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

Chapter 143 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (47)

Lu Liruan even casually asked if there were any foods that Ji Shumin couldn't eat in combination with his medicine.

I was hoping to find out the prescription for the medicine he was taking so I could ask the old doctor about his health problem.

Because it doesn't seem to be entirely a leg problem now.

As a result, Ji Shumin just smiled faintly, using the back of his teeth to hold a small piece of pastry, slowly nibbling at it, without swallowing a single bite in a long time.

"There are no incompatible combinations; I eat everything."

I bet you don't eat anything!

Although Ji Shumin couldn't eat, he was happy to see Lu Liruan thinking of him in this way.

Even when I feel nauseous, I accept it and try to use as little as possible.

If I refuse her, who knows if this unreliable Crown Princess will still have the conscience to care about me...

The saying "fishing for three days and drying nets for two" comes from Lu Liruan's observation of the overgrown weeds and desolate state of the yard.

After several spring rains, the pine tree in the corner has regained its vibrant green color and is surrounded by waist-high wild grass.

Lu Liruan had some free time, and one day she suddenly had a whim to clear the weeds in the yard and replant something.

As a result, Ji Shumin said, "I don't like it when just anyone can come and go... I watch them make a ruckus."

In the end, only Lu Liruan was left, wearing a straw hat that Xiao Xizi had found somewhere, carrying a basket on her back and going to weed.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Liruan has been in the palace for over two months, and spring is almost over.

When the sun is high in the sky, although it's not the kind of heat that makes you thirsty and your skin burning, it still makes you break out in a thin layer of sweat on your forehead.

Ji Shumin didn't care at all about what the courtyard looked like or where he lived; it was all the same to him.

Before marrying Lu Liruan, he didn't even want to see the light, preferring to stay in the darkness so that he could think more quietly and accept his physical disability and illness.

No one dared to advise him to go out for a walk, and no one dared to say more than a few words to him.

The people around him either revered him, feared him, or ridiculed and mocked him, but Ji Shumin didn't want to see any of them.

But after the Crown Princess arrived...

Ji Shumin didn't know when it started, but there were sounds in the room, and not only sounds, there was also light.

The Crown Princess was busy with all sorts of things, barely even considering his wishes...

When Ji Shumin was forcibly pushed out in his wheelchair for the fifth time, and placed in the sun like a decorative object, he had already lost his temper.

"It's one thing for the Crown Princess to cause trouble in the courtyard, but why is she causing trouble for me?" Ji Shumin's pale skin was almost transparent in the sunlight, his sickly condition was obvious.

Lu Liruan, dressed in a plain-colored, narrow-sleeved shirt, squatted down and handed the freshly pulled grass to Ji Shumin: "Your Highness, what kind of grass is this?"

Ji Shumin sighed, turned his head to look, and then gave his answer.

Lu Liruan nodded in satisfaction. She was involved in gardening but knew nothing about it; she couldn't even distinguish which areas were weeds.

According to Qinghe, there were some flower seedlings in the yard. Lu Liruan couldn't tell them apart and was worried about pulling out the ones that could bloom, so she asked Ji Shumin to check each type of weed before pulling it out.

His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly knowledgeable and has an exceptional memory; he is like a walking encyclopedia, and he even knows a great deal about plants.

Lu Liruan tried to justify herself in her mind: I'm just trying to make him feel involved~ Give him something to do and he'll obediently sunbathe.

Lu Liruan possesses the superpower of "great strength," making weeding effortless, which amuses Ji Shumin: The Crown Princess is truly gifted...

Walking around the wall, Lu Liruan saw the dog hole she had first crawled through. It was rough and uneven back then, but before her wedding, Ji Shumin had it ground into a perfectly round semicircle.

"How about... we fill in these?" Lu Liruan was considering those who were following the plot, besides herself and Zhuang Yuxun, and those who were trying to stop the plot.

Could other people with ill intentions sneak in from here?

After entering the palace, Lu Liruan gradually learned that there were many sordid things happening in the palace, and people living there felt no sense of security whatsoever.

There are already few people in this yard, and even the best of us can make a mistake. What if something really does slip through the dog hole...?

What should we do?

Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow and refused decisively: "When I see this cave, I can recall my first encounter with the Crown Princess."

Ugh! Our first meeting wasn't exactly wonderful, was it? Lu Liruan thought to herself.

But this courtyard belongs to Ji Shumin, and he has the final say on it. His Highness the Crown Prince is particularly fond of it, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Lu Liruan spent five days weeding, and the palms of her hands were marked with weed leaves.

The good news is that Ji Shumin's hands no longer feel as cold as ice.

On the seventh day, Lu Liruan finally couldn't continue, not because she couldn't pull them out anymore.

Instead... she got a tan.

How was it discovered? That day, Lu Liruan was pushing Ji Shumin's wheelchair back to the house when His Highness the Crown Prince casually placed his hand on the back of Lu Liruan's hand.

Lu Liruan noticed that Ji Shumin really liked this kind of warm and intimate touch. In the past, he would rub the Buddhist beads on his wrist, but now when Lu Liruan sat next to him, he would gently rub her knuckles instead.

Lu Liruan even had some strange illusions: would he pierce her joint bones and turn them into a toy?

Lu Liruan did not dislike his intimacy. Aside from his unpredictable moods, His Highness the Crown Prince was extremely charismatic.

Lu Liruan couldn't even control herself from paying attention to him and caring about him, not because of the mission.

After realizing this, Lu Liruan was very frank: she was willing to stay with him and do something for him.

A quick glance around, and Lu Liruan stopped mid-sentence, her gaze fixed.

Feeling the wheelchair stop, Ji Shumin straightened up and turned to look at Lu Liruan.

He saw surprise, confusion, and bewilderment on his Crown Princess's face...

"What's wrong?" Ji Shumin asked, frowning slightly, not understanding the situation.

"Something's not right..."

"I don't understand."

"Why am I so much darker than you?" Lu Liruan pouted and asked.

In comparison, Ji Shumin was not only fairer than her, but her fingers were also much more slender and beautiful. You wouldn't know unless you compared them!

Lu Liruan has never been tanned. She rarely went out while in the hospital and didn't even have the concept that sun exposure would make her tan.

Ji Shumin was taken aback for a moment, not expecting it to be for this reason, and then grabbed Lu Liruan's curled-up hand.

"I can't tell."

...You're lying through your teeth!

"Forget it, I'm not going to pull them anymore. I'm not cut out for manual labor!" Lu Liruan looked at the still messy yard and decided to give up.

Ji Shumin mocked her for being inconsistent in her work, but Lu Liruan pretended not to hear and lay there like a salted fish.

You guessed it, she just doesn't want to work anymore! These past few days, her back and legs have been aching even when she lies down, and turning over in bed feels like being a turtle with its shell peeled off. Today is just an excuse to vent her frustrations!

Then Ji Shumin saw right through him.

His Highness the Crown Prince never indulged her verbally, whether it was teaching her to write and draw or discussing strategies and military tactics with her.

If Lu Liruan falls behind, he becomes even more demanding than a schoolteacher.

"How can a princess like this achieve great things?" Ji Shumin said slowly and coldly.

He wasn't making trouble out of nothing; he genuinely wanted to teach Lu Liruan something. It's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish.

She was his crown princess, but she was determined not to be a bird with clipped wings.

Ji Shumin wanted to possess her, but not to control everything about her and make her submit to him.

He wanted to possess her body and her spirit, so that no matter how broad her horizons or how much knowledge she had, no matter how many trials she had gone through, she would still belong to him.

I will place the best and the most supreme things before her, so that she may admire and play with them to her heart's content, and together we may plan for this vast empire.

"I'm useless, Your Highness, please don't follow my example!" Lu Liruan now completely understands how to talk to him.

"Ok?"

“I won’t pull the weeds anymore, but Your Highness, you can’t go without sunbathing. I’ve already asked the imperial physician, and he said that sunbathing in the spring is very good for your health.” Lu Liruan smiled, her eyebrows arched, and nestled on the chaise lounge as if she had no bones.

"Your Highness, you can't work sporadically!"

"This wasn't my idea, so why should I insist?" Ji Shumin snorted coldly. He had just moved next to Lu Liruan when a sweet orange candy was stuffed into his mouth.

"Please, do me a favor, just for my sake~" Lu Liruan bowed and pleaded softly.

"Otherwise, if I were to go out with Your Highness one day, and Your Highness were like snowflakes in the sky while I was like ashes in coal, people would laugh at me."

Looking at her, Ji Shumin thought to himself, "It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be."

After the Crown Princess entered the palace, instead of losing weight, her face became rounder, with softer lines and radiant, moisturized skin.

She seemed to have very thin skin; whenever her emotions fluctuated, a thin, vibrant flush would rise from beneath her skin, like the slightly pink flesh of a lychee.

Today I wore a light pink dress, which made my face even more beautiful than a peach blossom.

Seeing that Ji Shumin didn't speak, Lu Liruan took it as his tacit agreement.

From then on, whenever the afternoon sun was warm but not harsh in Songjingyuan, His Highness the Crown Prince would be pushed out by His Highness the Crown Princess and placed in the middle of the courtyard to bask in the sun, just like a plant.

At this hour, the courtyard was unusually quiet, and even the eunuchs who were sweeping were nowhere to be seen, making it exceptionally empty.

Just kidding, they don't want to lose their lives because of the Crown Princess!

His Highness the Crown Prince... only shows extraordinary indulgence to His Highness the Crown Princess.

Later, a swing was hung on the branch of a pine tree that was as thick as a person's embrace.

While His Highness the Crown Prince was sunbathing, His Highness the Crown Princess, holding a plate of fruit, lazily watched him swing comfortably on the swing, and finally they went home together.

With summer fast approaching, Qinghe has been putting away Lu Liruan's thick dresses one by one, and the closet is now filled with light dresses in soft, bright colors and beautiful styles.

As Lu Liruan looked at it, she thought to herself: I must be at the top of Consort Rong's list of disliked people.

Originally, both the court and the harem privately believed that the Crown Prince's hasty marriage meant he would surely be demoted to the third prince after the wedding.

Even now, he remains the crown prince, while the other princes remain just that—other princes.

The emperor's headaches have recently flared up, and he flew into a rage in court. Everyone was on edge, and no one dared to casually mention the crown prince again.

It's also because the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince are incompetent; even now, they haven't found out who robbed the government silver outside the capital.

If a prince loses face in the imperial court, then a concubine must restrain herself in the palace.

Originally, many of the allowances were directly distributed to Consort Rong, but ever since His Highness the Crown Prince caused such a scene last time…

No one dares to be easily fooled.

As the Crown Princess, she held the most prestigious position among all the princes' wives, so Lu Liruan was the first to choose many things.

Lu Liruan didn't care much; what she cared about was Ji Shumin.

Lu Liruan realized that he was indeed not exaggerating or boasting; he really did know a lot about clothing manufacturing.

So when the fabric arrived, Lu Liruan sat to the side, somewhat bored, looking at the miscellaneous books in her hand while glancing at Ji Shumin picking and choosing.

His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to treat this as something that required careful attention, and he always appeared very engrossed in it.

Lu Liruan had to admit that Ji Shumin had excellent taste; the materials he selected, the styles and patterns he specified.

After the finished garments were delivered, each one amazed Lu Liruan.

Wow! He's a true all-rounder. No matter how big or small the task, as long as he puts his heart into it, there's nothing he can't do well!

Lu Liruan sometimes wondered how other people's brains worked. Ordinary people are already remarkable if they are proficient in one thing or have one strength, but so far, she hadn't even discovered what Ji Shumin was not good at.

Of the six arts of a gentleman, Lu Liruan saw that he was proficient in all of them, except for riding and archery.

A single melody played on the zither is enough to move the heart.

His Highness the Crown Prince was so cold and aloof, yet the music he played could be both plaintive and powerful.

Ji Shumin also had small pearls and jadeite beads made into headdresses and ornaments for Lu Liruan.

When Lu Liruan put it on, it gave off a vibrant and lively feeling, very fitting and appropriate for the season. It was truly elegant to incorporate her clothing and style into the season.

Even the Empress Dowager was immediately impressed when she saw Lu Liruan, praising her repeatedly.

Upon hearing that it was Ji Shumin who had orchestrated it, the Empress Dowager paused for a moment.

She then said with relief, "When the Crown Prince was young, he made hairpins by hand. I felt they were full of spirit when I saw them. Now that he is willing to tinker with them again, he must be much more open-minded. This is a good thing..."

Lu Liruan could tell that she wanted to ask, "Who did Ji Shumin make this for when he was a child?"

The Empress Dowager patted her hand: "That depends on whether he's willing to talk to you. I won't get involved."

The Empress Dowager possesses a peaceful temperament; having experienced countless trials, she treats every junior with gentleness and kindness.

A few nights later, Lu Liruan could no longer bear it and suddenly sat up: "Your Highness, what time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

For some reason, Ji Shumin deliberately made noises whenever Lu Liruan was about to fall asleep, trying to get her attention.

I've lost count of how many times this has happened.

Lu Liruan had gotten used to his inexplicable outbursts and wanted to ignore them, but he only became more and more outrageous.

"What is it now?" Lu Liruan yawned, feeling sleepy, and asked patiently.

His hand instinctively and skillfully touched Ji Shumin's arm, gently patting it like he was coaxing a child.

In the darkness, Ji Shumin's gaze swept across her face. Lu Liruan had been facing away from him the whole time, and Ji Shumin felt inexplicably anxious.

Seeing her face and hearing her voice as usual, Ji Shumin's nameless agitation subsided slightly.

He tried not to make his voice sound too irritating: "The day after tomorrow, the Crown Princess will accompany me out of the palace," he said.

"Huh?" Lu Liruan groggily replied, "Okay, okay, I'll go wherever you go, I'll do whatever you say, let's go to sleep quickly~"

She held Ji Shumin's hand and closed her eyes again.