latelenovela Chapter 175 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (79)
Chapter 175 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (79)
The relationship between the two brothers became more harmonious than ever before.
Ji Shuqin is a gentle, serious, and even rigid person. He firmly believes in his own decisions and is not incapable of listening to others.
To be honest, Lu Liruan didn't think he was wrong. It was just that they were in different positions. Lu Liruan would argue with him, but she didn't really hate him.
During this period of time, Lu Liruan tried many times to find evidence that Ji Shuqin was a hypocrite, but in the end, Lu Liruan had to believe that he really knew nothing.
This made Lu Liruan even more puzzled. Why would the Empress do this?
She treated Ji Shumin this way because her inner hatred had nowhere to go, which twisted her to the point that she showed no affection even for her own biological child.
But what about her relationship with Ji Shuqin?
She raised Ji Shuqin to be almost oblivious to the ways of the world, possessing an aloof and dignified air as if he were floating on clouds. What exactly was her intention?
Even without Ji Shumin telling her, Lu Liruan could imagine that the Empress must be getting increasingly restless. Every day the Crown Prince was away from her, she would be filled with anxiety.
"When will the Empress return to the palace?" Lu Liruan asked casually as she rubbed Ji Shumin's knee with the medicated oil in her palm.
Ji Shumin disliked the smell of medicinal oil. He leaned back on the soft pillow, wrinkled his nose slightly, and snorted, "Li Ruan still wants to gamble with me?"
"No gambling."
Lu Liruan hadn't forgotten how her fingers had hurt for several days last time, so she resolutely refused.
“Tell me if you want, or don’t,” Lu Liruan added, kneading Ji Shumin’s jade-like skin until it turned a light red.
“I said, even if I don’t get any benefit from Li Ruan, I will still say it.” He said in a pretentious tone.
Lu Liruan curled the corners of her lips slightly, but did not respond to him, waiting for him to continue speaking.
Ji Shumin sighed helplessly. He didn't know when it started, but Lu Liruan had become increasingly shrewd. She used to be able to outwit Lu Liruan with just three sentences, but now she was completely outmaneuvered.
Teaching your apprentice is like starving your master...
“The time isn’t right yet. Your Highness’s position in Father’s heart isn’t important enough. We need to… add fuel to the fire!” Ji Shumin raised his hand and pointed to the west, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
Lu Liruan seemed to understand but not quite.
But soon, she understood what the fire was.
Great victory at the border!
After being driven back from five border cities last time, the Western Rong rested for a few years, but began to stir again around the end of last year.
That's how barbarians are; they can be frightened, but they won't stay frightened forever.
If given even the slightest opportunity, they will definitely make a comeback.
In this great victory, the fourth prince of the Western Rong was killed directly in the battle, and the Western Rong did not even get their prince's head back.
The King of the Western Rong had many princes. The eldest prince was captured by General Zhuang, but refused to be taken prisoner and committed suicide.
The second prince was crippled on the battlefield, and the third prince was actually knocked off his horse by a female general named Zhuang Yuxun with a long spear. He was rescued by the soldiers who followed him and never went to the battlefield again.
Unexpectedly, the fourth prince of the Western Rong, who was always good at fighting, also died this time!
The fourth prince of the Western Rong was known for his cruelty and ruthlessness. Before General Zhuang was stationed on the border for many years, he once broke through the border city and actually ordered the massacre of the city!
Countless border people lost their lives that year. Not only did he not conceal his evil deeds, but after leading his troops to burn, kill, and plunder, he also set the city on fire. It was autumn, and the burning weeds created thick smoke that filled the sky. It is said that when the fourth prince returned to the capital of Xirong, he could still see the smoke faintly in the distance.
He used this to curry favor with the King of Xinxi Rong, who praised him as the most valiant and skilled warrior.
This became a nightmare for the people living on the border, and the city thereafter seemed to have become a dead city.
Although the city was not too far from the Western Rong, the nomadic people of the Western Rong did not farm there, and the surrounding people dared not approach it until General Zhuang went there, and the situation improved.
The area has now returned to peace and habitation.
This time, the fourth prince's head was cut off directly, to punish him for what he had done before. His head was hung on the city gate, and the border people cheered.
"Very good, very good!" the Emperor exclaimed repeatedly. He had been radiant these past few days, and now a surge of pride welled up in his chest, as if he had returned to the day he had just ascended the throne.
The court officials offered their congratulations, and for a moment the atmosphere in the court was exceptionally harmonious.
After the emperor finished his court session, he felt an inexhaustible energy. After reviewing the memorials, he stood by the window, looking at the red walls and black tiles as far as the eye could see, and once again strengthened a thought in his heart.
The palace servants around him all had their heads down, and no one saw the madness and delusion that flashed across the emperor's eyes for a fleeting moment!
When the emperor saw Ji Shuqin again, who had come to pay his respects, he was even more affectionate.
Ji Shuqin was puzzled, but he remained calm and composed. Since returning to the palace, he suddenly realized that no matter how kind and loving his father was, Ji Shuqin did not feel any closeness to him.
At first, Ji Shuqin thought that perhaps the separation had lasted too long...
But his relationship with his younger brother made him feel an instant connection.
Ji Shuqin came here to ask his father, the Emperor, for permission to return to the mountain to be with his mother. A few days ago, the Empress sent a letter saying that she was not feeling well due to the change of seasons, and she was even more concerned about whether Ji Shuqin was dressed warmly and taking good care of himself. Her words revealed her loving motherly heart.
Ji Shuqin was a dutiful son. As he looked at those words, he felt increasingly guilty. He hadn't visited his mother in a long time and was very worried about her health.
The emperor did not stop him, nor could he stop him.
They had no choice but to give him three days to return, using the excuse that he hadn't finished his work and couldn't leave so easily.
Ji Shuqin had no choice but to agree.
Listening to Xiao Xizi's halting recounting of the conversation between the Emperor and the First Prince, Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know this?"
"Which wall in the palace is truly airtight?" Ji Shumin glanced at her, then laughed, "The wall in my and Li Ruan's bedroom is indeed airtight..."
Lu Liruan glared at him fiercely; this guy had been getting increasingly out of line lately.
I don't know if it's because my health has improved or...
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that Ji Shumin's health seemed to have really improved recently. At least she hadn't seen Ji Shumin suffer from unbearable illness in the middle of the night for a while!
Thinking of this, Lu Liruan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared intently at Ji Shumin, wanting to ask him if it was true, but then she heard the announcement from outside: "The Crown Prince has arrived—"
Ji Shumin clicked his tongue, his eyes, as sharp as fine brushstrokes, glanced to the side, his gaze shifting: "Apart from Li Ruan, not one of them is not annoying."
Lu Liruan was in a good mood, and he was also pleased with his sweet words.
As she was leaving, she beckoned to him, and seeing that Ji Shumin leaned in without suspicion, she bent down and lightly kissed the corner of his beautiful eye: "Good boy, you have such a sweet voice."
Having said that, she turned around lightly.
After a while, Ji Shuqin put the teacup back on the table, looking puzzled: "Min'er, are you listening?"
"Hmm..." Ji Shumin lowered his eyes and hummed, but he didn't even hear what he said.
Ji Shuqin left the next day.
Upon returning to the mountain, the Empress was indeed more ill than she had described in her letter, and was almost unable to get out of bed. Dressed in plain clothes, she sat on the bed, looking pale and haggard. When she saw Ji Shuqin, she managed a gentle smile and asked, "Qin'er, why are you back?"
Ji Shuqin blamed himself for his carelessness, personally inquired about the Empress's condition, and stayed by her side to take care of her.
When the Empress heard that the Emperor had ordered her to return within three days, a knowing look flashed across her eyes.
But she said calmly, "Your father is right. How can you take on a task and then only work sporadically? Qin'er, that's what you should do..."
Ji Shuqin was in a dilemma.
In the end, urged by the Empress, he returned on time.
Looking at the desolate room, the Empress felt the chill of the autumn air seep into her bones, making her both awake and unbearable. After Ji Shuqin left, the days and nights became even longer and more tedious.
The mansion outside the palace was still under construction in an orderly manner, decorated according to Ji Shumin's orders, and several blueprints were sent back every few days.
Lu Liruan hadn't been to that mansion yet, but during this time, she and Ji Shumin had been revising the blueprints together, discussing and making arrangements together. Now she felt a sense of familiarity with it and began to look forward to what it would be like to live there.
Ji Shumin spoke very quickly, and he really did speak very quickly.
However, just over a month later, before autumn had even passed, on a morning with a light frost, the Emperor granted the Empress permission to return to the palace.
Of course, the official explanation given was that the Empress was currently unwell, and the temple was quiet and deserted. Although she was praying for the country, she should now take a good rest.
Upon hearing this, the entire court and the harem were shocked. No one had expected that the Empress would actually return to the palace alive! Everyone who had experienced what happened back then thought that the Empress was destined to die there.
When Consort Rong heard the news in her palace, her expression changed drastically, and the cup she was holding shattered on the ground with a crash.
"Your Highness! Be careful with your hands!" The maidservant serving nearby hurriedly knelt down to clean them up.
But Consort Rong couldn't hear her at all. Her face was pale, even her makeup couldn't hide it: How could this be! How could that woman be able to return to the palace!
Consort Rong once cursed inwardly, saying that the Empress's actions were nothing more than wishful thinking in trying to return to the palace. She used to be so aloof, but now that she's old, she's trying to curry favor. But where in the palace is there any place for her now?
At the time, Consort Rong spoke with disdain, never imagining that the very thing she least believed would actually happen, right before her eyes, without her having known any prior notice.
The Emperor hasn't visited her palace for almost half a month...
Recently, the Emperor has been favoring a young concubine who entered the palace during the last imperial concubine selection. She is as beautiful as a flower, with a lovely face. Consort Rong has seen her a few times, but she has not even bothered to give her a glance.
It's too insignificant, and it's impossible for it to become anything significant.
The emperor liked her, but only like raising a bird; he would tease her a little and feed her some food.
Consort Rong felt that she was no longer like that, but now, the fear and anxiety in her heart resurfaced and reached its peak after hearing that the Empress was going to return to the palace!
Back then, only by opposing the Empress could one gain the Emperor's favor. Even Consort Rong herself couldn't remember exactly what had happened between her and the Empress.
Back then, she was young and ambitious, and she would stop at nothing to gain the emperor's favor. She relied on her good looks and respectable family background...
I wonder if the Empress still remembers.
Because she felt that the Empress would never return in this lifetime, Consort Rong did everything to the extreme. Now, when she recalls it, her heart trembles.
She wanted to summon the Seventh Prince, but the eunuch said that the Seventh Prince had been sent away on official business by the Emperor yesterday...
Since Ji Shuqin returned, the Seventh Prince felt that his status in the Emperor's heart had declined. He had just had a disagreement with Ji Shumin, and no matter how resentful he felt, he knew to temporarily restrain his temper.
He was quite happy when his father asked him to do the errand.
The most composed and peaceful person in the harem was the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager ordered people to clean up the Fengyi Palace, which had been sealed for who knows how many years.
Since the day the Empress left the palace, no one has entered Fengyi Palace. The palace was forgotten, and no one even mentioned it until today, when it was once again filled with people.
The selected palace maids all entered the Phoenix Palace in advance to wait.
Those who pay attention will notice that all the arrangements are made according to the Empress's needs, as if the Empress had only left the palace to pray for blessings and was now returning.
Lu Liruan went to see it once with Ji Shumin.
Ji Shumin maintained his image as a filial son and went for a walk. He was clearly not very interested. After entering, he didn't even go into the house. Instead, he leaned over by the pond in the courtyard, splashing water with his fingers and teasing the fat, golden koi swimming around.
Those koi were specially fed and were not afraid of people. When they saw Ji Shumin reach out his hand, they thought it was food and gently bumped into him, even splashing water on Ji Shumin's clothes.
Lu Liruan went inside and looked around. The magnificent and dignified appearance inside was quite befitting of an empress.
When he came out, he saw that Ji Shumin's sleeves were wet. He went up to him, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and pulled him straight up.
"Are you three years old? You'll suffer if you catch a cold in this cold weather!" Lu Liruan dodged his outstretched hand to prevent him from splashing water on her.
“Look at these fish, they look so silly,” Ji Shumin pointed to Lu Liruan.
Just as Lu Liruan was wondering why he was suddenly so interested in a few fish, Ji Shumin called out to the palace servants waiting nearby, "How did you arrange this!"
The palace servants were startled and didn't understand what was going on.
“The Empress Dowager is compassionate. It’s so cold today. In a few days, when it freezes, will the fish in this pond still be alive? By putting the fish here, aren’t you disrupting the Empress Dowager’s spiritual practice?” Ji Shumin said with conviction.
Lu Liruan: ...
This is nothing.
Those few silly fish, perhaps having developed a bond with Ji Shumin while playing, were splashing around in the pond.
Finally, the palace servants scooped out the fish and respectfully delivered them to Songjing Garden. Ji Shumin specially placed a water vat he had made himself in the room and kept the fish in it.
Lu Liruan looked at the fish and then at the tank, unsure which to say first.
“I can’t stand the sight of any life in her place. If she’s going to be a Buddha, then let her be worshipped there all alone,” Ji Shumin scoffed.
Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow. Ji Shumin never allowed himself to suffer any grievances; his stinginess was strangely adorable...