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

Chapter 274 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (174)

Ji Shumin wrapped his arms around Lu Liruan and pulled her into his embrace. The two leaned against each other, enjoying the peaceful tranquility.

Yes, things are so peaceful now. All the turmoil is over. Even Lu Liruan's dreams these past few days are no longer filled with anxiety. Sometimes she can sleep soundly through the night.

In Lu Liruan's dream, Ji Shumin would sometimes become as pale as before, and sometimes he would be impossible to wake up. Lu Liruan would wake up with heavy breathing as if a boulder was pressing on her chest. Only when she realized that Ji Shumin was still by her side did her heartbeat slowly return to calm.

This is a projection of excessive worry during the day into a dream, which is why the dream depicts Ji Shumin in a bad state.

Lately, Lu Liruan has been thinking about when and how her mission will end. Whenever she thinks about it, it feels like her internal organs are being squeezed and kneaded, making her so uncomfortable that she wants to squat in a corner.

She didn't want to leave.

If it were to come to an abrupt end at this moment, when she and Ji Shumin were about to leave the capital city that had bound her for so many years, and go to the mountains and rivers, to the elegant towns beyond the Great Wall, to experience another way of life, Lu Liruan would feel extremely stifled.

How can it work?

She had only been with Ji Shumin for a short time. What would happen to him if she left? Would he forget her and continue moving forward on this timeline?

Or is it that he won't forget himself, yet will still live a good life, live to a ripe old age, and live a long and carefree life? Because only in that way can I truly say that I saved him.

Lu Liruan had no idea what would happen...

But what about all the promises and vows I made to him? If he can live well without me, should I be happy or disappointed?

What does his promise to live and die with him mean? But what will happen to Ji Shumin if he fails to complete his mission? Will he suffer, or will he die?

Lu Liruan couldn't understand it. She always felt that there was a part of her mind that was muddled and unclear. It was as if she should know something, but no matter what she did, she couldn't remember it, which always made her feel a little confused.

But what does something I can't remember have to do with me now? Lu Liruan wondered.

All sorts of thoughts had been piling up, making Lu Liruan feel somewhat down. Now that the burden in her heart had been lifted, Lu Liruan finally felt a little relieved.

Although there are still many uncertainties and unspeakable things, at the very least, Lu Liruan tells herself: look at the road ahead and bask in today's sun.

If you worry about tomorrow and the day after, and spend today feeling anxious and depressed, isn't that a loss?

“Li Ruan seems to like me especially today…” Ji Shumin rested his chin on the top of his head and murmured softly.

Lu Liruan knew that he could sense her recent emotional changes.

"Nonsense!" Lu Liruan decided to say something nice from the bottom of her heart.

"Ok?"

I love you just like this every single day...

After saying that, Lu Liruan felt her ears burning. Fortunately, she was now leaning her face against Ji Shumin's chest, her hands tightly around his back, preventing him from looking down at her.

"Pfft-"

Ji Shumin couldn't look down at her, and Lu Liruan couldn't look up at Ji Shumin either; all she could hear was him laughing.

"I understand." He kissed the top of Lu Liruan's head.

“I also love pears every day.”

Lu Liruan felt safe and secure in the Third Prince's residence, but there was no safety at all in the palace, and almost everyone was on edge.

People in the palace originally thought the matter was settled, but before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, the Third Prince began to settle scores.

Ji Shumin pulled out all the spies in the palace, those who were ordered to deliver messages... one by one.

The reason they were allowed to roam freely was not because they were unaware of the situation, but simply because they didn't want to alert the enemy and cause any trouble.

Now that Ji Shumin has control over the entire palace, he can do whatever he wants.

"Your Highness! Third Prince, spare my life! This servant, this servant had no choice!" Most of those who were dragged in front of Ji Shumin cried out like this.

"This servant was coerced—" Before the servant could finish speaking, Ji Shumin waved his hand impatiently, signaling to take the person out and deal with him according to the rules.

He is not Ji Shuqin.

He did not entirely agree with Ji Shuqin.

Although Ji Shumin understood Ji Shuqin's thoughts and had no objection to Ji Shuqin's handling of the fire in the palace last time, he would not make the same decision if he were to do it himself.

Even if you have your reasons, having your reasons is not a justification for knowingly committing a crime or using that as an excuse to harm others.

Today you seize them, and they weep bitterly, for they have their reasons, and they weep hoping to be forgiven for their many grievances.

But what if they are not discovered and caught?

When they do things that harm others, do they feel even a little bit of guilt? Guilt for causing harm, injustice, or even the death of others and their families because of their actions?

Most of them would only be grateful that they had saved their lives and completed their mission.

They would cry and complain about their grievances because they were arrested and received the punishment they deserved, feeling that they were the most miserable people in the world, just like the one in front of them.

As he recounted his experiences, he never mentioned what would have happened to Ji Shumin if the late emperor had actually accused him of witchcraft when he relayed the message to the Second Prince. He felt guilty and uneasy about this.

He didn't. He only begged Ji Shumin to forgive his past infidelity, considering his predicament. Every word he uttered focused on how pitiful he was, but he couldn't think of or see anything about others.

Who doesn't have their own troubles?

Having a reason is not a reason to be forgiven.

This is a difference in the personalities of Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin.

Ji Shuqin leaned more towards "benevolence," while Ji Shumin focused more on "law." It wasn't a matter of who was right or wrong, but simply a matter of choice.

Ji Shumin respected Ji Shuqin's decision, and Ji Shuqin would not object to Ji Shumin's handling of the matter. This was because the two brothers knew each other's temperaments.

“Min’er, why don’t you stay in the palace? These days are busy, and you’re constantly moving back and forth. Be careful not to catch a cold,” Ji Shuqin said to Ji Shumin upon his return after meeting with several ministers.

Both of them were dressed in light-colored mourning clothes. For Ji Shuqin, it was indeed a painful sight, but for Ji Shumin, it was just a piece of clothing.

Ji Shumin once casually remarked that his kinship with his wife was shallow, but the usually gentle Ji Shuqin immediately frowned and said seriously, "Min'er, the relationship between you and me is not shallow."

Ji Shumin was just speaking casually. He was slightly taken aback when interrupted, but then, hearing his solemn tone, a feeling of warmth welled up in his heart, and he turned his head slightly to the side.

Most of the affairs of the palace were handled by Ji Shumin, while the affairs of the court were mostly handled by Ji Shuqin.

The two worked together seamlessly, preparing to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible.

In the previous court, those who were once part of the Second Prince's faction are now all in danger. They never expected that the Second Prince would be defeated so quickly and completely. All the money and resources they invested have gone down the drain!

They were well aware that no matter what, the Second Prince was not as good as the former Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince was upright and never enthusiastic about forming cliques. Their support for the prince was ultimately for their own and their families' benefit; otherwise, why would they be so eager to curry favor with him?

The second prince can meet their needs, and compared to the crown prince, the second prince will obviously rely on them more. Such a prince can be controlled and countered even if he succeeds to the throne in the future. These politicians are more concerned with their own interests than with the peace and prosperity of the country. Naturally, they hope to choose a successor who is more beneficial to them.

But this also comes with risks.

They couldn't resist the temptation and chose to support the second prince, from which they benefited, but what they were going to oppose was the crown prince.

Later, when the Crown Prince became crippled, they breathed a sigh of relief and even felt that God was helping them. As a result, more people supported the Second Prince, and their support became more obvious and their influence extended further. They didn't even care about revealing their support for the Second Prince.

So now, they can only wait in fear and trembling for their fate.

The second prince was utterly defeated, with no possibility of recovery, leaving them no time to even think of a way out.

The day before, they had followed the Second Prince to the palace gate to denounce the First Prince Ji Shuqin for treason and forging the late emperor's edict. The next day, the First Prince was confirmed by the Dowager Consort to be the next emperor. This earth-shattering change happened in just twelve hours. How could they possibly have any way out?

Perhaps the eldest prince still remembers what each of them said that day...

Many of them regretted it to the core.

The Second Prince is a hopeless case!

They should have noticed it when he returned from the south and during the robbery!

But all of this is hindsight, so who can they blame? It was all caused by their own greed and complacency, thinking that if the second prince were to succeed to the throne, they would be at the height of their power.

So they went down a dead-end road.

They are now living in fear and trembling as they await their fate; it is all their own choice, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

Ji Shuqin showed no compassion whatsoever for these people.

No one can force them, and no one can force them. They are truly like woodworms, resorting to any means to distort right and wrong, without a trace of kindness in their hearts.

How many of them had colluded with the Southern faction? So many things happened there, and they were involved behind the scenes. The cases that were resolved and redressed back then were just the tip of the iceberg. The rest, which were suppressed and hidden by those with vested interests, are countless...

At that time, Ji Shuqin was only a regent. Although he was with Ji Shumin, they could only contend with each other and eventually had to put the matter aside for the time being. This was a worry for Ji Shuqin.

Every time I think about it, I feel unhappy.

Now is the perfect opportunity to reinvestigate and dig deeper, and anyone who was involved and did something unethical will not be allowed to escape!

The matter was handed over to the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate for continued supervision, with a special envoy sent to accompany them, and all matters to be reported directly to Ji Shuqin himself.

Unexpectedly, one problem after another arose, and now I feel like I'm about to throw up.

But no one has been able to persuade His Highness the Crown Prince.

With His Highness the Third Prince by his side, who would dare to easily deceive him? The Third Prince is not someone who can be fooled.

The First Prince had no allies and couldn't find anyone to plead for him. The only official in the capital who was said to be on good terms with both the Third Prince and the First Prince was Lord He of the Court of Judicial Review.

This one... is completely impervious to reason.

Those who could extricate themselves from the situation shrank back like quails, protecting themselves and not daring to utter a single word. If they were to get themselves involved again, they wouldn't even have a place to cry!

As a result, things proceeded unexpectedly smoothly, and could begin after the late emperor's death.

The mausoleum had already been built. After the funeral, the eldest prince personally escorted the deceased emperor to the underground palace.

Only at the very end did the Empress, along with her concubines, bid farewell to the late Emperor.

This year has been incredibly eventful, and only now has the flow of people in Beijing returned to normal.

The most troublesome person in the harem right now is Consort Liu.

Although the Empress now holds the Phoenix Seal, she rarely appears in the Phoenix Palace. Meanwhile, Consort Rong has fallen out of favor and can no longer manage the harem. She was once so destitute that even the minor nobles who used to look down on her would dare to ridicule her when they passed by.

Therefore, now all matters, big and small, in the inner palace are once again being addressed to the Dowager Consort.

The Dowager was kind and did not mistreat Consort Liu.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Consort Liu was largely unaware of what the Second Prince had done.

Consort Liu was the late emperor's concubine. No prince had ever done anything wrong to his mother. There had been instances where concubines were ordered to commit suicide, but those were all ordered by the emperor himself. Now that the late emperor has passed away, even if Ji Shuqin were to do something like ordering the death of his father's concubine, he would not do such a thing.

Therefore, the worst outcome for Consort Liu was to spend the rest of her life in the cold and desolate palace.

But how could Consort Liu accept this?

She knelt outside the palace of the Empress Dowager every day.

Since she wasn't confined to her quarters, the palace servants didn't know how to stop her and could only follow behind her.

"Your Highness! Please, save my son..."

"He is also a descendant of the late emperor! I beg Your Highness to save him! He doesn't know the gravity of the situation. If he is to be punished, I am willing to give my own life!"

"Your Highness the Imperial Concubine—"

Consort Liu shouted until her throat became hoarse and she coughed up blood, but she still kept shouting.

The Dowager Consort ordered her to be taken back several times, but Consort Liu insisted on rushing back each time.

She knew that the only person she could turn to was the Dowager Consort; going to the First Prince and the Third Prince would be of no use.

"Let her get up, the wind is too chilly today." After dealing with some matters in the inner palace, the Dowager closed her eyes, and could still hear Consort Liu crying.

"Her Highness Consort Liu's eyes are all red today," the nanny whispered from the side.

"If Your Highness finds her too noisy, perhaps you should confine her to her quarters. That would save her from torturing herself like this every day," the nanny suggested.

After pondering for a moment, the Empress Dowager shook her head: "If she is not even allowed to leave the house, she will surely feel even more desperate. Although there is nothing I can do, let her beg if she wants to. In the end... she feels that being able to do something for her child is enough to fulfill her maternal desires."

Although the Empress Dowager herself had no children, she could understand the heart of a mother.

After keeping Ji Shuling confined in his residence for several days, Ji Shuqin finally saw him again.