latelenovela Chapter 278 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (178)
Chapter 278 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (178)
"Why didn't you go see the Empress Dowager in person when you sent someone to look for her that day?" Ji Shuqin stood in front of the Empress.
Before the funeral, he sent people several times to the Empress's palace to invite her to attend the funeral.
However, all their efforts were in vain, and they were stopped by the palace servants before they could even see the Empress.
"Her Majesty the Empress is currently in seclusion and does not allow any disturbance. Please leave now."
Ji Shuqin did not insist.
In fact, during the preparations for the funeral, everyone in the Ministry of Rites and the palace seemed to tacitly agree not to mention the Empress.
Since His Highness the Crown Prince didn't say anything, they pretended not to know. They proceeded according to the procedures in the absence of an Empress…
Even though the Empress returned to the palace in glory, and it seemed that the rift between the Emperor and the Empress had lessened, the events of that year were still in the hearts of everyone who had experienced them. It was as if everyone understood that it was not surprising that the Empress did not attend the late Emperor's funeral.
"But at this time, I am in seclusion and do not wish to be disturbed by the outside world. I also pray for the late Emperor, wishing him to ascend to the Pure Land soon and be free from suffering," the Empress said softly.
Others may not know, but how could the Empress not know?
In the end, what the emperor longed for was not to ascend to paradise, but to achieve immortality.
For this reason, he was even willing to sacrifice the lives and blood of his own sons in exchange for the ability to continue ruling the country from the throne.
But the Empress did not want to see him achieve anything. Even knowing it was impossible, the Empress would not utter a single word in accordance with the Emperor's wishes.
Since returning to the palace, she had uttered too many false words of obedience against her will, and each time she opened her mouth, she felt disgusted. Now she no longer needed to say them, nor did she need to see him again.
"Thank you for your blessing, Mother. Father's spirit in heaven will understand." Ji Shuqin didn't know why he said that. He knew that saying this would displease the Empress, but he just blurted it out.
Sure enough, the empress, who had been calm just moments before, suddenly raised her head and looked at her son, who was much taller than her.
His gaze was cold: "Qin'er is truly filial."
"Then why has Mother decided to end her monastic life and see me now?" Ji Shuqin asked slowly, glancing at the Empress's simple monk's robes.
“It’s time for you to start your cultivation.” The Empress wanted to take Ji Shuqin’s hand, but found that his hands were behind his back. So she raised her hand and gently patted his arm.
"You are now an emperor, just as I said before. In that high position, one wrong step will draw criticism from the whole world!"
Her expression suddenly became somewhat fervent, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with hope: "You were raised by the Empress Dowager, who knows you better than anyone and knows what is best for you..."
"Now that you're in that position, Qin'er, you should understand your mother's good intentions!"
She stared intently at Ji Shuqin, as if waiting for him to give her a definite answer.
But Ji Shuqin did not do as she wished.
He neither nodded nor shook his head, as if the question the Empress had just asked had not affected him at all.
"Your mother knows what is best for you and knows how to teach you so that you won't make mistakes!" she said urgently.
"Qin'er, you are my greatest hope in this life. Back then in that mountain temple, I saw you... so small, so tiny, so pitiful. I thought that I would give you the best to make up for all the suffering and pain you have endured over the years." Her hands, as cold as ever, without any warmth, touched Ji Shuqin's cheek.
"See, now your mother hasn't broken her word, Qin'er!"
Perhaps it had been too long since he had been touched by these hands, but Ji Shuqin seemed to flinch at the coldness, or perhaps it was because of the Empress's words.
Ji Shuqin felt as if something was stuck in his chest, heavy and making it difficult for him to breathe.
“I did not feel any suffering.” Ji Shuqin closed his eyes and told the truth that he did not feel that he was particularly pitiful or suffering.
He never lacked food or clothing from childhood, was well-educated, or short of money. How could he possibly suffer?
Ji Shuqin recalled what his younger brother had said to him a long time ago: "You look too high, you've never even lowered your eyes to look down. What you said makes so much sense, but you don't even know my joys and sorrows, so how can you teach me or blame me?"
At the time, I was even angry and resentful because of what my younger brother said...
He arrogantly believed he was right and that he was doing it for his own good. He poured his heart and soul into the relationship and wanted to do something for him, but instead, he was met with a bucket of cold water poured over his head.
Ji Shumin was too perceptive of people's hearts. He thought he was being calm and deep, but Ji Shumin could still see through him at a glance.
His words were sharp, and he did not speak kindly to Ji Shuqin despite Ji Shuqin's supposed good intentions.
He was so indifferent, even sarcastic: "I'm not what you imagine me to be. If you're angry with me because I'm ungrateful and don't show it to you, then who is the more unreasonable and ungrateful one?"
Ji Shuqin still remembers his expression at that time.
"Your Majesty, you are quite knowledgeable about Buddhism. Are there any Buddhas or Bodhisattvas who, because people do not believe in them, do not listen to them, and do not regard their words as the ultimate truth, harbor resentment, seek revenge, or hurl curses at them?"
"If that's the case... then they're not gods or Buddhas, but evil spirits and demons in one's heart."
Ji Shuqin stood there stunned, momentarily at a loss for words to refute him.
Perhaps I shouldn't have refuted it.
He never considered himself a god or Buddha, but Ji Shumin's blunt mockery made him think about the difference between himself and what he was saying.
Because his younger brother, with whom he hadn't spent many years, didn't act as he had imagined, he became angry with him, scolded him, and tried to teach him a lesson...
But what reason did he have to be angry and furious?
Ji Shuqin reflected for a long time before he understood the reasoning behind it and calmed his emotions. From that moment on, he no longer felt angry.
It seems that everything has a beginning and an end, and a cycle. Now, when he felt powerless and heard the Empress say those words again, Ji Shuqin wanted to ask her the same question that Ji Shumin had once said.
But in the end, he just let out a long sigh.
Because he knew that the Empress was now deeply deluded and could not be freed from her delusion simply by listening to him.
"How can you not feel bitter? What kind of lives do the princes in the palace lead? And what about you?" The Empress raised her voice.
"You are the eldest son. How could you live such a life? Now it's all right... everything has become what it should be! Cause and effect are in the cycle, Qin'er, what is meant for you has finally returned to your hands in accordance with the will of Heaven! It has not been in vain for your mother's many years of cultivation, allocating her power to seek good results!"
This is not how cause and effect are used.
"Now that the Empress Dowager is no longer in seclusion, what is she going to do?" Ji Shuqin asked in a flat tone.
"Your mother will naturally be your best helper! Qin'er, everything is different now! The past is behind us, and now we start all over again!" She looked at Ji Shuqin with great enthusiasm.
"Qin'er, your mother will be by your side, accompanying and helping you, just like when you were young! You will not be like your father... doing so many wrong things! Your mother will not let you be like that! Your mother will make you the best monarch!" When she spoke on behalf of my late father, the empress could not hide her disgust.
"Qin'er, you always listen to your mother the most... You are the most filial child. When you were seriously ill, you told your mother that she was the best person to you, and that you would repay her and make her proud. Your mother has been waiting and hoping... For you, your mother would do anything and endure anything! Fortunately, fortunately..."
She seemed to suddenly become somewhat delirious with ecstasy, muttering to herself.
Her words made Ji Shuqin's heart sink little by little.
The Empress Dowager had her own heart; she had been looking forward to this day since she was a child.
Over the years of raising herself, she looked at herself, wondering what she really was.
Is he a weak and helpless child, or the future monarch in her mind who is most obedient to her, most pleasing to her, and most easily manipulated and influenced by her?
"Mother, how do you intend to help me?" Ji Shuqin suddenly looked at her: "In matters of state, Min'er will help me."
"In the inner palace, there is a Dowager Consort in charge."
Ji Shuqin wanted to tell her that she was no longer helpful to him, and that he did not need this kind of controlling help.
Unexpectedly, the Empress's expression changed drastically the moment Ji Shumin was mentioned.
She became disgusted and ferocious, as if blaming Ji Shuqin for mentioning Ji Shumin, or as if Ji Shuqin's mention of Ji Shumin had reminded her of something.
"Can Min'er walk now?" she asked slowly.
Ji Shuqin didn't know where she got the information. It seemed that Fengyi Palace had been cut off from the outside world for some time. How could she know about what was happening around her?
"Really..." she scoffed lightly.
How did Mother find out?
"Of course I know, he wrote to me himself to tell me!" The Empress frowned: "Min'er has been bewitched by his princess."
Ji Shuqin didn't understand what he was saying.
“A few days ago, I ordered someone to invite his princess to join me in a period of quiet meditation to pray for your father and Min’er. If she accumulates more merit and practices more, it might be beneficial to Min’er’s health. Who knew that she would tell Min’er about this matter.”
"I don't know what she said, but Min'er wrote to me telling me not to contact his princess, as if I were going to eat him! He himself wrote that he is now in good health, which I guessed." She was even more annoyed when she mentioned Lu Liruan.
Ji Shuqin found it absurd. He had never heard Ji Shumin mention this matter, but he knew that his younger brother would never allow his sister-in-law to meet with their mother alone. Even he knew what this talk of praying for blessings and accumulating merit was all about.
If it weren't for her actions, how could Min'er have endured such great suffering?
The Empress's words were ambiguous; she probably didn't actually hear Ji Shumin say that her legs were healed, and that what she said was just an excuse.
She must have found out from other sources.
Ji Shuqin closed his eyes. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed; his mother had ordered people to gather information in the palace, but she had turned a blind eye and hadn't caused much of a stir. Ji Shuqin was avoiding the issue and didn't want to make a fuss.
"Mother, please don't go looking for your younger brother and sister-in-law."
The Empress was surprised that Ji Shuqin also sided with Lu Liruan. She sneered, "Min'er has been bewitched by that Lu family girl."
"Sooner or later, Min'er will realize that the girl is not important to him," the Empress suddenly said.
This made Ji Shuqin frown deeply.
He knew that his brother was not able to find solace and support in each other during his most painful times because of his brother and sister-in-law.
But the Empress Dowager seemed to dismiss it lightly, and with just this one sentence, she not only disliked Lu Liruan, but also insulted the deep affection between them who had shared a life of mutual support.
"Why does Your Majesty say such a thing? Do you intend to make me suffer the same fate as my father back then?" Ji Shuqin said, only then realizing his mistake.
When he looked at the Empress, he found that her face was as ugly as could be.
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't Mother say that? Mother hopes Father won't do anything wrong, won't become suspicious or unfaithful, and won't be cold-hearted and ungrateful. It's because you know the resentment and bitterness in it. But you say this to Min'er, wanting Min'er to be that kind of person. Why?"
Now that he had spoken, Ji Shuqin decided not to keep everything bottled up inside.
"Just because you don't like the Lu family girl? Do you want her to go through all this? Your own suffering is suffering, but other people's suffering isn't! Your own happiness is the most important thing, you can't stand the slightest grievance, but others are at your mercy! Whether it's me, your sister-in-law, or Min'er, it's all the same! We just need to obey your orders and make you happy! Why? Just because we are your children?"
“If you are wronged and resentful, you can take revenge, you can be angry, and you can take your anger out on Min’er! But others can do whatever they want.” Ji Shuqin really couldn’t understand the Empress’s thoughts.
“Even if your sister-in-law goes through everything you’ve done, you’ll just laugh it off. You’d like Min’er to do something wrong, you’d like rifts to develop between them, just because they don’t obey you. You want them to suffer. Do you feel happy watching all that? Do you feel satisfied?”
"If you feel happy just because of something like this, then what kind of Buddhism are you practicing? What are you actually cultivating? Are you only uttering curses in front of the Buddha?"
The Empress was stunned by Ji Shuqin's merciless words. After a long while, she made a "clucking" sound from her throat: "Qin'er, is this what you say to your mother? You've been deceived by your brother!"
“He can walk now, do you know his wolfish ambitions? He says this to you only to influence you. He doesn’t want your mother to teach you or take care of you! He has been ruthless and cunning since he was a child!” The Empress stepped forward.
"For so many years, he has never put me, his mother, in his eyes! He is of the same lineage as his father, the Emperor. How could someone like him... possibly sit on the throne like you, Qin'er?"
A resolute glint flashed in her eyes.
"You have no idea how your mother will help you! For your sake, your mother will get rid of him, without you having to lift a finger... Your mother will do everything for you! He is my son, he should... give his life back to me!"
The Empress's words sent a chill down Ji Shuqin's spine.