amaotonovel Chapter 254 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (154)
Chapter 254 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (154)
Ji Shumin adjusted himself into a comfortable position and shook his head at Ji Shuqin.
Of course he didn't believe it. Even Ji Shuling himself couldn't believe that his acting skills were good, right?
From the moment Ji Shuling appeared in the middle of the night, Ji Shumin sensed that something was off about him.
Both were summoned urgently, but even Ji Shuqin, who rushed over from his own palace, didn't arrive as quickly as Ji Shuling. Instead, Ji Shuling first tidied his appearance.
Ji Shumin was the last to arrive. As soon as he entered the room, the first thing he saw was Ji Shuling's serious and stern face.
Even the belt he used to fasten his clothes was twisted at the back.
But that wasn't a big deal; however, the longer it went on, the more anxious he became.
As dawn broke, Admiral Lin still hadn't gotten to the bottom of things. Just as Ji Shumin was about to fall asleep, he was annoyed by the loud bang of Ji Shumin getting up and knocking his chair aside.
Not to mention, when Admiral Lin dragged that little eunuch into the hall, even on such a cold day, if you looked closely, you could see that sweat was even beading on his forehead.
"Reckless and impulsive, timid and careless, unable to handle things," Ji Shumin thought to himself.
My second elder brother has always been rather incompetent over the years, more ruthless and vicious than intelligent and patient.
"I thought he would improve after being confined, but it's still like this..." Ji Shu sighed.
"You mean that little eunuch is his man?" Ji Shuqin asked. He had also noticed that something was wrong with Ji Shuling, but since he didn't know him that well, he couldn't draw a conclusion directly.
"In the end, it's all related to him."
"What exactly is she going to do in Father's bedroom? Could it be that she really intends to kill Father..." Ji Shuqin didn't understand. Could it be that Ji Shuling really harbored thoughts of patricide? But now, he couldn't think of any benefit for her in doing so.
“We’ll know once that eunuch speaks,” Ji Shumin said softly and confidently. “That eunuch is just doing someone else’s job. He has nothing to do with it himself. If he’s been tortured like that and still doesn’t speak, then he’s not keeping quiet for his own sake. He can only be keeping quiet because of someone else.”
In fact, Ji Shumin could have ordered people to investigate who this little eunuch was connected to while he was in the hall. However, in front of Ji Shuling, he did not want to alert the enemy, so he pretended not to have thought of it and only sent people to investigate secretly after Ji Shuling left.
In terms of cultivating connections within the palace, Ji Shuling was far inferior to Ji Shumin.
Ji Shumin was the crown prince from a young age, making him the most prestigious prince besides the emperor. Whether it was through his own efforts or through those who actively sought to curry favor with him, Ji Shumin had access to things that Ji Shuling, an ordinary prince, could never access.
Ji Shumin was also extremely good at employing people. Lu Liruan had discovered this long ago. Ji Shumin never coerced or conspired with people to do bad things like the Second Prince, binding them to the same boat.
He excels at overt strategies, using kindness and righteousness, and employing genuine persuasion and shared ideals—these are far more stable and reliable than any underhanded collusion or shady dealings.
Strangely enough, Ji Shumin possessed the ability and personal charisma to make people willing to risk their lives for him.
Lu Liruan felt that she could learn thinking and strategy from him, but there were some things that no one else could learn. Just like herself, she would be willing to tie her life to Ji Shumin and pledge her life to him.
Seeing that Ji Shumin looked tired, Ji Shuqin asked, "Would you like to rest here for a while, or go back to your residence to rest?"
“I’ll go back. I left in the middle of the night yesterday, and if I don’t go back soon, Li Ruan will worry.” Ji Shumin said naturally.
"You and your brother and sister-in-law are still so harmonious." Ji Shuqin smiled. Having seen so much hypocrisy, seeing his brother and sister-in-law always made him feel a little better.
"Yes." Ji Shumin nodded without any modesty: "Li Ruan and I are the best of friends in the world..."
"Ah? What did you say?"
Ji Shumin spoke very softly at the end, and Ji Shuqin didn't hear it clearly.
These words were said by Lu Liruan. Ji Shumin thought they were childish. Once, when Lu Liruan was drunk, she would stretch out her hand and draw the largest possible circle in the air within the length of her arm: "The two of us are the best in the world!"
She's even more childish than usual; she even talks like a little girl...
As Ji Shumin thought this, he still obediently put down his wine glass when Lu Liruan looked over, and took the invisible circle that Lu Liruan drew: "Yes, Liruan and I are the best of friends in the world."
He saw the girl squinting her eyes contentedly and nodding, as if praising Ji Shumin for his pragmatism.
Ji Shumin didn't tell Lu Liruan about this after she sobered up. If he had, Lu Liruan would have known that... what she drew wasn't a circle, but... a pie in the sky.
But before Ji Shumin could even leave, Decheng came to see him.
"Let him in," Ji Shuqin agreed.
Decheng didn't come alone; he came in with Baoyi, who was ashen-faced and trembling with sweat with every step.
As soon as they entered, the two knelt down together.
“Last night, this good-for-nothing fell into the villain’s trap. This servant has brought him here to plead guilty and beg the two princes to punish him!” De Cheng said, kowtowing and bowing with Bao Yi.
"It was my stupidity, I deserve to die! I beg forgiveness from the two princes, I deserve to die!" Bao Yi kowtowed repeatedly, not daring to even defend himself or beg for mercy.
If you do something wrong, you do something wrong. How can a master be willing to listen to a servant's explanation and beg for forgiveness?
"Today it all depends on your luck, whether your life is meant to end..." On the way here, Decheng said this to Baoyi. Even though he wanted to protect him, after all, it's not easy to raise a good godson, but this matter has really caused a huge mess!
If this matter falls into the Emperor's hands, Baoyi will have absolutely no chance of survival.
But now that he was going to see the eldest prince, De Cheng thought that he might actually be able to save his life.
Ji Shuqin frowned, looking at Bao Yi, whose face was full of sorrow and fear, and whose head was covered in bruises from banging his head against the wall. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
It was indeed a grave mistake to allow someone to sneak into the emperor's bedroom due to negligence.
But given the circumstances, his father was unharmed, and Ji Shuqin couldn't bring himself to kill Baoyi. He turned to look at Ji Shumin.
But Ji Shumin seemed completely oblivious to the matter. He was nestled in the soft chair, his body half-curled up, head bowed, slowly turning the bracelet on his wrist.
They acted as if it were none of their business.
De Cheng also secretly lifted half of his eyelid to observe Ji Shumin's movements.
Ji Shuqin pondered for a moment, then finally said, "Go and receive fifty strokes of the cane, and you will never be allowed to serve the Emperor again." That was his decision.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness!"
De Cheng spoke loudly. Bao Yi, who was standing to the side, only came to his senses when he heard his godfather's voice. He thought he had misheard. Before his mind could process what he had heard, his body was already trembling and he was kowtowing frantically: "Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness! Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness! This servant kowtows to Your Highness!"
It wasn't until he walked out of the First Prince's palace, feeling as if he were walking on cotton, that Bao Yi finally came to his senses and realized that he had truly escaped with his life!
His hands were trembling so badly he couldn't lift them.
After walking a few corners, he suddenly knelt down before Decheng: "Thank you, Godfather, for saving my life. I will never forget it and will be a good son to you for the rest of my life!" Tears welled up in his eyes.
De Cheng accepted his kneeling, sighed, and helped him up: "The Crown Prince is kind-hearted..."
“Yes, Your Highness is kind-hearted and spared my life! I will always remember Your Highness’s kindness!” Bao Yi said from the bottom of his heart.
De Cheng nodded, but thought to himself: That's a bit too kind...
Although De Cheng wanted to spare his godson's life, he was quite surprised by the Crown Prince's lenient treatment. Although the Emperor was not considered harsh in his rule, he was not a soft-hearted person either.
But the eldest prince...
The Third Prince's actions clearly indicated that he was leaving the decision entirely to the First Prince, remaining completely silent, and the hierarchy between the two was evident.
De Cheng was the Empress's man. He would obey whatever the Empress thought. If the Empress wanted the Crown Prince to sit on the throne, he would do everything he could to help the Crown Prince ascend the throne.
If His Highness the Crown Prince wishes, he can continue to serve as the new Grand Eunuch after ascending the throne, since he is the most suitable person for the job in the palace.
But His Highness the Crown Prince himself doesn't want to compete!
Now it seems that His Highness the Third Prince is willingly yielding to his elder brother, but for some reason, De Cheng always feels a sense of unease, but he can't quite put his finger on what the problem is.
Bao Yi was still basking in the relief of surviving, completely oblivious to his godfather's thoughtful expression...
Ji Shuqin turned to ask Ji Shumin whether his decision was right or wrong, but before he could speak, Ji Shumin, as if guessing his thoughts, spoke first: "In this matter, as long as Your Majesty thinks it is in line with your thoughts, then it is right."
Because in this matter, there is no standard that is right or wrong.
Ji Shumin left the palace without a second thought, leaving Ji Shuqin alone. Ji Shuqin felt a throbbing pain in his temples and leaned back in his chair to rest.
Although Ji Shumin said that, Ji Shuqin, unable to discern the truth of his own words and actions, still harbored doubts and could not be as at ease as Ji Shumin claimed.
Ji Shuling usually spends most of his time in the palace.
Not for any other reason than that, over time, all those who left the palace to establish their own residences were destined to be ineligible for the throne, and Ji Shuling, being quite superstitious, was unwilling to stay long in his own residence outside the palace.
But today, he left the palace without stopping.
When he arrived at the mansion, Lu Yushi had already returned earlier than him.
"Your Highness, the concubine has gone out today," his steward reported to him.
The Second Prince was a very suspicious person, especially after he made some decisions. He kept a close watch on the people around him, fearing that the tricks he used on others would be used on him in return.
After sending Lu Yushi to test Lu Liruan, Ji Shuling felt that his concubine was really useless. Not only was she brainless, she could even mess up simple things.
After that, I didn't pay much attention to her, and now when I hear her going out, I don't really care.
"I understand. Let her go if she wants to. Just tell her to stop going to the Princess's place." Ji Shuling said casually.
Lu Yushi had a bad relationship with the principal wife. Lu Yushi had always liked to compete since she was a child, but as a concubine, even if she was stupid, she knew that she could not challenge the principal wife.
However, when she first entered the palace, she was arrogant and thought that since the Second Prince had taken the initiative to make her a concubine, she must have a special status in the Second Prince's heart, so she did not pay much attention to the principal wife.
Her good fortune lay in the fact that the principal wife was indeed not favored by the second prince. Therefore, the second prince was too lazy to care about the various conflicts between Lu Yushi and the principal wife. After all, they were all vying for her favor. What storms could a few women possibly cause?
After entering the study, a few more people came in one after another.
"How...how could I have failed?"
"That lackey Decheng, I should have dealt with him first..."
Listening to the hindsight and cacophony of these people in front of him, the Second Prince grew increasingly irritated: "So what should we do now? Where exactly is that thing?"
He was worried and anxious, even suspecting that Ji Shuqin had set a trap, but based on his understanding of his father, Ji Shuqin probably didn't know either.
The Second Prince always boasted that he and the Emperor were similar in personality. Indeed, his suspicious nature and distrust of everyone were similar to the Emperor's, but the Emperor's personality was not just about these things.
Ji Shuling, however, believed that his actions were a sign of caution and intelligence. He was always both self-conscious and arrogant, and inexplicably held himself in high esteem.
"Or perhaps Your Highness, the Second Prince, could you search again?" someone probed.
"One has been arrested! Do we have to arrest another one?! If Ji Shumin finds out what I'm looking for, how will we carry out our plans in the future?!" the Second Prince roared.
"But..." The person next to him was also trembling with fear, not knowing what to do.
"What about the An family?" The Second Prince suddenly looked at someone. "He was the one you persuaded. Go and have him talk to the Empress and find out where that thing is! Since the Empress can control Father Emperor like a curse, she might know." The Second Prince ordered.
Those he pointed out inwardly groaned: "Given how spineless An Jia is, the fact that he was swayed by him is only because he's worried about his actions being exposed. I don't know why the Second Prince actually believed his plan!"
But it must be said that the idea that coward came up with was actually quite vicious.
Now, if he were to try to get information out of the Empress, that person would think that if the Second Prince had spoken to him personally, he would know that the good-for-nothing wouldn't understand this matter!
But the second prince was in a fit of anger, and no one dared to disobey him, so they had no choice but to agree.
Sure enough, when Master An heard this, he almost fainted. His face turned red with anger. "No, no, you don't know how stupid my wife is. The Empress has been the most intelligent woman since she was a maiden. Letting her go... will only cause trouble! This won't do!" He waved his hands frantically to refuse.
"You dare disobey my orders?"
"No, it's just..."
Having no other choice, Master An reluctantly went to see Madam Chen. But before he could even finish speaking, Madam Chen turned pale and nearly fainted.
Meanwhile, in the palace, according to Ji Shumin's account, some clues have been uncovered.