NFBE Chapter 226 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (126)
Chapter 226 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (126)
The old doctor carefully considered Ji Shumin's meaning and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, do you mean... you don't want the Empress to have children?"
Seeing Ji Shumin nod, the old doctor looked rather troubled.
"Your Highness, actually, given Her Majesty's health..."
"Do I need your permission to do what I want?" Ji Shumin interrupted him coldly, frowning.
"Yes, yes, yes," the old doctor replied, unsure of what to say next.
He and the Third Prince's Consort got along quite well during the time the Third Prince was being treated for his poisoning.
In the old doctor's heart, it was truly a blessing for His Highness the Third Prince to marry His Highness the Third Prince's wife. Others might look at status, position, or appearance... but in the old doctor's eyes, who had experienced most of his life of ups and downs, true love was the most precious thing between husband and wife!
There's a sarcastic saying that goes something like this:
I wish to find one heart to love, and stay together until our hair turns white.
This was something his wife heard from somewhere after they arrived in the capital. Under the protection of the Third Prince, their family's life finally improved.
The lady smiled more often. At first, she hid away from home, just like she did in Xirong, but later she stopped coming home altogether! Although her appearance was different from the locals, no one cared because she wore a veil.
Even though she showed her face, the people of the capital were generally well-informed and rarely stared at her.
She even made friends with the neighbors. When the ladies went to see plays or listen to storytelling, they would invite her along. Since Xirong didn't have these things, the ladies would enthusiastically tell him about them when they returned!
The more comfortable and carefree his family's life became, the more loyal the old doctor became to the Third Prince. He was not a particularly loyal person by nature, so how could he tolerate him? Whoever could protect his family and ensure that his wife and children could live a good life was the master, which was clear and aboveboard.
The person he could never betray in his life was his wife. She had stayed by his side through all the years of hiding and struggling, and had almost lost her life several times, yet she still stayed with him.
When he saw how Lu Liruan treated Ji Shumin, his heart softened a little.
Moreover, Lu Liruan was only a few years older than his daughter. When the old doctor heard Ji Shumin's request, he still hesitated and wavered...
"What, you can't do it?" Ji Shumin noticed the strange look on his face.
"It is possible, but... Your Highness, please think it over!" the old doctor couldn't help but say.
Ji Shumin turned his head and glanced at him, puzzled: "Why? I have never considered the matter of having offspring, so why should I think about it?"
“If we use a method to prevent Your Majesty from conceiving, I’m afraid it will be bad for your health. After all, if we want to make it permanent, we’ll have to use strong medicine.” The old doctor pointed to his abdomen: “I’m afraid you’ll suffer from coldness for the rest of your life.”
Ji Shumin's gaze followed the downward movement of his finger, and then he was stunned.
The next moment, his expression softened: "You're going to give Li Ruan medicine?"
"This...this is correct. Didn't you want the Empress to be unable to conceive?" The old doctor was confused, thinking that his Mandarin was inadequate and he hadn't understood clearly.
"I don't want any offspring, so why should Li Ruan suffer?" Ji Shumin said sternly, "I'm telling you to find a solution from me!"
The old doctor now truly felt that he couldn't understand Mandarin.
Medical texts and prescriptions do contain methods to prevent women from conceiving, and these methods were used in wealthy families and brothels. Doctors have no jurisdiction over the use of such methods in secret places.
However, for women, taking the medicine was not a complete cure, so even more insidious and cruel methods were devised. The old doctor, upon hearing Ji Shumin's words, suddenly thought of something inexplicable and felt that this was too much of a humiliation and abuse for the young lady, which is why he hesitated and was unwilling to speak.
He truly never expected that the Third Prince would actually try to do something to him!
Seeing that he was in a daze, Ji Shumin felt that he was unusually unable to understand what he was saying today, so he patiently repeated it again.
Old doctor: ...
I can understand what you're saying, but it's quite difficult for me to comprehend it.
"No other way?"
Ji Shumin clicked his tongue lightly, and his gaze sweeping over the old doctor clearly conveyed the words: Useless.
The old doctor, easily provoked, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "There is a way."
"explain."
"Your Highness will need to drink the medicinal soup for a period of time, and at the same time, acupuncture will be performed to seal the meridians... so that the woman will not be able to conceive." The old doctor answered readily.
Most people don't know that if you don't want to conceive, it's less harmful to work on a man than on a woman, since the burden of pregnancy still rests on the woman, while the man is merely...
Ji Shumin listened quietly to him finish speaking, then nodded calmly: "Let's do it your way."
"Could it... cause harm to others?" Ji Shumin hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Your Highness, rest assured, there is no harm!" The old doctor wanted to say: It won't affect your virility.
But when facing Ji Shumin, he dared not utter such vulgar words.
He was secretly surprised to see that the Third Prince's face had just shown a moment of genuine worry. He lowered his brows and lowered his eyes, as if he was worried about losing favor.
The old doctor shook his head, realizing that he definitely needed to work on his Mandarin...
"Your Highness, when do you plan to start taking the medicine?"
"Hurry up, and don't let Li Ruan know." Ji Shumin stood by the window with his hands behind his back, not even needing to think for a moment.
"But Your Highness, what if Her Highness..." The old doctor wanted to say, "What if Her Highness likes children? Wouldn't that also deprive Her Highness of her right to be a mother?"
“I talked to Li Ruan about this, and Li Ruan doesn’t like children.” Ji Shumin remembered Lu Li Ruan’s expression at the time, as if she had been relieved, and knew that Lu Li Ruan had no desire to have children.
“When the child is in the womb, it is possible that, like me, it carries fetal toxins that harm Li Ruan’s body. Even if it doesn’t, the fact that it is growing inside Li Ruan’s body is enough to harm her. Why would I insist on doing something that would harm Li Ruan?” Ji Shumin didn’t understand why he was asking.
The old doctor nodded and bowed, repeatedly agreeing, secretly feeling that he had spoken out of turn and had even worried about the future of the Third Prince and his wife.
What he really thought was that the Third Prince was very ambitious...
If one day I were to ascend to the throne, what would I do if I couldn't produce an heir?
But he dared not ask that question aloud.
But if Ji Shumin were to actually answer this question, he would only scoff at it.
Even if he has children, so what? He will never be close to another woman in his life. If the child he has is not destined to be an emperor, or if he has no ambition for it, does he have to have another child? Does he want Li Ruan to suffer and damage her body again?
At that time, whether or not Li Ruan and I will have children will be watched by everyone like a discipline, how absurd.
It would be better to eliminate the future trouble altogether.
With so many bloodlines in the Ji family, and the lineage not yet extinct, Ji Shumin had absolutely no interest in the continuation of his bloodline.
With his own character, what kind of offspring could he possibly have? The thought alone made him frown.
Since His Highness the Third Prince insisted, the old doctor prepared the prescription the next day.
Ji Shumin drank his medicine in front of Lu Liruan without changing his expression, which was not conspicuous at all, since he usually took herbal medicine. On the other hand, the old doctor on the side was too guilty to speak to Lu Liruan that day.
Lu Liruan was unaware of what Ji Shumin had done in secret. She was worried for a while, but since nothing unusual had happened for so long, she truly believed that Ji Shumin was indeed poisoned and would never have any children in this life.
Although Lu Liruan didn't say it aloud, she was secretly worried.
In his interactions with Ji Shuqin, he could clearly see what kind of person Ji Shuqin was. Wouldn't it eventually lead to a real conflict between him and Ji Shumin, with the two brothers fighting each other to the death?
Isn't that exactly what the Empress wanted?
Unexpectedly, on the third day of his regency, Ji Shuqin appeared at the gate of the mansion.
His demeanor and expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of anything amiss. When he noticed Lu Liruan glancing at him, he gave a slightly bitter smile: "I'm sorry to have bothered you, sister-in-law."
Upon closer inspection, although he appeared calm, his expression revealed a deep weariness. He had lost some weight and showed no trace of the arrogance or high spirits of a ruler.
"Your Majesty, please stay for dinner today. I'll have someone prepare it."
Lu Liruan nodded, indicating to Ji Shuqin that Ji Shumin was in the study. Indeed, the two brothers should resolve their own affairs.
Upon entering the room, Ji Shuqin found Ji Shumin standing in front of a large, round vase, trimming the flower branches inside with scissors. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, picked up a handkerchief from the shelf, and wiped his hands.
"Your Majesty should be extremely busy these days, why are you here at this hour?"
"How can I talk about being busy with a thousand affairs a day? I should say I'm in a real bind," Ji Shuqin said self-deprecatingly, sitting down at the small table and pouring himself a cup of cold tea.
"What's wrong?" Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow.
Ji Shuqin rubbed his forehead and, under Ji Shumin's gaze... pulled out several memorials from his sleeve.
Ji Shumin: ?
"Brother, what is this...?"
Ji Shumin truly hadn't expected to see the memorial outside the palace.
Ji Shuqin noticed his astonishment and showed a look of deep remorse: "I know this is against the rules, but I really cannot make a decision, nor do I know who to discuss it with, so I had no choice but to bring the memorial out for you to see, Min'er." He spoke very sincerely.
Ji Shumin pondered for a moment, then picked up the memorial he had placed on the small table, opened it, and read it carefully.
It's definitely not a simple matter.
With the current political turmoil, not only are the officials in the capital harboring their own ambitions and some even eager to make a move, but the relatives of the emperor, noble families, and official clans outside the capital are also restless. In particular, some factions in the south are also getting restless. The Second Prince had only recently been reinstated, and the news had just reached them by fast-forward. Before they could even rejoice, the First Prince suddenly emerged as a contender for power. They never expected that the memorials they submitted would end up in the First Prince's hands.
What I had hoped for was news that the Emperor had woken up and seemed to be in relatively good health.
But the situation changed so quickly. Not only did the emperor fall again, but he also caused such a huge witchcraft scandal, which spread at an unstoppable speed...
Their memorials were intended to form a faction, and they were gambling that the emperor had reached the point where he had to appoint a crown prince, so they would try their best to push the second prince to that position!
But no one expected that it would fall into the hands of the regent's eldest son.
When Ji Shuqin saw those memorials, his expression was not good, because their intentions were too obvious. To put it bluntly, they were subtly trying to force the emperor to abdicate, wanting to manipulate the emperor and the court.
This is definitely not something that one faction could accomplish. Who knows how many others are hiding in the waters of the capital, who is secretly plotting, and who is still pretending...
Ji Shuqin didn't know how to react, nor was he sure what the safest course of action was.
"That day in the court, they actually wanted to immediately appoint someone as regent. Not to mention my second brother, given his behavior... how could I trust him?" Ji Shuqin expressed his concerns.
"Seeing these memorials, I can't help but feel even more... My second brother's collusion with the southern faction is no ordinary matter. Today they dare to pressure Father, but what about in the future? If they are allowed to gain power and suppress the court for the sake of temporary support, what will happen day after day... Even someone like me knows the endless drawbacks of the interference of the empress's relatives in politics."
Ji Shuqin briefly recounted what had happened that day, his tone revealing a hint of displeasure.
"I'll reply to these memorials on behalf of my elder brother," Ji Shumin said without hesitation.
“That would be best…” Ji Shuqin breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt like a duck being herded onto a shelf, completely clueless about what to do.
"Brother, if you don't understand something, just ask me. I can't do everything myself, can I?" Ji Shumin said with a half-smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
Ji Shuqin's expression froze. He had thought he understood the affairs of the court, but when all of this came down to him, he felt completely ignorant.
He nodded with a sense of shame, wanting to say something, but didn't.
Lu Liruan appeared to arrive empty-handed when she met Ji Shuqin this time, but when she returned, a young eunuch behind her was carrying a square package...
Later, they actually brought in several packages.
Lu Liruan: ...
They carried it in and carried it out again; the eldest prince entered with a worried expression and left with a rather high spirit.
What are they really up to?
“I’m reviewing his memorials…” Ji Shumin lay on Lu Liruan’s lap that night, placing his wrist in Lu Liruan’s palm: “I’ve been writing so much, my wrist is really sore.”
Lu Liruan lowered her head, looking at him with a strange expression: "All the princes are regents, and you're the regent after the regent? Are you trying to create a nested doll situation here?"
Ji Shumin curled the corners of his lips, but said nothing.
On this day, Ji Shuqin came as usual. He was very intelligent, but he had never been taught like this before. Now, Ji Shumin taught him everything in detail, using a combination of instruction and practice, so that he could understand it very quickly. Now he can offer his opinions on all the matters in the memorials.
Setting down the last memorial, Ji Shumin rested his chin on his hand, leaned forward slightly, and asked as if casually:
"Your Majesty, in your position of power, you hold the reins of the realm. Is there anything... you wish to do?"
Ji Shumin had asked him this question before, but Ji Shuqin had no clue at the time and couldn't give a reason.
But at this moment, Ji Shuqin paused, and then his usually serene face turned serious. After careful consideration, he said, "Yes."