly sensing his resistance, Ji Shuqin took a few deep breaths, trying his best to appear calm: "Min'er."

He seemed unsure what to say, and unconsciously clasped his hands together.

Ji Shumin could see the deep remorse in his expression, mixed with a hint of joy that seemed to come from nowhere. Before he could speak, Ji Shuqin spoke up on his own.

"I thought you had long forgotten. We brothers have only known each other for a short time. If you have forgotten everything from when we were young, then there is really nothing left between us."

His voice was low, and he seemed a little embarrassed.

He did not inquire why Ji Shumin remembered everything from back then, yet remained so cold towards him.

"Back then, Mother..." Ji Shuqin's eyes dimmed.

After that moment of surprise, he suddenly realized: it wasn't Min'er who had forgotten everything from back then, but... it was himself!

Suddenly, as if a floodgate had been opened, a series of scenes flashed through his mind: his mother hysterically roaring at little Min'er, and when Min'er came to visit him, his mother ordering people to block him at the door, and that moment of cold, hateful gaze.

The mother he remembered was completely different from the one he later saw.

During those years in the mountain temple, whenever his mother mentioned Min'er, it was with a faint, wistful tone. He didn't know when it started, but his memories of the past had become blurred, making him feel that... his mother had always been thinking about Min'er.

He looked at Ji Shumin, but he couldn't reconcile him with the stubborn child who had cowered by his bedside, silent and unyielding.

"So, it turns out I've been blind all along, unable to see anything," he said in dismay.

Ji Shumin didn't know what he was thinking about, but judging from his expression, it probably wasn't anything good.

"I'm the one who should apologize." He seemed quite distraught.

“I couldn’t change anything back then, so what can I do now?” Ji Shuqin felt an emptiness in his heart, and he was ashamed to look at Ji Shumin.

He had always considered himself honest and upright, and had never felt so ashamed, feeling like a hypocrite.

“Brother…why blame yourself?” Ji Shumin hesitated for a moment before finally uttering these words.

He wasn't really angry with Ji Shuqin, he was just a little resentful.

"Min'er," Ji Shuqin sighed deeply, "Why did it turn out like this?"

“It’s not that it has become like this, it has always been like this,” Ji Shumin said calmly.

After Ji Shuqin returned home that day, Lu Liruan heard that the eldest prince and the empress had a big argument.

The eldest prince was always filial, and no one knew the true nature of his relationship with the empress. The usually refined and easy-going eldest prince stormed out of the Phoenix Palace in a rage.

"What do you want him to do?" Lu Liruan didn't understand either. What exactly did Ji Shumin want from Ji Shuqin?

"As he once told me, I was doing this for his own good. The clouds will eventually part and he will face all of this sooner or later."

Lu Liruan: ...Although I can sense that you have good intentions, you are still so vindictive.

"So what will he do after facing all this? What do you think he will do?" What Lu Liruan actually wanted to say was: You want the throne, but at least on the surface, the eldest prince Ji Shuqin seems to be the most legitimate and the most favored prince by the emperor.

What if he sees all this clearly and also wants that position?

How will you deal with this?

Lu Liruan knew that her thoughts were somewhat despicable, but given the nature of the eldest prince Ji Shuqin, if she wanted to coax or deceive him, Ji Shumin could easily do so, with his concern for Ji Shumin and his almost compassionate kindness and tolerance.

But Ji Shumin clearly did not do that.

If he could see clearly that he is now the closest person to that position, what would happen if he listened to the Empress's words?

Ji Shumin sensed Lu Liruan's unfinished words and gave him a sidelong glance with a half-smile: "You don't believe him?"

“I have little interaction with the Crown Prince, nor do I have a deep understanding of him. Why should I trust him?” Lu Liruan spoke frankly, saying that people’s hearts are fickle, and things can change from day to day.

“Then compete with me fair and square.” Ji Shumin’s fingers unconsciously reached for the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, but he only touched the cool silver bracelet. He lowered his head and flicked the bell with his fingertips.

If Ji Shuqin were to compete with him as the Empress wishes, Ji Shumin didn't know what he would think. But he couldn't deceive Ji Shuqin, remain silent, and just coldly watch him.

“I taught him how to contend with me.” Ji Shumin lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable.

Finally, as summer approached, the second prince was released.

After being imprisoned for so long, he emerged emaciated, his expression filled with lingering resentment and indignation. After silently thanking the emperor, he finally returned to his former palace.

He was unusually quiet, as if he had lost his fighting spirit, and spent his days hiding away, looking like a completely different person.

After the last disturbance, Consort Rong calmed down and didn't cause any more trouble.

The palace seemed to have finally calmed down.

But everyone's hearts were on edge. This oppressive and suffocating atmosphere, coupled with the endless, gloomy rain after the start of summer, made it hard to breathe.

One afternoon, hail suddenly fell, and the roof beams seemed to shake from the impact.

Thunder and lightning flashed incessantly on the horizon, as if tearing a hole in the sky. The rumbling sound made one's heart and lungs tremble in their chest, as if it were some kind of ominous premonition...

That evening, the emperor was reviewing memorials when he suddenly stiffened, his face contorted in pain. A large gush of dark red blood gushed uncontrollably from his throat, causing him to cough and fall to the ground. The loud crash of the chair attracted the attention of the palace servants. The emperor made a gurgling sound from his throat, his bloodshot eyes widening in agony.

He couldn't utter a sound.

"Someone come here—quickly summon the imperial physician!"

With shouts and the rumble of thunder, it felt like the sky was about to collapse!

De Cheng stood guard beside the Emperor. Amidst the chaos, he stood to the side, his usually slightly bowed back straightening up.

The imperial physicians, dressed in dark red official robes and carrying their medicine chests, silently filed through the palace corridors to examine the emperor.

Their faces were ashen, and the entire hall was eerily silent.

"The Queen has arrived——"

"The eldest prince has arrived—"

Ji Shuqin held the umbrella himself, and the palace servants behind him could barely keep up with his pace.

The Empress arrived in a palanquin, high above the ground, and the rain did not wet her at all.

The eldest prince and the empress arrived almost simultaneously from the palace paths on both sides.

"Qin'er, why are you dressed so thinly?" The Empress, supported by Granny Ma, walked to Ji Shuqin's side and tried to hold his hand, but before she could touch him, Ji Shuqin dodged her.

Ji Shuqin bowed respectfully: "Empress Dowager."

The two walked into the palace together. Ji Shuqin walked hurriedly in front, while the Empress walked slowly behind.

Even though Ji Shuqin rushed over, it was to no avail. The emperor was now unconscious, lying on the bed with a face as pale as paper and barely breathing, as if he only had one last breath left.

"Father!" Ji Shuqin squatted in front of the Emperor's bed, almost unable to believe it.

Just a few days ago, His Majesty suddenly had a rosy complexion and a booming voice, so why is he like this today...?

Ji Shuqin knew that the Emperor's health was sometimes not very good, but it shouldn't have gotten to this point!

Seeing the Crown Prince's reaction, none of the imperial physicians spoke first, until the Crown Prince pressed them, asking directly, "How is Father's health...?"

"Your Highness, His Majesty's current condition is not optimistic."

The Emperor's pulse was weak; if one hadn't taken it carefully, one might have even thought...

Moreover, there were faint signs of poisoning in the pulse, but this symptom had never been seen when the Emperor was taking his pulse. If the Emperor was indeed poisoned, then it was not the kind of poisoning that would occur in a short time.

None of them dared to speak.

"Just a few days ago, Father was perfectly healthy! How could he have suddenly become like this!"

"Qin'er, your father has always been in poor health, but he was just afraid you would worry..." The Empress stepped forward and ordered Granny Ma to bring a cushion for Ji Shuqin to place under his knees, so that he wouldn't get cold if he got too agitated.

"Father just has a headache."

"Your Highness, His Majesty's headaches are a long-standing condition," the imperial physician hurriedly presented the emperor's medical records.

"How should it be treated?" Ji Shumin flipped through the book, put it aside, and asked.

"This...we can only use strong medicine, hoping to clear the blockage in the Emperor's body."

The imperial physicians were unsteady on their feet. It was true that there was a blockage in the emperor's body, but the cause of the blockage was unknown, and the vague symptoms of poisoning were even more impossible to verify.

Fortunately, the eldest prince was not a harsh or tyrannical person and did not say anything such as: if the emperor cannot be cured, all of them should be killed and buried with him.

“Then let’s use the medicine,” Ji Shumin decided.

This was the first time he had made a decision without consulting anyone or giving it much thought.

The empress watched him quietly from the side.

"Let the concubines attend to my illness," the Empress said softly.

The next day, the news that the emperor had fallen ill and was unconscious caused an uproar in the court. This oppressive and gloomy atmosphere spread from the court to the entire capital, and even the common people began to feel uneasy.

Lu Liruan took a sip of tea and exhaled a long breath: From now on, things probably won't be peaceful anymore.

The old doctor's prediction of an incurable poison finally came true for this emperor.

A few days after the Emperor fell into a coma, rumors suddenly spread throughout the capital: the Emperor's condition was not merely due to a serious illness, but rather... rather, he had angered the heavens!

The day the emperor fell, the weather was unusual. Did it resemble the strange phenomenon that occurred during the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven on the winter solstice last year?

Both times, they were punished by Heaven for rebelling against the Heavenly Gang!

Because that sacrificial ceremony to the heavens was not a sacrifice to the heavens at all, but an evil ritual to exchange lifespan and steal longevity!

The emperor wants to steal his son's lifespan to make up for his own...

I heard that on that day, the emperor ordered all the princes to use their own blood to make a sacrifice in wine, and that was the key to this evil spell!