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

Chapter 277 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (177)

Lu Liruan had always known that the second wife did not care much about her daughter. What the second wife cared about most was how to make her daughter as promising as the daughter of the Marquis of He'an.

Before Lu Liruan married Ji Shumin, when Ji Shumin was still the Crown Prince, the second wife would always speak of him with a sour tone, as if the Marquis of He'an's family had gotten a huge advantage, and all the good stuff had fallen into Lu Liruan's mouth.

She has never been good at hiding her thoughts.

She said it repeatedly, and Madam Gao almost turned against her... But she shamelessly begged Madam Gao to find a good family for their daughter!

That demeanor was completely unlike that of someone from a distinguished family.

Later, after Ji Shumin became disabled, Lu Liruan still married him. At that time, the second wife's behavior became even more unbearable.

She practically wore her delight on her face, clearly enjoying the spectacle. She was the kind of person who couldn't stand seeing others do well; seeing others succeed made her feel worse than if she herself had suffered a loss!

During that time, she went to the Marquis of He'an's residence even more frequently. The second wife was always troubled. She was clearly the first wife, but how could she be inferior to Gao, the second wife?

Everyone said that Gao was better than her, and she had long harbored resentment towards him.

Now, seeing that Gao's stepdaughter, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of He'an, married a disabled prince, she was overjoyed and couldn't suppress her happiness!

Now, no matter who their daughters marry, they will be better off than Lu Liruan.

Let's see if anyone says Gao is better than her in the future. If she really was better, how could she have let her stepdaughter fall to such a state?

As far as Lu Liruan knew, the second wife had gone to great lengths to find husbands for the daughters of the family.

I originally thought she had done her best for her daughter.

Regardless of what others think or how he treats others, he still has some affection for his daughter at home.

did not expect……

Lu Liruan sighed softly and exchanged a glance with Madam Gao.

Madam Gao patted Lu Liruan's hand: "I didn't expect her to be so heartless. His Highness the First Prince is kind and benevolent. Even if... even if he really divorced the young lady, he wouldn't implicate their second branch. Who knew he would be so cruel? He even urged the young lady to hurry up and leave."

"As a result, they all act as if their families still have a future after their daughters leave! They're all neither here nor there, unable to succeed in the imperial examinations, yet they've learned to be so ambitious and scheming. None of their sons are presentable. Even I, a woman, can see that!" Madam Gao shook her head, her eyes filled with disdain.

"We should not associate with such people again." Madam Gao had already spoken to Marquis He'an.

Marquis He'an has always been a soft-hearted and indecisive person. He thought that they were all from the same family, just divided into two branches.

Even if Marquis He'an knew their ulterior motives and the petty things they did behind the scenes, he would usually turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it.

This incident, however, chilled the heart of Marquis He'an.

He cared for his children almost equally, and then suddenly saw this kind of person.

Marquis He'an also saw that if he could treat his own flesh and blood this way, what did his brothers and kin mean to him?

His family name was nothing more than... nothing more than a single character.

"Enough, enough. I've seen through the second wife completely. Madam is right, let's have less contact from now on. We were still treating each other like relatives, but let's call it quits now!"

It would be a lie to say that Marquis He'an wasn't sad, but he has always been clear-headed all these years.

Despite his lack of power and influence, the Marquis of He'an's mansion has remained relatively prosperous, at least because he hasn't made a single wrong move and is very receptive to advice.

Although it was quite sad, Lu Liruan didn't feel much sympathy for Lu Yushi.

Her being abandoned by her family was her pitiful aspect, but there's always a reason why someone is pitiful. Lu Liruan still remembered the look on Lu Yushi's face when she rushed over to ask her about it that day.

She must have known something beforehand.

Following Lu Yushi's train of thought, Lu Liruan reasoned: Even if she was panicked and at a loss at the time, she kept quiet afterwards and acted as if nothing had happened, which must have meant she was hoping for the best.

If the Second Prince wins, what will her status be?

If the Second Prince can defeat the First Prince, her status will be much higher than his!

Perhaps she's even thinking that once she gains power, she'll trample me underfoot...

If she were truly timid and cowardly, and dared not speak out, how could she have listened to the Second Prince, plotted against herself, and even plotted to put the entire Marquis of He'an's mansion into danger!

Lu Liruan's guess was pretty accurate. When Lu Yushi learned what the Second Prince wanted to do, she was indeed panicked and wondered what she would do if the Second Prince became the emperor.

She was at least a concubine, and she could clearly distinguish between being the emperor's concubine and being a prince's secondary concubine—which was more prestigious and which would bring her more prestige!

How glorious I'll be then, the best in the family, everyone will depend on me and fawn over me...

So after the initial anxiety and fear, she secretly felt a surge of excitement and joy.

She couldn't say anything, and even had to keep this secret even more tightly, so that the Second Prince's plan could be carried out smoothly.

The moment she heard the news of their defeat, she felt as if all her beautiful dreams had been shattered in an instant.

Then a surge of unease and fear swept over us...

Only then did she begin to consider her future and way out. During the days she was confined to the mansion, she recalled the days and nights she had spent under house arrest by the emperor, which almost drove her crazy.

The second prince had become so terrifying that it made her even more frightened.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so she wrote to Lu Liruan for help. She didn't care that she had once tried to harm Lu Liruan. When she acted, she was reckless and didn't think that she might need Lu Liruan's help in the future.

Lu Yushi probably knew her situation, but Lu Liruan didn't want to know what the second wife had said to her.

When Lu Liruan returned the letter for the last time, she put several silver notes that Madam Gao had sent inside.

Having money is always better than nothing, no matter where you go, and Lu Liruan did not go against Madam Gao's wishes.

After receiving the letter, Lu Yushi never wrote back.

The Second Prince's residence was unusually quiet.

Besides Lu Yushi, several other concubines also secretly contacted their maternal families.

Perhaps the second prince had changed his ways, because he didn't make things too difficult for them.

He would agree as long as the mother's family agreed to take the abandoned daughter back.

So some of the women in the household left, and the rest accepted their fate. Ji Shuqin knew about this but did not interfere.

After a busy month, the funeral of the late emperor was finally completed.

The moment the underground palace and mausoleum were closed, the reign of an emperor came to an end, and history could finally be written with a proper beginning and end.

The Ministry of Rites has been extremely busy these days, having finished the funeral and now preparing for the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

Although the new emperor kept saying that the coronation should be simple, how simple can the coronation of an emperor be?

Necessary etiquette must be observed.

The Ministry of Rites is now acting with their lives on the line. The Second Prince's outburst has disrupted the new emperor's succession; if they make a mistake during the enthronement ceremony, they'll have to offer their heads in repentance!

So he mustered all his energy and busied himself with tasks, barely closing his eyes...

Even so, the atmosphere in the imperial court was much more refreshing.

During the struggle, many court officials were like quails hiding their heads, not daring to speak, not daring to say, and not daring to move.

Now that the dust has settled, the court appears quite prosperous again, even more so than when the late emperor was alive.

Everyone had their own understanding of the new emperor's temperament, and the atmosphere in the court became quite lively for a time.

While the weather had not yet warmed up, the imperial court seemed to have warmed up first...

Ji Shuqin values ​​state affairs and is now working diligently, often not getting a full three hours of sleep at night.

Seeing his younger brother looking so carefree, Ji Shuqin couldn't help but sigh, "Min'er, you seem to be in a good mood. Is your home so comfortable? I've called you several times, but you've ignored me."

Ji Shumin replied indifferently, "Your Majesty has no one by your side, so why are you asking me if my residence is alright? Of course it is, but Your Majesty doesn't understand."

Ji Shuqin: ...

He had no interest in marriage.

Perhaps because he grew up in a temple, Ji Shuqin was not exactly detached from worldly desires, but he was quite detached from them, and he didn't care much about worldly affairs.

Originally, he could not get married while living in a mountain temple. His father ordered him and his mother to pray for the country here, so he could not leave without permission. How could he get married?

The Empress often sighed about this, but Ji Shuqin didn't think it was anything to worry about. Even in the temple, there were so many things to do, so many books to read, so many scriptures to recite, and so many principles to understand.

Ji Shuqin didn't want to delay the young lady from a good family. After all, he didn't really want to get married, so why should he cause her to suffer?

Seeing his younger brother and sister-in-law inseparable and loving every day, Ji Shuqin felt a softening in his heart.

From a young age, every time he saw his younger brother, he possessed a maturity and intelligence beyond his years; the liveliness and innocence of youth were never seen in him.

Looking at him now, Ji Shuqin could sense a hint of the joy and excitement that was befitting his age.

Ji Shumin didn't care what his elder brother thought. He really wanted to go back to the manor. It was still before spring, the coldest time of the year. His hands and feet were cold all day long. Listening to those spirited officials talking about everything under the sun was not as good as going back to the manor to warm himself by the fire with Li Ruan.

Ji Shumin found it somewhat amusing.

A few days ago, they were all silent, but now they're like water released from a dam, all beaming and talking non-stop.

That's a good thing, too.

If a monarch's subjects dare not speak much, dare not discuss important matters, and cannot debate with each other, how can he possibly gather the strengths of the masses?

However, they were just too eager to show off in front of the new emperor. Some things that could be explained simply in a sentence or two would turn into long, rambling discussions that would last for half an hour.

Ji Shumin was fine sitting to the side; the Third Prince's dignity was still intact. When the conversation went off-topic, seeing the Third Prince's extremely handsome yet ambiguous smiling face, he knew that it was time to keep things brief.

Ji Shumin was thoroughly tired of listening.

"What will my brother do after I'm gone? He won't even have time to review the memorials all day, just listen to their empty talk?" Ji Shumin tossed a useless greeting memorial aside.

Ji Shuqin was taken aback, looked up from the memorial, still holding a vermilion annotation pen in his hand.

"Is Min'er really leaving?"

"Could it be that he was just lying to his elder brother?" Ji Shumin sighed, resting his chin on his hand.

Ji Shuqin curled his lips. He always unconsciously forgot that, for some reason, although he and his younger brother had only spent a short time together, in his heart it was as if the two brothers had never been separated for a long time.

The Ministry of Rites worked tirelessly and finally finished preparing for the coronation ceremony, only waiting to calculate the auspicious time.

Ji Shuqin raised his hand and touched the coronation robes and crown sent by the Ministry of Rites, his brows furrowing slightly.

After dinner that evening, Ji Shuqin sat in his bedchamber for a moment, changed his clothes, got up, and went alone to the Phoenix Palace, which he hadn't visited in a long time.

After the Emperor's death, De Cheng was supposed to stay by Ji Shuqin's side, but the First Prince said to him indifferently, "Why don't you go back to your original master, Eunuch?"

De Cheng retreated into the shadows and did not go to the Empress's palace, but instead stayed in the late Emperor's bedroom.

Today, the Empress's Phoenix Palace, despite its magnificent decorations, inexplicably exudes a sense of desolation and loneliness.

Walking onto the road ahead, I felt a sense of desolation.

Under the cover of night, the emerald green palaces and pavilions were quiet and secluded. The closer Ji Shuqin got, the more melancholy he felt.

After standing at the palace gate for a while, Ji Shuqin ordered someone to go and report.

After a while, Granny Ma came quickly from inside the house, her expression as serious as ever: "Your Highness, the Empress is waiting for you in the room."

Ji Shuqin nodded and stepped inside.

The room was eerily quiet; there wasn't even the sound of footsteps from the palace maids and eunuchs.

When Ji Shuqin went inside, he found that the small hall had been converted into a Buddhist shrine. The Empress was kneeling on a prayer mat, dressed in plain clothes, and did not turn around when she heard the sound.

Her long hair was loose and unadorned, and in the dim candlelight, the white strands mixed in with it were clearly visible.

"Mother."

Ji Shuqin opened his mouth and found his voice hoarse, realizing it had been a long time since he had used that title.

The title I used most often was "Empress Dowager"...

"Qin'er, you've arrived." The Empress said calmly, as if she had returned to the aloof and indifferent woman she once was, her previous wild and unrestrained appearance seeming like a mere illusion.

"Have you been busy lately? I heard you're about to ascend the throne." The Empress spoke in a gentle, conversational tone, as if chatting about everyday matters.

"Has the Ministry of Rites prepared the crown and robes for the coronation? Remember to try them on beforehand. When I was crowned empress, the crown I wore was a little loose... When I walk, I dare not move my neck even slightly, and I don't even dare to look to the side, for fear of falling in public and making a huge fool of myself."

The Empress said softly, "Thinking about it now, that was... so many years ago. I was really so naive back then."

"I...shouldn't I refer to myself as 'Aijia' now? How was your father's funeral? Tell me about it."