latelenovela Chapter 205 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (109)
Chapter 205 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (109)
The second and third branches of the Lu family looked down on the Marquis of He'an, considering themselves a noble family, but secretly they compared themselves to the Marquis of He'an's family in every way, even when marrying off their daughters.
Originally, Lu Liruan and the Crown Prince were engaged to a marriage that could not be better or more prestigious than this. However, unexpectedly, the Crown Prince became disabled and lost power, and the Marquis of He'an still married his daughter to him.
They figured the crown prince was no longer going to inherit the throne, so they set their sights on the other princes. The Marquis of He'an had inherited the title of marquis during his lifetime, and if they wanted to overtake him, the only way was to gain favor with the new emperor.
Only the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince appear to be the only ones who could inherit the throne.
The Seventh Prince is out of the question. Consort Rong is of noble status and looks down on everyone. She finds fault with every girl in the family, so the one she chooses in the end is undoubtedly the most outstanding.
The carefully chosen consort of the Seventh Prince was quite similar to Consort Rong; both had unruly tempers. Not to mention the concubines, even the Seventh Prince's secondary consort suffered daily torment and could hardly leave the palace, let alone stay by the Seventh Prince's side.
The Seventh Prince's wife didn't care at all about what others said about her being harsh. After all, her maternal family was noble, and she was favored by Consort Rong. Even the Seventh Prince didn't blame her. In the Seventh Prince's heart, nothing was more important than fighting for that position. Women were just playthings to him.
The only one left to ponder is the Second Prince!
In order to curry favor and send their daughter into the Second Prince's palace, the second wife's family really went to great lengths.
In the end, it actually succeeded!
The second wife thought she had raised her daughter to be outstanding, making her the second prince's concubine, so that she could support her own family in the future. But in reality, the second prince chose her as his concubine not because of who she was, but because of her relationship with the Marquis of He'an's family.
The Second Prince had put in a lot of effort in various ways to deal with Ji Shumin. Later, Lu Liruan thought that this was probably the real reason why Lu Yushi had inexplicably approached her.
Besides wanting to put the fabricated evidence into the Marquis of He'an's residence, he also wanted to get some information about Ji Shumin out of his own mouth.
Lu Liruan couldn't understand how the Second Prince could possibly think that Lu Yushi was capable of doing this. Didn't he realize the true worth of his concubine?
Do you still feel that you and Lu Yushi are close sisters who can talk about anything?
You sent a spy, but why didn't you do any background checks?
It was all so absurd. Lu Liruan knew Lu Yushi was talking nonsense from the very first sentence she uttered. In order to observe her further, she insisted on chatting with her for a while. Later, she realized that she had done something completely unnecessary!
When Lu Liruan shared her reflections with Ji Shumin, Ji Shumin's eyes narrowed with amusement. Although he found it funny not because of the Second Prince, but because of Lu Liruan's vivid descriptions and gestures.
“Li Ruan already said he’s an idiot,” Ji Shumin concluded succinctly.
"If you were truly a fool, I wouldn't be able to fight you."
Lu Liruan wasn't trying to excuse the Second Prince; she was simply stating the facts. Among the princes, only the Second Prince's maternal family was not prominent. He himself was less talented than Ji Shumin, and his personality was not as likable as the Seventh Prince's. He hadn't been favored since childhood. The fact that he was able to gradually rise to the point of competing with the two of them was definitely not because he was a "fool" as Ji Shumin claimed.
“The defining characteristic of a fool is believing that he is smarter than everyone else,” Ji Shumin said, raising an eyebrow.
“He doesn’t understand women, yet he wants to rely on them to do things, and in the end, he creates such a stupid and laughable situation.” Ji Shumin’s words cleared up Lu Liruan’s doubts.
Since the Second Prince made Lu Yushi his concubine, he naturally intended for her to serve him. However, he did not know much about his past with Lu Yushi, or even if he had heard about it, he did not take it to heart.
Lu Yushi, eager to impress the Second Prince, rushed to his side after hearing his words. The Second Prince didn't understand Lu Liruan, but Lu Liruan understood Lu Yushi very well.
The Second Prince probably assumed that he and Lu Yushi were the same kind of woman, or perhaps he never even considered what kind of person he was, simply assuming that he and Lu Yushi were sisters and would naturally cherish each other and talk about everything while living in the palace...
"Don't you think you're smarter than others?" Lu Liruan asked doubtfully. Judging from Ji Shumin's personality, he should... see everyone else as an idiot, right?
Ji Shumin curled his lips, a hint of insincere smile appearing in his eyes.
“I’ve always been wary of everyone,” he said meaningfully.
Seeing Lu Liruan pout, Ji Shumin gently drew circles on the back of Lu Liruan's hand with his fingertips, feeling a little ticklish.
Lu Liruan clenched her fist, grabbing his mischievous fingers, and listened as he continued, "He wanted to use the Marquis of He'an's mansion as an excuse to drag you into this mess, and that's when I found out..."
As Lu Liruan listened to his unhurried words, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end!
"Look, this is what they call 'those who do many evil deeds will surely perish.' Why bother plotting against me? I never intended to..."
Not thinking about it? Not thinking about what?
Lu Liruan's mind raced, feeling like it was all tangled up inside her head.
"You were robbing people in the outskirts of the capital back then... no, didn't you already have it all planned out back then?" Lu Liruan had always thought that Ji Shumin's actions at the time were digging a pit for the Second Prince.
“No.” Ji Shumin spread his hands, tilted his head, and said with a very frank and natural expression: “At that time, I just really wanted that money and stolen goods.”
Lu Liruan: ? ?
You are so honest.
Lu Liruan's mind was in turmoil. She originally thought she had figured out what Ji Shumin had done and was amazed that Ji Shumin had started planning so long ago, as if he had the ability to predict the future. But now, Ji Shumin said in person that he did not think that way at the time.
"Then...why did you keep those ledgers?"
"Naturally, it's to see just how much these audacious creatures have smuggled!" Ji Shumin said coldly, "They've truly opened my eyes."
Lu Liruan had also seen the account book and Ji Shumin's writing. The amount of money that the Southern officials had secretly paid as tribute was indeed astronomical. When Lu Liruan first saw it, she thought she was seeing things...
Starting a few years ago, the Emperor embarked on a massive water conservancy project, and Lu Liruan never even saw this amount in the approval documents for the canal construction.
Compared to them, the income from the business of the Marquis of He'an was a drop in the ocean and not worth mentioning.
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that she still didn't know where the money was.
"you……"
Ji Shumin noticed Lu Liruan's expression, leaned forward, tilted his head slightly, and stared at her from below. His long eyelashes softened the aggressiveness of his beautifully shaped eyes, which resembled a fine brush painting, making his gaze appear intense.
“Li Ruan wants to know where all that money went? You’ll have to ask the border troops who fought harder last year. General Zhuang and I used that money to buy the head of the fourth prince of the Western Rong.”
There was a hint of smugness in his words.
Lu Liruan blinked, never expecting... there was such a hidden story behind last year's great victory at the border.
"Otherwise, what are you counting on? The meager military budget that's been squeezed down layer by layer? Or the winter clothes that are so cold they're bone-chilling and the coarse rations that irritate your throat?" Ji Shumin mocked.
Lu Liruan had heard him mention that the Emperor said he would rectify the situation, but he had not taken any action for a long time. One official after another was assigned, and each link was connected to the next. Without the courage to cut through the mess quickly and the determination to face the chaos head-on, how could he make any decisions?
"General Zhuang also agreed to your decision?" Lu Liruan recalled her first meeting with General Zhuang, who exuded a murderous aura and was rough and ruthless.
Ji Shumin narrowed his eyes slightly; from Lu Liruan's perspective, she looked incredibly handsome.
But at the same time, a sense of suspicion crossed Lu Liruan's mind. Every time Ji Shumin showed that kind of smile, what he was about to say was definitely not...
Sure enough, when Lu Liruan heard him speak, she said lightly, "Isn't there also General Zhuang?"
Lu Liruan: ……
When did you two get involved in a way that's completely different from the original storyline?
“This matter is also thanks to Li Ruan.” Ji Shumin’s words did not sound like nonsense.
“After General Zhuang returned to the capital last time, he told me that I had married a good wife, she…” Ji Shumin paused for a moment, then said truthfully, “She and my wife get along very well, and she likes my wife very much.”
Although he can now recount it to Lu Liruan, Ji Shumin was genuinely displeased for a moment when he heard these words, because she had demonstrated through her actions that she liked Lu Liruan very much, and she always came to find Lu Liruan to chat and laugh together.
If Ji Shumin hadn't known about her relationship with He Pingyan, he would have had some doubts.
"So hasty?" Lu Liruan didn't believe it. How could it be as frivolous as Ji Shumin said?
“I’m not joking with Li Ruan,” General Zhuang said. “From Li Ruan’s words and heart, I finally saw that I was a real person with flesh and blood. Only then did she believe that I might really be hoping for the well-being of the border troops.”
It's not that simple, but those words were indeed spoken by Zhuang Yuxun.
Lu Liruan blinked, trying to recall what she had said back then, and then she remembered!
During the time Zhuang Yuxun was in the capital, she gradually grew closer to Ji Shumin and slowly developed feelings for him. Thinking about it carefully, she... did say a lot!
"She didn't tell you in detail what I said, did she?" Lu Liruan pursed her lips, her fingers clenched together, and she felt a burning sensation starting from the roots of her ears.
Even though the two are now very close, Lu Liruan still feels embarrassed when this topic comes up...
After observing the undisguised struggle on Lu Liruan's face for a while, he finally spoke softly, "Not at all."
"Would Li Ruan be willing to tell me?"
“No!” Lu Liruan answered decisively.
Ji Shumin was not disappointed: "It's alright... Seeing Li Ruan every day is more real than hearing others talk about her."
Lu Liruan clicked her tongue, realizing that Ji Shumin had become increasingly eloquent since some point, his words gentle and sweet, yet never seeming insincere, as if they came from the bottom of his heart.
Upon closer reflection, Ji Shumin was indeed very good at bewitching people. Not only himself, but very few people who wanted to get close to him could resist him.
Zhuang Yuxun had little contact with Ji Shumin before. Apart from a few short meetings, he knew that He Pingyan was on good terms with him and had seen his letters. However, after returning this time and actually meeting Ji Shumin, Zhuang Yuxun gradually came to believe in him and finally agreed to try to persuade General Zhuang.
Lu Liruan probably knew Ji Shumin's way of getting along with people.
Under Lu Liruan's questioning, she learned that Ji Shumin had not intended to use this matter to subdue the Second Prince.
After all, at that time he was sitting on the throne of the Crown Prince. He was weak and disabled, and the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince were eyeing him covetously. At that time, Ji Shumin did not think of giving up the position of Crown Prince. The best way was to let the two of them be in a stalemate and maintain a balance of power, so that Ji Shumin could be in the middle.
Later, when Ji Shumin chose to request the removal of the crown prince, he no longer needed the balance between the two. He wanted them to rise and fall, and for one to become weak and the other strong. Only through constant struggle and attrition could they wear each other down.
Ji Shumin made every step with reason and evidence, and kept the trend under his control.
His strategies are never rigid or inflexible; they flow naturally like water, adapting to changing circumstances. Every change happens as if it were a natural occurrence. If he hadn't been willing to tell others, perhaps no one would ever truly see through them, knowing when those strategies were formed and when they changed. They are unpredictable and admirable.
Lu Liruan felt that she would never be able to learn it in her lifetime.
Hearing her sigh, Ji Shumin patted her head: "Will I teach Li Ruan for the rest of my life?"
"No need..." I feel that if I force myself to use my brain too much, I will lose my hair or age prematurely, Lu Liruan really thinks.
Despite saying this, Lu Liruan truly understood from Ji Shumin what it meant to find endless joy in fighting with others. Before the flower-viewing banquet, Lu Liruan had been reading military books with great interest.
Lu Liruan sat together with the Fifth Prince's wife and the Sixth Prince's wife under a tree that was as thick as two people could hug.
Peach petals drifted gently into the teacup. The Fifth Prince's Consort chuckled, "Indeed, it's elegant. One wouldn't be in the mood to appreciate such beauty in the palace."
The Sixth Prince's Consort, standing to the side, took a deep breath in agreement, her face showing some relief. She sighed, "I didn't realize it before I got married, but now that I've left the palace and established my own residence, I've discovered how wonderful life is outside the palace!"
The two exchanged a smile: "Thanks to His Highness the Third Prince for setting this precedent, otherwise we... who knows how long we'd be living like this!"
They are much more relaxed when speaking in public now; they would never have dared to say things so casually before.
Lu Liruan nodded in agreement. At that time, the emperor had successively punished the second prince and the seventh prince, and everyone in the palace was in a state of fear. They even tried to walk as quietly as possible.
Just as the group was relaxing, drinking wine and tea, the Fourth Prince's Consort walked over from the side, her face flushed with anger, and whispered, "That's utter nonsense!"
"Who made you so angry?" The Sixth Prince's Consort pulled her down to sit.
The Fourth Prince's Consort glanced at the leisurely Lu Liruan, opened her mouth for a moment but didn't know what to say, and glanced behind her.