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

Chapter 249 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (149)

With each order issued, it seems that all the issues need to be resolved before the end of the year.

But now Ji Shuqin's life seems to be better than before, because no one dares to question him anymore.

"Your Highness, Third Prince, isn't this... a bit presumptuous?"

"Even if he is a prince, he is being far too arrogant in the imperial court."

"Your Highness, the Third Prince's behavior... if you don't properly restrain him, I'm afraid it will lead to..."

Fewer people questioned Ji Shuqin, but more people came to him with such remarks to offer advice.

Some believe that Ji Shuqin will inevitably inherit the throne, and they also acknowledge the eldest prince and are wholeheartedly advising him.

But many of them are just taking advantage of the situation.

Some wanted to sow discord between Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin, while others disliked Ji Shumin and wanted to use this to make Ji Shuqin wary and disgusted with him, so as to settle personal scores.

After all, in their view, Ji Shumin had gone too far, to the point that some people thought the eldest prince was a puppet of the third prince.

The Third Prince is disabled, could it be that... he supported his elder brother's ascension to the throne not because he was of one mind with his brother, but to sideline his brother and seize power in the process?

The eldest prince spent so many years in the mountain temple. Could his return to the palace also be related to the third prince? This is all part of a grand scheme that the third prince has been planning for a long time, scheming for his own benefit!

Ji Shumin's impression on everyone is that, whether you like him or not, you have to admit that the Third Prince is an extremely shrewd and not to be underestimated.

No matter what, no one dared to say that the Third Prince was stupid or foolish. Those who competed with him always regarded him as a major threat and were on high alert.

No matter when or what he is like, he has the ability to stir up trouble and no one can ignore him; this is indeed a real skill.

This was true when he was the crown prince, and it remained true when he was no longer the crown prince.

These people, who watch his every move all day long and wish they could lie under his bed to spy on him, seem unaware that they mention the Third Prince even more often than the First Prince, who is practically a foregone conclusion to become the new emperor!

"You... instead of wasting time worrying about Third Brother, why don't you do something else?" Ji Shuqin was at his wit's end with their annoyance.

The usually dignified and refined eldest prince actually uttered such words in his study.

He looked helpless, raising his hand to his forehead. He wasn't angry, but rather exclaimed in exasperation: "Is this all the reason you rushed to see me today?"

The ministers, led by the two ministers, looked at each other, feeling that the Crown Prince's reaction was different from what they had expected.

They had meticulously and solemnly listed four points, each accusing the Third Prince of being unruly, disrespectful, and defiant, showing no restraint whatsoever.

This might make the eldest prince a little wary and stop indulging him like this.

Otherwise, whose orders are being followed in this entire court?

They were both willing to stand on the side of the eldest prince. After all, in their hearts, if a benevolent ruler were to ascend the throne, even without merit or demerit, he could ensure the people's well-being and the stability of the court.

Moreover, judging from the previous events, the eldest prince is not merely benevolent; he is not weak, nor will he readily believe the opinions of one party…

No, he did indeed listen to the Third Prince's opinion.

However, what the Third Prince said at the time was not wrong at all for those who supported the change.

Therefore, even when they sued the Third Prince, they did not act too vehemently. Instead, they requested an audience with the First Prince and discussed the matter in his private study.

What they were worried about was that now that the eldest prince listened to the third prince, if the third prince had any evil intentions and deliberately misled or guided the eldest prince, would the eldest prince continue to indulge his younger brother?

By then, who could advise or control them? They thought deeply about this and wanted to eliminate this hidden danger before the new emperor ascended the throne!

Even after they'd gone this far, the eldest prince remained obstinate, showing no remorse or reflection whatsoever.

Instead, he revealed a hint of helplessness and indulgence, as if mentioning his younger brother made him completely unprepared for anything he did.

Although the two are brothers born to the same mother, what exactly did the Third Prince do to the First Prince?

It's truly baffling that he would trust you so much, and that he would continue to trust you no matter what happens.

The more this was the case, the more unfathomable Ji Shumin became in everyone's minds, but no matter how they thought about it, they could not figure out the real reason behind it.

“What’s between me and my third brother is our own business. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Why can’t you tolerate him?” Ji Shuqin asked, puzzled.

These days, he deliberately stayed behind Ji Shumin when he was doing things, and sometimes even deliberately acted as if he had no opinions of his own, just to let everyone see that the one who could lead the government in an orderly and decisive manner was not himself, but Ji Shumin.

But it seems to have backfired.

Not only did no one think that the position of regent should be given to Ji Shumin, but they also came to advise him to be vigilant and wary. Why was that...?

Ji Shuqin himself was also pondering: In the succession of dynasties, whether one's status is noble or not, whether one is in accordance with the will of Heaven, and whether one's succession is legitimate, are all more important than whether the new emperor is benevolent, talented, capable, diligent in governing and loving the people.

In the late years of the State of Lu, there were even absurd events such as a foolish prince ascending the throne.

Historical records show that not only did not express disbelief or incomprehension about this matter, but some even defended and argued that it was an act of upholding orthodoxy and demonstrating the loyalty of a subject!

Ji Shuqin did not agree with this, but now it seems that even in front of him, it is still the same, and nothing has changed.

So conservative.

When Ji Shuqin told Ji Shumin about this, Ji Shumin was stunned for a moment: "That's true."

“In the past, there were wise rulers who ascended the throne, but in the end, they were denounced by some as traitors who plotted rebellion to seize power. Are we just going to watch them cede territory to the barbarians and beg for peace to survive?” Ji Shuqin threw a history book he had been reading these past few days onto the table in front of him.

"Is Your Majesty feeling resentful and aggrieved on behalf of others because of those infamy?" Ji Shumin asked thoughtfully.

"They have accomplished so much, yet it seems as if it has been erased."

“But aren’t there descendants, like you, my brother, who feel indignant for him when they read this?” Ji Shumin bent down to pick up the book and looked at that page.

“Min’er…” Ji Shuqin hesitated, his expression complicated. In the end, he didn’t say anything, but just sighed softly.

Lu Liruan had just gotten up when she heard Qinghe say, "Your Highness, the Marquis of He'an's residence has sent a visiting card."

Lu Liruan's mind was still a bit foggy, and she didn't quite understand for a moment: "Huh? What invitation card?"

"Lady He'an requests an audience."

Lu Liruan was baffled. She had just returned to the Marquis of He'an's residence a few days ago, so why was she now sending such a formal visiting card?

"When?"

"today."

Lu Liruan was even more puzzled: "Let Mother come over. What does she want with me?"

Shortly after breakfast, Madam Gao arrived in a hurry.

After she came in, although she acted as usual, Lu Liruan could still sense that she was a little uneasy.

"Mother, what happened? Is it something wrong in the manor...?" Lu Liruan also became nervous, afraid of hearing bad news.

Seeing her daughter's anxiety, Madam Gao knew that her hesitant words were causing her worry, so she sighed and spoke directly: "I came here today on your father's orders. Your father asked me to ask you... His Highness the First Prince, is he going to strip our family of its title?"

"what?"

Lu Liruan never expected to hear this, and was a little confused.

"Has the Crown Prince given the order?"

"no no……"

Madam Gao was clearly not very knowledgeable about court affairs. She took Lu Liruan's hand and lowered her voice, "Your father asked me to come today because he wanted to ask if you're having any trouble with the Third Prince?"

Lu Liruan leaned closer. There was no one else in the room, but Madam Gao's voice was so low that I was clearly worried about being overheard.

"Why do you say that, Father? What difficulties do I face with the Third Prince?" Lu Liruan asked, puzzled and worried that something might have happened to her father.

Sure enough, Madam Gao frowned: "A few days ago, your father was impeached in court."

"Father hardly attends court anymore, why impeach him?"

Now, Marquis He'an felt that he had reached the age to enjoy his retirement. He was not a particularly important minister and had no intention of showing off his status. So, since the eldest prince took over the regency, he retired and stopped attending the morning court sessions.

When Lu Liruan went back last time, she heard Marquis He'an say that he had gained a lot of weight since he no longer had to get up early to attend court every day. His wife urged him to walk more every day, otherwise he would not be able to walk anymore!

At that time, Marquis He'an seemed quite carefree and happy.

"Impeach Father for what?"

"Actually... it was aimed at the Third Prince. Recently, people in the capital have been punished and punished... and someone impeached the Third Prince, saying that he could not treat everyone equally and that he was protecting the Marquis of He'an's family, simply because you are a girl from the Lu family."

Madam Gao's eyes showed worry as she raised her hand to touch Lu Liruan's face: "Your father is extremely worried. He only impeached once, but these past few days, he's brought it up every day, as if they won't rest until the Third Prince does something to the Marquis of He'an's mansion."

Seeing Lu Liruan's blank expression, he knew that Lu Liruan did not know about this, and he felt a little relieved.

"Is Father upset about this?" Lu Liruan knew her father's indecisive nature and was worried that he would be restless because of it.

"He must be unhappy!" Madam Gao held Lu Liruan's hand, her warm palms comforting Lu Liruan's fingers. "With those people targeting you like this, he's worried about you!"

“Your father said he doesn’t care about anything else. As for the title of Marquis of He’an, he might as well give it up. Although it’s the family’s legacy, what’s the point if people keep an eye on him and impeach him every day?” Madam Gao frowned.

“If this stalemate continues, your father is worried that the Third Prince will take his anger out on you, and your life will be difficult... Why don’t we go with the flow, so that our family can stay away from these troubles in the future?”

"But I'm also worried... that if you become a prince's consort and don't have a supportive family, there will be other difficulties in the future." Madam Gao's words clearly showed that she and her husband had thought this through carefully at home before discussing it with Lu Liruan and seeking her opinion on what to do.

Lu Liruan felt a lump in her throat, not for any other reason than hearing her mother say: "It's fine if you don't want the marquis title, but don't let you get thin and feel wronged."

Parents' love is deep, their worries are profound, and their concerns are far-reaching. How can one not be moved by their ability to disregard their own well-being and think only of their children?

These days, I've seen so many people trying to protect themselves amidst turmoil, husbands turning against wives, and even breaking ties with their children for personal gain—it's all quite disheartening.

It's rare to see someone give up fame and fortune, only wishing for their family to be safe and sound, and to stay together forever.

“Tell Father not to overthink things.” Lu Liruan forced a smile. “The Third Prince didn’t mention this to me. When he comes back, I’ll ask him. No matter what, I won’t let anyone bully our family.”

"Oh! You child... I'm telling you this today to make sure you're careful, not to tell you to seek justice for your father!" Madam Gao frowned and tapped Lu Liruan on the back: "What you need to do now is take care of yourself! If you hear any news about the Marquis of He'an's mansion, don't be upset. Everything is fine in the mansion, understand?"

"Okay, Mother, please don't hit me—" Lu Liruan pretended to complain, trying to hide her nasal voice.

Mrs. Gao's mood improved slightly after seeing that her daughter was not affected.

Lu Liruan comforted her, telling her that the Marquis of He'an's mansion was implicated no matter how you looked at it, and as long as she kept her composure and stayed indoors as much as possible these days, nothing should happen.

This was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for someone. As those people used this method to harass Ji Shumin, Lu Liruan felt that the struggle was becoming increasingly intense.

Ji Shuqin also frowned at this matter. The argument of those people was that even the Empress's maternal family was involved, so how could the Marquis of He'an's family be able to protect themselves?

Could it be that the Third Prince is protecting his own in-laws without lifting a finger?

An Jia has been feeling extremely wronged these days. No matter who asks him, he always looks bitter and resentful, as if he's afraid people won't talk about him.

Lord An even claimed to be ill. When he came to court again, his back was hunched, and his face showed signs of old age, making him look exceptionally desolate.

"well done."

Master An was in his study talking with someone.

"Now let's see what the Third Prince should do. You continue to secretly pass on the message to make the fire burn even more fiercely!" the man said to Master An.

"But... if we're discovered, wouldn't our An family be dragged out to take the fall?" Master An was quite dissatisfied; he was unwilling to take that risk.

"Only your An family is capable of handling this matter! Have you forgotten what I told you about our ultimate fate? Do a good job... When the time comes, your An family will be credited and will not be treated unfairly!"

The man lowered his voice and said to Master An in a seductive tone, with a hint of threat, "We've come this far, none of us have a way out!"