PFC Chapter 210 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (114)
Chapter 210 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (114)
The rumors were so credible that even at the foot of the mountain where the sacrifice was held, groups of people went to watch. Unable to climb up, they gathered together, pointing and whispering, leaving the guards helpless.
Since that sacrificial ceremony, the princes have been getting into trouble one after another.
The third prince left the palace to establish his own residence, but he has not been seen for several months. It is said that he neither attends court nor leaves his residence.
Right now, we're practically living dead, not knowing when we'll...
The seventh prince broke his leg. It's said that on a snowy day, he was bewitched and jumped off the roof, breaking his leg. The imperial concubine in the palace is now also insane because of the seventh prince's affair.
The second prince was also imprisoned, not because he had done anything wrong, but because the emperor wanted to torment him.
The more miserable the princes are, the more time the emperor can take away from their lives...
Now that the Second Prince has been released, the Emperor has suddenly... must have been punished by heaven!
Even the poorest and most destitute person wouldn't do something as cruel as a tiger eating its own cub; how could the Emperor do such a thing!
really……
This is absolutely against human ethics!
The rumor spread like wildfire throughout the capital, its source unknown and impossible to contain. It even circulated in the streets and alleys, and everyone knew about it.
Although discussing the emperor could lead to imprisonment, the law does not punish the masses. Even the officials in the capital were at a loss, wondering... who should be arrested?
We can't just arrest every ordinary person we see on the street, can we? And what about all those kids singing newly composed ditty in the streets and alleys?
Then the prison won't be able to hold everyone, and in that case, the people's hearts won't be at peace!
In such turbulent times, if people's hearts are not at peace, who knows what might happen? No one wants to take on trouble for themselves at this time.
So one person ignored it, and no one else cared. These rumors spread so strangely that no one knew how to end them.
News from within the palace was tightly controlled, but Lu Liruan still knew that the Emperor was currently in a coma.
The imperial physicians were all helpless and could only use strong medicines to keep the emperor alive. Inside the red walls and black tiles, a gloomy and desolate atmosphere prevailed.
The common people were unaware, but Lu Liruan knew perfectly well that someone was secretly pushing the rumors forward.
The person behind this was chosen at this crucial juncture, which was extremely clever. They took advantage of a loophole, and it's unclear when they started preparing, or how they managed to do it so precisely, right when the Emperor was in trouble...
The Emperor's current predicament is inextricably linked to him.
"Is it the Second Prince?" Lu Liruan asked vaguely while eating grapes.
"Why did Li Ruan guess it was him?" Ji Shumin leaned forward, took a grape from Lu Li Ruan's fingertip, and without biting it, his tongue could already taste the sweet flavor that her fingertip had rubbed against.
"It was just a coincidence that this happened right after he was released. Moreover, the rumors were really deliberate. It's one thing to say that you and the Seventh Prince were involved, but to say that he was imprisoned because the Emperor wanted to... In fact, he did nothing wrong. It's too unreasonable."
When Lu Liruan first heard it, she couldn't help but laugh.
“Hmm, that makes sense.” Ji Shumin nodded casually, looked up at Lu Liruan, raised his chin, and waited for Lu Liruan to feed him another grape.
Lu Liruan shoved another one into his hand and pushed the plate towards him, saying, "Don't you have hands?"
Lu Liruan wiped her hands, then realized that her thinking was a bit off: "The Emperor's poisoning must be related to this incident, but the Second Prince doesn't know about the Emperor's poisoning. He has already been released from confinement, so why would he want to cause trouble for himself?"
He frowned slightly: "Isn't he worried that if the Emperor regains consciousness and investigates, he'll get himself into trouble again?"
“But if it was the Empress who did it, why would she do it? She clearly knew that the Emperor’s poison was beyond saving.” Lu Liruan also suspected that it was the Empress who did it, but she couldn’t figure out why the Empress would do it.
"Didn't Li Ruan ever think that they did it together?" Ji Shumin lost interest in eating when the plate was placed in front of him.
"how come……"
Lu Liruan thought that the least likely thing was that they conspired together. Right now, the Second Prince and the First Prince were the ones who were in the most intense competition.
The Second Prince's faction is trying every means to get the Emperor to release him, and this time they are determined to fight the First Prince and the Empress!
"Use their strength against them," Ji Shumin casually advised Lu Liruan.
"You mean, the Second Prince's faction noticed the Empress's actions and used this rumor to their advantage to create momentum for themselves?" After thinking it over, this does seem to be the most plausible explanation.
"It doesn't matter who did it, we just need to watch." Ji Shumin looked uninterested.
These days his health has improved a lot. Because of the repeated pain, Ji Shumin rarely got to sleep through the night. He slept very lightly, and sometimes Lu Liruan could wake him up by turning over.
It's much better now. However, Lu Liruan still has a conditioned reflex. Sometimes she unconsciously turns over in the middle of the night and suddenly wakes up, instinctively freezing her movements and holding her breath to check on Ji Shumin's condition.
But she found that Ji Shumin was sleeping soundly, his breathing was steady, which she had never seen before, and he looked gentle and peaceful. Lu Liruan couldn't help but lean over and examine him closely.
As she gazed at him for a long time, Ji Shumin seemed to sense her gaze while he was asleep. He raised his hand and pulled Lu Liruan into his arms, resting his chin on the crook of Lu Liruan's neck. His soft breaths brushed against Lu Liruan's earlobe, allowing Lu Liruan to fall into a deep sleep.
As if trying to make up for all the rest he had missed, he often felt sleepy, as languid as a cat basking in the sun. Seeing him slowly close his eyes again, Lu Liruan touched his face: "Go to bed if you're sleepy..."
Ji Shumin hummed softly, but only placed his hand on the back of Lu Liruan's hand, rubbed against the couch where Lu Liruan was sitting, rested his head on Lu Liruan's lap, and then curled his lips in satisfaction.
While turmoil was brewing outside, peace and tranquility remained inside the house.
The atmosphere in the palace grew more tense day by day, like a piece of silk stretched to its limit, as if everyone could hear the ominous sound of tearing silk at any moment.
Ji Shuqin stayed by the Emperor's side every day, and the imperial physicians were always there to look after him. Ji Shuqin didn't need to do anything himself, and no one dared to let the eldest prince, whose health was probably not very good, get tired.
Even so, after a few days, Ji Shuqin had lost a lot of weight.
The Empress, seeing this, gently advised, "Qin'er, your father will surely know of your filial piety. You must take care of your health first..."
Ji Shuqin's expression was cold as he withdrew his hand from the Empress's grasp: "Mother, there is no need to worry. As a son, this is what I should do."
A fleeting hint of anger crossed the Empress's face, but he concealed it well.
Since the last time Ji Shuqin and the Empress had a big argument over the Seventh Prince, the Empress felt that he had become estranged from her. In all the years since he left the palace for the mountain temple and then returned to the palace, Ji Shuqin had never been so distant from the Empress.
"Qin'er..." she called to him, but Ji Shuqin no longer responded with the same respect and affection. For a moment, the Empress felt a pang of regret. Why had she let him return to the palace and become like this?
But it was only for a moment before this thought dissipated into countless other thoughts.
Ji Shuqin had no idea what the Empress was thinking. It wasn't that he hadn't heard the rumors outside; he was no longer the naive and clueless eldest prince who had just returned to the palace.
He knew about the affairs of the court and the grudges and struggles. As Ji Shumin's elder brother, he was certainly not stupid enough to be ignorant and unaware. But it was precisely because he could feel it that he found it even harder to accept.
If it's just a simple rumor...
Ji Shuqin will invite the Dali Temple to take charge, and Lord He will certainly not refuse.
but……
Ji Shuqin knew that this was not just a simple rumor.
The Emperor's actions that day were like dark clouds looming overhead, threatening destruction. Under the altar in the midst of a raging storm, the glance he and Ji Shumin exchanged from afar revealed their mutual understanding.
Their father, the ruler of the world, he really did such a thing!
What caused Ji Shuqin even more pain was that he knew perfectly well that the so-called immortals and so-called magic were inextricably linked to the Empress.
Ji Shuqin had questioned her before, but the Empress hadn't stopped. Now, the Empress stood there calmly, as if nothing had happened, while Ji Shuqin didn't know how to face her, nor how to change or stop it...
"Mother, it's getting late, please go back." Ji Shuqin said softly, gesturing to the old woman Ma beside him, "Help Mother go back."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the emperor's bedroom without looking back.
As darkness fell, rain began to pelt down on the palanquin's canopy.
This is what the rainy season in the north is like: not a misty drizzle, but bursts of wind and thunderstorms.
Back at the Phoenix Palace, the Empress sat silently in the dimly lit hall. The palace maids carefully lit the candles, but even the light seemed to be shrouded in a heavy darkness.
"Tell me... why doesn't Qin'er understand my good intentions?" the Empress asked quietly.
"I did all this for him... Why should he be filial to that person? Perhaps I should have told him long ago how his father watched him die and how he sent him to the mountain temple with me. Would he then be able to hate him with me?"
"But he is my child alone... I can't bear to part with him. I gave him everything and paved the way for him. What have I done wrong? Why does he treat me like this!" The Empress's usually calm face suddenly cracked, revealing a hint of hysteria!
"The eldest prince... will understand your good intentions." That was all Ma Ma could say. She had served the empress and the eldest prince for so many years, how could she not see the differences between the mother and son? But she was just a servant and could only watch from the sidelines.
"When will he understand!" The Queen closed her eyes wearily.
Ji Shuqin had no idea how many days had passed, and the Emperor still showed no signs of waking up.
The court officials have begun to discuss whether the emperor left a will since no crown prince was appointed. Who will inherit the throne, or has he left nothing and is about to face a bloody storm?
On this day, Ji Shuqin entered the emperor's bedchamber alone without being announced to anyone.
The room was filled with a strong smell of medicine, and because the windows were closed, the stench made people feel bitter.
The concubines who usually attend to the sick are all absent today, making the room eerily quiet.
Ji Shuqin couldn't help but slow his pace. The moment he stepped into the bedroom, he saw De Cheng holding a spoon, feeding something to the emperor.
De Cheng turned around abruptly, but his hands didn't stop moving. Instead, he used a pillow to prop up the emperor's neck, making him swallow what was in his mouth, before standing up and bowing to Ji Shuqin: "Your Highness, the First Prince..."
"What did you feed Father Emperor?" Ji Shuqin stepped forward quickly and, seeing that the Emperor was still the same as before, asked coldly.
De Cheng did not answer Ji Shuqin directly, but instead replied calmly, "This servant is acting on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress..."
"I'm asking you what you fed Father Emperor!" Ji Shuqin was furious for the first time!
Nobody took him seriously, nobody cared about his thoughts, everyone looked down on him, even his mother just... just manipulated him!
"Tell me!" Ji Shuqin clenched his fists, using the last bit of his sanity to restrain himself from going forward, and kicked Decheng to the ground.
“It’s something that can save the Emperor’s life,” De Cheng said, bowing. “Your Majesty the Empress is merciful.”
"Is it something sent by that immortal again?" Ji Shuqin said sarcastically.
"I don't know."
"You don't need to lie to me anymore. I already know about that matter of immortals."
"Your Highness is so wise..."
Seeing that he was fearless and unyielding, Ji Shuqin took a deep breath: "You are someone who serves the Emperor, why are you doing these things?"
Upon hearing this, De Cheng suddenly looked up at Ji Shuqin. He had served the emperor for many years and was the emperor's most trusted servant. He was cautious, diligent, and usually as quiet as a shadow.
"Does the Crown Prince want to know?" His appearance at this moment was quite different from usual; his sallow face seemed to be carrying a malicious smile.
"You said."
"If it weren't for Her Majesty the Empress and the Dowager Consort, this servant would have been rotting in that mass grave for who knows how many years."
The things he talked about were quite ordinary, at least in this cannibalistic palace.
The concubine who once challenged the Empress, the Emperor's most beloved concubine, deliberately provoked the Emperor to have De Cheng beaten to death for speaking on behalf of the Empress, just because De Cheng relayed the Empress's message. This was done to embarrass the Empress.
Fortunately, the Empress and the Dowager Consort were together at the time. Upon hearing the news, they rescued Decheng, who had been beaten half to death and was covered in blood and tears.
In the palace, human life is as worthless as grass. If you offend any noble person, you die and that's it. Who will remember you? What Decheng said has happened countless times in this palace.
“My ancestors were descendants of disgraced officials. I entered the palace at a young age to serve the Emperor. When the Emperor was trying to please a noble lady and wanted to have me beaten to death, I had already served the Emperor for thirteen years.”
Decheng tried to straighten up, but because he had been bent over for too long, he ended up still slightly hunched over...