NFBE Chapter 216 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (116)
Chapter 216 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (116)
A white candle was lit in front of the mirror, and I don't know if it was just my imagination, but the candle even seemed to be burning with a bluish flame.
Ji Shumin smelled a strong, fishy odor that was even more intense than yesterday's bathwater, mixed with the smell of herbs, making him feel dizzy and nauseous.
Definitely not a good thing!
Ji Shumin stopped his wheelchair, but Decheng behind him continued to push him further in.
"Your Highness, please come in..." His voice was respectful and low, but in this environment, it carried a sinister undertone mixed with malice.
Helpless, Ji Shumin simply let go and allowed him to enter. The door to the main hall creaked shut behind him.
The candle in the room dimmed briefly when the wind blew it, then suddenly sprang back up, casting the shadows of various objects onto the wall, causing them to tremble and dance wildly.
For a moment, the hall resembled a scene from hell...
"Where is Father?" Ji Shumin asked calmly.
“His Majesty is naturally waiting for you here!” De Cheng pointed forward, and Ji Shumin saw a thick gauze curtain.
Its bright white color blends seamlessly with its surroundings, initially going unnoticed.
De Cheng released Ji Shumin's wheelchair. Since they were already inside, the Third Prince had no chance of escaping.
He walked behind the gauze curtain, and after a while, he bowed and stepped out, raising his hand to pull the curtain aside to reveal the scene behind it.
The emperor was dressed in plain white linen clothes, with a ribbon on his head that seemed to have some kind of talisman written on it.
He was emaciated, and his eyes bulged out as if they were about to pop out of their sockets!
A pair of hands, like the claws of a beast, were desperately scratching at his chest and the back of his neck with great force, because his body was already covered with bloody cuts!
In some places, his skin was torn and tattered, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing to scratch until his fingernails and clothes were stained with blood...
"Ah—" he roared in unbearable anger, completely unaware that Ji Shumin was already not far in front of him.
"Your Majesty! The Third Prince has arrived!" De Cheng raised his voice and called out several times before finally attracting the Emperor's attention.
The Emperor's cloudy eyes slowly moved, finally landing on Ji Shumin, his voice hoarse and grating: "Min'er has arrived?"
"Father."
An ordinary person would be astonished and frightened upon seeing this inhuman and ghostly appearance, but Ji Shumin seemed oblivious, his expression calm and his gaze direct.
"I ordered someone to summon Min'er yesterday," the Emperor said slowly and woodenly.
"How has Father been these days?" Ji Shumin asked indifferently. Looking at the Emperor's wretched state, it was hard to tell whether he was concerned or mocking. In any case, the Emperor couldn't tell now.
"I... am not feeling well." The emperor's eyes darted around, and he lowered the hand that was scratching his neck.
Blood dripping from between his fingers, he reached out towards Ji Shumin: "Min'er, do you know why I summoned you to the palace?"
The dim lighting couldn't hide his sinister gaze; he was completely different from the emperor he once was! It was as if he were a different person altogether; the true Son of Heaven was nowhere to be seen!
"Your subject does not know." Ji Shumin wrinkled his nose imperceptibly. As the emperor moved, the unpleasant smell spread even more, causing Ji Shumin's stomach, which had not eaten much, to cramp in waves.
He was pampered too much by Lu Liruan, and his health was much better than before, but he also developed a lot of new health problems.
For example, although he could barely eat two bites at each meal, and Lu Liruan always said he was eating cat food, his stomach would churn if he missed a meal.
The fabric for the clothes must be the finest. If it's a little rough, you'll find wear marks after wearing it for a day and then taking it off.
Li Ruan said she was...something Bean Princess? Ji Shumin didn't quite understand. Li Ruan sometimes said some wild and nonsensical sarcastic jokes.
If Lu Liruan heard Ji Shumin's words, she would definitely scoff and retort: "You should get the cause and effect straight. Is it because I make you precious, or are you just delicate and precious that I have to take such good care of you?"
The emperor's vision was blurred; he could no longer see clearly. Everything he looked at was hazy, so he couldn't notice Ji Shumin's distraction.
De Cheng noticed that the Third Prince seemed uninterested, as if he was thinking about something, his eyelashes drooping.
"Min'er, I summoned you here to discuss a grand plan for the future! I want to work with you on this important matter!" The Emperor suddenly became excited. He propped himself up and staggered toward Ji Shumin, but before he could reach Ji Shumin, he fell down on his own!
The emperor, a man of great dignity, fell so gracefully and without any composure. De Cheng, standing nearby, seemed either stunned and unable to react, or…
After the Emperor had fallen hard, they came over to help him up, saying, "Your Majesty, please be careful. The Third Prince is listening to you..."
"Me! Help me up! Medicine! Where's the medicine!" The emperor seemed to have fallen hard; he trembled uncontrollably, shaking like a leaf, his claw-like hands gripping De Cheng tightly.
Then De Cheng brought over a jar containing a dark red liquid, thick and viscous. The Emperor touched the jar, reached in, grabbed a handful of the sticky, stringy stuff, and smeared it all over himself!
Only after that thing had covered his wounds did the emperor exhale a long breath, as if the pain had been relieved.
"Father, why do you say such a thing? Your son has already distanced himself from the court." Ji Shumin looked down at this absurd scene, unusually calm.
"Min'er, the world cannot do without me! The people cannot do without me either! I am the emperor! I am the Son of Heaven! I want to live to be a hundred years old, I... I must protect the ancestral land!" The emperor completely ignored Ji Shumin's words and fell into his own madness.
"I must live on! Min'er... help me! I will remember you as my best son! You are my crown prince, the most useful son to me..." The emperor's words were incoherent, but his broken speech was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
What does "most useful" mean?
"Father, what do you mean by this?"
Ji Shumin moved his wheelchair back slightly, causing the emperor's hand, which was reaching for him, to miss and fall onto Decheng instead.
"Min'er, give me your blood! With your blood, I can make the medicine the immortal gave me! Then I will be cured! I can even..."
He stared at Ji Shumin with greedy eyes, all that he had just said was just a fig leaf to cover up the fact that his orders were useless at this moment!
"Father! What do you mean by this?!"
Ji Shumin suddenly shouted sternly!
He spun his wheelchair, trying to head towards the palace entrance, but he couldn't keep up with the emperor, who had gone mad!
Upon realizing he was trying to escape, the Emperor's face suddenly changed, turning a terrifyingly grim and ferocious expression! One look was enough to leave an unforgettable impression...
With an immense force that seemed to come from nowhere, he grabbed the crossbar of Ji Shumin's wheelchair and slammed it forward!
The wheelchair lost its balance and tilted to the side, but the Emperor couldn't wait for Ji Shumin to fall; he reached forward—
Like a vengeful ghost in the deepest hell pulling down souls, it gripped Ji Shumin's clothes tightly and slammed them down with all its might!
Ji Shumin's frail body fell to the ground with a thud, his shoulder blade slamming heavily onto the hard ground. He was thrown around and rolled a couple of times before his wheelchair rolled to a distance of four or five steps away from him.
The Emperor leaned forward, and a stench assaulted his nostrils. He lifted Ji Shumin's body and slammed it against the wall like a lifeless sack. His fierce stance resembled that of a fishmonger about to kill a live fish!
"Well--"
Ji Shumin felt a sudden rush of pain in his chest and a sharp pain in his spine, but he couldn't even bend over. The emperor grabbed him by the collar and dragged him straight into the huge array of runes drawn on the ground...
Ji Shumin's light-colored clothes were inevitably stained with an eerie red color. When he raised his hand, it was impossible to tell whether it was blood from a cut or talisman water.
"Father, why are you doing this!" Ji Shumin gritted his teeth and asked loudly!
"With your blood... I can live! Hahahaha! What can death and disease do to me! I am a being enlightened by an immortal!" He laughed maniacally, and his mouth was torn open by his roar, with blood seeping out.
He seemed to feel no pain, and his teeth were covered in a bright red stain. He coughed, his breathing became blocked, and he suddenly spat out something that landed on the ground mixed with chunks of flesh.
Anyone can see that... the Emperor is now terminally ill.
He was like a rotten body, still hanging on the bones, being held in place by evil magic, yet skin, flesh, and blood kept falling off, it was unknown how much longer he could hold on before falling apart.
Father! This is the witchcraft you despise most; it violates moral principles and bewitches the mind! You are now bewitched…”
Ji Shumin spoke clearly, his chest aching slightly from speaking, wondering if he had injured his ribs earlier.
"Evil magic? Sorcery? Hahahaha! As long as it pleases me, anything is fine!" The Emperor pressed Ji Shumin to the ground, his eyes revealing no affection whatsoever for his own son.
He looked at Ji Shumin as if he were looking at a divine elixir, wishing he could chew him up and swallow him whole, cut off his flesh and blood and devour him!
"why me?"
Ji Shumin gave up resisting; he had reached his limit. Lying on his back in the filth, he asked unwillingly, "Why did Father choose me!"
"I didn't choose you at first... but you are my son with the Empress. Following the instructions of the immortals, I tried several times and had no choice but to use you!" The Emperor squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Min'er, you have been my crown prince for so many years and enjoyed so much glory. No matter what... it's all worth it!"
"If you are filial, you will naturally be willing to make medicine for me! I am the emperor, and you must obey whatever I ask of you..."
He grew increasingly drowsy, and his thoughts came out one by one.
"Who else have you used to make medicine?" Ji Shumin asked in a steady voice, his chest, abdomen, and legs aching from the struggle.
"Second Prince and Seventh Prince, they're only useful at the beginning! Useless! They're nothing like me! Useless!" the Emperor said bluntly.
"Why...why not use the eldest brother as father..." Ji Shumin felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The emperor pulled out a knife engraved with strange patterns and plunged the hilt into the man's ribs, leaving him powerless to resist. He could only lie on his back on the ground, completely at the mercy of the emperor.
"Qin'er's fate is different. Qin'er must stay by my side. He has my dragon aura. Staying by my side will allow me to recover faster!" The emperor probably thought that Ji Shumin would definitely be turned into medicine by him today, so he answered every question.
"Cough cough—" Ji Shumin coughed violently. He didn't ask anything more. His body was injured and tormented, but his spirit seemed to be peeled away to examine everything, indifferent and sarcastic, without the slightest fear.
"Hoo—" Ji Shumin exhaled: "What does Father Emperor intend to do to me?"
"The immortal said that everything in my body is useful, but the most useful thing is my fresh, hot blood. Your blood will wash over my body, and I will be able to be reborn..."
His meaning was clear: he was about to sever Ji Shumin's blood vessels and let the spurting blood drench him...
Just imagining that scene is enough to send chills down your spine!
“I was never the crown prince… You never thought of passing the throne to me, and my leg was also…” Ji Shumin’s words were cut off by the emperor’s roar.
"The time has come! The time the immortal told me has come!" He vaguely saw the candle flame turn bluish-green and shoot up a lot, and his face suddenly turned crazy!
"Min'er! For the sake of my glorious future, you..."
"boom--"
"Stop! Stop!"
The change happened in an instant. The old palace door was smashed open with a horizontal bar, and as the night wind rushed in, countless people rushed in as well!
Ji Shuqin's face turned ashen. He lost all composure and rushed over to block Ji Shumin, pulling him into his arms and protecting him with his own body!
“Min’er…Min’er, don’t be afraid! Your brother is here!” He placed Ji Shumin’s head on his arm, his voice trembling with urgency.
Just like when we were little: "Min'er, your brother is here. Your brother will protect you!"
Ji Shumin closed his eyes. His body was really not in good shape. He had just been thrown and beaten, and now he felt like his internal organs had shifted.
Those who entered with Ji Shuqin included court officials and, surprisingly, the Second Prince.
Now all eyes were on the Emperor. As if being stared at had finally brought him to his senses, the Emperor was stunned for a moment, then raised his sleeve to try to cover himself, but the next moment, he lunged towards Ji Shumin again.
"The time has come! The time has come! My time has come!" His frenzied behavior sent chills down one's spine.
"Father! You've gone mad!"
The second prince suddenly stepped forward and, facing the crowd, abruptly pulled open his clothes!
He had deep scars below his collarbone, on his abdomen, and on his arms. They were clearly made by a sharp weapon and hadn't been there long. The newly grown red flesh on them was a shocking sight.
"Even if you want me to cut off my own flesh to repay my father, it can't be for such an absurd reason! You've gone mad like this, how can you be the ruler of a country!" the Second Prince roared.
"Why did Consort Rong run into the pillar? Do you all know today? It was because Consort Rong didn't want her seventh brother to suffer the same fate. But even with Consort Rong's efforts, her seventh brother still couldn't escape her clutches. Anyone who doesn't believe it can go to her seventh brother's palace and see for themselves!"