PFC Chapter 211 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (115)
Chapter 211 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (115)
Although there was no wind in the room, there was a gloomy feeling. The dark and heavy bed curtains partially concealed the emperor's emaciated body, and his fingers hanging by the bedside were like withered branches.
Ji Shuqin could sense that he was already terminally ill.
De Cheng coldly said, "This servant was lucky to escape with his life. Although this servant is of lowly status, I still know how to repay Your Majesty the Empress."
"Your Highness, do you think this servant shouldn't have done this?" He hissed, his gaze like a venomous snake lurking in the damp.
"Your Highness, do you know how much suffering Her Majesty the Empress endured back then? She risked her life to get you out of this palace and snatched your life back from the jaws of death..."
His expression concealed his resentment: "Why don't you listen to Her Majesty? Why do you disobey Her Majesty? Her Majesty... is doing it all for your own good!"
Ji Shuqin clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves, and he coldly snapped, "What right do you have to question me?"
"Yes, this servant is talking nonsense..." De Cheng's tone was soft and suppressed: "This servant is worried about Your Majesty."
Ji Shuqin tried to calm himself down: "I was indeed unaware of the whole story of what happened back then, but as for what happened today, you poisoned the emperor, and you cannot shirk your responsibility."
"Then Your Highness, just call out now! Seize this servant and beat him to death on the spot! Hahahaha! This servant's life will be enough to repay Her Majesty the Empress!" De Cheng was not afraid at all, but laughed maniacally, pointing outside and waiting for Ji Shuqin to speak.
Ji Shuqin stood there, his throat feeling as if it were blocked by a wad of wet cotton, so heavy that he couldn't utter a single word.
If he takes down Decheng now, then the Empress behind him...
De Cheng seemed to sense his hesitation and stood there without moving. The two remained locked in a stalemate for a while, when suddenly, the emperor on the bed let out a painful groan.
He had been unconscious for several days, but he suddenly regained consciousness at this moment!
Facing Ji Shumin's questioning gaze, Decheng said sarcastically, "This immortal's thing is really useful. I never thought it could pull the emperor back from the brink of death."
He stepped forward to check on the emperor's condition. The emperor seemed to be in great pain, his neck was stretched upwards at a strange angle, and he was making "ah ah" sounds with his mouth open.
But De Cheng made no attempt to serve him; he kept his hands inside the wide sleeves of the eunuch's robe and coldly scrutinized him as he bowed.
Ji Shuqin felt a pang of pity and wanted to step forward to take care of him, but De Cheng stopped him: "There are servants here to serve you. Your Highness, please stay away. Don't let your heart be tainted."
"you!"
"Your Highness, please forgive me. This servant was acting on Her Majesty's orders. You are unwell; you should go back and rest."
Ji Shuqin stood there, closed the door and sighed deeply, then suddenly turned and left.
Decheng faced his back and shrank back again, just like before, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Ji Shuqin returned to his palace and dismissed all the palace servants.
He stood there blankly in the hall for a long time, then suddenly tore up a copy of a Buddhist scripture on the table, one piece at a time. The scattered pieces of paper did not bring him any peace of mind.
Everyone has their own stance and their own past, yet they all feel entitled to project their own weight onto him!
Ji Shuqin was not unaware of what had happened back then. Over the years, he had rarely heard about it from the Empress, and he didn't even have much of an impression of his father when he was young.
After returning to the palace, all sorts of voices reached his ears, some intentional, some unintentional, and some with ulterior motives. It was impossible for Ji Shuqin not to know them.
But what about his father...?
Ji Shuqin didn't understand why his father was being so affectionate towards him, which made him feel confused and at a loss.
Although the events between him and his mother in the past prevented the children from speaking ill of their parents, Ji Shuqin still felt that his father was wrong.
Although his father was wrong, Ji Shuqin still felt that his mother should not have acted that way. But when he had this thought, he would doubt himself. What should his mother have done? What would have been the right thing to do?
This seemed like an unsolvable cycle, and Ji Shuqin felt that with his experience and enlightenment, he could not see through it.
Ji Shuqin wanted to know what Ji Shumin was thinking, but whenever he thought of what his mother had done to him, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Because in Ji Shumin's view, the Empress Dowager is wrong. How can this be clearly explained?
The Emperor shouldn't have treated the Empress Dowager that way, and the Empress Dowager shouldn't have treated Ji Shumin that way, but who can change anything?
The emperor cannot be wrong. Does that mean that once he sits on that throne, he will not be wrong?
Even those in high positions are still resented. Was Decheng wrong? Should he have been beaten to death back then? Was his life so cheap?
Buddhist saying: I am also a human being, and all sentient beings are in the cycle of rebirth.
All beings should be equal, but this world is not like that. My mother so desperately wants me to sit on that throne. If I were to do as she wishes, what would become of me?
Can't I be wrong?
Will I become like my father, who is now in such a disgraceful state? Ji Shuqin thought rebelliously to himself.
If I were to actually sit in that position, would my current thoughts and concerns suddenly become clear?
He couldn't understand it, and trapped himself in a dead end, his heart aching as if he were being fried in oil.
Ji Shuqin was in a daze and didn't even eat dinner. He fell asleep immediately, but his dreams were restless. It wasn't until the early morning of the next day that he opened his eyes and his mind became slightly clearer.
The emperor is awake!
The news spread quickly throughout the palace; some felt relieved, while others were on edge.
Although he had opened his eyes, the emperor was still unable to speak, and half of his body was immobile. When he drank medicine or ate, he couldn't even close his mouth, as if he were crippled.
Ji Shuqin couldn't bear to watch. He stood in front of his bed, head bowed, blankly watching De Cheng serve him attentively, just as before.
As De Cheng turned around, he gave Ji Shuqin a slight nod, a fleeting smile playing on his lips, as if to say, "Look, Your Highness, in the end you didn't say anything, did you? You are also willing to walk the path that Her Majesty the Empress has paved for you..."
Stop deceiving yourself. How could anyone not want that supreme position?
Ji Shuqin didn't move an inch, not even raising an eyebrow.
The Emperor's eyes slowly moved in their sockets, heading towards Ji Shuqin, and he made a hissing sound as if urging Ji Shuqin to come over.
But Ji Shuqin's feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he couldn't move an inch. He just kept his head down and stared at the three-tenths of an inch of ground in front of his clothes.
Why did my father end up like this? Because he trusted that so-called immortal, because that immortal's magic could allow him to transfer the fates of all the princes to himself.
After returning to the palace, his father became close to him, which must have been for his own reasons... Ji Shuqin could not deceive himself.
Ji Shuqin finally listened to De Cheng's words: "Your Highness, please go back first. The Emperor has servants to attend to him." He then turned and left.
Lu Liruan never expected that the Emperor would actually wake up. She had thought that this relapse would be the end of his life...
She was still wondering why Ji Shumin seemed so calm and composed, and why he hadn't even mentioned returning to the palace.
No one from the palace came looking for him.
Not only him, but the fourth and fifth princes also wanted to return to the palace to pay their respects to the emperor and attend to his illness, but they were stopped at the palace gate.
The reason given was that the palace was under martial law and no one could enter without being summoned.
The two princes were puzzled, but they both felt a chill and stopped insisting. They quickly returned to their own residences and shut themselves in, not wanting to get involved in anything.
Upon hearing the news, the sixth prince, being even more astute, went to Ji Shumin's door.
He did not know Ji Shumin, but his wife had a good relationship with the Third Prince's wife, so he tentatively visited her.
Once inside, he discovered that his third brother was living a carefree life, seemingly unaffected at all.
There was a lot of commotion outside, but the third prince didn't seem to care at all and didn't even mention the matter.
The sixth prince originally wanted to get closer to his third brother, after all... the eldest brother seemed to be the most likely to succeed to the throne.
The eldest and third princes had a good relationship, but who knows what the new emperor will do with his first three acts of reform.
He preferred to avoid trouble and simply wanted to live a peaceful life outside the palace, hoping that his third brother would take care of him.
It was clear that the Third Prince hadn't mentioned it at all, yet he had a simple meal at the Third Prince's residence. He went there cautiously and returned without knowing why. The food at the Third Prince's residence was quite delicious, though.
After returning to his residence, he mentioned the matter to the princess, expressing his deep bewilderment.
"The Third Prince's wife is not a difficult person to get along with. From what I know of her, if something really happens... she won't just stand by and watch others suffer."
She said softly, "Is Third Brother's behavior also telling us that we don't need to worry too much and should just live our lives peacefully?"
The sixth prince thought about it carefully and felt that his wife's words made sense, so he obediently stayed in the mansion.
I was relieved to hear the news of my father's awakening today.
He then realized that the suggestion given by his third brother was correct.
If Lu Liruan knew, she would definitely sigh: Ji Shumin didn't mean to give him a hint, he really didn't care...
Even Lu Liruan herself was preoccupied with other things.
Lu Liruan noticed that Ji Shumin's body was covered in bruises all day; one bruise hadn't healed before another appeared.
The worst time was when Lu Liruan saw that his forearm was covered in bruises that extended all the way to his elbow. Even when he was asleep, if Lu Liruan gently touched his arm by lifting his sleeve, he would unconsciously frown.
How?
Lu Liruan was worried that something might be wrong with Ji Shumin's health, so she hurriedly invited the old doctor.
After taking your pulse, the old doctor's brows relaxed: "I didn't expect Your Highness to recover so quickly!"
"I originally thought that after taking so many pills for so many years, even with my prescription of using poison to counteract poison to suppress it, it would inevitably damage my internal organs. Even if I wanted to recover, it would take many years of recuperation."
"Now it looks like it's just erysipelas on the surface. If you continue to treat it like this, it won't have a big impact on your lifespan."
"He always has bruises on his body, but could they be related to residual erysipelas?"
Lu Liruan's attention was focused on the old doctor, and she didn't notice the slight unease that flashed across Ji Shumin's lowered eyes when she asked the question...
"In my opinion, it is not caused by elixir poisoning. It is probably because His Highness the Third Prince is weak and accidentally bumped into something. It looks quite frightening. If Your Highness is worried, you can observe him more closely."
The old doctor noticed Ji Shumin's subtle change and, when answering Lu Liruan, held back a bit, speaking ambiguously.
Hearing the doctor say this, Lu Liruan felt much relieved, but she still had doubts. This injury couldn't have appeared out of nowhere, could it?
The old doctor prescribed some calming incense a few days ago. It contains medicinal ingredients and doesn't smell unpleasant when burned. In fact, smelling it before bed makes me feel warm and very calm, allowing me to sleep soundly until dawn.
Lu Liruan hadn't slept this well in a long time. Her complexion was rosy, her blood circulation was better, and she looked more energetic than before.
If you think back carefully, sometimes the bruises on Ji Shumin's body seem to appear suddenly overnight; they weren't there the day before, but appeared the next day.
But during the day, Ji Shumin spent almost all his time with himself and didn't do anything... that could hurt him.
Lu Liruan had some doubts in her mind, so she began to observe carefully.
Finally, the answer came that night.
Lu Liruan deliberately drank several cups of strong tea in the afternoon, which made her stomach feel a little uncomfortable. She went to bed as usual that night without making a sound.
That calming incense was indeed quite potent; even after drinking the tea, Lu Liruan still drifted off to sleep.
Lu Liruan was awakened by a rustling sound from the side. She squinted her eyes slightly in the darkness, but did not move her body. She pretended to be asleep and listened carefully.
She heard the sound of fabric rubbing together beside her, and then a very light kiss landed on her forehead. Lu Liruan almost couldn't help but open her eyes.
Ji Shumin moved from beside him to the ground, and the sound of the wheelchair rolling over the ground gradually faded away.
Lu Liruan blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness, wondering to herself, "What is he going to do in the middle of the night? Why is he acting so mysteriously, carrying me on his back?"
"Squeak—" The bedroom door opened, and Ji Shumin actually came out of the room!
What is he doing outside?
Lu Liruan was still sleepy, and in her drowsy state, a very strange thought suddenly flashed through her mind: Could he really be sneaking through the dog hole behind my back? He wouldn't really have that kind of fetish, would he?
……
Lu Liruan shook her head, trying to banish this absurd thought from her mind.
Definitely not, there were no dog holes dug in the residences outside the palace...
Lu Liruan was in a turmoil. She wanted to get up and go out to see what was going on right now, but then she felt she should observe more. She had learned from Ji Shumin that she should always observe and think more about things.
The night was very quiet. Even with the door open in the summer, it was cool but not cold. Lu Liruan could smell the unique scent of a summer night outside.
The leaves rustled softly in the wind beside my ears.
Even the faintest sound can be carried to one's ears by the wind. Lu Liruan heard something hitting the ground, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but all very regularly.
Amidst the knocking sounds, Lu Liruan didn't know when she had fallen asleep again... When she opened her eyes the next day, Ji Shumin was still lying next to her, his posture unchanged.
It's as if something happened in the middle of the night, like a dream.