latelenovela Chapter 140 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (44)
Chapter 140 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (44)
Lu Liruan felt a tightness in her chest: Luckily, she hadn't done anything to provoke him these past few days. Sure enough, no matter how pitied he is, he's still a lunatic.
Lu Liruan didn't realize that her current thought wasn't out of wariness towards Ji Shumin, but rather tinged with helplessness and pity.
Lu Liruan roughly understood why she felt no sympathy for that man who had become a eunuch.
He did such a despicable and vile thing, so he should pay the price for his actions. He wanted to ruin my life for the sake of the people behind him, so why should I pity him?
Ji Shumin has been in a relatively stable mood these past few days, but Lu Liruan feels that he is acting a little strangely.
For example, at this moment, he held his own hand with great interest and taught himself how to write in the official script style.
"If the Crown Princess were a man, with such comprehension, she could certainly take the imperial examinations," Ji Shumin said, praising Lu Liruan as he corrected her writing with a vermilion brush.
No one dislikes hearing kind words, especially when the speaker is someone who doesn't usually say nice things.
Lu Liruan was about to say that of course, her mind was certainly sharp, when she heard Ji Shumin ask, "Why has the Marquis of He'an's family not produced anyone who has entered the palace examination for generations?"
Uh……
Ji Shumin was secretly amused to see his Crown Princess's raised tail shrink back again; he had brought it up on purpose.
The actions of the Marquis of He'an can be described as wise self-preservation. Among many aristocratic families that pursue fame and fortune, the ability to maintain such patience and vision, and to be content with the status quo, is a rare quality.
It's not surprising that such a woman could be raised...
"Your two elder brothers have done quite well in business," Ji Shumin commented.
"After I leave, I have some business to entrust to them."
Lu Liruan blinked, realizing that His Highness the Crown Prince was indirectly getting closer to the Marquis of He'an's residence.
“My elder brother is certainly willing to share His Highness’s burdens.”
Ji Shumin no longer needs to attend court; under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries, he spends all his time holed up in the courtyard.
However, the curtains that always made the room dark and gloomy were always pulled open. Newly opened flower branches were cut and placed in a white porcelain vase, and paints and pigments were spread all over the table. His Highness the Crown Prince, like a teacher, held a ruler in his hand and supervised the Crown Princess to write and paint.
"Your Highness, are you really not busy?" Lu Liruan asked helplessly as Ji Shumin held her in his arms for the fifth time to make her tenth calligraphy piece of the day.
If you have nothing better to do, don't bother me! Anyone who doesn't know better will think I'm trying to become a master of calligraphy and painting!
Lu Liruan had a background in calligraphy. When she was sick and unable to exercise, she would write or paint to pass the time.
He has won awards, but his calligraphy is still far inferior to that of Ji Shumin, who possessed beautiful handwriting.
Lu Liruan used a calligraphy model written by Ji Shumin himself. While practicing the model, she couldn't help but sigh that His Highness the Crown Prince truly did everything to the extreme.
“Learning is always useful.” Ji Shumin replied calmly to Lu Liruan, gently patting the back of her hand with a ruler: “Concentrate.”
Lu Liruan couldn't have imagined that this skill would actually come in handy later on.
Lu Liruan was getting a little lazy living these days. She would visit the Empress Dowager every few days, and otherwise stay in the courtyard.
The princes' consorts in this palace would sometimes get together to pay their respects to the Dowager Consort and the Noble Consort, but perhaps no one dared to approach Ji Shumin's residence, so no one invited Lu Liruan, and Lu Liruan was happy to have some peace and quiet.
"The palace is cramped. If Your Highness could establish your own residence, would you be able to recuperate better?" Lu Liruan had also tentatively suggested this to Ji Shumin.
Ji Shumin merely glanced at her without answering, appearing lost in thought.
Lu Liruan, whose life was peaceful, even thought it would never end, until one day, Ji Shumin left early in the morning.
The convoy, carrying silver, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings confiscated from the south, caught fire in the middle of the night, not far from the capital.
The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into the missing and damaged items.
He then summoned all the princes, including Ji Shumin.
In the imperial study, the emperor's face was ashen. This was utterly disrespectful to the dignity of the royal family and extremely provocative.
Southern bureaucrats held sway, even rivaling those in the north. Officials from both the north and south were in opposition to each other. The north was close to the capital, while the south was prosperous and wealthy. Officials were intertwined, and landlords, gentry, and clans were involved, making the officialdom a chaotic mess.
The fiefdoms of the fifth and sixth princes of the late emperor were also in the south. Although the current dynasty has no intention of granting fiefdoms to princes, princes who have fiefdoms can still receive tax revenue and have the authority to command a certain number of private troops.
The fifth and sixth imperial uncles shared the same birth mother. The two of them occupied the south and secretly caused unrest, sometimes even failing to deliver imperial orders in time, which greatly angered the emperor.
During the years of pacification, the emperor devoted a great deal of energy to the south and reopened the unfinished connecting canals, hoping to reduce the gap between the north and the south.
They even dispatched censors to find pretexts to confiscate the homes of powerful local gentry and wealthy families in the south, seizing huge sums of money and making local officials feel insecure.
Originally, this matter was mostly under the supervision of the Crown Prince, but Ji Shumin was tough and decisive, going to the south twice a year. Every link he targeted was smoothly smoothed out, and no one in the court dared to disobey him.
As a result, after the Crown Prince got into trouble, the Second Prince found an excuse to ask the Emperor for permission to take over the task. This was the first time his men had returned to the capital, and this incident happened.
He stood to one side, his face extremely pale, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Your subject does not know..."
"What do you know! I entrusted this matter to you, and you've handled it terribly!" the Emperor rebuked.
The Second Prince was riding high on this assignment a few days ago, but now that things have turned out this way, he glared fiercely at Ji Shumin, who was sitting in a wheelchair with his eyes downcast, seemingly indifferent to the situation.
"Does Your Highness know what happened?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Does Second Brother feel that I haven't fully entrusted everything to you?" Ji Shumin directly pointed out his meaning.
His face was pale, and his eyes were as cold and ruthless as knives, making the Second Prince's scalp tingle and feel that he was neither human nor ghost.
"How novel! Back then, if I said a few extra words, my elder brother would scold me for meddling. Now that a problem has arisen, it seems I let go too early?" Ji Shumin coughed twice, his sarcasm merciless.
Ji Shumin originally had a sharp tongue but was reserved and stern. However, after he became disabled, he became unforgiving and would demote anyone who displeased him.
"Min'er." The Emperor let the two argue, and only spoke to calm them down when he saw that the Second Prince's face was red with anger.
Ji Shumin always obeyed the emperor's orders. He kept his mouth shut and sat sullenly in the corner, exuding a fierce aura.
The second prince knelt on the ground with a thud: "Father, please give your son a chance to capture the villain!"
"I have already handed this matter over to the Court of Judicial Review." The Emperor's brow furrowed in annoyance.
"Since you are so willing, go to the Dali Temple and take up the post to investigate the case together. The matter of the account book must have been deliberately manipulated." The Emperor waved his hand.
The strangest thing about this incident is that the vehicle carrying the account books was burned the most severely, and the account books that were being registered were almost completely destroyed. They were sprinkled with lamp oil, and the fire spread very quickly.