NFBE Chapter 166 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (70)
Chapter 166 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (70)
"What you're doing is harmful..."
"Why don't you say that others have harmed me? Am I supposed to just keep enduring this forever? All these years, has anyone ever considered my feelings? In your eyes, my children are nothing more than pawns that you can use and discard at will!"
The Empress stared at her mother, her tone growing colder.
"The Third Prince is also your child!"
"I had no intention whatsoever of giving birth to him. It's just bad luck that he didn't die in my womb..."
The Empress turned her head and looked at the Buddha statue, which still bowed its head in a benevolent manner, with a calm and serene gaze.
“He has bad luck…” she seemed to be saying to her mother, but also to herself.
"You've gone mad! You've ruined your own family and your own children! Do you think Qin'er can escape blame just because the truth has come out?"
"So, we all have to keep this to ourselves." The Empress held her mother's hand. "You're right, our lives and honors are all tied together."
Her mother tried to break free, but the Empress's hand held on tightly with incredible strength, as if she wanted to drag her down to the deepest hell.
"What do you want?" the Queen Mother asked in a trembling voice.
“Min’er cannot die, but also…” Before she could finish her sentence, her mother shuddered.
But one shouldn't live too well either.
Only by living a life that is neither too bad nor too bad, neither too foolish nor too clever, can one subtly maintain the position of crown prince.
"Alright." The Empress Mother ultimately dared not say anything more; the palace had already tormented her daughter to the point of being unrecognizable.
When she came again, she brought this pill. It could not completely detoxify, but it could suppress the poison. As long as it was taken on time, there would be no risk to life.
However, as she grew older, the frequency and amount of medication she took also had to increase. As for how much it could eventually increase or what would happen, the Empress did not ask.
"How did you know?" Lu Liruan felt a chill run through her body, as if a cold wind was blowing through her limbs, making her shiver uncontrollably.
“I asked my maternal grandfather,” Ji Shumin said casually, without going into details.
But to know such detailed conversations, he must have used some method, otherwise how could he have heard such an unbiased truth from his maternal relatives?
"and then?"
At that time, the divine physician that the Empress had found for the eldest prince Ji Shuqin had not yet left. By some strange twist of fate, the Empress took the poison to ask the divine physician.
Surprisingly, there really was an antidote.
The legendary healer possesses miraculous healing skills and travels the world practicing medicine. He can keep the eldest prince alive and cure such a vicious poison.
But when deciding whether to give the young Ji Shumin the elixir or the antidote...
The Empress eventually delivered the elixir to Ji Shumin.
"As long as I am poisoned and need that elixir, I must protect my brother's safety and never betray him," Ji Shumin said calmly.
"My life is tied to them, mother and son." He seemed to find it somewhat amusing, and laughed for a while until he started coughing.
"Even if I get that position in the future, if she suddenly decides to kill me, I'll be tortured to death." He spoke softly, as if telling an interesting story.
Lu Liruan felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.
How has the Empress managed to face her child with such composure all these years?
Ji Shumin noticed her shrinking back, looked up, and carefully observed her expression.
Seeing the reluctance and sadness in Lu Liruan's eyes, he smiled contentedly.
“The number of pills she gives me each time is limited. If she remembers the hatred from the past this month, she will give me two fewer pills. When I beg like a dog in pain, she will feel satisfied.”
“How could she know anything about you?” Lu Liruan keenly sensed.
“Of course, someone is watching me... Only those with good speaking skills can tell such vivid stories.” Ji Shumin raised his hand and tapped Lu Liruan’s lower lip.
"She still wants you to tell her about it; that's why I was allowed to take you with me last time."
Under Lu Liruan's astonished gaze, Ji Shumin chuckled, his eyes, as fine as a traditional Chinese painting, gleaming with a strange yet eager light.
Her eyes curved into a delicate arc: "You are indeed eloquent; you left her speechless."
"I thoroughly enjoyed watching it," he concluded sincerely.
Lu Liruan had no idea that her last meeting with the Empress had involved so many twists and turns.
"What the Crown Prince told me... does he know?" Lu Liruan hesitated for a few seconds before finally asking.
Ji Shuqin left a deep impression on people. He was different from the sharp and eccentric Ji Shumin, and also different from the seemingly calm but actually dry well empress.
He gives off the feeling of a gentle, flowing stream. If Lu Liruan hadn't been prejudiced against him, she felt that no one would have any ill feelings towards him.
In fact, Lu Liruan did not have any ill feelings towards him, but now, after hearing all the secrets behind it that seemed like a bottomless abyss.
If he could stand atop the abyss, calmly observing Ji Shumin, and utter such words of brotherly affection, kindness, and advice, Lu Liruan felt that it would be absolutely terrifying.
"A Buddha's mouth and a snake's heart" is not enough to describe it.
"Perhaps he really doesn't know. I'm not willing to explore. As for Mother, I hope that my eldest brother will always live a life untouched by worldly dust."
Ji Shumin was genuinely uninterested in whether he knew or not.
"Do you know why I know the people who send these people are all eloquent?" Ji Shumin suddenly asked with great interest.
"Why?"
"Because I made them tell the story in front of me first, and if it wasn't exciting or tragic, they would be punished..." Ji Shumin comfortably shifted his position and leaned against Lu Liruan's knees.
Seeing Lu Liruan's surprised expression.
“I’ll have someone perform it for you another day. Once this is dealt with, you won’t be able to hear it anymore,” Ji Shumin said, his tone a mix of regret and sarcasm.
Lu Liruan opened her mouth, unsure whether he was talking nonsense or speaking sincerely.
But a clue could be gleaned from his words: "Is the Empress returning to the palace?"
Ji Shumin wasn't surprised that Lu Liruan knew: "Yes."
He took Lu Liruan's hand and used his own hand to measure the size of her wrist.
After taking her measurements, he intertwined Lu Liruan's hand with his own slender fingers: "I've been free these days, Liruan, what kind of jewelry do you like?"
Why did you come back?
Lu Liruan ignored his interruption. She had wanted to ask him this as soon as she returned from the Empress Dowager's place.
"I've wanted to come back for a long time, but it's not so easy to go back on my decision once I've made it," Ji Shumin snorted coldly.
"She felt that this place confined her, but she could not control power if she left. She could not have both. Anyone who wants both is both greedy and foolish."
“Facing the Buddha every day, she might only grow more resentful, wondering why the gods and Buddhas don’t protect her. If the gods and Buddhas are truly compassionate, why would they protect evil thoughts?” Ji Shumin stroked the Buddhist beads on her wrist.
He affectionately pushed the string of beads onto Lu Liruan's wrist. Lu Liruan's wrist was narrow, and the beads looked loose on her wrist.
Lu Liruan felt uncomfortable from the beads digging into her wrist and wanted to take them off, but Ji Shumin held her down.
He lowered his head, and his thin, long neck, partially hidden by his thick, black hair, was visible through his collar. His spine stood out as he bent over.
It resembles a submissive yet devout posture.
His lips landed on the string of Buddhist beads, then seemingly unintentionally brushed against the sensitive skin on Lu Liruan's wrist.
“It would be better if I stayed with Li Ruan and waited for you to come and convert me, to be my little bodhisattva…” he murmured gently.
Lu Liruan felt her skin burning from his touch, but a tingling sensation ran through her heart.
Looking at his profile with his eyes lowered, Lu Liruan used the hand with the Buddhist prayer beads to pinch his clearly defined jawline.
I gently rubbed his Adam's apple with my fingertips, and I could feel him swallowing as I touched him.
Lu Liruan felt that he was cunning and uncontrollable. He could be so crazy that it was frightening, he could be so calculating that every step was perfect, and he could also put on this intimate and docile appearance to win other people's feelings.
But no matter what, he is still himself, a ferocious beast lurking in the darkness, waiting for his chance to strike, a cunning and scheming player who is all talk and no action.
Lu Liruan knew she had been deceived, but she still couldn't stop her heart from beating so fast.
That's precisely what makes it so appealing.
For some reason, a feeling of annoyance welled up inside her. Lu Liruan glanced at him coldly and tried to pull her hand back, but he stopped her with a feigned force.
A light slap was given on the side of his face, the sound of flesh hitting flesh particularly clear in the quiet room.
Lu Liruan was stunned for a moment.
I had no intention of fighting him.
Lu Liruan thought Ji Shumin would be angry, but even hitting someone doesn't hurt the face. She was about to apologize, but Ji Shumin's bright smile left her speechless.
“I’ve had no one to teach me or care for me since I was little… I don’t know what’s good or bad, I don’t know how to be loved or cherished. Whenever I do something wrong, Li Ruan blames me…”
He said tenderly, "Li Ruan, come here and make a little clay bodhisattva."
A clay idol crossing a river can barely save itself.
Lu Liruan had no idea where he got such a wish from.
“You have to save yourself.” Lu Liruan leaned down and looked into his eyes: “I’m looking at you.”
Only someone who has never been loved would cling to anyone they can reach like a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood. Lu Liruan somewhat understood Ji Shumin's madness.
Ji Shumin did indeed answer whatever Lu Liruan asked him.
When Lu Liruan asked: Did the Emperor actually... never intend for him to inherit the throne?
Ji Shumin blinked: "When did Li Ruan figure that out?"
"I don't know, but that's not the look parents have when they look at their children with high hopes," Lu Liruan answered truthfully.
"Pfft—" Ji Shumin seemed to have heard something amusing: "He never placed high hopes on anyone."
The Empress believed she possessed a medicine that could save Ji Shumin's life, and after enduring for a long time, she finally decided to return to the palace.
This incident was not planned by Ji Shumin alone, but rather a result of a series of events coming together.
The Second Prince, having discovered Ji Shumin's involvement in the robbery of government silver, wanted to have Ji Shumin removed from office, but Ji Shumin used his plan to achieve his own ends.
The Seventh Prince stumbled upon the witchcraft himself, and Ji Shumin took the opportunity to do what the Empress had asked for.
"Those scriptures, are they the Crown Prince's?" Lu Liruan asked.
“Of course, it’s not just his; it was actually copied for my father, though it was copied many years ago. I just took it and used it.” Ji Shumin nodded.
"Why...why would the Seventh Prince use witchcraft to smear you?"
"I told him," Ji Shumin said ambiguously. Seeing Lu Liruan's brows furrow, he suppressed his smile and explained to her, afraid that if he was even a moment too late, Lu Liruan would remember being deceived and kept in the dark.
"Judging by the poison, it's about time it took to flare up. It's been flaring up for years, but now it's reached the most agonizing stage," Ji Shumin said, as if the emperor had nothing to do with him.
"When it occurs frequently, it resembles a headache and cannot be diagnosed. But after many attacks, there is no part of the body that is not painful."
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that this was also what Ji Shumin went through when his condition flared up. He had personally experienced it for many years and therefore had the right to speak on the matter.
"The pain all over my body cannot be relieved by the useless medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, even if I use several times the dosage."
Lu Liruan had heard that even when the Imperial Hospital treated nobles, they dared not use strong medicines. After all, the prescriptions were formulated through proper consultation, and everyone shared the burden, good or bad.
If they were to use some potent medicine and it harmed the important person, they would be in deep trouble. None of the people in the Imperial Hospital would want to cause trouble for themselves.
“If we don’t take measures to control it now, the next step will be internal and external bleeding, organ damage, and the disease will become incurable.” Ji Shumin scratched Lu Liruan’s abdomen a few times as if tickling her.
Lu Liruan grabbed him and frowned, glaring at him.
He spoke of such a terrifying thing so lightly…
“I won’t do that, Li Ruan, don’t be afraid.” Ji Shumin placed his hand on Lu Li Ruan’s lower abdomen, playing with the embroidery on her fabric.
"My father kept calling me recently, and his headache only stopped when he was with me."
Lu Liruan was not familiar with the medical techniques available at the time.
However, what Ji Shumin said was that what He Pingyan brought back from the border was originally a secret medicine within the barbarian tribes. It was a kind of herb that they seized after attacking the tribes. It could be used to relieve pain by taking it or burning and smelling it.
After taking this herb, one will not feel much pain even if cut by a knife or speared for a short period of time.
He Pingyan said that when they first saw some barbarian soldiers with their abdomens ripped open and their intestines hanging out, they were still numbly charging forward, which shocked them.
They even felt that, like the barbarian tribes themselves, these people were not ordinary.
After the discovery of this secret medicine, the rumors were dispelled. Subsequently, when soldiers suffered serious injuries requiring bone scraping, amputation, or bone removal, this medicine was also used.
But very few people know about this drug.
It was later discovered that burning this herb also had the same effect, but the time was shorter and the effect was not as strong.
Before Ji Shumin went to the emperor's place, he covered his clothes with this medicine and heavy incense, making the emperor and those who closely watched his daily life believe that as long as he was with Ji Shumin, the emperor's illness would be relieved.
By using this to feign the effects of witchcraft, people quickly took the bait.
The Emperor suspected Ji Shumin that day, but upon further reflection, he naturally became aware of the person who had spied on his health.
The emperor was suspicious, and his illness made him even more intolerant of those around him having ulterior motives. One can imagine how vigilant and suspicious he would be.
Those who think themselves clever are like the mantis with its claws bared, completely unaware that the oriole is already lurking behind.