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

Chapter 197 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (101)

Lu Liruan thought to herself: Hmm, I can tell. Otherwise, you wouldn't be running faster than a rabbit, as if you're afraid I'll hold you accountable if you stay here.

The old doctor was taking advantage of the fact that Ji Shumin and He Pingyan were both away, and that the Third Prince's Consort seemed easy to talk to.

He scratched his head: "I have never lied to anyone. It's just that the process of detoxification is a bit dangerous, but the Third Prince is the most resilient person I have ever met. He is a lucky man and will be fine."

"What, are you now certain that he will definitely pull through and that nothing else will happen?" Lu Liruan glanced at him sideways.

The old doctor opened his mouth, but swallowed his words halfway through. He noticed the dark circles under Lu Liruan's eyes. She was leaning against the back of the chair, as if she would fall down if she didn't find something to support her.

He then said, "I believe His Highness has survived the most dangerous period. Your Majesty, please relax and don't let His Highness wake up and make you sick."

Lu Liruan nodded. The old doctor was skilled in medicine, but doctors throughout history have always been like this, not making definitive statements. After all, accidents are unpredictable, and even if someone can bring the dead back to life, it doesn't mean that every time is foolproof.

The fact that the old doctor said those words already made Lu Liruan feel very relieved.

But she didn't even have the strength or the inclination to smile at that moment; it seemed like even raising the corners of her mouth was difficult, and she could only nod slightly.

"If this poison is not cured and is controlled with pills on and off, what will be the consequences?" Lu Liruan asked.

The old doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, and it was clear what he wanted to ask, but in the end he didn't ask: "If it's before the poison takes effect, you won't see anything unusual."

"If the poison takes effect, this cycle will only allow the poison to penetrate the bone marrow and intestinal tract more quickly, until the day of death."

What symptoms might occur?

"From the initial headache to unbearable pain in all the meridians of the body, the deeper and more severe the invasion, the more parts of the body become unusable: blindness, deafness, inability to walk, organ damage, and if you're unlucky, before you even die, the contents of your abdomen will all rot away..."

As Lu Liruan listened to his words and imagined that scene, her stomach churned.

"When the poison enters the brain, sometimes you can't wake up, sometimes you can't sleep, and slowly you fall into hallucinations, appearing like you're going crazy."

Lu Liruan asked this because, besides Ji Shumin, there is another person who is also poisoned by this strange poison, but they are unaware of it.

Even after leaving the palace for so long, Lu Liruan could sometimes hear news coming from inside.

Ji Shumin kept his word. He did not have the narrow-mindedness of some men who thought that once a woman married him, she belonged to his family and should have less contact with her family from then on.

Ji Shumin didn't care, nor did he care what others said. Lu Liruan could return to the Marquis of An's residence whenever she wanted, and she could stay there for a few days. When he was feeling better, he would accompany Lu Liruan back.

The He'an Marquis's household was initially surprised to see Ji Shumin, but later became accustomed to it.

Although Marquis He'an was a man of little temper, he was very protective of his children.

In the days to come, if anyone mentioned anything about the Third Prince to him, or spoke ill of the Third Prince, he would definitely argue against it.

Behind the Marquis of He'an's back, many people inside and outside the court secretly murmured, "If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, the Marquis of He'an's mansion would have fallen into obscurity long ago..."

"The Marquis of He'an is truly mistaking a fish eye for a pearl, fawning over the Third Prince as if he were still the Crown Prince!"

All sorts of contemptuous and disdainful words eventually reached the ears of Marquis He'an.

Marquis He'an remained unperturbed and didn't care at all. During his meal, he even said with considerable pride, "These old fogies call themselves intellectuals and politicians, but they gossip more than any old woman. Whose face are they losing? They're losing their own face, and they still think they're so great!"

Madam Gao slammed her chopsticks on the table and said, "One should not speak while eating or sleeping. I think you think you're quite the ladies' man!"

She didn't want Lu Liruan to hear these things; girls are more sensitive and prone to overthinking...

Lu Liruan kept her head down and ate her food, not even glancing at him.

She wasn't pretending not to care; she genuinely didn't care. She had already heard about these things before.

Ji Shumin has recently developed a strange habit: he likes to inquire about all sorts of nonsense about himself.

Xiao Xizi, a perfectly good spy with an amazing memory, now stammers and parrots what the Third Prince and his wife say every day, and all he learns are the bad things people say!

As he studied, even on a cold day when he had to wear a thick coat, cold sweat poured down Xiao Xizi's forehead, and his voice became increasingly weak.

“...both are emperors, born of the Empress...the eldest prince is the true dragon, possessed by dragon energy, and this position...is the third prince...usurping the throne, unable to suppress it, so..." Xiao Xizi practically spat out each word.

Lu Liruan frowned and looked towards Ji Shumin, only to see him holding a candied fruit. Usually, when Lu Liruan teased him, he would refuse to eat it, but now, hearing bad things about himself, he actually had a bit of an appetite.

what is this?

Stress resistance training?

Some of the things said were indeed harsh, and Lu Liruan couldn't help but glare at him, wanting to scold him. But then she realized that the person in front of her was Xiao Xizi, and scolding him would be of no use at all.

Xiao Xizi felt Lu Liruan's gaze and shrank back.

"Go down." Ji Shumin nodded, and Xiao Xizi slipped away in a flash.

"What's so good about all this?" Lu Liruan was furious. She stuffed another piece of candied fruit into Ji Shumin's mouth. Ji Shumin tried to push it out with his tongue, but he didn't have the strength of Lu Liruan's hand. He could only swallow it and frowned from the sweetness.

"It helped pass the time."

“You’re really strange…” Lu Liruan pouted: “They’re just talking nonsense, it’s all rubbish, there’s not a single useful thing in it.”

As Lu Liruan spoke, she realized... she seemed to have missed something.

What did we miss?

Before Lu Liruan could react, she heard Ji Shumin, who had something in his mouth, say in a slightly muffled voice, "Liruan thinks, where did they say such useless and nonsensical things?"

Lu Liruan's mind cleared up instantly thanks to his words!

Yes!

These words were certainly not spoken in the imperial court, nor were they spoken to colleagues...

Such relaxed and undisguised remarks could only be made in one's own home or among very close associates.

Now, Ji Shumin treats these words as a joke.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is a joke. The person who said these words was even more of a joke for them to have reached Ji Shumin's ears without missing a single word!

Lu Liruan knew that those serving Ji Shumin were not ordinary palace servants, but she did not expect that Xiao Xizi would be so unassuming.

“You still have things to do in the palace, so don’t just sit around idle now that you’re out here. You’re getting lazy and sluggish.” Ji Shumin smirked like the most unreasonable slave owner.

"He wasn't the only one who found out, was he?"

"Yeah, he doesn't have three heads and six arms."

Lu Liruan didn't continue asking, fearing that if she did, she might uncover a clandestine surveillance agency...

Ji Shumin seemed to be waiting for Lu Liruan to continue asking questions, and seeing that Lu Liruan did not speak, he did not press her.

"Is there anything Li Ruan would like to hear?" He pondered for a moment, "That unfinished storybook, I'll have someone copy down the rest of the manuscript and bring it back for Li Ruan to see?"

Lu Liruan: ...

I don't know if you're serious or joking, but whatever it is, it's pretty crazy...

I thought Ji Shumin would have to listen to another part before the fun would die down, but I didn't expect that fewer and fewer people would be talking about it soon.

The reason is that someone was out of their mind and thought they were trying to curry favor, so they wentssiped to the Crown Prince.

The usually mild-mannered eldest prince flew into a rage that time and drove the man away.

The other onlookers were dumbfounded, unable to tell whether the eldest prince was just putting on an act or genuinely didn't want others to gossip about the third prince.

But no one dared to touch his sore spot again.

Ji Shumin heard Xiao Xizi repeat what Ji Shuqin had said when he returned.

He paused for a moment, then took a sip of tea.

Having heard it so many times, Lu Liruan naturally paid no attention to what Marquis He'an had mentioned; her ears seemed to automatically filter it out.

Mrs. Gao observed her for a while and found that she was eating with great relish, and indeed did not seem to care.

She thought to herself: "My heart has become more and more open since I got married. Only when I'm doing well and have nothing to worry about can I be like this."

Mrs. Gao felt even more at ease.

The Empress also learned of this.

She twirled the prayer beads on her fingertips: "Let him be. I know Qin'er is kind and doesn't want to stifle his nature. With me protecting him, he can be more willful and unrestrained."

The relationship between the Empress and the Emperor has inexplicably improved recently.

The emperor even stayed overnight in the empress's palace.

This made the eyes of those who knew about the past almost pop out of their sockets.

Even without mentioning the past, the Empress's current age doesn't seem like the kind of age that could make the Emperor reconcile with her.

There are so many young and beautiful women in the palace, but the Emperor hasn't looked at any of them these days. Apart from his own palace and the Empress's, he hasn't summoned any of them to serve him in bed.

Some inquired with De Cheng, who served the Emperor, but De Cheng remained silent and they couldn't get any information out of him...

what 's wrong?

Even if the Emperor were willing, the Empress shouldn't...

Because of what happened back then, the Empress still harbors a twisted resentment towards her own child. With such a stubborn and persistent nature, how could she possibly forgive the culprit?

The Empress's return to the palace this time is certainly not to rekindle her relationship with the Emperor and win his favor. Lu Liruan felt that what she was after was already obvious, at least to herself and Ji Shumin!

Since we don't know the details, let's just wait and see.

Before Ji Shumin began the final detoxification, Lu Liruan heard that the Emperor was actually of one mind with the Empress and ignored Consort Rong completely, as if he were being controlled by the Empress!

Later, Lu Liruan lost interest in paying attention to it, until she saw the old doctor again today, and only then did she remember to ask him in detail.

Is there any hope?

"There's no hope left. It's better to die sooner rather than later!" The old doctor shook his head.

"Do you think such a rare poison is like a side dish? Would everyone want to drink some?" The old doctor said this in a strange tone.

"Your Majesty, have you ever seen anyone else poisoned like this? If so, why don't you let this old man take a look? Although it's incurable, after I use this medicine, he can die without feeling any pain or itching." The old doctor said with great interest.

Lu Liruan thought to herself, "That person's identity is not something you can use as a research model."

He shook his head: "No."

The old doctor didn't press the matter. After examining Ji Shumin, he strolled away again before sunset.

Lu Liruan went inside and lit the candles.

When one pair of dragon and phoenix candles burned out, Qinghe replaced them with another pair. No one knew where she got so many large dragon and phoenix candles.

Lu Liruan had grown accustomed to this dim yet soft and warm light. Even if she did nothing, just watching the flickering flames and trimming the bursting lamp wicks, she could get through the night.

The nights seemed to be getting shorter because Lu Liruan was sleeping longer at night.

After Ji Shumin gradually stabilized, he rarely had any problems at night, so Lu Liruan would curl up next to him and close her eyes to sleep. She had gotten used to it by now.

The person next to me won't whisper to me before I fall asleep, until I slowly drift off to sleep to their voice.

When she woke up, she wouldn't find the person next to her empty. She would look up and see that the person was already dressed and sitting at the table, leisurely flipping through a book, waiting for her to get up so they could have breakfast together.

Ji Shumin also had moments of lucidity, but he seemed confused and couldn't remember what he said the day before.

Sometimes Lu Liruan didn't even know what she was saying to him anymore, and she couldn't remember it either.

The two seemed to be talking nonsensically just to hear each other's voices...

One night, in the middle of the night, Lu Liruan was half asleep when she vaguely felt someone pull her into their arms.

When Lu Liruan opened her eyes again, she was momentarily dazed, thinking she had just had a vivid dream, and felt a little melancholy.

A voice came from beside me: "Li Ruan..."

Lu Liruan subconsciously raised her head and saw Ji Shumin leaning against the headboard, his eyes lowered, looking at her with a different, clear gaze.

In that instant when her breath caught in her throat, only one thought remained in Lu Liruan's mind: Ji Shumin, who was originally the same as before, had returned!

"You...you're awake?" Lu Liruan murmured.

"Ah."

Am I still dreaming?

"hiss--"

Ji Shumin tugged a strand of Lu Liruan's hair around his fingertip.

As Lu Liruan hurriedly sat up, she pulled out another strand of her hair. Ignoring her disheveled appearance, Lu Liruan reached out to touch Ji Shumin.

Ji Shumin shifted his body, letting Lu Liruan's hand rest on his chest.

He was terribly thin, and since he lay down all day, he was hard to see clearly. Now he was thin everywhere. Through the thin layer of his inner clothes, Lu Liruan could feel his heartbeat, which was still relatively steady, beneath his strong ribs.